Magnetar MKII Series Blu-ray Players - The New Oppo?

For many physical-media enthusiasts, Magnetar has become the go-to choice for reference-grade disc playback hardware — even more so since its French rival, Reavon, announced in August that it was discontinuing its own line of UHD Blu-ray players, citing a shortage of components. As yet another hardware manufacturer exits the Blu-ray business, following the lead of Oppo in 2018, Samsung in 2019, and LG at the end of last year, Magnetar is doubling down instead. At CEDIA Expo 2025, the Hong Kong-based company announced the debut of its MKII Series universal media players designed for audiophiles and cinephiles who demand uncompromising performance. The new Magnetar UDP900MKII ($3,299.99) and UDP800MKII ($1,799.99) may cost more than the Oppo players of yesteryear, but they promise to deliver “a precision-tuned upgrade to Magnetar’s existing portfolio of award-winning universal media players, engineered specifically for performance-driven installations.” And let’s face it: if you want a high-end Blu-ray player, your choices are limited. Luckily, most buyers of Magnetar’s first-generation players seem happy after the initial wallet-pummeling. “Buy once, cry once,” as the saying goes. So what’s new in the MKII Series?

Magnetar says that the new models are based on the existing UDP900 and UDP800 platforms, but with significant enhancements and engineering refinements developed in direct response to feedback from customers and dealers. All together, these upgrades “elevate Magnetar’s universal media players to new heights in audio fidelity, video performance, and system integration capabilities,” according to the company. The players still support virtually every physical and digital format, including SACD and DSD, along with locally-stored or networked media, providing what Magnetar calls “reference-level video processing and elite audio performance” for all of your content in a single, chunky chassis. Both new models feature a refresh to the proprietary Magnetar video-processing engine. The new engine reportedly optimizes color reproduction, contrast, brightness, and noise reduction, and delivers improved upscaling. Magnetar says that the players set a new bar in ultra-premium picture quality across all supported media formats. Both models also feature upgraded audio architecture, according to Magnetar, ensuring “cleaner signal delivery, reduced distortion, and more accurate reproduction of high-resolution audio.”

Connectivity has also been given a once-over for the new models, which sport redesigned USB 3.0 ports featuring isolated power supplies and dedicated hub chips to improve compatibility and stability with external devices. Under the hood, both models feature a newly-engineered, sound-dampened optical drive. Magnetar tells us that it delivers quieter, more accurate disc reads. There is also upgraded interior wiring with high-purity copper-core conductors and premium JST/Amphenol PCB connectors, which promise more reliable and higher-quality connections that resist interference. Like the original players, the MKII models feature robust aluminum chassis with dual-layer shielding to suppress EMI.

With the new MKII Series, we’ve raised the standard for universal media playback while honoring the passion of integrators and enthusiasts who continue to value physical and high-resolution media. These players bring unmatched performance, reliability, and integration flexibility to the table, reaffirming Magnetar’s role as the go-to choice for premium home theater systems.

— Rob Jones, President, Magnetar North America

Magnetar UDP900MKII

As Magnetar’s new flagship, the UDP900MKII promises reference-grade performance across all formats. Its biggest upgrade over the less costly UDP800MKII is a redesigned audio processing system featuring dual ESS 9038 PRO DAC chips paired with TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) retiming on the dedicated HDMI audio port. Magnetar says that this virtually eliminates jitter and helps to preserve sonic detail. Thanks to advanced XMOS USB audio, the UDP900MKII supports formats up to 768 PCM / 512 DSD, so whatever you have in your high-resolution music library is covered. Playing back your file-based audio isn’t always as simple as it should be, but the UDP900MKII addresses these concerns with expanded networking capabilities and refinements, as well as support for Roon Ready certification. These upgrades helped the UDP900MKII earn a coveted EISA Award — best home theater disc player for 2025-2026.

Magnetar UDP800MKII

Interestingly, the step-down UDP800MKII may be even more appealing for audiophiles, despite its less impressive audio resume. If you’re planning to use the player as a transport connected to an outboard DAC, you can save some coin by going with the UDP800MKII over its costlier sibling. The UDP800MKII will also be a popular choice for cinephiles who plan to connect the player via HDMI to an AVR or processor. Again, these customers won’t need the superior DAC section found in the UDP900MKII. Nevertheless, the UDP800MKII does feature a newly-designed 2.0 audio offering incorporating seven OPA1602 op-amps for low-noise, high-precision audio. Precision HDMI jitter correction will be a boon to customers of any description, as will the player’s enhanced EMI shielding. The upgraded, sound-dampened chassis suppresses vibration for quieter operation than the original UDP800, while improved disc mechanics enable the new optical drive to deliver superior stability and durability, according to Magnetar. Again, Roon Ready certification and other networking improvements promise a better user experience with increased functionality.

Magnetar MKII Series Conclusion

The only major consumer electronics companies still in the Blu-ray hardware business are Panasonic and Sony (unless you count Microsoft, whose top-of-the-line $600 Xbox Series X plays 4K Blu-rays, as well as disc-based games). But neither company has released a new flagship-level product in several years. Earlier this year, Sony announced its first new player since 2019, but the $300 UBP-X700/K is just a tweaked version of an older model; the new UBP-X700/K is virtually identical to the older UBP-X700, just without WiFi or streaming capabilities. Curious. (The original UBP-X700 can still be found online, sometimes for less than $200.) At the higher end of the mainstream spectrum you’ll find the Panasonic DP-UB9000, which sells for about $1,100. This has been a popular player among enthusiasts, thanks to features like great build quality, quiet operation, a good user interface, and a solid remote. But the DP-UB9000 is getting a bit long in the tooth, having first hit the market in 2018. It seems unlikely that either Panasonic or Sony will be introducing new high-end players, given that consumer demand for disc players in general is rather limited in the streaming era. And the number of potential customers willing to spend four figures for a Blu-ray player is, of course, limited even further to a relatively small but passionate niche of home theater enthusiasts. I think those of us who do appreciate physical media and high-end playback devices should celebrate these new players from Magnetar, and I certainly hope that the company can stay afloat in these uncertain times. Detailed specs for Magnetar’s MKII Series are not yet available, but we will know more about the UDP900MKII and UDP800MKII when they begin shipping via Magnetar’s authorized dealer and distributor network in Q4 of 2025, just in time for the holidays. Will Magnetar be the new Oppo of performance, high value Blu-ray players? We shall soon see.

More information: Magnetar

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.