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In Reply to: RE: How does the OPPO 103D stack up? posted by John Elison on March 15, 2015 at 15:19:24
Yes, I've owned the X-1 and I've owned two X-2.5 preamps as well.
That's part of the reason I made the suggestion.
And yes, I'm well aware of your 2 TT's in the picture. That's another reason why I made the suggestion.
I just assumed you were motivated by potential performance improvements.
I also suggested you only try it for a week or 2.
Follow Ups:
Actually, I am motivated by potential performance improvements but I'm also heavily into DSD. I have been copying DSD files onto USB flash drives for replay in the Oppo as well as in my new TASCAM DA-3000 . The thing is that the DA-3000 sounds quite noticeably better than the Oppo with DSD files. I'll try the Oppo directly into the Parasound, but I'm skeptical since it doesn't even measure up to the TASCAM DA-3000 with DSD, and DSD is my main focus these days.I would love to replace the Pass Labs components and I'm considering the new Mytek Manhattan , which has analog inputs as well as an optional phono stage. I'm waiting to audition one to find out if it sounds as good as the TASCAM DA-3000. The Oppo just doesn't hack it with DSD as far as I can tell.
Thanks,
John Elison
Edits: 03/15/15
Well, since you say your Parasound is already in your rack, you could just connect or OPPO directly to the amp and stick your DSD music on a SSD or thumb drive into the USB port.
That should take all of about 3 minutes.
The Parasound amp is not in my rack. Didn't you see the picture of my system ? You were suggesting that I take my Oppo out of my rack to connect it to my Parasound amp. I don't understand why you want me to take the Oppo out of my rack to connect it to my Parasound amp. It connects with wires -- long wires -- long balanced interconnects.
I already have DSD files on USB flash drives. I've played these files with my Oppo and with my TASCAM DA-3000. The TASCAM DA-3000 sounds better than the Oppo. Both are connected to my X1 with balanced interconnects. My X1 is basically transparent. I will try connecting the Oppo directly to my Parasound, but I don't believe I will hear any difference. I don't believe my X1 degrades the sound or even changes the sound in the slightest. However, I will let you know if I hear a difference, but I doubt there will be any.
Best regards,
John Elison
Fair enough.BTW, do you have many hours on the USB ports listening to your DSD or whatever music files?
I ask because when I first started using the OPPO's USB ports and thumb drives, I'd often times compare the music track from the USB with the same music track on the CD disc via the CD transport and for the longest time I didn't notice any difference.
But then literally some months later, tried some comparisons again and the difference was now quite large.
I'm a firm believer that everything has to be burned in sufficiently to sound its best, but for some reason I'm reluctant to say the OPPO's USB circuitry needs to also be sufficiently burned in.
Edits: 03/15/15
I just connected the Oppo directly to the Parasound and put on a DSD album that I am very familiar with -- The Ray Brown Trio - Live at the Loa - Summer Wind. So far I don't think it sounds any different than before, but I'll play it like this for a few days. I've been listening to the TASCAM DA-3000 exclusively for the past week and the Oppo still does not sound as good as the TASCAM. I honestly don't think it sounds any different than before, but I'll give it few days before connecting it back to X1. I won't be able to listen to the TASCAM for the next few days.
Best regards,
John Elison
I'd suggest playing music at low levels around the clock for the next week just in case any burn-in is required.
And if a burn-in is required your stated few days probably won't be enough time.
Also, have you gone thru the OPPO's settings meticulously to ensure there's no funky configuration setting that may be compromising performance.
BTW, you're not doing any of this for me. It's supposedly for your benefit. Unless of course you prefer having lots of extra gear and cables in the chain.
Well, I just switched back to my X1 preamp. I had been using the Oppo connected directly to my Parasound amp for the past three weeks. Surprisingly, I heard a noticeable difference in sound quality when I switched back. The bass became more pronounced and the sound quality in general became more full bodied through the X1 preamp. It didn't seem like there was much of a difference when I removed the X1, but it sounds a good bit better with the X1 back in the system.
When you decided the Oppo sounded better without a preamp in-between, were you using the X1 or some other preamp? I certainly prefer the sound quality with my X1 in the system and the volume set to "fixed" on the Oppo.
Best regards,
John Elison
Hi, John.
Glad to hear you gave it a try.
The last time I owned an X-1 or X2.5 was back in 2005 or 2006.
The last "pre-amp" I owned would have belonged to the BMC C1 integrated amp.
Appreciate your trying.
Why would burn-in be required? The only setting I changed was the volume control setting from fixed to variable. The problem I'm having is that I don't like the sound of the Oppo compared to the TASCAM with DSD and that is basically unchanged with the new configuration. The Oppo doesn't sound any better now that its connected directly to the Parasound. I don't know what sort of problem you had with your Pass Labs components but my X1 is totally transparent. I noticed that when I bought it 12-years ago and if this latest test is any indication, it seems to still sound just as transparent.
> BTW, you're not doing any of this for me. It's supposedly for your benefit.
> Unless of course you prefer having lots of extra gear and cables in the chain.
The extra gear and cables don't bother me. I already own them and they are in place and working just fine. Furthermore, the Oppo doesn't sound one bit better to me and I don't think it's going to improve. The extra gear that you are referring to does not degrade sound quality at all, but it provides connectivity for my two turntables and TV audio in addition to providing a balance control and a tape loop for recording vinyl. If I replace my Pass Labs components, it will have to be with a DAC/Premap that reproduces DSD with the realism of the TASCAM DA-3000 and contains a phono stage equivalent in quality to the XOno.
Thanks anyway,
John Elison
Your X-1 was totally transparent 12 years ago just as it seems to be today? I'll bet dollars-to-donuts you probably didn't even blink when you were typing that line.
I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but to the best of my knowledge there "ain't" no such thing as a transparent component.
Moreover, I know of several preamps at half the price of the X-1 and even half the price of the X2.5 that are significantly more musical than either.
Good luck.
> I know of several preamps at half the price of the X-1 and even half the price of the X2.5 that are significantly more musical than either.
It's obvious that we have different goals in audio reproduction. My foremost goal is accuracy. I have less desire for a "musical" component if it must sacrifice accuracy in order to sound good. However, it is often not possible to assess accuracy when we have nothing to judge it against. Interestingly, the test you suggested of removing the X1 from in-between the Oppo and the Parasound provided an excellent indicator for assessing the accuracy of the X1, at least within my system and to my ears. It passed this test to my satisfaction because I could not discern a difference in sound quality with or without the X1 in the signal path. Therefore, the X1 meets my highest goal for an accurate audio component.
One of the problems I have with the Oppo is that although it might be "musical" it's not accurate. This was immediately apparent to me when I listened to my digital recordings of vinyl. They didn't sound the same as the original LPs. It's easy to assess accuracy in a component when you have the source for a direct comparison. My Alesis Masterlink is a very accurate digital recorder as is my TASCAM DA-3000. Furthermore, the April Music Eximus DP1 DAC proved to be a very accurate DAC when reproducing the sound of vinyl. These components also sound good to me when reproducing music that I like. Therefore, if the recording is "musical" these components also sound "musical" to my ears. Although the Oppo is not very accurate, it still sounds good to me with most recorded material. However, it does not sound as "musical" with DSD recordings as my TASCAM DA-3000.
You have your goals for an audio system and I have mine. For the most part, I have managed to assemble a very accurate stereo system that also sounds quite "musical" to my ears.
Best regards,
John Elison
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