Hello TCobe,
I have a quick question if you don't mind me asking! I have an opportunity to trade in my OPPO103 for OPPO 105 for $300 more. The OPPO 105 is slightly used,it's a demo. Do you think it's worth it?
Tsgt2007

Tsgt2007,

I have not heard the Oppo 105 first hand but all reviews would indicate that it would sound better than the 103. Rick and Anthem would be able to better answer this question. Rick just demoed both units and selected the 105.

If you would be playing the 103 or 105 through an AV receiver via RCA cables, I'm not sure you'll hear as big a difference. If you had an integrated amp or a good pre-amp, I think the difference would be more pronounced. Again, hopefully Rick can provide some insight.

Does your local dealer have the ability to set them both up for you to listen to each of them during the same audition. DACs are something of a personal preference and I have read that some people don't like the Sabre DACs. Some say they sound too harsh or etched but I think the majority of the audio community agree that the 105 is a great product and sounds fantastic.

Hopefully some of our Oppo 105 owners will chime in here. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

T Cobe

I have not heard the Oppo 103, but do own the 105...It's a Fabulous sounding player and also has been flawless in its playback capabilities...build quality is top notch.

Here's what others are saying about the 105 when compared to the 103:

The Oppo 105 has HDMI, coaxial, optical, and USB inputs. The USB inputs are of two types: one for connecting directly to a computer and feeding signals to an asynchronous USB DAC, and one for reading files off of an external hard drive/flash drive.

The Oppo 103 only has HDMI and USB inputs. The USB input is only used for reading files off of an external hard drive/flash drive.

The Oppo 105 has superior SABRE DACs (ES9018) compared to the Cirrus Logic DACs used in the Oppo 103.

The Oppo 105 has a headphone amp built in, the 103 does not.

The Oppo 105 has a set of dedicated stereo outputs (balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA) with a dedicated SABRE DAC chip attached to them, and then another SABRE DAC chip for the unbalanced 7.1 analog outs. The Oppo 103 does not have a dedicated stereo output nor balanced outputs, and uses the same Cirrus Logic DAC for all 7.1 analog outs.

Both have identical "disc reading" capabilities in terms of SACD/DVD/DVD-Audio and both have identical capabilities when it comes to reading files off of a USB flash drive. Both have identical capabilities when it comes to reading files off of a DLNA media server streamed over your home network.

Overall, the players have similar capabilities when it comes to playing back media, the primary difference in your application would be the addition of digital inputs (coaxial/optical/USB DAC) on the 105 along with better DAC chips and build quality. If you had a system where all you really needed was an HDMI connection to a receiver then the 103 is usually recommended. The 105 is like a "mini receiver" in that it has more input flexibility along with the headphone output.

You be the judge, but for $300..more, my money is on the 105...hope this helps.

Re the 103 vs. the 105, I agree with T Cobe and Anthem that the PRINCIPLE difference between the two is the 105's more sophisticated analog capabilities/DAC's. OPPO literature also suggests the same.

I auditioned them both on the exact same equipment at the exact same volume (a GEt surround system with T2 fronts, SCXL, and 4 Supersat 3 surrounds, powered by NAD master series pre-amp and amp). I listened to the exact same CD's and DVD's. on both.

Frankly, I had come prepared to give a polite listen to the 105, but was leaning toward the 103 because I so often use digital out via HDMI and let the receiver process into surround, and thought the new Marantz SR 7010's DAC might be in the same league approximately as the 105's DAC's.

Well. I never got past listening in digital HDMI out mode. Both players have exceptional sound quality. But on the 105, several pieces were just a little more detailed. I don't know why, since their disc reading capabilities are supposed to be the same, maybe just a little better noise isolation??), but both the dealer and I looked at each othe several times, and asked "Did you hear that?" when listening to the same pieces on the 105. Two examples, "Prelude and Fugue in D" on Virgil Fox's "The Bach Gamut ' 24 bit reference recording (about my favorite audition recording), where at one point you could just perfectly hear a foot pedal being engaged: it's presence and detail was uncanny, present also on the 103, but not quite as striking. I can't wait to try that piece again on my system and see what the T1's do with a 105 feeding them. The other case was a piece from a Chesky demonstration disc, Rebecca Pidgeon's version of"Spanish Harlem" and again there were some detail differences, where the piano in the background just seemed a little more detailed. If we were imagining the differences, we both thought we could detect them and in the same places (he was leaning towards a 103 for himself also, and using an external DAC, and is now leaning toward the 105 and no external DAC).

AGAIN, not huge differences in digital out, both the 103 and the 105 are superb players, and if all I had heard was the 103, I would have happily purchased that. I ended up deciding on the 105 because I thought it was just a TAD better in digital out mode, and thought it would be well worth it to also get the superb analog capabilities, including balanced outs, even 7.1 surround outs, for future refinements.

$300 to trade up sounds pretty reasonable.

Rick

Thanks, Anthem and Rick! Great explanations and information to help Tsgt2007 with his decision.

Tsgt2007, $300 to upgrade is a good deal even if it is a used unit since you are trading in a used one as well. With the 105, you could add a modest 2-channel integrated amp later for even better stereo listening. Picking up something like a used Hegel H-80 with home theater bypass would be a big step up in sound. Peachtree has some great units as well. Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Tsgt2007,
That is some of the best and most informative advice anybody can get!!!!!
I have been running a 95 for all these years, the equivalent of today's 105 from years back. All the extra attention to analog sound that went into these upgrade models REALLY pays off in spades on sound.
Only you can say if the difference is worth $300 to you, but for me that would be a no-brainer.
You really can't lose, either way you go, happy listening,
God Bless, Wayne