[cribeiro]

Originally Posted by ti33er

The OPPO BDP-93 is reference quality universal media player, albeit the media interface is a bit basic.

Not as a network player, I fear It does not support all the format mess we have to live with. My brand new Nikon AW100 stores the videos in mov format, but I will not be able to play them without conversion It is the only disadvante for me at the moment, though. My Oppo 95 should arrive before the end of the week At this point, with Oppo, Audiolab and Rotel electronics, the bottleneck will be my loudspeakers

EDIT: the Oppo does play MOV through the network It is also great to watch pictures while listening to music (both simultaneously and through the network).

[mossym]

Originally Posted by cribeiro

Not as a network player, I fear It does not support all the format mess we have to live with. My brand new Nikon AW100 stores the videos in mov format, but I will not be able to play them without conversion It is the only disadvante for me at the moment, though. My Oppo 95 should arrive before the end of the week At this point, with Oppo, Audiolab and Rotel electronics, the bottleneck will be my loudspeakers

in fairnes, your example of the mov files is the first example i've seen that the 93 can't play, it has played everything i've thrown at it across my network no problem.

it'll never fit all needs, i'd rate the ability to play 192kHz files as way more significant than mov support, given how few players can playback 192khz material. obviously you won't agree as you want the mov files, everyone will want something different

[cribeiro]

Originally Posted by mossym

in fairnes, your example of the mov files is the first example i've seen that the 93 can't play, it has played everything i've thrown at it across my network no problem.

it'll never fit all needs, i'd rate the ability to play 192kHz files as way more significant than mov support, given how few players can playback 192khz material. obviously you won't agree as you want the mov files, everyone will want something different

It is also the only down side I have. I bought it, didn´t I?
It does play MOV from E-SATA or USB, though. It is a DLNA limitation, not Oppo´s But if Oppo did SMB, the future would be even brighter.

[mossym]

Originally Posted by cribeiro

But if Oppo did SMB, the future would be even brighter.

there are a couple of things oppo could do which would improve what is already a stellar player

• support DLNA pushes from a remote device
• if not that, then setupscreens/media selection via a smartphone/tablet
• mov over DNLA
• blu-ray images over DLNA, don't think this is working yet is it?
• SMB

[cribeiro]

Originally Posted by mossym

DNLA

You really confused me here. It took me ages to get the acronym right, and now this But I think I still mix the letters sometimes... It´s a 50% chance

[mossym]

Originally Posted by cribeiro

You really confused me here. It took me ages to get the acronym right, and now this But I think I still mix the letters sometimes... It´s a 50% chance

ouch sorry about that, and i even did it twice...

[Bassman1]

Hi guys does anyone know if Audiolab charge to do a software update if so how much? or is it possible to do updates without having to send the unit to Audiolab?

[Mr_Orange]

Originally Posted by Bassman1

Hi guys does anyone know if Audiolab charge to do a software update if so how much? or is it possible to do updates without having to send the unit to Audiolab?

Main unit firmware updates can be done by the end user. HDMI firmware updates are a return to IAG for them to do - no charge, I believe, but you'll need to cover P&P.

[Dragon777]

Hi everybody,

I keep reading about the Audiolab 8000AP sporting high jitter rates, but all reports seem to be quite unspecific. Where exactly does it create jitter. At the digital input connectors? Only with HDMI or also on NF SPDIF? Or is it just not very efficient in reducing arriving jitter from the source before handing it over to the internal DAC?

Can anybody please specify the jitter problems with the 8000AP?

Thanks
D

[Bassman1]

Originally Posted by Mr_Orange

Main unit firmware updates can be done by the end user. HDMI firmware updates are a return to IAG for them to do - no charge, I believe, but you'll need to cover P&P.

Thanks Mr_Orange, is it easy to do the unit firmware update? is there any guide on how to do the update as i dont want to damage the AP? Im not to worried about the HDMI firmware update i can leave that for now.

