What I have personally learned since 2019 when the first Dethonray product was presented to this world – is that this brand and Anson Tse, who is standing behind it as the main inspiring individual, would stay very distinguished, focusing on stellar sound quality rather than the amount of features. The first DTR1 DAP was a masterpiece in sound and its resolution / detalization but looked like a monk among popes in comparison to other existing DAPs most of which were based on Android or HiBY OS, packed with additional streaming, reading, gaming and other functions, if not talking about bigger screens, touch interfaces, etc. Whereas DTR1, as well as its successor (DTR1+), incorporated simplified Linux-based OS, lightweight music player and old-style button control. Nevertheless, both are my favorites and no brainers when someone asks about the best sounding DAPs around.

Along with DAPs, Dethonray has a line of well-respected portable DAC/AMPs, including Pegasus (BT only option), table top AMP and a set of planar IEMs. Never had a possibility to put my hands on amp or other products, except both DAPs, Pegasus BT dac/amp and Tender 1 planar IEMs. The latter two are similarly exceptional in terms of sound quality and perfect picks in my own paradigm. Although, there were some technical concerns coming from the owners of Pegasus about its software-emulation of volume button algorithm. Personally, I didn’t experience any inconvenience, knowing that such approach is a trade off for omitting mechanical potentiometer possible rustles in future. I had this happened to various equipment of mine, including guitars, electronics and, even, gaming controllers and I am glad that Anson has made this impossible in his devices.

So, what makes Dethonray products so distinguishable? As for me, there are three factors contributing to that:

• DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit): dual high-density battery customized power system, separation of analog and digital circuitry power resulting in less noise

This power system is in core of all Dethonray products, which, as I can remember, was kind of pioneer approach in portable audio by Anson that forced other companies to review their circuitry as well since it delivered better performance.

• The choice of DAC/AMP chips: AKK is instead of ESS which results in thicker and more natural timbre

In particular, Clarinet DAC chip is AK4493S, accompanied by AK4118K (digital audio 24bit/192kHz transceiver, responsible for COAX, Optical input processing) and OPA 1612 op-amps on the output end. All of those are well-known high-grade and quality components that dedicate much to the resulting sound quality.

• Keep it simple approach, focus on audio quality: minimum functions but precise focus on the main purpose

Perhaps, this is the most important – instead of integrating some common OS like Android and fighting its processing / EQ and/or incorporating all types of streaming, apps and hardware components that should be available in such device and that would definitely require much more shielding to eliminate the excessive noise to a certain extent, Dethonray products are kept simple to completely avoid any type of potential hazard to the sound. You wanted to have a perfect audio source – well, here it is, not for reading, games, streaming or pace calculation – only the bit-perfect, high quality processing, nothing more.

So, here are the declared specs:

Apart from what is stated above, there are some additional features that comes handy in using this device. For example, Clarinet has 2 USB type-C ports, separate for USB DAC input and charging functions. This allows to omit charging during USB DAC use and completely exclude any possible noise from this process, or to have charging simultaneously for infinite usage. Although it is great, I would say that it still lacks the function of completely excluding the use of battery from this equation and staying on external power just to preserve battery degradation if Clarinet is planned as a part of desktop setup. I’ve seen such solutions from xDuoo, for instance, and I think that this might make such devices even more versatile.

Along with dual USB port, we have Low / High GAIN switch to adapt different types of connected end gear, front and back status multicolor LEDs to indicate working state / media quality / discharge state (front) and charge state (back), as well as the ability to choose between the two firmware versions with different sound signature (Serenade for cleaner and brighter sound, Rhapsody, default, for thicker and more mellow sound). More info on LED states is stated in the user manual.

Back to the design and first impressions:

Clarinet came in a regular Dethonray thick cardboard box, minimalistic in design but secure for handling. Box contains the unit itself, USB type-C to USB A cable and user manual.

Similar to Pegasus, Clarinet looks clean in it design, feels as a very solid brick and incorporates one-piece aluminum chassis with excellent heat dissipation ability during its usage. I like that Anson designed it so simple, with rough forms and minimal accents it attracts more than it design-oriented rivals. Simple forms and such clinical look belong to hi-end gear more often than plateresque approach in the design. The only accented element is the volume knob in violet with grippy surface pattern which is totally logical since it does all the job – turns the device on and off and changes the volume. Soft but noticeable click tuns on the device at the beginning of travel and uses the rest of it for smooth volume control. I haven’t spotted any weird behavior or channel imbalance during its use, neither the linearity can be questioned here. Pretty natural feel for the knob that only imitates the mechanical potentiometer.

Haven’t noticed any substantial heat during use, only in case if charging and data transfer is happening simultaneously. Aluminum case get slightly warm, nothing to worry about.

All of my devices that I’ve tested Clatinet with haven’t had any problems with recognizing it as an external DAC. Even Linux-based HiBY OS in Hidizs AP80 DAP has managed to identify Clarinet as an external sound card and send data to USB port. There is a manual on the official Dethonray website on setting things up to use Clarinet with Foobar and which drivers to use.

The sound:

Clarinet’s tonality feels very natural, tending slightly to darker / mellow sound. No artificial cattle-like and bright spikes, everything is perfectly balanced and smooth. Lows are deep and wide, excellently contoured and textured. Mid-bass is tight and powerful. But both are perfectly balanced and not overshadowing or bleeding into the mids. Mids, on its turn, are highly textured and detailed, in a perfect spot of balance, neither far or very close (at least with the default FW). Its mellow timbre and smooth delivery makes Dethonray Clarinet very pleasing for vocals. No hisses, no sibilants even with sensitive IEMs. As an outcome of such accurate and natural tuning (plus the chips used) treble is totally enough in quantity, transparent and detailed without being accented or declined. Perfect balance for having long listening sessions even with armature driver-based IEMs.

Clarinet builds pretty wide/large virtual soundstage, outperforming any USB type -C dongles and separate DAPs I have in my possession. Quite on par with the best offering from xDuoo – XD05 BAL which have the larges stage I’ve heard in such portable DAC/AMPs. Instrument separation, layering, positioning – all are excellent and adding up to build spacious sound picture more common for full-sized desktop equipment with much higher price tag.

In summary, the sound is good, large, detailed and naturally balanced. It is rich with details, highly textured and very musical for my ears with most of the genres. Especially for my preferences which are 60-90′ rock, pop, blues, metal, etc with high dynamic range and no post-production compression for commercial means, common for modern music. Best synergy was found with magnetic-planar and DD IEMs that either fully-transparent or bring little to no coloration to the sound signature of Clarinet itself.

Conclusion:

Similarly to all Dethonray products, this one is deceivingly portable. Comparable in shape and size to lots of rivals but with unexpectedly large sound, powerful to drive most of power-hungry head gear. The main distinguishing factor for me is its sound signature – smooth, resolving, with rich mids and mellow timbre. It stands much closer to old school tube overtones rather than modern brightness and clinics of ESS-based DACs. Gets even more delightful when paired with real tube amp/preamp before sending it to speakers or headphones. Still, leaves a room for signature change with another firmware if colder sound is a preference. 9 out of 10 for this equipment to Dethonray, where the only missing point resembles the lack of all-time desktop scenario without the use of integrated battery and no possibility to upgrade op-amp chips available with some rivals.

Hidizs ST2 Nebula – the new great option for audio fans with a smartphones missing a dedicated analog audio output and for those, who don’t like cumbersome desk setups with the external DAC/AMPs. All-in-one, universal solution that combines everything – high-quality IEMs, type-C DAC/AMP and even HD mic with phone control button. Time to test whether such bundle does the trick of delighting a demanding user, performing good in both – audio and everyday general use.

Hidizs is giving away ST2 Nebula bundle and other prizes for free. Join this draw here: LINK

You can get the least price and support this product on Kickstarter: LINK

Kickstarter Launch Date: December 19th, 2024, at 10:30 AM (EST)

Pricing Details:

ST2 PRO Nebula (Super Early Bird): $39.00 (Limited to 500 units)
ST2 PRO Nebula (Early Bird): $49.00
USB-C DSP 0.78mm 2-pin/MMCX Earphone Cable (Early Bird): $36.00

Being a fan of single dynamic IEMs, I am glad that Hidizs intends this bundle in particular. Not limited to single type of IEMs – you can use any model of your choice with 2pin / MMCX connector to use with this DAC/AMP on a cable – but the supplied IEMs are the most universal in its tuning, shape, performance and price. Single DD, 10mm DMC lightweight diaphragm, large resonance chamber and H-2019 target curve – what can be more convenient for most of the ears? What I mean by that is that Hidizs made a move to present something that can go easy on every person, no matter which smartphone/laptop/pc/tablet and OS he uses, no matter the music genre he or she likes and no matter what size and shape of the ears he/she has. Nebula should fit and satisfy any. Type-C brings the possibility to connect to most of the modern devices, custom shape is the most versatile, H-2019 curve and dynamic diaphragm combination makes music smooth and crosses out high peaks. Plus the ability to use mic and watch videos with zero-latency… It is only left to try out and find whether everything declared goes flawlessly.

Hidizs ST2 Nebula specs:

IEMs:

• 10mm DD, dual magnetic circuit diaphragm
• resin + aluminum alloy etching shells
• freq.range 20Hz-40kHz
• 0,78 2pin/MMCX ports
• inline control + HD mic
• sensitivity 108dB
• impedance 32Ohms
• weight 7g

DAC/AMP

• ES9281AC PRO
• 32bit/384kHz / Native DSD 64/128
• MQA 8X
• distortion 0,0012%
• snr 118dB
• dynamic range 122dB
• ch.separation 63dB
• output power 70+70mW

ES9281AC PRO used in Hidizs type-C DAC is the flagship SoC with integrated USB. It is not that common among its rivals and let’s say – above the line. Although, what matters more than the chip itself – is the integration and circuitry around the chip that can either disclose SoC potential or place it below the worst products. Hidizs team has large experience of building compact audio products that allows them to go the first way – build a tiny DAC/AMP that sounds like a DAP or even some desktop devices. But I’d leave it for the sound test section.

Box contents, design and build quality:

Nebula fits to small black box, traditionally with silver shiny names, logos and product pics. Two layers inside, one to secure IEMs in place and additional pouch with handy opening mechanism found underneath. Cable is located inside this pouch. Personally, I don’t like that the pouch has some soft cloth inside as the velcro tape around the cable is quite sticky… Anyway, it does it job of keeping IEMs scratch-free in real life. Additionally, there are couple of small bags with a set of silicone ear tips and USB A -> USB C adapter.

