Thanks RCF - I think that's exactly what I'll do. I just don't see the difference between the 2 players justifying the cost...expecially because I will only very rarely use them for DVD-A, or SACD.

If I will be using the 990's DAC, theoretically, would any old cheapo DVD/CD player sound the same as a high end one for 2 channel CDs?

Gonk,

What are you using as a CD player? I have an Arcam 73T and I can tell you that the DAC in the CD player sounds better than the DAC in the 990 for two channel play back.

If you are using the 990's DAC, there should be effectively no difference between transports. If you get sufficiently "cheapo" you may run into some issues (really cheap stuff might not be able to operate reliably), but if you're talking about the difference between an entry-level player (the 1920, players like the Oppos or the inexpensive Pioneers, or similar inexpensive stuff) and a high-dollar player like the 2910 and beyond (all the way up to the Denon 5910), I'd expect two-channel CD's to sound the same when using the digital outputs.

There's been a bit of a buzz around the 'net today since Oppo announced their DV-970HD player. It's a $150 player with HDMI output (480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i), 480p at the component video output (as well as 720p and 1080i for DVD's that aren't CSS-encoded), DVD-Audio, SACD, and some other assorted formats. It lacks the Oppo 971's Faroudja DCDi, but the initial feedback from beta testers suggests that it still packs a pretty solid punch on video. I'm planning to keep an eye on the player as a possible replacement for my Yamaha DVD-S1500.

I use a Yamaha DVD-S1500 as my audio player: multichannel analog output for DVD-Audio and SACD, plus digital output for CD's. It's DVD-Audio performance is pretty respectable. SACD I've always felt was perhaps a little short-changed by the S1500. I went back and forth a bit between the S1500's DAC and my old Model 950's DAC for CD listening, but when I got my 990 last year I settled pretty quickly into digital output and upsample mode for CD's. Originally I bought the S1500 to do everything, but its frustrating user interface and the Oppo 971's great DVI video performance caused me to shift to the Oppo for Video DVD's.

Arcam's site drives me nuts (hard to find information on their products and much of the information that is available is in PDF form only), but your Arcam CD73 looks like a very nice player. In the case of that player (a pure CD player rather than the DVD players being discussed elsewhere in this thread, and a price tag that I've seen listed as anywhere from $700 to $1200), I'd expect the player's analog outputs to at least match and likely top a digital connection to the 990's DAC - after all, a dedicated CD player only has to have two channels of D/A (rather than the 990's eight) and requires no video circuitry. Once you start dealing with players that support audio CD exclusively, the potential benefits of using the players' analog outputs start to increase as you move the price up toward (or beyond) the 990's cost.

Thanks Gonk - your response begs the question, how would you compare the Oppos (either of them) to the 1920?

Thanks again,
kgt

For DVD-A, I would expect the 1920 to best the 971 - the 971's multichannel analog support was largely coincidence (the chipset offered it, so they used it). The beta testers who've been using the 970 suggest that the analog audio section's gotten an overhaul in addition to the SACD support, which is why I'm starting to wonder if it might be a worthwhile replacement for my Yamaha.

For video, I suspect that either player would have an edge over the 1920 - the 971's video section (using the DVI output) is often compared with Denon's flagship players (several steps up from the 1920), and while the 970 may not carry over all of the 971's video performance the best indications so far are that it's not an appreciable step back.

If the digital out essentially takes the player out of the equation, why is this reviewer so adament about not using the Oppo as a 2 channel CD player?

Quotes below taken from this review (an overall very favorable review of the player...)

"Audiophiles will not find the OPDV971H's digital outputs adequate for critical music listening...Audio for music is just not the Oppo's forte...For readers who listen critically to CDs I would suggest a separate, dedicated CD transport or player. "

You'd have to ask the reviewer, I'm afraid. I am not currently using my Oppo for music (consolidated all the audio work onto my Yamaha) but I have on occasion done so - and my experience there is comparable to my experience using other players as CD transports (no clearly discernable difference).

Gonk/kgt -- Had the Oppo 970HD been around when I was looking at the 1920, I might well have gone for the Oppo. I was much intrigued by the original Oppo, but it lacked SACD and 480p on component (my HDTV is old and only has component inputs). Will be interested to see full reviews of the 970HD, both for picture and sound quality. At $150, if the sound were right, it could make a fine multi-format audio-only player.

It appears my waffling on a new DVD player has paid off! The new OPPO 970HD looks like a fanatastic bargain.