[bebop86]

can you put it in a rack?

 

[bebop86]

I mean because of the heat

 

[bebop86]

also how much is the balanced cable

 

[Smarty-pants]

  also how much is the balanced cable

Balanced cable for what?...
Oppo sells balanced cables for their PM-1 and PM-2 headphones ( http://www.oppodigital.com/products.asp?cat=45),
but what cables you use are dependent on what headphones you are using.

 

[billhickok]

   
The HA-1 can get very hot, especially if your room temperature is warm.  I usually leave the HA-1 on for more than 6 hours at a time.  If the room temperature is in the mid 60s, I can put my hands on the top indefinitely (but not the grille).  If the room temperature is in the upper 70s, I can only put my hands on top for a few seconds (but again not on the grille).  In none of those circumstances did the amp have any smell. 

This has been my experience. My room's been in the high 70's/low 80's these past 2 weeks and I can't keep my hand on top of the ventilation area for longer than a few seconds. It gets quite toasty.

 

[Herueyes]

Put that bad boy as low as possible... Make room for it on a lower shelf and use the remote... and get one of those HA-1 Stands for it to sit on!!! - errr... That's if you can find one! ;-D

 

[goldendarko]

The HA-1 gets warm, but nowhere near as warm as my Ragnarok, the HA-1 is a bit warm to the touch after a few hours, the Rag gets hot enough to fry an egg on lol

 

[Smarty-pants]

 
This has been my experience. My room's been in the high 70's/low 80's these past 2 weeks and I can't keep my hand on top of the ventilation area for longer than a few seconds. It gets quite toasty.

Yeah, that room temp is really too warm to be actively running electronics like amps that tend to get warm.
Usually the ideal temp is -up to- 75, and even 75 is pushing the limit.
When it's warmer than that, you want to make sure you give the amp PLENTY of breathing room,
and as the other gentleman above said, it may also be good to boost it up a pinch with a stand
or even just something under the feet to add a wee bit of extra breathing room underneath.
Quite honestly, if the room temp is going to be above 75, I would get a good quiet fan to put on it.

My home office room is always a few degrees warmer due to the PC and monitor and other stuff running in there,
and when I had the HA-1 in there, I could definitely tell a difference in how warm it was.
In my media room sitting on top of an open rack, it got warm, and maybe borderline really warm, but not hot.
In the office, it was borderline hot, and that few extra degrees warmer made a difference in how hot the amp got.
I can only imagine how hot it would get if it were 80 degrees in the room. Yikes...

 

[reddog]

I will get a fan for ventilation and make sure my amp gets proper breathing room. Thanks for the advice on properly keeping ones amp from over heating.

 

[jonstatt]

I will get a fan for ventilation and make sure my amp gets proper breathing room. Thanks for the advice on properly keeping ones amp from over heating.

 
In the user guide, the operating temperature range for the unit is up to 95 degrees F (35 C). So you are well within that as long as you have room around the unit for convection of the unit's heat to occur. I am sure Oppo have designed this to prevent failures at the temperature range you are using regardless of how hot it "feels" when you touch it.

 

[Spamateur]

Anyone else finding the balanced output on the HA-1 is very bright? I just tried the single-ended vs. the balanced output with my LCD-X and found the balanced output has a really harsh treble glare that's uncomfortable for any extended listening. Balanced output has better channel separation and detailing, but the treble is far too bright for my personal listening preferences. Just wondering if this is a common occurrence with balanced vs. single-ended or if it's unique to the HA-1.

 

[DrKC]

  Anyone else finding the balanced output on the HA-1 is very bright? I just tried the single-ended vs. the balanced output with my LCD-X and found the balanced output has a really harsh treble glare that's uncomfortable for any extended listening. Balanced output has better channel separation and detailing, but the treble is far too bright for my personal listening preferences. Just wondering if this is a common occurrence with balanced vs. single-ended or if it's unique to the HA-1.

I just checked with my HA-1.  I used my LCD-3s and my HE560s.  The LCD-3s are using a Moon Audio Silver Dragon balanced cable and the HE560s have an ALO "Green" balanced cable.  I used an ALO ref 8 balanced to single ended adapter.  I listened to several selections with both and I did not detect any difference.  Perhaps you're just more sensitive to the high frequencies than I am.  As a general rule, I've heard very little difference between balanced and SE on the HA-1.  Output level yes, but frequency associated anomalies - no.

 

[Spamateur]

 
I just checked with my HA-1.  I used my LCD-3s and my HE560s.  The LCD-3s are using a Moon Audio Silver Dragon balanced cable and the HE560s have an ALO "Green" balanced cable.  I used an ALO ref 8 balanced to single ended adapter.  I listened to several selections with both and I did not detect any difference.  Perhaps you're just more sensitive to the high frequencies than I am.  As a general rule, I've heard very little difference between balanced and SE on the HA-1.  Output level yes, but frequency associated anomalies - no.

Thanks for checking. I think I'm relatively treble sensitive, so this was good confirmation of that if others aren't experiencing the same issues. I personally found a pretty big difference in sound for me between balanced and single-ended output on the HA-1, but that might just be the LCD-X. Hard to say.

 

[Smarty-pants]

   
In the user guide, the operating temperature range for the unit is up to 95 degrees F (35 C). So you are well within that as long as you have room around the unit for convection of the unit's heat to occur. I am sure Oppo have designed this to prevent failures at the temperature range you are using regardless of how hot it "feels" when you touch it.

Yes I am sure the amp is designed to withstand the high temperatures with which it is rated at,
but sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry.
Taking steps to make sure the amp has plenty of breathing room,
and trying to keep the ambient temp as cool as possible are good steps to take to help prevent issues.
I know you are not arguing that approach but...

I have owned other electronics that have gotten hot to the point where you can't hold your hand on it for more than a few seconds.
So far I haven't had any issues or premature failure from said heat.
However, I have always had those devices in a controlled temp environment of 75 degrees or cooler.
I guess I just find it hard to believe that something like an amp could stand to operate in very high ambient temps for years on end without experiencing failure.
For me I will always be more cautious, especially when it comes to something that costs in excess of $1000, and once the warranty runs out,
you are looking at an expensive repair or a very heavy paper weight.
So when I do propose using a cooling fan, I am really thinking more about the longevity of the unit being used over many years at very high temps.
To each their own, but again I think it's better to be overly cautious sometimes.

As for people using the HA-1 in normal temps, like under 80 degrees maybe, I would just say make sure it has plenty of room to breath.
No walls for at least a few inches to either side and a minimum of 6-8 inches or more of clearance on the top,
and even better would be to have it sitting out in the open.

 

[x RELIC x]

Thanks for checking. I think I'm relatively treble sensitive, so this was good confirmation of that if others aren't experiencing the same issues. I personally found a pretty big difference in sound for me between balanced and single-ended output on the HA-1, but that might just be the LCD-X. Hard to say.

I also found a large difference in detail (blacker background) and dynamics (driving power) with my LCDs.

Could your sensitivity to the treble be a result of the volume difference? Balanced mode is 4x more powerful so if you're not turning down the volume compared to single ended output your ears would definately be fatigued sooner, and treble is the most tiring at loud volumes compared to bass.