Sony HAP-S1

mantis

Hello all,
gotta new toy to play with as we haven't got in the HAP-ZES yet so I decided to take home the HAP-S1 which has a small er hard drive 500g and a built in amp 40w x 2. It has line level out so you have bypass the internal amps and use it as just a player.
Just as a short run down of the signal chain is as follows when connected to the Pioneer.
HAP-S1
Mckenzie Audioquest IC's
Pioneer Elite SC-68 CD in Direct no Processing
Audioquest Rocket 44 speaker wire with Silver Banana ends Factory Terminated
Audioquest HD6-1 Silver Sub cables custom built by me with ITA 18 RCA ends.
Definitive Technology Mythos ST's

When connected to the Rotel RX1052
HAP-S1
Cardas Crosslink IC's
Rotel RX1052
Cardas Crosslink Speaker wire
Definitive Technology Mythos ST's

I have no idea what DAC's Sony uses in it yet until I talk to the Rep but I can tell you from first impressions , this thing sounds incredible.

I don't have a lot of time on it as I just Installed it last night late but I have about 2 hours messing around with it.
Setup was extremely easy , did the firmware updates , downloaded the App onto my iPhone 6 and away I went.
I transferred some of my music in .Flac 24/192 , a few 16/44.1's a couple 24/96.

Controlling the HAP is simple and easy, I hardwired mine to the network as Wireless is never the best way to do anything unless there is no other option. I have a 10/100/1000 network and it's all wired in cat 6 wiring. The app is very nicely laid out and very good looking. I'm gonna put it on the iPad mini and see if thats better then the iPhone

Listening is a complete pleasure. It's warm and inviting with great dynamics and clarity. Comparing this to using my laptop I'd say it's at least it's equal or could be slightly more pleasurable to listen to as it has this tube like warmth to it thats so pleasing to listen to.
I'm not even sure if the S1 has the same quality DAC's in the ZES so if this player sounds this good I can only imagine how good the reference player is which doesn't have amps built in and a 1TB hard drive.

This unit retails for $999.99 which IMO is worth every single penny especially if someone wants to power a pair of nice speakers directly off it. I'm gonna test the internal amps and compare them to my Pioneer Elite SC-68 and my Rotel RX1052. I have a few other amps laying around but this thing only has 40 watts per channel so I can't go comparing it to higher power amps and think this is a fair compare so I'm gonna keep in as simple as what I use everyday. Going NAD T977 I believe is just simply out of it's league.
The HAP-ZES retails for $1999.99 so I'm sure there are some improvements over just the hard drive unless it's solid state or something. I gotta learn more about these 2 players. I'm just excited to dive in and play, usually I study the product first , not this time.

Stay Tuned I'm gonna be playing with this all weekend. I'll also take some pic's for your viewing pleasure.

tonyb

Cool Dan, glad you like it. I've always said with digital files warmer sounding gear is better to take off some of that digital glare on the top end. Which has always been a complaint of mine. Seems Sony also recognizes that fact. Also why I chose a Cary Dac over some other better equipped dacs.

Looks like Sony finally came out with a piece that puts them back in the game...which they desperately needed.

Emlyn

Hi Dan. The main things not included in the HAP-S1 compared to the ES model are the DSD remastering engine, dual power supplies for analog and digital circuits, and the ES chassis construction. The S1 model can also have an external USB drive mounted to it though, so space shouldn't be a worry in the long term.

Sound and Vision bench tested the amp on the S1 and determined it really puts out 25 watts per channel continuous into 8 ohms. Sony cites it at 40 watts into 4 ohms, but it's not really capable of that without high distortion levels. Would be ok for bookshelf speakers though, which seems to be its intended use.

I would recommend trying an HAP-Z1ES if you can, as it steps up the performance level from the S1 model but without the amp built in.

Enjoy!

mantis

tonyb,
it's a cool piece for someone who doesn't want to have to connect a laptop or desk top to their system every time they want to sit down and listen to some high quality music.
I was considering buying a Mac Mini for just this purpose , I have one but it's an older unit but probably would get the job done.
I'm waiting on the HAP-ZES to come in which is the one without built in amps.

