[kawaivpc1]

I really wonder how Oppo HA1 sounds. So far, I have used portable digital audio players only.
How would you guys compare Oppo HA1's sound to sound of AK240, Calyx M, AK120, HM901 and Fiio X5?
Is it so much better?? if so, how would you describe it?
I'm a classical, soundtrack, rock and electronic music listener. Would you recommend this unit to me?
I'd like to hear you guys' opinion. I personally never owned a DAC like Oppo HA-1 before.
 
P.S.
I use Shure's SRH1840 headphone with Moon Audio's Silver Dragon V3 cable.

 

[olegausany]

HA-1 is great with any music but to get most out of it you should use balanced cable

 

[MattTCG]

  god damn this site!!

Oppo HA-1 ordered!!
   
  now i have 5 DAcs and i really only need one (well.. the dragonfly 1.2 for the laptop is still useful)... argh!
   
  life is hard ^_^

 
Dang, I didn't get five dacs till I had at least 10 post here. 

 

[Uniquexme]

Can anyone share impression with Audeze in particular LCD-3? Do they match well? Is the DAC or Amp part better in HA-1?

 

[Uniquexme]

A bit off topic.  Just follow the general setup shown here.   I know this is for a exasound, just choose the HA-1 instead when detected.   You don't need to go overboard with optimization with JRiver 19.

Any recommended setting for Audirvana on Mac?

 

[poo]

Got to have a quick listen through HD800 today and was impressed. For me there were a few areas where the sound fell short, primarily in terms of soundstage specifically in comparison to my DAC1PRE. Also in complex passages I found things to muddy together a little more than I'd expect. These are the only things I noticed as negatives and to be honest I was trying to be picky and find things.

I guess the most telling comment that I'm likely to make is that I plan to buy one soon, really can't believe the quality of sound given the price and features. I don't consider the HA-1 a perfect pairing to the HD800 but it's a pleasant combination with plenty of detail, bass and smooth sounds.

In terms of features, connectivity and bells and whistles, this is how a DAC/AMP should be made. I hope other manufacturers take notice of this little beastie and consider what it really offers.

 

[poo]

I should add that these are only quick impressions in a much less than perfect listening environment. Looking forward to getting one home some time soonish and really sitting down and listening to some albums.

 

[Maxx134]

god damn this site!! Oppo HA-1 ordered!!


 


now i have 5 DAcs and i really only need one (well.. the dragonfly 1.2 for the laptop is still useful)... argh!


 


life is hard ^_^


(the other DACs being, audiolab M-DAC, Fostex HP-A8, AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2, HRT MusicStreamer II, and now Oppo HA-1 (coming this Friday... damn you all!)

haha looks like some comparisons for us

I should add that these are only quick impressions in a much less than perfect listening environment. Looking forward to getting one home some time soonish and really sitting down and listening to some albums.

I was thinking the same, as your observation is an uncharacteristically strange anomaly

 

[JML]

Audirvana Plus has a manual that goes through all the settings, and there's a forum on their website.  The defaults take care of most of your critical options.  If you're using it in iTunes Integrated mode, it works great.  The only thing you have to "worry about" is SysOptimizer, which can shut down three activities; because I often work with my laptop while listening I do not have it turn off Spotlight indexing, and I found it can't turn off Time Machine (I filed a report on the forum about that). By the way, Audirvana Plus 2.0 is being developed and tested, but there's only one report of it being seen "in the wild."  
 
Here are my settings, not necessarily in order.  Three are not available while Audirvana is playing, but those are set for the defaults on my system.  I have 16 GB of RAM available, and Audirvana wanted to take 13 GB, so I reduced it to 8, which ought to be plenty for the app and not impede work I do while listening.
 

 

 

 

 

[gotoma8]

Hi all, just trying to get the most out of my HA-1 and JRiver MC19.  
 
In regards to this, what should I do for Audio Device?  What should I select?  WASAPI? ASIO? Direct Stream? or Kernal Streaming?
 

 
Aslo for Output format/output encoding, should I use "none" or DSD in DoP or 2xDSD in DoP or 2xDSD in Native Format???

 
Thanks!

 

[HiFiAudio]

  Hi all, just trying to get the most out of my HA-1 and JRiver MC19.  
 
In regards to this, what should I do for Audio Device?  What should I select?  WASAPI? ASIO? Direct Stream? or Kernal Streaming?
 

 
Aslo for Output format/output encoding, should I use "none" or DSD in DoP or 2xDSD in DoP or 2xDSD in Native Format???

 
Thanks!

Did you know you can log into JRiver Interact, then navigate to either windows/linux/mac client threads and ask any MC19 questions there?    Also for more advanced user, the Computer Audiophile software forum is available for reading on any topic. 

 
If you are a Mac user you would use Core Audio, and 2xDSD in DoP.   See this page for help.

 

[Badas]

I have to reverse my statement about the HA-1 needing a warmup time. When turning on.

At the moment we are in winter (New Zealand) and it is freezing here. Perfect for trialling if the HA-1 needs a warmup.

I have used the Pearl Jam song Amongst the Waves. It has great mid range and a nice deep drum beat.
Yesterday I turned on the system in the cold. Using my speakers and the HA-1 as a pre-amp instantly everything sounded beautiful. I then thought it might just be the headphone amp section. I have left 24 hours and tried again this morning. Everything sounded great in my headphones instantly.

So I was wrong. When I stated it a few posts back I thought it could be a placebo effect. That seems to be the case.

However the 20-50 hours breaking in seems real. Mine is sounding soooooooooo much warmer now it has been broken in.

Also just loaded the HA-1 app this morning. It seems that I like chatting on forums and HP listening at the same time. So I can control the volume and browse at the same time. It works excellent.

 

[HiFiAudio]

Unusual review
 
Oppo HA-1 - Hi-Fi News July 2014  (PDF)
 

With the exception of the low sampling rate S/PDIF problem, the HA-1 is a well thought out and thoroughly engineered product at a competitive price – as we’ve come to expect from Oppo. Its headphone amplifier stage is up there with the finest, and on high sampling rate material delivered via S/PDIF you hear it at its considerable best. It’s a pity that the USB input isn’t as good, but that’s not uncommon. 

 
Yes he actually prefers material delivered via S/PDIF instead of USB DAC?

 

[HiFiAudio]

However the 20-50 hours breaking in seems real. Mine is sounding soooooooooo much warmer now it has been broken in.

A bunch of us noticed that, does sound better after some 50 hours or so.

 

[Badas]

A bunch of us noticed that, does sound better after some 50 hours or so.

Yeah, I was the original to note it. I also said that it could need a warm up period each time. I just wanted to reverse that last statement. That was a placebo effect.