Saturday Deluxe / 3 December 2016

+1 on Oppo. After many years of using Yamaha and Denon players, and a Sony SACD/CD carousel player(yup, this one is old but still works) – I switched to Oppo a few years ago and haven’t looked back.Anything you throw at it (CD, VCD, DVD-A, SACD, CD with DTS, DVD, Bluray, Bluray Audio) will work. I can only think of one exception; my Massive Attack “Collected” CD1 isn’t recognized, but I’m guessing because of region issues; planning a fix to that soon. Great support, with software updates easily found on the web.

Paul
The Marantz is a brilliant player at its price but would recommend looking at their SA8005 too as this plays Super Audio discs.

DVD- Audio has not been around for some time now so the players that will still play these tend to be Universal DVD players.

Check out the spec of either Marantz UD7007 -bday Denon DBT3313 which will play the formats you want but the downside is that with a player playing all formats, there is usually a slight delay when you load a disc and it has to ‘think’ about what format it’s playing.

I’m also in the trade, feel free to email me.

good though the pioneer 656 was yopu really need something better.
for music playback in a universal disc player you can’t go past the old cambridge audio 752bd.
it does a better job than the oppo 103/105 and is not far off the latest £1000 cxu.
richer sounds were selling these on runout.
btw – the cambridge and oppo use the same basic mediatek chipset/transport but the audio processing differs.
oppo prefers using ess dacs.
cambridge likes combining over-sampling with wolfson dacs.
performance is close but oppo does better with movie sound, camnbridge with music.

Absolutely agree to the Blackbird, the Kate Bush vinyls are brilliant, great sound, great percussion works. Got it for 50 Euros thanks to a black friday clone in Germany (something Amazon “invented” in Germany and every retailer is jumping on) .
My recommodation for a universal player is the Denon DBT-3313UD. I use this for my “Dads private room” surround gear and it’s very much value for money (around 600 Euros).

….but will LM be making music that gets everyone talking in 30 years time ?

for what of my artistically aural lifelong experience affords me, this set provides to many who were unavailable see the show; a second chance to enjoy the show. many more thanks, and again from your smiling warmth, paul.

~ alan

The Kate Bush BTD Vinyl box set is AMAZING! (And selling out everywhere fast.) The CDs are good too.

It was NO. 1 on the most important chart – the Vinyl Chart: http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/vinyl-albums-chart/

Also NO. 1 on the UK Record Store Chart: http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/record-store-chart/

And due to KTs album, and your site of course – it was also the first week in a looong time that vinyl outsold digital downloads in the UK: http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/more-money-was-spent-on-vinyl-albums-in-the-uk-last-week-than-digital-downloads__17391/

FYI, the Midweek Charts are available for all to view.

I’m not going through all the comments, Paul.
I see a lot of shout-out to Oppo.
I have only one player, an Oppo BDP-93 (yes, an older model, but I’m not ready yet to adopt to 4K) in my living room, also in use a lot of the time as my home cinema player, and also all the other audio formats.
The thing is, my Pioneer THX- and AIR Studio-certified receiver can turn off all signal functions and switch to Pure Audio, without any enhancement or tweaking whatsoever. So this works for plain left-right stereo cd’s perfectly.
The video and audio hardware inside is superb, and way better than most machines.
For me it’s one of the best pieces of hardware I ever bought.
So if you’re looking for a multiple format audio player, Oppo is the way to go. And yes, if you are audiophile on a grander scale than I am, then you can opt for the more expensive one, that has dedicated analog XLR-outputs, which is something I do not have, or need, but worth looking into for the true analog freak (even though the signal is always digital first).
In any case, there are a few options with this brand, but they’re all good. Highly recommended.

First shipment of Oppo UDP-203 (4k) drops this week and next shipment due before Christmas. £599.

Regarding the Kate Bush live album. Never has such an album cried out to be a visual document. The reaction of the audience at certain points and the dialogue really need to be seen to fully appreciate what is going on. The show seems to have been such a multimedia event a DVD/blu-ray release is essential.

