Oppo BDP-105 vs. Van Alstine vs. Azur 840C?


Ok, just want to get some opinions out there from fellow audioholics! I have a primarily 2ch set-up in my living room which currently consists of a Cambridge Azur 840C CD Player, a Van Astine Pre-Amp and Vision DAC, and Van Alstine Ultravalve Power Amp.
I recently purchased the Oppo BDP-105, because I am adding a 3D TV to this list of components. So now it’s not just my 2ch listening area, but a hybrid of 2ch as well as Video entertainment center.
So, I don’t know that I need the Azur 840C CD player anymore, since the Oppo has more capability? Or should I hang on to the Azur 840C, use it primarily for my CD’s, and just use the Oppo for DVD’s and PC type media?
I appreciate your thoughts and input.
128x128sabciu
I can't see any reason to use the Azur if you have the Oppo. The Oppo can play all the same discs and more. You may want to compare the Oppo's 2 channel output to that of the AVA DAC, but I don't see the Azur having a role in your system.
If you liked the 840C, you would probably have liked the new AZUR 752BD (I own both) over the Oppo machine.

Widescreen Review issue 175 where both the Oppo BDP-105 and Cambridge Audio Azur 752 BD were compared by Doug Blackburn:

Quote:

'' The 752BD has the best analog sound quality I've heard from a Blu-ray Disc player so far... there, I said it. The high-end Blu-ray Disc player getting the most attention these days is OPPO's recently introduced BDP-105. But the 752BD sounds better. The main difference is that the BDP-105's sound is more forward and has less depth. The BDP-105's stereo sound appears to emanate from a plane slightly forward of the loudspeakers. The 752BD places the main plain of the sound just behind the loudspeakers, and there's a greater sense of depth going back behind the loudspeakers and more sense of width to the sides. The other difference I heard was that the 752BD's sound puts just a bit more silence between the notes. This is a difficult thing to describe in words, but it essentially makes each note more distinct without really sounding particularly different from other high-end disc player''
Thanks for all the input on this. It's interesting to get everyone's viewpoints. I'm not certain what I'll decide just yet. Perhaps once my SoundScape 8's arrive, I'll do further testing and see what's more music to my ears.