Rega DAC? Oppo 95 and wait?

Hi Rob

I don't think you can make a mistake purchasing an Oppo 95 and waiting. It has to be among the very best values in digital components in the here and now for all that it offers at its pricepoint and level of performance, one hell of a lot of bang for the buck. While certainly not as refined as the Eastern Electric DAC Plus which I recently purchased nor my friends W4S DAC 2 and I'm sure some of the other DACs in this price range it still offers excellent playback performance for CD/SACD, and has plenty of flexibility. The Oppo is still very relaxed and musical and should keep you satisfied for awhile. Of course in this hobby "awhile" varies for each of us. It also uses the ESS Saber 9018 chip like the other two mentioned. I purchased one with the same though as you and discovered that the Oppo is definitely a keeper for all that it offers at the price. If it proves unsatisfactory in your case, there is a 30 day trial period. If you already have a good transport, which you will need for any of the 9018 based DACs, and the other features of the 95 are of little interest, you might want to look at other DAC options. We each have different needs but based on your query, I say go with the Oppo.

Don't worry about some of the Rega already being for sale; this happens all the time; buyers don't even wait until a unit is broken in to dump it. I got one a couple of weeks ago and am very happy with it; the different filters allow you to match the sound to your system/taste. HIFICRITIC thought that nothing they had heard for less than 4x its cost sounded as good. I find the sound both more transparent and not as bright as my previous DACs; possibly due to this being a NOS DAC. I don't care for the C5 ac plug but bought a Pangea adapter so I could use one of my Oyaide PCs.

You're looking for more, but without spending more. Good luck. Trading sideways in the 1K range may get you something different, but that's about it. If you like screwing around with different equipment, that's fine, but if you're really looking for something "better", you might have to dig a little deeper. Personally, I would recommend the demo Ear Acute that up for sale by a dealer, or the Doge6 with upgraded tubes (about 2K) from Pacific Valve. They are both VERY good, IMO.

Rob

I say "Better" should be clearly defined by a concensus of listeners before laying out double the dough or more. At the very least you should listen first. I am NOT convinced that 2-3K spent on a DAC is necessarily going to reap the benefits to one on a budget looking for value over very subtle differences UNLESS you are willing to pay but AGAIN this may be a line when you might want to audition first.

The OP has owned some good CD players. I've heard both the Apollo and the Jolida and, IMO, they would satisfy many listeners. Obviously, the OP is not satisfied with these very decent players and I think it's a waste to move from one 1K player to another. I remember when I thought $1500 bought you the best CD player there was, until I heard a $3K player side by side in a dealer demo. Absolutely no question in my mind that the more expensive player gave a much more satifying portrayal of the musical event. I also realized that I wasn't going to get what I was looking for for my budget of 1.5K. Well, that's life. Choices have to be made as to what's important to you. It just that I hate to see yet another person chasing the holy grail of 1K DACs. It's pointless - unless, as I said before, your goal is to just screw around with new equipment. It's totally valid. If that's the way you want to spend your money, that's up to you. But it's not going to get you the sound you want - IMO.