HDD System – Sony HAP-S1 Review In-depth (Part 1)

HDD System – Sony HAP-S1 Review In-depth (Part 1)

It can be difficult to predict format trends, and even consumer electronics giants can be caught off guard, but a new range of hi-res music machines sees Sony make a welcome return to the hi-fi arena. Things got difficult back in the late nineties, when MP3 fi les began to replace Compact Disc. The company’s instinct had always been to maintain control of the entire music recording and replay chain, from record company to format to player. But for once, this great innovating consumer electronics group was caught on the hop. The next generation of music listeners wanted their content free and easy – and certainly not tied to anyone’s hardware. Belatedly, Sony responded with its range of “Network Walkmans” running the ATRAC format, but it was like trying to push water uphill – the world wouldn’t listen. History tells us that just a couple of years later, Apple seized the opportunity and wrested the whole shebang from Sony’s grip with the iPod in 2003 and then iTunes three years subsequently.

HDD System - SONY HAP-S1

Now though, Sony is back with a subtle but clever evolution of the digital music player. This can only be a good thing, because when it can be bothered the company can indeed do magic. First announced at IFA in 2013, the new HAP-S1 high-resolution music player sets out to give easy access to high-quality digital music in a sleek, one-box package. It has a 500GB hard drive built in, and so forms the heart of a large music library – and importantly it has clever new software that lets you transfer your music library from your Mac or PC with ease.

It proves fun with a big-hearted, animated sort of character

There’s more. The new Sony doesn’t just play FLAC and Apple Lossless (ALAC) fi les at the normal resolutions, plus all the other lower quality compressed fi le formats further down the chain (AAC, etc), it also supports PCM up to 24/192 and the latest incarnation of DSD. In short, it’s the first affordable ‘music jukebox’ that can genuinely claim audiophile credentials.

This isn’t the first hard-disk drive-based music player, as many will well know. We have already seen a slew of such devices appear on the market. Philips was one notable example of a company that dabbled with this idea, then gave up. Cambridge Audio and Yamaha also discontinued their HDD players, and moved to network music streamers instead. In fact, the closest thing in existence to the HAP-S1 is the Brennan JB7, which is an altogether less audiophile proposition, as we shall see…

It functions more like an ‘instant CD player’ than a computer audio product

Sony is serious about its new one-box system, having resisted the temptation to use cheap, low current consumption, high power Class D power output modules. Instead, it has stuck with Class AB operation on sound quality grounds. Its power amp is of dual mono construction, and is said to have extended bandwidth to exploit hi-res audio sources, up to 100kHz. It’s mounted to a commendably sturdy chassis of 3mm thickness aluminium, and a low-noise cooling fan is fitted. This sits on eccentric insulators, made from rubber of specially chosen hardness.

The HAP-S1 sports a low-loss EI ferrite core power transformer, and careful attention has been paid to earthing, with a single ground point and high-strength epoxy glass circuitboards said to be twice the thickness of rivals. Trick power supply capacitors are fitted, selected for sound quality, the company says, as are carbon resistors. Special signal switching relays are fitted in lieu of semiconductor switches. Overall quality of construction is excellent considering the price and the type of product it is.