Lexicon an unmodified OPPO?

[McBain]

An interesting write-up on Lexicon's Blu-ray player.

It's an Oppo BDP-83. Normally we'd launch into a statement like this with more tact. We may, for example, wax eloquent about the Lexicon BD-30's beautiful chassis or it's billet aluminum front face. We could tell you about the heft of the unit, or the fact that comes double boxed with enough padding to warrant throwing it off the FedEx or UPS truck while it's still moving. While all of that is true, the Lexicon BD-30 is still an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player. And what's more, it's not just using the same parts - they actually stuck the player inside - chassis and all. This would be OK, were it not for the $3000 premium over the Oppo and THX certification...

Link: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/t...icon-outside-1

[solarrdadd]

very interesting article. sad to see it happen but it's a reminder of what actually can and does go on in the industry. i'd be sofa king p'd off to find out i paid thousands for something that was actually the same thing on the inside as a 500 dollar machine!

bad lexicon, bad

[gonk]

Kal Rubinson is supposed to have a comparison of the BD-30 to the BDP-83SE in the March issue of Stereophile, too. Like the guys at Audioholics, Kal has spent a fair bit of time with the BDP-83. That will be an interesting write-up, I suspect.

Theta and Ayre both have BDP-83 clones planned, but based on some pictures I've seen online I think they actually made design changes to the power supply and analog section. It appears that Lexicon didn't do much at all...

[ZIPPO]

A VERY GOOD READ! THANKS!

from: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/t...icon-outside-1

" When we received the player the first thing we did was open it up to get a look at the inside. Imagine my surprise when I found that not only did the Lexicon share the same boards and transport as the Oppo - it was in fact AN OPPO BDP-83 PLAYER, CHASSIS AND ALL, SHOVED INSIDE AN ALUMINUM LEXICON WRAPPER."

"Sadly they paid for THX certification and THX happily took their money to allow Lexicon to slap their badge on the front panel - apparently without actually testing to see if it met the core requirements of which we would suppose any THX Blu-ray player would have to adhere. If THX is doing this with Blu-ray players, it makes you wonder what they are doing with A/V receivers and other THX certified products. "

"We commend Lexicon for giving us this opportunity to review the BD-30 BD player and hope to continue reviewing their products regardless of our findings in this particular instance. In the meantime, we suggest that Lexicon asks for a certification refund from THX and instead have us do their testing going forward with new Blu-ray players. Hmm, maybe they can even place our logo on their faceplate. Now that would be cool!"

& bad THX

[btf1980]

Not surprising. Lexicon did the same thing with their RT-20 universal player which was just a Marantz DV9500.

[Celerony]

I already read this on Dutch forum.
This case again clarifies the fact that you shouldn't trust on a brand in terms of ''It's brand-****, so it's a blind-buy''

So I would say in this case:
High-end, low-moral!

Let the spoof begin; MILJONAIRS, PULL THAT WALLETS OUT OF YOUR POCKETS!

[Clark Kent]

THX has not meant anything for over a decade. Long ago it sold out, certifying anything that would pay the licensing fee. If anything, seeing an item with THX-certification on it means the manufacturers wasted money to pay the fee, thus eliminating that cost from actually improving the product.

[mr.hidef]

I was just about to post this on a new thread.....unreal huh? Scamming us out of 3 grand......hee hee! Like we would buy a three thousand dollar player ....

...where do I sign up?


Looks like the THX certification never went through either?..........wow!

[mr.hidef]

"Link Topic: Lexicon BD-30 arrived"

Posted: 09 Dec 2009 at 10:32pm...

Just picked up the BD-30 did a quick set up and used HDMI out to the Lev502 processor (HDMI 1.1). SACD/DVD-A/CD/DVD/BRay all played with quick loading. Blu-Ray not as quick as I hoped it might be thus far.
I just hooked up HDMI (and coax) by swapping out a Marantz B-Ray player.

I have questions about the set up. My old (no Blu-Ray) "Universal Denon 5910ci" is set up to have 3 inputs into the 502. B-Ray/DVD using HDMI; CD using coaxial; and SACD-DVD-A using analog output.

BD-30 manual says just hook up HDMI and be happy unless you prefer the sound better using analog (BD-30 DAC's or using Coax). Since the DAC's in the 502 are darn good one might think PCM is better. The 502 does not accept DSD. My only concern is that while DSD streaming would have been better, do I lose anything in the PCM conversion, or is the PCM read off the disc. Are these the same quality?

As far as analog outputs, I thought I was sacrificing by not getting the more expensive Macintosh (really good analog) or Marantz, but if PCM is as good then I am lucky. Also if CD is only a transport to the 502, then would I gain anything going to the much more expensive Levinson 512?

I can try all options, but that requires a more thorough disassembly and reassembly of components and wiring. Any thoughts on benefits of using 7.1 analog or using Coax would be appreciated.

Video output is superb.

M**e...

Poor dude......somebody want to call this guy and let him know what's up?

