[jonstatt]

 
We should wait for Tyll Hertsens to publish his measurements for the HA-1, but if he comes up with figures that are close to OPPO's published specs for the HA-1, then, comparing only the power output, the Soloist is competitive with the HA-1 when using low-impedance headphones (with 1.79 Watts rms into 50-Ohm from the Soloist vs. 1.96 Watts into 50-Ohm from the HA-1), but not so competitive when using high-impedance headphones (something much less than 0.62 Watts rms into 300-Ohm with the Soloist vs. 1.43 Watts rms into 300-Ohm from the HA-1).  
 

 
Many thanks Mike. I appreciate that. However there is one major difference here. The HA-1 achieves 1.79 Watts RMS into 50Ohms when using a balanced XLR connection. It will be more like 450mW with a single ended connection. The Burson achieves 1.96 Watts with a single ended connection. As I move my LCD-3 between my Hi-Fi rig and my Yamaha digital piano, I think I will have to buy myself a 4 pin XLR to stereo 1/4 inch jack adapter so that I can leave the balanced cable on the headphones.....If Audeze are to be believed and 1 watt is a minimum, then the HA-1 will not provide enough output power with a single ended connection.

 

[zilch0md]

^ Makes sense if you want to stick with single-ended cables. 

 

[craftyhack]

  ^ Makes sense if you want to stick with single-ended cables. 

Agreed, but IMHO there are more affordable options if SE is the only intended usage.  If planning to use both that makes sense to buy this swiss army knife, but perhaps it doesn't when you have mainly cans capable of balanced input where the cans even come with balanced cables OOB or you can add balanced easily.  I haven't even opened my SE cable for the XC's .  That said, I will do a separate set of impressions with the gear combos I mentioned above using SE outputs as well for the cans that have balanced cable options if anyone is actually considering running that way.  I was going to try a couple of SE cans (the Sony XB1000's and UltraSone Pro900's), but thats it.  The exception is all cans going SE into the SE only Valhalla(not a WA7 which would be more fair, but I don't have a WA7, but will take one if someone has one available for a good price or free ), where my only purpose of including a class A tube amp is to determine which combo sounds most like a decent tube amp if that is what someone is looking for to tame some of the brighter cans out there (like me).  I will make my impressions very simple to consume in this case, measuring on a tubiness sound from a scale of 1-10, vs. a plethora of adjectives that make it quite difficult to extract the information you want to know (if tubiness is that info).

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
Here is my opinion:
First of all HA-1 Dac/Amp combo cost 1199 while Gungnir as Dac only with USB cost 849 so you getting an amp for just 350 saving some space and no extra connections so saving some money on cables.  HA-1 uses well known ESS Sabre32 9018 chip while Gungnir uses AAKM4399 chip nobody talks about. HA-1 supports up to 24/192 over optical connections and up to 32/384 over USB. HA-1 supports DSD in native as well DoP mode while Gungnir doesn't support it at all, yes they may add it in the future but definitely not for free. How many DACs support DSD in native mode? I heard about few, but can't remember their names, but they cost way way more than HA-1. I never heard Gungnir but had an HA-1 for several days and compared it'd DAC to Matrix X-Sabre costing 1099 and using the same chip and heard no difference whatsoever. HA-1 is fully balanced setup and Gungnir as well. But Asgard 2 is single ended amp so you can't connect it to Gungnir using 3 pin XLR cables. HA-1's amp output impedance < 1 ohm while Asgard's < 2. So which setup is feature proff?   

 
I don't simply buy gear because it is the buzz of conversation (although that is often a starting point for my investigation). If you actually read what many knowledgeable users say about the Gungnir it is quite respected which means the DAC chip makes the excellent implementation in the Gungnir possible. So I think your point that as a chip the DAC from Gungnir isn't discussed doesn't really factor in that much. Frankly, the analogue stage of any DAC kit is just as important as the raw chip specs. I had an Audiolab 8200CD with the same Sabre chip in it which I sold to pay for my Gungnir. I can assure you I was quite happy with the move. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my question, but I was clear that features alone don't really matter a great deal to me and while I respect your thoughts I am unclear if you have actually heard a Gungnir or Asgard 2. Either way, you are of course welcome to share your thoughts and you do make some good points. Cheers. 

