[rambotan]

Who is blaming the DAC? It was just an observation.

 

[Mediahound]

Yeah I don't know why people blame webpage scrolling to the dac. This happens with any dac, and for me only at my work laptop. Running chrome, it eats up lots of memory, and when you scroll or move it around, it cuts the music for less than a half second. Of course I have lots of other programs too. This is not a dac problem. It's your computer running out of resources. Unless you think the oppo usb driver takes up more memory to run. But I doubt anyone actually tested it in a proper manner with their other dacs.
 

 
It's not the DAC per se, but rather the USB receiver, which is sorta weak in the HA-1. I have other DACs with better USB receivers that did not have the issue when the HA-1 does. Same computer, same OS, same cables. 

 

[DaemonSire]

Schiit Wyrd will probably fix your problem

 

[MRC001]

My new HA-1 arrived yesterday so I'll share initial impressions. I'm using it as a line preamp as well as headphone amp.
 
My system preamp is a 10k passive attenuator I designed & built about 15 years ago. With a single metal film resistor in the signal path, this is the ultimate in sonic transparency for analog signals. For headphone amps I have an old Headroom Maxed out Home, and a Meier Corda Jazz. Headphones are LCD-2 Fazor, line system is an Adcom 5800 driving Magnepan 3.6/R in a tuned listening room (big tube traps, thick acoustic foam, etc.).
 
The reason I got the HA-1 was to see if taking the raw digital signal from each device into the HA-1 DAC, provides better sound than my current setup, which relies on the DAC and analog output stage in each source device. The benefit of the new setup is the HA-1 DAC is better than any of the DACs in my source devices. The drawback of the new setup is I now have an analog potentiometer in the signal path - the HA-1 volume control. The volume controls of my attenuator are ladder stepped switches which have only a single metal film resistor in the signal path.
 
In summary, overall, I'm still on the fence. The HA-1 is great but I'm not sure that it's overall "better" than my current system. It's slightly different.
 
Speaking of the headphone amp - in unbalanced mode. I ordered a balanced cable for my LCD-2 but it hasn't yet arrived. The HA-1 sounds a lot like the Meier Jazz. This is a good thing. It's clean, neutral, and natural sounding. The Maxed out Home, in comparison, is a bit warmer and the extreme highs are a bit softer. The Maxed out Home is an excellent amp, but I prefer the Jazz - and the HA-1. I'm using the HA-1's high gain, mainly because most of my recordings are uncompressed acoustic music with wide dynamic range, so average levels are low in order to have room for dynamic peaks. Anyone who can't get enough volume from the HA-1 into the LCD-2, either has a defective HA-1 or hearing damage.
The HA-1 should only get better in balanced mode.
 
Speaking of the line stage. I'm using the HA-1 balanced line outs to drive the balanced inputs of my Adcom 5800. The Magnepans in my listening room are just a touch more transparent and revealing than the LCD-2 Fazor, though the Mags roll off below 30 Hz and LCD-2 doesn't. The comparison here is the analog output of my CD player, through the passive attenuator driving the unbalanced inputs of the 5800 (what I've been listening to for years), versus the digital output of the CD player, sent to the HA-1, driving the balanced inputs of the 5800. So to switch I had to turn off the 5800, flick switches on the back from unbalanced to balanced, then turn it back on. This takes about 30 seconds, too long to be ideal for comparison, but it's the best I could do.
 
Unsurprisingly, they sound quite similar. In order from most evident to least: the HA-1 is a touch faster/cleaner in the extreme high frequencies, a touch lighter in the bass, and a touch smoother in the midrange.
 
In the highs, it took a high quality recording of castanets, and harp, to hear that the transient response was just a smidge faster and cleaner on the HA-1. My prior system was no slouch, but there's no question the HA-1 does extreme high frequencies better. I'm talking about frequencies high enough we don't hear them as "treble", but we hear them as "air" or cleaner transient attack. The strange thing is, the HA-1 is not only a touch faster and cleaner, but also lighter. The castanets and sharp harp plucks on the short top register strings weren't louder, just better defined, portrayed with a lighter more natural sound.
 
Listening to acoustic percussion (Rabih Abou-Khalil's Tarab, Fredericksen's Elfin Knight), the HA-1 portrays the bass with a lighter touch - overall there's simply just a bit "less bass". But the HA-1 bass goes just as deep. This evident on harp recordings - big harp strings can emit incredibly deep bass with frequencies below 30 Hz. It's subtle but moves the air in the room. The HA-1 loses nothing - all those ultra-low resonances are there. So while the HA-1 overall presentation is slightly "leaner", the ultra-deep bass is all there. Then for fun I popped in Diana Krall "Temptation". Fantastic - the bass was phenomenal, her voice was amazing, and the percussion transient attacks were fast and light.
 
