Earbones
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
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can anyone with a Concero HD/HP compare the DAC performance to the HA-2? i believe they use the same Sabre chip, does that mean their performance would be identical using line out and skipping the Amp?
In my opinion chipsets are certainly important, but it's the overall implementation that is key.
Two quick things about the Concero HP... Firstly, the head of Resonessence Labs has a direct connection to ESS... I believe he used to work there, and I think his brother still does. So not only can RL cherry-pick chips, they also know more about getting the very best out those chipsets than any other DAC manufacturer, arguably. Secondly, the HP costs nearly three times as much... I'm never one to bring price tags into the equation, but in this case it's worth mentioning, simply because at $850, the HP is routinely compared to devices costing thousands. So you have a one device that costs 3 times what the other does, and then punches way, way, out of that price point. Kind of a double-wammy.
With this in mind, it's not exactly a fair fight...
I enjoyed the OPPO HA-2 very much, and I think it's a terrific portable device (assuming the hiss with sensitive cans/IEMs isn't an issue)... But it's completely outgunned by the Concero HP. Right off the bat, the Concero has thicker, richer mids, deeper, more detailed bass, greater overall detail and transparency, vocals are more natural, soundstage is larger and more precise, and the highs are smoother and more articulate. Not to mention an inky black background with zero hiss, even with ultra sensitive IEMs.
Again, the HA-2 is great for a portable, better than most, and I don't mean to belittle it at all... It's just that the Concero HP is so damn good. It destroyed my Burson Conductor, for God's sake. Savagely. I'm talking scorched earth. It's like Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder. It will *blank* you up.
If you're looking for a portable unit that does compete with the Concero HP, I'd suggest the IFI Micro iDSD, another device that hits way, way out of it's weight class. Actually more amazing than the Concero insomuch as it runs only $499. Not nearly as svelte or sexy as the OPPO unfortunately... Or the Concero, for that matter.