Oppo BDP-83SE review thread

[Bluyoda]

I received my Oppo BDP-83SE player on December 23, and have been using it constantly since then. This player, along with my Pioneer Kuro 50inch, is the best thing I have ever owned!

I use HDMI to connect the player with my Pioneer Plasma Flatscreen, and the stereo RCA outputs of the 7.1 analog out to my Linn Majik receiver, as well as RCA stereo CD out to my Linn amp which has a pair of "Neat" Motive 1 speakers connected to it.

I am a guitarist\composer. I used to have a 2. Generation Pioneer DVD player back in 1998-99, but I then moved to Viet Nam, where I used my computer, hooked up to a Viewsonic Full HD 28inch monitor, and Celestion 5 speakers to watch movies.

I went for the Special Edition, because I knew I wanted to use the analog outputs of the player, and I had been looking for the right player since 2008.
This player is ideal for me, since it supports a wide variety of formats such as
1. BD, DVD, DVD-A, CD, SACD and various others,
2. 2.0 profile (not that I am planning on ever using it, but good to have),
3. 7.1 analog outputs.
4. Fast loading times for BD.
5. Internal decoding of all lossless audio codecs.
6. Best DVD 1080p image quality, so that I can still watch my Star Wars movies on DVD without having to cringe the whole time for the next 1-2 years.
7. Deep color support, which enables me to watch movies in 36bit color now, since my Pioneer supports this feature as well,
8. Pure audio function
9. Can turn off the display entirely
10. Built in 1Gib memory
11. 2 USB ports, which I can use to update software, wiew my photos, or listen to music...
12. Inaudible fan.
13. Beautiful design, that screams quality, unlike so many modern BD players from manufacturers like Panasonic, LG or Samsung, and last but certainly not least
14. High end DACs for superior audio quality!
15. Universal power supply
16. Legendary and tested customer service
First off, the sound is of this device is off the hook!!!
The difference is so dramatic, that it's like hearing everything for the first time. A good excuse to listen to my entire CS collection again.

Throw in the "Hulk" BD and the DTS HD MA track will rattle your house!
Your neighbors are gonna love it! Ha,ha
It's so incredibly dynamic, and yet the sounds voices and musical instruments are clearly distinguishable from one another.
The bass is insanely powerful, but well defined at the same time!

Blu-rays look absolutely true to the source.
DVDs that are upconverted to 1080p look phenomenally good.
I never thought DVDs could look this awesome.
I truly believe that this is the best DVDs can possible look.

Right now, I only have one SACD, which is The Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd's 30th Anniversary Edition, and boy, it's sounds stellar.
You feel like you just need to reach out with your hands to grab all that money!
Diana Krall CDs are a dream. Every little detail comes out beautifully with this player. The bass, the guitar, the piano and her incredible voice.
Everything sounds very natural, transparent and dynamic.

Frank Zappa's stereo arrangements have just become way more effective than ever before. Again, I am hearing things that I had never noticed before.
Miles Davis, the Star Wars soundtracks....WOW!

Unfortunately, I can't compare the sound of the Special Edition to the regular model, but I can't imagine the regular model sounding even close to this. Yesterday, a close friend of mine who has "Naim" audio components and all kinds of special devices to clean the signal path, was here, and he was amazed by how good my set up sounds. His system cost him at least €15.000, and he was really impressed, as was another friend of mine who came to see Baraka on BD the other day. He uses a full tube pre-amp and amp at his place, but couldn't ignore the quality of the truthful and dynamic sound either. Today, another musician friend of mine was here, and he was astounded by the sheer quality of the sound.
Every time I listen to a CD now, it puts a smile on my face. It's such a joy!

I find the remote control a dream to use. It's very well designed and laid out, and backlit.
Oh yeah, my player came in an Oppo bag, with a Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-Ray Edition BD, including the blue filter glasses, a AIX Records-Audio Calibration Disc, a good quality HDMI cable and an Owner's Manual that is extremely well written! Hats off to Oppo for this fantastic service! You just know that you have got something special when you unpack this player.

I'd say, if you want to use it as your universal player, with the analog outputs, then the SE is your ticket! I for one absolutely love it!

My only nitpicks would be that sometimes pressing the track number of CDs doesn't have any effect, so you have to click the next button, the BD loading at the beginning is a bit loud (when it jumps chapters or so)Is that normal?- never a problem during playback of the movie though, and well, that's it.

I am very, very happy with this player.

I hope you like the review, and if you have any questions I will try to answer them.

Oh yeah, and I am curious to read your reviews of the Oppo BDP-83SE!