[craftyhack]

Yeah, this would be pretty easy, although there really isn't such thing as a good and quiet 92mm fan.  Nowadays either 120mm or 140mm are the standard and are therefore available in may configs, optimized for air flow, or static pressure, or a balance between the two.  Also, some have better noise signatures that others depending on orientation, resistance to airflow, and where in their operating RPM range you run them.  They also make (or perhaps made) fans with temp probes sticking out of the inside of the frame to measure temp of the air flowing through the fan and automate the speed based on that temp.  That curve can't be modified, so if the way it was tuned was unsatisfactory, nothing to be done unless you wanted to mass with putting some resistors into the circuit.
 
I have been building custom PCs for probably 30 years now, but have only really gotten into custom water cooling loops in the last 5 or 6 years, but in that time the proliferation of parts to support the industry has exploded, so there are probably plenty of options on how to mount and power the fans, as well as materials that are easy to modify to clean it up a bit and make it look OEM.  Sky is the limit once modding comes into play!  Or just keep it simple .  I am about to do some rearranging to move my HA-1 to my main desk, I will check it out for options.  If you want to look around at parts, fans, etc. it is performance-pcs.com, the only major custom PC shop with a good inventory for custom cooling left.  Unfortunately, it is also the ugliest and most poorly designed webshop I have ever seen.  I usually figure out what parts I need somewhere else and then just search their site to get to it.
 
Also, I have seen a bunch of interesting solutions being released as laptop coolers, which vary widely in approach and design.  It is possible one of those would just work...  perfpcs may have some of those, but Amazon would probably be a better place to check.
 
That said, this being a class A amp, it is designed to run hot.  I recall hearing that good amp designers would account for the expected steady state operating temp range of the amp and optimize part selection and performance for that range, where a range was required as ambient temperature would affect it. That was what explained why some folks recommended a warm up period for class A amps before use.  I dunno if that is true... but I heard it frequently when I was into 2ch and home theater in the 90's.  Given that, rigging up cooling solutions was discouraged.
 
My HA-1 does run pretty hot so I used an IR temp gun to measure some parts through the mesh in the top.  I don't recall what temps I saw other than I wasn't too worried about them.  And I have never experienced any of the issues expected from overheating causing protection shutdowns or anything, so I never really worried about it.

 

[etc6849]

Dang my first real pair of headphones (HD800's) sound excellent!  I've tried $50 headphones before and the free ones that come with phones and could never get into wearing them to be honest...  I really should have bought these sooner because I've had them on for a few hours now!
 
Don't even want to add up how much it was to get my main system to sound close to what these headphones do out of the box... !

Finally I hear imaging that is better than my main system and the bass on the HD-800 is dead on (if you like what was recorded anyways).
 
Think $1000's just in acoustic treatments, 100's of hours to studying RoomEQ Wizard and room acoustics, time spent installing the panels and building 16" thick bass traps, dual JL F212 subs, Dirac, 1000W monoblocks, expensive (even used) world class speakers Klipsch Palladium P-39f's, etc...  I do miss the tactile chest thump, but that's really the only thing I'm not experiencing with these.
 

 
 
Here are some more pics and REW measurements of what it takes to get close to these headphones and Oppo HA-1: 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1J0a4OV_WGLUVZBNUJBR29LTEU
 
Questions:
1. Should unplugging/plugging in the phono jack auto mute the speakers on the HA-1? 
 
It looks like the intent is you have to manually mute the speakers after setting the mute mode to preamp only.  Since I haven't made an XLR-4 cable yet, the phono jack requires me to dial volume to -15 to 0dB for my audiophile grade test tracks.
 
2. So if someone hits mute again while I have headphones on I guess this thing will blow my bookshelf speakers as volume is normally around -28dB!?!  Seems really dangerous, but sounds good.  I'll have to check my home automation programming as I integrated the Oppo HA-1, and I can't remember if I coded my doorbell and phone to toggle mute or to set mute to true!
 
This is a recipe for disaster so I've been manually turning my amp off.  I wish the Oppo would just turn off the trigger when headphones are plugged in.  Would make my life safer.

