High quality AV processor without bells and whistles?

Which oppo? Your profile suggests a 93, so guessing that's up to date. 

The 83, 93 & 95 all have a variable output level and can be connected direct to the power amps. The only caveat being that this only works for the Oppo itself, although your post suggests that is all you're after.

The 103 and 105 also have HDMI inputs so they can cope with a couple of external HDMI inputs too.

The latest firmware update on the 103/5 also allows you to back up your settings to a USB key and restore them again after a firmware update.

If you already have the oppo and the amps, go into settings, set your analogue output to variable, dial down the volume prior to doing the connections and calibration, and give it a go. It's going to cost you nothing more than a little time, and if you don't like the result you can resume your search. 

Oops, system profile was out of date. I have the Oppo 105, running straight into a NAP200 (front channels) and NAP150X rear channels.  I do use the variable output of the Oppo, but find the sound rather shut in.  Plus some CDs are too loud for night time listening even at volume "1" (i.e. on the scale from 1 to 100). Hence my mission to find a simple, but high quality, AV preamp.  The AV2 seems to tick all the boxes, just didn't know if there was another option?  

What centre speaker/amp and sub do you have?

Or are you mixing your LFE, surround low end, and centre into the front pair... Which might explain the "shut in" sound?

It might well be that the oppo's ability with major channel and bass-redirection is its' Achilles Heel. I've heard a 105 produce an outstanding sound through Naim amps with 5 full range channels and a sub. 

Personal opinion (based on 20 yrs of running AV at home in 5.1), but unless you have a centre and a sub, you'll always be limiting what can be accomplished because you're asking your processor to blend discrete channel information across various frequencies into other, already full-range, channels.

Have a look at my profile and you'll see I've clearly left the reservation in terms of my aim to prevent bass redirection or channel blending from upsetting the sound... No need to go as far as I have, but a centre and a sub are a necessity in a BluRay/DVD home theatre setup.

Hope this helps

Mike

I have a REL Quake, but no centre. The shut in sound is on CDs - and is compared to when the Oppo went via a Creek OBH22 passive preamp, and when it went via my NAC82 pre amp.  I was hoping to avoid a preamp, but I think I'll have to give up that idea.

Right... Got you...

Yes... A pre and dedicated cd player (or DAC from the Oppo Spdif when playing cds) will transform that side of the system.

Mike

Audiolab 8200AP ?

+1

Also worth considering legacy processors such as an Arcam AV8/AV9 or Tag McLaren which concentrate on sound quality rather than blingy features. There is an AV8 available for £600 from a dealer in Yorkshire which you could try, and if you don't like it sell on for not much financial loss.

Hiace,

i would recommend ringing Infidelity and speaking to Mike.

I think that the 105 should meet ALL your requirements, without buying another box.

Be VERY interested in how this works out for you, as I intend to buy a 105, when either my 83 or AV2 dies.

M

Well I do have the 105 already, running straight into NAP200 and NAP150X, and it just doesn't sound as good as when I had the Oppo going via a NAC82 or Creek OBH22. I just don't like the digital volume control.... it definitely makes it sound shut in to my ears... happy to discuss further though

Hi Hiace (OP),

Just wondered if you still have the Creek and Naim pre-amps ?

If the problem is largely confined to CD/stereo listening, and you were previously happy with the Oppo sound through those, you could consider to re-introduce one of them to the system, connected to the main power amp.

The idea then would be to listen to stereo with the Oppo's volume control disengaged, and multi-channel with it engaged.  You would need to experiment with the pre-amp volume level for multi-channel, such that the front and rear speakers are in balance.  If this turns out to be say 10 o'clock on the preamp volume dial, then you'd have to remember to reset the dial at that level every time you play multi-channel, and use the Oppo as the master volume controller.

In terms of an 8 channel pre/pro there is one by Emotiva for a few hundred dollars, but its not possible to audition as they're an on-line only operation, and I'm not at all convinced its volume control would be any improvement on the Oppo.  Probably not.  But by all means try out my suggestion above....

Best of luck,

K