The Oppo we’ve been waiting for…

Oppo UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Audiophile Blu-ray Disc Player

Oppo have now released their UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player. As expected this is an exceptional player, both for visual and audio. Priced at $2,199, the performance of this unit eclipses players costing multiples of this price.

We believe that Oppo’s own press release – reproduced below – sums up the features of this player beautifully.

“The OPPO UDP-205 carries many of the same features as the UDP-203:

• playback of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, CD and many other formats;

• High Dynamic Range (HDR10) and firmware upgradable to Dolby Vision;

• dual HDMI outputs – HDMI 2.0 for UHD and HDMI 1.4 for audio;

• and an HDMI 2.0 input port for external streaming devices or set-top boxes.

“The audio performance of the OPPO UDP-205 is a significant upgrade over the UDP-203 and previous generation players. The UDP-205 provides referencelevel sound quality through the analogue outputs, improves the clock precision of the HDMI audio output, and increases the power of the built-in headphone amplifier. For the analogue output stages, the UDP-205 utilises two ES9038PRO DACs, the flagship of the ESS Sabre Pro series, delivering best-in-class audio performance.

“Stereo listening accounts for a large part of audiophile usage of a universal player, and that is why the UDP-205 offers a dedicated stereo output in addition to its 7.1-channel analogue audio output. The stereo audio output is powered by a dedicated ES9038PRO DAC chip and specially designed buffer and driver stages. It provides both XLR balanced and RCA single-ended connectors. The balanced output features a true differential signal path all the way from the DAC to the 3-pin XLR connector. By transmitting a pair of differential signals, the balanced output provides better common-mode noise rejection and improves signal quality.

“For a more intimate listening experience, headphones can be connected directly to the UDP-205’s built-in headphone amplifier. The headphone amplifier is

connected directly to the ESS SABRE PRO DAC and offers a unique performance advantage over standalone headphone amplifiers. Compared to the built-in headphone amplifier in our previous generation BDP-105/105D players, the new design offers more power and higher performance,” says Oppo.

“In addition to its playback capabilities, the UDP-205 adds a USB DAC and a coaxial and an optical digital audio input, so users can take advantage of the excellent audio performance of the UDP-205 with other sources. The asynchronous USB DAC input supports sample rates up to 768kHz PCM and DSD512. By bypassing the low fidelity, poor quality DAC of traditional computer soundcards, the UDP-205 turns any computer into a high performing multimedia source by utilising the ES9038PRO DAC. For additional convenience and flexibility, the UDP-205 can convert digital signals from cable and satellite boxes, televisions, video game consoles and other digital transports with coaxial and optical digital outputs to analogue.

“The UDP-205 features a highstability, high-precision HDMI clock and a special HDMI audio jitter reduction circuit. This unique design significantly reduces jitter and eliminates timing errors, allowing customers to enjoy their music with increased accuracy when they use the audio-only HDMI output port for connecting the audio signal. PCM and DSD signals rely on the HDMI clock directly, so the HDMI audio jitter reduction circuitry can improve the sound quality of PCM and DSD audio. For compressed bitstream audio, it helps to ensure errorfree transmission, and may improve the audio performance depending on whether the audio decoder in the A/V processor or receiver uses a synchronous or asynchronous clock scheme.

“Advanced engineering, rigorous parts selection, and rock-solid build quality are foundations to the UDP-205’s

performance. The UDP-205’s audio circuitry is powered by a massive toroidal power supply, which provides a very clean and robust power source to the audio components. The brushed aluminium front panel and metal chassis continue the tradition of excellent workmanship found in previous generations of Oppo universal players. Four heavy-gauge machined feet provide a stable foundation for the UDP-205, and isolate it from outside vibration. A new double-layered chassis further enhances the rigidness and vibration-canceling capabilities. The internal layout and chassis design promote healthy air flow so critical components can be naturally cooled. Strategically placed heatsinks and ventilation grilles allow the UDP-205 run both cool and quiet without the need for internal or external fans. The high quality construction is designed to impress and to perform.

“Drawing from over a decade’s worth of experience in advanced image processing technology and high fidelity audio performance, the OPPO UDP-205 is the perfect choice for discerning enthusiasts.”

More good news is that the BDP-205 (as well as the BDP-203) can be modified to support multi-region Blu-ray discs, and unlike earlier players this mod appears to be trouble-free (and will not void warranty). The modification costs $200.

the BDP-205 (as well as the BDP-203) can be modified to support multi-region Blu-ray discs, and unlike earlier players this mod appears to be trouble-free...