Oppo Ceasing production

Oppo makes the Sonica DAC and im sure will see streamer/non disc players from them soon.

simao, If you connect a Aurender XL100 streamer (USB audio input), now you have the finest sounding streamer AND the Conductor app with built in Tidal as well, quite a upgrade for the OPPO 105/205.


Matt M

@garybx If you're simply using the Oppo as a transport to a DAC, you'd be better off with the 203 and swapping out the switching PS with a digital linear PS (~$200.  A straight swap - about 15 min of work, mostly to open up and close the Oppo, there are about 10 screws that have to be removed).  The 205 only really makes sense if you're using its analog outputs.  Otherwise, you're just wasting money for the most part. 

" I'm going to be a contrarian here. People say physical media is dead but just look at the resurgence of vinyl. My sense is, that CD transports are the "digital turntables" of the future. I just traded my Ayre multi disc player for a dedicated transport. Of course, I type this as my 103D plays in the background and I just ordered a new disc from Amazon. I can stream as well but my sense is that physical media is not dead by any means."

+1
I had a "30 something" musician come into my house and listen to my "high end" stereo system and his first comment was "where are all the other speakers?" He could not believe you could get such a realistic sound stage with only two stereo speakers. He also could not believe the realism, as most of what he listens to is highly compressed MP3 stuff full of distortion through "ear buds". When I put on some vinyl, he was amazed that it rivaled digital sources for realism. Guess who is now looking to get into high end audio. The resurgence of vinyl and tube gear is not a fluke, although neither will be a "mass market" by any stretch. The high costs are a deterrent, however, and I think partly the downfall of Oppo Digital. Audiophiles may have considered their stuff a bargain, but in the age of $49 CD/DVD players and $150 BD players, the general market and public do not. Music servers have also contributed, particularly with Red Book, since a CDROM and computer to rip them are often much less than an Oppo transport (and the sonic results are superior as well).  

if only because there are so many billions of discs existing in the world there will  be a decent-sized legacy market for physical media for the immediate future. however, i'd expect that market to shrink very quickly-- it's unusual to find a kid under 30 who has ever bought a cd--i surmise that oppo has the prescience to stop investing in a dying medium. what is more puzzling is that they're also stopping production of their headphone products (which are well regarded and seemingly high-margin) and would seem to have continuing viability.