 

[LarryMagoo]

I too use the Oppo HA-1 for my HD 800-S.   I drive the HA-1 from my 2012 MAC Mini (Pure Music) with a 1TB SSD that is smoking fast (it pegs the meters on Read Write testing).  I even made my own 20ft cable and the volume of the Oppo barely goes past half-way when I really crank it up.   I really think the Class A amp and the 800-S work great together .... Glad it seems too be well liked on these pages...Even that nifty remote will advance my MAC mini to the next song!!            Looking to learn more from you guys...
Cheers,
Larry

 

[etc6849]

I use a $150 nvidia shield android tv box and its USB 3.0 port; works great even with the factory Oppo remote.  I'm playing lossless FLAC files using KODI on the Shield from my upstairs server.  Very impressed with what you can hear for under $2k!
 
My supplies to make my XLR-4 cable arrive Tuesday.  After the return period I'm just going to sell the cable that came with it as I ordered parts to make several types of XLR-4 adapters and even an XLR-4 extension cable.  The extra headroom will be nice.
 
Quote:

  I too use the Oppo HA-1 for my HD 800-S.   I drive the HA-1 from my 2012 MAC Mini (Pure Music) with a 1TB SSD that is smoking fast (it pegs the meters on Read Write testing).  I even made my own 20ft cable and the volume of the Oppo barely goes past half-way when I really crank it up.   I really think the Class A amp and the 880-S work great together .... Glad it seems too be well liked on these pages...Even that nifty remote will advance my MAC mini to the next song!!            Looking to learn more from you guys...
Cheers,
Larry

 

[LarryMagoo]

The will have a new player to replace the 105 early next year I was told.  It will include UHD & MQA which I was excited about it until I learned that you'd have to Re-buy your entire collection (and that's if they produce it all with MQA tech) and my current monitor, the Sony XBR 75 850C that upscales all to 4K (though not native looks incredible) I'm not sure I will upgrade, though I love Oppo products...I even hear they are selling 10's of millions Smart phones...

 

[etc6849]

I don't blame you.  From an engineering standpoint I don't get the MQA thing unless it's for streaming audio.  FLAC is already lossless, codec's are freely available and hard drive space is dirt cheap.  Also taking analog tape masters and remarketing them as HD audio is a little dishonest but everyone seems to do it.

 

[craftyhack]

  Dang my first real pair of headphones (HD800's) sound excellent!  I've tried $50 headphones before and the free ones that come with phones and could never get into wearing them to be honest...  I really should have bought these sooner because I've had them on for a few hours now!
 
Don't even want to add up how much it was to get my main system to sound close to what these headphones do out of the box... !

After reading that first line I was going to welcome you to the hell of gear addition... then I kept reading.  You, sir, are a hi-fi badass .  I don't know that I have seen many (if any) listening rooms where the TRUE dedication to the perfect sound experience has been pursued to the lengths that I can see from just that one picture.  Then you start talking about the accoustics analysis... wow man, that is awesome!  I have been to boutiques with speakers like Wilson Watt Puppies (or whatever those ugly ass things were called) or my very favorite, Sonus Faber Amati Homage setup, both in 2 ch.  of course they are connected via 4 inch in diameter solid gold speaker wires to $250K monos going to another $1M work of Levinson or Mac gear.  And sure, they sounded great when you in the right spot.  But, did they have wall treatment?  Nope.  Did they eliminate reflective surfaces?  Nope. The didn't even have the speaker positioning correct, and on and on.  So yeah, even with their flashy gold cabling and the BofA's weekly salary worth of gear... I bet your setup would put them to shame, nice work .
 
And I can't see any pics in those folders .

 

[etc6849]

Thanks for the kind complements!  I updated the link I pasted and tested it in a "private window" so the browser would ignore my gmail credentials it has stored.  It should definitely work for the public, if not try a different browser.  You do have to double click on the pictures folder. 
 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1J0a4OV_WGLUVZBNUJBR29LTEU
 
It turns out my insanity of taking the room out of the equation (multiple subs, room treatments and Dirac) matches what head-fi folks have been doing for decades...  should have come here first.
 
You don't know how many audio fools snub their nose at my system when I tell them it has klipsch speakers, Emotiva XMC-1 and XPR-1 amps, monoprice cables, etc...  You are right, I've heard a half million dollar system in Omaha, NE once and my system is better.  99% of the folks into audio have never heard a system like mine, let alone the general public.
 
