Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray Player (Oppo BDP-83 Clone) Review

[tabora]

More on THX certification?

I haven't seen this posted yet......from THX itself....see bottom item
wew.thx.com/cedia/index.html

Text reads:
"Lexicon Launches One of the World's First THX Certified Blu-ray Players
The THX Certified Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray Disc player recreates the filmmaker'™s mastering studio in the comfort of your home theater. THX worked closely with Lexicon engineers to ensure the BD-30 was built to present accurate colors and pristine signal processing.".

(The last sentence above cannot be correct if the two players are identical!)

 

[omf]

I'm surprised anyone thinks Oppo has anything to be ashamed of here. Lexicon paid Oppo some money for a few of their Blu-ray players. What Lexicon did with those players, what Lexicon paid THX for the pretty label, and how Lexicon treated its customers is no one's responsibility but Lexicon's.

Also, count me as another new Audioholics reader/member after having caught wind of this story!

 

[omf]

Oh - I forgot to add: I don't think "clone" correctly describes the Lexicon BD-30. It's not really a clone at all, is it? It's an actual Oppo player, not a copy of one. So, it's more of a "double-boxed" Oppo. I hope someone can think of a catchier name for it, though...

 

[Seth=L]

I'm surprised anyone thinks Oppo has anything to be ashamed of here. Lexicon paid Oppo some money for a few of their Blu-ray players. What Lexicon did with those players, what Lexicon paid THX for the pretty label, and how Lexicon treated its customers is no one's responsibility but Lexicon's.

Also, count me as another new Audioholics reader/member after having caught wind of this story!

I certainly don't think that Oppo has anything to be ashamed of, I hope they are laughing their asses off.

 

[yettitheman]

Well. This is hilarious.
I'm still trying to find out where they put the ERS paper in the Lexicon.

 

[Lordoftherings]

A site that prevails in truth & honor.

I have read several audio forums about this entire issue, and I hope that in the future those who preach the superiority of a product know what they're talking about, or they will simply disappear from the audio world.

The times of lies and false claims are over; with the internet people are in the know, and it is better to tell the truth, just like Gene & Clint did.

* I am very saddened by Lexicon & Harman Kardon, and also by THX laboratories. Monster Cables is another culprit. And I believe that more companies are going to sweat some tears, some reviewers included.

If high end cannot keep up with the paste of newer technologies, they should find another kind of work where they can be beneficial for people in search of the real thing, not just a fake pretty face, with overpriced products.

Thank you Clint & Gene, I always believed in you two. I always been loyal to Audioholics since the very beginning, where I was getting photocopies of your reviews from my library (when I did not have a computer at home).
I got tons of pages from your reviews at home, since you started Audioholics web site (almost ten years ago).

 

[Audioholics]

One of the silver linings of this encased player dust-up is that it's being discussed all over the net and has put Audioholics on the radar of people who may have previously been unaware of the site. Myself included.

Of course I had seen links to Audioholics reviews posted on other sites, but what I didn't know is that Audioholics has an active reader forum full of knowledgeable participants. Audioholics' introduction into my awareness came with a lot of credibility attached to it because of its expose' of the Lexicon player. I assume many others have discovered this excellent forum the same way.

Audioholics has a lot of eyeballs looking at it now and if Lexicon, or any other manufacturer, wants exposure to those eyes then they should continue their relationship with Audioholics.

That was an incredibly thoughtful, well-written, and mature post. What the heck are you doing on the Internet?

 

[gene]

Text reads:
"Lexicon Launches One of the World's First THX Certified Blu-ray Players
The THX Certified Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray Disc player recreates the filmmaker'™s mastering studio in the comfort of your home theater. THX worked closely with Lexicon engineers to ensure the BD-30 was built to present accurate colors and pristine signal processing.".

(The last sentence above cannot be correct if the two players are identical!)

Sure it can if the stock Oppo meets all of the THX requirements.

 

[Wayde Robson]

I brought the buzz to Twitter, called it Lexicon THX-gate.

Every controversey gets a '-gate' doesn't it?

 

[Scumfrog]

This kind of stuff makes my day.

 

[Ares]

I brought the buzz to Twitter, called it Lexicon THX-gate.

Every controversey gets a '-gate' doesn't it?

so would that make Gene & Clint, Woodward & Bernstein.

 

[jinjuku]

I emailed Jerry at HTR yesterday about all the censorship (he deleted my posts too, even though they weren't "anonymous flames"), and he wrote back to me:

Chris,

I got your email today.

Please understand that pulling those posts was PAINFUL to me. I had to because they were powered by an another AV company trying to assinate Lexicon’s brand and using fake emails and user names.

I accept a certain level of culpability myself as we made the posting rules TOO LIBERAL on HomeTheaterReview.com which created the problem. That has been fixed today.

I will post our new rules for posting today and apologize to you for the semblance of “censorship” as that is NOT my intention. I do however own the copyright and I will not allow flames. That’s our right and we are not going to become a venue like the AVS. If people want to post constructive opinions – they are free to do so. If they want to anonymously flame companies, they will be deleted.

I hope you understand our position.

Sincerely,

Jerry
--
Jerry Del Colliano
Publisher
HomeTheaterReview.com

9701 Wilshire Boulevard
10th Floor
Beverly Hills, California 90212
310.860.9988 tel
jerry at HomeTheaterReview.com

I understand that his response smacks of an excuse for doing the in-excusable. Maybe they should have done the right thing and redacted the (I use the term loosely) 'review' until further, solid, technical detail could have been obtained.

