Comparing the Oppo 970 to my Cary 303/200 as a redbook cd player, the Oppo comes across as extremely enjoyable, but not in the same league as the Cary in terms of detail, liquidity, base control, etc. However the Oppo is so enjoyable that I've decided to build a really nice office music system around it.
That said, I can't directly answer your question in that I've not tried it as a transport. And, you already know that it does not FEEL extremely sturdy. My suspicion is that the electronics are quite sophisticated and so the transport plus power supply must be at least part of the reason that it falls short of the Cary. I cannot be sure.
Of course you cannot use high end power cords in that it uses the smaller appliance oriented plug connector (looks like an "8" in cross section, with one side flat).
Art
That said, I can't directly answer your question in that I've not tried it as a transport. And, you already know that it does not FEEL extremely sturdy. My suspicion is that the electronics are quite sophisticated and so the transport plus power supply must be at least part of the reason that it falls short of the Cary. I cannot be sure.
Of course you cannot use high end power cords in that it uses the smaller appliance oriented plug connector (looks like an "8" in cross section, with one side flat).
Art