The dynamics on these headphones are outstanding, but this depends on the source content.  These audio fools have truly never heard dynamics like you headphone guys.  My theater system can really do 126dBA with a room noise floor under 40dBA with very low distortion.  Definitely I'm hearing the jaw dropping dynamics I'm used to on these headphones.
 
PS: If you are ever near Columbia, SC PM me for a listen.
 

 

[craftyhack]

  I don't blame you.  From an engineering standpoint I don't get the MQA thing unless it's for streaming audio.  FLAC is already lossless, codec's are freely available and hard drive space is dirt cheap.  Also taking analog tape masters and remarketing them as HD audio is a little dishonest but everyone seems to do it.

I have a feeling you would get along famously with Mike and Jason from Schiit audio.  And I agree with you; I studied hard and paid good money to learn EE/CE stuff, and yet I still invest poorly on hi-fi shenanigans.  I have known that room, treatment, etc. were the most important thing, but man that looks like a lot of work!
 
As far as the new format(s), I am done with media rebuying; finished, finito, kaput.  I have many, many boxes where most of the following are stored:  VHS, LDs, DVDs, HD-DVD(I chose poorly :/), then Blu-Ray... or for audio... LPs, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, MDs, LPs again... heavier and thicker this time, SACDs, DVD-A, Blu-Ray, FLAC from HDTracks, even monthly fees for Tidal and other streaming services.  And of course 15 generations of tech to play this stuff.  I a media mogul's moist dream .
 
But I digress!  Back to the HA-1. I am literally about go down the road that you just spoke to exploit the Oppo as a 2ch amp see what is can do. I have a pair of Focal CMS 40 monitors that will be here next week.  This will be the first of the many monitors I will be auditioning.  I also plan on buying a set of Ymaha HSx's for a secondary reference setup here in a few minutes.  From what I have read, with a set of nice near fields setup correctly, a few well placed treatments, a good upstream chain, and some well recorded material and we will enjoy a aurally magical experience. One just needs some well chosen monitors and some XLRs to @connect Oppo's preamp to the monitor.  The barrier of entry is also quite low, ~$200 for a set of monitors that will do the job nicely (Yamaha HSx, Rokkits, JBL 30x, Adam Audio Fx, Emotiva, etc., or spend $100K if you want.
 
I do recall some griping about how the poorly the HA-1's volume adjustment worked, and how unintuitive and unhelpful preamp functionality worked early in the HA-1's life, including nuances you pointed out.  I think one answer was to insert a TRS adapter when done listening on phones so that was it will always be a conscience

 

[craftyhack]

  Thanks for the kind complements!  I updated the link I pasted and tested it in a "private window" so the browser would ignore my gmail credentials it has stored.  It should definitely work for the public, if not try a different browser.  You do have to double click on the pictures folder. 
 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1J0a4OV_WGLUVZBNUJBR29LTEU
 
It turns out my insanity of taking the room out of the equation (multiple subs, room treatments and Dirac) matches what head-fi folks have been doing for decades...  should have come here first.
 
You don't know how many audio fools snub their nose at my system when I tell them it has klipsch speakers, Emotiva XMC-1 and XPR-1 amps, monoprice cables, etc...  You are right, I've heard a half million dollar system in Omaha, NE once and my system is better.  99% of the folks into audio have never heard a system like mine, let alone the general public.
 
The dynamics on these headphones are outstanding, but this depends on the source content.  These audio fools have truly never heard dynamics like you headphone guys.  My theater system can really do 126dBA with a room noise floor under 40dBA with very low distortion.  Definitely I'm hearing the jaw dropping dynamics I'm used to on these headphones.
 
PS: If you are ever near Columbia, SC PM me for a listen.
 

Really??  What are you up to tonight?  I'll bring a sleeping bag full of media and headphones .  And yep, what you just said is why I am here as well, a more economical(LOL) way to enjoy the same pursuit.  I have been acquiring second hand gear for ~20 years to build out something to listen to as well (most of it listed in my profile), but I haven't put much effort into it because of Head-Fi.  And gear like the HA-1 specifically is very attractive to pragmatists... multifunctional, pretty but not pretentious, and knows how to do its jobs well!
 
On a side note, assuming you have been working on your gear for a while, do you recall a forum called digitaltheater.com/forum?  From late 90's till RIP in 2003.

