Do I want to go Exakt?

[akamatsu]

LOL. Maybe. If it was just for my OPPO I probably would still not bother. I think that movie soundtracks will always be low quality compared to Vinyl and HiRes digital, however good the decoder. It doesn't matter because to me the image quality is much more important.

Agreed. As I said elsewhere in this forum. My surround system (with Oppo) is highly adequate for it's intended purpose. Last night, I watched a movie "Trash" set in Brazil. The sound quality was not even a fleeting thought. I was just immersed in the movie.

 

[frans5508]

With all Exakt, you don't have timing issues.

ah ok i must misunderstood. But i do remember that there was something with timing.....now i really start to sound like an airhead i guess.....

 

[Jail4CEOs2]

Has anybody seen the second hand prices that the 205 is going for now?

 

[Dasher]

Has anybody seen the second hand prices that the 205 is going for now?

Yes, crazy  isn't it, but what is a reasonable alternative?

 

[Jail4CEOs2]

Yes, crazy  isn't it, but what is a reasonable alternative?

I have wondered that myself for several years. I thought I could source a used one cheap and upgrade my 105D.

Is there a Denon/parasound that is comparable?

 

[Paulssurround]

Yes, crazy  isn't it, but what is a reasonable alternative?

Perhaps the Cambridge Audio BluRay players?

They used to be produced on the same production line as the OPPO 1XX BluRay players

I recall that there were a number of people that used to modify the OPPO 105’s to get upgraded performance. OPPO was well aware of this and approached the people that did the best job of improving performance to help design the 2XX series  BluRay players

 

[Tendaberry]

I have wondered that myself for several years. I thought I could source a used one cheap and upgrade my 105D.

Is there a Denon/parasound that is comparable?

Maybe a Panasonic DP-UB9004?

 

[Dasher]

Maybe a Panasonic DP-UB9004?

Maybe - for those that  don't want to play  SACD disks. I'm not aware of anything approaching the Oppo 205 that plays an SACD disk - and converts it - and also does everything else that the Oppo does.

They are getting expensive  for something that has little legacy support. Personally I prefer my SACD via analogue 'out' and my options are very limited indeed. No chance of this into a current Linn product - conversion in something like an Oppo and then out via HDMI is the only current option.

When my Kisto (and Unidisk which I use as transport) eventually die then I will explore the Exakt route - probably ASDM and Exaktbox-i based (with centre and rears on pass through) as that is about the most affordable path (and I get to keep my 5 balanced and matched speakers). At  that point I will need to find a SACD player  that  converts to DSD. I'm in no rush to do so though.

 

[Nestor Turton]

The Panasonic is very good, but if you want a Universal Player then there is the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K UHD. I have its predecessor and am very happy with it. It has no on board DAC (no analogue out) and connects to my ADSM through a Blue Jeans HDMI cable and my network with Blue Jeans Cat 5e. Sounds great to me so I can only guess how good it would sound through a NGKDSM/H. The picture quality is fine. 

Couple of caveats, I don’t have surround sound so can’t say if this is top notch. I hardly ever watch films (maybe one or two a year); it does a great job with remasters of classic UK TV shows (Gerry Anderson, the Prisoner, Red Dwarf etc.), but can’t say how it fares with latest Hollywood blockbusters. 

 

[SeeSaw]

The only player that I'm aware of that appears similar OPPO 205 is the Pioneer UDP-LX800. However I confess I'm not familiar with the exact capabilities of the Oppo so not sure whether the Pioneer covers all of the same multi-channel bases. It certainly touted as a universal player and can play SACDs.

 

[akamatsu]

ah ok i must misunderstood. But i do remember that there was something with timing.....now i really start to sound like an airhead i guess.....

A bit off topic so apologies to the OP.

You may be thinking of the clock in the DSM that does the timing for Exakt. Since the DAC is in the Exaktboxes/Exakt speakers, and the clock is in the DSM, the Exaktlinks can influence the timing. Linn designed this system around Cat 5 spec ethernet cables. They recommend Cat 5 or 6, and recommend against Cat 7 or 8. Use the proper cables and you won't have timing issues, according to Linn. To me, it is peace of mind to use what the people who know the most recommend. That's about all that one needs to know about this. I hope this helps clarify things a bit.

 

[frans5508]

You may be thinking of the clock in the DSM that does the timing for Exakt. Since the DAC is in the Exaktboxes/Exakt speakers, and the clock is in the DSM, the Exaktlinks can influence the timing.

Yes! That was it! Thanks.