Oppo BD 105, stand alone DAC, or music streamer


I am trying to improve the resolution of two channel digital files played on my Home Theater system. I have an Arcam AVR400, an older Yamaha cdp and a Panasonic bdp. I have tried various configurations (HDMI, S/PDIF and analogue) for two channel play back, and the best so far is analogue out of the Yamaha to the Arcam. The DACs in the Panasonic and the Arcam are less musical than the Yamaha for two channel, but do a little better with the bass (except flac files streamed through the network connection on the Arcam, which have weak bass - go figure). The Panasonic/Arcam combo is terrific for both multichannel sound and picture on Bluray disks. The Arcam's amp section is the best for an AVR I have heard at this price point for two or multi channel playback.

My current ideas to improve 2 channel reproduction include adding a $1,000 or less stand alone DAC (say an Arcam irDAC, MyDac or similar well-reviewed modest priced dac), using the Panasonic bdp as a transport, and ditching the older Yamaha; or, getting a Oppo BD105 to replace both transports.

Question - how good is the Oppo for two channel? Is it better than a good but not reference level stand alone dac in your opinion? Absolute resolution and accuracy at frequency extremes are good in my opinion but should not come at the expense of tone, air and musical flow.

All ideas and opinions within Oppo BD105 price envelope appreciated. Speakers for this system are Monitor Audio Apex A40 in the front and A10 in the back. Sub is a B&W PVD1. Solutions that simplify streaming from iDevice or wireless hub welcome.

Thanks for your suggestions,

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Showing 1 response by cdente

The 105 analog is quite good. Very good USB DAC as well. I'm one of those who run it directly into amps (W4S Mamps). The 105 appears to like amps with a higher input impedance based on my experiences. Really very happy with the combination. So simple as well.