SRP: $399
Specs:
Output = Analog Audio: 7.1, 5.1 or stereo
Digital Audio: Coax, Optical
HDMI Audio: Stereo & up to 5.1 hi-res PCM
Analog Video: Composite, S-Video, Component Video
Digital Video: HDMI with HDCP, NTSC or PAL up to 1080p
Audio Characteristics = Frequency: 20Hz – 20kHz (+-1dB)
S/N Ratio: >100dB
THD: <0.01%
General Specs = Power Supply: 100V-240V, 50/60Hz AC
Power Consumption: 20W
Dimensions: 16 7/8” x 10 1/2” x 2 1/8”
Weight: 6.1 lbs.
Operating Temperature = 41 to 95 degrees F
Operating Humidity = 15% – 75%, no condensation
Latest Firmware Update = 05.00.01.07
Intro
Oppo Digital has already shaken up the optical disc player industry thoroughly in a similar fashion to the way Naxos International has shaken up the classical recording industry. Both have been offering the highest quality products for the disc collector while maintaining prices that are often a fraction of what everyone else is charging for their products. Oppo has stepped up a bit price wise from their other two disc players with the new DV-983H, and they have retired their original DV-970 player.
Comparisons with Other Oppos
A comparison of the 983H to the other two Oppo players is probably the best starting point for this review. All three players support multichannel SACD and DVD-A as well as DVD-Video, and all have some sort of hi-def video upconversion. The 980H uses an MPEG decoder chip on the video and is excellent on the audio outputs – better than was the 970, but its PAL/NTSC conversion is not quite as good as with the other two. The 980H is suggested for use with smaller screens and with DLP rear-projection sets, because it is free of “Macroblocking” artifacts which might be a problem with the 981H. The 980H is also recommended if you use an external video processor with HDMI as it supports 480i/576i native resolution for NTSC or PAL over HDMI. If you must use the component output instead of HDMI the 980H is also recommended. It is also the only one of the decks which can output DSD from SACDs over HDMI – providing your AV receiver or preamp has HDMI 1.2a or better and DSD decoding ability. The 981H has better video processing by Genesis & Faroudja, but it lacks a component output and is limited to 5.1 output – no 7.1. It also does not support USB as do the other decks, and it plays back photo slide shows in standard res instead of hi-res. The new 983H is now the flagship model of the Oppo line and intended for serious HT users.
New Features of 983H
Its video processing technology is more advanced than the other two players, using these chipsets: “VRS by Anchor Bay,” “DCDi by Faroudja,” and “Mediatek System-on-Chip.” The Anchor Bay technologies cover more areas of video processing and enhancement, and the improvements of all three areas of processing are especially visible on larger rear-projector or front-projected screens. The Anchor Bay video processing is not provided if you use the component output on the 983H – only via the HDMI.
The front of the 983H case is very similar to the 980H except the USB port has been moved to the rear of the player. You can still plug your thumb drive with audio files or slide shows into it. It’s also the best way to carry out a firmware upgrade. In its place is a play/pause button and a stop button – lack of those on the 980H was sometimes an inconvenience. The deck is about a pound heavier than the 980H, probably due to the case being made of heavier material. The remotes are identical.
The setup and menu features have a few options that were not present on the 980H. The Sharpness control has more options, and there is a setting to give varying amounts of grey coloring to the vertical bars on the sides of the screen when you are displaying a 4:3 image on a 16:9 screen. This could be a very useful screen-protection feature for those with plasma or CRT displays, but even with DLP and LCD it makes the presentation of a 4:3 image more enjoyable to the eyes than with either all black or all white bars on the sides.
Video Processing Evaluation
I plugged the 980H into the HDMI 1 input on my Samsung 56-inch DLP display and the 983H into the HDMI 2 input so I could switch back and forth while playing the same DVD test discs. I had the original Digital Video Essentials and I also had the HD DVD version of the DVE, on which one side is a standard DVD the same as the original. First I made certain the video settings were the same on both players. Then I synced up the two test DVDs and switched back and forth between the players. (At first I could get only one of the inputs to display; after much hassle I tried a different HDMI cable and sure enough, my most expensive HDMI cable had already failed. Grrr…HDMI is still fraught with problems!) All the cables you should need are provided with the 983H, and this time their own HDMI cable worked fine (The one with their very first Oppo player did not).
Audio Evaluation
Several enhancements to the audio circuitry have been made in the 983H. Its D-A converters feature 192kHz sampling rates and 24-bit resolution. The driving stage uses carefully-selected op-amps and caps, and each section of the audio circuitry has its own isolated power regulator. The main power supply is electromagnetically shielded. The goal is to reduce requntization distortion to accurately reproduce the analog waveform. And don’t forget the automatic HDCD decoding – not provided on many players or receivers anymore and clearly a boon for those with many Reference Recordings and many other HDCD discs in their collections.
I broke in the 983H with the K2 HD sampler for several days running, then compared the player with the 980H on both standard CDs and SACDs, using two separate inputs on my Sunfire AV preamp. I removed the external Bybee filters I had on the 980H, as well as the special feet and weights on top of it, since they were not present on the 983H.
On standard CDs I found very little difference between the audio output of the two players. I went thru my several CDs and SACDs that I have duplicate copies of, and even on a very revealing solo piano album on the M-A label I just couldn’t discern a difference. Picking a couple tracks on the K2 HD sample, I found that the opening Rachmaninoff orchestral excerpt had more impact, extension and depth on the 983H, and a guitar solo by one of the Romero family members had a bit more presence and transparency.
When I switched to SACD and listened very carefully, I was able to pick out some extremely subtle enhancements via the 983H. On the Opus 3 Test SACD – the Try a Little Tenderness jazz track – the overtones of the piano were somewhat more prominent via the 983H, sounding more like a real piano. Next I tried a NorthWest Classic stereo-only SACD of harp concertos by Ginastera and Montsalvatge. It also contains three Soler sonatas transcribed for concert harp solo and I compared one of these. The 983H provided subtly more presence and a richer sonority of the harp. I would say perhaps a 10% improvement in the audio. Via the 980H it doesn’t sound like anything is missing, but the 983H has more extension in the higher frequencies and greater transparency. The sounds of the harpist striking the body of the harp for percussive accompaniment sound on the 983H more like actual striking the frame of the instrument rather than just nondescript extraneous sounds.
In general, the audio enhancement factor was not as striking and noticeable as the video. I found, for example, a much greater and easily-heard enhancement from running either player thru the Benchmark DAC1 D-A processor which I am reviewing next. But the video improvement is as major as I have seen with some external video scaling devices. The owner’s manual is clear and well-written and Oppo’s friendly and speedy customer service and support is the best I’ve run into anywhere.
Closing
Considering the difference in price – although still rock-bottom compared to the direction most of the audiophile market is taking – if you have a smaller, say below 42-inch, screen and the $230 difference is important to you, you might be just as pleased with the 981H as with the 983H. But for the best possible image display on a larger screen without a separate scaler, the 983H is a terrific performer.
