OPPO BDP 103/105, sound quality???

I had a 103 and compared it to the DACs in my Emotiva UMC200 and Schiit Bifrost.  They were both superior.  With that said, I ended up selling my 103 and buying a 105.  It easily bests the UMC200 or Bifrost.  Big difference.

BTW:  I have 0 problems or lags with redbook cd's.

geoffait,

Just because Stewie wrote it doesn't make it true.  It's not news, just opinion.

reubent, 
If load time is a big issue for you, I'd look for a live demo or youtube vid. before buying. When I bought my 105 and later 105D I noticed definite slow reaction time in not just loading time, but also slow switching time (e.g. switching from USB input to disc input) compared to other gear. We're only talking about a few seconds, but I definitely had to teach myself to take a deep breath each time I switched inputs or tried to advance tracks, etc. After a week of use, I got used to it, and it wasn't a problem at all, but if this is a peeve for you, proceed with caution. Cheers,
Spencer

Just FYI, I would hope by now that most people realize that universal players take considerably longer to load than a conventional CD player. I have an Oppo 105D and a Pioneer BDP 09 for video. On the rare times that I use them for listening sessions, I plan on almost a minute before music starts. My Pioneer PD 65 (used with a Benchmark DAC1) starts playing as soon as the drawer closes. I'm no engineer but I believe the newer machines (especially Blu-Ray and SACD) need time to read the disc to determine what format they are being asked to play.