OPPO BDP-103 (NON Darby)

Yea lance, I've heard that from other people too. Makes sense, thanks.

Ha, ha, ha. Tough crowd.

Perhaps I should wait until evening to post when the grown ups are on line.

The Emotiva amp I have is the newest Gen 3. "Gutless?" "Soul Sucking?" I guess I can see how you might say that on some level, but what are you comparing it to? Granted, it's not an Esoteric or the like! The Mayback looks interesting and I was not familiar with it before your suggestion. But, as you should be able to tell, I'm on somewhat of a budget. And the best I've heard out of my system is probably a re-mastered FLAC of Diana Krall. Some DSD (Kenny Burrell, Dave Brubeck) sound quite good also. But, with these B&W speakers I'm at a disadvantage to start.
As for "High End Outputs" I assume you are referring to the XLR connections. Do you really think they would make all that much difference? Balanced connections between my amp & pre did help so perhas a used BDP 95 would suffice and a cheaper alternative to a 105?
"Statman;" I believe I read that about better video to audio from a owners review. So of course that should be taken as it is worth. Not sure where I read it but I do not believe it was only a single review.

No problem bcgator. I understood where you were coming from with the quip about the check & all. And the soul sucking went right off my back! ;-)

I wanted to say that the pre-amp I have is the Emotiva XSP-1 and Amp the newest Gen 3 (2 channel). So if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears. I think that Erik makes a good point insofar as 3 sources not getting me to where I want to be and it seems logical that throwing money at an Oppo would probably end up right where I started. So, I can't change the room would replacing the pre-amp make such a big difference. Obviously speakers are a whole other issue with potential results.

Thanks for the comments, everybody. They all make sense. I have two Marantz pieces; UD 7007 which I am returning now as I was not aware I could not play DSD via thumb drive and NA 8005 which does accept DSD via thumb drive. (the price of these two & I could afford the Mytek!)
When I bought the Emotiva(s) I wanted to pair the pre/amp same brand. I thought of doing a tube pre but as has been said, the Emotiva(s) are "cheap" compared to others.
My room has a lot of furniture in it and I know this affects sound. Also speakers are now B&W CM5 s2, small book shelves but put out a lot of sound for their size. Maybe this is the place to start although everybody is really impressed with how they sound.
My biggest desire now is achieving separation between the instruments I am listening to. Position is critical with these speakers but still just can’t get it right!

The turntable was Music Hall MMF 5.3 with Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. As I said, I did send it back.

This one is in Canada, but I have had excellent results with the Krell KAV-280p:

Too bad about the remote. I see High Performance Stereo has two of these available with remote for $1450.00. Krell is generally great stuff from what I've always read but is the remote worth an extra $351.00? Probably not if able to program a generic. Were I to sell the Emotiva Pre I could swing more probably. But under $2,00.00 for sure. Is there anything from bel canto that isn't too old that might fit?

Yes "aux" that's a nice one. But I don't think I could go with that specific copy as there is some damage. Not at that price. It seems not to be a readily available item as I can't find one anywhere else right now. Will have to keep my eyes open!

leotis, I was looking for a simple (& not too expensive) answer to my situation. You are correct that all links are crucial and the OPPO alone is not going to solve my issue. Too bad for me! Not sure how I am going to proceed at this point, makes a lot of sense to fool around with the pre-amp to start and go from there.

auxinput - Good info. I did some research on the Rotels before I bought the Emotiva and didn't really like what I heard. I thought it was too sterile or bright. I do like the idea of a Marantz and appreciate their sound. (mostly)
There is an "Audioholics" review of the XSP-1 that, frankly, persuaded me to buy the it. As I stated earlier I was thinking of going with a tube pre-amp. Of course I had never heard the XSP-1 before and sending it back was an option maybe I should have attempted. Live & learn! Well at least I got 1/2 of the equation right with the Gen-3! :-) Thanks for your input and I am going to keep my eyes open!

auinput;
I wondering if you (or anyone else) has experience with Classe CP-50 or CP-65 preamps? I see some input here on Audiogon and it is favorable but I'm wondering if the CP-65 is $700 - $800 better than the CP-50? Not exactly new items but they do get good reviews even if limited. Do you think these might be preamps to consider?

