Very grateful for all the input, links and advice. If I bite the bullet and sign up for the mods I'll keep you posted. One concern might be that the Oppo must be at least eight years old now. It's not been under any undue stress but these things obviously have a lifespan (as I found out with the Mark Levinson CD).
Re forum etiquette, any thoughts on whether I could approach Gazjam for advice ? He's been pretty generous with info and pictures on the link Brian sent.
Macca, I'll check yours out tomorrow thanks.
I'm spending another evening with the music tonight. Decemberists as I type. There's not a single CD that isn't sounding better, and significantly so, though I've not got to Jive Bunny yet.