[fb24601]

Sony uda-1 drives low impedance headphones k812 and th900 very well, it is sharp and clear, a bit cold and not a warm sound anyway like marantz hd-dac1.
 
Although it looks like a toy referring to specifications, but It actually performs much more better than most people think who has turned away from it due to low output power on specifications. 

 

[forper]

 
The Klipsch satellites are just a temporary solution until I get some good bookshelf speakers or something. Any suggestions? Are the matching Sony bookshelf's for the UDA-1 really that good?

The SS-HA1?
 
I auditioned these with the HAPS-1 playing DSD, totally mediocre imo, was completely unimpressed. I then listened to a pair of  SS-NA5ES and almost cried it was so beautiful. Damn I wanted those speakers but $6000 a pair in Australia (about half that to import but still out of my price range). You get what you pay for.
 
I'd be very interested to listen to the newer SS-HW1 to see if they reach a middle ground between the SS-HA1 garbage and the beauty of the SS-NA5ES.

 

[Rob49]

  The SS-HA1?
 
I auditioned these with the HAPS-1 playing DSD, totally mediocre imo, was completely unimpressed. I then listened to a pair of  SS-NA5ES and almost cried it was so beautiful. Damn I wanted those speakers but $6000 a pair in Australia (about half that to import but still out of my price range). You get what you pay for.
 
I'd be very interested to listen to the newer SS-HW1 to see if they reach a middle ground between the SS-HA1 garbage and the beauty of the SS-NA5ES.

I was thinking of buying the SS-HA1 speakers to go with my HAP-S1. Going by what you say, I'm not so sure what to do now ??
The SS-HW1 are the same price, I would assume that the only difference is a wooden finish / housing ? Would this make much difference ?
I don't want to spend £449 to find I'm disappointed ?

 

[forper]

 
I was thinking of buying the SS-HA1 speakers to go with my HAP-S1. Going by what you say, I'm not so sure what to do now ??
The SS-HW1 are the same price, I would assume that the only difference is a wooden finish / housing ? Would this make much difference ?
I don't want to spend £449 to find I'm disappointed ?

Well I would get into a stockist to audition if feasible and if not read as many other reviews as you can.

I have an ancient yet decent setup at home as my baseline (Sony DA50ES receiver with Sony SS-AL5 Mk II playing CD/SACD through a pretty average entry level Sony SCD-XE800 SACD player) That's the sound I'm used to and usually happy with. I'm not good at using adjectives to describe sound but I know what I like.
 
I had a proper listening environment at the Sony Store and The HAP-S1 through the SS-HA1 was vastly inferior to my system imo. The HAP-S1 trough the NA5ES? Clearly superior to me. 

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

Been out of the loop for a while, am subscribed to this thread (for the Z1ES though) Here's my 2c for what it's worth:
 
Regardless of my specific recommendation below, I'd keep 2 things in mind (apart from the obvious, listen to the speakers in person if you can at all...):
1) don't expect special "synergy" just because the speakers are the same brand as the HAP-S1. Sony is not a brand known for their speakers, and while the above-mentioned, rather expensive ones may be perfectly good, things quickly change when you get to "budget" pricing (and speaker-wise the SS-HA1/SS-HW1 would fall into that range, sorry to say) So for that same price range, there might be other non-Sony branded speakers that might be a great match...
2) Considering that, and the fairly low wattage of the HAP-S1, which probably also can't be pushed hard without distortion (since it's not the focus of the HAP-S1, which is being a great DAP, with the speaker output being more of a convenience feature), I would look towards tube-amp-friendly bookshelf speakers since they are designed from the ground up to present an easy-to-drive load to the amp as well as be very sensitive, thus requiring less power to get a fairly big sound.
 
I'm not sure where you're located, but I looked at a number of them from various parts of the world, at a fairly reasonable price (and alas I don't know what your budget constraints are) One drawback may be that you usually can't just buy them off the shelf, but the patience may be rewarded.
 
Personally, since my budget was pretty tapped out after getting a tube amp, I went for bookshelf speakers first to save for something nicer ones later. I ended up with Zu Audio's Omen Bookshelf speakers, and I couldn't be happier. Well I could when I'll buy one of their pricier floor-standing model, a no-brainer for me considering how much I like these already. Not sure if allowed to link to outside vendors directly, but you'll find them easily with a web search.
 
Their spec pdf is fairly detailed, but in essence they are 12 ohm (the HAP-S1's spec permits 4-16, and consider that the lower the speaker's impedance, the more power they require to be properly driven) but more importantly have a 97dB/1W/1m sensitivity which is much higher than your typical speaker, allowing for as little as 4W to run (up to 200)
 
This is just one example of this type of speaker, but I honestly really like Zu's voicing, which is fantastic for singer-songwriter, acoustic, chamber etc., and not bad at all for everything else. Well, perhaps not ideal for hard-rocking metal or deep-bass electronica (though make no mistake, they can get loud when needed) One thing to be aware of, even after reading the measurements: when I got them, I found them to be rather big & heavy for "bookshelf" speakers, it was really at the limit of the shelf I have them on for now.
 