Having such adapter means that Nebula has everything you need to use it with PC/laptops that don’t feature type-C ports.

Always been a fan of transparent materials used in the design of electronic equipment. ST2 features not only transparent IEM shell to see its neat cable management and channels but also the body of DAC/AMP is a combination of aluminum and glass. This opens its internal circuitry for observation and brings the additional feature: LED sample rate indicator. This has been a distinctive feature across all Hidizs products for a long time now. Not saying that it is very informative, but you can easily differentiate SD/HD track sample rate, at least.

IEM shells are available in dark / light options, all equipped with 0,78mm/2pin ports for cable and have long protruding output nozzles, ending up with protective mesh.

As far as I understand, Hidizs would also make ST2 Nebula cable with integrated DAC/AMP available separately, in two versions: 2pin and MMCX types of connectors. This would allow make any IEMs compatible with most of type-C devices.

Cable that came in my bundle is 0,78/2pin type, wrapped in textile yarn, has flexible ear guides, equipped with HD mic and inline remote button and ends with the aluminum DAC/AMP shell. Feels sturdy enough to live long and serve its purpose for many IEMs that I would like to try out in such scenario in the future.

In use:

Couple of words here about ST2 Nebula operation: as already mentioned – it is compatible with any USB type-C equipped device that has the ability to recognize external DAC. Windows, Mac OS based desktops or laptops, perhaps Linux based platforms, Android/iOS tablets and smartphones with OTG support… Hidizs says that only IPhone 15 and later are compatible (I am not Apple fan – only IPhones starting from 15 has type-C????). Even if you don’t have type-C, you can try to use USB A -> type-C adapter or some USB hub. Even Hidizs AP80 player running Linux-based HiBy OS has successfully recognized Nebula as an external DAC.

Since this device is passive (doesn’t have a battery) – it relies on USB power. Not a big deal for any device, except the smallest ones like Hidizs AP80 DAP which recognizes and utilizes USB DAC perfectly but the battery drain goes faster. What I’ve noticed is that Nebula gets quite warm, especially with HD quality tracks. About 42 deg.C after 15-20 minutes of indoor use. SD quality doesn’t have such impact. Anyway, 42C is nothing to worry about. Just having a warm little powerhouse in your pocket. Power consumption is about 50-55mA @ 5V.

Sound quality:

Since IEMs are tuned accordingly to H-2019 curve, they produce smooth sound with no accents or unexpected peaks. This is a slight V-shaped tuning with rich but slightly congested lows, dynamic and tight mid bass, natural and mellow mids and balanced treble. Amount of details and resolution are not overwhelming but IEMs still sound clear and have well defined instrument spacing and their layering. Nothing gets lost in the mix, each small detail is present. Stage depth and width are moderate but not too tight. I would say that those IEMs belong to 70-120$ single DD class, no more and no less. Perhaps, the least detailed here is the treble – lack of lightweight airiness and slight tendency to hisses. Although, this is compensated by the overall good balance and its timbre which make those IEMs sound natural and immersive. Was surprised how good it handled most of the music genres, including rap and hiphop, but noticed a bit of harsh high notes in heavy metal.

DAC/AMP SoC on its own is unexpectedly powerful for the bundled pair of IEMs – even 30% volume is quite a lot. I even tried Hidizs MP143 planars to pair with it and IEMs felt decent with this level of power output. Didn’t notice any obvious coloration or accents in comparison to Hidizs AP80 player – quite close. The only difference is that AP80 DAP is pushing slightly more noticeable texturing across the ranges and a little bit more delicate on treble. Such details are only apparent after long A/B testing in quiet surroundings, not on the go as intended by Nebula nature.

HD mic works fine on my Xiaomi smartphone but I wished that it would be a little more sensitive and less prone to incoming noises. It captures voice clear and loud indoors but might suffer from the surrounding environment and rubbing against clothes outside.

Conclusion:

Hidizs ST2 Nebula is good, convenient and universal bundle of IEMs and type-C DAC/AMP designed to be used with most of type-C equipped devices, no matter indoors or on the go. IEMs are both – comfortably tuned and ergonomically fit while DAC is cross-compatible between different OS, devices and IEMs, as well as powerful enough to drive even more demanding planars. Therefore, buying such bundle we get 2 devices at once that can be used independently. But I like the synergy it produces as a bundle and the intention of Hidizs to create the balance between the connectivity, sound quality and convenience of everyday use of this combo. I would leave my planars and DAP for more dedicated listening while ST2 Nebula bundle can join my smartphone when I leave home.

Hidizs is giving away ST2 Nebula bundle and other prizes for free. Join this draw here: LINK

You can get the least price and support this product on Kickstarter: LINK

Kickstarter Launch Date: December 19th, 2024, at 10:30 AM (EST)

Pricing Details:

ST2 PRO Nebula (Super Early Bird): $39.00 (Limited to 500 units)
ST2 PRO Nebula (Early Bird): $49.00
USB-C DSP 0.78mm 2-pin/MMCX Earphone Cable (Early Bird): $36.00

Hidizs, as a company, already has extended lineup of ultra-portable USB DACs to suit any taste and compatibility. Some were enhanced versions of the previous iterations, while others brought completely new form-factor and functionality. The reason for another generation of S8-series model is shifting again to Cirrus Logic DAC chips that impact the resulting sound more than the form-factor, design or sound tuning. Hope that one day Hidizs would release something like this based on the beloved AKM DACs that sound the most mellow and musical to my personal taste. Although, this review would shed some light on how or whether CRL DACs sound better or worse compared to its S9 Sabre siblings.

S8 Pro “Robin” sales has launched on 20th of May with $69 listing price. First 100 order would receive 5%OFF automatically, resulting in the price of $65.55. Additionally, even the first 100 orders as well as the consequent ones may use our discount coupon code ZMCR5OFF to bring prices down to $61.75 and $65,55 respectively. This all applies whenever the product is ordered in Hidizs official store: LINK

In the box:

S8 PRO (codename “Robin”) shares the box design with S9-series USB DACs – very compact and sturdy. High quality prints all around the wrap, full list of specs and features on the back side. Box itself is made of recyclable plastics, inside you’d find soft foam holding the DAC and small compartment underneath that stores all of the additional accessories.

Apart from the DAC itself, there are the next items included:

• “HiRES” stickers
• Type-C to Type-C cable
• Type-C to USB A adapter
• Type-C to Lightning adapter

Having the latter in the box provides the compatibility of S8 Robin with iOS devices equipped with the corresponding port.

Full specs of S8 Robin are as following:

• 1. Dual 32-bit High-performance DAC Balanced Architecture – CS43131×2
• 2. PCM Supports Up to 32bit/384kHz
• 3. Native DSD 64/128/256
• 4. 4.4mm Balanced & 3.5mm Single-ended Output
• 5. CNC Aluminum Alloy Integrated Molding
• 6. Practical Function Buttons (volume +-/filter switching)
• 7. Sampling Rate Indicator
• 8. 80mW+80mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE / 160mW+160mW@32Ω 4.4mm BAL
• 9. Compatible with All platforms: Windows/Mac OS/iPad OS/Android/iOS/Harmony OS
• 10. Hi-Res Audio Certification

Looking at the design – it also resembles previous generations of S8 and S9 DACs, with some new features and more complicated elements. S8 Robin case is made of aluminum with glass panels covering front and rear of the device. The newly designed are the decorative fins on the right side, and all buttons on the left. Pity is that the central crown is not a rotary element as it seems to be. It is a mere push-button that serves only one purpose – to play|pause. Other two buttons are for changing the volume (long press) / changing effect filters (simultaneously press both).

Since this DAC is fully balanced (2 DAC chips + parallel L+R circuitry) – it is equipped with 4.4mm Pentacon balanced connector along with single-ended 3.5mm one. USB type-C is used to connect S8 Robin to the source (Windows, Android OS, iOS, MacOS devices and HiBy OS DAPs).

S8 Pro Robin is very lightweight (only 17 grams), doesn’t require external power supply and doesn’t heat up notably which makes it perfect companion for phones, tablets or laptops.

In operation:

Undoubtedly, the central design element of this DAC is the semi-transparent logo at the front that also lights up with different colors resembling current sample rate and the chosen filter effect. To understand it, here is the list of color and corresponding meanings:

Effects:

• Red: High Pass Filter
• White: Wide Band and Flatness Mode
• Green: NOS Filter
• Blue: Deem Phase Filter
• Yellow: Fast & Slow Filter
• Pink: Phase Compensated Filter

Sample rates:

• Yellow: DSD 64/128
• Purple: DSD 256
• Blue: PCM 176.4/192kHz
• Red: PCM 352.8/384kHz
• White: PCM 705.6/768kHz
• Green: PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz

I’ve paired S8 with Xiaomi Redmi Note 8PRO, Lenovo Thinkpad E14 laptop, DooGee tablet – all recognized S8 Pro as USB DAC straight away. But I would recommend to use some specific audio player apps on Android (like HiBy Music) and ASIO drivers for S8 Pro on Windows 10/11 (available at Hidizs official website download page) in order to bypass system mixers and get the best sound quality.

As to the power draw from a smartphone – S8 Pro is pretty effective. I’ve noticed around 3-4% increase during 2-3 hours of listening to music with the screen off.

Sound:

Lows:

There is a slight emphasis on the bass which gives a bit of warmth to the overall sound which is quite good for my taste. Just getting border of the crispy sound of the Sabre siblings. Bass extension is pretty good. Lows are apparently outlined, exhibit moderate detalization. Mid bass is tight and punchy with most of the sensitive IEMs and gets slightly dull with large overheads. This region is the most vulnerable for power-hungry headphones of any types. Anything below 72Ohms should be good to go but I would not recommend the most of the ultra-potable USB DACs for anything above that.

Mids:

I like how the warmth that bleeds in from the lows add the wight and timbre to the mids. Mids manage to stay close to neutral but the warmth make it feel more volumetric and standing forward. This also helps to keep the control of the upper mids which doesn’t exhibit sibilants or hissing. Higher resolution is evident here, separation and layering of the instruments are quite good. S8 Pro is definitely demonstrates the best performance in this range – rich, resolved, natural sound and appealing timbre.

