Unboxing Hidizs S9 Pro Balanced & Single-Ended Mini HiFi DAC & AMP
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Meet Hidizs S9 Pro
The Hidizs S9 Pro comes in a sober, medium-sized black box, whose size is 128x83x50.5mm. It is sealed with transparent cellophane. On the top side there is a realistic photo of the device in the middle. The brand logo is in the bottom right corner and the product description in the top left corner. Here, there are also the Hi-Res and DSD logos. The ink of the lettering is silver, with holographic reflection. On the back side, the lettering is only silver and small, but it describes all specifications in both Chinese and English. A little further down, behind a dotted line, is the Hidizs address, a grey sticker with barcodes and the model. Finally, there is also the brand’s web address. After lifting the lid, the S9 Pro is encased in a black mould and lined with dark cardboard. With the help of a cloth strap, the device, which is protected with cellophane, can be removed. Underneath the mould, there is also a black cardboard divider that protects the rest of the accessories.
The S9 Pro is a narrow and elongated piece, measuring 59x18x8mm, made of a high-density aluminium body. The larger sides are glazed. On the top one, there is the Hidizs logo and an LED, located at the bottom, near the USB connector. On the lower side is the Hi-Res logo and a description of the device, in small gold letters. The shape of the device is like a rectangular box, narrow and elongated, with rounded corners. On the audio output side, however, there are two small, low parallelepipeds attached to the base. Thus, the face of the headphone jacks is larger. These are the 3.5mm SE and the balanced 2.5mm. The connectors are not gold-plated. On the opposite side is the USB Type-C connector. The S9 Pro has been manufactured using CNC technology, which gives it a premium, elegant and sophisticated look, befitting its class.
A good setup that should be able to drive the most demanding headphones, even if high-end and planar will need higher-end solutions. Still, apart from the missing MQA support, this is a great circuitry, outperforming many competitors available in the same price range.
What strikes me most about the S9 Pro is its transparency and clean tonality. This is a DAC that excels at instrument separation and resolution. It has a distinct high-fidelity vibe to it but what’s remarkable about that is the way it still comes across as being musical. Often when you think of neutrality and faithful reproduction, you lump it together with sterility and dryness. But despite having such a strong technical performance, the S9 Pro is at heart organic and natural sounding. On top of that, it performs with a vigorous spirit that can be attributed to some degree to its output power.
The Hidizs S9 Pro is a delightfully musical DAC that is also a strong technical performer. It mixes an analogue audio character with detail, speed and a wide, airy soundstage. Considering it has great audio quality, both single-ended and balanced outputs along with a muscular and powerful output, this has to be one of the best dongle DACs you can get around the $100 price point. Recommended.
Hidizs S9 Pro Highlights
– Hi-Res Audio Certified
– ESS9038Q2M DAC
– PCM: Up to 32bit768kHz
– Native DSD Supports Up to 512
– Single-ended 3.5mm + Balanced 2.5mm
– One-Piece High-Density CNC Aluminum Body
– Sampling Rate Indicator Light
– Powerful Drive Ability. 200mW BAL / 100mW SE
– Compatible with Windows/Android/Mac OS/iOS/iPad OS System
– Support Apple lossless audio.
Hidizs S9 Pro Main Features
– Extraordinary hifi experience from exceptional DAC. Equipped with the ESS9038Q2M DAC, will bring you an extraordinary aggressive audio experience. Clean yet transparent. Excellent bass with fairly good sufficient depth, mid sounds full, and the smooth sparkly treble feels lively. Obviously S9 PRO is the master when compared with S9.
– Hi-Res Audio Certified. Hi-Res Audio certification is a design proposed and defined by Sony and recognized by JAS (Japanese Audio Association) and CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), requires the capability of audio devices to handle the digital resolution more than 24-bit/96kHz, for the purpose of performance extreme music quality and original sound reproduction.
– Support DSD up to 512 & PCM 768kHz/32bits. HIDIZS S9 Pro DAC amplifier is capable of ultimate decoding up to 768kHz/32bits PCM audio file, native DSD512 in hardware and ISO, which provide high fidelity sound quality and give you an excellent premium audio experience. The successful application of native DSD512, often used in high-end music players, make your mobile phone a HiFi music player via S9 PRO. Carry your S9 PRO and experience how it works in your daily life.
– Already contains dual interfaces and many accessories. Both 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm are contained in such a small size. It is close to AA battery size, but with greater power, detailed resolution, more functional and user friendly thanks to the both balanced and Single-ended outputs, can even powerfully drive all full-size headphones. Perfectly compatible with Android, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, Android Smartphone, iPhone. For iOS users, the Lightning OTG cable has to be purchased separately.
