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Oppo 105D as an external DAC?

Hello All,

I wanted the community's opinion on a possible DAC selection. I was originally thinking of an Ayre DAC for a pair of Vandersteen Quatro CTs OR Cressendo MKII when the time comes for that but I purchased a 103D for my home theater setup and was very impressed. I know the 105D has a substantially improved DAC and can be used with my laptop (music server) as an asynchronous DAC. I know the Ayre is a LOT more money and maybe not a fair comparison but at only $1.3K at this point could there be a better cost to benefit ratio with the Oppo? Not to mention it probably makes a great audiophile CD player as well (even more cost savings). OR would it be much better to wait for the Ayre DAC down the road???

What does everyone think-
xerotrace
3 responses Add your response
mgattmch
569 posts
 
I use an Oppo 105 to perform D/A conversion. I use a MacBook Air to store (and download to) HD Tracks FLAC files with Aurdirvana Plus. I could not be happier with the results; see my previous post on this subject:

forum.audiogon#Mgattmch

Admittedly my system has changed somewhat since I posted the above. But then again, what do you expect, I am after all using Audigon!
rhljazz
1,253 posts
 
I wouldn't recommend it. A Chord Hugo or the new less expensive 2Cute version of the Hugo is a massive upgrade in sound quality over the Oppo. I own both.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
Yes, my thinking was similar leading me to using the 105D as a DAC fed by my Mac Mini running Audirvana+. I can spin visitor's CD/SACDs from the Oppo as well as connect external drives directly to the Oppo(yes, some geek friends bring over a drive!).
Eventually I might upgrade to a much more costly DAC, but I have heard many and not much in the price range brings great sound and versatility to the table like the 105D. Your choice of computer audio software & settings will make audible differences too, but that's a whole 'nother conversation.
If curious, you can see my rig posted as "Silence of The Lamms". Cheers,
Spencer
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