Between the $1999.00 STP-ES preamp  and the highly recommended $1099.00 Krell KAV-280p at this point I think I would rather save the $900.00 and go with the Krell.
I did email the guy in Canada and he assured me that since the Krell is made in USA there would be no import duties/fees. I was able to confirm this via the Internet as well.
So, it will be interesting to see how serious the seller is interested in negotiating. I'll let you know!

Thanks for the input. There is a Audio Research LS-2 available here on Audiogon that I have my eye on. Gets great reviews and there are upgrades available the supposedly make it even better. Any thoughts?
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/tube-audio-research-ls-2-black-tube-line-preamp-excellent-box-and-manual-2016-08-10-preamplifiers-49512-kentwood-mi

Also, if I were to decide to go even a little further, what do you all think of the Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE in standard configuration as compared to the mPRE?

I wrote this right before you posted your last entry, auxinput. Sorry I didn’t see your post first!

We may be getting too far into the tube realm and away from balanced (or at least XLR) connections. I mentioned the Audio Research LS-2 as it is considered a hybrid and maintains balanced connections. It has, as you know, been around for more than a few years but gets great reviews all around. Not sure how it would pair with my Gen 3 Emotiva power amp tough.
Yes, I was not all that impressed with the Rotel line I listened to at a local stereo store.  (RC-1590 / RB-1582 MKII) I thought they sounded too sterile & fatiguing. I’m sure someone else might have an opposite experience with Rotel. But fatigued is how I feel sometimes after listening to the Emotivas.

The Ebay seller is saying that the Krell RC codes are available for programmable remotes. I would ask him -specifically- where to find these.  

Thanks for that info and for searching for Krell RC codes. I will definitely ask him where he thinks they are available. For me the remote makes a big difference but not necessarily a deal breaker.
Actually, I was saying that I felt fatigued listening to the Rotel amp/preamp I auditioned a while back NOT the Emotiva. I do have upgraded power cords, speaker cables & interconnects, etc. They all did help a lot of course! I have not played with fuses yet although I am sure that they can help. I'm a little afraid to open the Emotivas up as I do not want to harm the warranty. But that could be a fairly inexpensive upgrade I will try in the future.

Great! Good searching! I'm waiting to hear back from the seller.

Yes, the JC2 is above my budget. I had thought about some of the used Parasound preamps offered here on this site. Always heard good things about the brand.
I was thinking  fuses for the XSP-1 but at $50.00 -$75.00 a copy I couldn't justify. Glad to now be aware of a cheaper alternative for future reference. The XSP came with 2 spare fuses that I wouldn't consider "audio grade." But then what can you expect for $900.00?

wcc10, I'm surprised the discussion seems to focus on the sources and pre. Maybe the B&Ws are nor a good match for the rest of your components and/or room. Do you have a good set of headphones? If they solve your problem it is not the source components; maybe not the pre-amp either.

Good point 2channel. Although the CM 5S2s put out a lot of sound for their size (I did have CM 6S2s for a while) I'm beginning to realize that this must be my next move. They sound good and more than one person has said they are OK for the size of the room. I did try another preamp that was a step up recently but didn't see enough improvement to warrant an immediate change. So I'm thinking some floor standers. See where that takes me.
No, I do not have any headphones. But that is a good idea to try! Thanks.

I must say that I only listen with headphones when I am forced to or doing some testing since I got my Canton Ergo floor standers. Ther is a similar pair on E bay

Thanks for the input. I agree, headphones are essential for serious testing. I do (obviously) all of my listening via my speakers. I'm fortunate in that I can go pretty loud without any complaints. (mostly ;-)
Got to say though, I am finished buying electronics on eBay. Too many unfortunate experiences like "new" components delivered with missing parts just to name one.
I am very partial to speakers with a natural finish, Cherry, etc. My wife would never accept Black Ash or Piano Black. And I mostly agree. Otherwise the SVS towers look really good for that price!

@wcc10 - what preamp did you try? Did you end up getting that Krell? Or was it something else?

 One you were aware of not in USA. It had issues and the way it was set up damaged one of my speakers!
I don't want to go into too many details here on open forum.

Anyone had any experience with RBH Reference Series speakers? I can't find too much on them on Internet.

naimfan & 68pete;
This is great info from you both!
naimfan, did you play any SACD disks via the OPPO or just regular Redbook CDs?
I've also heard that there is a big difference between the RCA out & balanced out on OPPO 105.
I'm wondering if it might be worth looking for a decent used Esoteric SACD player?