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A DAC for the Oppo 105

I haven't played discs a lot lately. I am and have always been a vinyl-dominate listener, and really got a CD player for the vinyl desert that began in the late 80's and really only abated in the 2010's. I found plenty of vinyl in those years, but these days, it pretty much automatic that there will be a vinyl release of almost all of the albums in which I am interested. 

So, because I am a music lover, and format is less important than the music, I did manage to get a pretty big CD collection - counting box sets, I am probably around 1500. I have burned maybe 400-500 of them onto a server, and that works great (I stream Qobuz, too and that is a great place to try out new things. Wonderful!) The idea that i would ever rip all of my CD collection into this server is a fantasy - I really doubt I will do this. So...

When I play a disc directly from the Oppo, I find myself distracted by elements of the sound that I don't care for - it can be a bit thin, unsaturated, a little fatiguing. When I play that same recording through the ripped file that goes from my Small Green Computer server, to the Sonore Optical Rendu, to my Ayre QB-9 Twenty DAC, it is much more as I like it. I assume most of this is because I prefer the Ayre DAC to the DAC built into the Oppo. Sadly, the Ayre DAC is USB only, and I can't take the Oppo digits and send them to the Ayre.

But since I am a realist, and will not rip my full CD collection, I am wondering if there is a relatively inexpensive DAC that I could use to improve the Oppo. That machine is getting old and DAC technology seems to be the end of the digital chain that improves the most, the most often. 

Any suggestions for an affordable upgrade to the DAC built into the Oppo?

Thanks,

David

dtorc
baylinor's avatar
baylinor
1,412 posts
 

I had the Cambridge cd transport under 1k. It does not do it. It took the Jay's cdt2-mk3 to get a sound similar to my streaming  setup. Sorry, but in this case, I wasted money hoping a 1k cd transport would do it. 

sls883
311 posts
 

Looks like you have a great dac.  Have you considered a new player?  I have a Denon DCD-1700NE sacd player and I think it's excellent for the money. I could run it through my dac, but I like the internal dacs in the player. Denon may not be a brand that you associate with high end, but it's a really nice sounding player. 

jimmy2615
436 posts
 

I have a much different take. I own a 105, and I believe the DAC in the 105 is not bad at all. I feel it is the transport in the 105 is not good. I’ve had many DACs over the last few years, and without fail they all sound worse when using the 105 as a transport with the SPDIF out from the 105. (The HDMI out to something like the Bryston may be a different story, not sure). What’s more, I think the 105 playing CDs sounds better than using it as a transport only. I would recommend finding a CD player that matches your taste. Good value CD players, especially used, I would recommend Denon, Marantz, Luxman…

That said, it is possible the DAC in the 105 is also a bad match for your system; it can sound a little dry and brittle or etched at times. But if you get another DAC, I still think you may not get the best out of it using the 105 as a transport.  

jl35
3,980 posts
 

I thought the 105 was a great DVD Player, never really liked it as a CD Player or Transport...sold mine and found a used Primare CD35 which I like very much...

ritter06
23 posts
 

I concur on the 105. It’s really pretty good and a diminishing returns exercise (like all things audio) as transport and DAC to improve upon. But I have a number of SACDs that i won’t live without so the Bryston and 105 make a good combo, albeit compromised. 

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