Oppo 105 D vs. DAC-transport combination.

Oppo 105 is an SACD player which has multi-channel analog out. If you use it as transport,  DSD will be downgrade PCM to external DAC. So you loose 1) multi-channel 2) more information from DSD.

I'm not using the BDP105 as a transport; instead I am using DVDA10 as a CD transport fed to BDP105 as DAC. CD's sound amazing with this configuration. Now the BDP105 is no slouch as a CD player, but the above setup just seemed to sound better in areas I mentioned above.

@ericjcabrera 

You have discovered, as have others, that the stock Oppo units are not the best transports.  A possible next step, if you want to try, is to rip your CDs to a hard disk.  It can be a small portable to plug into the Oppo.  Not only might you get better SQ (I can attest that it will beat the Oppo, but I cannot say re: the DVDA10), but using the Oppo software you will be able to control your listening from a phone or ipad.

Jumzhang is correct that SACDs will not go through.  That will require connection to a separate DAC.  But you will also have the option of borrowing and copying CDs from friends or public libraries.

Oppo 105D 1st of all is an SACD player and Hifi DAC. Which can produce 5.0 channel hi resolution music. Best of all, it is both audio and video steamer. Build in Tidal and Berlin philharmonic digital concert hall app. I could really enjoy the music and live concert with the touch of my iPad. No LP for me.

@melm
I did not know the BDP-105’s transport is its Achilles’ Heel. Now I know that at least for CD playback, an external transport is superior - at least for me so far, using the Technics transport is an incredible upgrade.

@bo1972
stated earlier that the BDP-105 DAC cannot render 3 dimensional sound; after my discovery, I beg to differ. I am hearing a very well defined 3 dimensional soundscape. I can clearly distinguish separate instruments & vocals well defined from each other such as harmony & melody vocals. I hear each voice & instrument hovering in different spaces all around. So much so I feel like I can reach out & touch them; much like a real live performance.

I haven’t played much DVD Audio or SACD recently, but I remember them being rather excellent. However, I do not have an extensive collection of those formats. I do have a very large Redbook CD collection & I am now rediscovering my whole catalog - smiling from ear to ear.

I have indeed tried ripping my CD’s to a HDD as well as USB drive and the SQ is quite good; however, I cannot say for certain that it is better than playing CD directly from the 105 transport. What I can say for certain is that Redbook CD playback from DVD-A10 transport to the BDP-105 DAC is fantastic.