OPPO 103 Doesn't Recognize SACD Layer of D-V EW&F "Spirit" Disc

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I had a similar problem with the B W Stevenson disc on my Oppo 203. It is set to default to the 5.1 layer of the SACD but I could only get stereo sound. I checked all the settings on the player but they were set correctly and the buttons on the controller had no effect. Eventually I disconnected the player from the mains supply, let it rest for a minute, and then reconnected and everything was back to normal. I've no idea why the player decided to just play the stereo layer but at least now I can enjoy the quad mix again.
Hi @mattB2 -were you playing anything else directly prior to putting in the B W Stevenson disc?
 
No, it was first thing in the morning so I was starting up from cold. I did try another Vocalion disc after the first refusal to play the Stevenson surround layer and that played fine but returning to the Stevenson disc it was still stereo. Luckily the disconnection from the mains cleared out whatever bit of memory was causing the problem.
 
I've been ripping SACDs all week, no problems, then again today I go to rip some SACDs and my OPPO wouldn't read the SACD layer on more discs (B.W. Stevenson; O'Jays "Survival")... got it to read "The Miracles", though and that one's ripping now.... very weird
 
I've been ripping SACDs all week, no problems, then again today I go to rip some SACDs and my OPPO wouldn't read the SACD layer on more discs (B.W. Stevenson; O'Jays "Survival")... got it to read "The Miracles", though and that one's ripping now.... very weird

What does the error message say? Simply unknown disc?
 
No error message... it just shows up as a CD and plays the stereo CD layer (the OPPO is set to read the SACD multichannel layer, but it just won't recognize it)
It sounds like the Oppo is having difficulty seeing the SACD layer which is below the CD layer, only thing I can think of is to try cleaning the laser lens (SACD & CD use different frequencies of laser to see the layers) - I had a similar issue with my old Denon before it stopped recognising anything but a CD, and was unrepairable in the end as it had more faults. So I got an Oppo 203.
 
All of this newfangled electronic crap is so buggy. Stuff usually has to be unplugged altogether to get the problem to clear. (I had a printer where the unofficial “users group” solution was to leave it unplugged for 2 hours. I tried just an unplug / replug for after a minute but it didn’t work. Then I tried the 2 hour method and that did the trick. I swear there are real AI gremlins living in this stuff!!!)
 
Well, after repeatedly trying to play different SACDs at various times, allowing the OPPO to "rest" powered down for various amounts of time, trying older SACDs that play with no problem interspersed with the newer problematic discs, cleaning the discs, cleaning out the player a bit (blowing some air into it, lol), I've managed to rip several more of the latest D-V SACDs. But I still have absolutely no idea what's going on and I'm still having the "non-recognition" of the SACD layer occurring intermittently... unfortunately I'm intimidated by electronic workings, so there's no way I'm going to try opening up the OPPO and cleaning anything directly. I just hope this doesn't eventually lead to a full shut down of my SACD-playing/ripping capabilities... I've got a 203 as a back-up, but I can't rip with that one :(
 
Since I haven’t noticed anyone else mention it, Oppo factory service is still alive and well. Last August I sent my venerable DV-970HD to them after going through their online support process and describing its multiple symptoms that included SACD recognition failures. Here’s their response-

“The unit will have to come back to us for an Out of Warranty Repair Service.

Since the player is out of warranty, the out of warranty repair fee is $48.00, which covers parts, labor, and return shipping back to North American addresses.”

It’s back and working 100% again, so I consider $48 plus the cost to ship it to Oppo money well spent.

They charge a flat fee that rises as the model becomes more recent, which I know from having sent my BDP-83 to them a couple years back- I think that ‘flat fee’ was in the neighborhood of $75. I will find out soon if that’s increased because the 83 is having SACD brainfarts and ejecting the disc tray or refusing to eject the disc tray randomly, which is getting old. The Oppo FAQ on the 83 mentions tray issues that are helped, but not eliminated, by always leaving a disc in the tray when it’s turned off. They’re right, it helps, but life’s too short to waste my time playing keep-away with a blu-ray player. Brace yourself, Oppo, incoming.

