[70sMac]

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

105D adds a few more things to the offering. As a stand-alone DAC and improved power supplies. The 9018 DAC wasn’t one of my favorites but it does get decent reviews.

Downsides to the 205 - it doesn’t play UHD discs nor is the streaming system as powerful as the 20x (now adds Roon as a Transport service).

I actually prefer the sound of the AK range of DACs but the 203 implementation does skimp on the analog outputs and power supplies.

If you are buying preowned, I wouldn’t pay a premium for either - even if the market is commanding one. Disc transports are mechanical structures that exhibit wear and tear more noticeably. I remember you already purchased the 20x and didn’t pay a premium for it. So that’s good. If you want better sound, get the Bryston DAC and connect it to the Oppo via HDMI.

For the money, and you needed a second player - you might be better off getting a Panasonic UB820 to play UHD discs if that’s all you want. Or the Pioneer LX500 (which does use an upgraded AK4490 DAC) which does play SACD/DVDA and the lot like the Oppo 20x.

DoggieHowser..... I probably should have added that we already have a Sony X800M2 that will handle our 4K video duty, so I'm comparing the Oppo 203 to the 105D as audio sources, not only for sound, but also for connectivity. Put another way, if we keep the 105D as our SACD, DVD-A and our HDCD source -- a function we lose with the 203 -- will we be losing much in the way of a DAC?

I also like the fact that we can utilize the 105D's balanced XLR outputs in our system -- again, something we lose with the 203 -- but I've never heard the 105D -- which is on its way as I type this -- so I'm asking the folks on the AAF for some thoughts on the audio capabilities of the two Oppo players as DACs (for the most part)...and, not to confuse matters, but I understand that the 105D is a better source for ripping physical media, which we have a lot of.

Thank you for posting.