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Oppo 103 vs. 105 Is it worth twice the price?

T

toomuchvinyl

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I've been thinking for some time about dropping my CD player for a Blu-ray capable universal player. It'll save some space in my cabinet and definitely be an upgrade to both my audio and video systems.

Oppo has been the brand I thought I'd go with since I began looking into this. In my home it would be used far more for music than for movie playback. I've recently seen the upgraded Darbee models.

I have a fairly new 3d capable Sony 60 in. TV so I think I could benefit from the improved video source but as I said, movie playback would not be the major use. Can anyone who's listened to both tell me if the dedicated analog output on the 105 makes it worth the significant price difference?
 
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If you will be listening to music with it, yes it's worth twice the price. If it will be for movies primarily then no it isn't worth twice the price. Looking at your opening post I would say it will worth it for you to go with the 105.
 
Everyones hearing is different. Just because someone else says they can hear a difference doesn't necessarialy mean you will be able to notice it. ...but sometimes the peace of mind of knowing you have "the best" is comfort in and of itself.
 
Now that I have an iPad Air, the next thing is the an Oppo player since this player is likely to be last such player I will purchase barring a fantastic leap in disc technology It stands to reason to get the best and that is the 105D.
 
Klownschool said:
It sure would be nice to be able to audition them.
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:thmbsp: Agree. There may or may not be a big difference. We all hear differently.I have the 103 and it sounded the same as the 95 that got all the high praise. Don't know about the 105.

If you are close to a Best Buy that has a Magnolia Design Center, they carry the OPPO players.
 
Thanks everyone, I'll check and see if any retailer in my area sells Oppo and if so try to get an audition. If not, then the logic of "The Best" is a pretty strong lure too. I may have to justify it by breaking the price down to what it would cost for high quality separates.
 
Timely thread! I'm trying to make the same decision; 103 vs 105 Darbee. I'm going to Magnolia tomorrow (Monday) to test drive them both.
 
If I can find a retailer it'll be at least a 2 hour trip so not likely to happen soon. Please let us know what you think chef!
 
toomuchvinyl said:
Thanks everyone, I'll check and see if any retailer in my area sells Oppo and if so try to get an audition. If not, then the logic of "The Best" is a pretty strong lure too. I may have to justify it by breaking the price down to what it would cost for high quality separates.
Click to expand...
The one thing about buyng "the best" is that that title changes yearly.
 
toomuchvinyl said:
I've been thinking for some time about dropping my CD player for a Blu-ray capable universal player.
It'll save some space in my cabinet and definitely be an upgrade to both my audio and video systems.

Oppo has been the brand I thought I'd go with since I began looking into this. In my home it would be used far more for music than for movie playback.
I've recently seen the upgraded Darbe models.

I have a fairly new 3d capable Sony 60 in. TV so I think I could benefit from the improved video source but as I said, movie playback would not be the major use.
Can anyone who's listened to both tell me if the dedicated analog output on the 105 makes it worth the significant price difference?
Click to expand...

In your case, if your analog preamp is up to it, go for it (hi-rez), use the analog connection of the Oppo 105D.
And if you need a digital preamp then use the 105D as one. ...And as an excellent DAC too, and if you like listening to music through headphones, you are also covered.

Sorry, I couldn't resist to share my opinion.
 
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I wonder when the next Oppo will arrive.

I say that as the owner of a Oppo/Nuforce BDP-83SE.

Streaming capabilities are getting to be important. I was looking at my Plasma TV. It was made in 2008 and is limited to two HDMI inputs and doesn't stream.

I'd like to stream from an Oppo, and I know the 105 does it, but I think that's going to be more and more of the equation and the streaming interface is now a couple of years old.
 
Markw said:
The one thing about buyng "the best" is that that title changes yearly.
Click to expand...

That it does! I could never financially justify keeping pace with the next big thing but I've tried to buy the best I could afford at the time and for the most part gotten something that has lasted and been enjoyed for a long time. That seems to apply to just about any consumer item.
 
Good thinking.

But, by the same token, I try to buy last years TOTL when the new latest and greatest hits and it sells for a reduced price.
 
The real question in my mind, is whether or not it is worth sending the 105D off to Modwright, for the deluxe mods (tube amplification, separate power supply, and other upgrades). The mods cost roughly double what the unit costs in the first place. Worth that much more $$$, or not? Arnie Nudell and others sure rave about the thing, but I wonder how for towards the end of the diminishing returns curve those upgrades fall. It's a lot of money (in total) to spend on a disc player.
 
Arkay said:
The real question in my mind, is whether or not it is worth sending the 105D off to Modwright, for the deluxe mods (tube amplification, separate power supply, and other upgrades). The mods cost roughly double what the unit costs in the first place. Worth that much more $$$, or not? Arnie Nudell and others sure rave about the thing, but I wonder how for towards the end of the diminishing returns curve those upgrades fall. It's a lot of money (in total) to spend on a disc player.
Click to expand...

There are also a lot of great disc players that you can get for that price. Personally I would never send an Oppo out for expensive mods when I can buy an Ayre (among many) player for similar money...even if I had to pitch in a bit more it would be worth it to me. I understand why others might do it, but not for me.
 
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