[HasturTheYellow]

Can't comment on other pricing, since there is different distribution networks outside of North America where OPPO Digital, Inc operates.

 

[HiFiAudio]

in Australia its $1800!!!!

google tells me 1200USD = 1296AUD, wheres the $500 markup come from?
its cheaper to purchase it overseas, i bet hong kong retailers have the HA-1 for half the price, anyway stock is expected mid may here, i don't know about the rest of the world.

You would need to check with that Oppo AU distributor why that is the case.  Oppo Digital only distributes their regional based products to USA, Canada, Mexico.  

 

[boatheelmusic]

Seems odd; the NAD M51, also made in China is much less in Australia than the US.

 

[HiFiAudio]

Seems odd; the NAD M51, also made in China is much less in Australia than the US.

This has to do with NAD Electronics being London based (part of commonwealth), never mind the electronics is made in China. 

 

[bloodredshadows]

Really? I didn't think being part of the commonwealth would have anything to do with trade in 2014!

 

[belisk]

i know australia has special trade deals with new zealand, china, singapore, hong kong, and now japan, which allows certain leeway regarding to taxes imposed on importing stuff, the question us aussies always ask, where does the extra inflation come from, apple is one of the big offenders on this subject.
taobao/tamaudio is surely to have the HA-1 less than 1k, we'll see.

 

[HiFiAudio]

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity recently posted this:
 
Here are some spectra from bench testing the new OPPO HA-1 headphone amplifier. The spectra look very, very clean at the signal peaks, in fact, some of the best I have ever seen from what is essentially a low wattage speaker amplifier. Second and third ordered harmonics predominate, and this gives a terrific sound. For the IMD test, there was no measurable second harmonic at 14 kHz (from the 7 kHz fundamental test tone), so the IMD is incredibly low, and this results in the sound having marvelous detail. The numbers are a bit high, due to some inaudible (but measurable) noise in the 0 to 2 kHz region, and with the signal peak at about 1 volt, the noise is a larger proportion of the calculated THD+N than it is with power amplifiers tested at, say, 10 or 20 volts.
The HA-1 is definitely one of the finest headphone amplifiers ever made. I performed these tests on an Audio Precision, which generated the digital signals. The coax digital input on the HA-1 was used. These initial graphs are for 16/44.1 samples. The full review is scheduled for publication in Secrets shortly.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Some more details about the OPPO HA-1 headphone amplifier. It will decode PCM up to 24/384 and DSD up to DSD128. These are both emerging high resolution codecs, and music is available from 2L in Norway. I believe some of the high rez music websites may be starting to offer downloads in these formats soon. Right now, I listen to the HA-1 using my iPod connected via USB on the HA-1. So, that sends the digital bitstream directly to the HA-1's DAC rather than using the RCA analog inputs, which would use the iPod's DAC.

The extremely low measured IM on the HA-1 means you get very fine details in the music, and since the headphones place the "speakers" within an inch or so of your ear, you can hear all those details that get lost when you have speakers across the room. Take a look at some other power amplifier reviews we have done at Secrets, and you will see how remarkable the IM results (as well as the 19 kHz, 20 kHz test results) are on the HA-1 in comparison.

The distortion spectra were taken with the HA-1 set to 0 dB, which is a bit louder than I would listen, but you may need it with lower sensitivity headphones. The HA-1 volume control will go higher than 0 dB, but for these initial tests, I decided to use 0 dB, since that is a standard way of measuring a "typical" volume setting.

More later . . . .

 

[bbfoto]

^ Thanks for that!  Please post or PM link to the full review when it is available.

 

[HasturTheYellow]

Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because seven eight nine!
 
Today is the long awaited release of the HA-1 Headphone Amplifier. Initial units will be in Black only, but Silver units will be available this June. The MSRP for the HA-1 is $1,199 and will become available for purchase later this afternoon.
 

