TheBit Opus#1s

Firstly I would like to thank Audio Opus for choosing me to review their new player. This player has been used for quite some time before writing this review.

*disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings.

Gears Used:
Opus#1s > Inearz P350 / FIBAE 3 / Meze 99 Classics / German Maestro GMP 8.35d



Tech Specs:
http://www.audio-opus.com/?page_id=17532

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:
The Opus #1s comes in similar packaging to the rest of the Opus DAP’s, it is simple with the model on the outside and specs on the back. This outer sleeve slides off and you are greeted with a red, thick card box. Slide this open and you will find the DAP held tightly in an inner tray, underneath this tray you will find the accessories. Overall the Opus #1s comes in a great, sturdy box that protects it during shipping and looks great when you are opening the product.

Build quality wise the Opus #1s is similar to the original Opus #1, made of ABS plastic that is strong and well finished, but also light in weight. The front is glass as it is a touch screen player; the back is shiny plastic with a pattern on it. On the sides you have the dual MicroSD slots, along with playback controls. On the bottom you have the micro USB port, and the top you have the power butting along with the headphone outputs. Overall everything is very well put together and it feels like it is built to last.

Accessory wise you get a charging cable; you can opt to buy the leather case for it too which is a high quality Dignis one. You do get some extra screen protectors and a manual.



UI and Features:
The Opus #1s has the same interface as all Audio Opus players; it is a sleek and custom skinned version of Android that has minimal extras included. The interface is super easy to navigate with the usual categories such as album, artist etc... along with file browsing. The now playing screen shows the current track playing, along with the sample rate and album artwork. If you drag down the notification bar you have some quick setting such as Line-Out, Shuffle, Repeat and EQ.
This is a stripped down DAP, there is no Bluetooth or streaming.

The Opus #1s has an EQ, Balance controls, Gain, Line-out, USB DAC mode and your regular Android settings. The thing I love about the Audio Opus devices is that they just work, the firmware is stable and the setup is super easy to get used to. They really go for a no frills, easy to use DAP.

On the top you have a 3.5mm headphone output, along with a 2.5mm balanced output, the battery life is rated around 9hrs and during testing I found this to be accurate. The great this is that the Opus #1s has a deep sleep state it goes into when the screen is off, this means you can leave it on and the battery will run out very slowly.



Sound:
I use the iBasso DX200 and Opus #2 as my reference DAPs.

The Opus #1s is such an awesome player sound wise, it is open and dynamic sounding with incredible detail retrieval and control. It has a slightly full sound to it, but without taking away any of the details. It has a very hard hitting low end that is done in such a way that it isn’t distracting or overdone. There is heft but also control down low, the midrange is left without sounding recessed either. The midrange is so natural and effortless; there is excellent bite to electric guitars and impeccable separation and control. The highs are extended, crisp and clear, there is never a sense that this DAP is rolled off of overly smooth.

From the above it may seem like this is a dark sounding player, but it is not. It just has a power and dynamism that few players achieve, the Opus #2 for example is a technically superior player with increased resolution, separation, soundstage and detail but it does not sound as impactful. This DAP is overall a very fun but also technically proficient player for its price.

Whilst the original Opus #1 went for a neutral sound, the Opus #1s has a slightly fuller sound, but without sounding bloated or overly warm. Nothing is missing here, partner it with any headphones and it will bring out their true sound without adding much of its own flavour. Being slightly full you would think that it would not be the best match for already warm sounding headphones, but that is not the case. When paired with warm headphones it brings a level of control to the low end but still has impressive impact and body, whilst opening up the midrange and treble with its great detail and separation.


I could use the Opus #1s daily, and not miss the DX200 with Amp1 or Amp3, or the Opus #2. That is how good the Opus #1s sounds to me.

Comparing the Opus #1s to the Hidizs AP200 you have 2 quite different DAPs, the AP200 has plenty more features but a more buggy UI. The AP200 does not have a balanced output, and has a little more excitement in the treble and also mid-bass, leading to a highly enjoyable but slightly more coloured sound. The Opus #1s has a more linear sound, with less emphasis on certain frequencies but without losing out on being powerful and fun.