 

[wzofelf]

Ha, this is one heck of a story.

I don't know if any of you have had to deal with Jerry in person before, but I can safely say that he is one of the worst people I've ever met in this industry. His online persona is identical to how he acts in real life; tons of bark, but very little bite.

I've heard tons of stories from folks that have dealt with him. He "threatens to ruin" audio companies by not promoting their products on his review site, which in turn either kills the relationship with said company or locks said companies into advertising contracts.

His (now deleted) comment about Audioholics having a financial stake in promoting the Oppo over the Lexicon and his new site has too much "editorial integrity" to do the same got me thinking about how he operates.

So I placed a call to a buddy of mine over at Harman (who I know can't stand Jerry), Lexicon's parent company. Guess who has been paying Jerry for online advertising since mid 2009? My buddy wouldn't give me an exact figure, but he said that it's well over $2,500 a month.

So minimum, Jerry has pulled in about 15 grand from Harman over the last half of 2009. If the contract is for an entire year, the contract is easily upwards of $30,000. I suppose the Lexicon is the most amazing Blu-ray player to ever exist if you are getting paid 30 grand a year to promote Harman products.

 

[randyb]

I understand that his response smacks of an excuse for doing the in-excusable. Maybe they should have done the right thing and redacted the (I use the term loosely) 'review' until further, solid, technical detail could have been obtained.

Response is similiar to the writing style of that MLS guy. Are they the same person?

 

[Snakeoil]

I posted on this prior to the review and that was just going on the specs and rear connection layout being the same, of course the high end screamed "troll" even thoe lexicon has done this in the past with other source units. People are still defending the lexicon, thebland over at avsforums is saying that the lexicon operates a lot quieter then the oppo and that the chassis offers some more vibration dampening. This just shows you that no matter how much proof you have people wil still listen with their eyes and assume that the lexicon is some how better then the oppo. Amir over at avsforums has stated that the firmware is not going to be "tweaked" for better performance.

 

[Snakeoil]

Response is similiar to the writing style of that MLS guy. Are they the same person?

All the "high end" review sites write like that, 6moons, stereophile, they are never interested in the facts.

So I placed a call to a buddy of mine over at Harman (who I know can't stand Jerry), Lexicon's parent company. Guess who has been paying Jerry for online advertising since mid 2009? My buddy wouldn't give me an exact figure, but he said that it's well over $2,500 a month.

So minimum, Jerry has pulled in about 15 grand from Harman over the last half of 2009. If the contract is for an entire year, the contract is easily upwards of $30,000. I suppose the Lexicon is the most amazing Blu-ray player to ever exist if you are getting paid 30 grand a year to promote Harman products.

Great find, this is how high end audio operates. Does anyone know if this is illegal?

 

[Todd Sauve]

On August 11, 2009 I posted the following in the comments sections, following Home Theater Review's review of the Oppo 83. And this is what these two Einsteins of the audiophile world had to say to my question.

**********************

* By Todd Sauve

Does this Oppo unit play Hi Def DivX discs? This would be the final piece of the puzzle in my book!

* Reply
* Add to Facebook Profile
* Posted on August 11, 2009 10:41 AM

* By Jerry Del Colliano

I have no idea on the DIVX discs. I wasn't aware anybody had any of those left.

You might want to just stick with Blu-ray

* Reply
* Add to Facebook Profile
* Posted on August 11, 2009 11:05 AM

* By Ken Taraszka, MD

DIVX??? Didn't they all go bad after opening?

* By Todd Sauve

"I have no idea on the DIVX discs. I wasn't aware anybody had any of those left.

You might want to just stick with Blu-ray"

Don't be deliberately sarcastic, or perhaps even stupid Jerry and Ken! You ought to know very well that DivX support is a big selling point for so-called universal disc players.

In case you REALLY don't know, which should actually disqualify you two from even offering an opinion on the matter, DivX is a video compression format that has long been in use among videophiles.

With the advent of high definition DivX this year, it should be on everyone's list of supported formats for universal players! I rather expect it to become somewhat ubiquitous for internet use in the coming years.

*******************

Obviously, Jerry Del Colliano and Ken Taraszka, MD are just a pair of dipsticks

Let everyone with integrity just delete Home Theater Review from their bookmark list and warn the rest of the audio/video world what a pair of Jethro Bodeens they really are.

 

[Snakeoil]

Let everyone with integrity just delete HTR from their bookmark list and warn the rest of the audio/video world what a pair of Jethro Bodeens they really are.

Great find, keep it coming. How can they even call that a review site?

 

[randyb]

I have recently come out with my own Oppo/Lexicon based product. Mine comes with a titanium shell that encloses the Lexicon. Mine must be seen to be heard and it is priced competively at 100k American. However, it must have at least 180 day burn-in. Warranty is 90 days. Enjoy.

 

[Snakeoil]

I have recently come out with my own Oppo/Lexicon based product. Mine comes with a titanium shell that encloses the Lexicon. Mine must be seen to be heard and it is priced competively at 100k American. However, it must have at least 180 day burn-in. Warranty is 90 days. Enjoy.

Titanium = bad because it is light and audiophools associate weight with quality, hence why theta digital use to put lead weights in their laser disk players.