From the manual: Does this imply +13 dBu is perfectly fine to use? I currently have mine set at -5 dBu with my studio monitors' input sensitivity turned all the way down (-20 dB). My seating position is less than a meter away so I can get away with that, but I've been wondering if anything...

Something else I've noticed is that under ASIO/MADIface, the Netflix Windows 10 app won't play (there's an error message) unless you have the sampling rate set to 44,110 Hz. I thought Netflix audio streams were 48,000 Hz, though...

I'm experiencing the following with the unit in Class Compliant (driverless) mode: Foobar WASAPI Push plays fine, but Event gives me distorted audio. MPC-BE MPC Audio Renderer WASAPI Shared plays fine, but Event makes the video lag. Anyone else?

Does plugging the HA-1 into a surge protector or UPS impact its sound/dynamics if you are only using its pre-outs? Or would that only affect the headphone amp section?

No, I use the HA-1 to control the volume.

I am trying to get my system calibrated (HA-1 XLR pre-outs > Studio Monitors). The normal practice is to set the dial to 0dB for reference level, but can that actually introduce distortion? Basically, I am wondering if it makes more sense to set the dial to something lower, like -10dB, and...

Is there a significant difference between the output of the Sonica with the HA-1's pre-out? I just remember people saying that Oppo made compromises with the HA-1's non-headphone output.

  Thanks. The first one I clicked on was $491...   http://www.goldpt.com/sa1x.html

The Sys isn't an option because I want to keep the entire chain balanced.   The Freya looks interesting—but I don't know if it would be overkill, as my studio monitors are powered.

  Just between the Gungnir and studio monitors. I hate the idea of software volume control.

What would the solution be if I wanted to integrate a volume knob into the chain?

I barely use the HA-1 as a headphone amp anymore, so I am thinking about upgrading. Not sure if I should wait for the Sonica, or if there is something else that I can get now that is significantly better.

I just updated to the latest driver. This is probably just my imagination, but I feel like my volume levels have decreased.

How much better does the balanced headphone out sound compared to the balanced pre out? I'm trying to decide whether I should get a splitter and connect my studio monitors to the balanced headphone out instead.

  Why 16-bit instead of 32-bit? Also, I feel that 48000 Hz makes more sense because most media that can't be output via WASAPI or ASIO (such as games) have a sampling rate of 48000 Hz.   Also, can anyone else claim that streaming mode affects quality?

Anyone know if Oppo has any firmware updates in the pipeline to improve functionality? 

I wish the front panel was an OLED display; the black levels of the LCD used aren't very good. Burn-in would be an issue, though---unless you set the display to only come on when the unit is accessed.

Is it a bad idea to plug or unplug headphones (XLR) while the unit is on?

Turns out that it was a YouTube thing; that seems to be limited to 16-bit output. For some reason I thought everything in Windows that wasn't running through WASAPI or ASIO would go by whatever was set in the control panel.   So far, I've found two annoying things with the Oppo, both involving...

Got my HA-1 set up and it sounds amazing. But I'm curious why Windows is playing stuff back at 16-bit (non-WASAPI or ASIO) when I have it set to 32-bit in speaker properties.

So it sounds like the HA-1 will output everything you throw at it untouched and not upsample everything like my current DAC. That's what I wanted to hear.

Does the HA-1 do any upsampling to the signal? 

My DacMagic Plus no longer outputs sound after the Windows 10 Threshold 2 update. I have tried both USB 1.0 and 2.0 modes on the unit, as well as both firmware versions of the USB driver. I never updated my unit to the latest firmware, so perhaps that is why---can anyone with the latest firmware...

I'm genuinely surprised by the positivity toward this product based on the design, lack of specs, and marketing drivel that's spewed on the KS page.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-cable-with-Remote-Mic-connect-iphone-to-Sennheiser-HD598-HD558-HD518-/261280639444?pt=US_MP3_Player_Cables_Adapters&var=&hash=item3cd58a29d4   Has anyone seen a short replacement cable like this (slim 3.5 mm plugs on both ends) but without the remote?