[Dixter]

Today in the mail I received the balance cables for my HD800 and my MadDogs....   as you know the balance output is four times the power of single ended... as of today I have never heard any balanced setup before...      When I originally ran the HD800 and MadDogs in Single ended I was turning the volume up pretty high... some times at 3 oclock ...  I put the balanced cables on and put on some nice music... The volume knob is now around 10 oclock...   I love having this much power...  everything just opens up so much better than single ended... my only concern now is having to convert my other phones to balanced...  

 

[x RELIC x]

Today in the mail I received the balance cables for my HD800 and my MadDogs....   as you know the balance output is four times the power of single ended... as of today I have never heard any balanced setup before...      When I originally ran the HD800 and MadDogs in Single ended I was turning the volume up pretty high... some times at 3 oclock ...  I put the balanced cables on and put on some nice music... The volume knob is now around 10 oclock...   I love having this much power...  everything just opens up so much better than single ended... my only concern now is having to convert my other phones to balanced...  

Agreed

 

[x RELIC x]

got my unit in and plugged it in so I can have it burn in over the weekend while I was gone. then thought may as well take a listen.

fed the DAC to my wa7 put on a song and was like "holy crap!"
wasn't expecting much of a difference but it felt like I went from standard to hi-def. very noticeable microdetail and space improvement. a slightly smoother but richer sound. most of my flacs I could tell a big difference, my modern mp3s wasn't really noticeable.

the amp sections were not fair to compare yet. the single ended has half the power of the wa7 and it felt like some dynamics were lacking. otherwise surprisingly not as different as I thought it'd be but with the same DAC I wasn't sure.

I'm curious how the jump to balanced will sound. I'll find out Wednesday.

FYI only the amp sections were a+b cause all I had to do was switch the headphone plug. the DACs werent because of the difficulty and I could tell right away how much better the oppos was.

Nice! I suspect you're gonna love balanced out

 

[x RELIC x]

HA-1 works with my 120gb iPod Classic, and not just the iDevices listed in the user manual. All functions including Play/Pause, Forward/Back.

 

[Frank I]

THIS is an impression thread. If you have a beef with oppo UK take it up with them and lets get this thread back where it belongs.
 
72 hours of burn in and the HA-1 changed for the better. The sound is now more open and detailed. I am hearing no more hard edge in the sound and getting ready to start some critical listening shortly. The build quality is really pretty amazing for the price of the HA-1

 

[x RELIC x]

Looking forward to your impressions Frank!

 

[Frank I]

Looking forward to your impressions Frank!

I will keep updating you on the impressions. This will be a review for audio360.org with Warren Chi sharing his impressions as well. 

 

[x RELIC x]

I will keep updating you on the impressions. This will be a review for audio360.org with Warren Chi sharing his impressions as well. 

Great!

 

[Currawong]

Guys, as Frank already pointed out, this is an impressions thread. Please create another thread for general discussion of the amp. 

 

[DougD]

  Guys, as Frank already pointed out, this is an impressions thread. Please create another thread for general discussion of the amp. 

 
Is there a guideline somewhere that describes the intended difference between threads that are "impressions" vs "appreciation" vs "general discussion" ? Seems to me there's inherently a lot of overlap. (Which is to also say that the distinctions could be rather arbitrary.) 
 
I don't see a sticky in the Beginners section that covers this kind of protocol.
 
TIA, still trying to learn my way around. 
 
d.d.

 

[Roscoeiii]

   
Is there a guideline somewhere that describes the intended difference between threads that are "impressions" vs "appreciation" vs "general discussion" ? Seems to me there's inherently a lot of overlap. (Which is to also say that the distinctions could be rather arbitrary.) 
 
I don't see a sticky in the Beginners section that covers this kind of protocol.
 
TIA, still trying to learn my way around. 
 
d.d.

Don't know of any official designation, but here is my take: Often general discussion threads start when a product is announced, so it will feature news and speculation about the new product, along with a lot of posts like "I can't wait for this to come out." Often delays in the release are also lamented here. Impressions threads usually start when the product is released or when beta-testers or early reviewers are starting to let us know how the product actually sounds. These new threads are often a good idea because general discussion threads have often gotten very long and unwieldy by the time the product is actually out. Folks try to keep these focused on the sound of the product, and how it compares to or pairs with other products. Appreciation threads are often a way to try to attract other fans of a product. Some products can be very polarizing. So as I understand it, the Appreciation Threads try to stay away from product bashing. Comparing strengths vs. weaknesses is fine. But don't head to a tube amp appreciation thread if you are a solid-state person and want to tell everyone on this thread how much better solid state amps are than tubes. While Appreciation threads will often have some comparisons to other comparable products, you are likely to find more discussion of what the product being appreciated pairs well with. Appreciation threads often have lots of owners participating and looking to get the most out of a product they love. 
 
Hope this helps. And other forum folks, please feel free to amend or correct these impressions. 

 

[Currawong]

OT, but this is what we've decided to allow, per product:
 
One thread for general discussion.
One impressions thread dedicated to impressions for people who just want to read those and not hunt for them in the main thread.
 
We've decided to no longer have "Appreciation" threads. Those threads came about because of arguments that started in general discussion threads, which, at least for major products, are being more strictly moderated. If I come across an appreciation thread, I usually rename it.  There are still many out there though. 
 
Basically, it is all in the Posting Guidelines: http://head-fi.org/a/posting-guidelines

 

[IceClass]

  Guys, as Frank already pointed out, this is an impressions thread. Please create another thread for general discussion of the amp. 

 
Yes. Please.
 

  Impressions threads usually start when the product is released or when beta-testers or early reviewers are starting to let us know how the product actually sounds. These new threads are often a good idea because general discussion threads have often gotten very long and unwieldy by the time the product is actually out. Folks try to keep these focused on the sound of the product, and how it compares to or pairs with other products. 

 
So basically, Impressions threads are for folks who have already heard the item in question and heard it enough to form a useful opinion.
At least that's what I'm hoping.

 

[Currawong]

If you hear something at a trade show or meet, you should say as much. Impressions with the unit at home over a longer period are certainly more desirable. 

 

[MellowVelo]

  I will keep updating you on the impressions. This will be a review for audio360.org with Warren Chi sharing his impressions as well. 

@Frank I, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the Oppo HA-1 stacks up against the Headamp GS-X mk2. I recently sold my GS-X because I need to downsize my rig. I had been using it with the Oppo BDP-105. I've specifically had the HA-1 in mind as my next amp, and the DAC section could replace the Oppo 105 for everything except spinning discs.