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How good is the Oppo 105 as a DAC?

I'm in the market for a good DAC and always heard good things about the DAC in the Oppo 105. I already have the 103 Darbee edition for my home theater setup but was wondering about using the Oppo 105 for my 2 channel setup.

My 2 channel system (will) consist of a Cary Audio SLP 98L tube pre and Cary Cinema 5 solid state amp with Verity Parsifal (or other) speakers. Would I be better served with a more expensive dedicated DAC for a system of this calibre, or would there be only slight improvements over the DAC in the Oppo 105? It would be nice to have the transport as well.
larrybou
tbg
5,263 posts
 
John Tucker of Exemplar Audio has long believed that the major failing of dac is that their output stage is no good. The Oppo 105 is a perfect example. I got to compare a stock unit with the Exemplar unit with a complete replacement of the Oppos output stage. There was no comparison. As we say, the standard Oppo 105 sounded broken.
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
I replaced an Ayre CX-7 (original, no mods) with an Oppo 105 last year, it was better on stereo.

The functionality and versatility of the player combined with the stereo capability make it a very attractive proposition at the price point.

How much it takes to beat it or if there reasonable price DAC's that can take it up a level-is another question....or two.

Oppo does seem to attract it's critics but in many cases they are comparing other models than the 105
larrybou OP
130 posts
 
I just ordered the new OPPO HA-1 DAC/preamp/headphone amp. It has the same DAC as the 105 but does DSD128 PCM 380(whatever it is).

I'm hoping it sounds better than the 105 even with the same DAC given it's narrower focus but same price. We'll see.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
As a dac, it is nowhere near the BMC PureDac.
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