It is interesting, initially CDP got me really worried
Start with it was very dull and muddy. As it was also made in china, I thought either got my hands into fake or reviews were marketing gimmick.
Today after extended sessions it really opened up and sounding very nice.
The other thing is scratchy discs always play without any hiccups in Oppo compared to Marantz. Not sure wthether 1GB memory
has any role to play
Infact it was little disheartening that Marantz is getting stuck on error corrections and making those noises similar to of cheap CD players.
I have to wait for 'CS4396 + HDAM' to break in before I comment on it audio performance.
Otherwise I dont think it will be fair
I feel Oppo is real good player and will definitely standout if I enhance in Analog board through Mod. On the other it is not easy to use without a TV screen or monitor.
On the other side Navigating to Songs or Folders on Marantz is quite easy
The only annoying thing though, it doesnt start playing the CD, waits for you to press 'Play'. To switch from USB to CD there is no remote key/
This is what NuForce have to put on their site as Cirrus Logic CS4382(oppo 95 and Oppo BDP 83) with their analog boards almost reached eternity. So they stopped their upgrades for ESS Sabre version as they were not able to justify sonic differences at that price level.
'The performance of BDP-93 Xtreme Edition has surpassed our highest expectation and we do not believe that we can improve BDP-95 Xtreme Edition with sufficient performance difference to justify a much higher price. Therefore BDP-95 Xtreme Edition project has been terminated'
Thanks
Venkat