Onkyo DAC-HA200 Review

December 15, 2015 11-33 am GMT

Key Specifications
Review Price: £239.00
11-hour battery life
Compatible with Lightning iOS devices
TI Burr Brown two-channel DAC
Selectable Gain switch
96kHz/24-bit hi-res audio support (requires app add-on)
Optical, analogue and two USB inputs (Type A & B)

The DAC-HA200 is a portable headphone amplifier and hi-res digital-to-

analogue converter designed to add a bit of sonic sparkle to your audio
devices and PCs/Macs. Itʼs the first headphone amp/DAC to allow direct
connection of Lightning-equipped iOS devices via USB, squeezing the best
possible performance from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch while youʼre out
and about.

Onkyo DAC-HA200 – Design and Connections

The DAC-HA200 is a beautifully made device, boasting military-grade
aluminium bodywork that easily lives up to the price tag. This hardy casing
is good news for two reasons – itʼs equipped to withstand the rigours of
being lugged around, plus it provides superb protection for the high-grade
components inside.

Despite its hardcore construction, the DAC-HA200 is surprisingly light

(460g) and compact. You should have no trouble secreting this gizmo
about your person in a bag or pocket. You can even secure your media
player to it using the hi-tech, cutting-edge rubber bands supplied in the
box.

Related: Best USB headphone amps

Close inspection of the casing reveals rubber ridges on the top and bottom
that cushion the unit when placed on a desktop. Thick aluminium prongs
shield the volume dial and headphone plug from in-pocket interference. At
one end, youʼll find a solid knurled volume dial plus two small, bright LEDs
that indicate when the unit is switched on and/or charging. Theyʼre joined
by a 3.5mm digital and analogue minijack input that automatically detects
which signal is being received. A two-stage gain switch allows you to drive
headphones with impedances ranging from 8 to 600 ohm.

At the opposite end youʼll find two USB 2.0 ports, one A-Type and one
Micro B-Type. As mentioned the A-Type port supports Lightning-equipped
iOS devices and AOA (Android Open Accessory) 2.0-compliant Android
devices for CD quality sound. The Micro B port can be connected to a PC or
Mac if you want to use the Onkyo as an external soundcard. You can select
an input using the dedicated switch on the back, but like the gain switch itʼs
rather fiddly.

A 5V DC input lets you connect the unit to the mains using the supplied
USB adapter cable. Talking of which, the DAC-HA200 takes eight hours to
recharge when connected to a PC and gives you around eleven hours of
playback time (using the audio input), which is generous by anyoneʼs
standards.
Onkyo DAC-HA200 – Features
Headphone amps live or die by the quality of their internal electronics and
on paper the DAC-HA200 looks very healthy indeed. It features a TI Burr
Brown PCM5102 two-channel DAC, regularly used in hi-fi equipment for its
high resistance to jitter and low out-of-band noise performance.

Itʼs joined by a MUSES 8920 operational amplifier, married to discrete push-

pull output stage circuitry for low distortion and high driving power.

Owners of iOS devices who want to enjoy high-resolution audio files

through the DAC-HA200 can do so using Onkyoʼs HF Player app. The DAC-
HA200 provides free access to Onkyoʼs HD Player pack (normally only
available as an in-app purchase), which allows the iOS device to output hi-
res audio to the DAC-HA200 via the digital output, including 96kHz/24-bit
FLAC, WAV, ALAC and 5.6MHz DSD.

The HF Player app is also available for Android devices for free, but on a
slightly disappointing note you canʼt output high-resolution audio to the
DAC-HA200 without purchasing the unlocked version of the app for £5.58.
Without it, the DAC-HA200 will only accept audio signals up to 48kHz/16-
bit from Android devices – but at least you still get to hear crisp CD quality.

You can also take advantage of the HF Playerʼs 16,384-band equaliser,

which is great for tweaking the sound to suit your taste.

Onkyo DAC-HA200 – Performance

Hooked up to a pair of OPPO PM-3 headphones, the DAC-HA200 delivers a
superb performance, handling every track with remarkable depth and
clarity. It revealed new layers and details in tracks I know well.
If youʼre using an Android device, itʼs worth investing in Onkyoʼs HF Player
unlocker app and hearing hi-res tunes in all their glory – and needless to say
iOS users should definitely take advantage of the free HD Player pack.

Related: Best portable speakers

With a Sony NWZ-F886 hi-res player connected to the USB port, the drums
at the start of Lose Yourself To Dance by Daft Punk (88.2kHz/24-bit) are
huge and heavy, with a deeper, more cavernous rumble than the device
delivers through its own headphone output.

The track positively fizzes with detail, from the subtle reverb tail on the
snares to the crisp claps – the Onkyo lays it all bare. Percussion instruments
can be picked out easily and Pharrellʼs voice sounds surprisingly intimate.
Meanwhile the guitar that gives the track its unmistakable disco flavour has
never sounded tighter or funkier.

But you donʼt need hi-res tracks to reap the benefits of the Onkyoʼs talent.
Everything from 320kbps MP3s on an iPod Nano to Spotify played on a PC
are boosted by the Onkyoʼs exciting, insightful presentation.

Thereʼs also plenty of power in this little black box. Itʼs not recommended
but I turned the volume dial up to the three-quarter mark and the Onkyo
delivered a big, muscular output but still felt like it had plenty more to give.
Most impressively it maintained its composure, keeping top-end hardness
under control. It goaded me to push it higher and only then did it begin to
break up.

Itʼs a warm, luxurious listen, the sort of sound you can just lose yourself in. I
played There Are Many Stops Along The Way by Joe Sample and the horns
are incisive and punchy without ever sounding bright.

The Onkyo renders Sampleʼs sprightly piano solos beautifully, capturing the
glassy ping of each key press. Tight, precise drums give the track plenty of
energy, while the speedy slap bass perfectly demonstrates the Onkyoʼs
agility. It all fuses together to create a unified and tonally balanced sound.

Should I buy the Onkyo DAC-HA200?

If you love music and care about the calibre of sound in your cans then the
DAC-HA200 is definitely worth the investment. Itʼs a fabulous headphone
amp and DAC, offering an engaging, insightful sound from any source, while
the tough aluminium casing and generous socketry live up to the price tag.
The only gripes are the faffing about required to play hi-res files from
Android devices and the fiddly controls, but otherwise the DAC-HA200 is a
terrific portable proposition.

Onkyo DAC-HA200 – Verdict

With its compact size, hardy build quality and sparkling sound, Onkyoʼs
headphone amp/DAC is a terrific buy.