New Lexicon Blu-ray Player just a repackaged Oppo BDP-83 - Only $3000 More

LOL!
Thanks for that, but surely there is also a Marantz version?

 

Wow, that is a helluva review. Excellent job on the part of Audioholics. I bet the guys at Lexicon and THX are screamin' about this!

I have no beef at all with Oppo. If they want to OEM stuff to other makers, more power to them. The fault is with Lexicon and THX for trying to pull the wool over their customers' eyes. Idiots.

When I worked for Video Review years ago, I did a story about Goldstar when they showed a laserdisc player that was actually a Pioneer inside a Goldstar cabinet. It never came out (at least in the U.S.), but their rep at the booth was very angry when we asked about it. They were even more angry when we mentioned it in print.

 

The main reason they're idiots is charging such a premium. If they only marked it up a couple hundred bucks I don't think anyone would have cared. Marking it up $3000 just comfirms everything that we all hate about this industry.

 

Exactly. This isn't good for Oppo either.

I figured Lexicon would have at least upgraded the transport and power supply.

 

Wonder what percentage of calls to the OPPO offices these days are from lawyers offering services?

 

We need more reviews like Audioholics'. I am really tired at all these audio magazines (including online) ending ALL reviews with "clean highs, tight bass, exceptional soundstage, well worth the money, highly recommended, blah, blah, blah...", even when speaking of $800 power cords...

 

Don't forget, "The Lexicon BD-30 is the best Blu-Ray player I've had the pleasure to use, bar none," which is followed by:

Every component is always the best they've ever used.

 

It's not really an issue.

The parent company of OPPO is BBK. BBK supplies parts and design for many companies including OPPO and Cambridge Audio. Player designs are largely influenced by the chipset decoder, i.e. Mediatek. Mediatek gives companies a layout to use when it comes to drive, power supply, board layout etc. OPPO had the player built (in China) to these specs. Lexicon obviously wanted a player built "the exact same way". Lexicon still has reprogram some of the EEPROM to include their flash logo, etc.

There is no doubt that's a BDP-83 in a Lexicon shell, but this is a different situation vs. if someone took the Denon $4K universal player (supposedly built and designed in-house) and slapped a label on the front.

 

Reminds me of when I purchased a 98 Accord coupe after comparing the specs to a comparable Acura....same bloody thing but $12K less....different badge and look, that's it. Buyer beware is all I can say, this company deserves to go down for a stunt like this, what else do they manufacture? I'd pop the lid on all of their products if I could and compare them to others, it might be how these guys operate. This is exactly what I was afraid of when I started looking into 'upgrading' my system, these little niche mfgs who simply cop someone elses lower priced gear and slap a major "prestige premium" on the product. Research research and more research.

 

Can you guys enlighten me as to the posts that were deleted?

Really, this kind of thing is nothing new. Years ago, the Theta Data transport was exposed to be nothing more than a rebadged Philips laserdisc player. Similarly, a multibuck Goldmund DVD player was exposed to be a rebadged, cheap Yamaha player.

EDIT: I see that the Theta and Goldmund players have been linked to above.

 

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Lexicon has pulled this stunt before. Their RT-20 Universal disc player was simply a Marantz DV9500, of course it was several thousand dollars more at msrp. They were called out for it in a similar fashion, but the "high end" crowd drowned people out because Lexicon was one of the hifi trifecta that could do no wrong. (Mark Levinson, Krell & Lexicon)

 

I think what Lexicon did still sucks.

 

So there aren't other that can do no wrong? Really?

 

Well, I wasn't justifying it. Designing a Blu-ray disc player is complex and costly. You have to give Lexicon some credit for at least starting with the 'reference standard' for this product.

As mentioned previously, Lexicon and other boutique brands have been doing this for years. Heck, many of the Denon DVD players from 8-9 years ago where exact clones of Panasonics!

Lexicon should have done a bit better job 'hiding' their source, and no one would have given it this much attention. If anything, we should accuse them of being too lazy to make a few modifications, that's all.

 

I'm glad Lexicon has been exposed. I will steer clear of their gear. (Damn. I'm a poet, and I didn't realize it.)

 

I really need to try an oppo player.

Atleast I know the inside of my DVD-A10 is built well.

 

Their previous disc players were just re-badged Marantz's and Pioneers, this is nothing new. I have owned a Lexicon processor, and found it remarkable for its capabilities. That is one area where they really shine. Of course now, their SSPs are very expensive comparatively and are nowhere near the cutting edge any longer (like they were 15 years ago), so they don't really offer any products that I would recommend, even without the OPPO mess.

Beware, you might be accused of joining a 'cult' around here

 

Basically people started to comment that the "good" review was faulty, and shaming Lexicon. The site owner then defended Lexicon, and claimed that the Audiohlics comparison was wrong and that the lexicon was not a direct copy. He accused them of being ( out to get lexicon) , and went further to call out the posters that were commneting, as being shills. The owner than went futher by deleting all the posts once it was apparent he was losing. I'll never trust that site again.

 

That could very well be true.

It is a good cult though.

 

Wow- thanks for that.

I get your points, but it still seems like there ought to be some legal recourse for OPPO in a situation like this. But I'm no lawyer.

 

That is just unbelievable.

This does make for good reading, I never heard any of this before. I had no idea this was done.

I knew manu's would use other products and rebadge, but I never heard of this.

 

i've been to the Oppo facility in Redwood City, and they do all their own design work in house...they were working in prototype builds of the BD-83 when I was there (October 2008).

 

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Lexicon/THX offices tomorrow.

However, this is no surprise at all. Most of these 'high-end' firms just dont have the resources and budgets to make all this stuff. They all buy it in and re-badge. From CD, DVD players to cables and DACs.

It's all made in Taiwan/China by half a dozen companies.

Lexicon have just got caught adding $2300 too much. Had that sold it for $750 they would have gotten away with it....maybe.

Thats why I get annoyed with these audio firms trying to add the hifi tax to standard computer components that I know they didnt have any involvement making/designing and should only cost a tenth of the price.

A wake up call thats been a long time coming.

 

"So, I hear Oppo has this new BPD-83SE. Think we could sell it for $4500?"

 

You outta see what they're working on over there now