No experience with the Questyle but I have owned a HA-1 almost from when it was first released. I use it with mainly with HD700 and Oppo PM-1 (tried the HD800s but the higher frequencies did not work for me, it was the headphone because I also have a Benchmark DAC3 HGC and got the same results) with I feel are great results. The HA-1 is built like a tank and is a bargain at the retail price. With any of my headphones (Senns, Beyerdynamic, B&Ws, Oppos) I find no big difference between the HA-1 and the Benchmark.
I would say the HA-1 is much better suited to the LCD-3 than the HD 800 or HD 800S. The Senn HD 800 and HD 800S are about the only headphones that aren't a good match with it, but they are finicky with a lot of amps.
I would say the HA-1 is much better suited to the LCD-3 than the HD 800 or HD 800S. The Senn HD 800 and HD 800S are about the only headphones that aren't a good match with it, but they are finicky with a lot of amps.
I somewhat agree with this. Just "somewhat" because I don't think it's really the amp pairing per se. The HA-1 is a fantastically clear, powerful, and resolving HP amp for any set of cans. But for cans such as the Senns, I think it is more of a bad DAC pairing. If you try another high-quality DAC type paired with the HA-1's HP amp (perhaps a Burr-Brown, AKM, Chord FPGA, etc.), you will most likely find audio bliss with the Senns.
While not quite as feature-rich or as versatile as the HA-1, I actually preferred my 2015 Audio-gd NFB-28 in regards to SQ. And yes it was also an ESS Sabre DAC.
FWIW....I love my HA-1...but do not use it's Delta Sigma DAC....I have the 800S and to sound it's best, it needs a real Amp not a portable....I am also bummed to read about Oppo's demise.
The Portable DAP will play the 800S but you will not hear all they can do. I really love all that the HA-1 can do....but it just makes better Music with an R2R type DAC instead of the DS DAC . I use a Schiit Yggdrasil for my HP and Speaker DAC.
Can anyone comment on what the Chord Hugo 1 is like paired with the HA1? How would i connect the Hugo to the HA1 and would i still be able to use the XLR balanced output for my headphones?
Can anyone comment on what the Chord Hugo 1 is like paired with the HA1? How would i connect the Hugo to the HA1 and would i still be able to use the XLR balanced output for my headphones?
You can use the rca out from Hugo to the ha-1 and then use your xlr headphones from the ha-1. I had the Hugo 2 for a couple of weeks and found the Hugo 2 paired well with the ha-1
You can use the rca out from Hugo to the ha-1 and then use your xlr headphones from the ha-1. I had the Hugo 2 for a couple of weeks and found the Hugo 2 paired well with the ha-1
So i can use the headphones but i take it that it just won't be a balanced output/setup because of the rca cables? So there's not really any benefit to using an xlr over se cable in this case?
The benefit you will get is extra wattage out of the xlr4 headphone output into your headphones. Some people can hear a difference between the xlr4 output vs SE in the headphones. Certainly will be louder for the same volume setting on the HA-1. You just won't have a balanced input.
Seems like most people don't use the actual DAC in the HA-1...Once I get my setup sorted, I will try and use my Marantz SA 8005 DAC. Maybe people are on to something with this. ^^
Seems like most people don't use the actual DAC in the HA-1...Once I get my setup sorted, I will try and use my Marantz SA 8005 DAC. Maybe people are on to something with this. ^^
FWIW, I use the DAC full time and also to feed my Stax rig. I had Schiit multibit bifrost and gungnir long term to compare and did not feel there was a significant difference. I also have the delta sigma gungnir. I probably do not have golden ears. I don’t hear the digital sheen that some hear from the Ha-1 Dac.
Ditto here. I use my HA-1 as a DAC, headphone amp, and preamp. I love its clean, neutral sound. As an audiophile for 30 years, I've used a lot of different equipment over the years, and I've heard worse than the HA-1 but I've not heard better.
FWIW, I use the DAC full time and also to feed my Stax rig. I had Schiit multibit bifrost and gungnir long term to compare and did not feel there was a significant difference. I also have the delta sigma gungnir. I probably do not have golden ears. I don’t hear the digital sheen that some hear from the Ha-1 Dac.
Ditto here. I use my HA-1 as a DAC, headphone amp, and preamp. I love its clean, neutral sound. As an audiophile for 30 years, I've used a lot of different equipment over the years, and I've heard worse than the HA-1 but I've not heard better.
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