Oppo HA1 DAC/Headpone Amp/Preamp at CES

[RichB]

Here is a quick write-up on the Oppo HA1 at CES:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/690605/has-anyone-heard-anything-about-the-oppo-ha-1-balanced-headphone-amp-dac/15#post_10152463

http://www.head-fi.org/t/685339/new-akg-flagship-k812-first-impression/345#post_10083742

- Rich

 

[RichB]

Here is another writeup that show the HA1 in silver:

Oppo Digital HA-1 Amplifier

- Rich

 

[TheHills44060]

I wish the unit's controls were configured differently so that the chassis was wider than it is deep so it looked better on a rack and matched more closely to standard sized 17" width gear (not to mention the rest of Oppo's own product line).

 

[PENG]

I wish the unit's controls were configured differently so that the chassis was wider than it is deep so it looked better on a rack and matched more closely to standard sized 17" width gear (not to mention the rest of Oppo's own product line).

Looks like there is a type A USB port at the front. Do we know if it also works as a USB media player like the 103/105, or it only functions as a headphone amp, preamp and DAC?

 

[RichB]

Looks like there is a type A USB port at the front. Do we know if it also works as a USB media player like the 103/105, or it only functions as a headphone amp, preamp and DAC?

The product is not finalized but I would have a look at the front panel display on the Oppo site which shows the inputs:

OPPO Digital Future Products

The is Bluetooth and a wired mobile device USB connector in the front.
The BDP-105D (Darbee Edition) has just been released that also includes an update to the USB DAC that supports DSD streaming.
if you are looking for direct network or file system playback, then the 105 is a winner.
if you are a head-if guy and want DAC/HA/preamp functionality, the HA1 might be the ticket.

Personally, I prefer DAC playback with iPad control over navigating a file system directly from a player.

- Rich

 

[PENG]

The product is not finalized but I would have a look at the front panel display on the Oppo site which shows the inputs:

OPPO Digital Future Products

The is Bluetooth and a wired mobile device USB connector in the front.
The BDP-105D (Darbee Edition) has just been released that also includes an update to the USB DAC that supports DSD streaming.
if you are looking for direct network or file system playback, then the 105 is a winner.
if you are a head-if guy and want DAC/HA/preamp functionality, the HA1 might be the ticket.

Personally, I prefer DAC playback with iPad control over navigating a file system directly from a player.

- Rich

But I already have a 105 being used for my multichannel system and a 2 channel system in my HT room. I wouldn't want to buy a second one for my other A21/R900 two channel system. For that, I just want to be able to plug in my 64GB USB thumb drives to the front port and play my 44.1/16 right up to 192/24 HD tracks and/or stream directly from my PC server without any need for J Rivers etc. There are at least two low cost player that can do what I need, they are the Pioneer N-50 and the Marantz NA7004 (399 in the US, 674 in Canada). If the HA1 can play directly from USB thumb drive and stream from PC without 3 party software then I will wait for it for sure.

 

[RichB]

Here is a little HA-1 porn from a French site (scroll down to see the innards) :

Le Blog HD LAND: Casques OPPO PM-1 / PM-2 : prix et disponibilités

- Rich

 

[RichB]

Unboxing the PM-1's and HA-1 (looks like the final hardware )

The Much Anticipated OPPO PM-1 Headphones and HA-1 Headamp Are Now On Demo!

- Rich

 

[RichB]

The HA-1 Manual link has been posted on Head-Fi:

http://download.oppodigital.com/HA1/...0v1.2%20US.pdf

- Rich

 

[RichB]

The HA-1 is available for sale on the Oppo site:

OPPO HA-1 Headphone Amplifier

- Rich

 

[PENG]

Yeah, just got the notification as I did register. I have to wait for the silver one to match the A21 anyway. Hopefully by then the Canadian dealers will have their share.

 

[RichB]

Yeah, just got the notification as I did register. I have to wait for the silver one to match the A21 anyway. Hopefully by then the Canadian dealers will have their share.

I do not think it will be long for Silver to arrive.
You cannot buy them directly from Canada?

