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OPPO BDP-103 (NON Darby)

Hey all, (My mistake, I know it’s Darbee, not "Darby.")
I think I’m finally going to break down and buy a player that plays SACD disks. I know there are not all that many SACD titles available but I tried getting back into vinyl and was not all that happy with the $800.00 table I bought. Perhaps when I can afford a $3,00.00 PLUS turntable I will try again.
Anyway, I currently play DSD & FLAC files via thumb drive with my Marantz network player and CDR via a good Yamaha CD player. My amp & pre-amp are Emotiva and current speakers are B&W.
My thought is to buy an OPPO 103 - NON Darbee addition as I do not expect to use it for anything but 2 channel audio.
So, my qiestion is; how does the OPPO BDP-103 perform when playing Hi-Res audio and especially SACD? Does anyone have first hand experience with other players that may be a better choice for what I want in the same price range? I’ve read that the OPPOs tend to do better with Video play back than audio. Is this true?
I appreciate any & all replies!
wcc10
wcc10 OP
119 posts
 
Thanks for the comments, everybody. They all make sense. I have two Marantz pieces; UD 7007 which I am returning now as I was not aware I could not play DSD via thumb drive and NA 8005 which does accept DSD via thumb drive. (the price of these two & I could afford the Mytek!)
When I bought the Emotiva(s) I wanted to pair the pre/amp same brand. I thought of doing a tube pre but as has been said, the Emotiva(s) are "cheap" compared to others.
My room has a lot of furniture in it and I know this affects sound. Also speakers are now B&W CM5 s2, small book shelves but put out a lot of sound for their size. Maybe this is the place to start although everybody is really impressed with how they sound.
My biggest desire now is achieving separation between the instruments I am listening to. Position is critical with these speakers but still just can’t get it right!
miner42
709 posts
 
Please tell us what your $800 turntable is.  85% of my dedicated listening time is spent with a turntable due to the ability to connect with the tunes and enjoy the music.  I play digital for background music and I have a very good digital playback system.
wcc10 OP
119 posts
 
I wanted to say that the pre-amp I have is the Emotiva XSP-1 and Amp the newest Gen 3 (2 channel). So if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears. I think that Erik makes a good point insofar as 3 sources not getting me to where I want to be and it seems logical that throwing money at an Oppo would probably end up right where I started. So, I can't change the room would replacing the pre-amp make such a big difference. Obviously speakers are a whole other issue with potential results.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
You have the higher end Marantz player. Excellent power supply and audio stages, in my opinion.  I actually think the Emotiva pre is your weak link at this point.  They definitely suffer in the "separation of instruments" quality.  I don't believe you are hearing the true resolution of the Marantz.  I don't know what your budget is. Maybe a Wyred4Sound mpre?  Or maybe look for a used Adcom GFP-750 on eBay.  A tube preamp may or may not be what you are looking for.  It depends on the model and type of tube.  They can be slow sounding and may not give you the resolution for "separation of instruments" that you are looking for.  I would look for a solid state fully discrete preamp (no op amps).  Fully balanced is better as well.
wcc10 OP
119 posts
 
The turntable was Music Hall MMF 5.3 with Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. As I said, I did send it back.
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