I used my Oppo dv-970 into a Benchmark DAC-1. From memory, the results bettered my more expensive Cary CD-308 cdp I owned just before the Oppo/Benchmark combo. The Benchmark does such a fine job removing jitter that an additional equipment was not necessary for me. A good sign of digital done right is the subtle micro-dynamics come through yielding a deep and wide soundstage w/superb instrument placement. Room acoustics of the recorded space and a you are there in the recording was another aspect that was so revealing. This combo had it all for me.