Oppo BDP-93 & BDP-95 Universal Blu-ray Player Measurements Report

Introduction

Just a few short years ago, Oppo dazzled us with their first generation Universal Blu-ray players, the BDP-83, and BDP-83SE, respectively.  These players were so good that a particular high end company decided to shoehorn the entire product into its own chassis and charge a $3k+ premium for it.  We did a full barrage of audio and video tests on these new Oppo players and found benchmark performance on everything but the analog bass management functions.  With Oppo's recent release of their second generation players, the BDP-93 and BPD-95, respectively, we were curious not only to see if Oppo addressed our minor concerns of their first generation players, but also how far they were able to push the envelope of performance with these new premier players.  Is the BDP-95 (MSRP $999)  really worth 2X the cost of the BDP-93 (MSRP: $499)?  Read on to find out....

Set-Up

Configuration of both the BDP-93 and BDP-95 players is virtually identical.  They follow the same setup procedures found on the BDP-83 which we found to be very intuitive.  The only real gripe we found was that, on occasion, both players seemed unresponsive to the remote control.  There were instances where we tried to navigate through the setup menus where the players simply didn't respond.  We informed Oppo about this and they also confirmed some users occasionally experienced similar issues.  We suspect it's an issue with the remote control or receiver.  Oppo is currently investigating this and based on their track record, you can be assured it will be resolved promptly. 

Both Oppo players share a similar Lexiconish front faceplate while the BDP-95 adds a touch of class by backlighting the main playback buttons.  The BDP-95 also has a larger power button with the Oppo logo embedded in it.  Both players yield a much nicer look compared to their predecessor BDP-83 series players.

Backpanel Views of Oppo BDP-93 (bottom) & BDP-95 (top)

Both players have the same complement of I/O's (two HDMI, one component, composite, toslink, coax, Ethernet, etc) though the BDP-95 adds dedicated unbalanced and balanced stereo analog outputs.  The Oppo BDP-93 does NOT have dedicated stereo analog outputs.  Users wanting to run analog stereo to a second zone from the Oppo can do so only if they are not already utilizing the dedicated multi channel outputs.

The 8 channel preouts of the BDP-95 are also spaced further apart and horizontally arranged into one long row instead of two rows like the BDP-93.  Both players analogue outputs are color coded to better mark corresponding channels.  Both players also sport detachable power cords, though the BDP-95 is of three-prong type while the BDP-93 is two-pronged.  The BDP-95 grounding scheme requires a 3 prong power receptacle for its balanced analog outputs to maintain a truly differential signal path from input to output and thus improving Common Mode Rejection and further reducing the noise floor. 

As you can see in the above photo, the BDP-95 is slightly taller than the BDP-93.  Both players measure 16-7/8" wide by 12-1/4" deep while the BDP-93 is 3-1/8" high and the BDP-95 is 4" high.  The BDP-93 also weighs in at 10.8lbs while the BDP-95 weighs an impressive 16lbs. 

Inside View of Oppo BDP-93 (left pic) & BDP-95 (right pic)

We honestly weren't expecting such differences in build quality between the two players.  Once we popped their hoods, the BDP-93 seemed hollow in comparison.  It was almost as if they were two completely different players.   Both players utilize identical video circuitry while the BDP-95 gets a significant audio upgrade by implementing premium ES9018 Sabre32 DAC's and a dedicated analog power supply with a Rotel built toroidal power transformer.  Both players share the exact same transport which was kind of a bummer to us.  We would have liked to see a slightly beefed up disc drawer for the BDP-95 if for no other reason than high end appeal. 

We asked Oppo to provide us a complete list of differences between both players which is tabulated below.

Oppo BDP-93 & BDP-95 On the Bench

Using the industry's most advanced HDMI Audio Analyzer, the Audio Precision APx585, we proceeded to measure all of the various aspects of audio performance for both the Oppo BDP-93 and BDP-95 players via the HDMI and analog audio outputs.

HDMI Digital Audio Tests

Setting the BDP-93 and BDP-95 players to LPCM so that the Audio Precision APx585 could analyze the integrity of the HDMI transmission from both players, we measured frequency response and distortion.

Oppo BDP-93 (left image) & BDP-95 (right image) HDMI Frequency Response

We ran both 192kHz/24 bit 6 channel and 96kHz/ 24 bit 8 channel Dolby TrueHD signals into both players and both produced similarly ruler flat frequency performance from 20Hz all the way up to the Audio Precision test gear bandwidth limitation (80kHz). 

We also ran Bit Error Rate (BER) tests on both players using Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD test signals and both players produced a 0% BER which means both players delivered audio via HDMI 100% error free.  Early HDMI products (ver 1.0 to 1.2) reportedly suffered from jitter related issues but HDMI ver 1.3 and above has completely eliminated jitter related issues thus ensuring bit for bit exact signal transfer from the player to the A/V receiver or processor. 

Editorial Note on BER Testing

A BER of 0% is essential for all bitstreams (ie. DD, DTS, TrueHD, etc) to pass through the player to the AVR for proper decoding.  The same doesn’t apply for PCM data however as many players often upsample 44kHz, 16bit audio you get from a CD and thus alters the original data played from the disc.  This usually results in failed BER tests but not necessarily bad audio performance.  It’s important to check other aspects of the signal such as frequency response and THD after the digital to analog conversion stage to get a clearer picture of what is going on.

