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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
whart's avatar
whart
1,930 posts
 
On the audio only side, I didn’t think much changed after the BDP 95, based on reading about how the chips were deployed (you can’t really access the internal DAC itself, something you can do on later models?). I bought one used from someone who I know takes care of his equipment for very little money. It sounded pretty good using the stereo analog outputs. But the transport actually seemed like a choke point-running into an external DAC didn’t make much of an improvement. I bought a much better stand alone Redbook only transport (I know that doesn’t address your SACD) and then I heard a demonstrable difference. I put the Oppo in my small HT system in another room.
I am new to the digital side- i’ve been a vinyl only guy since the late ’60s and have a very good vinyl front end. I’m actually very impressed with how (some) digital sounds- much, like LPs, seems to be down to the source material itself.
audiovideonirvana's avatar
audiovideonirvana
18 posts
 
Is this a software based solution or an actual box that goes between the OPPO and the coax?
rdudley2
3 posts
 
MVP901
cheeg's avatar
cheeg
80 posts
 

I don’t understand Steve’s comments (@audioengr), but I’ll throw in my 2cents. I think it’s important to distinguish between using the Oppo as just a "transport" (ie, a disc player that outputs a digital stream to the coax or optical output), vs using it as a transport plus DAC (ie, taking the analog output after the Oppo’s DAC has done its work). If you like the Oppo’s analog output (ie, the output from its DAC), you have no need to worry about any additional equipment. I have no doubt that the Oppo is a good transport; the DAC is probably fairly good too, although that is probably more open to debate.

Personally, I have a Cambridge CXU that I use as a transport, because I’m not very happy with its DAC; if you don’t like the Oppo’s analog output, you might want to do something similar. In that case, you could pick up a DAC you like (the price range is all over the place, but you should be able to find something decent for around $500 on the used market; there are also many new entries from China in the $200-300 range that sound like they should do a good job, but I have no experience with them.) – then you can output your Oppo’s digital stream to your external DAC, and see how you like it; my guess is that you’ll think it sounds pretty good.

This is where I don’t understand Steve’s comment; is he saying to use the Oppo’s analog output (ie, the output from the Oppo’s DAC), but improve its timing by adding a Synchro-Mesh reclocker? If so, I think you might be disappointed; my guess is that if you don’t like the Oppo’s analog output alone, you won’t like it that much better with a $699 reclocker added (I think that's about right for a new Syncho-Mesh unit). Alternatively, you could spend an equivalent amount (or less) on an external DAC, and probably get a noticeable improvement in SQ.

On the other hand, if Steve’s comment is intended to say that you should get an external DAC plus a reclocker, I would say that’s fine, but get the DAC first, and see if you like it before buying a reclocker. My (limited) understanding is that most people would not see as much improvement from reclocking the Oppo as they would from using it as a transport with another DAC. However, if you think your system (and/or ear) is good enough to tell the difference, then you can buy the reclocker from Steve or other reputable dealers and get a 30 day trial period so you can see for yourself. Happy listening!

whart's avatar
whart
1,930 posts
 
I believe the reclocker won’t do anything if you are using the Oppo analog outputs. I think Steve, who can (and does) speak for himself here, will tell you it improves performance of the transport outputting a digital signal to an external DAC. I can tell you that, based on my experience with the BDP 95, using an external DAC without more didn’t improve things much and I suspect it was a shortcoming in the transport for Redbook, since using a more expensive Redbook only transport (no reclocker) definitely sounded different than the Oppo as a transport.
Since I’m new to digital (though pretty well versed in analog), I had several friends tell me to skip the traditional disc spinner altogether, invest in a DAC and rip CDs or download albums to a computer based software playback system. I have set up one of those and it is pretty impressive, even on a budget; it is far more complicated by wiring, boxes and set up but once I got it working and learned more about how it worked, i’m pretty pleased (there I do use a relatively inexpensive device to covert usb to coax which also reclocks). I did want a conventional transport though I suppose you could eliminate it if you are wiling to do the ripping.
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