Reference disc player...UDP 205 or Marantz?

Whitestix, I think we've pretty much brought that one to it's conclusion, but I'll say it again: one man's reference is another man's crap. It's all about what you can afford, baby.

@rnrmf1971 ,
I agree with you. There is no such SACD disc that has hi-rez PCM.

Ok I have not heard the Oppo but I will give you my take.  I own a Rega Isis cdp.  This is a top of the line player and believe me I still can't believe how it competes with my very good vinly system.  Well the Isis needed a repair that would take 2 - 3 weeks and I used the then budget darling Sony Playstation 1 box.  Just like the Oppo it was touted as a giant killer sounding as good as any $3000 player.  For the 3 week period I actually enjoyed the Playstation but when I inserting the Rega Isis I then realized how broken sounding the Playstation really was.  Perhaps rhe Oppo is the new playstation. By it self it sounds quite good but when compared to a quality cdp only it sound inly ok.

All I can say is that the only thing greater than my anticipation of the Oppo 95 on its way to me in the mail, was the disappointment I had after all my high expectations were crushed by reality. I sold it a few months later.

And to be fair, the Oppo 95 (and also the 105 and 205 b/c of the same line of models) is a jack of all trades that does many things well, but none particularly well. I believed all the hype. What I learned is that running audio and video out of the same box for $1000 will not get me the results I had expected.

1graber2, bobheinatz,
Exactly my fears in a nutshell, and why I started this thread. I guess I should have just bought the damn thing like everyone else that was curious, and then return it when I discover the truth. Again, I’m certain its a very good sounding player, and many people will enjoy the heck out of it, but I’m looking for something more. And I need multi format compatibility.