$2,000 Used CD Player or Modified Oppo 105

Ordered the 105D last week and will give that a try in stock form to start with. Will also pick up the Ayre C-5xeMP to compare the two. Shouldn't have much trouble moving either one for a slight loss after the shootout. I ended up with a pre-owned Hegel H200 integrated amp instead of the new Parasound units for now as well.

Out of the box the 105D seems to match up well with the Hegel H200. The versatility of this unit is truly impressive. Similar sound stage to my Arcam DV29 with considerably more detail. My only concern is that I would consider some musical instrumentation to be a little forward in the sound stage. As an example on Patricia Barber's What A Shame cut the bongos seem to overpower her voice. A similar issue with the finger snapping on the cut Ode To Billy Joe which I have not experienced before.

I would give the Oppo at least a month for it to break in and
for you to get used to its sonic presentation. Sometimes, we
are so used to the sound of a CD player that a new one sounds
"wrong". So both the player and you need a bit of time
before you jump to conclusions. IMO.

I just had John Tucker of Exemplar Audio upgrade my Oppo 105 and to say it is stunning is an understatement. Now the cost to upgrade is more than @2K "but" I would compare it to a Meitner or much higher class DAC in a heart beat. You will have to spend somewhere between $15K or higher to beat this unit. I owned the PS Audio PWD MK2 and my upgraded Oppo 105 is on another planet from that. I like this because now the Oppo 105 is one unit that does everything. I removed a DAC and a digital cable from the loop and run direct to my integrated. The only stand alone DAC I would be willing to try would be a Lampizator, however, I would want one of the higher end models. I was told the new Amber is a great bang for the buck but have not heard it.

There are others upgrading the Oppo 105 and probably do a great job but John's would be hard to beat.