Treble:

Again, treble is sensitive to type of the IEMs or headphones used. The best performance when there is no notable shading is with the armature-based sensitive IEMs while closed-back overheads might tend to dark sound when you’d obviously lack treble amount. I wouldn’t say that treble is not crispy or detailed enough. Neither it is not under-emphasized – presence is pretty balanced with the most neutral IEMs. But the rest – resolution, amount, crispness and extension is headphones-dependent, more than with Sabre siblings. Part of this comes from the overall slightly warm sound character. Again, with neutral of bright IEMs – treble feels excellent, with no fatigue and pleasant for long listening sessions even at high volume levels.

Conclusion:

There is almost a full lineup of USB DACs from Hidizs in my possession, as well as 5 other ultra-potable DACs from other brands (ColorFly, Audirect, etc). And among those my favorite ones are from Hidizs due to the combination of price/power output/sound quality. Recent S9 generations were based on ESS Sabre DAC chips with its prominent treble clarity and performance but I’ve always tended towards warmer sound and mellow timbre. That is why DAPs based on AKK ships are the main sound sources for me throughout the years. At last, Hidizs has made a DAC with the sound character much closer to such preferences. It sounds rich, warmer, puts a slight emphasis on mids, brings it forward, resolves lows pretty well and doesn’t make you feel tired after long listening sessions due to the reasonable amount of treble.

Hidizs S8 Pro “Robin” is available at official Hidizs store page: LINK

Use ZMCR5OFF coupon code to get 5% off the listed price.

Small but mighty – this is the only phrase that comes to my mind after using USB type-C dongles of this kind. This time it is Hidizs SD2 – the newest USB dongle that is designed to squeeze more juice to drive headsets to the appropriate levels when compared to the integrated sound amplifiers. It is not the first take of Hidizs on dongle DACs and by this point they have quite an experience and knowledge to design tiny, yet powerful DAC&AMP. Although, there were always pros and cons of using such devices which would be described in this article.

Hidizs SD2 has been released to public only couple of days ago and the first 200 units would be sold at special prize (31,99USD).

Link to the official Hidizs store: LINK

Link to Amazon store: LINK

You can use ZMCR5OFF as 5% discount code.

First, specs&features:

As seen from the specs, SD2 is compatible with all types of devices out of the box, supports PCM32bit/384kHz sampling and DSD128, as well as in-line remote and mic. Therefore, it not only brings back 3,5mm jack output to all of the devices free from it by the hand of marketing managers, but also gives the possibility to enrich sound quality and use your phone functions in the most convenient way. Hidizs also claims that the sound has zero delay what makes it possible to watch videos and play games apart from listening to music.

Box contents:

Apart from the SD2 itself, you’d get USB A -> type-C adapter and Lightning -> type C adapter which covers most of the possible variety of modern devices. If I am not wrong, this is the first time when Hidizs adds lightning adapter to the bundle and makes this device fully compatible with Apple smartphones out of the box.

Design, fit and build quality:

SD2 is really small. Much smaller than most of the USB type-C dongles available from other brands. It is only 20×34,5x10mm in physical size and designed in such a way that 3,5mm output comes out of the case at 45 degrees angle. This clever design serves two roles: type-C port side has enough surface length to press against the device and eliminate side flex and headphones output brings the jack closer to the source device, making the load shoulder even smaller. In real life, SD2 sits quite securely at place and doesn’t make me feel that it would destroy type-C port of my phone. I can’t say that such hard-type of connection is better than using a cable in-between, but the connection itself is stronger than I thought it would be. On the other hand, such connection would depend of the type of bumper or case that is used with the smartphone. If it is thick and soft – SD2 would not feel that tight.

Device in use:

SD2 is designed to work straight forward out of the box – connect it to any source like Android smartphones or tablets, Windows PC or Apple smartphones and it should be recognized by the system as USB audio device. Furthermore, such apps as HiBy Music on Android would also recognize it as bit-perfect device to bypass system audio mixers and send data directly to USB.

Common for all Hidizs devices, SD2 shows incoming audio quality with different LED colors: red for PCM 44.1-48kHz and blue for PCM 88.2-384kHz & DSD128.

While using this device there were no noticeable lag in audio while watching movies, neither there was case heating or extraordinary fast smartphone battery drain. Seems that Hidizs did a good job on optimization on internal circuits.

Sound wise, first what I was after is the capability of SD2 to handle full-sized headphones such as Audio-Technika ATH-M50 and Logitech Astro A10. First is pretty tight closed back with 50Ohms impedance, second ae the gamins ones with a mic and 32Ohms impedance. All driven from Xiaomi Redmi Note 8Pro smartphone which is not great at all on its own 3,5mm headphone output. Not great means that it feels anemic, low powered, artificial, with smeared highs and soft on mid bass when trying to drive such types of headphones… SD2 definitely nails it and is capable of driving both at much more appropriate levels, bringing the life and juice to mid bass, much better clarity of treble, together with higher volume in overall. Music starts to feel more engaging and transparent, when each instrument has its place and room. Layering and imaginary scene gets better. And all of that is apparent, no need of recurrent tries. In my opinion, SD2 is doing much better that integrated dac/amp of this particular smartphone.

Conclusion:

It is great that we still get the possibility to have 3,5mm headphone output in almost any device despite the decision of marketing that it is no longer valid for the end-user. Denying the will of having higher audio quality on wired headphones or IEMs and forcing to be content in bluetooth boundaries is more about making more profit on more expensive devices, rather than providing the best quality or unleashing the potential. It is great that there are such product as Hidizs SD2 that bring back the possibility, functionality, compatibility, quality and passion… SD2 is one of the smallest, yet capable devices that makes wired headphones useful again, while overcoming the shortcomings of the integrated circuits.

Link to the official Hidizs store: LINK

Link to Amazon store: LINK

You can use ZMCR5OFF as 5% discount code.

Not very common review today since it consists of two interesting units from the same brand – Hidizs. This brand has been quite active and brought intriguing and worthy stuff for the past couple of years. Their latest MP145 planar IEMs made some noise before the launch and early bidders have already started to receive their parcels and supply own very positive impressions.

Glad to see that the feedback on the sample items the reviewers have shared this summer finally turns into pleasing satisfaction of Hidizs customers and supporters and the campaign turned out a success in overall.

This time I’d share my experience and impressions of spending several weeks with Hidizs S9 Pro Plus USB DAC|AMP dongle and the latest SDD IEMs – MS1 Galaxy. And since the devices create a great pair, I’d review those together in one article, starting with the dongle.

First of all, S9 Pro Plus (codename “Martha”) is a successor of the previous versions of S9 lineup: S8 -> S9 -> S9 Pro -> S9 Pro Plus. Currently, Hidizs is pretty strong in such devices and has a long list of dongles: S8, S9 series (3 devices), XO, S3 Pro. Previous S9 dongles were widely reviewed and commonly placed on top among similar products of other brands and S3 Pro even has been mentioned in New York Times as the best budget pick. Back to S9 series…

Personally, I would say that S9 Pro Plus is a direct successor of S9 Pro whereas the original S9 is a standalone product. The main difference is that the original S9 is built on AKK DAC while S9 Pro and the newest Plus versions share similar ESS ES9038EQM DAC chip. Here we can see all the difference:

Despite that architecture of S9 and S9 Pro is different, their design and some features are more similar to each other than between S9 Pro and S9 Pro Plus. Plus version now offers 4.4mm BL & 3.5mm SE ports instead of 2.5 + 3.5 combination, it now features physical buttons, different design layout and additional switching filters. And on top of that there is more than 30% gain in power comparing to the original S9 version.

Full S9 Pro Plus specs:

• Dimensions: 55×25×11mm
• DAC Chip: ESS9038Q2M
• DSD: Native DSD64/128/256/512
• PCM: up to 32bit/768kHz
• Outputs: single-ended 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm
• Sampling rate indicator: yes
• Shell material: CNC integrated aluminum alloy
• Function buttons: 2
• Switching filter: 7
• USB interface: Type-C
• OS compatibility: Android, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, Harmony OS (Please note: a Lightning to Type-C cable with OTG function has to be purchased separately to support iOS)
• Net weight: 17g
• Colors: Black, Sliver, Blue
• Packing list: Type-C to Type-C Cable×1, Type-C to USB-A adapter×1, User manual×1, Warranty card×1

Audio:

Under 32Ω load:

• Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz
• Distortion: PO (3.5): 0.0019%, BAL (4.4): 0.0008%
• Signal-to-noise ratio: PO (3.5): 123dB, BAL (4.4): 120dB
• Separation: PO (3.5): 75dB, BAL (4.4): 115dB
• Output power: 138mW+138mW SE 3.5mm, 180mW+180mW BL 4.5mm

What has also changed is the design of the box – it became significantly smaller and features hard case with soft insert now instead of cardboard in previous dongles. Comes with the device itself, one USB type C -> type C cable and the additional USB A -> type C adaptor for older PC or Mac that don’t have type-C on board.

S9 Pro Plus has the dimensions of 55x25x11mm, consists of the aluminum chassis with front and back glass panels. Design is resembling all Hidizs products with its sharp edges put under different angles.

Another heritage is Hidizs logo at front which also acts as RGB LED indicator for sampling rates and different sound filters. Looks beautifully when active but I wouldn’t call it informative. I would prefer slightly more expensive dongle with OLED screen and full information about rates, filters and track quality. Anyway, here is the list of LED colors and their meanings:

Sample rate indication:

• Yellow: DSD 64/128
• Purple: DSD 256/512
• Blue: PCM 176.4/192(kHz)
• Red: PCM 352.8/384(kHz)
• White: PCM 705.6/768(kHz)
• Green: PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96(kHz)

Filter selection (pressing 2 buttons simultaneously during playback):

On the right edge we have 2 physical buttons now that are responsible for 2 functions: Volume and Filter. Pressing one button increases or decreases the volume respectively, while pressing two at once would change filter mentioned above. Each press of 2 buttons scrolls to the next filter and there is a change in LED color to identify which filter is currently active. Changing volume with dongle buttons is quite discrete and sometimes it is better to control volume from a source in order to get some preferrable values in between.

Top edge of the device contains 2 ports: 4.4mm BL Pentaconn type and 3.5mm SE. Since the technical design of S9 Pro Plus claimed to be fully balanced – BL port provides the maximum potential in terms of output power and sound quality. 180mW/channel is pretty high figure that is not expected from such a tiny device. Just for example: the most advanced Hidizs AP80Pro X DAP has 70mW per channel on SE and 190mW per channel on BL outputs which is much lower on SE and only ~5% higher on BL in comparison to S9 Pro Plus dongle. This is despite the fact that AP80 DAP is much larger, has its own LiON battery as power buffer and much more space under the hood for its schematics.

