[DDDamian]

   
 
DDDamian, I listen my HD800 out of the SE of my cd player, so I discover my Bryston is so bad, I'll sell my unit for 200$ CAN.

Wouldn't touch that deal with a 10' pole. I hear it has electrocuted people before, especially through HD-800's. That and melts brains out ears!
 
...........thanks man!!!!!..........

 

[ngyu]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL you guys are hilarious. Nah, payment received, can't back out now. But mucho thanks to DDDamian to giving me the time to A/B and now proceed to kick myself. jks. 
 
In all seriousness though, spent a bit of time A/Bing different systems. I'm coming from an Emotiva DC-1 as dac for my BHA-1, to the Oppo HA-1. Here are my impressions:
 
JRiver -> Optical -> Emotiva DC-1 -> XLR -> Bryston BHA-1:
Well this setup I've been used to and what I will be using as reference. The DC-1 is a warmer DAC for sure, compared to my previous Schiit Uberfrost and my buddy's Mjolnir. Pair this with the flatline BHA-1 and HD800, I've got an incredible sound. I was pretty much ready to stick with this set for the long run..... until I got enticed by the feature set of the Oppo HA-1. 
 
JRiver -> Optical -> Oppo HA-1 DAC/amp:
Without a doubt as Armaegis was saying, this combo is definitely 'brighter' or edgier than my previous combo. Would I call it flat? I'm not sure, I'm not a scope. But there definitely seems to be less of a low-mid range hump as I've had previously in the DC-1/BHA-1. I listened to it hours on end last night with no fatigue on my HD800. So maybe I'm just less sensitive to highs. But what WAS impressive was the soundstage, it is much wider than anything I've heard to this point. Orchaestral pieces, Lindsay Stirling's Moon Trance, anything with good dimension to it was well reproduced. I then proceeded to listen with the LCD-X, and confirmed there is a slight loss of mid-bass clarity and texture, but the rest is crystal clear. 
 
I played with the other features a little too, the remote is slick, I can play/pause if I'm connected via USB DAC, or BT, but my favorite is the ability to mute preamp outs while leaving headphones on: I finally don't have to reach around my Adam F5s to turn it on/off. Mute! Only fault is the mute button is ONLY on the remote, and not on the unit itself. Guess I'll keep the remote handy.
 
Now that I've tried the combos, time to switch it up to determine the differences in DACs and amps
 
JRiver -> Optical -> Oppo HA-1 DAC -> XLR -> Bryston BHA-1:
So now using the HA-1 purely as a DAC, and the BHA-1 as the amp now, I felt only the slight loss in mid-bass texture, and a slightly less wide soundstage, but I'm nitpicking here and the overall sound is near identical. This was confirmed both on HD800 and LCD-X. hmm. maybe it's the DAC.
 
JRiver -> Optical -> Emotiva DC-1 -> XLR -> Oppo HA-1 amp:
Whoa yep. here we go, that's the biggest difference. The DAC. This sounds almost identical to my original setup. The warmth of the DAC is passed on through the amp, both amps running very transparent. Again the sound stage doesn't seem as wide on this setup for some reason, that I'm not sure why. But as for the mid-range bass drop in the pure HA-1 setup, the drop is nowhere to be found, if anything it feels a bit more accented here. Its nice on the HD800, breathes a little musicality into the heart of the analytical beast. 
 
So.... I conclude for now: the BHA-1 and amp portion on the HA-1 is very very similar. The difference resides mostly in the DAC implementation of the DC-1 and HA-1 then. Slight loss in mid-bass range, but wider soundstage. 
 
But dang yo. The HA-1 runs hot. like..... real hot. The build of the Bryston feels beefier and sturdier than the HA-1. Not to say the HA-1 isn't well built, its just how much of a tank the BHA-1 is.
 
DDDamian, guess your amp is safe, and I won't have to kick myself too too hard . It'll be on its way as we discussed and agreed. =)
 

 

 
 
Cheers all!

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Fairly systematic comparisons.
 
What do you say to those on other forums here, who claim that all DACs sound the same?
 
(I know what I would say, but I won't post it here....

)

 

[ngyu]

Thanks. I am an engineer after all, so systematic approach is always the way to go. That being said, not everything is specs and numbers, really gotta take a listen to know what you got.
 
Um... what would I say? I would say have a listen yourself. Plenty of examples online even with same DAC chips sounding different. Implementation of the DAC chip would matter more than the DAC chip itself (to a degree). Even take an example I've had a lot of time with: Schiit Bifrost and Mjolnir. Both use AKM4399. They sound different to me, albeit one is SE, the other is balanced. My 2c. =)

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Originally Posted by ngyu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Not to say the HA-1 isn't well built, its just how much of a tank the BHA-1 is.
 

 
Tank, indeed.  Panzerheadwagen.
 
1944 model (Panzerkampfwagen V):
 

 
2015 model (Panzerheadwagen Mk-1):
 

 

[ngyu]

   
Tank, indeed.  Panzerheadwagen.
 
1944 model (Panzerkampfwagen V):
 

 
2015 model (Panzerheadwagen Mk-1):
 

I can confirm that the new 2015 model makes a bigger boom. 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Definitely tighter bass, zero noise, and no collateral damage.
 
Try it with an HE-6.

 

[ngyu]

  Definitely tighter bass, zero noise, and no collateral damage.
 
Try it with an HE-6.

Definitely collateral damage with the HE-6. Wallets getting destroyed with one shot. 

 

[DDDamian]

Great write-up @ngyu - really tuned into the difference a DAC chip's implementation makes. So I guess the Emotiva->Oppo is the winning combo?
 
I've gotta admit I'm torn between the display and remote features of the Oppo and the old-school rack-mount simplicity and ruggedness of the Bryston. Great to hear they're both almost ideal amps: transparent wires-with-gain!
 
You observations on the mid-bass are interesting too - that range adds so much to the HD-650's musicality and warmth, and the absence of any perceivable emphasis there is surely part of the HD-800's analytical character.
 
I'm really glad we went that route with the shipping and you got to have both amps there at the same time - did me no harm at all and the comparison above helps everybody.
 
Mostly I'm really, really glad the Oppo didn't suck lol. Hit-squad recalled......

 

 

[Amish]

Yeah the Bryston doesn't win any awards for sexyness like that Oppo. Those things are sweet looking. But I can most likely throw my BHA-1 at someone and it would still work fine.

 

 

[DDDamian]

  Yeah the Bryston doesn't win any awards for sexyness like that Oppo. Those things are sweet looking. But I can most likely throw my BHA-1 at someone and it would still work fine.

 

A real weapon-of-choice? 

 

[hainss]

Better soundstage with Oppo! 

 

[DDDamian]

  Better soundstage with Oppo! 

If you're not being tongue-in-cheek,,,, I can live with that easily as most of the cans and music I enjoy are a little more intimate in nature. Love that small-venue live feeling! My HD-800's are the one exception, and I'm only just warming to them. They rule so far for orchestral classical with all their detail, imaging and width, but that's probably only 10% of my listening, For rock, jazz and EDM the 650's and LCD2.2's are my go-to, along with a more immediate presentation.
 
All good reasons to have many options! 

 

 

[hainss]

1. ngyu what is your HD800 cable?

 

 

[Armaegis]

  Yeah the Bryston doesn't win any awards for sexyness like that Oppo. Those things are sweet looking. But I can most likely throw my BHA-1 at someone and it would still work fine.

 

 
Even if it broke, they've got a pretty good warranty

 
That would make for a pretty funny repair ticket though...
Bryston: reason for repair?
me: self defence
Bryston: ...what?