help a Die hard ANALOG guy choose a budget CDP


Price range is around 1,200 US. So far I have only considered the Oppo 105D. Current player is a Sony Playstation 1, which sounds better than it has any right to for $30. The player will be the lone source in a bedroom system. Integrated will be Heed Obelisk, small monitor speakers TBD.
fjn04

Showing 1 response by 213runnin

I had the Emotiva ERC-1 and it was underwhelming(I'd stay away from them since the ERC 1 and 2 both had issues).  I upgraded to the Oppo 95, which though an improvement, seemed somewhat harsh at higher volumes, and not organic but too detailed, at least in my system.

After upgrading the speaker cables and pre, I tried the Nad C565BEE, their top of the line from a few years ago.  It has a richer lush sound that the Oppo can't compete with.  I paid 450 for it used.

I'm sure the 105 is an improvement over the 95, but a cd spinner is not exactly new technology.  There is no need to spend 1300 to get top shelf sound, and I'm betting you don't really need a swiss army knife universal player that the 105 is.

Streaming is done for convenience, it is not superior to CDP playback!  You can get many devices that will allow streaming.  I bought an Apple TV device that does just fine in this regard, $100.  


The streaming choice just depends on what inputs your receiver or preamp has.