- Rich

 

[PENG]

I do not think it will be long for Silver to arrive.
You cannot buy them directly from Canada?

- Rich

Yes, but believe it or not in this case it costs less buying through the dealer. The saving is from shipping cost, import costs and better exchange rates.

 

[RichB]

Now that beta resting has ended and the Ha-1 is shipping, I can give my impressions and answer questions.

The final unit supports HT bypass but only when powered on. Any not can be set to unity gain, so the HA-1 can sit between your processor and the amp. It can also be used as a DAC into an analog input of a processor.

There are Balanced and unbalanced analog inputs so it is possible to compare the HA-1 DAC to the BDP-105 using J. River zones linked zones to synchronize playback. Once that is done, the HA-1 remote is used to switch inputs. In my system, the HA-1 is connected between the Marantz AV8801 and the A51 that is driving the Revel Salons.

I have compared the 105D and the HA-1 and the sound quite a bit different even though they used the same ESS DAC. However, the path after the DAC is quite different. In both cases, j River is streaming WASAPI event mode using Automatic bit-depth which uses 32 bits regardless of the source. The bit-rate is unchanged.

On the high end, the HA-1 is detailed and extremely smooth. The 105 is good but each instrument sounds better resolved on the HA-1.
On the low end, the HA-1 is tight and the bass almost sounds lower in pitch. The 105 upper end and bass combine to give it a fuller sound.
Personally, I prefer the HA-1. The soundstage is wider and good recordings are a pleasure to listen to.

i also have an XLR switch and I have used it to compare the Marantz AV8801 in a pure Direct mode to the HA-1 acting as an analog preamp.
After level matching by ear and with an SPL meter, the are extremely close. I give the edge to the HA-1 but I am pretty sure it would be tough to pass a SBT.

Comparing the HA-1 to the BDP as describe above, I expect any discerning listener can easily identify the source. It is not subtle.

- Rich

 

[PENG]

i also have an XLR switch and I have used it to compare the Marantz AV8801 in a pure Direct mode to the HA-1 acting as an analog preamp.
After level matching by ear and with an SPL meter, the are extremely close. I give the edge to the HA-1 but I am pretty sure it would be tough to pass a SBT.

Comparing the HA-1 to the BDP as describe above, I expect any discerning listener can easily identify the source. It is not subtle.
1, th
- Rich

So you are saying that as a preamp the HA1 and AV8801 are similar to the point it would be tough to pass a SBT but as a source you can easily tell the difference between it and the 105?

If so, did you also compare it as a source & preamp with the AV880? h

That is, compare:

HA1 with A51 vs AV8801 with A51, playing the same music file.

 

[RichB]

So you are saying that as a preamp the HA1 and AV8801 are similar to the point it would be tough to pass a SBT but as a source you can easily tell the difference between it and the 105?

BDP-105 as a source to HA-1 and AV8801 are very similar sounding in Pure Direct mode with Video processing turned off I am doubtful, I could pass a SBT test.

However, the HA-1 DAC source compared to the 105 DAC both using the HA-1 as an analog preamps are not hard to differentiate with the following configuration: J River WASAPI Event mode with Bit-depth automatic (AKA 32-bit) and all processing and volume control disabled.

If so, did you also compare it as a source & preamp with the AV880?
That is, compare:

HA1 with A51 vs AV8801 with A51, playing the same music file.

Not recently, but during the Beta period. I still Prefer the BDP-105D analog to the HDMI with the AV8801 decoding. I do not use Audyssey or bass management which changes the equation.

- Rich

 

[RichB]

JohnAV found this review over on AVS:

https://translate.google.com/translate?act=url&depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http://www.hdfever.fr/2014/07/10/test-oppo-ha-1/#postTabs_ul_51675

Here is a marathon review of the HA-1 by Nicolas Bécuwe of HDFever on July 10th, 2014. No doubt this is the most diverse/image laden review you will have the pleasure of viewing.

Source: Test OPPO HA-1 : award Reference HDfever pour ce DAC hors norme ! | HDfever

Expect translation errors but there are some great images. a good description of the hardware implementation, and measurements.

- Rich