Anyway, maybe at least some food for thought...

 

[Rob49]

 
Well I would get into a stockist to audition if feasible and if not read as many other reviews as you can.

I have an ancient yet decent setup at home as my baseline (Sony DA50ES receiver with Sony SS-AL5 Mk II playing CD/SACD through a pretty average entry level Sony SCD-XE800 SACD player) That's the sound I'm used to and usually happy with. I'm not good at using adjectives to describe sound but I know what I like.
 
I had a proper listening environment at the Sony Store and The HAP-S1 through the SS-HA1 was vastly inferior to my system imo. The HAP-S1 trough the NA5ES? Clearly superior to me. 

My big problem is, I'm housebound, so obviously not in a position to audition. I normally just have to go by reviews I have a Sony set up that I'm generally happy with, so unless finances allow, i'll probably make do with what I have ?

 

[Rob49]

  Been out of the loop for a while, am subscribed to this thread (for the Z1ES though) Here's my 2c for what it's worth:
 
Regardless of my specific recommendation below, I'd keep 2 things in mind (apart from the obvious, listen to the speakers in person if you can at all...):
1) don't expect special "synergy" just because the speakers are the same brand as the HAP-S1. Sony is not a brand known for their speakers, and while the above-mentioned, rather expensive ones may be perfectly good, things quickly change when you get to "budget" pricing (and speaker-wise the SS-HA1/SS-HW1 would fall into that range, sorry to say) So for that same price range, there might be other non-Sony branded speakers that might be a great match...
2) Considering that, and the fairly low wattage of the HAP-S1, which probably also can't be pushed hard without distortion (since it's not the focus of the HAP-S1, which is being a great DAP, with the speaker output being more of a convenience feature), I would look towards tube-amp-friendly bookshelf speakers since they are designed from the ground up to present an easy-to-drive load to the amp as well as be very sensitive, thus requiring less power to get a fairly big sound.
 
I'm not sure where you're located, but I looked at a number of them from various parts of the world, at a fairly reasonable price (and alas I don't know what your budget constraints are) One drawback may be that you usually can't just buy them off the shelf, but the patience may be rewarded.
 
Personally, since my budget was pretty tapped out after getting a tube amp, I went for bookshelf speakers first to save for something nicer ones later. I ended up with Zu Audio's Omen Bookshelf speakers, and I couldn't be happier. Well I could when I'll buy one of their pricier floor-standing model, a no-brainer for me considering how much I like these already. Not sure if allowed to link to outside vendors directly, but you'll find them easily with a web search.
 
Their spec pdf is fairly detailed, but in essence they are 12 ohm (the HAP-S1's spec permits 4-16, and consider that the lower the speaker's impedance, the more power they require to be properly driven) but more importantly have a 97dB/1W/1m sensitivity which is much higher than your typical speaker, allowing for as little as 4W to run (up to 200)
 
This is just one example of this type of speaker, but I honestly really like Zu's voicing, which is fantastic for singer-songwriter, acoustic, chamber etc., and not bad at all for everything else. Well, perhaps not ideal for hard-rocking metal or deep-bass electronica (though make no mistake, they can get loud when needed) One thing to be aware of, even after reading the measurements: when I got them, I found them to be rather big & heavy for "bookshelf" speakers, it was really at the limit of the shelf I have them on for now.
 
Anyway, maybe at least some food for thought...

Thank you for your advice / feedback. As you say, food for thought....

 

[monkeysixtysix]

Thought I would bump this thread... I picked up the HAP-S1 right before Christmas and couldn't be happier with it. I live in an apartment, so my headphone setup is basically a home theater replacement. So I was looking for a number of specific features (wanted a combo unit, must have an optical input, must have a remote control, wanted something with some type of EQ) and the Sony is one of the few devices that ticks off all of the boxes. 
 
I tried a number of different headphones over the past couple of months and it has driven all of them very well. This includes the HE-400i, HE-500, and HE-560, and the MrSpeakers Mad Dog and Alpha Dog. For the past couple of weeks I have been using the Audeze LCD-2F and LCD-X exclusively. It drives both of them quite well, but the X sounds especially good. Could be an end game setup for me.
 
I have had no problems with the music transfer software and all of my music has shown up with correct metadata and album art. The iPhone app sometimes gets a little flaky and I have to restart it, but aside from that relatively small issue I have no complaints. 
 
Wish this device got more love on Head Fi. Highly recommended.

 

[pervysage]

  Thought I would bump this thread... I picked up the HAP-S1 right before Christmas and couldn't be happier with it. I live in an apartment, so my headphone setup is basically a home theater replacement. So I was looking for a number of specific features (wanted a combo unit, must have an optical input, must have a remote control, wanted something with some type of EQ) and the Sony is one of the few devices that ticks off all of the boxes. 
 
