[Hooster]

+1, I think the amp section is the star of the HA-1.

 

[zilch0md]

Rather than repeat myself...

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/oppo-ha-1-impressions-thread.717834/page-89#post-10756087

 

[ngyu]

so after being bothered by the fact that I couldn't hear a difference, I brought my HA-1 over to my friend's place and spent some time on his schiit stack (gumby+mjo1) to compare. we a/b'd by plugging running his gumby into my HA-1, just like how I had set it up at home. We also used each other's cans (HD800 / LCDX). We spent some time listening to the stacks separately. after playing through 4-5 tracks, more specifically live recordings, I was able to hear a difference (albeit still guesswork), but he was able to hear it right from the start.

the difference wasn't in tonality, as previously quoted, any reference level DAC should be able to reproduce the same sound, because both sounded quite neutral. HA-1 wasn't sharp or harsh, but its the gumby somehow smooths out detail without losing detail (if that makes sense..). The biggest difference my friend said was basically the sense of realism, a slightly wider sound staging, and the microdetail specifically hand clapping of the crowds, the decay of the cymbals, and it seemed apparent to him right from the get go, whereas for me, took me some listening to hear it. Probably cause our upbringing differences (he's a long time guitarist, whereas I'm more the sound engineer 'behind the glass' so to speak), that our ears have been trained to hear different. I lean towards tonal balance and volume leveling, whereas he's much more perceptive to the sense of realism.

So there does seem to be some improvement over the HA-1 with multibit, but not enough (for me) to justify the cost increase. Not yet at least. However.... the sub bass / bass detail of the planar magnetics on the other hand..... now THAT was a treat.

 

[gameon]

I put the Intona High Speed USB Isolator Industrial in my chain tonight connected to my Oppo - HA-1 - Audeze LCD - 2
And I must say it sounds wonderful, what a Great pairing, Amp section really drives these HP'S - I actually think with the Intona in the mix it really smooths the sound out - The Bass has some nice clean punch. Im listening to Gary Clark Jr - Live North America album on Tidal, Guitar tone sounds Awesome..

 

[MRC001]

I briefly got to try the hd800s through the ha-1 se output and was not impressed. Whats the general consensus with the hd800/s with ha-1 do they pair well?
Would the lcd2/X/3 be a better match?

The HA-1 has nearly perfectly neutral response with vanishingly low distortion and gobs of power, so you hear whatever the headphone really sounds like. But it's fully balanced all the way through from digital to analog. So to experience its full sound you need to use the balanced headphone output. The SE output is very good, but not as clean or powerful.

The HD-800 has a sharp response spike around 4-6 kHz, giving the sound an artificial brightness. This can be a useful analytical tool, as it magnifies treble detail exposing any flaws. But for music listening I find it annoying because the brightness makes it fatiguing to listen to and the voicing of acoustic instruments sounds unnatural. However, those who like a super detailed bright sound will like the HA-1 + HD-800.

The Audeze LCD-2, 3 and 4 all have a similar FR that is near-perfectly flat from subsonic to around 2 kHz, but gets non-linear from 3 kHz on up. Due to their flat bass to midrange response, they voice acoustic instruments and voices more realistically and naturally than the HD-800 or almost any other headphone. But their non-linear treble response puts them on the soft/warm side and makes them less detailed.

 

[frigginloony]

The HA-1 has nearly perfectly neutral response with vanishingly low distortion and gobs of power, so you hear whatever the headphone really sounds like. But it's fully balanced all the way through from digital to analog. So to experience its full sound you need to use the balanced headphone output. The SE output is very good, but not as clean or powerful.

The HD-800 has a sharp response spike around 4-6 kHz, giving the sound an artificial brightness. This can be a useful analytical tool, as it magnifies treble detail exposing any flaws. But for music listening I find it annoying because the brightness makes it fatiguing to listen to and the voicing of acoustic instruments sounds unnatural. However, those who like a super detailed bright sound will like the HA-1 + HD-800.

The Audeze LCD-2, 3 and 4 all have a similar FR that is near-perfectly flat from subsonic to around 2 kHz, but gets non-linear from 3 kHz on up. Due to their flat bass to midrange response, they voice acoustic instruments and voices more realistically and naturally than the HD-800 or almost any other headphone. But their non-linear treble response puts them on the soft/warm side and makes them less detailed.

The HA-1 is tough to get centered. It's not just not that kind of amp/dac. It's not apologetic in the least. It is just such a clean, neutral, and dynamic amp/dac that it can be a bit too brilliant with certain headphones. Fortunately, the Alpha Dog, rp 50 mk3, and elear I have are suited very well for it's character. Next up on the hit parade will be the AEON. Looking forward to that one. I do find though, that the HA-1 has preference for certain genres of music. It is absolutely brilliantly perfect for classical in both PCM and DSD presenting strings, horns and voices in concert hall clarity. It does rock with the depth and outright force necessary to make the genre shine, it does female and male vocals with texture and ambiance, and god knows if you are in to progressive, this is the amp/dac of your dreams. However, somehow, some way, if you put on dark metal with roaring vocals or for that matter ANY overly driven or headroom deprived source it will drive you to rip it off your head and throw it against the wall fatigue. The ESS Sabre is obviously just not a good pairing for that genre. I have schitt and teac as well and they just don't do this. They also don't do the others as well as the HA-1 either so it's a trade off. It is truly sad that they ditched the HA-1. My guess is that it will be a classic and demand large resale sums eventually. It was a bargain at its original price.