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I had the bifrost Uber and an A2 sitting on top of my beta unit HA-1.  Very (and I mean very) slightly different sound signatures, with the HA-1 showing a bit more detail forward, the Schiit stack a bit more "smooth" for lack of a better word.  Sound quality was on par between the two.  I decided to sell the Schiit gear when I found out that Oppo was giving me an HA-1 as thanks for participating in the beta test (I had purchased it to replace the HA-1 when the beta was over, not expecting Oppo's generosity).  On sound quality alone, It was a tough call.  Add in the build quality, added connectivity and cool screen, and it gets to be a pretty good fight.  The Oppo has the edge in the non-sound quality issues, and you pay about $400 more for those features.  The build quality is absolutely premium with the Oppo HA-1, and is absolutely acceptable (and no better) with the Schiit gear.  If one judges bang for the buck on sound alone, the Schiit gear would likely win, unless you crave forward details.  If bang for the buck weighs build quality and connectivity, for you, the HA-1 would likely win, unless you crave a smooth presentation and cringe with forward details.  Note again, the voicing differences are so slight to me, that one would have to have a VERY STRONG feeling one way or the other regarding voicing (I tend to cringe with forward details, and I like the HA-1 voicing just fine).  Seriously, absent the other, both sound equally stunning for their prices, and both punch well above - in my opinion.  Take my opinion with a grain of salt, as the Schiit and Oppo units are near the top quality level of equipment that I have spent much time with.  I've listened further up market, but only at meets.  Also remember - I was a beta tester, and have been gifted an HA-1 retail unit.  You can bet your bottom dollar that has at least a little influence over my attempts to be unbiased. I hope this helps?

That is exactly the type of opinion/information I am hoping to get, thank you very much. There is still a part of me that likes the one unit solution over two units, however; I also wonder if the separation of devices sometimes yields slight sonic performance improvements? It sounds like the folks at Schiit know what they are doing. So I now have one well informed opinion on the subject and I very much welcome anybody else who has some experience with both gear kits. Bad timing as the Oppo has just been released so there aren't likely as many users of the HA1. Thanks agai aamefford, greatly appreciate your input.

 

[craftyhack]

 
That is exactly the type of opinion/information I am hoping to get, thank you very much. There is still a part of me that likes the one unit solution over two units, however; I also wonder if the separation of devices sometimes yields slight sonic performance improvements? It sounds like the folks at Schiit know what they are doing. So I now have one well informed opinion on the subject and I very much welcome anybody else who has some experience with both gear kits. Bad timing as the Oppo has just been released so there aren't likely as many users of the HA1. Thanks agai aamefford, greatly appreciate your input.

THe folks at Schiit DEFINITELY know what they are doing .  Mike and Jason alone are legends, not just for quality, no-compromise designs, but for creative genius, Mike Moffet invented the DAC for goodness sake .  That said, while Schiit is outstanding gear at great prices, there is still the question of user preference, which is the purpose of my getting the HA-1 and auditioning other gear as well till I get the sound I like.  If I have to deal with a higher noise floor or THD+N, so be it.
 
On that note, I plan on disassembling the HA-1 to see if there is any possibility of modification (AKA RWAK) as I am ECE and know my way around electronics modifications, I know of one improvement already in the power delivery componentry that may make a difference.  At this price point for these features and this quality there must be some sacrifices made somewhere where making a few tweaks will still be much cheaper than going to the next level of audio gear.  I will post what I find with pics and options, perhaps reach out to folks like Vinnie at RWA to see if he is interested in upgrading my unit while he is RWAK'ing my AK240 (which will require yet another round of testing!).
 
