What's the bottom line on Oppo 980 for CD playback

Kr4 and Tgrisham:

You both make very valid opposing points and that's what is great about this forum. Yes, I can see the advantages of going this way. However, most reputable higher end audio stores have a standard 30 day return policy with a full refund. Mine does. I guess too I feel very loyal to my store and the main sales person who has spent so much time with me these past few years. He has always been so truthful and right on. Never once mislead me. He works his tail off and I value that highly. We can't let these stores go away. They're not just a retail store but a center for learning from the pros. We've got to continue to support them. Thanks for the good debate gents !!

I pine for the days when I had a reputable audio store. For me it was like a candy store for a little kid. There are stores within 60 miles but there is a turnover of staff and they are carrying fewer and fewer lines. The best loan I ever got was over a weekend when they were closed. But, living in rural Missouri, it is to be expected. I wish I had a great retail store to support. That said, thanks to Audiogon, I have been able to buy more gear, try it, and sell it if it doesn't work out. Most of the gear sells for 50-70% of the new cost. Thankfully, I have never been "burned". Long live Audiogon! By the way, I have put the Oppo 980 back in my main system. It feeds a PS Audio DL III. The sound is really great. I have to be careful about other machines and power draws and noise since the power supply is limited. Now I am on the hunt for a Denon or Sony Universal transport. Something akin to a tank with pretty lights on it.

My new Oppo 980H with a Asylum/Crump cord and a few vibration minimizing tweaks has now supplanted my Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 with vintage 6DJ8 tubes, Isoclean fuse, Daruma ball bearing feet and a Venhaus Flavour 2 power cord. This was after many hours of comparison. Overall, the 980H lacks a bit of depth and midrange liquidity/smoothness but is a little more dynamic and detailed.

I have since sold my SFCD-1 and put the $900 net difference into more music to listen to.

My suggestion is to try it first before judging the new Oppo's redbook abilities. Your results may be different depending on the rest of your system.

The rest of my system is composed of:

Bryston B-60 and 2B-LP in biamped configuration powering Totem Arros and Dreamcatcher powered sub. Cables included Venhaus DIY cotton insulated 99.99% pure silver interconnects with Eichmann Silver Bullets and Sonocable silver speaker cables.

Oppo may be better than an aging tubed cdp, but it never was as good as any other decent cdp I compared it with. The most recent cdp I used was the Consonance 120 Linear cdp, that can be bought used for $550, and the comparison was not close as far as musicality, detail, and naturalness. The Oppo has uninvolving for redbook cd playback for me.