I tried a number of different headphones over the past couple of months and it has driven all of them very well. This includes the HE-400i, HE-500, and HE-560, and the MrSpeakers Mad Dog and Alpha Dog. For the past couple of weeks I have been using the Audeze LCD-2F and LCD-X exclusively. It drives both of them quite well, but the X sounds especially good. Could be an end game setup for me.
 
I have had no problems with the music transfer software and all of my music has shown up with correct metadata and album art. The iPhone app sometimes gets a little flaky and I have to restart it, but aside from that relatively small issue I have no complaints. 
 
Wish this device got more love on Head Fi. Highly recommended.

 
People are definitely sleeping on these Sony devices.
 
Couldn't be happier with my UDA-1 (didn't get the HAP-S1 because I didn't really need the music storage features and just needed something for my PC). The ability to drive speakers also turned out to be a big bonus because the amplifier on my Klipsch 5.1 Ultra computer speakers took a crap. Purchased a couple of Klipsch bookshelf speakers and the UDA-1 drives them very good. Plenty of volume on tap as I can't even turn the volume dial past 10 o'clock without blowing my ears off 

 

[monkeysixtysix]

   
People are definitely sleeping on these Sony devices.
 
Couldn't be happier with my UDA-1 (didn't get the HAP-S1 because I didn't really need the music storage features and just needed something for my PC). The ability to drive speakers also turned out to be a big bonus because the amplifier on my Klipsch 5.1 Ultra computer speakers took a crap. Purchased a couple of Klipsch bookshelf speakers and the UDA-1 drives them very good. Plenty of volume on tap as I can't even turn the volume dial past 10 o'clock without blowing my ears off 

Glad to hear you like the UDA-1. I actually prefer the look and smaller footprint of the UDA-1, but I really wanted something with EQ controls and only the HAP-S1 had that feature... Otherwise they are quite similar from what I have read. Great lineup of devices from Sony!

 

[sesu]

hello everyone. 
 
with the WMC-NWH10 cable being only sold in japan and me thinking about buying an UDA-1 I asked myself if a converter USB female - USB-B would not work? 
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000VFMOXU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF 
I searched on google but did not find anything if anyone ever tried it. 
 
Maybe one of you tried it? 
 
 
I want to buy the UDA-1 to listen to my 24bit files I have on my walkman A17 with my AKG K701. But if I'm not able to use the A17 on the back USB-B port, it is of no use for me. 
 
Thank you for any help  
 
if this would work, I could use the normal walkman cable I got with my A17 to listen to my 24bit files on the UDA-1 through the rear usb-b port

 

[fb24601]

hello everyone. 

with the WMC-NWH10 cable being only sold in japan and me thinking about buying an UDA-1 I asked myself if a converter USB female - USB-B would not work? 
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000VFMOXU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF 
I searched on google but did not find anything if anyone ever tried it. 

Maybe one of you tried it? 


I want to buy the UDA-1 to listen to my 24bit files I have on my walkman A17 with my AKG K701. But if I'm not able to use the A17 on the back USB-B port, it is of no use for me. 

Thank you for any help  

There is a docking for sony walkman called BCR-NWH10, which can allow charging while doing digital signal output.

It seems that it can work with zx1, zx2, , a10 series and f880. May be you can check more information.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/B00S94R5RK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1428311563&sr=8-2&keywords=sony+bcr-nwh10&pi=SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=3121cHqnCHL&ref=plSrch

Digital output for walkman without charging drains battery very fast.

Anyway I think your plan may probably works but I am not sure. Likely it has been mentioned earlier in this thread. You may need to check it and pm.

 

[axxman]

I have had mine fore 3 weeks now and I can say it is the most fun audio device I have had in a long time. I bought it to power my desk setup and it has been great so far. 
 
 
FW update tonight as well as transfer software update. 
 

 

[Bu11dog]

Thank you for sharing your experience axxman.
 
I love my HAP-S1 too.  It is such a versatile device!  In addition, Sony is really taking care its customers by keep updating the firmware.
 
Quote:

  I have had mine fore 3 weeks now and I can say it is the most fun audio device I have had in a long time. I bought it to power my desk setup and it has been great so far. 
 
 
FW update tonight as well as transfer software update. 
 

 

[axxman]

Thanks man, my system is still a work in progress, I have a few more changes to make. And I am still learning about the different capabilities of the HAP-S1.
 it looks like the firmware update added Tune In app. It is tough to find info on the web about this unit this is probably the best discussion forum I have found. One thing I can say is this thing finds Album artwork 
better than anything I have seen previously. it has found artwork I have been searching for for 10+ years. Headphone wise, I don't have very high end headphones, just grado SR60, Sony MDR-V6 and B&W P3 but all three sound much better on this thing.