Oppo have been making quite a splash in the electronics world in recent years. Their Blu-ray Disc players have long been considered reference quality and most recently they have made some real strides in the now rather active head-fi market.
The HA-2 is one of Oppo's most recent additions to that list.
Along with it's sister headphones, the PM-3, the HA-2 was only released a month or so back.
Along with it's sister headphones, the PM-3, the HA-2 was only released a month or so back.
The HA-2 itself looks really slick. It feels like a quality piece of equipment and of course like other Oppo Digital products it is manufactured out of their factory in China.
Does this leave concern for build? Absolutely not. The HA-2 is built very well.
Does this leave concern for build? Absolutely not. The HA-2 is built very well.
Oppo have really tried to cover all bases with the HA-2. It is a headphone amplifier, a Digital to Analogue Converter (featuring the amazing ESS Sabre DAC) and it is also a charger for your portable device.
The HA-2 is supplied with a mains rapid charger, a Lightning to USB connector, Micro USB to Micro USB connector and a 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm stereo connector.
The top side of the HA-2 features the on/off switch/volume control, a 3.5mm line in/out (switchable) as well as the standard headphone output.
The right side features a light up battery indicator accessible at the push of a button, holding that same button initiates charging mode, however it only functions via the type A USB connection.
There is a bass boost switch for those who like a little more emphasis on the lower register and a gain switch to better match the HA-2 to your headphones.
The underside features the input selector I.e. USB, Micro USB or 3.5mm input. It also houses the type A USB input as well as the Micro USB input.
I was hoping to use my old 30-pin iPod Classic with lossless files for the review in conjunction with my iPhone which houses 320kbps files, however after a few attempts to get it up and running, it would seem that it isn't supported by the HA-2.
That's fine though, as this review can then apply to the majority of people who would typically use their phone as their main music source of music when on the go.
One thing I can say about the HA-2 is that the sound has a clean yet musical nature.
I've heard the ESS Sabre DAC before through an Audiolab 8200CD and I have to say, I feel the implementation of it in the HA-2 is in the very least it's equal.
Initially, I started listening with my Denon AH-D340 headphones. These are my usual 'out & about' pair and actually present a pretty tough load for the portable devices I've used. In the past I have found that through my iPod Classic, they lacked bass punch. My iPhone 5S has always been able to drive them much better, so I was curious to see what the HA-2 could do.
The HA-2 handled the AH-D340's with ease, effortlessly delivering thump.
Lorde's track 'Team' from her Pure Heroine LP had plenty of attack, even without triggering the bass boost. With bass boost activated however, the HA-2 still didn't lose cohesiveness. It just seemed to fatten the sound. Oppo have found a way for bass junkies to enjoy it without sacrifice.
The headphones I usually use at home are the fantastically good value AKG K550's. These are a large, easy to drive over ear style with a nice long cable for use with home stereo systems.
It was easy to see how the HA-2 handled difficult loads better, but how about something that was an easier load? Would it still provide a benefit?
The short answer is yes.
Plugging from the HA-2 into the iPhone's headphone output reminded me just how good the output actually is on an iPhone, as far as phone's go anyway.
However, once switching back to the HA-2, there was a noticeable smoothness and musicality to the sound as well as a reduction in harshness and clearer stereo separation.
For example, Dire Straits' 'You and Your Friend' features a slide guitar, hard panned to the left. Through the iPhone, it was there, but was more centred and a little lost in the mix yet through the HA-2, it was better spread out and had more significance.
Mumford & Sons cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Boxer' had the same feel, instrumentation that felt recessed through the phones own output had more life through the HA-2. Jerry Douglas' slide guitar sprung to life.
It's pretty evident that the HA-2 provides some solid sonic benefits compared to a standalone portable device, but what about its other features?
In my opinion, the charge function is an excellent idea and during the course of testing the HA-2, I found that my iPhone had dipped down to 18% battery. I toggled the charge function of the HA-2 and within 20 minutes or so I was back up to 42%. A very neat feature to have when on the go.
Another feature of the HA-2 is the ability to use it with a more conventional stereo.
