I want to dump my Oppo; but...

Ayre QX-5 Twenty??

NAS ...

Thank you both for your help. I should have mentioned that I'm not all that swift when it comes to digital. The QX-5 Twenty has a tiny scree and I don't see any HDMI or video out. So how would I see and navigate from my listening chair?

And the only thing I know about NAS is that it's a storage system.

Ahhh, so the real problem here is that you need a music server that attaches to your TV.

OK, so let’s separate the server from the DAC.

Any PC or Mac will work.

Then use a USB cable to connect to a USB capable DAC.

Use a wireless keyboard specially designed for HT use, have trackpad built in. Logitech makes a number of these.

My family uses our Modwright 105 for movies and other silver disks also to stream music and video.
I use it as a stand alone DAC for a music server/streamer. One button on the remote to select use. Simple.

Essentially you are asking how to play digital files containedon Usb drives without the Oppo.  Your Ayre becomes irrelevant here because it lacks digital inputs.  I would keep the Oppo and the monitor and continue to use it-them for the usb drives and any other format that the Ayre doesn’t play (Blu Ray, SACD, whatever).  If you don’t like the sound of the Oppo add an external DAC, and pick one that will enhance the sound of the Ayre

The Ayre C-5xe is a player only.
The Oppo BDP-105 has an integrated DAC.
It may be possible to use the Oppo DAC with an adapter.
You may want to keep the Oppo unless you want to use a different DAC.
A network streamer could be used in place of PC.
Since you have your files on USB drives you may be ready to go to 
External storage and the next step would be a Local Server / NAS.
Greg

I own both of these players and I can tell you the Ayre is much better at Redbook, SACD and DVD Audio than the Oppo. The Oppo is a great multi channel as well as BluRay video. I have and suggest you keep both. Each offers features the other doesn’t, unless you don’t need the multi channel or video performance of the Oppo. As far as the USB playback, I am sure you can find other options for that task.

I tried burning some of my USB files on a DVD with some success this evening; but that alone wouldn't solve the problem, since much of the best music is FLAC or DSD; which I think the Ayre won't handle anyway. It seems the best idea is going to be to keep the Oppo, at least until I can figure a way to handle the job for less money than I can sell the Oppo for. It's actually an EVS modded 105D that sounds pretty good. I also have a number of HDCDs that the Ayre won't decode(although redbook on the Ayre may sound better than HDCD on the Oppo. Can't wait to find out.) Gotta respect the Oppo for all it does!

Thanks to all for your contributions. I'll post my findings once I've put some hours on the new player. @theo, thanks for confirming that the C-5xeMP is worth the effort and expense!

Well, I use a Bryston BDP-2 as my USB- Flash Drive / Hard drive player. Super easy to set up and it sits in my audio rack.

ozzy

That looks like a wonderful piece of equipment. When your listening are you using a laptop to navigate or do you program a playlist and sit down and enjoy?

I do not post much here, but here are a couple of observations regarding your situation with digital music. I have the same needs in terms of two channel audio.

I am 100% digital, have been for a long time although I still own a turntable I bought in 1981 (JVC QL-Y5F).

By reading between the lines I gather that you are using either USB Flash Drives or external hard drives to play digital files through an Oppo 105. So was I a few years ago.  I also gather that you are playing CD and SACD through the Oppo and are buying the Ayre for this reason.

I do not doubt for a moment that the Arye is much better for the CD’s and SACD’s.   The Oppo is a great player for Blu-ray music discs.

Here in a nut shell are my main 2 channel system source units:

Cambridge Audio 851N

Cambridge Audio CXC

Cambridge Audio 752BD

This is not an advertisement for CA, it is just the way things have developed over the last 5 years. I have a my Oppo 105 now in a different system for audio & video. I would use the Oppo in this 2 ch system in place of the 752BD, but my amplifier only has one XLR input (Hegel H300). I am only using the 752BD in the 2 ch system for my small collection of SACD’s. I run a pair of Audioquest Niagara RCA to the Hegel from the 752BD. At some point I would like to have a better player for SACD, but don’t have enough to justify it.

To play CD’s (I have many SHM CD’s, plus MFSL gold) I run an AQ Coffee RCA to the 851N from the CA CXC. I run an XLR pair of AQ Fire to the Hegel from the 851N. (I run a pair of AQ Redwood to PSB Synchrony One). The CD’s sound amazing. FWIW, I still have a working Sony X555ES I bought in 1993).

