SACD to ISO with Oppo & Pioneer BD players!

[mandrix]

Wow.

I have been wanting SACD rip capability for a a while now. Towards that end, I've been shopping the used market on and off for a few months looking for an OPPO 103 deal. I haven't found one. So I've given up and purchased a new Pioneer BDP-80FD instead. Prices for a used 103 that is in a condition that is acceptable to me never seem to show up below the $400 price point. "Acceptable to me" = sourced from an audiophile who upgraded as opposed to a pawn shop and comes with original box, remote, dongle...etc). More often, acceptable units hover in the $450 range.

I got a new Pioneer BDP-80FD for $230, shipped. A much more reasonable cost considering I only plan to use it for SACD processing. My OPPO 83 SE is still my main player, but it is seldom used because it all gets ripped to the NAS now .... except for SACD of course. So I guess that's about to change.

I can see the reasoning behind OPPO deciding to fold up its tent with respect to disc players. I'm not sure I'll ever buy another optical deck for audio playback in my main system if the 83 fails. With the ability to rip everything to the NAS, there is just no need. I find it ironic that since OPPO made their "going out of business" announcement they sold out their remaining inventory and are working with a waiting list for the last batch of new disk players, while I am looking to get to a point where I wont ever need to use an optical player at all in my day to day listening.

If anyone out there has experience with using a BDP-80FD for ripping SACD and has specific tips, please pass them along.

"I can see the reasoning behind OPPO deciding to fold up its tent with respect to disc players." Huh? Is OPPO going out of business? I was hoping to score a 103 in a few months, but I'm still using the BDP-80 I bought years ago.
I can't seem to keep up with anything these days.

 

[GOS]

Wow.

"I can see the reasoning behind OPPO deciding to fold up its tent with respect to disc players." Huh? Is OPPO going out of business? I was hoping to score a 103 in a few months, but I'm still using the BDP-80 I bought years ago.
I can't seem to keep up with anything these days.

Man, you better read up. Yes, they are discontinuing their blu-ray player piece. If you want a new one....you need to move...like fast.

 

[mandrix]

Where does the time go? Seems like the older I get the faster time moves. Could be true, IDK.
But yeah, looking around I already see that new 103's are non-existant.
Well, it is what it is. Due to unplanned bills even my CC is tapped so I guess I'll end up with a used one at some point, and hope I at least get one not too beat up.
Is there another brand model with the OPPO electronics and capabilities?

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Where does the time go? Seems like the older I get the faster time moves. Could be true, IDK.
But yeah, looking around I already see that new 103's are non-existant.
Well, it is what it is. Due to unplanned bills even my CC is tapped so I guess I'll end up with a used one at some point, and hope I at least get one not too beat up.
Is there another brand model with the OPPO electronics and capabilities?

Boon, you must have been in a coma for a few years. New OPPO 103's haven't been available for quite some time. The current and apparently last generation of players is the 203/205 models.

They say life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it spins.

BTW, here is the thread discussing OPPO's demise.

 

[mandrix]

Boon, you must have been in a coma for a few years. New OPPO 103's haven't been available for quite some time. The current and apparently last generation of players is the 203/205 models.

They say life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it spins.

BTW, here is the thread discussing OPPO's demise.

LOL. Had some things going on for a while. My body had some new parts installed a couple times, and I suffered some very bad burns on my leg. Was on some bad *** prescription drugs for years that seemed to affect me more than I knew. But now I'm playing catch up with life and finding it quite a bit more enjoyable.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

LOL. Had some things going on for a while. My body had some new parts installed a couple times, and I suffered some very bad burns on my leg. Was on some bad *** prescription drugs for years that seemed to affect me more than I knew. But now I'm playing catch up with life and finding it quite a bit more enjoyable.

I'm glad its all turning around for you. Enjoy.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

So I got the Pioneer BDP-80FD up and running with no issues. I ripped my first SACD yesterday, and followed that with several more.

It is a slow 5-step process the way I'm doing it:
(1) extract the ISO from the disk
(2) extract the stereo DFF files from the ISO
(3) extract the multichannel DFF files from the ISO (if available)
(4) convert the DFF files to FLAC
(5) tag the FLAC files.