There are still loads of people plugging straight out of the headphone outputs from their PC's and phones via an auxiliary cable. Utilising the HA-2, you're able to use it as either a DAC for a PC via the supplied charge cable that Oppo provide in the box, or again from your portable device.
I tested this function using my iPhone and connected to a Rotel RA-1570 driving KEF R900 speakers.
The result was very impressive.
The Rotel has a direct USB input for iOS devices utilising a Wolfson WM8740 DAC, but I preferred the sound from the HA-2 in comparison. There was just a greater sense of refinement and spaciousness overall. A cleaner presentation.
Overall I have been very impressed with what Oppo have been able to achieve with the HA-2.
Other than not being able to get my old 80GB iPod Classic to work with it, I found that for the money, there were only strengths without weaknesses.
I'm sure there are better performers out there, but it's unlikely you'll find them at this sort of price.
A real winner for Oppo and a real winner for headphone enthusiasts.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more listening to do.
For further information on the Oppo HA-2 or other Oppo Digital Products, please contact the local distributor:
International Dynamics
www.interdyn.com.au
Oppo HA-2 RRP $449
Associated Equipment:
Apple iPhone 5S
The HA-2 handled the AH-D340's with ease, effortlessly delivering thump.
Lorde's track 'Team' from her Pure Heroine LP had plenty of attack, even without triggering the bass boost. With bass boost activated however, the HA-2 still didn't lose cohesiveness. It just seemed to fatten the sound. Oppo have found a way for bass junkies to enjoy it without sacrifice.
The headphones I usually use at home are the fantastically good value AKG K550's. These are a large, easy to drive over ear style with a nice long cable for use with home stereo systems.
The short answer is yes.
Plugging from the HA-2 into the iPhone's headphone output reminded me just how good the output actually is on an iPhone, as far as phone's go anyway.
However, once switching back to the HA-2, there was a noticeable smoothness and musicality to the sound as well as a reduction in harshness and clearer stereo separation.
For example, Dire Straits' 'You and Your Friend' features a slide guitar, hard panned to the left. Through the iPhone, it was there, but was more centred and a little lost in the mix yet through the HA-2, it was better spread out and had more significance.
Mumford & Sons cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Boxer' had the same feel, instrumentation that felt recessed through the phones own output had more life through the HA-2. Jerry Douglas' slide guitar sprung to life.
It's pretty evident that the HA-2 provides some solid sonic benefits compared to a standalone portable device, but what about its other features?
In my opinion, the charge function is an excellent idea and during the course of testing the HA-2, I found that my iPhone had dipped down to 18% battery. I toggled the charge function of the HA-2 and within 20 minutes or so I was back up to 42%. A very neat feature to have when on the go.
Another feature of the HA-2 is the ability to use it with a more conventional stereo.
There are still loads of people plugging straight out of the headphone outputs from their PC's and phones via an auxiliary cable. Utilising the HA-2, you're able to use it as either a DAC for a PC via the supplied charge cable that Oppo provide in the box, or again from your portable device.
I tested this function using my iPhone and connected to a Rotel RA-1570 driving KEF R900 speakers.
The result was very impressive.
The Rotel has a direct USB input for iOS devices utilising a Wolfson WM8740 DAC, but I preferred the sound from the HA-2 in comparison. There was just a greater sense of refinement and spaciousness overall. A cleaner presentation.
Overall I have been very impressed with what Oppo have been able to achieve with the HA-2.
Other than not being able to get my old 80GB iPod Classic to work with it, I found that for the money, there were only strengths without weaknesses.
I'm sure there are better performers out there, but it's unlikely you'll find them at this sort of price.
A real winner for Oppo and a real winner for headphone enthusiasts.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more listening to do.
For further information on the Oppo HA-2 or other Oppo Digital Products, please contact the local distributor:
International Dynamics
www.interdyn.com.au
Oppo HA-2 RRP $449
Associated Equipment:
Apple iPhone 5S
Apple iPod Classic 80GB
Apple Macbook Pro
Denon AH-D340
AKG K550
Rotel RA-1570
KEF R900
Apple Macbook Pro
Denon AH-D340
AKG K550
Rotel RA-1570
KEF R900
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