HD Sound

[hockeyboy]

I am considering replacing my Samsung BD1600 player to get the new Oppo player. The real reason I am thinking about doing it is so that I can decode the HD audio codecs. My AVR doesn't decode them so I am guessing that I am missing out on something.

Obviously it would be great, but not sure if I am ready to drop $600 after shipping and wireless adapter on the Oppo. Do you guys think the HD sound is really worth the money? OR Do you think I should wait on the upgrade until the next new great player comes out?

[cheddar]

You aren't really paying $600 for HD sound as you can get that with any player that decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD MA internally. I don't know much about your AVR, but it is HDMI 1.2 compatible, right? Which means that it can accept player decoded lossless LPCM via HDMI without the need for analog outs. So you can pretty much use any player with internal decoding including the new PS3 slim at $299.

What you are paying all the money for in the oppo is all the other bells and whistles including universal player capabilities for things like SACD and DVD-A. The short answer is that lossless sound is a very noticeable upgrade on a high-end system with a nice improvement in things like dynamics and bass reproduction. It reminds me of going from CDs to something like DVD-As with great clarity and a full, rich sound on the latter. But, you seem to have narrowed down your choice to the oppo. So you really need to ask yourself if the other options are worth the $600 upgrade as well.

[Ron Temple]

There might be cheaper options than the Oppo that will decode the hi-rez codecs in the player and pass them over analog. I don't know of any off hand, but the Oppo's value is as an all in one solution. Not everyone needs it's capabilities as a music player or DVD upscaler.

Listening to the hi-rez codecs is easily apparent. It's much more immersive. There's alot of sound data that's just not there in the lossy tracks. However, like anything else, you'll start taking it for granted and for some films, it's just not necessary for maximum enjoyment...others, very much so. I think the upgrade is very worthwhile. Just be sure the Oppo is the right player for you. If so, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

[cheddar]

There might be cheaper options than the Oppo that will decode the hi-rez codecs in the player and pass them over analog.

If his AVR can accept PCM over HDMI, there isn't any need for analog outs on the the player. This will make the options much simpler and plentiful in the $200-$300 range.

[Lowell_M]

To answer the question of whether the sound difference is worth it... YES! There are just multiple ways to get there from here.