With the mids, with only a couple of hours of listening, I haven't yet decided whether the smoothness of the HA-1 is a slight veil obstructing detail, or whether that extra detail was artificial (perhaps a very slight amount of intermodulation distortion). It may be a bit of both. For example when Cecelia Bartoli belts out the crescendos in Rossini's Belta Crudele, the smooth core of her voice has an spine chilling edge to it, which I used to think was just getting too close to the mic. With the HA-1, that edge is still there but smoothed just a touch. More natural, I think so. But there was some detail that is missing - whether that detail was in the original recording, or distortion, is an open question.

 

[frodeni]

I sort of lost you on this one, MCR001. What kind of digital sources are you using, and what DAC are you comparing to?
 
That listening room of yours sounds fantastic by the way.
 
As for scrolling noise, it would be great if people could report back if going into performance power savings eased the problem. Since I never had the issue on my current setup, I just as well list it:
 
Asus Rampage IV Black Edition (x79)
Intel 4960x @4.5GHz, but its still a non issue at stock.
64GB RAM.
Samsung 850 EVO SSD.
980ti.
Water cooling (4*480 rads in open air, beneath the TV). No cooling issues what so ever.
 
No scrolling noise, using either USB2.0 controller of the x79, nor the extra USB3.0. Can't remember ever noticing it with this rig at all.
 
No scrolling noise for both win 7 and win 10. Both 64-bit.
 
No power savings. CPU runs at full throttle all the time. (Kills the dropouts.)
 
I just use the ASIO driver.
 
The biggest weakness of the Oppo, is the sensitivity of the USB input. On the laptop, I needed to use the USB on the left, as it was clearly better than the one on the right. There is a distinct difference between the two controllers on the MB of my current rig. Every single USB cable sound differently.
 
Have anyone tried a USB-SPDIF converter with the Oppo?

 

[money4me247]

@MRC001, good write-up! well-done. your scaling seems realistic and grounded to my own experiences of testing different amps. look forward to reading more of your thoughts on the forums in the future!

 

[MRC001]

  I sort of lost you on this one, MCR001. What kind of digital sources are you using, and what DAC are you comparing to?

My digital source is an Onkyo DX-7555 CD player, which has a Wolfson WM8740 DAC. Comparison is (A) the CD player analog output to my passive attenuator, to the amp (headphones or speakers), versus (B) the CD player digital output to the HA-1, driving the amp (headphones or speakers).
 
My current setup has the advantage of no potentiometer in the signal path (speakers or headphone). But it relies on the CD Player's on-board WM8740 DAC and analog output stage (which is driven by op amps). Incidentally, the Meier Jazz headphone amp has no potentiometer in the signal path; the volume knob is an analog potentiometer outside the signal path, that electronically triggers levels on a stepped attenuator. This is unheard of in a headphone amp at its price point (under $500).
 
The HA-1 setup has the advantage of a better DAC - the WM8740 is good but the Sabre 9810 should be better. But it has a potentiometer in the signal path (the HA-1 volume control) on both headphones and line level outputs, which may undermine the advantages of the superior DAC.
 
Other sources include higher bitrate recordings from my desktop PC. And I also have my own recordings, made with a matched pair of Rode NT1-A mics at 96/24.

 

[frodeni]

  My digital source is an Onkyo DX-7555 CD player, which has a Wolfson WM8740 DAC. Comparison is (A) the CD player analog output to my passive attenuator, to the amp (headphones or speakers), versus (B) the CD player digital output to the HA-1, driving the amp (headphones or speakers).
 
My current setup has the advantage of no potentiometer in the signal path (speakers or headphone). But it relies on the CD Player's on-board WM8740 DAC and analog output stage (which is driven by op amps). Incidentally, the Meier Jazz headphone amp has no potentiometer in the signal path; the volume knob is an analog potentiometer outside the signal path, that electronically triggers levels on a stepped attenuator. This is unheard of in a headphone amp at its price point (under $500).
 
The HA-1 setup has the advantage of a better DAC - the WM8740 is good but the Sabre 9810 should be better. But it has a potentiometer in the signal path (the HA-1 volume control) on both headphones and line level outputs, which may undermine the advantages of the superior DAC.
 
Other sources include higher bitrate recordings from my desktop PC. And I also have my own recordings, made with a matched pair of Rode NT1-A mics at 96/24.

 
Have you tried "home theater mode" and use that attenuator for the Oppo?
 
Also, if the digital input is lacking, the Oppo might not correct it properly. The Oppo is a bit boring with poor input. The one shop selling them in Oslo, have them running on a CD-drive, and the sound is poor. They also had an iPad with Tidal, and a great USB cable to boot, but that ended poorly as well. In particular, the high end region, is rendered inarticulate. Imaging of cymbals is poor. Just like mine did, before killing some digital noise.
 
And that Adcom 5800, are you using it balanced with the Oppo? Your setup seems nice, so it is a shame if the Oppo fails to do it justice.
 
