Help a REAL newbie. Please

Please see the Audioquest link below for computer audio setup. This should get you started on computer audio.

http://www.audioquest.com/computer-audio/

Please see the LaCie 3T drive. It connects to your Mac when playing your cd's (always connected). It uses a Thunderbolt cable from the hard drive to your Mac. Does your computer support Thunderbolt? You use a USB cable from the Mac to the Oppo 105. It will work perfectly. I suggest you rip your cd's using the AIFF uncompressed format.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/HB313ZM/A/lacie-3tb-d2-usb-30-thunderbolt-series-hard-drive?fnode=5f

The DAC in the Oppo 105 should be fine.

The web site below provides information for using your MAC (or PC) computer for use as a music server. It is easy to understand and provides all the setup info you need to made your MAC, or PC, to output the audio signal to your DAC.

http://www.ayre.com/usb-dac.htm

See below for another great site for Mac computer setup.

http://www.usbdacs.com/Macintosh/Macintosh.html

There is another link for using Windows.

Smrex13: I agree with Lewinskih01 above that you should give computer audio a try. Of course, it is changing but so is everything else. The vehicle you buy today will change with next years model.

Computer audio is easy to setup and the many references listed above explain everything you need to setup your system. If you have questions, you can post them on Audiogon for assistance. Managing your CD's on the computer makes the listening process much easier since you just click on the music you want to listen to. in addition, it offers you the option to stream music from many sites, if you are interested.

Since you already have the MAC Book Air and the Oppo 105, you are ready to go "now". You just need to buy a USB cable going from the MAC to the Oppo 105 (or Hegel H80 integrated with DAC, try both units). You already own the perfect combination of hardware to start with (plus the USB Cable).

I started computer audio with my MAC Book Pro and also the Oppo 105. I was so impressed with computer audio, that I recently upgraded my Oppo 105 DAC to the Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC. If you have any more questions, please ask.

What do you think?

I had the same questions and problems when I hooked up my Mac to the Oppo 105 for the first time. As you requested:

1) I agree that a higher quality USB cable will great improve the sound when connecting the MAC to the Oppo or Hegel. I am using the Synergistic Research Active SE USB Cable but you should be able to find something less expensive.

2) When you plug the USB cable into the Oppo 105, you need to tell the Oppo to use the USB as the input. There is an input button on the remote and you need to scroll through the list until you find USB. You should be able to see your input selections on the front panel of the Oppo. I believe that once you elect USB as the input, the Oppo will remember it the next time you turn the Oppo on. If you are switching back and forth between the MAC and the Oppo, you have to change the input to the correct source (CD, Video, etc). Since I played everything using my MAC, the Oppo kept the USB as the source input and I did not have to change it every time.

3) Yes, you need to use an external monitor when using the Mac Mini to see what you are doing. If you decide to use the MAC Mini, I suggest you purchase a small 12" monitor. I was considering the MAC Mini but since it requires an external monitor, I decided to purchase the 13" MAC Book Pro.

4) If you decide to use your MAC Book Air, I suggest you purchase an external hard drive to store your music on. As I noted above, I am using the LaCie 3TB d2 USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Series Hard Drive. It uses the Thunderbolt connect so it does NOT interfere with the USB cable going to the DAC (Oppo or Hegel).

5) You can always call Oppo Customer Service if you need help with the Oppo. Their customer service is terrific. I have called them several times and they get an A+.

Okay?

Please see the "Unofficial OPPO BDP-103 Frequently Asked Questions" link below. This information is not approved or sponsored by OPPO Digital or AVSForum or anyone else but it contains useful info when using the Oppo 105.

http://watershade.net/wmcclain/BDP-103-faq.html

Audirvana supports DSD and so does the Oppo 105. You probably need to change some settings so I suggest you see if you can get it to work. Please let us know how it sounds.

Scott: Assuming you are ONLY using the Oppo 105 as a DAC and your MAC Book Air is the source for all music, I do not believe you need a monitor for the Oppo 105. When my MAC Book Pro was connected to the Oppo 105, used as a DAC ONLY, I did not use a monitor for my Oppo 105. As I stated above, once you set the Oppo 105 input to USB, you are ready to start playing music from your MAC Book Pro. As someone stated above, there might be some audio setting needed for fine tuning, but, most likely, these settings are not required for your application. When I used the DAC only in my Oppo 105, I used the standard Oppo settings and made no changes. Once the MAC is connected to the Oppo 105 via the USB cable, all audio controls are done on the MAC using iTunes and the volume control on your amplifier.

If you want to review the settings in the Oppo 105, you can temporarily connect it to your TV (or any monitor) and make the required changes and return the Oppo 105 to your audio system.

If you plan on using the Oppo 105 for video or for playing CD's from the Oppo (and not the MAC Book Air), an external monitor is definitely required. You need to verify this but I believe Oppo Digital changed the operation on the Oppo 105 so that an external monitor is not required for playing CD's.