brian27b,
Very good idea. I've been doing just what you want to do with an Oppo 105 for a few years now and know you can do the same with an Oppo 205. The only issue you'll run into doing this is that there are limited inputs using the 105/205 as a preamp. If you play mainly disks and computer audio it works great but if you have numerous sources, you may need to buy a separate switch box for ease of operation.
I use the 105 as the core of my combo 5.4 surround ht and 2-ch music system Here's how mine is setup:
I run an HDMI cable from my XFinity cable box to the HDMI input on the back of the Oppo.
You have a choice of either rca or XLR main L+R outputs for your front main speakers. I connect the Oppo's audio outputs (up to 7 plus a sub output on my 105 but I only use 5 of these plus the sub) directly to multiple separate amps:
The main stereo L+R outputs via a pair of XLR cables to mono-blocks.
The center channel via a single rca cable to a bridged stereo amp.
The rear L+R surround channel outputs via a pair of rca cables to a stereo amp.
The LFE/sub output via a single rca cable to a sub amp.
Of course, it's your choice if you want to use a single multiple channel amp or use separate amps.
My 105, and I believe the 205, does not have room correction like many modern A/V receivers but I really don't miss it since the Oppos do have an Audio Setup menu you can access through its remote and fine tune the sound either by ear or using a sound level meter while seated at your main listening position. The setup consists of the following:
1. Each surround speaker (front left, front right, center, rear left and rear right but not the LFE/sub) is individually set as either "Large" or "Small". Full range speakers you don't want the bass augmented by the sub(s) should be set to "Large" and speakers you want the bass augmented by the sub(s) should be set to "Small".
2. The crossover frequency is set from 40-250 Hz in 10 Hz increments. This setting instructs the Oppo to redirect any signals at or below this setting to the sub(s) for all speakers set to "Small".
3. The last step is to set the relative volume of each channel, including the LFE/sub, to your specific preference. Sitting at your listening position, you step through each surround channel and adjust the volume of each channel up or down individually until you're satisfied with the overall sound balance.
Not exactly room correction with mics and automated parametric equalization but it has worked very well in my 23 x 16 foot room.
The audio performance of the 105 is so good in fact that, after thorough comparison to my previous system using a separate VTL preamp (with expensive NOS Mullard tubes and a 'ht pass thru' switch) and a separate Parasound AV-2500 5.1 surround processor, I decided to streamline my system and removed and sold my preamp and processor. The Oppos both have the added benefit of being able to be used as a high quality music file streaming device and DAC, which means you can use it for computer audio, too. This is what I did with the money I got from selling my former preamp and processor. I bought a Synology NAS (network area server) that has a 2 TB hard drive and JRiver Media Center software program for my laptop. I then copied my entire cd collection to the hard drive and bought and downloaded several hi-res 24 bit/96 Khz music files to the hard drive, too.
This allows me to select a cd or hi-res file to play on my laptop. The Synology then streams the file from its hard drive to the Oppo either wirelessly or via a hard wired connection. The Oppo then converts the digital signal to analog via very high quality ESS Saber dac chips (ES9018 chips on the 105 and the latest chips on the 205) and passes the analog signals to the amps.
The result is a very convenient and great sounding method for music playback that you could venture into in the future if you wanted to.
In summary, the answer to your question is that using an Oppo 205 as an alternative to an A/V receiver is a great solution that also gives you a high quality 4K Bluray player with HDR10 that has a built-in surround processor, streamer and DAC, to boot.
Tim
