Wemfan,
Seditious's suggestion of just using the Oppo without a receiver is a very good one. Here's how it would work:
The Oppo has separate analog outputs for up to a 7.1 surround system: front L + R, Center, Side surround L + R,Rear surround L + R and subwoofer. All would be connected to the multi-channel amp of your choice via analog audio line level cables with rca connectors at each end. You can use just 2 front speakers and a sub to start and go up to a 5.1 or a full 7.1 setup later if you wished. If you buy an amplified sub, you would just need a stereo amp for the 2 front speakers and run the Oppo's sub out directly to the amplified sub's input. If you buy a passive sub (unamplified), then you would need at least a 3-channel amp( like an Emotiva or Outlaw) to power the l + r speakers and the Oppo's sub out would go to the 3rd channel on the amp, with speaker wires to the sub.
The Oppos have a cool feature that I just discovered: It will automatically playback in multi-ch or stereo depending on the inputted signal. To configure this you have to hook it up in the following manner:
1. Connect the 'Dedicated Stereo' outputs on the Oppo using xlr or rca cables to the amp's l+ r inputs, do not use the Front L and Front R outs that are included in the analog out section.
2. Press the 'Home' button on the remote and go into the 'Setup' section. Choose 'Audio Processing' from the options on the left side and press select/enter. Use the arrow buttons to highlight the 'Stereo Signal' setting(you'll need to scroll down since it's one of the last settings) and press select/enter.
3. Choose the 'Front L+R' setting, do not select 'Down Mixed Stereo', and press select/enter.
This auto feature is really more impressive when using a 5.1 or 7.1 configuration since the Oppo will automatically play back in surround when you're watching tv or amovie and play back in stereo when you're listening to a cd or a computer file.
I have the Oppo 105 in my system and found out the above after setup. For you, using the Oppo will eliminate the need for a preamp, A/V receiver or a processor. The Oppo will do it all and very well.
For your budget and concerns for quality, I would buy an Oppo 103($500) or Oppo 105($1200), a pair of wall mounted (or free standing) Magnepan MMG speakers($325/pr), Magnepan MMGC center channel speaker ($300) and a JL Audio E110 powered sub($1,100) and Emotiva UPA-200 stereo amp($350). The total price would be $2,575 for the Oppo 103 system or $$3,275 for the Oppo 105 system.
The 105 and 103 both offer great video but the 105 offers superior audio play back than the 103.IMO, either would be great for a bedroom system and the 105 would be spectacular. If you opt for the Magnepans you have a choice of white or black and the center channel would not be a necessity. Of course, you could substitute speakers of your choice. The components/speakers I listed are picked for sound quality for both HT and stereo use.
Hope this helped you,
Tim