Bottom edge contains type-C USB port which is compatible with PC, MAC, Android and current iPhones with type-C ports. There is also Lightning to type-C adaptor that can be purchased separately to connect to the older iPhone versions. For Windows, there is a dedicated ASIO driver available on Hidizs website. Having such driver on PC is crucial for the best audio experience as it bypasses system mixers, utilizes bit-perfect stream and opens sampling rates up to 32bits/386Khz under driver properties to avoid the additional resampling.

This type-C port also used to upgrade S9 firmware, although I don’t know whether it would be available for public. I have been provided with the firmware upgrade for my early sample that replaced track switch function with volume buttons when dongle is connected to PC to its direct function: volume change. I assume that all final version devices would already come updated. But if interesting: FW change requires PC connection, PID finding and adding to special FW update app plus the FW hex file to push it to the device. Takes about 5-10 seconds to finalize, restart and get back to music.

In respect of the sound I can state that S9 Pro Plus is a huge update to a regular audio output of general Android, iPhone, PC, Mac or tablet; some addition to the previous S9 Pro version and make some subtle difference when compared to AP80 Pro DAP. Any regular phone or PC sounds less powerful, has notably lower mid bass slap, less layering and instrument separation as well as less resolution. S9 Pro Plus adds the clarity and defines the stage better, provides better control throughout all frequency range and is able to drive IEMs and headphones to a better extent. In comparison to S9 Pro, the newer dongle adds slightly in gain, mostly notable at mid bass and can provide the additional preferences when switching between different filters. Filters do behave differently, adding / subtracting from the mid portion and making the sound less / more balanced. In case with AP80 Pro DAP found some difference in resolution (AP80 Pro sounds more crisp) but this is quite subtle. I would say that S9 Pro Plus and AP80 Pro sound on par if certain filters are chosen on S9.

To summarize: I am impressed with the performance of Hidizs S9 Pro Plus USB DAC|AMP in most possible ways. It is small, lightweight, universal for most of the devices, has unexpectedly huge power output and sounds close to AP80 Pro DAP. It is quite and addition to upgrade the sound source in our pockets and can even be used in the desktop setup if larger and more expensive stationary items are not an option. It might been lacking more informative screen or smoother controls but it definitely doesn’t suffer in audio quality.

If Hidizs S9 Pro Plus is interesting to you – here is the trick how to get it with the lowest price possible: the preorder for S9 Pro Plus in Hidizs official online store would start on November 16th, 2023 (9:30AM EST) and would end on Nov 30, 2023 (9:30AM EST). During this period first 100 units would be sold for 69,99USD and the rest for 79,99USD. You can also additionally apply our special 5% discount code: ZMCR5OFF (code would be available from Nov 15, 2023 12:00AM CST). Preorders would start shipping from Dec 5th, 2023.

Now, back to the newest least expensive Hidizs IEMs – MS1-Galaxy.

Similar to S9, MS1 Galaxy are not the first single DD budget-friendly IEMs by Hidizs. There were MS1 Rainbow and Seeds preceding Galaxy and I still honor Seeds as one of the best single DD IEMs with very accurate and delicate sound. Unfortunately, those have been discontinued and had one huge drawback – integrated audio cable. I even had 2 versions of Seeds at once – SE and balanced to switch between the sources. Therefore, Hidizs has the expertise to design and build good budget single DD IEMs.

MS1 Galaxy specs:

– High-Performance Dual Magnetic Circuit Dynamic Driver
– 10.2mm PU+PEEK Composite Diaphragm
– Optional Inline Control & Microphone
– High-Density German Makrolon Resin Shell
– Silver-Plated Oxygen-Free Copper Wire
– 0.78mm 2-Pin Plug
– Ergonomic Liquid Silicone Ear Tips
– Ergonomic Design with Comfortable Extended Wear
– Perfectly Aligned With The H-2019 Target Frequency Response Curve
– 3.5mm Gold-Plated Plug & Durable Metal Shell & Splitter
– Hi-Res Certification

FR Graph:

MS1 Galaxy comes in a small white box with the design and graphics resembling anime culture what makes them a desirable gift for younger generations. My 14 years old daughter spotted it on my shelf and tried to free me from this pair at day one after its arrival. I am not a fan of anime, but still the design is fresh and unique to my liking. Even my wife was starring at the box and IEM shells despite staying far from this hobby.

Box includes IEMs, 3 pairs of silicon tips, audio cable and some papers.

MS-1 Galaxy shells are made of transparent resin which already draws the attention. Front facing plates shine with different colors and remind of diamonds or stars. Cable ports and sound nozzles have golden finish and add to the entire aesthetics.

Chambers, cables and driver combination inside look accurate and neat. Sound output nozzles are covered with aluminum mesh for the additional dust/dirt protection.

Cable looks similarly gorgeous: silver braid in transparent isolator with aluminum housing on gold-plated jack and resin housing on 2pin IEM contacts. Additionally, it has ear guides formed of transparent heatsink material.

Nothing to be worried in terms of fit since the shape is the most universal for the majority of people, nozzles are quite long and ear guides secure IEMs and cable at place. Choice of ear tips is limiter to 3 sizes and only one material but the diameter is common and most of the aftermarket products would fit nicely if needed.

Now, the sound… I’ve tired MS-1 Galaxy with different sources: AP80 Pro DAP, tablet, PC, S9 Pro Plus DAC/AMP and my Android Xiaomi smartphone. In all cases the sound can be described as tending to warm with large bass presence, juicy mid bass, slightly recesses mids and fairly accented treble. Lows and mid bass are the strongest virtues of MS-1 Galaxy. Great presence, good texturing, good control and layering here. Mid bass has good dynamics. Mids are slightly less resolved and slightly pushed back. Male vocal sound pretty rich and natural whereas female vocals might suffer from hisses and sibilance with less capable sources (smartphone, for instance) and low quality tracks. The better the source is, the less this tendency to hiss is pronounced.

Treble, in its turn, is completely enough in presence but lacks in clarity and transparency. In overall, MS-1 Galaxy with its virtues and imperfections in sound still up ahead of many budget IEMs that passed through my hands and builds the impression of good musical IEMs. Perhaps, its warm signature creates this charm which goes smooth and easy on my ears. I would prefer such type of tonality over crisp and cold when it comes to everyday use. Furthermore, its signature fits ESS-based sources well, making the sound softer and more velvet-like while maxing out the resolution which the driver is capable of. But I wouldn’t use it with AKK-based sources or with tubes cause the sounds starts to feel a bit muddy.

In overall, Hidizs MS-1 Galaxy is a good budget IEMs, great for those who like bass and warm tonality and less interesting for analytical or precise listening. It wouldn’t irritate throughout the day, neither with its fit, nor with the harshness in sound. It feels warm, flowing and smooth, like lounge music that plays on background all day long, suitable and pleasing for everyone. Strong contender, with its pros and cons, excellent build quality, universal fit, relaxing sound, at very low price.

Hidizs MS-1 Galaxy already available at Hidizs official online store: LINK

One device for one function – I admire Anson’s unique and stable approach of developing masterpieces in every audio hardware niche… Let’s be honest, even a perfect device with limited functionality is risking to be buried down by millions of all-in-one mere consumer choices just because it is more convenient to use… DSLRs are almost out of the consumer market, as well as voice and video recorders, book readers, DAPs, etc. Most of the users would still agree that prosumer or pro-level stand-alone devices deliver much better quality but who cares if the content is made for and consumed in social networks? Personally, I regret the times when everyone tried to acquire the best shot out of 24-36 frames instead of storing thousands of useless files… That is why all Dethonray products impress me this much – they build a reference to those good old times when everything was designed for “pro”, forcing users think and progress.

Pegasus SG1 is not an exception. It is a sixth masterpiece developed by Anson and released in June 2022 that fills Bluetooth audio niche in Dethonray lineup. DTR1 DAP was the first, followed by Honey AMP. Later came one of the best bundle in portable HiRes audio world consisting of DTR1+ and Tender 1 planar IEMs and now comes the Pegasus. Here is the corresponding retrospective picture from the official Dethonray website:

All of those devices are highly rated by the reviewers and respected by both – audio “fans” and “philes”. Personally, I am using DTR1, DTR1+ and Tender 1 for a long time and can state that both DAPs and Tender IEMs still remain the ultimate audio performers with no problems in technical aspects either. Moreover, those devices had already gained some magic aura around and turned to collectibles. I still wouldn’t call Dethonray a “boutique” brand since boutique means something extravagant and limited in amount but not necessarily having high quality of the production. Opposingly, Dethonray is managing to deliver high quality of functioning along with similarly high quality of the production even despite smaller volumes compared to market mastodons. Therefore, I would rather name Dethonray as high-end brand working in the respective niche.

So, the Pegasus SG1 – what is it designed for? Here are the specs first:

As can be seen from the specs – Pegasus main and the only purpose is acting as Bluetooth receiver -> processing the incoming stream -> converting to audio signal. It incorporates various popular audio codecs, including the HiRes LDAC (24bit/96kHz). Outputs presented by both – 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm BL ports. The main feature shared across all Dethonray devices is also present in Pegasus technical design – DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit)：

DPPU adapts dual high-density battery customized power system, designed for High-Fidelity while ensuring separation of digital and analog power to eliminate digital circuit noise from the source, alike an enhanced DAP + Amplifier system but with a minimal path and hard soldered joints with no compromises.

There is one additional feature that is very important but rarely stated about Pegasus: the ability to change sound signature by different FW versions. It comes with “Rhapsody” FW by default and can be changed to “Serenade” FW on behalf of a user. I’ve seen such implementation once before in Tempotec / Hidizs USB DACs that really did a job of changing the sound to user preference. This is much more convenient than replacing Op-Amps or any part of the hardware but still requires some understanding and PC skills.

Link to Pegasus SG1 at AliExpress: LINK

Link to Pegasus SG1 at Amazon: LINK

Back to Pegasus SG1 description:

It comes in black box regular for all Dethonray devices. Box is stiff and perfectly does a job of securing its components. Single layer inside consisting of foamy insert with the cutout that holds Pegasus at place. Than goes the beauty – Pegasus SG1 resting there with its perfectly polished glass top cover facing outwards and tiny aluminum bezel around.

