Best source for DC
The relatively young company OPPO Digital has already managed to firmly take its rightful place among the leading manufacturers of high-end audio and video equipment. However, in Russia this brand is still not well known - until May 2014 OPPO products were not officially delivered to our market, which forced connoisseurs of quality sound and video to order it through American online stores, significantly overpaying. The first devices with which the manufacturer officially came to Russia were the flagship Blu-ray players. OPPO BDP-103D и OPPO BDP-105D.
Predecessor OPPO BDP-103D was the base player BDP-103, released in 2012, which had advanced characteristics at that time. The player OPPO BDP-103Dpresented at the Denver show in 2013, appeared as a result of a significant modification of the basic model.
Differences from BDP-105D
In the manufacturer's model range OPPO BDP-103D adjoins the older model OPPO BDP-105DThe majority of the technologies used by both players are identical. In particular, their main feature is the technology darbee visual presence, which gave the letter "d" in the model name. Both devices are multi-format players capable of playing almost any type of disc bd, dvd, cd, hdcd, sacd and dvd-audio, as well as media files from usb drives stored in dlna-compatible storages (jpeg, mp3, avchd, divx, mkv, flac, wav, etc.). finally, both players are able to please the user with a great image. OPPO BDP-103D the role of "little brother."
So one of the advantages OPPO BDP-105D It has HDMI, coaxial, optical inputs and three USB-A, one type B ports that are used to connect directly to a computer and signal to an asynchronous DAC, and the other to receive files from external drives. U OPPO BDP-103D Two HDMI inputs and outputs and three USB inputs to receive files from external drives.
More modest are the capabilities of the Cirrus Logic DAC used on 103D, compared to the two advanced Sabre32 Reference ES9018 chips that are used on OPPO BDP-105D Another advantage of the older model is the presence of a built-in headphone amplifier. Symmetrical XLRs and asymmetrical RCAs are used as stereo outputs. As for the OPPO BDP-103DIf you have a stereo DAC, it has no dedicated stereo DAC and therefore no separate stereo output.
First impressions
The appearance of the BDP-103D makes a good impression. The device has a solid and beautiful metal case with a standard width of 430 mm and a beautiful faceplate made of milled aluminum. The case rests securely on its feet and does not slide, which provides convenient cable connection.
The display has a beautiful pale blue glow of sufficient brightness for good visibility without irritating the eyes. The brightness of the display, up to complete shutdown, can be adjusted with the remote control. The remote control itself is similar to the one used in 105D, lies comfortably in the hand and is very functional.
Testing of the audio report
Testing OPPO BDP-103D As a digital sound source, the volume and DRC function were muted, while the other sound settings are set by default.
At the first stage the sound of BDP-103D was compared with the source of the reflective system using AudioDoctor FSQ 2006 method. The player was connected to the DAC using SPDIF coaxial cable. The following tracks were played:
- No. 1 - Set the volume level to 86 dBA at the listening position;
- No. 9 - evaluation of the width of the stereobase being formed;
- No. 10 - assessment of scene depth and microdynamics transmission accuracy;
- No. 11 - Evaluation of attack, focus and localization;
- No. 12 - evaluation of tonal balance and scene space transmission;
- No. 13 - assessment of sound at small levels, macro and micro dynamics.
Sound OPPO BDP-103D The sound has a good tonal balance, although the subjectively perceived bass is somewhat lightweight. this effect is also observed in bdp-105d. the stereo base, which does not extend beyond the speaker base. the player is slightly inferior to bdp-105d at the depth of the scene - the drum and the double bass sound on the same line, the microdynamics are blurred. the attack and localization in the horizontal plane are well transmitted. the situation with vertical localization is somewhat worse - the instruments are located at the same level. the space of the scene as a whole is transmitted normally.
Next, the following CDs were used for testing:
- "Glenn Gould, Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor" - Sony/BMG 88697148062, 2007.
- "L. Roizman, Johann Sebastian Bach: Works for Organ - Melody, MEL CD 10 01 1230, 2013.
- "Katie Melua Collection" - Dramatico DRAMCD0046, 2008.
- "John Fogerty, He Wrote A Song For Everyone" - Sony Music 88765487152, 2013.
Despite the noticeable difference between the BDP-105D, the player showed good genre universality and musicality. The noise of the tape, typical for old records (discs 1 and 2), is practically not perceived and does not interfere with the listening. Playing the new discs (3 and 4) shows excellent detail, conveying the genre specifics. Just like in the testing of the BDP-105D, you want to listen to music without distracting yourself to the analysis.
The sound of the BDP-105D's built-in DAC is noticeably inferior to that of the BDP-105D's built-in DAC - it's pretty blurred. The scene space is transmitted unchanged. The bass is quite strong and tight. The sound of the SACD is noticeably better than that of conventional CDs. The timbre of the instruments and the details of the sound extraction, as well as the macro and micodynamics are much more reliable. The scene space and air are also well transmitted.
The player has shown good speed when playing all kinds of discs.