[Mr_Orange]

Originally Posted by Bassman1

Thanks Mr_Orange, is it easy to do the unit firmware update? is there any guide on how to do the update as i dont want to damage the AP? Im not to worried about the HDMI firmware update i can leave that for now.

If you're not having any HDMI issues then I wouldn't worry about getting that updated.

The main unit firmware is pretty easy. You need Flash Magic (Flash Magic - Welcome) and a serial (RS232) cable and a USB converter if your PC doesn't have a 9 pin serial socket. There are step by step instructions which used to be on the old Audiolab web site, but aren't anymore. I can upload them here when I am home this evening.

[Bassman1]

Originally Posted by Mr_Orange

If you're not having any HDMI issues then I wouldn't worry about getting that updated.

The main unit firmware is pretty easy. You need Flash Magic (Flash Magic - Welcome) and a serial (RS232) cable and a USB converter if your PC doesn't have a 9 pin serial socket. There are step by step instructions which used to be on the old Audiolab web site, but aren't anymore. I can upload them here when I am home this evening.

Thank you that would be great if you could upload the instructions when ever you get a chance please..

[Burgy100]

Hi Guys,

I have read most of this topic with intrest as I currently own an all TAG system. Question is simple What does the 8200AP sound like? Dont expect it to be as good as my DP, but hey technology has come along way in 6 years. Just toying with the idea of having an all Audiolab sytem CD, processor and monoblocs with an Oppo DVD. What do you think?

Steve

[Mr_Orange]

Originally Posted by Burgy100

Hi Guys,

I have read most of this topic with intrest as I currently own an all TAG system. Question is simple What does the 8200AP sound like? Dont expect it to be as good as my DP, but hey technology has come along way in 6 years. Just toying with the idea of having an all Audiolab sytem CD, processor and monoblocs with an Oppo DVD. What do you think?

Steve

Well assuming the 8200AP sounds like the 8000AP, you won't be disappointed. Other TAG owners have swapped and been happy, including DP owners. What sets the DP apart from the Audiolab is TMREQ, assuming you use it and/or benefit from it.

The Oppo plays nicely with the AP, according to some, and whether you use HDMI or the multi-ch analogues will be down to your personal preference.

Depending on what TAG amplification you have, I see no reason to swap it out unless you are wanting to upgrade from a 100x5R to 250MRs. The 8200MB is essentially a 250MR but with a smaller transformer I believe. There is a thread on this by secastor. There have been some quality issues with the 8200MB which were down to a faulty batch of transistors (one guy is on his sixth replacement according to another thread). It seems as though Audiolab have diagnosed the issue so you should be OK to buy, and secastor doesn't seem to have had any issues.

[Burgy100]

Thanks for that Mr_Orange, Yep I use TMREQ and to be honest would not be without it. Thought of using 8200MB's for the front speakers and the P's or M's for the rears, I suppose possibly I was asking would the 8200AP to as good as a job as the DQ or would I better investing in both! or am I just being plain stupid!

Steve

[Moonfly]

I am planning on building a sytem from the ground up around some AB systems amp. Speaking to Adam in that thread he came up with the suggestion of trying to pick one of these up. Basically i will need some sort of pre amp to run sources through, so need to pick up something. I was looking at the Dac Magic Plus and also the AudioLab Dac as well (thanks again to Adam), but I wanted to see what you guys have to say. Bear in mind i would probably replace it in the future when funds allow and a Dac would be good because it could be used in another room.

[ti33er]

Hey Moonfly

Good to see you back on AVF - my friend is a week or so away from installing your ex. XTZ speakers in his cinema room!

Audiolab 8000AP and OPPO BDP-93 are a really good mate - Kevin is experimenting with a cheap mod for the Analogue Board of the OPPO, so far it sounds very good - we can assume that is better than the NuForce NX (he is deploying better components than NX), as it is honestly just under the NuForce NXE performance. This is compared with my NXE and my friend's stock BDP-93 stock player on a highly revealing Aktiv LINN system.