I’ve seen 4 body colors available: purple, red, black and mint and I can say that red and purple look punchy.

Dethonray logo underneath front glass panel has multicolor LED backlight that resembles the device current state.

Another beautiful element is the volume knob that combines clever design for comfortable grip with peculiar shape, appropriate color and matt finish.

Both output ports are located on the top edge. All control buttons gathered on the left edge.

Bottom edge holds type-C charging port and the additional LED indicator that duplicates front facing logo in its behavior.

Very neat, strict and beautiful design at the same time. Feels rigid and comfortable in hands. The only drawback is that placing it in a pocket with keys, phones or other stuff might leave the marks on its perfect surfaces. Jello-stickers would definitely help here.

Pegasus SG1 in operation:

Since the Pegasus is a BT receiver, first thing to do after initial charging is to connect it over Bluetooth to any audio source. Of course, the best performance can only be achieved with the sources capable of LDAC or apt-X HD codecs. Most of the recent phones, tablets and DAPs would surely support at least one. Although, Apple users would still be limited to lossy AAC codec instead due to Apple closed politics on that (devices for the professionals, I bet).

There is no multipoint feature in Pegasus, therefore – only 1 device at once. But the previously connected would be stored in BT controller memory for fast reconnection in the future.

The process of pairing is very fast, LED comes of a help to show whether Pegasus is still pairing (blinks) or has already paired (constantly lit). You would only have to choose PEGASUS SG1 under phone BT available devices and tap on connect. Most of the sources would state codec that is being used for audio transfer between the devices. In my case it is the most capable LDAC (Xiaomi Redmi Note 8Pro). Unfortunately, battery status is not being transferred from Pegasus to phone. Dethonray claims around 8 hours of continuous performance with SE and 6 hours with BL output. Real world tests proved those figures right.

Upon the connection, there are 3 buttons on Pegasus that work as expected: PLAY|PAUSE, NEXT and PREVIOUS. Buttons feel tight, no rattling. The additional two-way switch is designed to change from low to high gain depending of the headphones impedance. It is really better to stay off selecting high gain for IEMs lower than 16Ohms or it might be damaged. Volume knob has pleasing feel of tight travel and comfortable grip. It acts pretty accurately, delivering smooth volume change in both directions. Much more convenient than discrete volume buttons found in phones, USB DACs and in some DAPs that change it quite abruptly. Here you can select any desired levels, starting with the barely heard ones.

Pegasus stays stays cold during operation with only slight warming up while the battery takes charge. Type-C port is only used for charging | FW upgrades but the function of USB DAC is not available.

FW change:

As said before, this BT DAC has two different firmware versions. Rhapsody (default) is more assertive and Serenade is more calm and melodic in its signature. Changes in sound are audible but not vital. It is more about rounding some edges and slightly changing the entire timbre. Personally, I prefer Serenade version over Rhapsody for its slightly added warmth and smoothness. Phapsody is better for more aggressive and rhythmic genres.

Here is the link to FW download on Dethonray website: LINK

The process of switching to another FW is quite cumbersome but doable. Here are the steps:

The sound:

Pegasus SG1 is impressive. Sounds linear with the emphasis on mids which sound thick and pleasingly warm. Sound perception is natural and balanced. Quite hard to notice any discrepancies that would disclose its wireless connection.

Bass is well-resolved and emphasized. This bleeds into mid bass and affect the entire sound with such pleasing warm and thick strokes. Fortunately, mid bass section is still maintaining great dynamics and tightness to sound juicy. Mids stand out as the central part of the presentation and deliver voices and instruments naturally. No hisses or sibilants even with sensitive IEMs. Lows definitely have more impact on mids than treble. Slight lack of texturing due to BT connection but still feels very musical due to accurate and smooth delivery. Despite wireless connection, treble is well-extended, with no abrupt nuances. Good clarity and correct balance with other ranges without any emphasis makes treble very accurate and appealing, leaving the whole sound closer to the dark side.

Great choice of tuning for such BT DAC. Possibly the best to go away from dry and analytical approach to very musical one that also hides some imperfections.

Conclusion:

Pegasus SG1 is the best sounding Bluetooth DAC among all BT audio devices of al types I’ve tried so far. IEMs with BT lace, BT earhooks, TWS, BT ultra-portable DACs – all suffered from apparent wireless connection limitations especially noticeable on abrupt treble and limited extensions. It might be the outcome of device hardware size, design or multifunctional abilities when some are developed appropriately and some are just for show. Pegasus, on its turn, is made for one function and made perfectly: in terms of design, logics and performance. It uses the best BT codecs possible, shows no hiccups in operation and makes the sound truly appealing. Moreover, it sounds almost indistinctive to very good portable wired setup combinations. Feels like with the Pegasus SG1, going wireless is no longer a compromise either with headphones or in desktop use with active speakers or amps.

Link to Pegasus SG1 at AliExpress: LINK

Link to Pegasus SG1 at Amazon: LINK

Seems that Hidizs company is on march with the release of new products this year. A whole bunch of USB dongles, DAC/amps and several IEMs. Most of the products have either became a bestseller or joined the leading tribe, at least. The last announcement was S9Pro – more powerful and revised version of S8/S9 type-C ultraportable DAC/amp that won several customer polls in social networks as one of the most balanced / feature-packed options. The passion has not yet subsided while Hidizs has announced S3Pro type-C USB DAC dongle with fresh design and MQA support – which is the topic of our review for today.

What makes S3Pro different in comparison to S9Pro, for instance? Most apparent are: significantly smaller and more handy form factor which is more likely to fit into any pocket and 8x MQA support that was not available in S8/S9/S9Pro dongles. The rest of the features are quite close, some of which are slightly more advanced in older series with only one that would really matter – the output power. Let us remind you that S9 produced 90mW @ SE / 120mW @ BL outputs (for 32Ohms load) while S9Pro has jumped up to 100mW @ SE and 200mW @ BL which is astonishing for such size and has made this dongle one of the mot powerful portable devices. Similarly, S9Pro supports DSD up to 512 and PCM up to 32bit/768kHz. Now, let’s look at new S3Pro specs:

• DAC: ESS9281C PRO
• DSD: up to 128
• PCM: up to 32bit/384kHz
• MQA: up to 8X unfold (Tidal Masters, HiBy Music, etc)
• Interface: type-C, USB A converter
• LED: sampling rate indication
• Output type: 3.5mm SE, supports in-line remote and mic
  • Output specs:
    • Power: 55mW @ 32Ohms
    • FR: 20Hz – 40kHz
    • SNR: 117dB
    • CH Separation: 70dB
    • THD+N: 0.0008%
• Size: diameter 20mm, thickness 10mm
• Weight: 6g
• Hi-Res audio certified

10% discount for any item at Hidizs store using our promocode: ZMCR10

Hidizs S3Pro is already launched on Kickstarter platform: LINK

Hidizs would also open pre-sale at their product page: LINK

So, the difference in power output is apparent but still much better than in most of the smartphones. 55mW @ 32Ohms is a good figure, almost 2X as much… Anyway, in such comparison between S3Pro and S9Pro we can see very different targeting – one is made for maximum versality + Hi-Res streaming services and the other, more powerful one, to retrieve maximum quality from offline audio collection.

S3Pro packaging and design:

Hidizs S3Pro made its way from China in a perfect state and totally undamaged. The main reason for keeping box shape in a perfect condition during the transportation is that Hidizs used hard plastic box with cardboard outer layer this time.

Besides that, such box can further be used as secure storage case for S3Pro. Outer layer contains all necessary technical/manufacturer data and product graphics at facing side.

Box contents are:

• S3Pro dongle
• USB A adapter
• Warranty card
• User manual
• Plastic storage box (i.e. main box)

Not much, no additional clip. Although, the purpose of this device is fully covered by the box contents except for Lightning adapter for iOS users. Peculiar thing is that there is a special Lightning to Type-C adapter cable that Hidizs has developed for iOS and S8/S9/S9Pro dongles but it wouldn’t do any good to S3Pro users since it has integrated Type-C cable. We hope that Hidizs would release Lightning to Type-C adapter in a similar form factor of their Type-C -> USB A to satisfy iPhone fans.

Regarding design and choice of materials: S3Pro is fully made of aluminum, feels sturdy and solid. Our sample has “gun metal” color but there would be some other color options to choose from. Round notches forming concentric circles radiating outward together with sampling rate LED indicator at the center of the top (facing) side are playing the main role in S3Pro design. Reverse side has nothing to catch a glance at while the SE output is located on the edge. The opposing side of the edge is where the integrated 2 core, 60 strands OFC wire comes from and which ends with Type-C connector in aluminum wrap.

Twisted cable is thick enough to last long, additionally equipped with anti-banding protection. And yes, S3Pro is very small, close to a size of one US cent with only the significant thickness showing that we are dealing with tightly packed high-quality element base. Such small dimensions are much easier to fit into a pocket together with a smartphone. No need for additional clip to hang this dongle on your clothes like with S9, for instance. When connected to a smartphone, S3Pro feels more like a regular IEM cable with large aluminum Y-splitter or other design furniture on it, rather than a separate device.

In overall, S3Pro design is great. It is made of durable material, looks great, perfectly crafted, has active multi-color LED that shows sampling rate and it is very small for such sophisticated features.

Device in use:

Similarly to S8/S9 series, this DAC requires type-C interface connection to smartphone or PC and USB-A adapter from the bundle to be able to connect to PCs that are not equipped with type-C USB port. Android-based smartphones require some applications that would implement USB OTG function and force audio stream to pass to S3Pro. Such as HiBy Music app, UAPP, etc. Or streaming services like Tidal with MQA support to use S3Pro as unfolding processor. We have tried all features with Xiaomi Redmi Note 8Pro running Android 10 and HiBy Music V4.1.0 b.5546 and found no problems in the consistency and logics of this device operation. Switching back and forth between different types, containers, quality and formats of tracks, changing volume, reconnecting didn’t cause any issues which means that the current FW is stable and reliable.

Not sure whether any updates would be available in future but what we would really expect from Hidizs is to release ASIO drivers for Windows 10/11 in the nearest future. It would provide more control over the resulting quality when connected to PC. For now, S3Pro is natively recognized by Windows OS as USB DAC, has no apparent audio lag but only allows to use WASAPI transport in such popular audio software as Foobar.

