I am on the fence about the Sonica DAC. The big deal killer for me is the lack of gapless playback. Upon listening to files from a server (or in the car, from an SD card or USB stick), I have come to notice that I have more digital albums that segue from one track to another, than I thought I had. I don't see upgrading from my Oppo 105 until they fix this bug. IMHO that should have been a top priority when they set out to design this; they already knew it was an issue on the 105. I will not be tethering a computer to my system either. That is the reason I wanted a network player in the first place.
I've heard the stock Sonica DAC and the Modwright version at AXPONA this past April, and at first listen they sounded impressive. The 105 is comparatively a little darker in presentation, or so I've read, but even so...
I expected my music to sound better, but I just wasn't prepared for this much of an improvement! Right out of the box it sounded so much better; more spacious, the instruments had better timbre, and the vocals, oh the vocals.
...this is exactly how I felt when I first played my 105 the day it arrived. The soundstage! Wow. Digital was finally smooth sounding, rather than the harsh, grating, and soulless mess coming out of my Pioneer DV-45A. I have really liked its easygoing nature, and no doubt when I decide to upgrade, the Sonica DAC will sound even better (since I am planning on getting the Modwright version--I figure I want to take a bigger jump if I am upgrading).
In her box?
Oppo has stated they will not be doing "apps" on the newer hardware. However, there is an easy solution. Get a Chromecast Audio, feed the optical digital output to the Sonica DAC. That opens up all sorts of music apps to be played through the DAC and take advantage of its good sound. Pandora, Spotify, etc. can all be cast to it. I use the original Chromecast into an HDMI input on my 105, simply to play audio apps. We use them as background music here, so it's not so much for ultimate audio quality as it is for convenience.
Zero interest in MQA here, so that's not a deal killer.
I am assuming that it will connect to my network wirelessly. Am I correct?
I am not sure what the Sonica DAC does, but my 105 came with a separate USB-driven receiver/antenna for the WiFi connection. However, even though I had a strong wireless signal in the room, I was getting dropouts on the higher resolution files, especially if I were playing music in surround from the server. Ethernet is definitely the way to go if using high-res. The Ethernet cables today are available in "flat" formats so they are easy to run around the room and tuck behind/underneath things. (They are not the bulky round cables, in other words.)