Hey Art,
Do you have a SACD player? Can you play that in 3.0 from the DSD tracks on the disc?
I LOVE the front wall of my room portraying the whole orchestra! Front left and right and Center get the originally recorded tracks and in DSD it is high resolution, should sound wonderful!!!!!
I have a lot of these discs, but have not bought that one yet, kinda thought the versions I already have of Bolero were good enough for the girls I go with!!!! ha ha
I guess the movie "10" changed everyone's view of Bolero for a LONG time.
You are making me think I need to get this one too.
Happy Listening, God Bless,
Wayne

Well, another new day and another blinding flash of the obvious! I've always felt my brain has more in common with a locomotive than a jet plane: a fair amount of torque but it takes a while to get up to speed. Fine by me, I have no problems working twice as hard if I can achieve good results.

My Oppo is the only component in my chain that has a lot of setting and flexibility. While it offers a lot of capabilities, there is a large margin for error. The volume on my Oppo has been set to 100% for some time. With the analog outs, I have had to keep my pre-amp at about -30 to keep the volume between 75 and 85 dB with peaks in the low 90s. This morning, I turned the volume down on the Oppo and the volume up on my pre-amp. The results are promising.

Hello, by Adele, sounded a bit fuzzy at the top of her vocals. With the volume turned down on the Oppo, that has been cleaned up. The bass, while not as loud seems a bit more musical and punchy. There is still a little grainy texture on the crescendos, but it certainly is improved. The sound seems a bit more laid back, smooth, and less strained. I suppose that's bound to happen when the volume knob isn't pegged at 100%. I'll test this out a bit more when the postal carrier brings me some new material this morning...

It's nice to be able to squeeze out some additional sound quality out of my existing gear. While I'm still itching for a new CD player, this may breath a little new life into my setup. Thanks for bearing with my as I work my way through this. I think the train has finally left the station and reaching half speed...

Cheers,

T Cobe

I am not so sure T. Cobe,
I THINK it should not be that way. In your source you should send 100% of the signal, the information to the rest of your system.
Like that CD player you are thinking about, it will probably not have any volume control as all the signal should go to the pre amp.
And, BTW, I DOUBT that you can spend less than a $1000 or more and get a better CD player than your Oppo. But what do I know?
Just my humble opinion, but try listening again, with the output of the Oppo all the way up, don't throw any information away, it should sound better than turned down.
Just my thoughts, YMMV.
I trust your ears.
God Bless,
Wayne

WayneWilmeth wrote: I am not so sure T. Cobe, I THINK it should not be that way. In your source you should send 100% of the signal, the information to the rest of your system.

I believe that's correct, if it is a digital volume control resolution is reduced when volume is reduced.

Interesting feedback. I'll have to play with it some more. I'm confident the Oppo is good, but I'm not sure I have it at max potential. It does appear to have a digital volume control. I'll get back in the cave later and give it another go. Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen!

Cheers,

T Cobe

WayneWilmeth wrote: ...And, BTW, I DOUBT that you can spend less than a $1000 or more and get a better CD player than your Oppo. But what do I know?
.

Try an Emotiva ERC-3. Far less than a grand. CD's only (no DVD or SACD), but better than the Oppo audio quality (as you should expect it would be). The Oppo (great player in its own right) is essentially integrating video, audio and universal formats. The Emotiva is essentially a discrete component.