To Wes Marshall,
I just finished reading your excellent review of the Oppo BDP-103 from February. While all reviews that I have read of the BDP-103 have spoken very highly of its video capabilities, most, if not all, have said little about how well it does or doesn't do with plain old CDs. If I were to buy the Oppo, probably 90% of what I would use it for would be to play CDs. What is your opinion of its CD performance?
Currently I am using a Rotel RCD-971 that I bought new in 2000. I am very pleased with its sound, and it still works the way it did in 2000. Could the 971's sound be significantly improved by running its output into a new DAC? I am thinking of the PS Audio NuWave DAC. I realize that you may have no experience with the Rotel or the NuWave, but what do you think would give me better CD performance, the BDP-103 or the Rotel/NuWave combination?
Bill Lund
OK, let me give you some gentle encouragement to either simply delight in your current system as is, or start over completely. Every piece of equipment you have is of a very high standard. It is all working, so why not just lean back and enjoy it?
If you have an uncontrollable, irrepressible desire to upgrade something, then start over. Your first decision is whether you want to preserve your signals as digital until just before the amplification stage, or whether you want to use a DVD player, let it handle your D-to-A conversion, and keep the rest in analog. If you have a jones for analog (I don't), then buy the Oppo BDP-105 and let it become the all-handling D-to-A converter. Forget outboards, the D-to-A in the Oppo beats most outboards under $2000. Then you can keep your speakers and integrated amplifier, at least.
T'were it me, I would buy a good-quality home-theater receiver, probably an Onkyo or NAD, for a good juxtaposition of musicality and cost, or a Rotel for a bit more money, and then add a subwoofer, an Oppo BDP-103, and use Audyssey to fix all your room problems. Then, despite the fact that the Oppo would probably have a slightly better D-to-A stage, I'd just use the HDMI cable to the receiver and let it handle the D-to-A conversion. That preserves the digital signal as long as humanly possible.
The one thing I wouldn't do is make tiny changes to your current system. It is just fine as it is. If you want an improvement, don't look to new CD players or DACs. You'll have to make wholesale changes. . . . Wes Marshall
