Thank you all for your very helpful replies thus far.
I'm getting a clearer picture of what to buy/use. Currently I'm thinking of buying the Oppo bdp-105 and the Synology DS213j NAS(thanks to Dz3827 for the heads up on Synology) to use wirelessly in conjunction with my laptop. I'd also use the DBpoweramp (thanks to Dz3827 and Steve N. for recommending) to rip cds. This is friendly to my $1,500 budget since the Oppo is $1,199 and Synology is $199 (Amazon) which would leave about $100 for the HDMI and analog cabling I'd need. I'd use decent Monoprice cabling to get it up and running then substitute better cables as budget allows.
So, the answers to my questions become:
1. Am I thinking correctly and on the right path with buying an Oppo followed by a NAS?
This seems like a yes.
2. Is there a method to connect my laptop, and future NAS wirelessly to the Oppo? I'm currently running a 12ft USB cable from my laptop to my DAC. I know cabled is better than wireless but curious how much better.
This also seems to be a yes. The Oppo comes with a wireless dongle and the Synology NAS can operate wirelessly, too. However, I may need to go wired if frequent dropouts occur or I'm not satisfied with the wireless sound.
3. Any suggestions for a good, affordable NAS?
Seems Synology is one very good answer to this.
4. Does the Oppo BDP-105 have internal surround sound decoding capability that would allow me to run analog cables to my 3 HT amps directly from its analog outputs and substitute for my Parasound processor?
From several reviews and other sources, I found out the Oppo does have internal 5.1 decoding capability(DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby-True HD)that outputs as 7.1 analog. I'd just need extra rca cables to run from these outputs directly into my 3 amps: front l+r mains into my main amp, center channel+ sub into the 2nd amp and rear l+r surrounds into my surround amp. This would mean retiring my Parasound AV2500 preamp/processor and Cambridge DacMagic DAC. Good, since this frees up rack space for the Oppo and Synology.
Looks like a good plan. The only thing I'm confused about is the need for the Offramp suggested by Steve and others.
Is this critical sound wise? If yes, is it something I could add later? If no, is it something I'd want to add later for an incremental improvement?
I've heard mention of the Offramp and know Steve and his products are well respected, but I'm unclear on exactly what this product does and how it improves sq.
I'm getting a clearer picture of what to buy/use. Currently I'm thinking of buying the Oppo bdp-105 and the Synology DS213j NAS(thanks to Dz3827 for the heads up on Synology) to use wirelessly in conjunction with my laptop. I'd also use the DBpoweramp (thanks to Dz3827 and Steve N. for recommending) to rip cds. This is friendly to my $1,500 budget since the Oppo is $1,199 and Synology is $199 (Amazon) which would leave about $100 for the HDMI and analog cabling I'd need. I'd use decent Monoprice cabling to get it up and running then substitute better cables as budget allows.
So, the answers to my questions become:
1. Am I thinking correctly and on the right path with buying an Oppo followed by a NAS?
This seems like a yes.
2. Is there a method to connect my laptop, and future NAS wirelessly to the Oppo? I'm currently running a 12ft USB cable from my laptop to my DAC. I know cabled is better than wireless but curious how much better.
This also seems to be a yes. The Oppo comes with a wireless dongle and the Synology NAS can operate wirelessly, too. However, I may need to go wired if frequent dropouts occur or I'm not satisfied with the wireless sound.
3. Any suggestions for a good, affordable NAS?
Seems Synology is one very good answer to this.
4. Does the Oppo BDP-105 have internal surround sound decoding capability that would allow me to run analog cables to my 3 HT amps directly from its analog outputs and substitute for my Parasound processor?
From several reviews and other sources, I found out the Oppo does have internal 5.1 decoding capability(DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby-True HD)that outputs as 7.1 analog. I'd just need extra rca cables to run from these outputs directly into my 3 amps: front l+r mains into my main amp, center channel+ sub into the 2nd amp and rear l+r surrounds into my surround amp. This would mean retiring my Parasound AV2500 preamp/processor and Cambridge DacMagic DAC. Good, since this frees up rack space for the Oppo and Synology.
Looks like a good plan. The only thing I'm confused about is the need for the Offramp suggested by Steve and others.
Is this critical sound wise? If yes, is it something I could add later? If no, is it something I'd want to add later for an incremental improvement?
I've heard mention of the Offramp and know Steve and his products are well respected, but I'm unclear on exactly what this product does and how it improves sq.