Reference disc player...UDP 205 or Marantz?

Hifiman...BUT the salient question is, can the oppo sound as good as the two channel only marantz? That's the crux of my question. 

Also, to mgattmch, take the blu ray playback out of the equation. I'm sure it's the gold standard for blu ray, but Oppo touts it's player as something that can compete with some of the best audiophile two channel players, like the marantz. My question is, for about half the price, does it?

My b.s. detector is always turned on when I read glowing review after glowing review of a product like the Oppo. How can something that is relatively inexpensive do everything so well, to the level of a true high end disc player, like the Marantz? I think people can become influenced by the never ending hype around it, and not think as critically as they normally would.

The marantz is designed to do one thing well, not walk the dog and do the laundry too. And, they've been making great disc players for decades.

It looks like your are posting a question and then answering your own posts :-)

You got to be kidding Marantz SA-14S1 a reference player ????

It doesn't even have balanced outputs!!!!!

Could this be part of the new cheaper line of recent Marantz products that just carry the logo badge but don't have the high quality parts inside. I looked inside one of their newer power amps and was shocked to find an ordinary E transformer - no toroid!!!

Be careful ... there is Marantz and then there is MARANTZ....

I had the Marantz SACD 805.  I also had the Marantz streamer/DAC NA 7004.  Based on these 2 pieces, I would say that there is a Marantz House sound.  It's smooth, but rolls of the top end to much for my liking.
I also have Oppo 105, and sold both the Marantz components off after purchasing it.  It blew them both away in sound and functionality (the Marantz streamer in particular was a real P.O.S. With a terrible buggy app).. 
  I currently use the Oppo mainly as a transport.  I play DSD from SACDs into a Bryston BDA-3 DAC via HDMI.  If you ever decide to go that route, you can do it from Oppo and Sony players but not from Marantz.  However, that's icing on the cake.  After living with both, I would never step down from an Oppo to a Marantz.
btw, I also have one of the Denon high end 2 channel SACD players and fortunately it doesn't sound like Marantz