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Mike Piskor 2015

The HA-1 by Oppo

Michael
Amplifiers

Vocals and Midrange

Upon first listen, it was very obvious this amplifier had virtually no mid-bloom effect at all. Vocals seem set up on the same physical plain of existence as the bass and treble, meaning the amplifier is not U shaped and not suited for intimate vocalist headphones like the Audeze LCD3 or AKG K267 / K812. Despite that, the sound stage in general feels wider than tall with excellent stage presence overall. The HA-1 presents a neutral setup. The Bass, Treble and Mids do not compete against one another. Everyone plays together nicely and nobody is vying for attention. This could be a problem for certain headphones with that more intimate midrange appeal.

Overall clarity is again, 2nd best in the price tier and a step behind that darn Conductor SL from Burson. I don’t find this at all something to complain about, due to Oppo offering so many features and inputs on their HA-1. The vocal experience is a bit snappy and nasal on the upper most reaches of the midrange, but nothing to fret over. Once again, purist snobs shouldn’t really be using the HA-1 anyway, so I have no problem in excluding them from the review entirely. Much like a person who wants a tank for pure bliss and enjoyment ( musical sound, something fun ) vs someone buying a lush and smooth Porsche or sports car that handles like butter, but can’t go off road nor can compare to that tank driving experience ( refined, purist sound ).

5

Also I find the HA-1 a bit too exaggerated with coloration and tone, once again because of that 9018 factoid looming behind my eyes and in my brain. The 9018 is pure, but the HA-1 isn’t a pure sound. It has some coloration, so that means some of the components inside are crayoning the tone of the HA-1 up a bit, but not much. Again, pick your poison here: Musicality vs Purity. The HA-1 is definitely closer to musical than pure so the vocals tend to be exaggerated just a bit. Sennheiser HD800 owners won’t be happy with this sound (unless you are an HD800 owner like me who enjoys the warmth and coloration some amplifiers can produce with the HD800, taking away that raw sound and substituting it for a gently colored experience). If that is the case, then by all means grab this HA-1 because the sound signature accentuates the HD800 VERY well. The HD800 has a nice big, flat sound with neither the bass, mids or treble appearing more or less forward than anything else. There is no bloom on that HD800 and it instead relies on the track to provide the setup and presentation. You wouldn’t want an amplifier or DAC that has a bloom (when any set frequency range sounds more or less forward than the rest) to be used with the HD800 or any headphone like it. You’d want a highly dynamic, wide and deep source or amp that will not bottleneck the staging qualities the HD800 is capable of.

In this case, thankfully, the HA-1 is more than satisfactory for usage with the HD800. With a flattened staging quality, good depth of field and a good sense of width, the HA-1 seems nicely suited for the HD800 in general. Both the AKG K812 or Audeze LCD3 simply sound more yummy on the Burson, which has that midbloom effect that only makes the midrange and vocal experience pop even more.

The Peaks

I don’t really find the treble experience to be anything special. As with everything else in the HA-1, the upper region is a bit laid back and somewhat neutral. I guess you could argue it has optimal tonality and quantity for playing well with the majority of headphones out there. If you aren’t looking for a specialized amplifier for your Hifiman HE-6 let’s say, the headphone that I feel to have the best treble of any top of the line headphone, then you should be opting for something with this sound signature. Not too much, not too little but still enough to be interesting.

The Hifiman HE-xxx series is generally known for having excellent treble response, as is the Stax 007, something sparkling and wildly engaging, but never harsh or slamming. P.R.A.T is a bit of an issue with this HA-1 and I don’t feel it is at all able to produce excellent summit level treble response, although it does not falter in the slightest in this area, it just doesn’t really seem like treble masters would feel at home here.

