This is not a review. Truth be told, I'm not capable of writing a piece congruent with the standards of the forum, so please take the below as some quick impressions of the gear I've had in my system over the last few weeks:
Schiit Modi - $100 direct, very handsome cosmetics and very good external build quality. It wouldn't look out of place in a serious system. Its overall sonic presentation is a bit veiled and congested. While its tonal balance is slightly sweet, the unit gets leaner and leaner below ~500Hz. Operationally, the Modi locks on and doesn't let go. Never a glitch. Easy to use, does what it claims, but not recommended for hi-fi.
HRT Music Streamer II - $170 MSRP (I paid $140 shipped). At least a grade above the Schiit, sonically: more air, more articulation and definition, less congestion, still no real bass. Operationally it loses lock with my Win8 laptop, as the computer goes to sleep, having to be awakened by reinserting the plug into the USB port. Every time. I sent it back.
Enter the USB DAC in the Oppo105. Let me start out by saying that if someone were to tell me that I'd be getting this sort of sound from 320Kbps files beamed via Spotify, I simply would not have believe it. No joke, night and day difference, compared to the other DACs. Plainly put, the Oppo is the best sounding piece of digital gear I've ever heard in my system: CD, SACD, USB DAC. Mind you, this is the only piece of digital great of this quality that I've had in quite a while, so my point of reference isn't terribly current. That being said, playing CDs, the Oppo delivers a level of resolution and clarity, vivid dynamic contrasts coupled with a lack of grain that are unprecedented, digital-wise, IMHE. I'm completely blown away. Never said that about a CDP before. Ever. Never heard one like this, either.
Some may have noticed that I didn't list a CDP as a part of my system, until now. Frankly, even though I have +1500 of these things and keep getting more, I never fully warmed up to the sound of the silver platter. All that has changed to a large degree. Though I still prefer analog, by quite a wide margin, this machine makes listening to CDs into an enjoyable experience. The above being said, the Oppo my not be for everyone. Totally, it sounds a bit lean and incisive. Fans of harmonic richness, as a staple, should look elsewhere.
FWIW, I compared the 105 to a Marantz cd5004 - same cables, etc. The difference isn't as drastic as with the two inexpensive DACs, but easily perceived after the first few notes. The first thing that jumped out at me was the clarity. I'm a nut for clarity and the Oppo got me where I live. The dynamics were second ...then ...everything else followed. Overall, the Oppo105 is one of me most impressive components of any kind that I've heard. It doesn't have that metallic sheen that seem to accompany the CD. I don't mean that it sounds rolled off or that it somehow masks what I thought was inevitable. No. It's the exact opposite. It retrieves the music and leaves the gunk behind. This effect is not achieved by coloring the presentation. Let me say again that all this is easily audible. Not just in an audiophile sense.
HD Tracks - As The Oppo can actually play these things, I downloaded a sampler from the site. This was the first time I heard high-erz files in my own system. While the musical selection didn't exactly raise my blood pressure, the sound could not be denied. It was incredible. I ordered a HDD just for this purpose, along with storing some of the extra downloadable bits included with new LPs. My first purchase will be Songs in the key of life.
System relevant to this:
Oppo105
Kress S300i
Dunlavy SCIV (setup as per the designer)
Audio Art IC-3 balanced
Dunlavy speaker cable
DIY (XLO) cords
Big room treated with GIK and ATS acoustic products.
Schiit Modi - $100 direct, very handsome cosmetics and very good external build quality. It wouldn't look out of place in a serious system. Its overall sonic presentation is a bit veiled and congested. While its tonal balance is slightly sweet, the unit gets leaner and leaner below ~500Hz. Operationally, the Modi locks on and doesn't let go. Never a glitch. Easy to use, does what it claims, but not recommended for hi-fi.
HRT Music Streamer II - $170 MSRP (I paid $140 shipped). At least a grade above the Schiit, sonically: more air, more articulation and definition, less congestion, still no real bass. Operationally it loses lock with my Win8 laptop, as the computer goes to sleep, having to be awakened by reinserting the plug into the USB port. Every time. I sent it back.
Enter the USB DAC in the Oppo105. Let me start out by saying that if someone were to tell me that I'd be getting this sort of sound from 320Kbps files beamed via Spotify, I simply would not have believe it. No joke, night and day difference, compared to the other DACs. Plainly put, the Oppo is the best sounding piece of digital gear I've ever heard in my system: CD, SACD, USB DAC. Mind you, this is the only piece of digital great of this quality that I've had in quite a while, so my point of reference isn't terribly current. That being said, playing CDs, the Oppo delivers a level of resolution and clarity, vivid dynamic contrasts coupled with a lack of grain that are unprecedented, digital-wise, IMHE. I'm completely blown away. Never said that about a CDP before. Ever. Never heard one like this, either.
Some may have noticed that I didn't list a CDP as a part of my system, until now. Frankly, even though I have +1500 of these things and keep getting more, I never fully warmed up to the sound of the silver platter. All that has changed to a large degree. Though I still prefer analog, by quite a wide margin, this machine makes listening to CDs into an enjoyable experience. The above being said, the Oppo my not be for everyone. Totally, it sounds a bit lean and incisive. Fans of harmonic richness, as a staple, should look elsewhere.
FWIW, I compared the 105 to a Marantz cd5004 - same cables, etc. The difference isn't as drastic as with the two inexpensive DACs, but easily perceived after the first few notes. The first thing that jumped out at me was the clarity. I'm a nut for clarity and the Oppo got me where I live. The dynamics were second ...then ...everything else followed. Overall, the Oppo105 is one of me most impressive components of any kind that I've heard. It doesn't have that metallic sheen that seem to accompany the CD. I don't mean that it sounds rolled off or that it somehow masks what I thought was inevitable. No. It's the exact opposite. It retrieves the music and leaves the gunk behind. This effect is not achieved by coloring the presentation. Let me say again that all this is easily audible. Not just in an audiophile sense.
HD Tracks - As The Oppo can actually play these things, I downloaded a sampler from the site. This was the first time I heard high-erz files in my own system. While the musical selection didn't exactly raise my blood pressure, the sound could not be denied. It was incredible. I ordered a HDD just for this purpose, along with storing some of the extra downloadable bits included with new LPs. My first purchase will be Songs in the key of life.
System relevant to this:
Oppo105
Kress S300i
Dunlavy SCIV (setup as per the designer)
Audio Art IC-3 balanced
Dunlavy speaker cable
DIY (XLO) cords
Big room treated with GIK and ATS acoustic products.