If you can find a used BDP-93, this mod would suit an out-of-warranty machine (or new one if willing to take the risk) :-)

[Moonfly]

I am not sure my initial budget would stretch to a source as well. Ive been reading about oppo's all along but with 3D and all that I always held off (just as I did with my TV) and doubt I could stretch to a new source as well, especially one that I might think of upgrading. The PS3 may be getting old, but its not so bad I cant put up with it for a while.

I am really trying to weigh up if an 8000AP is a better choice than an M-Dac to begin with. I am sure it can do more, but would it end up redundant where an M-Dac may not?

Hope you enjoy the speakers

[ti33er]

Looking forward to putting all the stuff together in Ozzy's place...his Wife has not seen how big the 99.36 PIANO are yet though, hopefully they don't end up on the Classifieds again! ;-)

There is a BDP-93 on the fleaofbay right now, going well under retail price if you look! - it is MUCH better than the PS3, and don't worry about 3D, I am talking about the Audio (and Video) performance. If you value Audio reproduction (I was under the impression this is important to you) look no further ...on its own it is really good, and with the Green mod it is amongst the finest 'analogue' sounds out there, and superb on SACD/Bluray via a 5.1 BYPASS, like the 8000AP has got...you can't go wrong...and very much doubt you would feel the need to 'upgrade' for some time to come

PS. Use the 8000AP simply as a Volume Control for the 5.1 BYPASS - the OPPO does everything else format wise (just about, nit-picking where it cannot)

[Moonfly]

Thing is, I already need to pay $2400 for the amp, and €1000 for speakers, then look at the Dac. Adding the 8000AP plus an Oppo, whats that gonna cost roughly, even looking at pre-owned?

The reason I was looking at Dac was simply to use to process inputs for the amp. The system would be 2.0 to begin with and I would build it as time goes by. I would replace the Dac with a processor (but not needing to would be great if the 8000AP would last a while whilst I built other parts of the system first), and then possibly use the Dac in another room. Then again, Ive spent more time outside in the last 2 month than I have in the whole previous year, so another system in another room is probably not ever going to be needed if I am honest, that idea was more about making use of a Dac that would be otherwise redundant I guess.

My only reservations about the 8000AP is lack of Audyssey. I will need that once I build myself a new pair of subs, so if I had to replace the 8000AP, then a simple Dac would probably prove to be easier to use elsewhere. Part of me is unsure how easy it would be to move stuff on now I am not in the UK.

[BobbyMac]

Originally Posted by Moonfly

Thing is, I already need to pay $2400 for the amp, and €1000 for speakers, then look at the Dac. Adding the 8000AP plus an Oppo, whats that gonna cost roughly, even looking at pre-owned?

The reason I was looking at Dac was simply to use to process inputs for the amp. The system would be 2.0 to begin with and I would build it as time goes by. I would replace the Dac with a processor (but not needing to would be great if the 8000AP would last a while whilst I built other parts of the system first), and then possibly use the Dac in another room. Then again, Ive spent more time outside in the last 2 month than I have in the whole previous year, so another system in another room is probably not ever going to be needed if I am honest, that idea was more about making use of a Dac that would be otherwise redundant I guess.

My only reservations about the 8000AP is lack of Audyssey. I will need that once I build myself a new pair of subs, so if I had to replace the 8000AP, then a simple Dac would probably prove to be easier to use elsewhere. Part of me is unsure how easy it would be to move stuff on now I am not in the UK.