LED identifies sampling rate but when there is nothing being played for more than 5 seconds – S3Pro LED goes off. We would prefer some indication of “standby” state just to know that S3Pro is correctly connected and consumes smartphone battery charge.

As usual, be sure to set the volume in an app to lower level after connecting S3Pro to any device since it might be set to maximum on the first power cycle. Additionally, in order to control volume in DSD over PCM/DSD native modes with HiBy Music app – volume control should be set to “Hardware volume” in Settings->”Volume Mode” and USB device volume control should be unlocked (USB output setting -> USB Audio volume lock -> Unlock).

Now, about the firmware. First of all, S3Pro is a flashback to what was initially introduced in Hidizs Sonata type-C audio cables/dongles – different FW versions for different purposes. But now, instead of different processing paths, S3Pro firmware versions would cover 3 tuning styles. The default one would be “Tonal Balance” whereas other two (treble and bass-oriented) would be available at Hidizs website support section for further manual uploading. (Interesting feature that needs more development from Hidizs: allowing end-users to tune sound to their liking in some dedicated smartphone app that would also allow to push different FW to S3Pro.)

One thing noticed is that S3Pro case heats up noticeably during audio processing and stays ~47C until music is stopped. Perhaps, very tight space inside and aluminum chassis are playing the main role in heat dissipation as a result.

Sound:

In general, we liked it. We have tested it with different fairly neutral headphones like Hidizs MS1 / MS2, and impedance up to 32Ohm. In such combination and loaded with “balanced” firmware, the output power is quite enough for good driving ability at high volume (half the level). If you go higher than half, noticeable distortions in the sound caused by a lack of power step in – the sound becomes louder, but the quality on treble and midbass begins to suffer. Therefore, we can conclude that there will be no problems with headphones up to ~ 32-50Ohm even in noisy environment. Higher loads are better for enjoying in quiet environments.

Despite the fact that the firmware is balanced, the bass portion is quite pronounced which enlarges stage size and volume. Bass is deep, well-defined and does not overwhelm the rest of the frequencies. Midbass is powerful and dynamic, with excellent attack and moderate pitch – not too sonorous and not ruining the overall impression of tonal balance. Mids are full-bodied, a little thick due to the lower part of the range, which is rather a plus (certainly not dry or flashy thin). Treble is clean, but simplified in detail – sounds accurate and doesn’t hurt with sibilants, but not astonishing in terms of the amount of details. The overall resolution as well as the stage size are average – neither disappointing nor astounding, but quite impressive for a device of this type. Significantly better than a smartphone, but worse than a good DAP in $100-200 price segment.

As a result, the sound is very good, especially considering the main purpose and size of the device. More than enough to deal with Hi-Res streaming services with noticeably better sound quality and drive than from a regular smartphone.

Conclusion:

Truthfully, it is a tough decision for us, personally, which device to choose from a whole bunch of “S” series Hidizs type-C DAC/amps. S9 and its Pro version have BL outputs and outstanding ability to drive significant loads. S3Pro is less capable in this respect but offers MQA support for streaming services or offline MQA collection. We think that this choice is more about lifestyle and personal preferences in music. Maximum mobility and constant curiosity in current music trends would definitely be better off with Hidizs S3Pro, whereas S9/S9Pro are more closer to calm, desktop type of use with once established audio taste and music collection. If to consider on its own, S3Pro is a tiny piece of tightly packed and perfectly crafted technology, both software and hardware-wise, that totally does its job, yet delivering much better sound quality than a regular smartphone or PC and driving end headgear much better. With the declared price and features, we think that Hidizs has managed to create another participant for its winner formation.

Hidizs S3Pro is already launched on Kickstarter platform: LINK

10% discount for any item at Hidizs store using our promocode: ZMCR10

Hidizs would also open pre-sale at their product page: LINK

About a week ago Hidizs has announced the launch of a successor to its highly popular balanced S9 USB DAC/amp that is already on pre-order state. We have reviewed the original S9 some time ago and defined it as highly recommended for those who want to upgrade smartphone/tablet/laptop sound and squeeze out much more juice from music quality.

New version gets PRO suffix due to some significant changes in HW that increases output power and improves other characteristics of this small but mighty device. While the exterior left untouched, main differences are hidden under the hood and here is the table that compares all generations of “S” series units:

This table discloses the main improvements and changes in new S9Pro. For us, the most important is the output power that has increased from 90 to 100mW @ 3.5mm SE output and from 120 to 200 mW @ 2.5mm BL output. Hell lot of additional power on balanced port. Not sure how Hidizs has managed to do that while maintaining similarly small package. Perhaps, shifting from AKK5593EQ to ESS9038Q2M made it possible and also improved other sound spec-related values. For now, it seems that S9Pro is one of the most powerful USB stick-type of DAC that doesn’t rely on its own battery. Just think – it is more powerful than AP80Pro (190mW on 2.5mm BL) with larger dimensions and LiON battery inside which is completely enough to drive 150Ohms overheads…

10% discount for any item at Hidizs store using our promocode: ZMCR10

Hidizs S9Pro on pre-order (20% OFF): LINK

Anyway, now about S9Pro full specs:

What we have noticed just now is that specs declare that S9Pro is compatible with mic equipped earphones. Good to know that when such device is connected to a smartphone you would still have a possibility to accept calls and have a conversation without switching to internal phone mic or loudspeaker. Although, we would still check how can it be possible when S9Pro is occupied by something like HiBy Music app in exclusive USB audio mode. Usually, such mode won’t let other sounds from the system mixer to pass through… Not enabling this mode would solve such problem but the sound might be affected by the system processing. We would give our feedback on this further in this text.

Packaging and design:

Nothing much has changed in terms of packaging. It is still logistic-friendly small matt black box but instead of silver outlines new box has glossy product picture on the facing side. Box is stiff and comes undamaged after a long trip from China to other parts of the world. Internal box structure consists of two compartments where the device is located on top in a special soft insert and all accessories are stored underneath. Contents are:

• S9Pro DAC/amp
• transparent plastic holder / clip
• USB type C -> USB type C cable (65см)
• USB type C -> USB type C cable (15см)
• USB type C -> USB A adapter
• leaflets, cards…

Design of this unit has not changed either, therefore we would comment ourselves next:

S9Pro is a small unit (close to AA battery size) but still shows quite complicated design. It’s shell is made of aluminum (CNC) whereas both front and back sides are covered with glass panels. Such approach is inherited from other Hidizs products and resembles the design principles of this brand.

Personally, we like such approach which adds the value to the device in terms of overall feel. In fact, S9Pro feels very solid and durable while looking pretty for its combination of aluminum and glass. There are no buttons and no screen, side edges are left free of any elements. USB type-C port is located at the bottom edge and both SE & Balanced ports are situated one over the other on the thickest part of the shell — its top edge.

The only indication that S9Pro has on board is represented by semi transparent Hidizs logo under the front glass panel. Not only it gets lit upon incoming power supply, but also its colors are synchronized with the sampling rates of played tracks.

Plastic clip / holder that comes as a part of the bundle is really great accessory. It securely holds S9Pro at place, protects it from physical impacts and allows to attach it to clothes. It doesn’t limit the connectivity or usability of this device. Both short and long cables are similar — soft and flexible transparent braid, aluminum type-C connectors and banding protection at both sides. USB type-C -> USB A adapter is applicable whenever someone wants to connect to laptop or PC.

Device in use:

Since S9Pro has type-C to USB A adapter along with type-C cables – we can try it with laptop/PC as well, not only with Android smartphone. In case of a smartphone everything is straight forward: use type-C to type-C cable to connect devices, HiBy Music App to send audio data over USB. S9Pro gets recognized as USB DAC and there are no problems whatsoever. S9 LED color would resemble track quality:

• Yellow: DSD64/128
• Purple: DSD256/512
• Blue: PCM176.4/192KHz
• Red: PCM 352.8/384KHz
• White: PCM 705.6/768KHz
• Green: PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96KHz

The only small inconvenience here is the absence of control buttons on S9Pro. Volume is being regulated on a smartphone for USB device and might be at its maximum upon initial connection. It might be harmful for sensitive, low impedance IEMs. So, just keep in mind to set the appropriate volume level after connecting S9Pro to smartphone before hitting playback.

In case of Windows 10 laptop/PC – S9Pro gets natively supported as USB DAC but there would be a dedicated ASIO driver that was announced by Hidizs and should become available for download a bit later. Initial S9 already has this driver and S9Pro is on the waiting list. ASIO drivers would give the most sound quality while native Windows 10 driver would have the lowest audio lag possible.

S9Pro shell gets warm during operation but not much, around 32C with SE output and 37C with BL output.

Sound:

Tested with Xiaomi Redmi Note 8Pro, Lenovo Y500, Hidizs MS2 SE and Hidizs MS2 BE, Audio-Technica ATH-M50.

Repeating the success of its predecessor, S9Pro can easily be compared to best representatives of entry level DAPs — significantly better than vast majority of smartphones with their weak sound output and similarly better than even most of the laptops. Smartphones can’t perform with such clarity, can’t retreive this much resolution and its dynamics lacks power.

S9Pro is much better in resolving lower range, retrieving good amount of textures and its mid bass performance is way ahead. Extension of the lower end gets increased, lows gain in clarity and give a feeling of volume. It is much better separated from mids. Although, lower end is is not accented in S9Pro and this unit definitely not tending to dark signature.

Resolution on mids is somewhere close to AP80Pro DAP, maybe slightly less obvious… Slight tendency to bright delivery is present, making a bit more accent on female over male vocals. Still male voices sound pretty thick and natural. Great amount of details retrieved from upper mid range. S9Pro on mids is definitely sounding more transparent and rich than muddy and mixed result of the same track coming from a smartphone.

Treble is also handled much better, it is more clear, crisp and airy. Extension is greatly increased, making the entire sound picture brighter and detailed on the upper end. Small amount of sibilance is present with some sensitive IEMs but absent with overheads. In general, this range is accurate and in a good balance with mids and bass.

Similarly to S9, Pro version can greatly improve every aspect of the sound on a smartphone or laptop that don’t feature dedicated, good quality DAC. Both devices sounds more natural and at the same time deliver more details with better extensions and stronger dynamics. This goes to both output types, while 2.5mm BL is twice as powerful – making stage slightly wider and instrument separation slightly better.

Finally, yes – we have check whether HiBy Music app would allow other sounds to pass to USB device in USB exclusive mode: no, it won’t let it pass. Therefore, in order to use mic and talk over S9Pro – USB exclusive mode is not used and audio quality might get worse due to Android OS mixer being used.

