Oppo BDP 105 USB connection issue

To: @support: I am using a Sonore microRendu to send Roon to my Oppo BDP 105 and notice a some high frequency distortion. Noticed that Roon does not actually recognize my specific Oppo as opposed to giving only the newer DACs by this company. On your chats, there is a comment that the BDP 105 is not Roon Ready, but then there is a later comment to suggest it is. Please clarify and indicate if this could this be causing the distortion. THANK YOU

Hi @John_bolger,

From what I can find on our internal documentation, the BDP 105 is not Roon Ready, just the 205 and 203 is at the present time. As for the distortion issue, what happens if you temporarily bypass the microRendu and connect the BDP 105 directly to the Core via USB? Do you still experience the same behavior?

What kind of core are you using? Please provide model/manufacturer. Is everything on the newest firmware? When does this distortion occur, is it at the beginning of a track, at the end, or in the middle? What does your Signal Path look like when the distortion is occuring? Can you share a screenshot?

Thanks,
Noris

I am using the Small Green Computer SonicTransformer i5 and a Sonore microRendu. My issue is that Room does not give an option to select an Oppo BDP 105 but only the 200 series as well as a generic Oppo USB (which I have selected). I have not bypassed the microRendu yet, and will try that. Regarding distortion, it occurs at any point in the track and as stated, it only leads to excessive sibilance (excessive and harsh S, F, T sounds on voices and cymbals.) I don’t now what you mean when you ask about signal path or screenshot.

I know that the BDP-105 is not Roon Ready, but thought that with the above devices, I would be able to utilize Roon. Please advise. Thank you

Hello @JOHN_Bolger,

Yes, I do recommend using the generic Oppo USB since as you mentioned the Oppo BDP 105 is not currently part of our device database. Signal path can be found by clicking the blue/purple “star” icon when there is music playing, for example:

Please post a screenshot of your signal path after starting a track and experiencing this issue. I am also curious if the issue is the same after bypassing the microRendu so do let me know that aspect as well.

Thanks,
Noris

Thank you for the detailed instructions! I had to leave town for the weekend and will get back to you by next Wednesday with this information. I am hoping that removing the Sonore microRendu will help localize this problem so that it can be resolved. Talking with Sonore, they are indicating that since I am using Roon, I may not get much effect from the microRendu as the sonicTransformer and Roon are really responsible for the signal quality. If you could explain that to me, I would appreciate it. Also, if you could clarify if using the generic Oppo code could be leading to a slight distortion in the upper frequencies, that would be appreciated too. John Bolger

Hi @John_Bolger,

I don’t believe that the generic Oppo selection could be causing the issues here, but having a screenshot of the signal path as I requested will allow us to clarify this further. Removing the microRendu will give us a great data point so please perform this step when you are back. Safe travels until then!

Thanks,
Noris

Hello Noris - I am finally home! I am having difficulty removing the microRendu as even though I have enabled local playback of the sonicTransformer through soniccorbiter, Roon is asking me to identify an Autozone and the sonicTransformer is not listed as an option. BUT in the interim, here is a screenshot of the signal path when using both the sonicTransformer and microRendu. I have asked Small Green Computer for help, but if you have any suggestions for getting the system to configure without the microRendu, that would be helpful.

Hello @JOHN_Bolger,

Thanks for sharing that screenshot, it looks as expected to me. I confirmed with the hardware team that the identification of the device should not have anything to do with the distortion you are experiencing, so I would try to bypass the microRendu as initially suggested and see if the same issue occurs.

Thanks,
Noris

Hello Noris - Removing the microRendu from the system did not reduce the high frequency distortion at all. In fact, the sound initially appears to be less musical and transparent. Any suggestions? Thanks
John Bolger

Hello @JOHN_Bolger,

I have a few follow up questions:

  • What does the signal path look like with the microRendu removed from the equation?
  • Can you post a screenshot of your Device Setup tab for the BDP 105? You can access this by going to Roon Settings -> Audio Tab -> Cogwheel icon next to BDP zone -> Device Setup. Please include two screenshots of this, one for the general settings and one for the advanced settings.
  • If you try to play back streaming tracks to the BDP do you still experience this distortion?
  • Does the distortion occur if you use other apps to stream to the BDP?
  • Would it be possible for you to record a short snippet of what the distortion sounds like from your phone and upload it to a shared Dropbox or Google Drive file?

Thanks,
Noris

WOW! Thank you for taking so much time with me. I really appreciate the effort!