Prob £400-£450 for an Oppo 93 and the same again for the 8000AP S/H

You could go for an Oppo 83 instead of a 93 for around £250 and lose some network features but not Sound Quality (Digital at least)

Tbh if your predominately going to listen to stereo rather than 5.1, then the MDAC (in preamp mode) straight into a power amp will yield the best SQ, you can always pick up a solid platter CD player for about £50/£100 and use it as transport into the MDAC as well as a SB Touch for streaming Hi Res Flacs

[Moonfly]

Originally Posted by BobbyMac

Prob £400-£450 for an Oppo 93 and the same again for the 8000AP S/H

You could go for an Oppo 83 instead of a 93 for around £250 and lose some network features but not Sound Quality (Digital at least)

Tbh if your predominately going to listen to stereo rather than 5.1, then the MDAC (in preamp mode) straight into a power amp will yield the best SQ, you can always pick up a solid platter CD player for about £50/£100 and use it as transport into the MDAC as well as a SB Touch for streaming Hi Res Flacs

Why do these things always get more complicated as we look into them more and more lol.

Although the system will be 2.0 initially, the intention is to build it into a full 7 or 5.2 system as funding allows. I am not that interested in a dedicated CD transport to be honest, as I tend to store my music other ways and put the CDs away for safe keeping. That is one reason a Dac interests me and I think I would rather use an oppo to play cd's than have a BR player and dedicated CD transport as well, that would likely not get much use at all in the end.

I tend to stew on things a bit before they seem to become clearer as I read more and sleep on it. You have certainly given me things to think about. How to decide which way to go though

The amp is more or less decided, as are the speakers, just how to use them initially (they are of little use on their own). I do want to play music and watch films through the system.

[BobbyMac]

Originally Posted by Moonfly

Why do these things always get more complicated as we look into them more and more lol.

Although the system will be 2.0 initially, the intention is to build it into a full 7 or 5.2 system as funding allows. I am not that interested in a dedicated CD transport to be honest, as I tend to store my music other ways and put the CDs away for safe keeping. That is one reason a Dac interests me and I think I would rather use an oppo to play cd's than have a BR player and dedicated CD transport as well, that would likely not get much use at all in the end.

I tend to stew on things a bit before they seem to become clearer as I read more and sleep on it. You have certainly given me things to think about. How to decide which way to go though

The amp is more or less decided, as are the speakers, just how to use them initially (they are of little use on their own). I do want to play music and watch films through the system.

Isn't it always the way?

Tbh why don't you spread your upgrading over the next 12 months rather than doing it at once and compromising.

If a full surround system is the way you want to go, id look at the Emotiva UMC-1 as a "stop gap" AV pre-amp for around £250/£300 S/H or instead of spending a £1000 on an Oppo & 8000AP combo, look at buying a SB Touch to stream your music into an Anthem MRX300 and using it as a processor only utilising ARC if your listening rooom is particularly troublesome

[ralphmalph]

Originally Posted by Moonfly

Why do these things always get more complicated as we look into them more and more lol.

Although the system will be 2.0 initially, the intention is to build it into a full 7 or 5.2 system as funding allows. I am not that interested in a dedicated CD transport to be honest, as I tend to store my music other ways and put the CDs away for safe keeping. That is one reason a Dac interests me and I think I would rather use an oppo to play cd's than have a BR player and dedicated CD transport as well, that would likely not get much use at all in the end.

I tend to stew on things a bit before they seem to become clearer as I read more and sleep on it. You have certainly given me things to think about. How to decide which way to go though

The amp is more or less decided, as are the speakers, just how to use them initially (they are of little use on their own). I do want to play music and watch films through the system.

If you want 2.0 initially then buy an MDAC. I have the OPPO 95 with the same dacs as the MDAC and in stereo they are leagues better than the internal DAC in the AP.

[Moonfly]

Originally Posted by BobbyMac

Isn't it always the way?

Tbh why don't you spread your upgrading over the next 12 months rather than doing it at once and compromising.