 

[Raptor34]

Rather than repeat myself...

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/oppo-ha-1-impressions-thread.717834/page-89#post-10756087
When I saved up for almost a year to buy my HD800's, and even though some here and in other forums warned that the 800's were, well you all know the reputation the senns have had over the years. It turns out that the HA-1, paired with Schiit Audio's multi bit Bifrost is 'the' best I've heard with the HD800. I bought a balanced cable for them and was seriously satisfied with my purchase. Even with the Bimby and all my other amps, the HA-1 wins by a large margin. zilch0md, thank you for your post concerning the power output of the HA-1. I would like to add that when I queried Oppo about the 300 ohm rating of the amp, here is their reply:

Unfortunately we do not have measurements for 300Ohm headphones, but it will likely be around 1000 to 1200mW per channel using the balanced output.



Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.

Paired with the Multibit Bifrost and the amp section of the HA-1 the 800's are very very special in every way. I am going the keep the HA-1 forever and of course that goes for the HD800's as well.
cheers

 

[MRC001]

The HA-1 is tough to get centered. It's not just not that kind of amp/dac. It's not apologetic in the least. It is just such a clean, neutral, and dynamic amp/dac that it can be a bit too brilliant with certain headphones. Fortunately, the Alpha Dog, rp 50 mk3, and elear I have are suited very well for it's character. Next up on the hit parade will be the AEON. Looking forward to that one. I do find though, that the HA-1 has preference for certain genres of music. It is absolutely brilliantly perfect for classical in both PCM and DSD presenting strings, horns and voices in concert hall clarity. It does rock with the depth and outright force necessary to make the genre shine, it does female and male vocals with texture and ambiance, and god knows if you are in to progressive, this is the amp/dac of your dreams. However, somehow, some way, if you put on dark metal with roaring vocals or for that matter ANY overly driven or headroom deprived source it will drive you to rip it off your head and throw it against the wall fatigue. The ESS Sabre is obviously just not a good pairing for that genre. I have schitt and teac as well and they just don't do this. They also don't do the others as well as the HA-1 either so it's a trade off. It is truly sad that they ditched the HA-1. My guess is that it will be a classic and demand large resale sums eventually. It was a bargain at its original price.

Well said. Part of the reason I like the HA-1 so much is most of my listening is natural acoustic music. Ancient to modern, small to large ensembles, Eurpoean classical and traditional world/ethnic. I occasionally listen to dark metal (for example Swans The Seer). That music is sonically intense and fatiguing, it can make you want to rip the headphones off your head, but to be fair this may be the HA-1 being faithful - that's how this music is supposed to sound.

One could say the HA-1 doesn't pair well with bright, aggressive or crunchy sounding headphones. But that applies to any DAC+amp that gives the unvarnished truth. I also use my HA-1 balanced line out to drive Magnepan 3.6/R in a tuned listening room. Those speakers are revealing and have a reputation for being on the bright side, but it sounds smooth, detailed and natural.

 

[zilch0md]

Lots of HA-1 love, here.

Cheers!

 

[flyte3333]

Hi all, is v-1.43 the latest firmware for the HA-1? Has anyone had Oppo Support send them a firwmare update within the past couple months and can confirm v-1.43 is the latest firmware?

Cheers

 

[frigginloony]

Hi all, is v-1.43 the latest firmware for the HA-1? Has anyone had Oppo Support send them a firwmare update within the past couple months and can confirm v-1.43 is the latest firmware?

Cheers

the last version I have and the current version from OPPO's site are the same. driver version 3.26.0 and revision version 1.33. Nothing was ever sent from Oppo support to me.

 

[flyte3333]

the last version I have and the current version from OPPO's site are the same. driver version 3.26.0 and revision version 1.33. Nothing was ever sent from Oppo support to me.

Hi mate, I meant firmware not USB audio driver. I saw a few posts from 2015 that said firmwares arent posted online - they are only sent by Support by email . I'll ask Oppo Support to confirm

 

[GStephenH]

I received a response today from Oppo about firmware. I bought my HA-1 in December 2015.

Stephen,


There have not been any that are designed for your unit. This is because the HA-1 has not needed any compatibility fixes and required additional enhancements. It is a very solid DAC.



Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
162 Constitution Dr.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Service@oppodigital.com
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119

 

[flyte3333]

I got a response from Support too. v1.4.3 is the latest firmware, which is what I have.

 

[GStephenH]

Anybody use the Oppo 205 as the DAC for the HA-1?