OPPO BDP 103/105, sound quality???

Stereo5, the HINT and Oppo 105 have the same DAC, so you don't really gain anything by running the 105 through it.  If that is the plan, you are fine with the 103.

To the OP, the 105 is a great universal player.  Mine has been modified by ModWright and I had to go up the food chain quite a bit in a dedicated Red Book player to get better sound. 

For the price the Oppo is a fantastic player. I own one (actually two) and some other players/DAC (higher-end stuff). When I do A/B tests I am always pleasantly surprised at the performance of the Oppo. The price-performance ratio is great. It will handle anything you throw at it to play (unlike some pricer players) so your "universal" criteria would be met - it's amazing in this regard. I don't think you can go wrong with it. You can always move it to another system if you get tired and want to go really high end. 

Hi dsper,
thank you much

I just got the Oppo 103 for DVD/BlueRay playback, and the sound quality is superb. It has RCA outs for a 2-channel hookup (as well as 5 channel hookup), which is what I use.

My own feeling is that, where CD players are concerned, you can hit the upper limit on sound quality at a relatively low price point--heresy for some, I know. Could the discerning ear hear the difference b/t a 103 and the 105? I doubt it. In fact, I doubt discernible sound differences between my old Sony $99 dvd player and the Oppo 103 that replaced it. I only got the Oppo for it's build quality and versatility--not only playback variety, but convenience features.

Stewie wrote,

"My own feeling is that, where CD players are concerned, you can hit the upper limit on sound quality at a relatively low price point--heresy for some, I know. Could the discerning ear hear the difference b/t a 103 and the 105? I doubt it. In fact, I doubt discernible sound differences between my old Sony $99 dvd player and the Oppo 103 that replaced it. I only got the Oppo for it's build quality and versatility--not only playback variety, but convenience features."

That's probably not welcome news for many folks who have sunk beaucoup bucks on high end CD players, including yours truly who spent a small fortune upgrading my own Oppo 103 to at least two levels above Nose Bleed level.