Oppo UDP - 205

10K for a Dac using of the Shelf Chips?

maybe look into Playback Design Merlot Dac, It runs circles arround my Oppo 205.

I have the Oppo 203 and 205. 

203 is used for bedroom

205 is used for Cinema room.

Merlot DAC is used as my current reference, which will be replaced by a New upcoming DAC priced at 24K from Playback design. Prioror to that I had the MSB DACS, Platinum and Analog. Both of them were sold in favior for Playback design.

The 205 is used for my main Cinema room but I have connected it to my 2 Channel system for a few days. Sat one evening compared it to my Merlot which im selling btw to upgrade to the New Dream Series Playback will be rolling out in a few months.

The Merlot is smoother sounding, Bass is way more defined. the Sound stage is larger with the Playback design. The emotions of the music takes you over.

The oppo is just as transparent as the Playback design but it sounds flatter, less evolving. The bass is not as defined but feels a little boomy at times.

If my Merlot sell I will use my Oppo 205 but not looking forward to this. I don't seem to like the sound for 2 channel music. For Cinema room stuff the oppo is an excellent gear.

Well, I noticed those with lower budget tend to say anything to justify lower priced items are Giant Killers. This has been going on for years. I have personally tried and it can say from experience this is utterly nonsense. The UDP 205 is no doubt an excellent piece of engineering and well worth the price, but comparing it to high end dacs with engineering focused on higher fidelity is going to leave you disappointed. The Oppo can do many things but its not what I would consider a High End DAC/Player.

The Same can be said no need to buy a BMW or a Mercedes. Their are plenty of nice cheaper cars to buy which can get you from A to B?