jukkaz
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 29, 2015
- Posts
- 3
- Likes
- 10
What player did you use on your ip5? Issit the onkyo? FLAC or DSD?
OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC Discussion Thread
I only use Spotify Premium, sounds great and you can listen to anything you want and it 320 OGG
Chris Ihao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2010
- Posts
- 144
- Likes
- 45
Not my experience at all. The mids are mudded up pretty badly with +bass enabled. I never turn it on now.
jukkaz
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 29, 2015
- Posts
- 3
- Likes
- 10
Maybe due to me using the se535. What headphones/iem are u using?
dbdynsty25
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2010
- Posts
- 2,283
- Likes
- 257
I agree. I use the PM3s and Vsonic GR07BEs. No thanks on the bass boost on the HA-2.
Chris Ihao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2010
- Posts
- 144
- Likes
- 45
I tried the PS1000's, HD650's, He-400's, ATH-M50's, Takstar Pro 80's and the Etymotic hf5's. At first I thought the 650's were ok with the boost, but then I realized the sound was affected in a very bad sense. I havent really researched this, but from what I hear, the +bass introduce a way too high and broad low frequencency boost, which really bleeds into the lower mids. I feel that it would be wiser if Oppo had narrowed down the boost region a bit, then pulled it down to the lowest frequency areas for some deep bass goodness.
I dont really think that different sets will change this "fact". Then again, what works for you, works for you.
coastal1
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 12, 2015
- Posts
- 290
- Likes
- 27
Briefly tried the Ha-2 last night and was kinda shocked at how good it sounded with my 5s just using Spotify premium. iPod Classic didn't sound as good despite using better files - AIFF, ALAC, and WAV, though I did use the Classic through the headphone out as the A mode didn't cooperate right away and I was pressed for time
money4me247
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
- Posts
- 6,453
- Likes
- 3,951
lol at above. i think whether bass boost works for ppl just depends on their preferences.
Oppo's approach is all bass frequency below 100 Hz gets about 5dB boost. The boost gradually decreases from 100Hz to about 500Hz where it reaches the normal non-boosted level.
Sounds like you advocating for more downward sloping bass boost with greater subbass boost that hits flat earlier. you shld try playing with EQ settings to see if that sort of approach is really more preferable.
I've always found a linear bass boost that merges into a gentle downslope to be the least offensive to my ears (meaning additional coloration from the bass boost is mimized). Really the only way to get a 'cleaner' bass boost is through personalized EQing which will be track/headphone dependent.
bass generally encompasses up to 200 so starting a downslope at 100 to the 500 Hz means that area responsible for punchiness, warmth, fullness, and mud is not as emphasized as the rest of the bass spectrum beong boosted. the sensation of fullness or mud is also influenced by the lower midrange. Yes, it is a bit more fullness in the lower mids than unEQed with this type of broad bass boost but it does seem more natural to have more fullness in the lower midrange if the lower bass frequencies are additionally emphasized.
People who enjoy a 'cleaner' sound will probably not use bass boost. I hardly use it personally. however, I do think it is quite well-done bass boost as far as broad bass boosts go.
Oppo's approach is all bass frequency below 100 Hz gets about 5dB boost. The boost gradually decreases from 100Hz to about 500Hz where it reaches the normal non-boosted level.
Sounds like you advocating for more downward sloping bass boost with greater subbass boost that hits flat earlier. you shld try playing with EQ settings to see if that sort of approach is really more preferable.
I've always found a linear bass boost that merges into a gentle downslope to be the least offensive to my ears (meaning additional coloration from the bass boost is mimized). Really the only way to get a 'cleaner' bass boost is through personalized EQing which will be track/headphone dependent.
bass generally encompasses up to 200 so starting a downslope at 100 to the 500 Hz means that area responsible for punchiness, warmth, fullness, and mud is not as emphasized as the rest of the bass spectrum beong boosted. the sensation of fullness or mud is also influenced by the lower midrange. Yes, it is a bit more fullness in the lower mids than unEQed with this type of broad bass boost but it does seem more natural to have more fullness in the lower midrange if the lower bass frequencies are additionally emphasized.