Compared to Hidizs S9:

S9 and S9Pro have common exteriors, similar philosophy, compatibility and features. Although, sounding slightly different. Since S9Pro has significantly more powerful 2.5mm BL output – it has better drive and dynamics that results in more punchy mid bass. Slightly more bright and colder picturing makes upper end more detailed and crisp. Instrument separation seems to be slightly better and stage a bit wider. At the same time, S9 is still a good unit since it is thicker on mids and tends more towards lows.

Compared to Hilidac Beam 2:

The main advantage of Beam 2 is MQA support (if you are still not disappointed with it). It has slightly more power on BL output but doesn’t support this much of PCM or DSD as S9Pro does. Sounds pretty much similar, with slightly wider stage but more prone to sibilance and even brighter. The main disadvantages: more expensive and both outputs are located on the side which makes it less convenient to store in a pocket.

Conclusion:

With the release of the initial S9, Hidizs has proven than even a small power-dependent USB DAC can be powerful enough and sound as good as most of the entry-level DAPs. Now the successor, S9Pro – sets the new standards on the market for such tiny audio companions in terms of maximum output power and driving ability as a consequence. This also results in unexpectedly reach sound, large amount of textures and details, good extensions at both ends, sufficient dynamics and enlarged stage. All of that produced by a small unit, enclosed to durable aluminum chassis that does not require charging and doesn’t weight anything… Perfect and small, with large sound!

10% discount for any item at Hidizs store using our promocode: ZMCR10

Hidizs S9Pro on pre-order (20% OFF): LINK

One product from a very much hyped brand in DAC/amp field – SMSL. This is our first experience with the brand as well as the new experience of playing with a pure desktop standalone DAC. All of previous products that we have dealt with were equipped with headphones output, at least. But not this one… SMSL M100 MKII is designed to be used only with active speakers or as a preamp for home audio system, not providing any types of outputs besides RCA. Such products do have the demand on the market, especially for those who have desktop PC’s and well arranged work place. In fact, we are not one of those and mostly shifting around with laptops in hands, leaving no chance for fixed setups. Anyway, this doesn’t mean that M100 MKII cannot do its job in pair with a smartphone or digital audio player and active speakers. So be it… We would try all possible scenarios to check how capable it is.

As to SMSL, we think that it doesn’t require any introduction for masses since this brand is one of the most popular ones in DAC/amp fields with lots of solutions with different form factors, functionality, hardware base and price tags. If to ask someone involved into this hobby, surely SMSL would be named among first originating from China. In future, we would definitely hunt for more sophisticated SMSL devices that interest us the most in its large product range.

SMSL M100 MKII specifications:

Here is the description of differences between first gen and second gen of M100:

So, second generation have switched from AKM4452 DAC chip to ESS SABRE9018Q2C which is usually perceived and described as more precise on details but might sound a bit more cold and sharp. We do not have a possibility to compare between the two but we would describe sound signature further in this article.

Some additional technical details:

• XMOS 2nd generation USB Audio solution
• Supports PCM signal up to 32bit/768kHz and native DSD up to DSD512
• Can be hooked up with smart phones via OTG USB input
• Two ultra-low phase noise crystal for 44.1/48kHz multiple frequencies
• High performance 32bit/768kHz DAC (SABRE9018Q2C) for high dynamic range and more details
• Built-in high-efficiency power module and lots of low-noise LDOs provides pure power for analog circuit
• Aux power supply for phones connection
• Lots of audio grade components, include MELF resistors, NP0 capacitors
• Gold-plated jacks

Packaging and design:

Not really sure whether all SMSL devices have unified type of packaging but M100 box didn’t impress too much in particular. It does its job of protecting the device during the transportation but not that neat and attractive as other brands regularly use. What is good that it is definitely small and saves transportation cost. Inner compartment has soft insert and split in two parts – one for M100 itself and the other one is for the cable.

The entire list of accessories looks like this:

• M100 MKII DAC
• USB type A -> microUSB cable
• user manual

Nothing else. The package is really a minimalistic one and all the rest of accessories should be bought separately. We would recommend SMSL to consider adding coax / optical cables at least to make this set more appealing for a customer…

M100 MKII is fully made of aluminum with glass panel at front which adds interesting element to such design. There is absolutely no rattle, no moving parts and no gaps between front panel and aluminum shell. Back side contains all I/O and power ports. Coaxial, optical, USB data, USB power are the inputs while RCA are the only available outputs.

All ports and their labels are neatly cut and precisely printed. Four screws in corners hold this construction together. Front glass panel, besides being a central design element, hides and protects small LED indicators behind it. Single control button with LED indicator at its center is located on the right. Bottom side has rubber legs to leave some space between device and surface.

In overall, M100 MKII looks good, perfectly crafted and makes a good impression by its high build quality. It is kind of small, but at the same time unexpectedly heavy and tightly packed piece of technology.

Device in use:

First of all, there is no power adapter included to this bundle while the device requires one for the most stable and interference free operation. Any 5V|1A and higher would do, which should be connected to a separate USB power port. Unfortunately, M100 MKII still uses microUSB type of port and what is even worse – closely located to another microUSB port for data. It means that only cables with straight type of connector shells would fit at the same time in case of we feeding data from audio source over USB.

When power is supplied, LED indicator would turn red and long button press would bring M100 alive. Each further short button press would change source input and another long press would activate standby mode. The only role of a LED “screen” is to show track quality and input source. As simple as that, no other functions.

As seen from the specs, the most of the audio quality is supported over USB input – 32bit/768kHz, DSD512. Optical / coaxial inputs are limited to PCM 24bit/192kHz only. Although, the peculiar thing is that native Windows 10 driver would only act in 32/768 mode with no possibility to switch to other quality which is not very convenient while using something like Foobar2000. Such software would prevent tracks with lower audio quality to be played over Wasapi transporter unless the conversion is allowed (which is bad). Therefore, in order to have bit perfect stream and best audio quality we would have to use ASIO driver provided by SMSL. It is a good way and we are very glad that such driver is available but the main flaw of such drivers is larger audio lag when watching videos. We had to play with size of buffer to get the acceptable sync between audio and video while watching videos.

Another problem that we have faced is that M100 MKII couldn’t connect to our Hidizs AP80 DAP in OTG USB DAC mode. We never had any issues with other DACs and AP80 before, this is the first device that couldn’t make it. Personally, we think that the problem is actually on the side of AP80. It might have rejected the connection since M100 declares itself as 32/768 DAC which we doubt that is supported by such an old DAP. On the other hand, no problems with the same type of OTG connection to 2 years old Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro Android smartphone. Hiby Music app identifies M100 correctly and sends bit perfect stream over USB. No problems with changing between different track quality and audio formats.

M100 MKII doesn’t tend to heat in long time operations, stays stable in all modes and with all types of audio formats. We haven’t found any glitches, disconnections, clicks or noises during its use.

Sound quality:

Test setup: in order to carry out some adequate tests we have used AudioTechnica ATH M50 headphones connected to RCA outputs of M100. Why? Because using active speakers would not allow to evaluate this device as we got used to when working with different DAPs and IEMs. Therefore, having headphones connected instead of active speakers told us much more about M100 MKII…

Lows and midbass:

M100 MKII is very capable of resolving this range with large amount of textures and details and at the same time delicately deliver bass with well-outlined boundaries in just-the-right amount. Extension is very good, bass is decaying neither too fast or too slow. This range has good clarity, large volumetric feel and doesn’t ted to mix with mids and treble. Bass is not accented but fully perceptible, making the stage wider. Midbass is very good as well: adequately tight and powerful. Dynamics and articulation is enough for natural reproduction of drums.

Mids and vocals:

The most of the resolving potential in concentrated on mids which still remain neutral in overall. Vocals are rich, with plenty of textures, pleasantly thick. Despite ESS Sabre DAC mids don’t tend to show monitor-like or dry sound. Neither there is a tendency towards female vocals or accented upper treble range. No harsh and screaming notes. Male and female voices sound equally natural, perfectly exposed and both have a slight touch of warmth. Most of resolution is spotted on bow and string instruments. Very good instrument separation also dedicates much to enlarged stage depth. Mids feel smooth and natural indeed.

Treble:

Treble are well-balanced to other ranges and do not produce any piercing effect or cold tonality. This range if clear but not crisp. Extension is just a moderate but the amount of presence is adequate. Small amount of sibilance is produced that might slightly affect vocals and some instruments in mid range but it depends of the track quality and initial mastering EQ. Treble is accurate and transparent, although slightly simplified in general and normally compensates bass presence without resulting in any piercing effect thus allowing long and relaxed listening sessions.

Soundstage:

M100 MKII producing one of the largest imaginary stages in width and depth. When paired with the the stated headphones, at least. Stage is quite large and has precise instrument locations, well-defined contours and good layering.

Compared to Tempotec Serenade IDSD:

Serenade is more universal since can also act as headphone amplifier. It also allows to experiment with different Op-amps, has separate volume knob and more convenient power supply. Although, sound-wise, it is more harsh on treble and not that good on lows. It also lacks good DSD support and is limited to 24/192 over USB.

Compared to Hidizs Sonata DH100:

DH1000 is a very good PORTABLE DAC/amp. Not very good on DSD, less capable on lows but equipped with own battery, volume buttons, headphone amplifier and balanced outputs. Although, limited to 24bit/192kHz and has no RCA outputs and line out for home systems or active speakers.

Conclusion:

Among all DACs that we have tested SMSL M100 MKII is the only “pure” desktop DAC, perfect in its simplified form factor and functionality. It does exactly what it is made for – converts the highest quality possible digital audio stream to analog signals in stationary use. Some cons in a form of limited accessories and tight space between USB ports are present but the pros are much stronger and prevail: perfect crafting, stable operations, great sound quality. It might become a bargain when searching for a good, space-saving sound converter in desktop setup to feed active speakers. Or even to work with large home audio system on DAC/pre-amp stage. The only thing to decide is whether headphones would be a part of such setup.

SMSL M100 MKII is available for purchase at Aoshida-audio store: LINK

Since the first encounter with devices by FiiO we had a strong feeling of playing with something accomplished, well put together to the extent that missing some additional functions fade away under the tons of positive experience of working with such devices. At the first glance FiiO products doesn’t scream of its superiority in the related niche, but when digging deeper suddenly comes the understanding that there are lots of interesting functions wisely developed and perfectly integrated inside its logics. Recent FiiO UTWS3 (universal Bluetooth ear guides) with its totally revised functionality became the revelation for us for its stellar performance, now comes another Bluetooth device – BTA30 – which leaves pleasant aftertaste and becomes a part of Hi-Res setup.

