Blu Ray player versus CD/SACD player.

@ianhorseman 

I probably got needlessly complicated in my post.  Suffice to say when I got the Bryston DAC3 I used the HDMI input for everything, SACD and red book, as the HDMI inputs seem to give results equal to their other inputs.  My room has some oddities, and I was using Room Correction software in my other systems, so I thought I would try some RC in the two channel system, thus the mini DSP, which won't work with DSD.  So the SACD replay doesnt get the benefit of room correction, but otherwise sounds outstanding as the DSD layer of the SACDs is outputted into the DAC.

   Regarding Marantz SACD players-I have owned a few, and they are very satisfying, but they do tend to roll off the top end.  Since most music lives in the midrange, this may not be terribly important, depending what you listen to

+2 from @mahler123 and @akg_ca-

it’s not that the Oppo is a “bad” device but it’s kind of a “jack of all trades”. I purchased a 105D to run through an AVR and it was cool for movies but not so much for two channel listening. The implementation of the DAC is not that great.

I’ve dumped the AVR and now only use a two channel setup. As my library is all CD (except for a couple SACD) my choice was to go with a Naim Uniti Core for ripping/storage/playback and run that through an external DAC. As of now I’m using an Aqua La Scala Optologic and have been very pleased with the results.

it seems though that there have always been some who love the Oppo's as CD players, especially the 105 used XLR...

it seems though that there have always been some who love the Oppo's as CD players, especially the 105 used XLR...

I like my 203 OPPO.

All of this is very helpful as it contains some useful basic things to consider, and there has been none of that “audiophile forum chippiness” that seems to leak into any thread.

I have been going back and forth on……new CD/SACD player versus……..a standalone streamer with internal or external DAC……..a storage type piece to rip all the discs to and using it with a DAC…..etc, etc, etc.

Not sure I’m any further forward, but the responses to date have got me thinking down alternative options. Maybe finding the best, overall single unit which will do it all isn’t achievable. Possibly I need to clarify for myself what exactly I’m trying to do and how best to achieve it.

That might help……duuh!

Or I can just upgrade my speakers?! LOL.

Keep the thoughts coming please, and thanks for the input to date.

E