 

[etc6849]

Here's my bedroom setup where the HA-1 is.  It's a great sounding setup/combo.  No kidding, this is the best bookshelf set I've heard.  Very dynamic and the king size bed really helps the acoustics versus the living room!  The speakers are on closeout right now too.  Can be had for about 60% of MSRP if you wanted a pair, I can send the coupon code/site.  The amp is hard to find now but is very clean and weighs about 120lbs or so.
 
Oppo HA-1
Klipsch P-17b
Emotiva XPR-2 (pure differential amp with 600W into 8 ohms).
 

 
Quote:

  I have a feeling you would get along famously with Mike and Jason from Schiit audio.  And I agree with you; I studied hard and paid good money to learn EE/CE stuff, and yet I still invest poorly on hi-fi shenanigans.  I have known that room, treatment, etc. were the most important thing, but man that looks like a lot of work!
 
As far as the new format(s), I am done with media rebuying; finished, finito, kaput.  I have many, many boxes where most of the following are stored:  VHS, LDs, DVDs, HD-DVD(I chose poorly :/), then Blu-Ray... or for audio... LPs, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, MDs, LPs again... heavier and thicker this time, SACDs, DVD-A, Blu-Ray, FLAC from HDTracks, even monthly fees for Tidal and other streaming services.  And of course 15 generations of tech to play this stuff.  I a media mogul's moist dream .
 
But I digress!  Back to the HA-1. I am literally about go down the road that you just spoke to exploit the Oppo as a 2ch amp see what is can do. I have a pair of Focal CMS 40 monitors that will be here next week.  This will be the first of the many monitors I will be auditioning.  I also plan on buying a set of Ymaha HSx's for a secondary reference setup here in a few minutes.  From what I have read, with a set of nice near fields setup correctly, a few well placed treatments, a good upstream chain, and some well recorded material and we will enjoy a aurally magical experience. One just needs some well chosen monitors and some XLRs to @connect Oppo's preamp to the monitor.  The barrier of entry is also quite low, ~$200 for a set of monitors that will do the job nicely (Yamaha HSx, Rokkits, JBL 30x, Adam Audio Fx, Emotiva, etc., or spend $100K if you want.
 
I do recall some griping about how the poorly the HA-1's volume adjustment worked, and how unintuitive and unhelpful preamp functionality worked early in the HA-1's life, including nuances you pointed out.  I think one answer was to insert a TRS adapter when done listening on phones so that was it will always be a conscience

 

[craftyhack]

 

Yes, please do send me the info on those speakers and the amp, I have always admired Emotiva stuff but have yet to purchase any to experience... yet.

 

[etc6849]

I graduated college in 2002, so I didn't have money back then...  It's kind of like that now though.  No way can I buy a Tesla Model S because I have been addicted to audio gear for the last 8 years or so.  These last few iterations I've gotten much better about only buying used or refurb gear so I don't lose money as I iterate through systems.
 
Quote:

  On a side note, assuming you have been working on your gear for a while, do you recall a forum called digitaltheater.com/forum?  From late 90's till RIP in 2003.

 

[etc6849]

This is the site I bought the speakers from: http://www.acousticsounddesign.com
 
Search "palladium" and scroll to the P-17b speakers.  I'll PM the coupon code (think I remember it) for another 15% off.
 
The amp is harder to find.  Just set up an email alert at this site:  http://www.hifishark.com/search?q=xpr-2
 
Specs on this "smaller" XPR-2 amp... 
http://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/emotiva-xpr-2-pre
 
My other amps on my towers are XPR-1's:
http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/power-amplifier/emotiva-xpr-1-monoblock-power-amplifier/
 
Quote:

  Yes, please do send me the info on those speakers and the amp, I have always admired Emotiva stuff but have yet to purchase any to experience... yet.

 

[craftyhack]

 

Thanks!  I just got the coupon in PM too, thanks for that.  This site has many things for sale, some of which look like bargains.  Looks like I have plans tonight .  Oh yes, and the pictures worked, looks fantastic.  And really comfortable and cosy.  Those subs... man... the surrounds look to be as thick as tires.  I sure bet you can fell those things thumping your chest!  And that rack of amps is sweet.  I bet either the power company loves you or they suspect of something.  That Dr. Octopus thing made them look really bad and they are still sensitive about it ..\