Oppo BDP-93 OR BDP-95

[evilcat]

I am trying to decide between these 2 players. First I should tell you what my other electronics are. I have a Panasonic 50" VT25 plasma and an Onkyo TX-NR809 Receiver. I know the main difference between the 93/95 is that the 95 has a better audio section. With my Onkyo I am able to connect via HDMI 1.4a and/or the analog 7.1 outputs. I know the 95 has a better DAC's than the 93 or my Onkyo. My Onkyo uses TI Burr-Brown 113dB 192 kHz/24-Bit 8-Channel DACs (PCM1690) and the 93 uses Cirrus Logic 114 dB, 192 kHz/24-Bit 8-Channel DAC. The 95 uses the <135dB SABRE32-bit Reference Audio DAC. Will I be able to take advantage of the greater Dynamic Range of the 95 with my Onkyo TX-NR809 or would I have to have a better Receiver or Pre/Power amp to notice much difference? Any help or insight would be appreciated.

 

[jonnythan]

I cannot imagine that you would be able to even tell the difference between using HDMI and analog out from the 95.

You're looking at twice the price. The idea that the Onkyo's DAC is so woefully inferior to the 95's is, to me, crazy.

 

[jliedeka]

I would agree. There's no benefit to spending a lot of extra money for analog outs that probably aren't audibly better than the 93's anyway. I'm sure your receiver's DAC has THD+N too low to be perceptible like most modern electronics except the cheapest of the cheap.

Jim

 

[evilcat]

So far both have said to just get the 93.
A well respected local dealer has said that the 20 plus dB of dynamic rage would defiantly be noticeable. He compared the 20 dB difference to be like cassette with top noise reduction having a dynamic range of 75dB vs CD's 95dB range. That seems to make sense to me.
In writing this I found a couple of articles that state that the human ear has a dynamic range of approximately 120 dB's. That puts the Dynamic range of the Onkyo and 93 within 6-7 dB's of that and the 95 beyond whats audible. That said the realistic difference is only the audible 6-7 dB's. Also that is only at very loud levels. Does this make sense to anyone else or am nuts.

 

[jonnythan]

Think about this for a minute.

A dynamic range of 135 dB is from 0 dB to 135 dB.

The sound of a 747 taking off is 130 dB. 140 dB is the "threshold of pain."

Putting 200 solid watts into a speaker with a sensitivity of 90 dB at 1 watt would produce 114 dB. 135 dB would require, if my calculations are correct, over 32,000 watts of input power.

So. You think you really need a 135 dB dynamic range?

 

[PENG]

So far both have said to just get the 93.
A well respected local dealer has said that the 20 plus dB of dynamic rage would defiantly be noticeable. He compared the 20 dB difference to be like cassette with top noise reduction having a dynamic range of 75dB vs CD's 95dB range. That seems to make sense to me.
In writing this I found a couple of articles that state that the human ear has a dynamic range of approximately 120 dB's. That puts the Dynamic range of the Onkyo and 93 within 6-7 dB's of that and the 95 beyond whats audible. That said the realistic difference is only the audible 6-7 dB's. Also that is only at very loud levels. Does this make sense to anyone else or am nuts.

My guess is that for most people the DAC in the 93 will not be the bottleneck. I would worry more about the loudspeakers, source media and the prepro/amps than the difference between the 93 and 95. I have the 95 and I absolutely do not find it sounding better than my old Denon 3910 that has the lower grade DAC (Burr Brown PCM1796). I firmly believe those who claim hearing a difference will fail to tell the 93 and 95 apart in a blind test. If you want better build quality and the superior specs of the 95 then go for it but if you really only care about sound quality then the 93 will save you $500. That's just my opinion, one that is based on my own experience as well as on science to certain extent.

 

[evilcat]

Thanks all for your input. Seeing that my wife has me on a short leash I think you helped me justify staying with the 93.

 

[sterling shoote]

The analog section of the 95 connects to preamps which do not have hdmi input, allowing for proper playback of multi-channel SACD material. The BDP-95 is in fact all about play back of hi-res audio.