First, I have not gotten into any form of streaming at this point. I am only using this system to play my stored music. Initially, I played directly from my MacBook into the Oppo using the USB DAC input (and without any of this distortion) but wanted to control the music from my listening chair. I then used an external SSD connected to the Oppo USB DAC and found the Oppo interface very lacking. This led me to my current hardware purchase and I LOVE ROON!!! I will try to send an actual audio file as you described but this will really tax my computer knowledge (I have never used Dropbox or Google Drive), so if it doesn’t come or the sound quality does not capture the distortion, you may not get that to help me out. Here, however, are the three screen shots you requested:

Hi @JOHN_Bolger,

Thanks for providing those screenshot! Yes, a sample file would be helpful in locating part of the issue, I would suggest using a mobile device to record the sound snippet and then sending it to your email. After it’s uploaded to the email, you can download it using a PC and upload it to dropbox or google drive and share it with me.

Learning these steps will not only benefit you for the purposes of this troubleshooting exercises but should also make sharing and uploading files a familiar process in case you need to do this in the future :slight_smile: .

As for the distortion not going away when removing the microRendu from the equation – can you confirm that it also occurs on other apps outside of Roon? I am wondering if your USB cable is perhaps damaged, would you have another one around the house you can replace and verify this aspect?

Thanks,
Noris

Hello Noris - some, hopefully, good news today. First, did the screenshots suggest that the interface with my Oppo DAC is all OK? Second, I had swapped my USB cable with the short one provided with the Sonore microRendu and there was no difference. Thirdly, I was able to make a recording but I think my iPhone Xr was not able to capture what I am referring to at all. This may suggest to you that my concern is rather subtle.

Most importantly, I took a trial subscription to Quobuz and compared the difference in sound between my Oppo playing the original CD, with the same track streaming Quobuz through Roon, and then playing the AIFF file on the sonicTransporter / microRendu through Roon. What I determined is that the soundstage, transparency and presence became increasingly better moving from the original CD, to Quobuz and ending with the AIFF file, BUT the degree of sibilance became more apparent in each case. I had a “blind” third party listen to each who described the CD as the most “warm but undefined” and the AIFF file the least warm but most defined. So, I am just beginning to wonder if these two constructs might be diametrically opposed to some degree. I have been reading about the Sonare products and wonder if I upgraded from the microRendu to the ultraRendu, if that might provide the soundstage and presence of the AIFF file but make it a little warmer.

If you have any comment on all this, I would appreciate it and continue to thank you for all the time you have taken on this. One thing for certain, I have no interest in trying another app as Roon is so phenomenal, that I don’t want to change that.

John

Hello @JOHN_Bolger,

Thanks for letting me know that information. Hmm, I wonder if this could just be the due to the AIFF files themselves. Generally speaking, the Signal Path will provide you all the information you need in regards to figuring out weather the end result is bit-perfect or not.

I would suspect that it is being streamed bit-perfect but the AIFF files are mastered differently than the Qobuz files leading you to believe there is a difference in SQ here.

Have you tried playback on a different app yet as a test? It would be interesting to know if you are able to hear these audible artifacts outside of Roon, as this would further prove that the AIFF files themselves contain this type of behavior.

If you would like, you can always modify the end stream by using our DSP engine to tweak the settings a bit to your liking. You would probably want to take a look at the Parametric EQ and then shift the bands until it sounds as expected, further information on Parametric EQ can be found here.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Noris

Ah! I was wondering about any sonic distinction between AIFF and FLAC. Fortunately, I purchased dbPoweramp, so I can always go back to the original CD and process it either as a FLAC or even a WAV file to see if they sound differently was loaded onto the sonicTransporter i5. Also, thank you for the suggestion regarding DSP and I will play around with that and get back to you. I discussed the question of upgrading from the microRendu to ultraRendu with Andrew of Small Green Computer (where I purchased the bundle). He thinks that I would find the ultraRendu less warm than the microRendu (which is inconsistent with what I’ve read on Sonore’s chat line) and Andrew continues to believe that my problem is either related to my DAC or just needing to get used to a “less noisy” signal which allows me to recognize more transparency in the higher frequencies which I tend to find harsh. Noris, thank you for all the time you have spent with me, and I assure you that I will not leave you hanging once I feel the issue has been resolved. John

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Noris - I’ve taken a screen shot because I have no option for DSP???

Hi @JOHN_Bolger,

The DSP options on iPhone are rather limited and this is because of the small scale factor that mobile devices have, I would instead suggest trying to access the DSP page from a PC running as a Roon Remote.

The DSP page can be found in the bottom right-hand corner after clicking on the volume:
DSP%20Button

Thanks,
Noris

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