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OPPO BDP-103 (NON Darby)

Hey all, (My mistake, I know it’s Darbee, not "Darby.")
I think I’m finally going to break down and buy a player that plays SACD disks. I know there are not all that many SACD titles available but I tried getting back into vinyl and was not all that happy with the $800.00 table I bought. Perhaps when I can afford a $3,00.00 PLUS turntable I will try again.
Anyway, I currently play DSD & FLAC files via thumb drive with my Marantz network player and CDR via a good Yamaha CD player. My amp & pre-amp are Emotiva and current speakers are B&W.
My thought is to buy an OPPO 103 - NON Darbee addition as I do not expect to use it for anything but 2 channel audio.
So, my qiestion is; how does the OPPO BDP-103 perform when playing Hi-Res audio and especially SACD? Does anyone have first hand experience with other players that may be a better choice for what I want in the same price range? I’ve read that the OPPOs tend to do better with Video play back than audio. Is this true?
I appreciate any & all replies!
wcc10

Showing 5 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,591 posts
 
Well, I'm not sure about better.  I will say the DAC's aren't all that, and SACD analog playback isn't much better.  It's not terrible, until you listen side by side with a good DAC.  Currently I'm listening to a Mytek Brooklyn, which is leagues better on the top end, imagine and decay of music and presentation of space.

I have a single SACD disk from Blue Coast but it's in a box.  Before I moved I listened to it via the Oppo and was not particularly moved. If there is magic in SACD playback I did not experience it via the Oppo.

I believe it may be possible to output DSD to the Mytek, but I am several boxes away from finding out.


erik_squires
16,591 posts
 
Looking again at your list, I put the Emotiva and Oppo sounds as aout equivalent. The Emotiva pre/pro I listened to were quieter, but kind of gutless, or soul-sucking quality. Seemed to have all the notes, but lacked the energy.

Personally I would replace your Emotiva with a Mytek Brooklyn which has a very good built-in phono stage and can act like a preamp, and keep your turntable. There’s a dealer on Agon who will give you a short trial.

For now, I would put DSD on the back burner for you. ;) Get your turntable and digital sources to sound great first, as opposed to spinning your wheels looking for a better source.

Best,

Erik
erik_squires
16,591 posts
 
Remember please the 105 has separate "high end" outputs for stereo the 103 lacks. :)

Is it "fine?"  Yeah, it's fine.  If however you just spent $800 on a turntable and didn't like it, SACD playback probably won't sound good either. You have other issues going on.
erik_squires
16,591 posts
 
Sorry about the comments, but the point is, if you have 3 different sources and still aren't happy it may not be your sources at all.

The common demonstrators are between the preamp and the room. There are less expensive solutions than the Mytek Brooklyn, obviously, I threw that in there seeing it as the 1 solution to improve the sound of your existing 3 sources.  Compared to a single source, yes, it's pricey, but thinking of it solving 3 problems at once, not so much. ;)

In any event, if you aren't happy now, I don't think any Oppo player will make you happy. The issues are elsewhere.

In a year come back and tell me I was totally wrong and it was the Oppo you needed, or that you ended up trying a bunch of other things until you finally got a different preamp. I'll be quite curious to see which you end up feeling was most satisfying.

Best of luck (really!)

Erik


erik_squires
16,591 posts
 
So one compelling reason to get the 105... USB 2.0 music output.

You should double check, but I believe they added this feature in a firmware upgrade. The 103 does not get it though. :(

Erik
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