Not surprised Kate didn’t get to number one. Without including a BR/DVD of the show it just falls flat as a release. I did buy it though (both CD and LP) but it is really only for the collection – doubt I will play it much (if at all).

Paul, on the Cambridge Audio, depending on the age, it might need a service or at least a new volume pot – not sure on the cost of those, but given things today, buying new might be cheaper/quicker.

Option 1) Marantz PM6005 can also be yours for GBP200, paired with a Marantz CD6005 and you are back in business pronto. I’m impressed with the on board DAC in mine. No need to break the bank or you could spring a bit more for the newer 6006 series. So 400 or 600 spent.

Option 2) A case of moving the Yamaha across and getting a 103 Oppo (but knowing the 203 is just round the corner) for the home theatre, making use of the surround. So 500, but you’ll still need to have the amp looked at – cost unknown.

Option 3) Out of left field, music matters most, you could get a Naim Uniti Star, it will play your CD’s and let you stream music and have your foot tapping to music again, but then how good are your speakers… you mentioned budget was no issue right ? :-)

The decision is all yours…

I would say your idea of the Marantz is a good one. You can worry about hi-rez a little later but something that will do justice to a normal CD is probably the right goal to shoot for (I reckon).

Will

Have Alison Moyet pay for a new one. :-)

Blimey Paul, why are you constantly making excuses for Kate Bush? LOL

The new album just isn’t very good. The hype is on blogs such as this. In a day and age where some artists are saying they’re no longer going to make albums at all because the business model has changed, a long-ish live album was always going to struggle. And when it sounds like this one, it’s not surprising.

The bigger issue, imo, are the Kate sycophants. She’s critic proof, which sadly for her, doesn’t make the actual music any better.

Re Before The Dawn ‘only’ making No.4 – in 2016, a triple live album of a few hits and whole song suites isn’t too bad. The midweeks are always biased due to the fans buying / pre-ordering ASAP. Look at the Stones – Blue & Lonesome ‘takes an early lead’ (via the Official Charts website). Probably end up around no. 3, but at this time of year, will sell decently enough. By today’s terms, anyway.

Just bought the Cambridge CXU from Richer Sounds and really impressed. Replaced Denon 1611 universal player and far superior. Was originallly £900 but now reduced to £500. I’m a real fan of Cambridge gear, have their CX60 amp and CXN streamer and they sound superb.

I’m thinking of re-imagining myself as a new one-man-band called Disposable Income.
Can’t play any instrument to save my life, but I’m sure there are numerous SDE readers able to Kickstart my dream…
I of course jest.
Or do I?
;-)

Paul, based on your comments, I would get the Oppo and put that in your Home Theatre setup and move the Yamaha into the Music setup.

I had a Pioneer BDP-51FD Blu-ray die on me – it will only play the first 60 mins of a Blu disc – so now it’s on CD player duty. I also have a Yamaha S1800, which does the SACD and DVD A well. I have a Marantz CD6005 in another system and that handles the music just fine. As this is now the ‘last gen’ you can get a good price from Richer Sounds on these.

You don’t mention what Amp you are pairing it with though…

I must say I really enjoy ‘Before The Dawn’ cd.
Fascinating to hear something that I heard live two
years ago. I think I was so overwhelmed with the show
that I could not take all the music in and now it is possible.
I love it and full of admiration.
But I do hope/dream that Kate will release BTD in high res
like she did with ’50 Words Of Snow’ and therefore it has been my most
listened to Kate Bush album. Stunning sound. I keep my fingers crossed.
There is so many layers of sound in BTD that high res would
be an even bigger treat.

Paul regarding your CD player meltdown I will recommend Oppo Bdp-105.
Even though it is a Blu ray player I have never been more impressed with the sound
of a player. When I made the purchased I investigated the difference between the bdp-103 and bdp-105. 105 was several miles ahead of the little brother.

Regarding ‘Alf’ I was so uplifted that we finally……..finally would get a remastered version.
We waited so long!
I got the high res version. But the treble is unfortunatly out of balance and is wayyyy overpronounced. Sad.

