[jeffhawke]

  Oppo have put up the UK pricing for the Sonica at £799 which translates to $993. This is quite a big mark-up.

VAT (Value Added Tax) in the EU averages 22%, so if you factor that into $799 MSRP you get to $975. Not much of a mark-up, IMO 

 

[dawktah2]

  Oppo have put up the UK pricing for the Sonica at £799 which translates to $993. This is quite a big mark-up.

I think that is a typo since its $799 US, I'd expect a correction

 

[PitBul34]

  I think that is a typo since its $799 US, I'd expect a correction

Relax Oppo Russia have put up the pricing for the Sonica at ₽79990 which translates to $1380.
 

 

[jeffhawke]

  I think that is a typo since its $799 US, I'd expect a correction

It's not. http://petertyson.co.uk/index.php/oppo-sonica-dac.html?gcpc&gclid=CLHj1ILTl9ICFYwQ0wodPV0Hew
20% VAT included

 

[dawktah2]

I'll just stick to listening...

 

[lauandyuen]

serious problem, I find mac os or linux , use usb cable to oppo sonica dac, when oppo sonica dac change 44.1, 48 , 96 ,192 , dsd 64 dsd 128 , it will have a big pop sound in few second then normal to play music...... when i use pre amp to power amp, it have a big trouble, my power amp start the save mode, because too loud pop sound .......... pls help who have oppo sonica dac and use mac or linux (computer) ......

 

[LarryMagoo]

Contact their great Customer Service.  They will help you get it all worked out!  OPPO Service" <service@oppodigital.com>
 
 
 
Cheers,
Larry

 

[zilch0md]

  ESS ES9038PRO SABRE DAC chip has eight preset and programmable filter types.
How many and what type of filters are user-selectable in Oppo Sonica DAC?
Thanks for the answer.

 
Posts at the AVS forum indicate no filter selections are available with the Sonica DAC's implementation.  
 
Note that I was one of the Beta testers and can confirm this to be true, but I am not at liberty (yet) to offer any opinions or observations that have not already been published.
 

According to the thread from AVS forums, it seems you have to physically change the inputs from the unit. Can anyone confirm this?? Seems odd at this price point not to have a physical remote or ir sensor. Smartphone controls are great, but having to get up off the coach like an old CRT television seems odd

 
Already discussed at the AVS thread and/or revealed in Oppo's published specifications, the Sonica App allows selection of USB Storage (an HDD or flash drive) at either of two USB-A ports on the Sonica DAC (or at a Sonica speaker), Aux-In, a Bluetooth source, Network playback, or files on the smart device itself, plus Tidal or Spotify, if you have subscriptions. 
 
Selecting an input from the Sonica DAC's USB Type B jack, Coaxial, Optical or Aux-In jacks, is done at the DAC itself, which overrides whatever source may be selected at the Sonica App, until you again select one of the sources handled by the Sonica App.  
 
The question becomes:  How often are you going to find yourself switching between USB, Coaxial or Optical inputs (without a remote control) vs. any of the several sources that can be selected via the Wifi-connected Sonica App (which includes the ability to select the DAC's Aux-In jack or either of two USB-attached drives)? 
 

So I've been using the Sonica Dac for 5 days now. I'm confident that there are some improvements over the well implemented ess 9018 Dac in my Burson CV2+ amp.
There is more depth of field, less glare on the top end and a bit more snap to my music. It took a few days before I caught on to these differences as they a subtle, yet quite noticeable.

[snip]

 
That's good news, that you are hearing less of the somewhat infamous "ESS glare" heard with many ESS9018 DACs.  
 
Are you finding the lack of remote control for USB, Coaxial and Optical input selection, to be an issue (at least for your needs)?

 

[Hifi59]

That's good news, that you are hearing less of the somewhat infamous "ESS glare" heard with many ESS9018 DACs.  

Are you finding the lack of remote control for USB, Coaxial and Optical input selection, to be an issue (at least for your needs)?

The lack of a remote is NOT an issue for me as I have my setup in my bedroom on my nightstand next to my bed. After I initially set up the Sonica, I've never needed to touch it other than to power it up nightly. I have a Burson amp/ Dac that I no longer use and it's remote has never been used other than to verify that it works.

 

[markk02474]

  ESS ES9038PRO SABRE DAC chip has eight preset and programmable filter types.
How many and what type of filters are user-selectable in Oppo Sonica DAC?
Thanks for the answer.

How many user-selectable filters does the Sonica Dac have?
 
ZERO.
 
The ~$800 Gustard X20uPro (dual ES9028pro chips) and the ~$300 Breeze Audio (single ES9028pro with swappable op amps) both offer the following pre-set filters:
For PCM, the display reads FIR Apodizing (best to my ears), Brick wall, M-sharp, M-slow, L-sharp, L-slow, and Hybrid.
For DSD, the display reads IIS 47K, 50K, 60K, and 70K.
 
We don't know what filters Oppo choose, and in an email response to a poster, Oppo said they don't plan to offer any filter choices. Its sort of moot as long as Oppo chose the apodizing filter because I never change PCM filters after finding the best one, but some people might choose different filters based on the quality of a recording. I've not played any DSD files yet, so have no preference on those filters.

 

[mtoc]

I read the manual as soon as it (the manual) comes out, as far as I understand, it doesn't have the ASRC turning-off option.

 

[erik701]

http://download.oppodigital.com/sonica-dac/Sonica%20DAC%20User%20Manual%20V1.14_clickable.pdf

 

[markk02474]

By the way, for those interested in the insides of the Sonica DAC, here are some high resolution images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8n6TAaE9yPJVU1JSTNIT1FqbkE
 
Lowlights include use of fixed 3-termial voltage regulators for +5, -12, +12 (opamp), others not so low noise etc. 7805, 7912, LM2940-12, az1117, mp2019
Op amps are LM4562 and LME49724 (balanced output buffers).
There are electrolytic capacitors in the signal path - safety measure for consumer products.
Electrolytics are nearly all "Elna for audio" types. Generally have SMT ceramic cap bypasses.
The analog to digital converters is midfi (PCM1808), again electrolytic capacitor coupled inputs for safety.

 

[ekrauss]

serious problem, I find mac os or linux , use usb cable to oppo sonica dac, when oppo sonica dac change 44.1, 48 , 96 ,192 , dsd 64 dsd 128 , it will have a big pop sound in few second then normal to play music...... when i use pre amp to power amp, it have a big trouble, my power amp start the save mode, because too loud pop sound .......... pls help who have oppo sonica dac and use mac or linux (computer) ......

This is not normal operation. I have been using the SDAC for quite a while (I beta tested two iterations) and did not experience any popping noises. You should contact Oppo customer service and they will help you troubleshoot. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that anything is wrong with the SDAC hardware, either. When computer audio is involved, there are lots of hardware, software, and firmware variables you need to take into account. Whatever the cause, I am sure you will get it straightened out.

 

[lauandyuen]

it ok now ! OPPO  customer services send me a new usb firmware V 1.09  for me ! And it can smooth switch every pcm and dsd no any loud pop sound.