[btf1980]

This is nothing new with Lexicon though. It seems like deja vu to me because this very same thing happened a few years ago with them. Quite frankly, I'm shocked the Lexicon RT20/Marantz DV9500 issue wasn't a bigger deal.

[ZIPPO]

Originally Posted by mr.hidef

I was just about to post this on a new thread.....unreal huh? Scamming us out of 3 grand......hee hee! Like we would buy a three thousand dollar player ....

...where do I sign up?

Maybe if it were made from scratch & had a better build quality like these,

MVP881
UNIVERSAL AUDIO VIDEO BLU RAY PLAYER
mvp888-front-l.jpg


Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-ray Player
bdp-09blown.jpg


Sony BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray Player
x158BDPS5K-o_lid-off.jpg


Marantz UD9004 Blu-ray Player
UD9004_Inside_top-w1200_96dpi.jpg


Denon DVD-A1UD Blu-ray Player
DVDA1UDCI_Large_Inside.jpg

but to stuff an Oppo BDP-83( $500 ) in a Lexicon case & sell it for $3000 without changing anything, is a lowdown dirty sham.

[ZIPPO]

Even though McIntosh, Denon & Marantz are all owned by D&M Holdings, Inc., they changed enough to distinguish between the brands. Looks like they share some circuit boards & the disc transport.


mvp888-back-l.jpg


DVDA1UDCI_Large_Back.jpg


UD9004-REAR-w1200_96dpi.jpg

[ewsjr]

This is turning into quite a fascinating story, sort of a home theater Watergate. Now I've read that they have deleted scores of negative comments over at Home Theater Review.com on the review page. Curious to see if any HT mags such as Sound and Vision, etc. will pick this up and investigate the whole idea of re-badging products. Sure sounds like a great story to send to the entertainment writer at the New York Times.

[ZIPPO]

from: http://hometheaterreview.com/lexicon...ayer-reviewed/


"The Lexicon BD-30 has the best build quality of any Blu-ray player I have seen to date. The thick, machined faceplate with deeply indented lettering and recessed area for the drawer and display are exceptional-looking, while the remainder of the case is rock solid. This isn't some Japanese stamped steel player, and for the price, it shouldn't be. The unit comes with topnotch packing as well, with high-density foam surrounding the player. It comes double boxed. I was going through the accessories, caught sight of the combined stereo analog composite video cable and felt my heart fail. Since the first players, most have come without an HDMI cable, and this has always frustrated me. I was thrilled to see Lexicon did include a nice quality HDMI cable, power cord, remote, a bound manual and one other bonus, a copy of Digital Video Essential HD: Basics (DVD International) on Blu-ray, to help users calibrate their displays to get maximum performance out of the player. This is missing from every other Blu-ray player at any cost that I have seen in the marketplace so far."


"I am sure people will attack this player as a "rebadged" Oppo, so I went out and bought an Oppo BD-83 SE in order to fairly compare the two. First off, there is no comparison between the build quality of the two players. The Oppo is lighter and the buttons have a far less solid feel to them. The Lexicon is a taller, much heftier unit. Black levels were close, but the Lexicon had a more natural contrast and color palette than the Oppo. More importantly, the Lexicon was nearly totally silent when loading discs and changing tracks. Those familiar with the Oppo know it is a rather noisy player when loading discs, switching tracks and scanning, even sometimes for no apparent reason. The drive is in the Oppo is noisy enough to catch my attention during quiet passages in movies, while the Lexicon is inaudible during use at all times."


Yup, because it's double cased!


I'll never look at a review from that site the same way again. Kudos to audioholics.com, for being unbiased, honest & thorough in their review.

[Celerony]

Best build BD player?
What a sucker, everyone can see that even a nice-priced Pioneer is better built!

[bhampton]

Just goes to show "You Get What You Pay For".

(I hate when people suggest that applies to things like HT stuff.)

-Brian

[Zman2k2]

IMO, that's the most shameful display of "ripping off the customer" that I've seen yet.

Like Brian said, "you get what you pay for" doesn't apply here. Shame on you Lexicon.

[Clark Kent]

The truth of the matter is that it happens all the time in high-end electronics. Smaller audiophile brands, which Lexicon really is, can not afford a big enough engineering staff to design a complex Blu-ray player from the ground up. It is simple as that. Though much less thought and care went into this "upgrade" than is typical of these situations.

Some rich people like having all the same nameplate on their A/V gear, and Lexicon is giving those people that option with a rebadged Oppo. It still makes it an awful purchase from a value perspective, but in all honesty the people who mostly buy Lexicon in the first place are not reading reviews on the Internet. They are lawyers and doctors who enjoy prestige products but who do not have enough time to investigate the differences in brands.

[jerwin]

Not defending Lexicon, here, but it's (ostensibly) a $3000 player. It's not fair to compare it to the Marantz and the Denon, both of which have MSRPs in the $6000 range. And, of course, the McIntosh retails for even more.

Yup, because it's double cased!

You could probably double case your oppo too, but then, you'd probably void the warranty....

[Texitura]

Actually, MSRP is $3,499.00.