[Austin08]

That 3 counts for Vega. Common guys, is it so hard to beat Oppo 105 at my budget.

[Rocket]

Hi Austin,

I might offer another suggestion which is a bit more than your budget but would be a ripper play for your needs.  The Oppo 105 can be modified to a super player by modwright.

http://www.modwright.com/modifications/oppo-bdp83-and-bdp83se-mod.php

Regards Rod

[Austin08]

Rocket,

Thanks for your suggestion. Oppo Modwright  is a great option but consider after adding all the option that would be somewhere $3000. Yes, I could wait a bit longer to save more money and go for it (and i may as well do it). So from what I gather all the information on this thread so far, there is no way that I can get a significant sound upgrade over my Oppo 105 without spending much more? I think I would as least try out a used PS PWD2 or W4S2 to find out before I chunk more cash into Auralic Vega or Oppo Modwright. Would love to hear actual comparision between those 2 or something similar and Oppo 105.

Austin.

[wisnon]

$1800 max?

Easy, BMC Pure Dac or Chord Qute HD.

Lampizator Amber Dac will come in at about $2K.

[Austin08]

$1800 max?

Easy, BMC Pure Dac or Chord Qute HD.

Lampizator Amber Dac will come in at about $2K.

Oh Yeah, how could I forget those sexy BMC chassis and sleek looking Chord. Did you or do you own one of those dac that you are mention above? BMC dac sure match my deco style perfectly.

Thanks
Austin

[Q3Di]

That 3 counts for Vega. Common guys, is it so hard to beat Oppo 105 at my budget.

I vote for Vega. I am considering to add AURALiC Aries to my system.

[mav52]

The more I think about getting a new DAC ( having just sold my ExaSound MKIII) or a Lumin/Sony a.k.a a network player  , the mere fact that a new "DAC" or Network Player seems comes out bi-annually as manufactures attempt to 'one up' their competition.  It's like wait and see or jump now.   

[jackman]

You may want to think about picking up the new Sony player.  It's around $2k and I've seen a couple used ones (still new but not technically) sell for under $2K.  The Vega is sweet and I'm sure it sounds great.  You may see some used ones hitting the market when the next generation comes out.  Good luck and keep us posted on your decision. 

Thanks,

Jack

[sonicboom]

For "a fuller body, more texture and warmer midrange" you could look into R2R chip DACs such as those made by Audio Note, Metrum, MHDT Labs, and Monarchy Audio. To many, Ladder dacs are superior to the current, spec-driven Delta Sigma devices. Not all of the aforementioned DACs come with USB input, but you could use a USB bridge such as the M2Tech or similar. Sorry, but since I don't use USB in my setup I can't offer additional recs.

You might find the following thread an interesting read.

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/17/172078.html

[Austin08]

Jackman,

The Sony 1ZES is nice. Wondering if any body compare the Sony vs Oppo for sound quality. I am sure Sony control app would be way better than Oppo app.

Thanks,
Austin

[JLM]

Obvious choices (to me) but a bit over budget (but way over scope):

Benchmark DAC2 D ($1800, DSD 64, pre-amp, headphone amp, remote)
Benchmark DAC2 HGC ($2000, DSD 64 pre-amp w/ analog inputs, headphone amp, remote)

Mytek 192 ($1700, DSD 64/128 pre-amp w/analog & and fire wire 400 inputs, headphone amp, compatable with cheap Apple remote)

These are also compact, high build quality, and high sound quality all the way around (accurate, not flavored).

[Austin08]

What a surprise today, I found a lost treasure. I took my 15 years old CJ DA3 out of my clothes. Hook it up and Whoa.!!!! It sounds very good after 13 years sleeping in the box. I can not say it trumps my Oppo 105 but it take me to a very different path of music reproduction. Despite some noise I got as first start up and a bit distortion at 0° phase position. Also sound output is low, it is back to normal operation now. No noise and gain seems to be stable. With 180° phase position (I prefer this mode in my system) The sound is very pleasing. Tight and tuneful bass, nice and warm midrange and a bit lay back or roll off on top. Very CJ, very tubey feeling, very analog. I will give it a try over the weekend. I suspect sound will improve if I have a better digital cable on hand. Right now I am using cheapy $10 Belkin optical that I find in my junk cables box. Never know what you will find under your pillow. At this point, I like what I am hearing now. I can feel the Oppo got more punch and openness. Stay tune, there will be good old technology dac vs state of the art modern dac report.

Austin

[jackman]

This is a fun thread.  I'm looking forward to your observations. 

[jtwrace]

Vega.


Buy the one in the classifieds for $2,600 and you're done.   

[Austin08]

Vega.


Buy the one in the classifieds for $2,600 and you're done.   

If I can find a way to come up with that money.

[murphy11]

Go to a BestBuy with a Magnolia section if you have one near by and get a Dragonfly DAC and try in your system for a week. If you don't like the 'flavor', return it for a full refund. The DAC in only $150 but it has the sonic characteristics IMO that you are seeking.  There is a headphone jack (i think) adapter that is used in this setup but I think it is less than $10 so it would be laptop->Dragonfly->adpater->amp. Pretty simple and could save you a lot of money that could be used elsewhere.

PS: What kind of speakers are you using?

[wilsynet]

Having also owned the PWD MK2 and W4S DAC2, I prefer the NAD M51 and have owned it for almost 2 years now and remain satisfied.

If I was looking to move on past the M51, I would think long and hard about the Vega.  For fun, I might try the Schiit Loki DSD-only DAC for $150 paired with JRiver configured for on-the-fly PWM to DSD conversion.

Occasionally I think of getting a dedicated USB to SPDIF converter, something like the Empirical Audio Off Ramp 5 or the Audiophilleo with battery supply.  You might find that one of these is all you need to make your Oppo 105 really sing.

Wilson

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I would go with this PS Audio Perfect Wave on Audiogon, you won't do better for this price and it is within your budget range-

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/da-converters-ps-audio-perfect-wave-dac-mk2-new-dac-preamp-s-available-2014-05-08-digital-80020

[Austin08]

A bit disappointed to day. My CJ did not hold up well during testing yesterday due to slightly noise on both channel. This noise was a known problem after it got electro-static shock from my finger 13 years ago. But Dang, the sound is very nice. So for now, I either stay put with Oppo 105 or going for something else. Someone suggest Uberbuss and Triod lab and other suggested Sony HAP-1ZES for a change. But I am more leaning toward BMC puredac or used PSaudio PWD now. A better option is wait a bit long to save more money and go for the best (Auralic Vega, Oppo Modwright)

[ltr317]

A bit disappointed to day. My CJ did not hold up well during testing yesterday due to slightly noise on both channel. This noise was a known problem after it got electro-static shock from my finger 13 years ago. But Dang, the sound is very nice. So for now, I either stay put with Oppo 105 or going for something else. Someone suggest Uberbuss and Triod lab and other suggested Sony HAP-1ZES for a change. But I am more leaning toward BMC puredac or used PSaudio PWD now. A better option is wait a bit long to save more money and go for the best (Auralic Vega, Oppo Modwright)

If you like the sound, why not repair the CJ?  It will be cheaper and you won't have to guess whether the others will give you the same type of sound.