OPPO BDP83 SE or used Linn Ikemi?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjkurita 

What do you all think?  Any advice would be welcome.  The A/V + USB (music server) capability makes the OPPO an extremely appealing choice.  How exactly does that work, by the way?  It can read music files from a hard drive?  There is an interface?  Wouldn't that require an operating system of some kind? 

 

The Ikemi would have a really fine transport and very nice, reliable sound.  But would it sound better than the OPPO?  Is the transport better on the Ikemi?  Does the Ikemi have ANYTHING going for it when compared to the OPPO? 

 

Has anyone A/Bed the two players?  Even as highly touted as it is, I can't imagine that the OPPO could sound better than an Ikemi.  The Ikemi is one of the best I have heard and a true bargain at the $1200 to $1400 used. 

 

I'd rather have better sound and a better transport than all those extra bells and whistles, if the sound is better enough.  I don't watch Blu Ray discs, generally.  I would use the USB, I suppose, but I can also use computer-as-source.  So the USB would be redundant.

 

I'm talking pure audio, unless the extra stuff the OPPO has to offer is of such significance that it can not be ignored. 

I don't have any answers, other than I am sure you would use the remote control to browse the external harddrive. It really does not require that much more than what a Bluray player can already do.

One thing to contemplate is that some companies have started releasing bluray music only discs, which might be a more successful format than SACD because of how wide spread it would be.

http://www.2l.no/ This is the only company I know of that does it... but something to consider a bit.

Oppo doesn't play games though, whereas other hi-fi brands that have an established name charge quite a bit of a premium for their products... an 899.99 oppo is a significant piece of kit, and would cost much more from another company.

In terms of features and usability, you can't go wrong with the oppo, and it's not like the sound is anything other than stellar.

good luck

I own the Genki, bought it new, its  a step down from the Ikemi. While the Linns were  fine CD players, time has passed the electronics by.  The OPPO will sound better because its electonics are   newer, faster and support higher resolution formats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjkurita 

Yes.  I am a bit concerned that the Linn hasn't been anywhere near SOTA since 1999.  But that does not mean it doesn't still sound great.  It's true that OPPO does not mess around.  I don't know.  Perhaps I will try to find one on the used market.  They don't seem to come up very often. 

 

Any additional opinions are welcome. 

haha... which would be a good thing. At least I see it as such.

You are right it does not mean the Linn will sound bad, though. Obviously it won't, just probably not the best for your money from what people are saying.

Between those two, the Ikemi sounded better to my ears. Just because it's older doesn't mean it can't compete with today's latest and greatest. IMO, the high end older stuff sounds better than many of today's stuff up until a certain price point.

Ikemi is going to be much better if you just want to listen to CD's. CD is old technology and Ikemi was very much at the peak of CD, in UK terms anyway by the time they figured out how to make them.

Spares will be a potential issue though as the transport is bespoke Linn, so not as common as a Philips based machine.

tjkurita wrote:

Any additional opinions are welcome.

FWIW, there are upgraded versions of the OPPO BDP-83SE by NuForce which may be more along the lines of what you're wanting.  And then there's an upgraded version still, Expo Universal but at $2,500.00 USD, it's pushing the wallet as you'll need to add a headphone amp if you don't already have one.

NuForce, must resist, must resist.