The Audioengine D1 was well-received by reviewers at Expert Reviews, a trustworthy source that performs unbiased hands-on testing. The iFi Zen DAC V2, however, while a very good choice in its own right, falls just a bit short of being remarkable. The Oppo HA-2 SE provides a decent update over the original HA-2 and consequently is highly recommended.The Audioengine D1 is one of the very best Headphone Amplifiers that one can get for around $170.

The Oppo HA-2 SE with its new DAC improves the musicality, dynamics, treble, detail and reduces the noise floor too. The vocal parts from this track felt more realistic from the HA-2 SE over the HA-2. I also prefer the mid and treble and overall musicality from the HA-2 SE. The precision in handling all the frequencies and scaling is slight ahead of the HA-2. The HA-2 SE once again has the edge over the HA-2. Track 3 – Offenbach: Les Contes D’Hoffman (Disk 1) – Prologue: Glou! Glou! Je Suis Le Vin! I think the differences I am hearing is due to the lower noise floor, allowed the HA-2 SE to produce better treble and mid range across the track. The original HA-2 feels muddied sometimes. The HA-2 SE has better clarity and definition. Track 2 – Bastille – All This Bad Blood – These Streets The HA-2 is more dynamic and provides a slightly wider sound stage. The Oppo HA-2 lacks the sparkle in the treble that the HA-2 SE possesses. Track 1 – Dancing on the Edge, The Louis Lester Band – Down River

I have highlighted the audio differences with each song. So what I did was test both devices using my Oppo PM3 headphones using the 3 tracks below. Also the “SE” now has 32 bit audio instead of 24 bit.īut specs are all well and good, but what matters is the sound quality. The new DAC provides a much lower noise floor, which means sensitive IEMs are unlikely to hear any hiss. So the Oppo HA-2 has the DAC and the HA-2 SE has the new DAC.

Audioengine d1 dac hd 598