I actually think it's just the opposite -- we are seeing a flood of new, highly capable DACs. This is driven by the demand for asynch USB connection and, it now appears, for DSD playback. That the Oppo offers some of these features just puts it in the running, but only if your HT and 2-channel gear are the same, or at least co-located.
Is the ''entry level'' DAC becoming extinct ?
The recent crop of Blu-ray players by Oppo and Cambridge Audio (752BD) as well as CD players are now giving access to their internal DACS, providing surprisingly good quality sound.
Just wondering how this will impact on the sale of the DacMagics and r-dacs types out there ?
I basically see it as head-on competition, and a win for the new access-in-the-box machines.