Then, only the FLAC files and the full ISO are saved to the NAS. I delete the DFF files.

If I used a media player that played ISOs directly, I could stop after step 1 (which is why i'm saving the ISO as well as the FLACs... future proof). I currently use Kodi which will not play ISOs directly. Kodi also will not play .DSF files (the Sony version of DSD). It will play .DFF files (the Philips version of DSD, but since the .DFF format does not allow metadata, there is no way to tag a .DFF file. With no tags, Kodi cannot scan .DFF files into its library. I also noticed when playing individual .DFF and .DSF files about a year ago that I couldn't play either without getting an audible popping sound at the start of each song. So I convert to FLAC for now. Using Foobar, the quality of the FLAC files I end up with is 24/88.2.

Its been 10 years since I purchased a new optical disk player of any kind (my OPPO BDP83 SE, which is still my main player). The Pioneer BDP-80FD carries the "Elite" designation. Elite used to mean something special, but judging from the BDP-80FD, it seems it doesn't carry that kind of weight anymore. This unit is slow to load and noisy compared to the OPPO. The build quality looks no better than the typical $89 loss leader player you'd find at your local big box store. Its not something I would want for everyday use, but of course, it's only for ripping SACDs anyway. I hope it holds up.

 

[mandrix]

So I got the Pioneer BDP-80FD up and running with no issues. I ripped my first SACD yesterday, and followed that with several more.

It is a slow 5-step process the way I'm doing it:
(1) extract the ISO from the disk
(2) extract the stereo DFF files from the ISO
(3) extract the multichannel DFF files from the ISO (if available)
(4) convert the DFF files to FLAC
(5) tag the FLAC files.

Then, only the FLAC files and the full ISO are saved to the NAS.

If I used a media player that played ISOs directly, I could stop after step 1 (which is why in saving the ISO as well as the FLACs... future proof). I currently use Kodi which will not play ISOs directly. Kodi also will not play .DSF files (the Sony version of DSD). It will play .DFF files (the Philips version of DSD, but since the .DFF format does not allow metadata, there is no way to tag a .DFF file. With no tags, Kodi cannot scan .DFF files into its library. I also noticed when playing individual .DFF and .DSF files about a year ago that I couldn't play either without getting an audible popping sound at the start of each song. So I convert to FLAC for now. Using Foobar, the quality of the FLAC files I end up with is 24/88.2.

Its been 10 years since I purchased a new optical disk player of any kind (my OPPO BDP83 SE, which is still my main player). The Pioneer BDP-80FD carries the "Elite" designation. Elite used to mean something special, but judging from the BDP-80FD, it seems it doesn't carry that kind of weight anymore. This unit is slow to load and noisy compared to the OPPO. The build quality looks no better than the typical $89 loss leader player you'd find at your local big box store. Its not something I would want for everyday use, but of course, it's only for ripping SACDs anyway. I hope it holds up.

My only BD player is my "old" OPPO BDP-80. Wonder what the difference between mine and the Pioneer BDP-80FD actually is?
BTW anyone have a more recent link to players that will rip SACD's?

 

[GOS]

My only BD player is my "old" OPPO BDP-80. Wonder what the difference between mine and the Pioneer BDP-80FD actually is?
BTW anyone have a more recent link to players that will rip SACD's?

My Oppo BDP-103 rips SACD....though I'm sure you already knew that...

 

[LuvMyQuad]

My Oppo BDP-103 rips SACD....though I'm sure you already knew that...

Other than an old PS3 with hacked firmware, I think the SACD rip-capable players are still limited to the OPPO 103/203 (and any spinoff thereof) along with a few older Pioneer units, like the BDP-80 and BDP-160. There is no updated list because the chip that has the "vulnerability" and allows the rip to occur is no longer used and has been surpassed by newer chips. It reminds me of my cousin who would never relinquish an old portable Panasonic VHS recorder because it had no copy protection circuitry and could make copies of protected VHS tapes.

 

[GOS]

Other than an old PS3 with hacked firmware, I think the SACD rip-capable players are still limited to the OPPO 103/203 (and any spinoff thereof) along with a few older Pioneer units, like the BDP-80 and BDP-160. There is no updated list because the chip that has the "vulnerability" and allows the rip to occur is no longer used and has been surpassed by newer chips. It reminds me of my cousin who would never relinquish an old portable Panasonic VHS recorder because it had no copy protection circuitry and could make copies of protected VHS tapes.