Going from single ended to balanced on all the Audio Opus players yields very little improvement, which to me shows that Audio Opus know how to implement a balanced circuit. There shouldn’t be any huge gains if the amp is well designed. The balanced output does output a little more power, and the separation and soundstage are perhaps a tiny bit better, but the differences are small.


Conclusion: If you are looking for a daily DAP that you want to use instead of your high-end DAP without experiencing huge losses in SQ the Opus #1s is excellent. If you are looking for your first taste of what a dedicated DAP can bring to your listening experience the Opus #1s is the one to show this. It is not for those that want a feature packed DAP; it is for those who purely want quality audio on the go. The original Opus #1 was the DAP to make me make the transition from my iPod Classic 7G to another brand of DAP, as it has the UI to back up the excellent sound quality. In my personal opinion Audio Opus really know how to make a killer DAP for the price, the Opus #1s is such an easy DAP to recommend for the price.

Sound Perfection Rating: 9/10 (easy to use, powerful sound)

Opus#1S Dap Review
- Expatinjapan





Opus#1S Dap review
- expatinjapan
http://www.audio-opus.com/?page_id=17532

The Opus#1S is the next version of the Opus#1. A spectacular and easy to use dap with a linear sound and efficient and speedy UI. The Opus#1S builds on the success of its predecessor.


Opus#1S and Campfire Audio Comet

See the earlier Opus#1 dap here:
https://www.headpie.net/2016/07/the-bit-opus1-dap-review-expatinjapan.html

Head pie has also reviewed the Opus#3:
https://www.headpie.net/2017/06/the-audio-opus-opus3-dap-review.html

And the Opus#2:
https://www.headpie.net/2017/09/opus2-dap-review-expatinjapan.html

Unboxing
















Opus#1S and Jomo Haka

Opus#1S case













Opus#1S dap and Jomo 6R with Double Helix Cable (balanced 2.5mm).



Opus#1S and Shozy Hibiki Special Edition

Build
`Enhanced ABS Solid Body and Tempered Glass
Available in 2 colors Lapis Blue and Palatinate Purple`
Build as in all Opus daps I have is solid and built to last. I have encountered no issues with either the body, buttons, screen or Micro SD slot to date.






Opus#1S and Campfire Audio Polaris






Build is solid and sturdy.

This is the fourth Opus dap I have had the pleasure of carting around town with no issues in its construction. Above it looks likes it is in peril, but is in fact a reflection of a tree.

User interface
The Opus#1S echoes the UI of the other Opus daps, straight forward, simple, efficient, fast and very easy to use.
Simple swipe down Android style for access to shortcut icons, and also to the settings.
On the player menu accessed through a three lined icon in the top left there is `songs, albums, artists, genres, folders, favorite, playlists`
One can also swipe left or right to change the track.

With the swipe down menu it also shows the Settings cog icon. Tapping on this opens up the various options available:
Device: Screen (brightness, auto display off etc), Audio (equalizer, gapless), Output (Line out, L/R Balance, Gain L/M/H), Timer (sleep), USB (connect mode MTP/charging, USB DAC).
Personal: Language and input.
System: Date & time, Storage, Initialize, Update, information.





USB DAC function


ifi Audio Nano iDSD Black Label and Opus#1S to Campfire Audio Orion.

*Insert Star Wars prequel #1 `Its working, its working` gif.

Moar specs and stuff




Specifications
24bit / 192kHz High Resolution Sound
Cirrus Logic CS43198 x 2EA Dual DAC
ARM Cortex-A9 1.4GHz, Quad-Core CPU DDR3 1GB
SNR 123dB, THD+N 0.0007%, Crosstalk – 140dB, Output 3.1Vmrs ( Unbalanced )
SNR 125dB, THD+N 0.0005%, Crosstalk – 142dB, Output 3.4Vmrs ( Balanced )
Low-clock-jitter sensitivity: 50ps(Typ)
4inch TFT Wide Touch Display (480 x 800), IPS Panel
WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSD, WMA,
MP3, OGG, APE(Normal, High, Fast)
Internal Memory 32GB
External Micro SD Card Memory 256GB x 2EA
Enhanced ABS Solid Body and Tempered Glass
Ultra Power Saving Mode












The audioopus/thebit dap family.
Anti clockwise from 1 o`clock. Opus#1, Opus#1S, Opus#3 and Opus#2.