If a full surround system is the way you want to go, id look at the Emotiva UMC-1 as a "stop gap" AV pre-amp for around £250/£300 S/H or instead of spending a £1000 on an Oppo & 8000AP combo, look at buying a SB Touch to stream your music into an Anthem MRX300 and using it as a processor only utilising ARC if your listening rooom is particularly troublesome

This is where things get a touch more complex. Currently I have no system at all, I sold all my old kit off. So, I am going to start rebuilding it, and will start with an amp and a pair of speakers. I need a processor of some sort to make that work, so ideally I want a decent but not costly solution, and if said solution can still be of use when I can afford the proper pre/pro, all the better.

Now, the other thing to consider is that said proper pre/pro needs to have Audyssey on board, because no other auto eq system doe what Audyssey does in terms of bass management (the Emotiva UMC-1 is seriously flawed in that particularly area, and I dont much about when it comes to the sub bass area). I will build my own subwoofers, and need Audyssey to properly eq the low end (they will be sealed sub(s)), otherwise I would have to do it myself with additional equipment, which I wish to avoid if possible.

I wont need Audyssey initially, so its not a concern for any stop gap, but any potential longer term processor solution would be really better off including Audyssey. YPAO, ARC, MCACC and the Emotiva bass management systems dont do what I need them to do for subwoofers.

[BobbyMac]

Audessy Pro FTW

[Moonfly]

Well, I have thought about that, but its a heck of a lot of cash just for room correction alone. Having said, with what I would save on the subs it would more than cover the cost of that kit, but that would be something to consider closer to the time.

Next question then. If I was to mention something like the Onkyo 5509 (which would more or less negate any need for the Audyssey pro kit), how would that go down in comparison to other pre/pro solutions out there.

[rjrodders]

I wont need Audyssey initially, so its not a concern for any stop gap, but any potential longer term processor solution would be really better off including Audyssey. YPAO, ARC, MCACC and the Emotiva bass management systems dont do what I need them to do for subwoofers.

Moonfly - out of interest what does Audyssey do for sub bass management that you think is not available with Anthem ARC solution.

From my limited experience and the wealth of info across the pond it appears to be a top notch solution if not the best

[Moonfly]

Originally Posted by rjrodders

Moonfly - out of interest what does Audyssey do for sub bass management that you think is not available with Anthem ARC solution.

From my limited experience and the wealth of info across the pond it appears to be a top notch solution if not the best

Audyssey initially measures a subwoofers natural roll off response, and matches it to one of a list of stored responses. Once its done this, it identifies how your sub is rolling off, and knows from that if its a ported or sealed etc (so it wont try and boost below a ports tune or below a HPF). It can then decide how to apply the low end boosting. Audyssey will apply upto 9db of boosts down to 10hz and no other system AFAIK does this, and all the info I have found suggests 3db is the max any other system will boost, with some not even bothering to go to the additional lengths in the subwoofer zone. The DIY sealed subwoofers need this to get the best performance from their low end (although 9db of boosting may not be needed, and especially so in ported designs), which a manufactured sub has built in to its on board amplifier by way of a LTC or similar.

Without Audyssey, I would have to go to significant lengths to do it all manually and need additional processing in the system which is always nice to avoid where possible, especially manually added processing which can take a fair bit more time and effort to get spot on.

I know ARC is a very good system, and for normal commercial subwoofers is likely just as good as Audyssey, but for a DIY subwoofer, I think it just has a slight advantage over ARC.

[Wull]

Originally Posted by Moonfly

Next question then. If I was to mention something like the Onkyo 5509 (which would more or less negate any need for the Audyssey pro kit), how would that go down in comparison to other pre/pro solutions out there.

Not sure you will get much help with this Dan in the Audiolab thread....

I think your AB, 8000Ap, PS3 with a AS-EQ1 sub EQ could be the way forward. Two of these items are in the classifieds from time to time, and at those prices you won't loose a lot in resale if you decided to change, unlike the Onk's inevitable price crash!

I've never listen to the 5509, but I suspect the 8000AP would leave it for dust in the music stakes...

Don't forget there's nothing better than having a drink and listening to good sounding music in the sun!!