TBG,
Have you actually heard Exemplar's Oppo conversion?
A good friend received his just the other day and, in accordance with all known 'rules of audio' we listened to it right out of the box...still a little cool to the touch.
I owned Exemplar's Dennon 5910 conversion, and felt that it was some of the finest digital that I had ever heard, with Exemplar using the Active Tube loads as well as replacing the 'el cheapo' parts through the audio section.
Well, now I'm a little bit sick...the new Oppo unit makes my unit sound 'broken' for want of a better description. It really is REMARKABLE. It's clearer, by a wide margin, and with no 'etching' which can be common to such improvements...as a matter of fact it sounds so much smoother, and more musical, as to not be believed. I recently dusted off my LP12, and am about to put it back in the system--but know in my gut that their's no way that it can sound better than this masterpiece from Exemplar.
I was, at a time in audio when I thought it impossible, 'shocked' at the difference. It's the best digital I've ever heard, by a margin I can't describe. Run, don't walk, and order one.
Larry