6

Sets with a more neutral, dry or laid back treble experience, such as the Audeze LCD3, PM-1 or similar will be right as rain with the HA-1. With no real amazing treble on these headphones to emphasize, the HA-1 will mow through without any problems on these types of headphones. I would certainly avoid usage with likes of the HD800 and Beyer T1 as well, but that is my opinion and only holds merit if you are a treble head. I don’t feel the HA-1 to have sufficient quantity and styling in the treble to properly accentuate what these few headphones with stellar treble can offer. Now, that is not to say it does a bad job, it doesn’t. It just isn’t the optimal sound type to fit well with them. One interesting thing I was privy to was that the AKG K812, a headphone with treble problems, was relatively calm and enjoyable on the upper end through the HA-1. I feel like the HA-1 tamed the K812s ravenous and unforgiving treble, inverting it into something very similar to my Audeze LCD2, something more dry and neutral, but also something more listenable and far more enjoyable than what it usually tended to be.

Staging

K812 lovers are going to enjoy the HA-1, not only for taming that treble problem it has, but also for the general shape of the presentation. It is almost perfectly suited to headphones like the Stax 007 or the K812, sets that have a wider feel to the stereo void that are very well defined from left to right. Combined with the HA-1’s naturally good stage depth and separation qualities, these headphones excel and pair exceptionally well with the HA-1. I find myself enjoying Classical music with headphones I really didn’t enjoy the genre with before. As a pure DAC, the HA-1 combo’s nicely with the Woo Audio GES and Stax 007. Three peas in a pod, all three offering the same general sound type: Wider than tall, good depth but nothing special or stellar and taking a back seat to depth potential in comparison to the Burson Conductor SL. Overall, it is a solid sound staging machine and most headphones will sound more than spacious enough to satisfy sound stage nutbars like myself.

Click on next page for bluetooth impressions…

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Michael
Reviewer
Self Proclaimed Musicality Guru, Photographer, Audiophile and part time Ninja. I started my audio journey back in 96' and haven't looked back. My ultimate goal in this life is to experience as many Hifi rigs as possible...because I am an audio addict.

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17 Responses

  1. Hi Michael
    I need your advice…

    I’m in the market for a new dac/amp combo
    I’ve been using a Burson HA 160D for nearly 5 years and am looking to upgrade.

    I would like my new dac/amp to have greater resolution, deeper bass, weightier and punchier bass(when required), more open sound and greater detail retrieval but not sound too analytical/cold.

    Things I will use the dac/amp for
    1) listen to music. source pc> jRiver along with Jplay ASIO.
    2) watch blurays on my Pc. As long as its a good movie I watch it, it can be a period drama or a summer blockbuster or an Indie no one has heard of so the dac/amp should do well with movies.
    3) playstation connected to monitor and sound channeld through dac amp.
    4) netflix

    I listen to a lot of rock and classic rock plus the regular mainstream music pop, rap, r&b, edm, some jazz.

    Most of my music is 16/44 and some of it is in 24/48 or 24/92 format if the recording is available.

    I don’t like an in your face aggressive kind of sound because I have my headphones on for 4-5 hours a day and I don’t like the sensation of having my ears fried by the end of the session.

    Headphones I own: hd650, mdr Z7, lcd2 fazor, V moda M100 with xl pads, Shure Se846 and senn IE80
    Future buys: PM1 and AQ Nighthawk.
    Possible future buy: HD 800S depends on the reviews.

    Should I go for the conductor virtuoso ESS9018/PCM1793 or the ha1?

    Burson has the more powerful amp along with the option of swapping dac modules whereas the oppo has a balanced headphone jack along with the ability to accept bluetooth stream and iDevices without any additional devices. Its such a difficult choice.

    1. I think you already have it right with the 160D in that tier, still what I recommend to most asking for amps/dacs in that price range and its one of my favorites. The Virtuoso is noticeably better than the HA-1, which in turn is noticeably better than the 160D. You’ll hate me for this, but I say stick with the 160D unless you are willing to pay for something like a Schiit Mjolnir that is a little bit better, but lacking the yumminess of the 160D. You will lose too much of the Burson sound if you step away from Burson lineup.

      If you want a relaxed sound signature that isn’t so forward or engaging, then go to head fi right now and buy this dudes used Heron 5 amplifier by Airist Audio. If the sale thread is still there, he is selling at $699, the Heron 5 is $2000 mspr new. The amp is hyper smooth and if you jump on it, you’ll have everything you want in an amp, then you can drop a few hundred in a dac and save nearly a thousand dollars. My review of it is due soon, its a great amp that meshes well with moderate to relaxed sounding headphones.

