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Give me some advice. I have an OPPO 105 that I use for reedbook, SACD, TIDAL and streaming my digital library from an external HD. Are any of you using an external DAC with the 105? If so what do you use and what did it improve. Has anyone tried a DAC and stayed with the internal OPPO DAC?
The rest of the stream is Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP and PBN Montana EPS2 speakers. Cables are all Morrow.
Thanks.
Follow Ups:
Not to open a new can of worms, but I will. Rather than what I am doing should I consider something like the Sony HAP-Z1ES? I could keep the OPPO in the system for the occasional SACD and attach my external HD to the Sony. Will I lose quality?
Anyone have experience going that way?
Thanks again.
I also had a vote no one saw for buying a Rega Saturn-R and keeping the OPPO for SACD. I was told I can run my digital files through the DAC in the Rega for much improved sound over the OPPO (I would need a laptop to do this?).
That is what I have done -- I use a HAP-Z for all downloads up to DSD - it has had a number of software upgrades and is very reliable and easy to use. Because it is a few years old I upgraded its output (through software from Sony) to a Oppo Sonica Dac which has upgraded ESS SABRE PRO
chip- and its great improvement. I wrote to Oppo on having the 105 output to the Sonica Dac also - since the 105 is a few years old - and got the response already noted to you that because of copyright issues using optical etc would reduce the SACD output to 48hrz.
Careful with the Oppo 105 and external DAC. I have the Oppo 105 and was considering adding DAC. Then I saw an article in Audioxpress magazine. Reviewer Gary Galo owns a 105 and reported the Oppo does not output anything over approx 16-48 for piracy reasons. The work around was an $85 HDMI to SPDIF adapter box.
Doing this from memory, but info is close.
What Galo actually writes is:
"One of my frustrations is how the recording industry has prevented Super Audio CD (SACD) and Blu-ray customers from getting the most out of these potentially-excellent formats. I have my OPPO BDP-105 player set so the S/PDIF digital output will deliver the full resolution of all PCM media, up to 192 kHz/24 bit. To my extreme annoyance, all the Blu-ray audio discs that I own force the OPPO to down-convert high-resolution discs to 48 kHz/16 bit at the digital output. I realize that this is done to prevent piracy, but the recording companies are also preventing users of outboard DACs from fully realizing maximum performance from these discs."
I have my Oppo 105D connected to a PS Audio DirectStream DAC both by coax and TOSlink. The TOSLink is limited to 96/24 but formats up to 192/24 on external hard drives pass through to the DS DAC without issue.
Joe
Would you care to explain this a bit more? Will an external DAC work and improve sound?
Thanks
When it comes to most file types, yes, the PS Audio DirectStream DAC is an improvement over the 105D. The PSA DAC is more finely shaded IMO. The 105D has better leading defined edges on transients. Which one is the more musical, whatever that means? The DS DAC. The 105D is excellent with SACD and DVD-A. No holds barred.
Joe
Thanks
see more detailed comments below. ...Abe
Are you finding the Oppo's sound a bit fey, a little wan? A couple of years ago, I was keen on finding joy in the JLTi modified version of the 105D. But even that failed to convince me musically. And textures seemed overly processed (French horn, anyone?).
What music do you listen to?
And what do you find is missing from the 105?
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
I listen to everything except for country, metal and hip hop. I would say blues followed by rock and classical.
Most of my listening is vinyl (VPI Classic 2 and Sutherland Phono stage). What I would like is something similar to the vinyl experience. I tend to get fatigued with long digital sessions. Maybe a bit bright and gain some more depth. Make sense?
You'd like your digital to sound more like vinyl?
I was faced with that dilemma a couple of years ago. After much research and comparative listening I decided on an NOS tube DAC. My choice was the ANK 2.1, and since I'm not a kit builder I ordered mine from ANK as an assembled unit from their builder Pete Fulton (digitalpete) with the upgraded Duelund capacitors.
