There is truth to this, although a good share is the difficulty for any corporation (or any of us for that matter) to know what is in our best interest.
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The Cadex is 10/10. Totally rad and period-correct setup. I see what you did there.
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It’s in the same condition, exactly as I bought it new. I just have no idea how long ago that was. Only the clipless pedals are newer. But I still have the original ones. Only the matching shoes are completely out of the glue. It is equipped with Shimano Dura Ace, the part is unbreakable. In the places where the aluminum sleeves are glued to the carbon, it looks a little strange. Maybe it’s just the clearcoat. That’s why it stands as a training bike. I do not really trust it anymore. But that’s just a feeling …
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I powered on my Oppo UDP-205 tonight. Guess what? I was notified of a firmware update! Let’s think about that for a quick second. This is a product that was produced by a company that is still in existence. This same company has ensured its customers whom purchased their players that their products will continue to be supported. I will be honest, this evening’s firmware update came unexpectedly. I would consider it above and beyond a mere commitment to repair a malfunctioning or broken player. They have obviously continued to devote human resources to further improve the functioning of a player they no longer sell, and therefore receive no stream of income. Conversely, it has actually cost them money to release the firmware this evening.
Many companies have discontinued products for good reason. Products evolve, lose relevancy, etc. PS Audio has discontinued several products and some product lines. Remember, Oppo is ONE company. Their decision to shut down the audio division which includes all of their optical disc players is still simply a product discontinuation - as unhappy as that may make us. Oppo still exists, just like PS Audio still exists after discontinuing many products. It is also not Oppo’s fault that PS Audio is reliant on their drives. That is the risk a company accepts when deciding to rely on a third party for critical components. I believe @Paul recently posted that the reason the DS Jr. - in its current iteration - is being discontinued is due to the fact that critical components for that design have been discontinued by a certain manufacturer(s)? I see a lack of parity in criticism directed toward that company that has left many DS Jr. owners concerned about their recent purchases of a far more expensive piece of hardware than any Oppo player ever sold.
Of all of the company’s that have discontinued one or more products, what percentage of them are continuing to lose money by further developing the firmware to improve their customers’ experiences? Legacy product support by a company that continues to make newer versions of an existing product line is not the same. There is value in a company that continually supports legacy products from a existing product category. It can instill confidence in their current and future customers - encouraging new and continual sales. Oppo no longer makes disc players (or any audio gear), yet they are continuing to develop their legacy products with firmware updates.
@Paul, I am sorry that Oppo did not accept your offer, or anyone else’s at that matter. I am certain if they did, you would have been able to do good things with access to that hardware and technology. But they didn’t, and it was Oppo’s decision to make and none of us have access to sufficient information to rightfully judge whether or not that decision was in the best interest of their customers or not.
But as I sit watching my new firmware download and install, I can’t help but appreciate Oppo’s efforts and dedication to their customers who purchased their players. They have thus far lived up to their promise to continue to support their customers. I find no reason whatsoever to besmirch Oppo for not selling intellectual property to PS Audio. Sure, one may not understand their reasoning and therefore accuse them of customer disloyalty, but that argument has no foundation.
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Hi daeone, I’m from Israel.
here Lawrence are also not very familiar.
I love their speakers, had the cello before and upgrade to the Double Bass some time ago.
They have a new line of birds speakers looks very impressive.
@StereJo What a stunning loft space! Nice to see espresso represented by Jura on the kitchen counter 
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One of my vices. I drink too much of it 
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Oppo Digital was more than just one product—Blu-ray players. They were a whole division supporting half a dozen Audio-Video products.
“Vices” infers a negative connotation. Coffee is a virtue. Too much? No such thing. 
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Ha, I didn’t notice the Jura! I have the Micro Ena 9. They make an amazing espresso!
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ATC
You can still service 30 year old equipment.
ATC SCM16A Monitors - Discontinued.
And to clarify, you added “[supporting]” to my quoted statement. That was not my point.
Burmester also. Sure, they have discontinued several product. But they care always of every product they have made.
I bought my two Burmesters (877 & 911) 27 years ago. None of the devices had ever shown a mistake. Currently they are in Berlin, where they are completely overhauled and brought up to date.
I like it when devices are produced and maintained sustainably. Maybe these two parts will survive me.
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Certainly! Many companies discontinue products - for very good and legitimate reasons - yet continue to support those products and the customers who purchased them. Oppo thus far is no exception.
Oppo disc players were made by Oppo Digital, part of BBK Electronics. BBK is the second largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, larger than Apple, with its Oppo and OnePlus brands. Oppo Digital was a small, non-core business run independently from the USA, whereas the main business was run from China.
I think the last product they launched was the Sonica DAC, into a very crowded niche market, and they probably realised the product line was going nowhere.
The BluRay market is declining quickly, thanks to Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Hulu, but has not yet collapsed like CD sales. The main problem is that the price of players has fallen dramatically, so that manufacturers’ profit margins have disappeared. It therefore makes complete sense for BBK to shut down the whole business. There is no point making machines if there is no profit in it.
There is always a risk using third party hardware. Cambridge Audio also lost out from using Oppo hardware. The worst example in recent years was Leica, who used a Kodak developed CCD sensor in their main consumer model, the M9, Kodak went bust and Leica then found out that the sensor was faulty. They were charging customers $2,000 to fix a $5,000 camera for something that should not have happened. They eventually decided to do the replacements for free, before the brand was completely trashed. As they support every product they have ever made going back to 1914, they had to develop a replacement sensor, which took over 2 years.
So I don’t see it as Oppo’s problem. It’s PS Audio and Cambridge Audio’s problem for relying on third party hardware of what is increasingly redundant technology.
In the camera industry you have similar issues as many companies rely on supply of the same sensor from a very small number of manufacturers, and if there are production issues, like an earthquake in Japan, they can’y supply cameras. This hits companies like Sony and Panasonic from time to time.
So I am totally unsurprised that Oppo Digital had no interest in speaking to any of their wholesale customers about anything beyond existing supply agreements.
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You are completely right. both Beta and RS 1b can beat Paul’s IRS V lol Especially with my home-built bass towers lol.
The betas are getting completely new built space and they are being renovated. As you can see, there are a few more tweets on lol. Now that the beta is used for TV there is no servo on so another filter lol is used.
12 pcs. Dynaudio 12 inch units
https://www.facebook.com/michael.benneke/media_set?set=a.10209852729341296&type=3
I listen to many speakers and when I hear the prices of the new speakers. Then I’m shocked. Even millions don’t beat our systems hehe…so keep for your sake the Beta
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Gorgeous. This is really a work of beauty and thank you for sharing with us.
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