      If you go 9018 in most Dacs, you get a neutral tone. Oppo is a bit warmer on their 9018 in the HA-1, but their 1793’s are very musical and enjoyable. I don’t think you need to go as high as the Virtuoso, you should start as the Conductor series and see if you like them first, then move upwards. Or skip it all and try to score that Heron 5 for $699

      1. Thank You for the swift reply.

        I really like the 160D because its simply a brilliant piece of kit, plus it and the HD650 for me are a match made in heaven.

        I’ve heard good things about the heron. Thanks for the heads up on the brilliant deal. The heron is still up for grabs lets see if I can work out a deal with the seller.

  2. Im a little late to the party, but im a bit confused about your opinions about headphone pairing with the HA-1. You seen to say k812 user will be disappointed with the midrange… But will feel right at home with thr HA-1 because of treble and soundstage. Seems like a similar love hate relation with the HD800. Could you summarize your thoughts on how the HA-1 matched with those two?

    1. The K812’s sound signature is accentuated by the HA-1, firm low end, plentiful mids and a good treble experience. These K812 core qualities are mirrored in the HA-1’s sound signature. The HD800 is not accentuated at all by the HA-1, due to the more recessed sound signature the HD800 has. The K812 and the HA-1 are a better fit. If you don’t care so much about the relaxed presentation type of the HD800, then the HA-1 is probably the best all around Dac+Amp combo available in the price range for it. You can get a nice colored tone out of the 1793, or a raw and clinical one with the 9018. But there are certainly better pairings for the HD800 than the HA-1.

      The HA-1 pushes the limits of what the K812 is capable of, but the HD800 exceeds the potential of the HA-1’s sound quality. The HD800 will scale up a bit and over the head of the HA-1. This won’t happen with the K812, the HA-1 maxes out the clarity potential of the K812 in my opinion.

      1. Thanks for the reply. So what would your conclusion be for the K812 with the 1793 burson vs HA-1?

        1. I think the burson 1793 is the wisest choice if you want a very musical sound in tone, but with that you will get a noticeable downgrade in staging depth of field. The HA1 is just the swiss army knife of dacs/amps so for input and output needs you really can’t go wrong here. It has almost everything one would need. No need to go more expensive, as mentioned. I think the HA1 and the Burson are stretching the limits of the K812’s clarity, so either will be the brick wall for the headphone on that front.

          I’d sacrifice the super musical and colored tone of the Burson 1793 for the usefulness of the HA1. Balanced in and out, standard, USB thumb drive, RCA in and out, Optical, Bluetooth input, remote control, digital face all in the HA1…you just can’t beat that. It is relatively future proof so I would opt for the HA-1 because it sounds more like the 1793 Burson than it does the 9018 Burson. It is a good middle ground headphone amp and dac that wont color it up too much, also wont decolor it too much to make it sound super neutral and boring.

  3. Excellent review! It really gave me a good idea of whether the HA-1 was for me or not. I would have liked if there were more comparisons to other dac/amps around the price range other then the Conductor SL (I’m particularly interested in the Yulong DA8), but the review is detailed enough as it is. Thanks!

    1. Thank you!

      The Conductor SL was the best sounding dac in the price tier that I’ve heard or tested, I don’t think the Yulong was up to par with it. I am not a writer who likes to talk about gear that I don’t have on hand to make direct comparisons about inside the actual review. Working off memory isn’t a credible way to review to me but I can safely say the Yulong DA8 is not as good as the Burson as my memory recalls. In pure clarity, I don’t recall the dac being something I immediately wanted to buy and it was incredibly colored. As Oppo did, the 9018 sabers best qualities were ignored and masked with some other components to make the sound less pure. Was it a good product? Hell ya, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about it with great detail or directly comparing without actually having it, so I apologize for that. :)

      1. Good call, we already asked Audio-GD if they would kindly send us a sample for comparison as they seem to share common characteristics. If we get it we will review it.

    2. I’ve had some quality control issues in the past, we also did reach out to them for a review unit so hopefully that comes to fruition in the near future.

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