Sound

My brief Fujiya Avic show impressions from late 2017.
I cannot write much more without going into inaccurate imagination territory.

I did spend some time with both though.

Using the Andromeda with stock Litz SE cable to try to stay semi reference for the day.

I really enjoyed the S1 and thought it was a step up from the #1 . Perhaps incorporating a few tricks from #3 and esp #2 daps.

But as always its a matter of taste.

I wrote above
“I A/B’d the original Opus#1 with the new Opus#1 (and volume checked with a spl meter).
As we know the original Opus#1 is quite linear, the new version of the Opus#1 mark 2 is more dynamic, deeper, fuller and bolder.”

But show impressions, fast and only surface can be informative, yet also not the be all and end all.


Photo from the Fujiya Avic Headphone show in Tokyo, Japan. Late 2017.

Further listening revealed that the Opus#1S is in my opinion a step up from the Opus#1, not necessarily only in sound, but more importantly in power.
Users in the prehistoric age of portable audio used to rubber band strap portable amplifiers to boost their players which at that time lacked decent power.
These days daps generally have oodles of power and it seems to be increasing as time goes by and each company tries to create a one stop shop dap.
The Opus#1S certainly benefits from the extra power and as one who likes to have plenty of body and layering to my music without having to stretch the volume and gain controls to their furthest extension.
The Opus#1 was no slouch and I still remember my `wow` response when first coupling it with Campfire Audio Jupiter IEM.
The Opus#1S is more neutral tuned dap whereas the Opus#1S tilts a bit towards the warm side, though not excessively so and never veers into muddy territory.



The Opus#1:
Cirrus Logic CS4398 x 2EA Dual DAC
ARM Cortex-A9 1.4GHz, Quad-Core CPU DDR3 1GB
The Opus#1S
Cirrus Logic CS43198 x 2EA Dual DAC
ARM Cortex-A9 1.4GHz, Quad-Core CPU DDR3 1GB
The Opus#3:
Burr-Brown PCM1792A DAC
ARM Cortex-A9 1.4GHz, Quad-Core CPU & DDR3 1GB
The Opus#2:
SABRE32 ES9018K2M x 2EA Dual DAC
ARM Cortex-A9 1.4GHz, Quad-Core CPU DDR3 1GB

All of the Opus Daps have 2 ohms output impedance on the single ended jack, and 1 ohm output impedance on the balanced jack. I often use multi driver BA IEMs and find I get a truer response and result by using the balanced jack. Those with single dynamic drivers or headphones would generally be ok with either.
The 2ohm jack/port is also more forgiving for the lower priced earphones also. Sacrificing some detail for smoothness.


Opus#1S and Campfire Audio Polaris

Further on the sound....
I would recommend reading the earlier reviews of the Opus#1, Opus#3 and Opus#2 featured on Head pie as they have some good insightful comparisons of the earlier models previous to the Opus#1S.
To quote from the earlier Opus#3 and Opus#2 reviews:
"I found the Opus#3 to be more resolving overall.
The Opus#1 has a vocals forward signature at ordinary volumes, whereas with the Opus#3 seems the music is up with the vocals, making the sound more engaging and richer and there is more definition.
The sound stage on the Opus#3 is much larger than on Opus#1, on height and width. Making the Opus#3 more exciting, intimate and engaging. But its incremental and not absolute.
The Opus#3 sound stage is increased in the width, slightly in the height whilst not much more in the depth.
The sound stage increases when using the balanced out, as does instrument separation.
They both retain the characteristic smoothness of the Opus brand, more so when using the 2 ohm single ended out, things get a bit more apart when using the balanced out.
Instrument separation is cleaner on the Opus#3.
When I turn up the volume louder the Opus#3 seems to cope better with it.
In summary, its very close to call in terms of sonics but the Opus#3 just pulls ahead on the single end, and more so on the balanced out.
In terms of extended listening sessions I would pick the Opus#3 over the Opus#1.
The Burr-Brown dac just adding that extra little something."