EDIT:  Spoke to Vinnie, I will be sending the Oppo HA-1 once I have used it a bit to see if I like it and have run it through my combo's, and then if I find any area's lacking with my go-to cans he agreed to look at it for ways to mod it to get it closer to the sound I am looking for.  Vinnie is one heck of a great guy BTW .

 

[meetoo1]

I recently purchased this amp from Oppo and noticed that it gets very, VERY hot if left on for more than a few hours.  Is this normal?  It is so hot, I think you could fry an egg on the top of it.  I'm a little concerned.

 

[aamefford]

I recently purchased this amp from Oppo and noticed that it gets very, VERY hot if left on for more than a few hours.  Is this normal?  It is so hot, I think you could fry an egg on the top of it.  I'm a little concerned.

Mine gets hot enough that it is uncomfortable to leave your hand over the vent for long. Fry an egg - no. Keep your burrito nice and warm - definitely. My Asgard 2 got hotter. Class a runs hot.

 

[Hooster]

  Maybe not the right forum but I am interested in the HA1 as a headphone amp but if I wanted to connect this to my external speakers is there an amp I could buy that will allow me to connect my 2 passive speakers and include a sub?  

 
Yes, it will work with any power amp you like. Dunno about the sub...

 

[meetoo1]

Mine gets hot enough that it is uncomfortable to leave your hand over the vent for long. Fry an egg - no. Keep your burrito nice and warm - definitely. My Asgard 2 got hotter. Class a runs hot.

So I should not be concerned?  It is so hot that I can only touch the top for 1-2 seconds... anything more is too painful.  I don't have a thermometer but would bet the top surface is over 120 degrees.  This is normal?

 

[craftyhack]

   
Yes, it will work with any power amp you like. Dunno about the sub...

Depends on the sub inputs and outputs.  Some subs are designed to introduce to a system with no sub output (they have RCA in's and out's and/or amped ins/outs, where the sub crossover feeds low freq to sub (usually adjustable) and can pass the signal back to mains(crossed over or full freq, also sometimes adjustable).  Definitely can be used as DAC to external amp, that is on my list to pick up an Aragon 8008BB to put this into to feed some Veritas 2.8s, will be a beautiful thing I think, what a bargain for a preamp/DAC combo of this caliber with these features to drive a 2 channel setup!  And the home theater bypass mode makes it even sweeter, as you can have both a great 2 ch setup and surround setup with the same gear that is easily controlled in both configs.  That was a great idea by whoever.

 

[Stereolab42]

Mine gets hot enough that it is uncomfortable to leave your hand over the vent for long. Fry an egg - no. Keep your burrito nice and warm - definitely. My Asgard 2 got hotter. Class a runs hot.

 
I measured my HA-1 with a Fluke... after running for a while, the area around the grill is from 100-110 and on the grill is from 110-120. This is in a room between 65-75 degrees. Not really worrying to me, except I need to strategically put objects on top of it to prevent cats from getting comfy. I can leave my hand on it all day for sure. If you live in Houston without A/C, though, (are there such people?), I would suggest either moving or buying a different amp...

 

[Smarty-pants]

If you live in a warm climate and do not have a temp controlled room, any class-A amps are going to get very hot.
You need to keep your room under 75 degrees, otherwise it is going to get hot.
You also need to make sure that unit has plenty of ventilation around it, and no shelves near the top of the unit,
and no other warm/hot electronics below it as well.
All of those things are going to make the amp even warmer than it already is.

 

[aamefford]

I measured my HA-1 with a Fluke... after running for a while, the area around the grill is from 100-110 and on the grill is from 110-120. This is in a room between 65-75 degrees. Not really worrying to me, except I need to strategically put objects on top of it to prevent cats from getting comfy. I can leave my hand on it all day for sure. If you live in Houston without A/C, though, (are there such people?), I would suggest either moving or buying a different amp...

Sounds about the temp. range for mine as well.

 

[ghibliss]

Has anyone compared the Oppo tothe Mytek Digital which lists at $1500.00?  Mytek uses the same ESS Sabre DAC and offers a number of neat features.