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OPPO or Something Else?

I am very ignorant in the latest and greatest in digital audio. My current setup is all analog with the exception of a CD player. Before OPPO announced their cease of production I read a lot of reviews and opinions from what a wonderful product it is. My main interest is in the quality of audio it can produce and not so much with the video capabilities. However, it is probably more capable than my current Blu Ray player (3D is not a concern).
Getting back to audio quality my sources are CD's and SACD's. I know that DAC's are all the rage with digital media. While researching the history of the various OPPO models that came out over the years, and paying close attention to user experiences with audio performance, it seems that with each model the audio quality improved with each release of a new model. Such as.....the 95 over the 93, the 105 over the 103, and the 205 over the 203.
Since the close of OPPO production it makes sense that the price of existing units in good condition would bring a premium price in the used market to those determined to purchase one. There are also many opinions that some of the upgrades to those units elevate them to a supreme product (those upgrades/modifications appear to cost almost as much as the units themselves).
Given that info on what my listening media is, would purchasing a used OPPO whether modded or not offer very good audio performance versus buying a different piece of equipment in the $1k to $1.5 range? I know that there are many OPPO users out there that are satisfied with their purchases. But I am mostly interested in opinions that have strolled down the OPPO path and have been disappointed with the audio performance.

jrpnde

Showing 3 responses by mahler123

mahler123
633 posts
 
There are other Universal Players out there that might be worth investigating, especially as transports.  Sony makes one for around $400.  Video performance is supposed to play well but audio (per reviews, I haven’t heard it myself)  supposedly lacking compared with Oppo, but at that price one wouldn’t expect much of a DAC.
It plays all formats, and outs DSD from SACD over HDMI.  Combined with a right DAC it might sound very good, and there are a lot of DAC choices for the OP to try.
Cambridge Audio also makes a player based on the Oppo platform. I wonder if it will continue to be available.  Ditto for the Marantz and Pioneer Universal disc spinners.
mahler123
633 posts
 
I have used a 105 for several years, purely in a 2 channel stem for music only.  My experience is the polar opposite of @whart .
i used the Oppo as my DAC for other digital sources as well (Bluesound and a MacAir).  After a time I bought the first Generation Mytek Manhatten, which actually uses the same DAC chip as the Oppo, and there is no comparison.  The Mytek is leaps and bounds above the 105, as was a second DAC that I added, the Bryston DAC 3.  
  From a value standpoint, this makes sense.  Both DACs cost several times the Oppo price, and the Oppo isn’t just a DAC.  
  When Oppo announced their termination of players I immediately bought a 203 and replaced the 105 in the 2 channel system and moved the 105 into my HT system.  I eliminated a separate Blue Ray and SACD players from the HT system and am using the 105 as a DAC for the Bluesound Node and Apple TV, and that system is sounding much better, plus I can play my usb drive music collection in that system.
  My biggest regret about Oppo will be the unrealized potential of it’s Networking function.  I am ripping CDs to a NAS, not because I prefer to listen that way but because I may need to move and downsize in a few years and I want to have my CDs backed up and ready to go if that is required.  The Oppo can control the NAS, and using the 203 as a media player it sounds fantastic into either DAC.  The problem is the lack of a useable App to control things and access the music—the Oppo remote is clumsy and a non starter here.  If Oppo had hung in there this where they probably would have focused their attention here.  Perhaps a third party developer will develop a useable app, in the same way that developers have kept Squeezebox going long after Logitech abandoned it
mahler123
633 posts
 
@whart 
  I think you nailed the point of our differences.  My intro to Oppo was the 105, which has several digital inputs and therefore be used as a DAC with other digital sources (which is how I used it for a while, in addition to SACD and Red Book CD.  I never investigated the 95, which apparently per your question, does not have the same inputs.  For me, the 105 was upgrade over my previous DAC, but it clearly can be bested as a DAC.  It is an excellent transport 
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