I have a Panasonic plasma TV and AT&T U-verse. I also have an old CD player and a Panasonic Blu-ray player. I have decided on the Aon 3 by GoldenEar for the speakers. I really like Magnepan, but I don't think my room will accommodate it. I have an old Yamaha receiver, but I have never really cared for the sound nor has it ever seemed to work correctly. I apologize for the lengthy intro. My question is as follows: Would you recommend the Oppo BDP-105 to run as a preamp for my system? My salesman thinks I should use the Yamaha RX-A2030 receiver or the Anthem MRX 710. That's most likely because he sells those units. I have been really wanting to try separates as well. I thought I'd try Outlaw Audio or Emotiva. What do you think? I will mainly be watching movies and television and listening to the occasional CD. The only other items I might add is an Xbox or PlayStation. The Oppo sounds awesome because I have also wanted to try SACD or DVD-Audio. I appreciate your time and feedback.
Thanks,
Jon Simon
United States
I would most definitely recommend the Oppo BDP-105 to use both as a source component and basic surround processor for your system, although there are some drawbacks compared to a receiver, which I’ll talk about below. Outlaw Audio and Emotiva make good amplifiers, but I would add that other cost-effective, high-quality amplifiers are available from Axiom Audio and NuForce, so you might want to check with those companies as well.
About the drawbacks: The Oppo lacks the flexibility of the many inputs and outputs of a typical receiver (the Oppo only has one HDMI input on the back, for instance), as well as room-correction software, which can provide big benefits in some rooms. The Yamaha receiver you mention has its own proprietary room-correction software called YPAO that I have not used. Anthem’s receivers have ARC, which I am familiar with and find to be excellent.
If you can live with the limited inputs and the lack of some features, the Oppo BDP-105 makes a great centerpiece for a basic surround system -- it sounds good and has a great video section too. If not, look at the receivers the salesman recommended for the features I mentioned. . . . Roger Kanno
