Oppo Sonica DAC

[PHC1]

Oppo Sonica DAC. Impressive for the money. I think it will be Roon Ready soon. The Oppo UHD video players already are so the firmware upgrade should be just around the corner.

https://www.oppodigital.com/sonica-dac/

[Puma Cat]

I seriously considered this at the end of last year when I heard it was forthcoming. The fact it did not support Roon was the deal-breaker for me at the time. I had just gotten my Sonore microRendu and was very happy with it, as well.

I would expect that the Sonica would become Roon-ready as the 203/205 are; it's a bit of a surprise they have not updated it already.

It's much more important that a product support Roon than that whole MQA thang...

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

I seriously considered this at the end of last year when I heard it was forthcoming. The fact it did not support Roon was the deal-breaker for me at the time. I had just gotten my Sonore microRendu and was very happy with it, as well.

I would expect that the Sonica would become Roon-ready as the 203/205 are; it's a bit of a surprise they have not updated it already.

A bit strange, it should have been Roon Ready first, not last being an audiophile DAC instead of a video player for the more discerning videophile.

Perhaps good things come to those who wait.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

A bit strange, it should have been Roon Ready first, not last being an audiophile DAC instead of a video player for the more discerning videophile.

Perhaps good things come to those who wait.

The whole "Roon-ready" thing was just starting to hit it's peak at the end of last year. Most of my audio friends at the time still did not even know what it was, and trying to get them to consider moving away from Audirvana was, to put it mildly, challenging. You kind of actually have to experience Roon first-hand to "get it".

My guess is Sonica was on a product development schedule. They had the product developed already completely and were getting ready to go into production when the whole Roon thing hit. IIRC, Sonica did not go on sale until this year, 2017, IIRC. Now that's it been out, they probably have time to devote resources to for a firmware update that will make it Roon-ready.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

The whole "Roon-ready" thing was just starting to hit it's peak at the end of last year. Most of my audio friends at the time still did not even know what it was, and trying to get them to consider moving away from Audirvana was, to put it mildly, challenging. You kind of actually have to experience Roon first-hand to "get it".

My guess is Sonica was on a product development schedule. They had the product developed already completely and were getting ready to go into production when the whole Roon thing hit. IIRC, Sonica did not go on sale until this year, 2017, IIRC. Now that's it been out, they probably have time to devote resources to for a firmware update that will make it Roon-ready.

Would only be logical that they will make Sonica Roon ready.

[rushca01]

Does anybody have one of these? Trying to decide between this and the Cambridge CXN.

[nicoff]

Originally Posted by rushca01

Does anybody have one of these? Trying to decide between this and the Cambridge CXN.

Have you considered the Oppo 205 as well? I just read that is is both Roon Ready and MQA DAC. More money than the Sonica but more features and capabilities.

[orosie]

Originally Posted by rushca01

Does anybody have one of these? Trying to decide between this and the Cambridge CXN.

I have one...and also used to have the CXN. The Oppo is nice...I use it in a second system. My old Auralic Vega was in a different league, but that is to be expected considering the Oppo costs $800, and the Vega $3500. My new Vega G2 takes it to another level above and beyond the old Vega...so really no comparison to the Oppo.

Back to the Oppo...it is a detailed DAC that is a bit on the bright side..like every Oppo DAC I have listened to. Maybe it is the ESS chip? Not sure, as there is much more that goes into the sound quality of a DAC besides the chip itself. For the money, you really cant beat the sound or build quality. I would rate it in the same league as the CXN, although the Cambridge was a bit softer...warmer if you will. Sounded a bit more analog....with a tad less detail.

Once they add Roon Endpoint functionality to the Oppo....it will be a no brainer...total bargain...and one of the better sounding sub $1000 DACs out there, especially with its streaming functionality. The CXN does not even let you stream Tidal...which is the main reason I got rid of it. Not sure what the heck they are thinking there....as Cambridge is really shooting themselves in the foot by not supporting Tidal.

[1KW]

looks like nice DAC