Oppo BDP-93 (left image) & BDP-95 (right image) HDMI Distortion vs Frequency 

We measured distortion on both players HDMI outputs using a 0dBFS 96kHz / 24 bit Dolby TrueHD test signal. Both players measured identical producing distortion #s near the noise floor of our test equipment.  Consumers strictly pulling audio off these players via HDMI won't find any performance differences between the two models. 

Analog Output Tests

For those rare users considering buying one of these Oppo Blu-ray players that don’t yet have an HDMI 1.3 or higher AVR capable of decoding the latest surround formats, we tested the analogue outputs of the BDP-93 and BDP-95 to see how they performed. In the cases were measurements are identical between players, we only show results of one player in the interest of keeping this test report short and concise.

Oppo BDP-93 / BDP-95 Analog Frequency Response

 With all speakers set to "large" we used a 0dBFS Dolby TrueHD 96kHz/ 24 bit 8 channel test signal to measure frequency response which was ruler flat from 20Hz all the way to the Nyquist frequency (1/2 sampling rate 44kHz).  

Oppo BDP-93 (left pic) and BDP-95 (right pic) Distortion vs Frequency

With all speakers set to "large" we used a 0dBFS 96kHz/ 24 bit 8 channel PCM test signal to measure distortion vs frequency response which was commendably low on both players.  CH7 is the subwoofer channel which measured slightly higher distortion on both players compared to the seven main channels.  The BDP-93 THD+N was measured to be 0.003% THD+N rising up to 0.01% at 44kHz.  The Oppo BDP-95 in comparison was ruler flat at 0.0015% THD+N all the way up to 44kHz. 

Repeating these tests using a -20dBFS 96KHz/24 bit 8 channel Dolby TrueHD test signal, the Oppo BDP-93 measured ruler flat distortion of 0.03% for all seven main channels and 0.05% for the subwoofer channel while the BDP-95 measured 0.01% THD+N for the seven main channels and 0.02% THD+N for the subwoofer channel.

Yes there were slight measurable differences between the players with respect to distortion, but it's very unlikely there would be a situation where these differences would be audible. 

We weren’t able to measure a difference in distortion between the unbalanced and balanced analog stereo outputs of the BDP-95 because the measured results were so low that they were again approaching the noise floor of our test equipment.  It's important to note that the analog circuits for the dedicated stereo output are very similar to the standard FL/FR outputs for the BDP-95 except for the lower I/V converter resistor values (lower noise floor) due to the stacking of 4 DAC channels.  The balanced outputs are also 6dB hotter than the unbalanced.

Oppo BDP-93 (left) and BDP-95 (right) Channel to Channel Crosstalk

Using a -20dBFS 192kHz / 24 bit Dolby TrueHD test signal, we measured channel to channel crosstalk at 10kHz with all channels set to large and 0dB.  The Oppo BDP-93 produced excellent results (>100dB) which is better than you get with most high end preamps let alone Blu-ray players.  The BDP-95 defied all logic and produced #'s to the measurable limits of our test gear.  The audible differences with regards to crosstalk between these two players would be like trying to compare the loudness of a gnat's fart in loud New York City traffic if one listener was sitting in Florida and the other in Australia.

Bass Management

Setting all speakers to "small" and selecting 80Hz as our choice crossover point, we measured the analogue bass management capabilities of both players.  Unlike the Oppo BDP-83 model with a fixed 80Hz crossover point, the newer BDP-93/95 models offer variable crossover settings from 40-250Hz (20Hz increments from 40Hz to 80Hz, 10Hz increments from 80Hz to 120Hz, 50Hz increments from 150Hz to 250Hz). 

Oppo BDP-93 & BPD-95 Analog Bass Management System 

Oppo BDP-93 & BPD-95 Analog Bass Management Measurements

We measured the filter slopes using a -20dBFS 96kHz / 24 bit PCM test signal.  Setting the crossover to 80Hz, we in fact measured an 80Hz -3dB point for the HPF and LPF with a 12dB/octave slope.  We personally prefer to see a 24dB/octave slope for the LPF like THX recommends, but Oppo said their goal was to meet the minimum Dolby requirement of at least a 1st order filter (6dB/octave) for the HPF and at least a 2nd order filter (12dB/octave) for the LPF.  Considering THX informed us they don't even test the analogue outputs of Blu-ray players, we are just picking nits here.

Wrap-Up

Oppo proved that they can build a better mouse trap with their new BDP-9x series of Blu-ray players.  From analog audio standpoint, the BDP-93 & BDP-95 measure better than the venerable BDP-83 in every scenario we tested.  The BDP-93 displayed benchmark performance while the BDP-95 exceeded that mark to the point where we were measuring the limits of our $40k Audio Precision HDMI analyzer.  Anyone considering buying one of these new players with aftermarket modifications should instead save their hard earned dollars or put it to better use purchasing more Blu-ray discs to enjoy on these wonderful machines.  The BDP-93 and BDP-95 Blu-ray players are everything so many other so called "high end" players wish they could be and much more.  Both players have a high end appearance to them while the BDP-95 takes it up one notch by backlighting many of the buttons of the front panel face plate.  Consumers may ask the question "Is the BDP-95 worth 2X the cost of the BDP-93?"  We think it's more appropriate to ask are $2k Blu-ray players worth 4X the cost of the BDP-93?  We certainly haven't run across any higher priced players that can better the overall performance of the BDP-93, let alone the BDP-95.  For those utilizing HDMI outputs only, get the BDP-93. In our opinion, analogue buffs won't be able to find a better value than the BDP-95 both as a Blu-ray player and a dedicated CD player. 

For more information, visit Oppo Digital