So long story short, maybe go to the support site and see what Oppo would charge to make you factory-fresh.
 
Since I haven’t noticed anyone else mention it, Oppo factory service is still alive and well. Last August I sent my venerable DV-970HD to them after going through their online support process and describing its multiple symptoms that included SACD recognition failures. Here’s their response-

“The unit will have to come back to us for an Out of Warranty Repair Service.

Since the player is out of warranty, the out of warranty repair fee is $48.00, which covers parts, labor, and return shipping back to North American addresses.”

It’s back and working 100% again, so I consider $48 plus the cost to ship it to Oppo money well spent.

They charge a flat fee that rises as the model becomes more recent, which I know from having sent my BDP-83 to them a couple years back- I think that ‘flat fee’ was in the neighborhood of $75. I will find out soon if that’s increased because the 83 is having SACD brainfarts and ejecting the disc tray or refusing to eject the disc tray randomly, which is getting old. The Oppo FAQ on the 83 mentions tray issues that are helped, but not eliminated, by always leaving a disc in the tray when it’s turned off. They’re right, it helps, but life’s too short to waste my time playing keep-away with a blu-ray player. Brace yourself, Oppo, incoming.

So long story short, maybe go to the support site and see what Oppo would charge to make you factory-fresh.
That’s clearly the solution. Since you have two OPPOs I’d also suggest using the 103 solely for ripping.
 
Since I haven’t noticed anyone else mention it, Oppo factory service is still alive and well. Last August I sent my venerable DV-970HD to them after going through their online support process and describing its multiple symptoms that included SACD recognition failures. Here’s their response-

“The unit will have to come back to us for an Out of Warranty Repair Service.

Since the player is out of warranty, the out of warranty repair fee is $48.00, which covers parts, labor, and return shipping back to North American addresses.”

It’s back and working 100% again, so I consider $48 plus the cost to ship it to Oppo money well spent.

They charge a flat fee that rises as the model becomes more recent, which I know from having sent my BDP-83 to them a couple years back- I think that ‘flat fee’ was in the neighborhood of $75. I will find out soon if that’s increased because the 83 is having SACD brainfarts and ejecting the disc tray or refusing to eject the disc tray randomly, which is getting old. The Oppo FAQ on the 83 mentions tray issues that are helped, but not eliminated, by always leaving a disc in the tray when it’s turned off. They’re right, it helps, but life’s too short to waste my time playing keep-away with a blu-ray player. Brace yourself, Oppo, incoming.

So long story short, maybe go to the support site and see what Oppo would charge to make you factory-fresh.
I did the same with my old 970HD as well recently. Plays SACD-R with a firmware hack so I like to keep it working in case my BDP-80 craps out.
 
I just hope this doesn't eventually lead to a full shut down of my SACD-playing/ripping capabilities... I've got a 203 as a back-up, but I can't rip with that one :(

Some recent SONY Blu-Ray players can rip SACDs in a way similar to the OPPOs. I got one in December for $70 -
Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi (2013 Model)
 
Similar problem here. My Oppo 103 believes many of the DV SACD’s are CD only. I have hundreds of other SACD’s, the problem only shows up with DV.

Once every 10-20 tries, it works. Tried cleaning, power cycling, all the tricks mentioned above. No joy.

The DV SACD’s work fine in a Sony player. At least I have that as a fallback :)
 
Similar problem here. My Oppo 103 believes many of the DV SACD’s are CD only. I have hundreds of other SACD’s, the problem only shows up with DV.

Once every 10-20 tries, it works. Tried cleaning, power cycling, all the tricks mentioned above. No joy.

The DV SACD’s work fine in a Sony player. At least I have that as a fallback :)
I had a Denon player which wouldn't see the SACD layer of more than one Audio Fidelity Hybrid-SACD just the CD layer. If the player can't see the SACD layer it is generally one of two issues, either the SACD laser can't focus on the SACD layer, or it can't track the SACD pits, so it defaults to the laser for CD. My Denon had both issues and ended up unrepairable so I bought an Oppo 203. As you've tried cleaning the discs, have you tried cleaning the Laser assembly lens (very carefully)? There are special cleaning discs available which is probably safer than doing it manually.
 
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