Spoiler: Press Release

OPPO Releases HA-1 Headphone Amplifier

 
High Performance Headphone Amplifier, Pre-Amplifier and USB DAC in One Unit
 
 
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - May 7, 2014) - Shortly after the successful launch of its PM-1 planar magnetic headphones, OPPO Digital (www.oppodigital.com) released another member of its family of personal audio products today -- the HA-1 headphone amplifier.
OPPO Digital is well known for its reference quality universal Blu-ray Disc players, and the HA-1 headphone amplifier builds upon the success of the BDP-95 and BDP-105 audiophile players. Drawing upon the proven circuit design of these award-winning players, the HA-1 combines an uncompromising analog audio section with the latest technology in digital audio.
The analog audio section of the HA-1 is a fully balanced design with an emphasis on keeping the audio signal in the analog domain once it leaves the DAC. The HA-1 is anchored by a hefty toroidal power transformer, and linear power regulators and filters with custom made capacitors ensure that the headphone amplifier has a clean power source with plenty of reserve energy. The fully balanced Class A power amplification section uses hand-picked and paired discrete components to ensure symmetry, and a motor-driven precision volume control knob allows for both manual and remote control volume adjustment while keeping the audio in a pure analog audio path.
The HA-1 is especially suitable for high-resolution digital audio playback. Its digital inputs include coaxial, optical, balanced AES/EBU, and an asynchronous USB DAC. It is easy to connect the HA-1 to digital audio players or to a computer running the listener's favorite playback software. The USB DAC supports PCM audio up to 384 kHz 32-bit resolution and DSD audio up to 256x the CD sample rate. The same ESS 9018 Sabre³² Reference DAC and output driving stage used in OPPO audiophile Blu-ray players ensure extremely low noise and low distortion performance. The HA-1 is compatible with Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad for use as an external DAC, enabling the listener to directly tap into digital music played from these devices. For additional convenience, the Bluetooth audio transport with high quality aptX CODEC sets music free from your mobile phones with a performance boost.
OPPO designs the HA-1 headphone amplifier with the same versatile approach as the Blu-ray players. The HA-1 is a high performance headphone amplifier, and it doubles as an asynchronous USB DAC, a stereo pre-amplifier, a digital audio dock for mobile devices, and a Bluetooth audio transport. Users have a choice of using the 4-pin balanced XLR or the traditional quarter-inch headphone jack. Line level analog inputs and outputs are provided with both RCA and balanced XLR sockets.
The HA-1 sports a classic design with contemporary elements. It is a desktop component housed in an aluminum chassis, and the familiar volume and source selection knobs are complemented by a 4.3-inch color screen for easy operation. While music is playing, the screen can show a classic VU meter, a modern spectrum display, or detailed technical information about the audio signal. A supplied IR remote and a smartphone app provide complete control and convenience.
With its exemplary sound quality, versatile connectivity, and energetic driving power, the HA-1 headphone amplifier is a good match with any high performance headphones or stereo sound system. The black version of the HA-1 is available now directly from OPPO Digital's web site at a retail price of $1199, and the silver version is estimated to be available in June.
* Trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

 
EDIT: You can now purchase the HA-1 Headphone Amplifier by clicking on this link.
 
You can read more about the HA-1 by going to the dedicated HA-1 Headphone Amplifier website.

 

[mrscotchguy]

^ Appreciate the announcement.

Looks like I will be waiting til June for my Silver version... more waiting

 

[jmm007]

  Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity recently posted this:
 
 It will decode PCM up to 24/384 

 
Is this the same as DXD?
thanks

 

[docBliny]

My order has been placed. Now for the wait (which should be short - I was considering picking it up from Mountain View, but I can't sneak out of the office early enough today).
 
//TB

 

[bbfoto]

20% Discount for Head-Fi'ers, Right???  

 

[HiFiAudio]

 


I'm kinda wondering which will be more popular?   Silver is coming a bit later (June)

 

[docBliny]

 
I'm kinda wondering which will be more popular?   Silver is coming a bit later (June)

 
Want to put up a poll?
 
I personally like the look of the silver more, but black is available now, and, more importantly, it'll fit in with most of my other gear which is black.
 
//TB