Emlyn,
Thanks for the info, I'm still looking for find out what Chip set it has in it meaning DAC.
I did not purchase this unit as it belongs to my shop. We just became a Sony dealer and are digging in. The HAP-ZES is what I want to demo and probably buy one as I really like having a piece of gear in my system instead of using my Laptop with software , managing my music etc on the computer. It's fine I guess but I think I like this way better. Not to mention Made it pretty easy to manage.

polkfarmboy

Very happy Sony hap z1 owner here Dan and I actually gave up my PS Audio DSD dac in favor of this unit. Its super hard if not impossible to beat for the price when you consider what you get. I am also with you on not having to drag around laptops and hard drives to play digital, I just plop the z1 into the rig and its good to go with no messy wires etc.

mantis

The HAP music transfer app for Mac is great as well. I like the fact it plays everything. I have no issues with any of my music files. I love it.
The HDD Audio app for iPhone is also very cool. Interface is extremely easy to use and I can actually manage the HAP with it. I can delete songs , make playlists, make a favorite likes etc. Awesome!!!
I was testing it for work , putting files on it for demo etc and ended up loving this thing and I don't even have the flagship model yet. It's a done deal this is the way I want to go for my music in my system.
Sonos is awesome for what it does but this is is a complete package for 1 room. I'm not looking to play High Rez files around the house but I can as I have a analog feed to my basement where the house system lives. Total coolness.

I'm gonna download the App for iPad today and try that.

tonyb

Any updates Dan ? Any quirks...? How about you PFB ? Any down sides to this piece ?

If either of you have the time, some screen shots of their control app would be nice.

polkfarmboy

Getting caught listening to, everything she wants by Wham is the only downside. I posted some pics of the app before and was sure I had left a scar on the minds of many a polkie.

mantis

I am having an issue trying to get to photobucket.com. Is the site down or out for good? Thats how I post all my pic's. Is there any other site like that designed to post pic's on Forums? I have taken some pics

mantis

Got it here is some pic's[/URL[/URL

mantis

Honestly I have not found any flaws yet. It works exactly how it's supposed to. It wakes up over Ethernet commands , it transfers files easily , it sounds great , it's very easy to use , I can't think of anything I would want out of it more then what it is.
Now mind you this unit I have here is not mine , it's my companies I'm just loading it and testing. I'm looking to get the dedicated player in the HAP-ZES.
But this unit you could use as a dedicated player even though it has built in amps as I'm using it now. It has a 500g hard drive and that should be plenty for most but your not beat if you need more as it has USB connections so you can go external hard drive.
Without knowing what DAC's it has as I have not met with the Sony rep yet , I say they sound great. I'm very pleased with this unit , all in one , no external DAC's not wire mess and it's basically perfect.
I'd say anyone who is looking to get into this world or already is and is using a computer might really like the simplicity of this unit. I do , I love it.

tonyb

Have any of you guys tried it with any of the music services out there yet ? Hows the wi-fi function work ? Both of you have it direct wired up ?

mantis

I don't think it does music services , just internet radio with Vtuner.
I hard wire everything so I have no idea how it works wireless. That will greatly depend on your Wireless network. If it's strong then it will be good , it's it's spotty so will your music. I don't like anything wireless.

Moose68Bash

Does either Sony unit have a digital out over ethernet so that you can serve music to other digital players on your LAN?

mantis

It's working now , here are some pic's
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mantis

It's working now , here are some pic's
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tonyb

mantis wrote: »

I don't think it does music services , just internet radio with Vtuner.
I hard wire everything so I have no idea how it works wireless. That will greatly depend on your Wireless network. If it's strong then it will be good , it's it's spotty so will your music. I don't like anything wireless.

If it does internet radio, why wouldn't it do music services ? It does say in that pic you posted it's wi-fi capable. I'm curious as to any bugs with this unit using wi-fi.

polkfarmboy

I do wifi radio, never heard it being a prob?

mantis

Not sure about it's Wifi Performance as I'm hardwired.
Again that will greatly depend on your Wifi signal to the unit.
No Music services that I can see other then Vtuner.

tonyb

mantis wrote: »

Not sure about it's Wifi Performance as I'm hardwired.
Again that will greatly depend on your Wifi signal to the unit.
No Music services that I can see other then Vtuner.

wi-fi also depends on the receiving unit too Dan. When it comes to wi-fi, it takes 2 to tango. Curious as to the quality of that in this unit as that could be a determining factor to a prospective purchaser.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

mantis wrote: »

Not sure about it's Wifi Performance as I'm hardwired.
Again that will greatly depend on your Wifi signal to the unit.
No Music services that I can see other then Vtuner.

wi-fi also depends on the receiving unit too Dan. When it comes to wi-fi, it takes 2 to tango. Curious as to the quality of that in this unit as that could be a determining factor to a prospective purchaser.

I hear yeah , I didn't test that part of the unit. Maybe Polkfarmboy can perform these tests with his.

erniejade

I didnt test that ES when I had one on loan from Holm. I will say the "remastering" to dsd and whatever it does to the soubd realy made my flac files sound better then the cd. I didnt see or look to see if I could use my amazon prime or spotify or anything like that on it. I am still considering one. If I didnt have a geek tube soul coming I might have pulled the triger already. It really does sound better then people would think.

mantis

Sony has always made great sounding products. Never do I remember them making anything less. Sony ES everything IMO are some of the best in the business.