Opus#2 review 'Sound is neutral towards reference with a hint of warmth here and there at times, it packs detail and resolution with a deep depth of musicality that at no times alters its intent as an accurate player. The instrument separation is brilliant, and with a sound stage that doesn't disappoint'.
'The Opus#2 departs from the earlier models in its ability to achieve a wide sound stage, in height, width and depth, its speed, effortlessness, detail, neutral transparency and separation.
Highly resolving and detailed without using any tricks of boosted treble.
The Opus#2 veers slightly onto a warm edge at times, but my emphasis is on slightly, If anything it gives a sense of fullness, of weight and gravity.
It comes across as neutral, transparent and all those other goody good good audio buzzwords we like to hear and read being bandied about. But the Opus#2 is the real deal in this matter.'

So where does the Opus#1S fit in all this?



The Opus#1S has more power than its predecessor and that alone is worth the extra investment in my opinion. One cannot have too much power, better to have oodles in reserve rather than stretching the machine so that its sounds like it is straining to perform.
If I can run most earphones etc on low or medium gain I am happy, rather than having to max out on high gain all the time.

Whilst the original Opus#1 is no slouch itself and generally has a more linear, detailed, fast and pleasant sound quality, the Opus#3 has a more detailed and extended high end, the Opus#2 the flagship generally neutral, layered with a bit of warmth in the low end.

I have not heard the Metal Opus#1 as of the time of this writing.

The Opus#1S fits nicely into the scheme of the line up, adding as mentioned before more power into the mix, depth and a musicality which could be described as dynamic.

It is full, deep (one could use the term warm though not entirely all of the story - a little bump to the mids perhaps), smooth with a richness, larger sound stage and a nice blackish back ground.

If you like a bit of spirit, a little bounce in your step on a sunny day the Opus#1S would be a good companion. It doesn't lack anything from the other Opus daps, of course it is true they scale up as you go but the Opus#1S holds its own and delivers a beautiful, full, accurate sound with a low floor noise, decent sound stage and a slight warmth of mids.


Opus#1S and Kinera SEED (early prototype build).

Opus daps screen and size compared
The lighting isnt ideal, but you can get the general idea.
Opus#1, Opus#1S (shown without case)
Opus#3, Opus#2



Opus daps 1, 3 and 2
(Opus 1S is the same size as Opus#1, this photo is from the Opus#2 review)


Price
The Opus#1S is US$399.00 from Musicteck.
https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/opus
The earlier Opus#1 can be also purchased from Musicteck for US$249.00.





Overall
The Opus#1S is more warmer in the mids compared to the earlier Opus#1 which is more of neutral sound. It is not to say that the Opus#1S fully departs from a linear or neutral sound, just that it has some extra smoothness, warmth, depth and energy.
The Opus#1S is more powerful than the earlier edition.

It is a dap that is a pure player, no wifi or internet connection. It has internal memory and also two Micro SD slots. Enough for a sizable music library on the go.

As a stand alone player it is a pleasure to use from the simple UI, selection of settings, size, sound and overall ease of use.
In the market of today it has a few competitors of varying sizes and sound signatures. Opus#1 or Opus#1S would be pleasing for most entering into mid fi territory.
One must as usual do their reading and research themselves and find the dap which suits best their needs in term of function and sonic signature.

The Opus#1S, smooth, deep, lush and rich, decent sound stage, a touch of mids, room for memory expansion, a stand alone player ie no wifi, black back ground and an easy UI makes it one of the main choices out of many options for a decent player on the go to enjoy the universality of the musicality of music.


Opus#1S dap and Jomo Haka

I was originally sent the Opus #1s by Ngoshawk to take a look at. His comments about the little player had intrigued me as he had fallen in love with the Opus #2 and said the #1s wasn’t far behind it and the price was more in my range than the #2. After listening to the Opus #1s for less than a week, I asked Ngoshawk where I could buy it and a deal was quickly struck. In some ways, that may spoil a bit of the suspense here, but the Opus #1s is going to be a polarizing unit so read on.