People who enjoy a 'cleaner' sound will probably not use bass boost. I hardly use it personally. however, I do think it is quite well-done bass boost as far as broad bass boosts go.
Boys, I am here to double confirm Oppo's previous finding that the Sony A10 series + Music Heaven MH-LD113 will NOT work with HA-2.
Charlie Norwood
Previously known as Infinity Knives
I really like the bass boost. Just got the pm-3s and as a bass head they need the boost for the bass to even really register for me.
Cosign the above comments about eq'ing. You can't cheat with this boost, it won't add sub bass to headphones that don't already have it.
Cosign the above comments about eq'ing. You can't cheat with this boost, it won't add sub bass to headphones that don't already have it.
gerelmx1986
Headphoneus Supremus
Agree, i've tried it with my somehow bass shy MDR-1R (bit mid-centric), the Bass+ sounds muddy, tough not artifically boosted but yes a muddy, turning it off gives my MDR-1R very nice bass extension, i am testing with some Organ works by D. buxtehude (x7CD MDG Gold series w/Harald Vogel).
For me personally, like chris, it sounds all muddy a bit muffled, OFF it's godly, esp in H gain, tough a battery drainer
gerelmx1986
Headphoneus Supremus
Agree, i've tried it with my somehow bass shy MDR-1R (bit mid-centric), the Bass+sounds muddy, tough not artifically boosted but yes a muddy, turning it off gives my MDR-1R very nice bass extension, i am testing with some Organ works by D. buxtehude (x7CD MDG Gold series w/Harald Vogel).
For me personally, like chris, it soundsall muddya bit muffled, OFF it's godly, esp in H gain, tough a battery drainer
edit, with organ music it sounds very nice, i have to test the Bass+ with chamber or harpsichors, etc, orchestral
money4me247
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
- Posts
- 6,453
- Likes
- 3,951
Just note that a lot of the headphones being mentioned having issues with the HA-2's bass boost do have significant coloration in their bass response.
The MDR-1R for example is mid-centric, but also has a pretty significant mid-bass boost and warm coloration. HD650 does have a bit of a dark coloration to their signature. The HE-400s has a bass emphasis and upper mids recession and the ATH-M50 has a strong v-shaped sound signature. I've owned all of those headphones before except the HD650 which I did extensive demoing with.
I can absolutely see why you guys dislike additional bass emphasis with each of those particular headphones. I doubt I would personally toggle or EQ additional bass for any of those options. An more ideal EQ of the bass of the MDR-1R would probably entail sub-bass emphasis and no extra mid-bass emphasis. The HD650 would also benefit from additional sub-bass presence but less mid-bass boost. A bass boost on the HE-400 will further accentuate its upper mid recession, so seems like bad news too. The M50 I think a bass boost is not appropriate unless you are a strong basshead (as that would be way too much coloration in my mind). For my personal sound signature preferences, I do even prefer a 'clean' PM-3 without the bass boost despite the PM-3 responding well to a broad bass boost.
So, I can see bassheads greatly enjoying this feature or it being very helpful for something like the Q701 (for me personally as I found the Q701's bass quite anemic and lacking for my personal tastes), while being detrimental option for many popular audiophile headphones. I do think that the headphones being used plays an extremely significant factor in how well the bass boost turns out. I have tested the HA-2's bass boost with some very well-measuring headphones (PM-3, K7xx, HE-560, LCD-X, and HE-1k) and found it to be acceptably clean in terms of sonic quality for a bass EQ. Do note that I personally do not use bass boosting EQ often as it usually takes the sound signature further away from my preferred, but for those people who do enjoy that additional lower frequency response emphasis, I do think that the bass boost is about as clean as you can expect from an broad EQ standpoint.
Hope this clarifies things & is helpful.