Fantastic analog sound along with superb customer service from Pete Fulton. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
IMO, all the talk about measurements is hypothetical (do they REALLY know what to look for?) when compared to actual listening. That's where an NOS DAC thrives. Try one out if you can.
Cheers,
SB
Look, I don't know how amenable you are to investing in new examples of old-tech, but none will be surprised to see me steer you in the direction of R2R DACs of yore. I'm talking about DACs that use chips like the TDA1541A from Philips, or the PCM1704K from Burr Brown, or Analog Devices AD1865.
You will find the AD in items from Audio Note or AN Kits, for example. You will find the TDA1541A in fewer and fewer designs, as the supply is nearly dried up - but you may see R versions turn up in cleverly designed DACs like those made in Ukraine by Abbas Audio. And you will find the 1704K in DACs (just about, as these are disappearing fast) such as those made by Audio-gd or Lite Audio (like I use).
All of the above are well engineered designs, with good power supplies that take full advantage of the sonic signatures of each of those DACs. The less processing the better. And if you want to go vintage, then you will find even more examples.
What's your budget?
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Thanks for those ideas. I'm not opposed to vintage anything.
Budget? I don't really have a budget in mind. What I am looking for is an idea of what it would cost, or even if it is possible to significantly upgrade my OPPO.
I would start looking from US$1,500 up. Answering the question of whether it is possible to do better, I would say emphatically 'yes, and then some'.When they were more generally available, Lite's DAC60 could be had for about US$600. Not sure the Monarchy Audio version cost. However, I think Monarchy still offer a version of it called the NM24 , or similar. The review at that link should be instructive. I have the one above, the DAC83 , which is frankly amazing with I2S connections and even better with glass fibre optical. No problem with macro nor micro-dynamics here. Better overall performance than either the SONY SCD-1 or Marantz CD7, and I owned both of those. These are now very hard to find.
Abbas are still offering DACs for between $1,100 and $1,800 or so. They are quite an esoteric design but full of interesting parts choices and decisions (such as the tube clock and I/V device).
AN Kits and Audio Note do excellent designs, but prices creep up fast.
All of these devices will help you relax into the sound and make it much easier to focus on the performance. Instruments will sound more real and less like simulations (drum skins for example, or the woody resonance of stringed instruments - or the dynamic range of piano keys being struck). Recordings should sound more different to each other than alike, as they should.
Hope that helps.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Edits: 04/30/17 04/30/17
Audio-GD direct from The Peoples Republic...
Link below: Stick with the PCM1704U-K products.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Thank you so much. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for. I will check out some of the DACs you mentioned.
What about the DAC in the Oppo 205?
Something to think about but I don't need any video capabilities so I would rather spend my money on a DAC and not the other features. I don't use my 105 for video either.
How about the Oppo Sonica DAC for $799?
I think the 205 uses the same DAC chip as the Sonica.
John,
I had seen that. Not knowing much about digital I assumed It would not be an improvement over the DAC in the 105. Wrong assumption?
Probably not an unreasonable assumption but hard to tell w/o actually trying.My Oppo HA-1 DAC/Headphone Amp sounded a little lean or on the cool side and possibly a little bright compared to my other DACs including the PS Audio NuWave DSD, Mytek Stereo192-DSD, and the Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC.
For a more full-bodied sound I really like the PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC.
The Oppo HA-1 made me gun shy on buying Oppo BD players or their new Sonica DAC. I may still try the Sonica DAC someday.
My Oppo HA-1 before I sold it
Edits: 05/01/17
Thanks for the ideas. It looks like the PS Audio is no longer in production.
Do they have a Boulder store?
It's quite possible that it's been recently discontinued since they just came out with their Stellar DAC/preamp combo.
I don't think PS Audio has a store but I know they have their 'factory' right there in Boulder. They have an online store and a number of dealers carry their products.
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