Build:


The #1s comes in either blue or purple frame but honestly the color is very limited as it covers the sides and the beveled edge of the front and rear. The drawback is the body is abs plastic instead of a metal frame but the unit feels sturdy in hand and weight is heavier than most.


The rear surface is black glass with a cross hatched pattern that makes the plate appear gray from a distance.

while the majority of the front face is glass with the 4 inch screen taking up a good 90% of the overall space available. This is a nice change of pace as some others in this class do not utilize the screen real estate nearly as cleanly. The screen has a 480*800 resolution so not the highest of the current DAP offerings, but plenty to display album art without blur and text is crisp and sharp. Also worth noting, the screen supports a fairly wide viewing angle unlike several others I have recently tested that washed out pretty severely unless viewed directly.

The unit ships with a screen protector installed which helps and a really well made leather case is available albeit at an additional cost. I highly recommend buying the case (unlike the Onkyo I recently reviewed) as fit and the protection it provides are great without marring any of the controls. The only drawback to the case is again it blocks the sd-card slots so must be removed to change cards.


The bottom of the player has a single micro-USB port to handle the charging and data transfer details. The port is nicely recessed to give a bit of added stability.


On the left side of the player, dual micro-sd card slots sit at the bottom and are neatly covered with a panel that fits flush with the frame. At the top left are the volume controls which have a nice tactile click that makes it easy to use in a pocket.


The top of the right side of the player has the play controls (back, play/pause, forward) again with good tactile click functionality.
The top of the unit has the 3.5mm Single ended output on the left, the balanced 2.5mm output near the center and clearly labeled as balanced out. And the power button on the far right. Overall the layout is very clean and functional.


Internals:
The #1s uses an A9 processor at 1.4ghz with 1gb of RAM to handle the OS duties. This would be on the low side for a full android implementation but for the stripped down UI on the #1s it is plenty.


DAC functions are handled by a pair of Cirrus Logic 43198 chips that support up to 24/192 and supports most popular file types including MQA and DSD.


Battery life is very good with all day playback between charges being normal. If extremely high impedance headphones or low sensitivity headphones are used battery life will drop accordingly. I was able to get 6+ hours using the Fostex t50rp at normal listening levels and that is quite a feat as the same headphone drained the M3s flat in a bit over 4.


#1s supports usage as a USB DAC, as well as use as a transport to another DAC/AMP through its micro-USB via a usb otg cable.


UI:


Thebit states that the firmware is Android but other than a few telltale hints, you’d be hard pressed to tell it by looking at it. The main screen has the first hint of android in its top bar.
This looks typical of android and shows status icons for volume, card status, battery etc. When you start the player, it first goes through scanning the sd-cards (minor annoyance as it does this every time). It will display the main page and show a turning gear in the upper bar slightly right of the center part to signify the card scan. The second hint is that the options menu is accessed by swiping down from the top to open a larger version of the top bar with line out, equalizer, sleep, repeat, shuffle, and brightness controls.

A gear in the top right corner opens the settings menu that allows control of screen, eq, gapless playback, line out, and gain, along with setting the time, usb mode, and storage options. Firmware updates are simple to install. The firmware is placed at the root of an SD card and from the settings menu, the update option starts the process.


Immediately under the top bar, at the left is another hint. The three horizontal bar icon that opens the file menu. This gives you the options to choose between artists, playlists, titles, genres, folders, or favorites.


A proper search function would be very appreciated as that is the one feature the UI lacks that would make use easier.


The main screen provides all the details of title, artist, bit rate, and length as well as the ability to scroll within a track. The front and back function is provided on screen as well as play/pause in addition to the physical buttons on the side. The downside to this is that playback can jump around when the DAP is in a shirt pocket unless the screen is turned off.


The UI doesn’t pack a ton of features as no options for wireless, Bluetooth, loading android apps, or streaming are provided. The upside of this is that the UI is fast and rock solid stable. I have not had a single crash in the entire 2 months I have owned and been using the #1s which puts it in a league apart from most others I have tested.