– Variable led indicator light and powerful driving capacity. According to different sample rates, the S9 PRO will flash different lights, which is interesting and convenient. Drive all you want to drive. 200mW for the balanced port / 100mW for the single-ended port. What a powerful driving capacity in this little guy. Come on! Make it your music companion.
– Sampling Rate Indicator Light. LED indicator lights up in different colors, synchronized with the sample rate of the music being played.
– Quality material & elaborate portable design. S9 PRO manufactured by CNC integrated molding technology can be called works of art due to the difficulty and high time costs, showing the fine workmanship, stable structure and pleasing appearance which is incomparable to welded or split products. It is certified by the Hi-Res Audio, already recognized and supported by numerous fanciers. The S9 PRO headphones amplifier is mini and portable, with a 59x18x8mm lightweight size.
– 3.5mm + 2.5mm Dual Output. As a portable but powerful DAC dongle, S9 Pro has both single-ended and balanced outputs, which means greater power, detailed resolution, more functional, and user friendly. It can even powerfully drive all full-size headphones.
– Cute but Puts Out a Nice High-End Vibe. Items manufactured by CNC integrated molding technology can be called works of art due to the difficulty and high time costs, showing the fine workmanship, stable structure, and pleasing appearance which is incomparable to welded or split products.
– Power is Everything. 100mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE / 200mW@32Ω 2.5mm Balanced. Strongly drive ability in S9 Pro portable DAC AMP delivers outstanding desktop-class performance.
Hidizs S9 Pro Specs
Brand: Hidizs
Model: S9 Pro
Type: Balanced & Single-Ended Mini HiFi DAC & AMP
Output option: Compatible with Single Ended 3.5mm and Balanced 2.5mm headphones
Compatible with headphone with a mic: Yes
Power: No need to charge. Plug and Play.
System Function: Support: Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, Android, iOS.
DAC chip: ES9038Q2M
DSD: Native DSD64/128/256/512
PCM: Support up to 768kHz/32Bit
Build quality: Aluminum-alloy CNC integration
Transmission interface: Type-C
Rated Output Power: L&R 100mW@32Ω / L&R 200mW@32Ω
Frequency Response: 20-50kHz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 120dB (@32Ω) / 119dB (@32Ω)
Channel Separation: 80dB (@32Ω) / 118dB (@32Ω)
Total Harmonic Distortion+Noise: 0.0012% (@32Ω) / 0.0006% (@32Ω)
Recommended Headphone Impedance Range: 8-300Ω
Net weight: 11g
Dimensions: 18 x 59 x 8mm
Color: Black / Silver
Product code: 6933728000769
Sampling Rate Indicator Light
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)
Note
For iOS users, the Lightning OTG cable has to be purchased separately.
Pros
– Amazing sound quality.
– Excellent fidelity.
– Plenty of power from both outputs.
– Very good measurements.
– Very useful clamp accessory.
Cons
– The device gets warm with use, more so when the volume is high.
– Powerful LED light in the dark environment.
– Perhaps a braided cable would be a better option.
Package Content
1 x Hidizs S9 Pro
1 x USB Type-C to Type-C Cable
1 x USB Type-C to USB-A adapter
1 x Rear clip
1 x English / Chinese User Manual
1 x Warranty Card
1 x Hidizs VIP Card
1 x Quality Check Pass Card
2 x HiRes Audio Sticker
Unboxing Photo Album with Hi-Rez images here. Official webpage here. More about Hidizs devices here.
About Hidizs. Hidizs was founded early in 2009, when pocket HiFi had just become a thing. At that time, they were pricey and badly made. Digital music sucked in those days, but people didn’t really care. Tamson, the founder and the CEO of Hidizs, did care. He was an audiophile and fronted an underground rock band in college. After graduating, Tamson dedicated his life to making HiFi music players for lossless music. As an audiophile, it was a no-brainer; music should be heard as it was intended to be. In order to produce better quality portable HiFi audio devices at an affordable price, Tamson brought together a group of audiophiles with extensive backgrounds in HiFi audio R&D. With a core staff of over 40 audio-obsessed professionals and decades of combined experience, Hidizs has been able to consistently produce the highest quality portable digital audio players (DAPs), earphones, USB DACs, etc. The Hidizs R&D team got to work in Oct 2012, after 3 years of intensive research into the global HiFi audio market. Hidizs’ first pocket HiFi audio player – AP100 – was officially launched at CES, the most influential tech event in the world, in Jan 2014. 3 years later, the first android Hi-Fi music player by Hidizs, AP200, was launched on Kickstarter, having since raised $280,000 with the support of 943 backers (all orders have been shipped!). Hidizs has won the VGP golden prize three years in a row (2019, 2020, 2021). Between 2018 – 2021, Hidizs’s classic AP80 & AP80 Pro also placed in 7th place at the Yearly Best Earphones Sales Award in Japan.
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