Playing audio files from external network devices
The player was connected to WiFi via the Settings section of the main menu. For better reception of the signal, a complete remote unit was used to connect a USB WiFi adapter. It took no more than 10 minutes to connect, including the study of the relevant sections of the instruction, and the connecting user has a relatively poor understanding of the subtleties of network settings.
The connection of the player to the DAC was made again with the SPDIF cable. The volume level was set in the same way. The following CDs were remastered during the test:
- "Santana, Abraxas" - Sony Music, 1970. 2013 remastered.
- "Dave Brubeck, Time Out" - Columbia, 1959. 2010 remastered.
- "Queen, A Night At The Opera" - Parlophone Records, 1975. 2010 remastered.
The main features of the DAC, identified earlier, have been preserved. Compared to CD, the depth and detail of the bass, the transparency of the sound and the spatial characteristics have improved. The sound quality is not inferior to that of SACD.
Pure Audio mode, in which the player is controlled by the utility, has proved to be a good one. OPPO Remote AppThe application allows you to use your Android smartphone as a complete remote control that allows you to turn the device on and off (there is a similar application for iOS). To display disk covers and other images in OPPO Remote App, they must be integrated into an audio file.
Thus, BDP-103D sounds simpler and inferior to BDP-105D in all modes. At the same time, for its price, the model demonstrates excellent sound characteristics. With the use of appropriate amplifiers and speakers, the identified shortcomings may not appear.
Video Track and Network Performance Testing
The test used the WiFi settings set up in the previous section. The image and sound settings were set to enable OPPO BDP-103D The DRC function was disabled, Darbee processing was used on 60 %.
As with the BDP-105D, the subwoofer of the TV set was severely jammed after the settings were made. To eliminate this effect, it was necessary to mute the sound transmission via the corresponding HDMI output.
When used together with a TV, BDP-103D proved to be a versatile and convenient source. BD and DVD playback is at a high level (similar to BDP-105D). DVD is expected to be inferior to BD, but looks quite decent (with slightly worse detail).
Enabling the Darbee mode noticeably improves the detail on the BD and a little bit weaker on the DVD. The feature also improves color reproduction, making the texture more distinguishable. The main advantage of Darbee is the improved transmission of halftones, volume and dynamic range of the image.
BDP-103D has pre-registered links to popular Internet services and radio stations, but many of them, including NetFlix, CinemaNow and VuDu, are not available in Russia. Others require pre-registration, and only trailers are available for viewing. However, this is enough for testing. With Full HD service support, the picture and sound quality is almost the same as BD and much better than DVD. Viewing goes without hang-ups. There are small claims to browser slowness.
The BDP-103D plays all the familiar computer media formats, and can be accelerated by using a media server, in which case we used a Home Media Server (http://www.homemediaserver.ru/index.htmIn the network streamer mode, the picture and sound quality is quite high, making the player perfect for high-end digital-only systems as a universal source.
Additional possibilities
OPPO BDP-103D It is equipped with two universal digital inputs: HDMI and MHL/HDMI (located on the front panel). There are also two HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 outputs, which allows you to broadcast the signal from an MHL-compatible device (phone, game console, camcorder, computer graphics card). This means that the player can work in AV-processor mode, passing through the sound and video from external devices directly to the TV.
Darbee DVP technology is supported only on HDMI 1. The user can set the player settings to set the video stream to TV via HDMI 1, and the audio stream to the receiver is output via HDMI 2. In case of SACD playback, the stream is output in DSD format only via HDMI 1. The player itself does not support 4K video. However, if you have a TV or projector with the appropriate capabilities, you can convert the video stream to 4K, as well as 2D to 3D.
Technology Darbee Digital Video Processing
The Darbee DVP function is activated by a special button on the remote control. The user can set one of the three preset modes: Hi-Def, Gaming and Full Pop. It is also possible to change the processing level and include two demo modes.
Testing has shown that the best mode for watching video is Hi-Def, which provides maximum detail without artifacts appearing at low levels. In Gaming mode, the contours are outlined too sharply, which is definitely not suitable for BD playback. Full Pop mode is created for watching standard definition video. In this mode, depending on the degree of processing involved, it is possible both to significantly improve the picture and a serious blurring of the contours.
It is important to note that the use of Darbee DVP function does not affect the color and brightness settings in any way. Obviously, this technology improves only the contrast settings. Its action is so delicate that it may not seem noticeable at first sight. However, when processing is turned off, the difference will be immediately noticeable.
OPPO BDP-103D – worthy little brother of an almost uncompromising model BDP-105D. Simplified audio circuitry (single and simpler DAC, switching power supply) could not but affect the sound of the player – it's close to BDP-105D If the purpose of buying a player is to play video, then the purchase of this player is fully justified, especially if it is much cheaper than the older model. BDP-105D, as of today BDP-103D - is the best source for a home theater. High-End a class that plays any video format at the highest level.
Testing was carried out on the basis of Round Audio laboratory.