FiiO BTA30 is a desktop USB DAC. Although, despite being able to accept and process audio data over USB, its main purpose and virtue is to act as Bluetooth audio transceiver. Not only it received Bluetooth audio, decodes and converts it to analog on RCA outputs but also is able to pack and send audio data over Bluetooth. Anyway, details would show up later in this article, let’s go over device specs first:

FiiO BTA30 specs:

As seen from the list above, Bluetooth part is based on mighty CSR8675 (5.0) and supports most sophisticated codecs such as aptX HD and LDAC. Not many standalone or portable devices, apart from Hi-Res audio players or expensive DAC/amps, would license SONY LDAC codec and have this feature. Moreover, in case of BTA30 it is bidirectional – those codecs are also used to pack and send audio data to other Bluetooth equipped devices. Furthermore, instead of using DAC abilities of CSR8675 chip, FiiO processes audio through AK4490 DAC, CT5302 DSP and uses OPA1662 as operational amplifier. Such architecture is far more superior than using Bluetooth chip alone which results in much more resolving and accurate sound competing with many Hi-Res DAPs.

Packaging and design:

FiiO BTA30 comes in relatively small box with outer cover and stiff inner base. Cover contains prints of the product, logos, technologies, trademarks and company contacts. Besides that, there is a counterfeit item protection sticker at the top right corner at the back.

Soft foam insert securely holds BTA30 inside, all accessories are located in a separate box underneath. Full list of items in the box:

• BTA30 with antenna
• 2 protective caps for optical ports
• 4 extra rubber legs (stickers)
• USB A – USB type C cable

What is missing in this bundle is a power adapter. Supposing that BTA30 would be commonly used as desktop Bluetooth transceiver, it would require external USB power. Since it can be powered with any source device over USB, we would recommend to use any adapter with 5V, >=1000mA output and better if it would be linear (for less amount of interference).

FiiO BTA30 design is perfectly clean and accurate. Perimeter unibody frame acts as a chassis for top glass and bottom plastic covers. Facing edge is not overloaded with the control elements, labels are neat.

Here you would find main power and Play/Pause (Pair) sensor buttons along with MODE 3 positional slider switch and smooth volume control knob. Back side is responsible for all inputs/outputs (USB type-C, separate optical IN/OUT, combined coaxial IN/OUT, Line OUT) and antenna. By the way, top glass panel is covered with protective film from the factory. Bottom cover equipped with 4 silicon legs which hide chassis screws.

Personally, we love this kind of neat design with high quality crafting of each element. Everything is accurately assembled with no gaps between main body parts. Nothing rattles and squeaks.

Device in use:

One note for the future users: since the antenna is detachable and has female SMA port, not only we can remove it, but also there is a possibility to enlarge the distance of Bluetooth reception/transmission. Stock antenna is ~2 – 2.5dB whereas most of the current home WiFi routers would use 5dB instead. Such 5dB SMA antennas for 2.4GHz would also fit this unit. Although, as a rule – never switch Bluetooth transmission mode ON when antenna is not attached. This might burn RF amplifier elements. It is better to always use this device with the antenna in place.

There are a lot of usage scenarios, thanks to the functions integrated to this outstanding device. We would point out each one:

• As desktop DAC/preamp for active speakers or home audio setup. In this case we can connect BTA30 from any audio source over USB/COAX/Optical and use Line OUT (DAC MODE).
• As wireless transport for other DAC – connecting audio source over Bluetooth and sending this data over COAX OUT/Optical OUT (BT RX MODE)
• As wireless receiver for active speakers or home audio setup – connecting audio source over Bluetooth and using Line OUT (BT RX MODE)
• As wireless transmitter for Bluetooth devices – connecting any audio source over USB/COAX/Optical and sending data over Bluetooth (BT TX MODE)
• We can even build a wireless bridge (if we have 2 BTA30 devices) – one BTA30 would be in BT TX MODE and taking data from any source over USB/COAX/Optical and the other BTA30 would be in BT RX MODE and sending data to any source over COAX/Optical or just converting and amplifying through LINE OUT.

In those scenarios which do not require source to be connected over USB – we should supply power from a separate power adapter.

Most of the operations are straight-forward. Supplying the power and pressing power ON/OFF switch at the front would indicate in device power state with a dedicated LED. Press once to switch on and hold a bit to switch off. Constant emerald – power ON. At the same time, LED above Play/Pause button would indicate other states according to the position of MODE switch and audio sampling rate. It would request pairing with fast change between GREEN and RED, active connection with single or double GREEN flashes and different other colors for sampling rate (look at the table above).

In case of USB connection, BTA30 would identify itself as FiiO BTA30 under Windows 10 environment. We haven’t found any ASIO drivers on FiiO website and this device is natively supported in modern OS. Although, the output quality in device functions are limited to 16bit/48kHz. Optical and coax inputs would process much better quality (24bit/96kHz optical and 24/192 + DSD64 DOP coaxial), pack it to or unfold it from Bluetooth data or just decode for Line OUT. So, to get the most, it is really better to use BTA30 as DAC with Optical / Coaxial inputs/outputs or Bluetooth.

In case of Bluetooth – it gets more interesting. Not only you can pair with BTA30 from any Bluetooth equipped source, but you can also use FiiO Control APP for Android/iOS and have the additional tuning and functionality. Here is the list of what this app can do:

• Change status indicator light colors / disable it
• Auto-power on function
• Select Bluetooth codecs for TX and RX modes
• Select DAC inputs
• Select between 4 LPFs
• Adjust or fix volume
• Adjust source volume
• Change channel balance
• Enable digital upsampling
• Select streaming quality of selected codec
• Show the guide
• Change device name
• Reset pairing
• Clear settings to defaults
• Power off the device

Moreover, this app works with BTA30 even if it stays in DAC MODE.

We had no problems with sound hiccups or any kind of interference with the stock antenna connected to a regular smartphone 10 meters behind 1 concrete wall. Strong reception/transmission quality that can be improved with third-party antennas. Audio lag while streaming video from a smartphone is present but not large and comfortable. What the the most important – the output power of BTA30 (3Vrms) is totally enough for active speakers to sound very loud. Many current portable Bluetooth receivers are not capable to supply enough power and active speakers would increase noise floor when trying to a amplify incoming signal to an appropriate level. Absolutely not a problem for BTA30 and this is one of the main reasons why BTA30 suits out setup.

Pairing is fast, further connections are lightning-fast. No clue about multipoint function (seems none) but BTA30 stores more than 5 different devices (which we’ve tried so far) in its memory and connects to the first discovered after enabling Bluetooth on anyone of those. No need to pair previous devices again.

Since there is a choice of TX or RX modes for Bluetooth, we cannot simultaneously receive audio from a source and send it to the end gear. Such capability is met only in some recent feature-packed DAPs.

Volume knob feels nice and smooth, has special surface finish to add some additional grip and utilizes full mechanical travel. It can be disabled through FiiO Control app.

Since there is no battery inside – we should not be worried of leaving BTA30 ON or on charge. Nothing heats up, nothing drains down.

Sound quality:

To carry out adequate test we have decided to describe the sound of BTA30 in comparison to other desktop DACs/amp such as Tempotec Serenade iDSD and Hidizs Sonata DH1000.

Speakers: Edifier M1100.

Lows and midbass:

BTA30 is quite resolving on lows – more than average amount of textures and details. It acts on bass delicately with good control on outlines and good balance with other ranges. Extension of lows is very good, bass is decaying neither too fast or too slow. Great clarity, good volumetric feel and separation from mids and treble. Bass is totally perceptible, enlarges the stage and has no extra emphasis. Mid bass is similarly good: the amount of dynamics is perfect for good articulation and energy.

Mids:

Mids retain most of the resolving potential and sound neutral in overall. Vocals are quite thick and full-bodied. No emphasis is made on female vocals and upper treble range instruments feel naturally bright but not screaming. Voices sound natural and have pleasing warmth. Good instrument separation. In overall, mids feel smooth, little bit warm and natural, with adequate resolution and with no piercing peaks.

Treble:

Treble sounds balanced to mids and lows but its extension, clarity and presence would depend of the type of connection. In DAC mode treble is clear and crisp, not hidden by other sounds. Extension and micro-dynamics are both great, not too cold or vivid. With Bluetooth connection (RX or TX) treble gets slightly less extended and crisp. Like a thin blurring layer has been added to clean window. Nothing strange for the regular Bluetooth sound. In overall, this range is accurate and perfectly balanced to other ranges and allowing long listening sessions.

Compared to Tempotec Serenade iDSD:

Serenade iDSD is not equipped with Bluetooth and can be used only as DAC/preamp or amp for the headphones. This makes iDSD and BTA30 quite different in purpose and gives some advantages in sound to iDSD. It sounds slightly better and more extended on treble if to compare BTA30 in Bluetooth mode. It also gives a better understanding of quality of the sound when connecting headphones which is not possible with BTA30. But with the same active speakers, both devices sound virtually the same.

Compared to Hidizs Sonata DH1000:

Another device that is not equipped with Bluetooth and made for portable use with headphones. This allows to perceive sound quality more delicately until connected to active speakers. With this type of connection, DH1000 sounds similarly detailed but more thin on mids, resolving and putting more emphasis on treble. Lows are not that well-developed as with BTA30, thus loosing stage size and extension. It is better to leave DH1000 for headphones only, while BTA30 really shines in desktop setup.

Conclusion:

All of our initial expectations of what desktop Bluetooth transceiver should be were met by FiiO BTA30. It is perfectly built piece of technology, with neat design, smooth operations, lots of functions and good sound quality. Bluetooth performance is stellar due to its sustainability to RF interference and signal quality, the best so far among all tested devices in both TX and RX modes. A spoon of tar is present in a form of limited USB DAC processing ability but it goes beyond the main purpose of BTA30 and compensated by other more capable interfaces. In overall, this Bluetooth DAC/preamp is great and would fit nicely to any home setup, enabling wireless audio feature and incorporating best widely used Bluetooth audio codecs that are currently available.

FiiO BTA30 is available at AliExpress store: LINK

FiiO BTA30 is available at Amazon store: LINK