Thank you so much Paul for all your work. I really look forward to check your blog everyday
To be kept up to date with all re-releases.

My Jarre box was delivered on the day it came out which was nice.
Also went to HMV in Oxford Street to meet the man himself who was doing a album signing for 400 fans , a really cool guy who had time to personalise whatever you had signed ( I bought another vinyl for my son) and also a quick chat .

Any OPPO player will do – firmware updates will never make this obsolete and go to the website to read the product reviews and you will be hooked – your best option at any price

the alf reissue sounds awful on everything ive tried playing it on it is a poor remaster with the bonus tracks sounding even worse. my 12″ singles from the album shine more than this reissue. as fo a good cd player I have a sony sacd xe80 and it great but only 2 channel super audio

Eh?

Did you have a wager on Kate reaching number 1?

I never read such a diatribe following a record reaching ‘number 4’.

Please delete me from your site – this website was of neutral use in the past.
Now it appears Paul is slowly disappearing up his own arse

T shirts! Reviews! Opinions! Failures! Travelogues! Paul!

I personally couldnt give a monkeys what Paul thinks.

This is embarrassing and turning rather creepy
Delete my account

I bought the OPPO BD-105 earlier this year (with a sharp intake of breath, paying £100 extra for a multi-region BD mod) and its fantastic.
Having way too many CDs to keep in the house, I’ve recently ripped them all to AIFF and listen to them in USB sticks, and the OPPO actually makes the playback sound better than CD. But: doesn’t do hapless playback, which is annoying.

Plays all disc formats without any problems. Built like a tank. Highly recommended overall.

So wait, DID “Alf” break your player? a friend stopped me last night to say he had the digital files, and that “Alf” was the weakest of the four…

The Oppo 105 is the best bang for buck (pound.) Very high quality audio at a reasonable price. But I just read that the 205 is “on the way” a few weeks behind the 203 which will be available any day now. If you want save some money, you can check eBay for those who will be selling their 105’s in anticipation of the new model. Most people that own items like that take very good care of them so buying used probably will be safe.

I keep getting squashed Kate Bush CDs from amazon and sending them back… I’m on my 3rd copy and it’s getting silly now. The spine has creases from the inadequate flat card packaging they’ve been using. I’d cancel the whole order and buy elsewhere but my wife listened to about 10 minutes of the ripped mp3 so I know we’ll be charged for it. Have I been unlucky…?

I have an Oppo, it’s OK. Best CD player I ever heard was the Linn Ikemi, they are still available refurbished on eBay for almost sensible prices.

Let’s start a ‘kick starter’ for Paul’s new CD player!
I’m sure amongst all the regular readers here if those that are able to chip in a little we’ll get over the line in time for Christmas. I’ve seen other specialist blogs where the blogger puts a call out and the response is always very heartwarming and a resounding thank you for all the hours put in. Who’s in? And Paul if you’re happy to take donations would you like to share a PayPal address? My recommendation is the Oppo bd105 but have also heard great things about Cambridge gear.

I love my Cambridge Audio multi-player. However, after buying it I read a Cambridge – Oppo comparison review on an audio website, and Oppo just pipped it in the review. Apparently the Cambridge is Oppo tech inside? So Cambridge is fab, but maybe Oppo is the way to go. That’s what I would be recommending to any friends who sought my advice. Good luck.

On Before the Dawn, I am absolutely enjoying it, especially the third disc which contains to me her masterpiece. The only criticism I have is the volume level required, especially on Disc 1 as this must be one of the quietest CDs I have ever owned. Okay, glad its not compressed, but thought there was something wrong with my ears.

Paul, I’d certainly endorse what’s been said above about the Cambridge Audio multi-players I got the Azur 650BD a few years ago just to play SACD and it’s excellent. In fact I’m sure I read Cambridge and Oppo are connected in someway? Anyway the Cambridge sounds nice through my Naim Uniti / Naim NAP200 / B&W PM1 set up. Buy the best you can afford mate.

I believe KB sold about 40k units while Little Mix 57k. Its only a few weeks since the lowest sales for a 21st century album (7k – Blossoms i think) so maybe its not a bad figure after all.

