OPPO 83 and Benchmark DAC 1

Awhile back I had the DAC1 mated with aa Oppo 970. I felt it was a match made in heaven. The Oppo makes a good transport, but you will only have 2 channel audio w/ the external dac. The Oppo/DAC1 was an outstanding combination for music. The Oppo will do the sound processing for movies so it was also great for movies in 2 channel.

The Oppo's soundstage was flat and lacking inner detail. I would loose interest in music after a short time and would have to force my self to concentrate. But with the Benchmark I could easily get lost in the music and listen for hours. With the DAC1 the soundstage was deep and wide, had excellent inner detail and pitch definition which kept me looking into the recording for all the things to listen for. It was also the first time in my experience I didn't hear a hint of digital harshness. It was really cool and I think that may be why I could hear deep in the recording.

The DAC1 makes a darn good preamp too, and that is how I used it.

Dne,
I believe the posting is if the Oppo and DAC1 are a good combo. Hell yes.

Al the DACs are generaly similar at this price and w/ this transort so I'd pick the one with the features you need, and stop chasing the carrot at the end of the stick. You will be happy with the upgrade with anything by a Benchmark, Lavry, PS Audio, etc.

I'm no cable expert and haven't experimented much.

I've used Kimber Kable for ever. I like its punchy bass and articulate nature and its lean and clear midrange. I've used Audioquest and Linn for periods of time but keep returning to Kimber.

My digital cable was by XLO for no perticular reason. Tests have revealed that a digital cable be at lest 1.5 meets long (not 1/2 or 1 meter). I can't remember the details of this finding, but it is common knowledge. You will need to set the Oppo's digital output to PCM for it to be converted.

I can say the DAC1 made CDs and movies sound amazing as opposed to its analogue outputs.

That is how I used my DAC1 w/ an Oppo.
Coax to DAC1 for CD and movies.
L&R analogue out (better than the stereo out) to preamp for everything else.

Johsti,
The L&R is definitely higher quality from everything I have read. You will have to go into the audio menu section and turn off center and rears to devert all info to L&R (if you have no multichannel amplification for your audio). There has been some excellent tests over the years talking about getting the best sound from Oppo's and all have concluded that the stereo outputs are not as good on 2 channel analogue sound. I now have a Denon and apply the same techqniue on it as well.

I couldn't find the articles on getting the best sound from an Oppo.

The 970HD is considered the best of the Oppo's for redbook cd playback, but with a limited video section, so maybe its focus on audio allowed such a connection to produce better results.

The BluRay Oppos are a different animal and is an underperformer with redbook cd playback so maybe the L&R analogue connetions don't produce the better effect.

May I chime in without bringing everyones wrath on me. I don't understand the value in modding a DVD/BluRay player. Yes you can improve the CD playback, but as video improves then you want to sell your machine. Why not mod a cd player or older sacd player and not a bluray player.

Years back I was going to mod my Oppo 970 when it was king. After soul searching I chose a Benchmark dac and know I made the correct decision. After 2 years I sold the Oppo as video improved.

I now own an older unmodded used Sony 9000es and it music playback sound (from memory recollection) is as good as the Oppo/Benchmark combo. If you want analogue redbook playback I'd stay away from costly modds to a bluray player with a changing video playback format.

Cmalak,
If 2 channel sacd/cd performance is your goal why not get a used Sony 9000es for pannies on the dollar and mod this unit. You will spend less and have one of the best players regardless of cost. Stock it already has a fantastic transport, killer power supply w/ dual r-core transformers, and superior chassis.