Wait a few months and see what the new $800 Oppo dac has to offer . Hoping it is equally as good as a 105 . Better would be nice .
Questioning the need for a DAC
Friends,
I have a modified Oppo 103 that was a huge step up from my $2K Consonance tube CD player. I also have a Jolida FX Tube DAC, maybe the II version, which I have had for many years. I ran the Oppo directly into my system (I have a Don Sachs tube preamp and various amps, tube and SS, and Spatial Audio Hologram M4 Turbo S speakers) and then through the Jolida. I honestly didn't hear a difference. Some months later, I demo'd a Schiit Gungnir and did the same comparison. I really couldn't discern an audible difference with the Schiit in or out of the system. I will admit that I sent the Schiit back for a refund after only 30 hours or so of burn-in so maybe 100 hours of burn-in might have lead to a different outcome. A boatload of audiophiles rave about the sonic improvement with the pricey DAC's in their systems, no question about it. With my ears, not so much.
A "cheap and cheerful" audiophile friend of mine, who doesn't listen to much digitally-reproduced music, posed an interesting question. If one invests in a modern quality CD player (i.e., like the Oppo 103 or 105, which make the Stereophile list of "Class A" products or many others between $1K-$5K), why is there the expectation that one needs a separate DAC to improve the sound of the DAC? It is not trivial question. As a matter of fact, I called Oppo while I was auditioning the Schiit DAC, nonplussed, asking why I wasn't hearing some significant improvement with the addition of an external DAC of the caliber of the Gungnir. In response, the Oppo rep suggested, quite casually, that maybe the internal DAC in the modestly-priced Oppo 103 was quite good. Indeed, because that is what my 63-year old ears told me.
I'd be keen to hear feedback from others who ponder the same question. As I age, I am aware of the desire of sellers of many audio products to strike a deal with me that frankly might benefit them more financially than I benefit sonically. Cheers, Mark
I have a modified Oppo 103 that was a huge step up from my $2K Consonance tube CD player. I also have a Jolida FX Tube DAC, maybe the II version, which I have had for many years. I ran the Oppo directly into my system (I have a Don Sachs tube preamp and various amps, tube and SS, and Spatial Audio Hologram M4 Turbo S speakers) and then through the Jolida. I honestly didn't hear a difference. Some months later, I demo'd a Schiit Gungnir and did the same comparison. I really couldn't discern an audible difference with the Schiit in or out of the system. I will admit that I sent the Schiit back for a refund after only 30 hours or so of burn-in so maybe 100 hours of burn-in might have lead to a different outcome. A boatload of audiophiles rave about the sonic improvement with the pricey DAC's in their systems, no question about it. With my ears, not so much.
A "cheap and cheerful" audiophile friend of mine, who doesn't listen to much digitally-reproduced music, posed an interesting question. If one invests in a modern quality CD player (i.e., like the Oppo 103 or 105, which make the Stereophile list of "Class A" products or many others between $1K-$5K), why is there the expectation that one needs a separate DAC to improve the sound of the DAC? It is not trivial question. As a matter of fact, I called Oppo while I was auditioning the Schiit DAC, nonplussed, asking why I wasn't hearing some significant improvement with the addition of an external DAC of the caliber of the Gungnir. In response, the Oppo rep suggested, quite casually, that maybe the internal DAC in the modestly-priced Oppo 103 was quite good. Indeed, because that is what my 63-year old ears told me.
I'd be keen to hear feedback from others who ponder the same question. As I age, I am aware of the desire of sellers of many audio products to strike a deal with me that frankly might benefit them more financially than I benefit sonically. Cheers, Mark
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- 47 posts total
https://www.oppodigital.com/sonica-dac/ they are saying better SQ than the 103/105 players, and they are highly regarded, so.... |
Sbank, The USB port circuitry on the Bifrost/Gungnir both utilize power from the computers USB port DAC's that use power from their own onboard power supply tend to perform so much better than those that use the power from the computers USB port simply because the power being supplied is so much cleaner that that supplied via the computers USB port So my listening test was as follows... 1. the Bifrost DAC was connected via its USB port to my computers USB port, then... 2. I connected the Vlink192 to my computers USB port, but connected it to the Bifrost with via a digital coax. #2 was clearly superior. Was I wrong to conclude that the USB implementation of the V-Link192 is superior to the that of the Bofrost/Gungnir? The V-link192 simply converts USB to Coax Digital - and if its USB interface was not superior wouldn't the sound be the same when played through the same DAC? Both interfaces were powered by the same power supply. The source USB interface on the computer did not change The only thing that changed was the USB interface from that on the Bifrost to completely circuitry of the Vlink192 What else could explain this? I stand by my findings until I am educated otherwise :-) |
I happen to think that the Oppo gear is really quite good and the 103D, with a bit of mods or even stock, is just very good. Oppo gear seems to be like Schiit gear, everybody likes it. It is grand that here are lots of $500-$1000 CD players around today that just sound wonderful. I am thinking that good DACs can improve the sound even more. It is amazing the sort of fine system one can cobble together for, say, a couple of grand, that will fill your room with great sounds. The new ELACs might be part of that kit. Cheers, Mark |
"On top of that, Sonica DAC is a high-resolution audio player and can decode files directly from a connected USB drive, network shares or NAS drives." From OPPO website . Does this mean a hard drive full of downloaded music will just be able to be plugged into the oppo ? What might the interface look like i wonder ? |
- 47 posts total