Paul I have been really happy with my Denon universal disc player, the DBT1713UD

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-DBT1713UD-Universal-Blu-Ray-Transport/dp/B007Y3OB42/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480790945&sr=8-2&keywords=denon+universal

I really love my Oppo. I’ve had it for theee years now and it has never failed me. Superb quality. Works for every format I’ve thrown at it. You might want to hook it up to your television to see all the setup options.

I didn’t expect it to be number one either. With over a month’s worth of pre-orders added on the first day of release, and therefore most of her audience accounted for, it was inevitable she’d do well in the mid-weeks but then slip. The media doesn’t really understand what mid-weeks indicate. Sadly Kate isn’t an act that can sustain sales. Director’s Cut also topped the midweeks, and I think 50 Words looked to be better in the midweeks than its eventual top 5. Predicting Before The Dawn to be out the top 10 next week. It would be amazing but unbelievable if it could manage a second week inside it. Might even be out the top 20!

The number four placing means that all of her albums have peaked in all six of the top 6, with three number ones, three number twos, three number threes and one each for four, five and six.

I have the Marantz UD7007, just superb. Part of my surround sound set up, so good that when I replaced my Unico Italian valve CD, I opted for the Marantz SA8005.

Hmmm, a 3-4 disc product of old material, I’d say that where it placed is exceptional.
I’m pretty confident she could easily have a number one for a single disk of exclusively new material. I understand that the snow album didn’t do that but it’s also closer on the spectrum to “Kate Bush tries to make a Christmas album that isn’t a Christmas album” rather then HOT DAMN THERE’S A NEW KATE BUSH ALBUM COMING OUT! so even the chart placing for that one is pretty respectable.

You cant knock the Ball…. random comment but fiercely talented singer who has never ever been given decent material. Kate was always going to be no1 midweek due to the hardcore fans, beyond 3 days it was never going to have legs. So Paul, whats the chart strategy for Sam Brown?

I have a Sony UHP-H1, and that plays everything you listed. Via HDMI, you get full surround options; it only has classic stereo analogue outputs. I believe it retails in the UK for about 300-350 pounds. One thing I love about this player – it will play the ‘fussiest’ of discs. I have several blu-rays which my other player refuses to load … not the Sony. So far (touch wood …), it’s happy with it all.

The Oppo 103 is a real treat, excellent machine, also for dvd and blu-ray.

Wayne is 100% right.

I have two Oppos, one the NuForce Special Edition, and they, as we said back in the day, ‘rule’. While designed as Blu-Ray players, they are the best CD transports I have ever had. Great tech support, too. Just get one, stop thinking, and get back to listening.

It’s a shame about the timing. Oppo is set to release their newest player, a universal 4K UHD model that would fulfill all your requirements and give you 4K playback to boot. The UDP-203 is supposed to arrive any day now, but that’s probably not going to work for you.

Hello, Paul. I am sensitive to your misfortune, and I believe you will be most happy with this device: Sony UHP-H1 . See this link:
https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/audio-components/uhp-h1
Good reflection! ;-)

i have the same pioneer but haven’t used it in years as i upgraded to a denon universal player that does dvda/sacd and multi region dvd and bluray. plus netflix

theres a 696 on ebay for £50 inc delivery buy it now and make an offer. if the old 696 was fine for you then unless you want to spend a lot more, getting a replacement may be an idea

i’ve got an old 596 or whatever the old model was somewhere plus i phillips hdmi sacd/dvda multi region player that was hardly used as i never liked the menus and then got the 696

Paul, I have an Oppo BDP-93 and can speak to what a great CD player it is, and it is a “universal” audio player (sacd, etc.). I would assume that the newer models are just as good.

Still assert that BTD is not Bush’s first live album.

Kate sold 40,478 copies (and is the only album in the top 100 not available for streaming), which is pretty good for a live album in 2016. I never bought into the hullabaloo that she’d make No. 1 but with album sales inevitably rising for the next three weeks she’ll likely end the year pushing 150,00 copies sold, which ain’t too shabby really.