Sound:


The focus of the Opus #1s is clearly on sound quality instead of optional features and when you make a conscious decision to focus on one aspect at the exclusion of others, you better get it right. The Opus #1s delivers sound that few other DAPs can match. Sound is thick, lifelike, and very smooth without masking detail or losing clarity. Soundstage is spacious and instrument separation is on par with home hi-fi component DACs. I could happily substitute the #1s for my Bifrost and never miss the later. Output power is good with single ended devices and fantastic with balanced connections. I had no trouble powering any headphone I wanted with the #1s without the need for an external amp (although battery life does take a hit).


The #1s is so smooth that at times it can feel like it lacks extension. With more listening you realize the extension isn’t lacking, it is just so organic and smooth that it lulls you into a false sense that it must be rolled-off. The #1s has good dynamics and can hit on both ends with good authority when called upon but the real center of the #1s is the mids.


Lows are full bodied and are crisp and clean even at the depths of the players extension. At the absolute low end, the player does roll-off a bit but still does a good job of reproducing texture and actual instrumentation and not just thump. Bass quantity manages to walk the line between solid bass performance and bass bleed into the mids. Sub bass has authority without the mid-bass taking over the signature and making the player overly warm.


Mids are slightly forward with lots of detail and good dynamic range. The mids allow vocalists nuance and emotions to show through the instrumentation in the background and produces a listening experience few other daps have come close to.


Treble has good extension with ample air and sparkle while still maintaining good detail. There is a hint of grain to the lower treble but it smooths out as it climbs into the upper registers. Overall, nothing to complain about at all at this price point.


Soundstage is hard to define as it is certainly wider than deep but manages to maintain considerably better than average instrument separation and imaging even with the limited overall size of the stage. Overall, the soundstage could be thought of as a theater in the round with a decidedly intimate feel while still maintaining excellent realism.

The words to define the sound of the Opus #1s is natural, smooth, organic, and emotional. The nice thing is that this allows the #1s to pair effortlessly with a wide variety of headphones and earphones and sound equally good with all of them.


I found the #1s to be equally at home with the Campfire Comet, the Brainwavz b400, and the Magaosi K5 in ears as well as easily driving the Fostex t50rp and still being very pleasant with the Sennheiser HD700. Truly a rare bird in the ease with which it pairs.

Comparisons:


To my ear, the closest competitors to the Opus #1s are the Cayin N5ii and the AK70Mk2.


The Cayin N5ii is a bit thinner and more analytical than the #1s and is more neutral when compared to the slightly warm sound of the #1s. Most other factors are near equal with soundstages and instrument separation being on-par with both. I could be happy with either the N5ii or the #1s as both are truly stellar, but the #1s signature makes it easier to listen for extended periods for pleasure as it is smoother than the N5ii.


The AK70Mk2 is the DAP by which most others are judged for me as it does so many things well that it is tough to beat. It combines a sound that is near the Opus #1s with the features of the N5ii and an intuitive UI that bests either of the other two. On sound alone, I think the Opus is better, when you combine everything, I still think A&K is the benchmark. One more update to the Opus and it may well catch the A&K as both TheBit and Cayin are getting closer to that level of performance with each new iteration.


Opposite the N5ii comparison, I find the Opus #1s to be a bit more neutral than the Shanling M3s as the Shanling has a bit too forward lower mids for my tastes. The #1s also has more detail and better dynamics than the M3s. The differences are not huge, but I favor the Opus. The other big drawbacks on the M3s is single card slot and poorly implemented display.

Conclusions:


As stated at the start, the Opus #1s is going to be a polarizing device. On the plus side, if you (like me) listen to music from your personal library and are not interested in streaming or Bluetooth headphones, this is the best sounding dap that $400 will buy. As a matter of fact, it may be the best sounding dap that $700 will buy as I think you have to step up substantially in price to something like the ibasso Dx200 to see a distinct improvement in sound quality over the #1s. On the flip side, if you intend to stream audio from the web or use Bluetooth headphones, then the Opus #1 is not for you. I chose to purchase the Opus #1s as for me, the number one pursuit in this hobby is for that perfect sound and the #1s comes as close to that as my budget will permit.