After the former king among the manufacturers of High-End Blu-Ray players Oppo stopped its production, the market was, apart from a few exceptions from manufacturers like Panasonic and Sony, rather thinly populated for a long time. Many Blu-Ray fans asked themselves where the journey would go in the future. Without claiming to be an Oppo clone, the models from the Parisian company could be the answer they’ve been waiting for for so long. Behind the new Raevon brand is the Archisoft Group, which has already been known for years for the Zappiti brand media players and servers.
Reavon’s new devices stand out, especially due to their high-quality workmanship. The 1.6 mm thick base of the chassis is reinforced with a 3 mm thick steel plate. This minimizes the mechanical movement noise of the BD drive, as well as stabilizes the chassis structure. The same drive is used in both versions of the universal disc player. According to the Oppo player, it allows you to play various disc formats as well as Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, CD, SACD (UBR-X200) and music, video, and image files such as FLAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, JPG, TIFF, MKV, and M2TS.
In addition, audio and video content can also be played from an external drive via USB or DLNA. The nifty display implemented on the front shows all disc information and allows even a deeper look, and gives information about mastering information like MaxFALL (Maximum Frame Average Light Level) and MaxCLL (Maximum Content Light Level). Up to this point, both versions of the Blu-Ray player don’t seem to differ much. However, a closer look at the backs of the two players quickly reveals that the UBR-X200 has a lot more under the hood.
Immediately, the additional analog outputs of the Reavon UBR-X200 catch the eye. A closer look also reveals the higher processing of the digital jacks of the top model. Among them, for example, the Toslink connection, as well as more noble HDMI jacks. Also onboard the 2000 model is an RS-232 port, which is needed for many automation systems. Furthermore, the UBR-X200 uses better DACs of the PCM1690 series from Texas Instruments Burr-Brown Audio. Even though it’s not easy to tell without unscrewing it, except at most by the weight, the toroidal transformer used rounds off the flagship’s equipment skillfully. The shape and symmetry result in low noise and low electromagnetic interference, which means that the top model can offer lower audio distortion and thus an even cleaner sound.
Final Thoughts
Oppo’s products, now considered legendary, set the bar very high for the competition. However, Reavon’s Blu-Ray players, especially the UBR-X200, don’t need to hide behind Oppo’s legacy. Quite the contrary. Both the Reavon UBR-X100 and the Reavon UBR-X200 are really good disc players in the upper league in their respective price ranges. All those who have audiophile demands are advised to go for the UBR-X200 in order to be able to play SACDs as well. With firmware updates, there is even a lot more potential for Reavon’s Blu-Ray players to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors in the future.
