Best budget SACD player?

[dblconcerto]

Hello all, a couple of months ago I made a post asking how I could make a setup to listen to SACDs with my IEMs and received a lot of very helpful responses. From what I understand, the best way to do this will be to find something with analog outs and use an amp (or RCA to headphone jack) to plug the IEMs into, or possibly with HDMI (capable of playing SACDs) to use with an AVR. I'm not sure if getting a player and an AVR is something I want to do right now, so I'll probably want to start with using analog outs, but having the HDMI would be a nice option so that I can upgrade the DAC later on.

My budget for a player is around $150 but if I can get away with something cheaper that would be better. I quickly became aware of how many options there are with the abundance of older players available on the used market and I am having trouble figuring out what to choose. Is there a definitive recommendation for something at this price point that fits my needs?

 

[KeithD]

With that budget and for your needs, I'd get a Sony DVP-NS-900V. It's highly regarded, and has a headphone jack with volume control.

 

[dblconcerto]

With that budget and for your needs, I'd get a Sony DVP-NS-900V. It's highly regarded, and has a headphone jack with volume control.

Thank you, I will check out it! Looks like there's a lot of options on eBay within my budget. Doesn't seem to have HDMI but the analog outs will be good if I want to add an amp.

 

[Mrv8q]

Oppo 981 would be cheaper than the Sony above, but doesn’t have the Sony build quality. 981 is a decent machine, however, and has HDMI, digital and analog outs. The remote can control the volume.

Mine, used infrequently, has been bulletproof.

 

[dblconcerto]

Oppo 981 would be cheaper than the Sony above, but doesn’t have the Sony build quality. 981 is a decent machine, however, and has HDMI, digital and analog outs. The remote can control the volume.

Mine, used infrequently, has been bulletproof.

Thanks, would you say that its audio quality is comparable to that of the Sony?

 

[Mrv8q]

I’ve had the old OPPO forever but really haven’t listened to it critically in a long time. I have compared a newer OPPO 83, a Pioneer 79 and a Sony 7700; the Sony was the best of the 3, but the only one that didn’t do SACD.

The older OPPO 981 with a DAC might be a killer bargain combo, or at least a good starter system.

 

[dblconcerto]

I’ve had the old OPPO forever but really haven’t listened to it critically in a long time. I have compared a newer OPPO 83, a Pioneer 79 and a Sony 7700; the Sony was the best of the 3, but the only one that didn’t do SACD.

The older OPPO 981 with a DAC might be a killer bargain combo, or at least a good starter system.

That would mean using the DAC in an AVR, right? That could work although I wouldn't know how much better that combo would be than just using the native DAC in the Sony.

 

[prisoners]

I've owned a Sony 900V and an Oppo BDP-83; the Oppo was far better at playing CDs and SACDs. You should be able to find one for that price.

 

[dblconcerto]

I've owned a Sony 900V and an Oppo BDP-83; the Oppo was far better at playing CDs and SACDs. You should be able to find one for that price.

Does it play SACDs with both the stereo out and HDMI? I'm having trouble finding one for under $200 that isn't a parts-only listing besides some auctions. Looks like there is also an auction for the BDP-93 - is that just a higher-end version?

 

[prisoners]

Yes

Yes

 

[dblconcerto]

Incidentally, I have been wanting to purchase some 4k disks and see that one step up from the Oppo BDP-93 is the BDP-103. I don't think I'll find one for under $150 but if I can get lucky in an eBay option would it be advisable to go for one?

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Incidentally, I have been wanting to purchase some 4k disks and see that one step up from the Oppo BDP-93 is the BDP-103. I don't think I'll find one for under $150 but if I can get lucky in an eBay option would it be advisable to go for one?

No advice on the Oppo but I can vouch for the Sony DVP NS900V, original retail of $1000 can often be found for around $100. Mine are both black, still looking for one in silver not $300 or in another country.


Another great deck from Sony and part of their ES line the DVP NS999ES, also retailed for $1000 and often found for around $100, have one in silver to match my Kenny silver stack.


The DVP CX777ES also from their ES line is a beast, found this for $75, not sure what they're going for now.



All great sounding machines.

 

[dblconcerto]

No advice on the Oppo but I can vouch for the Sony DVP NS900V, original retail of $1000 can often be found for around $100. Mine are both black, still looking for one in silver not $300 or in another country.
View attachment 3113193

Another great deck from Sony and part of their ES line the DVP NS999ES, also retailed for $1000 and often found for around $100, have one in silver to match my Kenny silver stack.
View attachment 3113194

The DVP CX777ES also from their ES line is a beast, found this for $75, not sure what they're going for now.

View attachment 3113195

All great sounding machines.

I'm not opposed to the Sony models but I do like the idea of having HDMI. Those silver models do look great, though.

 

[dblconcerto]

Incidentally, I have been wanting to purchase some 4k disks and see that one step up from the Oppo BDP-93 is the BDP-103. I don't think I'll find one for under $150 but if I can get lucky in an eBay option would it be advisable to go for one?

An auction that I was looking at yesterday sold for $103 with best offer... crazy! Going for one of these might be more doable than I thought. I just noticed that this model only has a 7.1/5.1CH output - would I be able to connect my IEMs using an RCA to headphone jack converter with just the FR/FL outputs or do I need something with L/R stereo outs?

 

[KeithD]

I suggest you download the manual from OPPO. The answers to your questions will be found in there.

 

[dblconcerto]

The manual specifies stereo output as one of the options for output, but the stereo output is still part of the 7.1/5.1CH - can someone confirm if this would still work for my use case?

 

[soundboy]

The manual specifies stereo output as one of the options for output, but the stereo output is still part of the 7.1/5.1CH - can someone confirm if this would still work for my use case?

What that means is the the Oppo players do not have dedicated stereo analog outputs. Just set up the player to prioritize stereo SACD playback even when a multichannel SACD is inserted. The player will locate the separate stereo (or mono) DSD mix and begin play.

 

[dblconcerto]

What that means is the the Oppo players do not have dedicated stereo analog outputs. Just set up the player to prioritize stereo SACD playback even when a multichannel SACD is inserted. The player will locate the separate stereo (or mono) DSD mix and begin play.

Okay thanks, so I could just have the RCA converter connected to the two front outputs for example, correct?