Which Oppo to get?

I use the Oppo 970 as well. It is a fine unit for $150 ( now discontinued) The 980 is about the same that Oppo improved DSP functions. When both where available at the same time the Absolute Sound thought the 970 was better and the 980 a bit harsh. YMMV.

Either unit as a stand alone cdp can be betterd by a $300-500 cd player. As a transport with a Benchmark DAC1 it is spectacular.

I use my Oppo for movies and music because the DAC makes music sound world class. With the DAC I can now wait for a good BluRay player and still have world class sound.

Does Oppo OEM their transport from somewhere? or do they make their own?

I can't see how their audio (analog and DSP) section is that much better than another $300-$500 player given the price point and the focus on the video. Unless they have some magical tricks in the transport and jitter reduction side.

Granted I haven't listened to one. I'll be interested in picking up the blu-ray one in the future though.

Oppo told me that the DSP programming is outputed in the digital out, unless you use "raw" setting, which not all material can be converted with an outboard dac. They modified the DSP a bit on the newer 980, but it is not as smooth as the 970 with analogue outputs. I have no experience with the 980.

As far as the analogue outputs of an Oppo for cds, I felt it was decent but not great, but then it is only $150. That is why I bought a dac, and now I can wait for the next generation of BluRay players for movies and use my DAC for sound.