[loghead]

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to home A/V. I am in the process of changing that after a few major home theatre purchases in the past few months (a new TV and receiver).

My new baby is the Marantz SR7008, which I bought due to the audiophile grade components, especially for phono (I collect and listen to a lot of vinyl). Now I want to get an Oppo player as my current setup does not include a universal player that can play DVD-audio and SACD, of which I own many.

The 105 will double as a DAC for me, as of right now my only USB DAC is my Fiio X3.

The 103 strikes me as the better deal though.

Basically, I'm unsure whether the 105 is a necessary upgrade for me. Won't my receiver do all the DAC work I need it to? Won't my Marantz be ultimately responsible for the sound quality? Or will going with the higher end source in the Oppo 105 be worth the money for my system?

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to ask this, so point me in the right direction if necessary.

THANKS!

 

[swspiers]

I bought the Oppo BDP-103 about 2 weeks ago, and chose it over the 105.  The biggest reason I went with the 103 is because I felt that for the $700 difference, I could get an even better headamp than the 105 has.  I was right, in that I walked into a trade where I came out with a Burson Soloist headamp for peanuts.
 
I have an older Marantz SR-7002.  I can state that the Oppo 103 dac retrieves much more detail than the SR7002. I cannot speak to the dac in the 7008, but it would be worth checking out.
 
I run the 103 as a dac, feeding the Burson, and it is surprisingly good.  I hook-up my laptop via HDMI into the Oppo, and get music/movies off of an external drive as well.  My listening sessions with the Oppo/Burson combination have been the finest experience I have had to date with headphones.  My current cans are Grado SR-225i's and Mr. Speakers Alpha Dogs.
 
I am on the verge of getting a Schiit Bitfrost Uber to compare with the Oppo, mostly because I am curious.
 
Hope this helps...
 
-S

 

[loghead]

Absolutely helped! Thank you.

Basically, it all comes down to determining exactly what that $700 gets me, and whether it's something my Marantz will do reasonably well already.

It's too bad I can't audition them both before deciding, but like most purchases I'm going to have to do the research and trust the opinions of others.

 

[swspiers]

Absolutely helped! Thank you.

Basically, it all comes down to determining exactly what that $700 gets me, and whether it's something my Marantz will do reasonably well already.

It's too bad I can't audition them both before deciding, but like most purchases I'm going to have to do the research and trust the opinions of others.

The other thing to consider is: what is your goal?  I got bit by the Headfi bug fairly hard, and I am striving for the most resolving and engaging set-up possible while keeping things under a 'Summit-fi' budget.  It all depends on your plans for headphones, and source material.
 
For the vast majority of people I know, the Marantz/Oppo combination would be overkill.  As long as you're not planning on hard-to-drive ortho's like Hifiman and Audeze, you'll be fine.
 
However, for the majority of people I know and follow on Headfi, the Oppo/Marantz would be only the beginning.  But  both are very highly regarded, and I know from experience that the combination is really, really good.

 

[Shaffer]

If you have to ask, buy the 103. Seriously.

 

[swspiers]

If you have to ask, buy the 103. Seriously.

I totally disagree.  I took well over a year, weighed the pros and cons, and seriously thought about my future upgrade path.  The Oppo's are good enough to warrant thought and consideration.  It takes no effort to just throw money at this hobby. Planning can save a lot of $$$

 

[Shaffer]

I totally disagree.  I took well over a year, weighed the pros and cons, and seriously thought about my future upgrade path.  The Oppo's are good enough to warrant thought and consideration.  It takes no effort to just throw money at this hobby. Planning can save a lot of $$$

You bought a 103. My point, exactly.

 

[loghead]

I don't have a true USB DAC right now. That alone is making me lean towards the 105.
 
I'd also like to mention, this is strictly in regards to my home theatre set up. I have a headphone amp already. I don't use headphones much at home, that's more of a portable, IEM thing for me. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 for home use, great as a studio monitor. But my question here is less geared towards my headphones.