The feedback on the pre-amp of the Oppo has been a bit mixed. It is sufficient for my setup, but the room is lacking, and its flaws cannot be fixed. I use it with a Rotel 980BX and some Snell type E IV. Both bought dirty cheap second hand. I must be getting old, since I have simply just settled for this. Probably because it is a lot of fun to use. It is sloppy by imaging, lacks articulation, and is a bit too much backward tilted. But it plays great on musicality. I cannot afford going nuts on this, not for the time being, and it is the room that needs attention, not the rig. It great fun as it is.
 
But that fun only happened after quite a bit of trial and testing. On the digital input side of things. The Oppo just pukes with the wrong input.
 
Keep us posted, as to what your experiences are.

 

[imac2much]

Hey everyone!
I currently use the HA-1 with my HE-400i.  While listening to music, I've noticed that the music will occasionally drop out for a brief time (about a second or less).  This doesn't happen too often but it's very jarring when it does.  I also seem to hear some kind of noise whenever this happens.
 
I'm currently using the usb input on the HA-1 from my laptop.  I've heard that the USB input is not implemented very well on the HA-1.  Should I look into something like the Schiit Wyrd, Audioquest Jitterbug or Uptone USB Regen?  I also have a Concero somewhere - would it be more helpful to use this as a USB-to-SPDIF converter?
 
Thanks for your advice!

 

[vnmslsrbms]

My HA-1 doesn't drop out.  Not sure why you experience that.  First question is always USB cable.  Are you using one that works properly?  It doesn't need to be fancy (in fact some fancy ones don't actually work.  WTH).  On my Auralic Vega for example, when I choose the exact clock mode, it actually drops out sometimes with one of my USB cables that obviously has slight issues.  I think it's basically how precise they have set the clock requirements.  It's much easier if like on the Vega that you can actually choose a setting for some sources/cables which aren't that awesome.  
 
If you go USB-SPDIF then you lose some of the higher resolution capabilities.  

 

[frodeni]

  ... While listening to music, I've noticed that the music will occasionally drop out for a brief time (about a second or less)....I'm currently using the usb input on the HA-1 from my laptop. ...

Laptops throttle like nuts to save power. You need to disable power savings, or to increase the minimum cpu state. If your laptop runs at proper speed, there are no dropouts.
 
 

  ... I've heard that the USB input is not implemented very well on the HA-1.  Should I look into something like the Schiit Wyrd, Audioquest Jitterbug or Uptone USB Regen?  I also have a Concero somewhere - would it be more helpful to use this as a USB-to-SPDIF converter? ...

First of all, the USB is probably quite ordinary. The Oppo is just sensitive to the input. It is quite possible getting great results by USB. But yes, it probably could use some improvement.
 
As for USB-to-SPDIF, that is a unknown. The USB is the better input to begin with, or so it seems. You are more than welcome to try it out, but the result is not a given.

  ...
If you go USB-SPDIF then you lose some of the higher resolution capabilities.  

I missed that one. How bad is it, we still do 24/192?

 

[vnmslsrbms]

  Laptops throttle like nuts to save power. You need to disable power savings, or to increase the minimum cpu state. If your laptop runs at proper speed, there are no dropouts.
 
 
First of all, the USB is probably quite ordinary. The Oppo is just sensitive to the input. It is quite possible getting great results by USB. But yes, it probably could use some improvement.
 
As for USB-to-SPDIF, that is a unknown. The USB is the better input to begin with, or so it seems. You are more than welcome to try it out, but the result is not a given.
I missed that one. How bad is it, we still do 24/192?

Coaxial, Optical, AES/EBU Digital Inputs
Input Format	Stereo PCM
Sampling Frequencies	44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
Word Length	16-bit, 24-bit

 
Not that bad.  Yes 24/192 is the top it can go.  But of course it really depends on if you can hear the difference between that and higher sampling frequency and DSD.  

 

[imac2much]

Thank you all for your advice.
My USB Selective suspend setting was already disabled, but I noticed that my USB root hub had power management enabled in device settings. ("Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power") 
 
I disabled this setting now - I hope the brief audio drops will disappear!  Thanks!

 

[money4me247]

  Thank you all for your advice.
My USB Selective suspend setting was already disabled, but I noticed that my USB root hub had power management enabled in device settings. ("Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power") 
 
I disabled this setting now - I hope the brief audio drops will disappear!  Thanks!

that sounds like it should take care of the issue, please let us know if it seems fixed!

 

[vnmslsrbms]

  Thank you all for your advice.
My USB Selective suspend setting was already disabled, but I noticed that my USB root hub had power management enabled in device settings. ("Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power") 
 
I disabled this setting now - I hope the brief audio drops will disappear!  Thanks!

That's an interesting fix.  I wouldn't think that would do it since it's being used.  Why would the computer turn it off?  Either way hope that works though.