Whoa! I didn't know the 203 could rip SACD...

 

[mandrix]

Doesn't the Pioneer unit have an OPPO made board?

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Whoa! I didn't know the 203 could rip SACD...

It cant. I meant to say 103/105 not 103/203.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Doesn't the Pioneer unit have an OPPO made board?

As far as I know, it is related to a specific CPU chip family. The Mediatek MT8580 or MT8560. I cant vouch for who actually makes the boards in either brand.

 

[GOS]

It cant. I meant to say 103/105 not 103/203.

LOL! Damn, I was getting excited as I just purchased a 203......

 

[mandrix]

As far as I know, it is related to a specific CPU chip family. The Mediatek MT8580 or MT8560. I cant vouch for who actually makes the boards in either brand.

Yes, it's coming back to me now, a little. I was going to mention the mediatek chips but wasn't sure. Thanks for clearing that up.
Actually I think OPPO makes the Pioneer model with the similar name designation. Why they may have used different chips I do not remember. Seems like there was a massive post on AVSForum about this some time back.......

It's looking like any good choice going into the future, for now at least, is to find a way to buy the OPPPO 203, for 4K and universal play. I still enjoy playing physical discs ya know....anyway we'll see whether the supply weathers my broke situation.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

If I used a media player that played ISOs directly, I could stop after step 1 (which is why i'm saving the ISO as well as the FLACs... future proof). I currently use Kodi which will not play ISOs directly. Kodi also will not play .DSF files (the Sony version of DSD). It will play .DFF files (the Philips version of DSD, but since the .DFF format does not allow metadata, there is no way to tag a .DFF file. With no tags, Kodi cannot scan .DFF files into its library. I also noticed when playing individual .DFF and .DSF files about a year ago that I couldn't play either without getting an audible popping sound at the start of each song. So I convert to FLAC for now. Using Foobar, the quality of the FLAC files I end up with is 24/88.2.

So why are you using Kodi? Jriver plays any and all of those formats.
Also, if you are going to end up with FLAC anyway, why not extract DSFs from the ISOs and retain the metadata?

 

[LuvMyQuad]

So why are you using Kodi? Jriver plays any and all of those formats.
Also, if you are going to end up with FLAC anyway, why not extract DSFs from the ISOs and retain the metadata?

The one thing Kodi does well that Jriver does not do at all is provide on screen lyrics. That may not be a major problem for a classical/jazz listener, but for Rock and Pop, its a bigger deal. If Jriver ever gets around to providing lyrics I would certainly look into making the switch.

I use Foobar to convert the DFF files to FLAC. My version of Foobar will not convert DSF files, only DFF files. Maybe I have a plug-in missing? At any rate, re-tagging the FLAC files is by far the fastest and least tedious of all the operations involved.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The one thing Kodi does well that Jriver does not do at all is provide on screen lyrics. That may not be a major problem for a classical/jazz listener, but for Rock and Pop, its a bigger deal. If Jriver ever gets around to providing lyrics I would certainly look into making the switch.

Understood. That is not a factor for me.

I use Foobar to convert the DFF files to FLAC. My version of Foobar will not convert DSF files, only DFF files. Maybe I have a plug-in missing? At any rate, re-tagging the FLAC files is by far the fastest and least tedious of all the operations involved.

JRiver will convert ISO, DSF or DFF to FLAC but I do not find it necessary.

 

[mandrix]

Yes, it's coming back to me now, a little. I was going to mention the mediatek chips but wasn't sure. Thanks for clearing that up.
Actually I think OPPO makes the Pioneer model with the similar name designation. Why they may have used different chips I do not remember. Seems like there was a massive post on AVSForum about this some time back.......

It's looking like any good choice going into the future, for now at least, is to find a way to buy the OPPPO 203, for 4K and universal play. I still enjoy playing physical discs ya know....anyway we'll see whether the supply weathers my broke situation.

Let me rephrase the statement that OPPPO "makes" that Pioneer model BDP-80...what I meant to say was they allegedly manufactured the main electronics for that model, not the whole unit.