But the real deal is the HD tracks played with a flash drive on the 851N through an AQ Jitterbug. And the cream on the cake is the discovery of the difference it made when I switched to a SOLID STATE flash drive. All the noise/jitter/whatever is GONE. I use a 128 and 256 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SS flash drive.

Two final thoughts. I am convinced that the KEY in this system is the up-sampling digital player. The 851N up-samples to 384Khz. That and the silver cables.

Cheers. Enjoy the music.

Thanks, Phil. Your system must sound superb. Do you still use the JVC from time to time? Something like the 851N may be in my future and I agree with you on the SS storage, having been involved in PACS implementations in Radiology departments where the archival and almost immediate retrieval of huge imaging data files is critical.

I neglected to point out that my only reason for getting the Oppo out of my system is to sell it to appease She Who Must Be Obeyed. So if I can't find a cheap way of doing the digital file part, well some one is going to be disappointed; but it won't be me. Unless you count the pain and suffering that will be inflicted upon me when I'm not listening to music. She'll get over it.......I hope :^) 

2Channel8, Thanks for your comments. To be honest, I just keep the Turntable as a gorgeous piece of my music history, play a record once in a while. I also still have my Nakamichi CR-7A.  In 1968 I had a Dual 1019 along with a Sony 250 RR, which came in handy as I was able to borrow the new records from others in my fraternity and make tapes for parties. Now here I am fifty years later still playing the same music but have lived long enough to hear it in stunning high resolution digital sound (The White Album and Beggars Banquet for example released in HD this year).  But I sold most of my collection of Japanese and MFSL vinyl a few years ago, still have maybe 100 records.  Fortunately, I don't have your other half problem (married 35 years in 2019). In fact, I poached the older CA 752BD from the AV system my wife uses in our LR. I replaced it with a Sony UBP-X800.  We don't have 4K TV, but my wife is very happy now that she can do Amazon Prime video so easily.  One other thing I might mention is that my wife is also happy that I can quickly change the music on one of the SS flash drives she plays in her X3 . This 2016 model will play up to 192Khz WAV and FLAC from the flash drive, and the SS ones sound amazing in the car as well.  FWIW, one can buy refurbished (but like new) CA products directly from them on eBay, and they are very good about taking care of any problems. Happy New Year, Good luck on the music.

I would actually sell the C-5xeMP and look for a used DX-5 DSD. It can play music off hard drives and serve as a USB DAC for a computer in addition to handling your physical media - CD, SACD, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.

EDIT - I should add that it seems for the thumb drive / hard drive functionality to work, it needs to be formatted using the FAT or FAT32 file system, a possible monkey wrench to this scenario.

Good idea, @yage . I'll keep my eyes open.

2channel8.
I am not sure you were directing your question to me but, I usually program a group of songs from my laptop to fit the mood and the time allotted.

ozzy

OP
  I would sell the Ayre and get a Bryston DAC3.  The Oppo can be a transport for it, and can be used as a streamer.  The Oppo can output DSD from SACD, play Usb, and the Bryston is a killer DAC .  This is my setup, and I don’t know what the Ayre will sell for, but if you bought it new and can get 90% of the price back maybe I He wife will approve?

@ozzy , Yes it was directed to you and I think I get the picture now.

@mahler123, I took a quick look at the Bryston DAC and it is very impressive!

Last night I faced the music with my wife and took my 40 lashes. It was painful, but we'll both heal.

Well I've had the C-5xeMP running for a couple of days now. Right out of the box and still quite cold from being in an unheated UPS truck (I actually met the delivery guy in my driveway and nearly ripped it from his arms) It sounded very good via Zu Mission XLRs to my Primare I32. I didn't have much time to listen because we had guests. The next day I gave it a good spin, but it's still opening up. At this point CDs and SACDs are wonderful. They just grab you. My daughter was walking through the room and actually stopped to comment while I was playing a Norah Jones SACD. She's never done that before. DVDs don't sound much better than the Oppo at this point and frankly it's not worth the PIA to navigate on the Ayre. That may change with a little more burn in. Ayre says that the unit must re-burn after an extended time off.

My next challenge is burning a few CDs. My 320 kbps MP3 files will need to be converted to 44.1 or 44 kHz. Any recommendations for good software for a newbie would be appreciated.

In summary, I'm pretty happy I made this mistake!