The MDR-1R for example is mid-centric, but also has a pretty significant mid-bass boost and warm coloration. HD650 does have a bit of a dark coloration to their signature. The HE-400s has a bass emphasis and upper mids recession and the ATH-M50 has a strong v-shaped sound signature. I've owned all of those headphones before except the HD650 which I did extensive demoing with.
I can absolutely see why you guys dislike additional bass emphasis with each of those particular headphones. I doubt I would personally toggle or EQ additional bass for any of those options. An more ideal EQ of the bass of the MDR-1R would probably entail sub-bass emphasis and no extra mid-bass emphasis. The HD650 would also benefit from additional sub-bass presence but less mid-bass boost. A bass boost on the HE-400 will further accentuate its upper mid recession, so seems like bad news too. The M50 I think a bass boost is not appropriate unless you are a strong basshead (as that would be way too much coloration in my mind). For my personal sound signature preferences, I do even prefer a 'clean' PM-3 without the bass boost despite the PM-3 responding well to a broad bass boost.
So, I can see bassheads greatly enjoying this feature or it being very helpful for something like the Q701 (for me personally as I found the Q701's bass quite anemic and lacking for my personal tastes), while being detrimental option for many popular audiophile headphones. I do think that the headphones being used plays an extremely significant factor in how well the bass boost turns out. I have tested the HA-2's bass boost with some very well-measuring headphones (PM-3, K7xx, HE-560, LCD-X, and HE-1k) and found it to be acceptably clean in terms of sonic quality for a bass EQ. Do note that I personally do not use bass boosting EQ often as it usually takes the sound signature further away from my preferred, but for those people who do enjoy that additional lower frequency response emphasis, I do think that the bass boost is about as clean as you can expect from an broad EQ standpoint.
Hope this clarifies things & is helpful.
Chris Ihao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2010
- Posts
- 144
- Likes
- 45
I still think the q of the bell curve is too wide moneyforme247. I have no problem with eq'ing up the bass a bit, though after having eq'ed a lot of stuff via audio production, I sort of visualize the soundwave, and it simply is too amplified somewhere around 400-500hz, which affect the mids too much imo. I would have preferred it flatting out at around 300-350hz.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that my Etymotic hf5's are quite flat, and still sounds much worse with the boost enabled. My PS1000's arent really all that colored either, and the same goes for them (actually sounds the worst of the lot).
Again however, people are different (hearing not at least), and this is entirely subjective.
PS: I used to EQ on my portable players all the time before, but I have basically stopped doing this, also in the lower regions. More and more I believe that nothing in this world is free, on all areas of life, and by boosting one part, another suffers. Just consider the loudness wars. Before, music were really dynamic, and you had great differences in volume in misc parts of a given song. These days this is considered "bad", as other media plays a lot louder and hence "sound" better. Thing is, there is a reason why I only have to turn up the volume on my amps to 1/3 of the max level, as everything is compressed the heck out of whack. I rather prefer to have the hp's do the final coloring.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that my Etymotic hf5's are quite flat, and still sounds much worse with the boost enabled. My PS1000's arent really all that colored either, and the same goes for them (actually sounds the worst of the lot).
Again however, people are different (hearing not at least), and this is entirely subjective.
PS: I used to EQ on my portable players all the time before, but I have basically stopped doing this, also in the lower regions. More and more I believe that nothing in this world is free, on all areas of life, and by boosting one part, another suffers. Just consider the loudness wars. Before, music were really dynamic, and you had great differences in volume in misc parts of a given song. These days this is considered "bad", as other media plays a lot louder and hence "sound" better. Thing is, there is a reason why I only have to turn up the volume on my amps to 1/3 of the max level, as everything is compressed the heck out of whack. I rather prefer to have the hp's do the final coloring.
gerelmx1986
Headphoneus Supremus
My MDR-1R sound nice with High gain but i feel still struggle to achieve that deep bass especially with organ music, so i am using right noe the bass+
This is the set of albums i'm listening to: they are all FLACs
This is the set of albums i'm listening to: they are all FLACs
Users who are viewing this thread
