Oppo Vs Esoteric

@atacgene, I do stand by my opinion about the Modwright Oppo besting the DS DAC and I may be realizing that I prefer the sound of PCM over DSD. I’m not putting down the DS DAC. It still sounds good in my second system but I like the energy of the Modwright Oppo.

If you converts PCM to DSD it may not be that goodm which is what DS DAC does. Many who prefers PCM over DSD are because they are not listening to  pure DSD recordindg/files:

1. PCM converted to DSD via computer or like  DS DAC
2. The original recording is low Res PCM 24/96 and converted to DSD by recording company

Best way to do DSD is to use native DSD files that are originally recorded as DSD, with minimal processing (e.g. no complete conversion to PCM). Then probably should be played on a Dedicated DSD DAC that use DSD circuit. I am not sure Signa Delta chips are that good for DSD, though they tend to do better than PCM. 
I will do more comparison between hi RES PCM (blu-ray audio) and DSD (SACD) from my oppo 95 and see.  

Oppo is an awesome piece of kit for a guy with a limited budget of $1300 for an All in One player.
But it is the Master of None, and the Esoteric of course is the Master on One.

You answered your own question with the original post!

@1graber2 ,
I am wondering how much better is the Esoteric/Marantz/Luxman than the Oppo. I am pretty happy with what the Oppo is doing in my system.

@in_shore Ya the Modwright Oppo is the exception to Oppo gear. That mod has made a mark for itself for sure.

The Esoteric/Marantz/Luxman mentioned above are a good 3-4 levels above that of the Oppo. Now, having said that, the Oppo is best bang for buck, and the E/M/Ls are end-game sources/players, such that there is a point of diminishing returns. We all have our own personal threshold here in regards to how much we are willing to spend and point of our ROI or no ROI. the Gear you mention costs 6x the cost of the Oppo: go to the bottom of this page and see the horizontal row of CDPs/DACs-I think you mentioned them all: https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/esoteric-k-07x-sacdcd-player-dac

That said, you will get about 3x the cleanliness, transparency, dynamics, that you will get from the Oppo. B/c these other 3 will have better "Clocks" etc. But of course each of the EML manufacturers may impart their own sonic influence on the final product, but the actual electronic signal will be much cleaner with more power to reveal those details and nuances in the music (as well as thundering bass, or a delicate top end, micro & macro dynamics improved etc). Others may argue. But just read a couple reviews of the EMLs above, and look at the power supplies and higher quality circuitry.

When we get down to the brass tacks so to speak of higher-end audio, IMO the quality of the power source in particular makes huge differences in what you can - or cannot - hear from a recording. The Oppo may even have 2 small power supplies that they tout allows huge gains in AV quality. But compared to what? a multi disc player at Walmart for $59. Remember that the Oppo is a multitasker that is trying to juggle a lot of sh*t at once: Audio, Video, multiple Digital and analog ins and outs, etc. So spreading out that limited and limited QUALITY  power to all those different functions will sap the energy that o/w could be dedicated to JUST receiving the digital signal (CD to signal), or JUST sending the digital signal out the back to a DAC, e.g. ....

My last point is that of your Source .... sh*t runs downhill (sorry, I was raised by Rednecks) ...
From the Source onward the quality of your signal will only degrade, not get better. I mean, it may sound Different b/c the PreAmp or the Amp or speaker imparts its own sound qualities onto the final sound, but the clarity, black background, etc will not improve. IMO the Oppo would not have the cleanest digital signal transferred, but the EMLs would, and would make a great sources for life, since they have digital ins as well.