Oppo BDP-103 and 105 2 channel stereo audio quality - Does the DAC difference matter?
SholaBaby
Posts: 2
Hello everyone,
I have just got myself Oppo BDP-103 player after lotsa research and review reading to decide against its big brother the 105. Now I am thinking, have I made the right choice? Should I have gone for the 105 in spite that it costs twice more than the 103? As I have gathered from all that I read about them, the difference between them actually lies in their audio output through their DAC chips. 103 uses Cirrus Logic CS4382 DAC chip while 105 uses ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018 DAC chip. So the question now is have I made right choice by going for 103 giving the price of 105 being twice as much? Is their any significant difference in their 2 channel stereo analog audio rendition? All I just want is the sound to get as close as possible to vinyl's analogue level warm and soft to the ears, but so far 103 is doing okay as I use it with my old JVC AX-R 551BK Integrated Stereo Amplifier cool and tight sound ...
Please folks, help with your opinions... Thank you.
I have just got myself Oppo BDP-103 player after lotsa research and review reading to decide against its big brother the 105. Now I am thinking, have I made the right choice? Should I have gone for the 105 in spite that it costs twice more than the 103? As I have gathered from all that I read about them, the difference between them actually lies in their audio output through their DAC chips. 103 uses Cirrus Logic CS4382 DAC chip while 105 uses ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018 DAC chip. So the question now is have I made right choice by going for 103 giving the price of 105 being twice as much? Is their any significant difference in their 2 channel stereo analog audio rendition? All I just want is the sound to get as close as possible to vinyl's analogue level warm and soft to the ears, but so far 103 is doing okay as I use it with my old JVC AX-R 551BK Integrated Stereo Amplifier cool and tight sound ...
Please folks, help with your opinions... Thank you.
Post edited by SholaBaby on
Comments
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What kind of speakers are you running on the old jvc? You can change the source all day long but, if your amp and speakers aren't up to snuff or aren't detailed enough, you might be looking at the wrong thing to replace.
If you want a cheap way to change the sound out of your current player, you can always add a tube buffer to it. That might get you the sound your are looking for.
The 103 is a solid player. If you are looking to run Flac files or digital files, that is where the 105 has a huge advantage.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
I've had both in this house and for me the 105 was a clear winner. It all depends on your needs and the rest of your gear though. My Maggies are very revealing speakers and critical of any components upstream, so while I could hear a big difference on those you may not hear it on your gear.
The 105 ONLY matters if you're using the analog outputs. It doesn't have any extra functionality or play any additional types of files that the 103 cannot handle so don't let that impact your decision. It has the same video performance and the same audio performance over the digital outputs, so if you already have a great DAC downstream then you won't need the 105.
That being said, if you're using the analog outputs then the difference in sound quality is quite impressive and I'd highly recommend the 105 if your gear is revealing enough to show the difference. -
The 105 also has digital inputs to serve as a Pre.
When my Denon kicks the bucket I'll be looking at the 105 or its successor along with a new 5ch amp to make up my HT. I would stay with the 103 but its lack of even an optical input makes it a no go.
