HIDIZS S8 Pro headphone DAC delivers high-resolution music anywhere

The audio market is currently flooded with DAC dongles. It looks like we won’t get enough of those little devices that plug into the USB or Lightning port on our smartphones and deliver Hi-Fi quality audio streamed from services like Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify. They also help you use an old-fashioned pair of wired headphones together with your phone. What’s not to love?

The latest headphone DAC that got here to my desk for testing is from Chinese brand HIDIZS. The S8 Pro can be often called the Robin, even though it doesn’t look anything just like the little red-breasted bird that appears on countless Christmas cards.

No larger than a cigarette lighter, the S8 Pro has two copper-colored buttons for adjusting the amount, plus a ridged copper knob that acts as a play/pause control. There are not any controls for skipping or repeating tracks, so if you must move to the following song or repeat the one currently playing, you’ll need to accomplish that using the controls in your phone and whatever streaming app you are using.

The S8 Pro offers a wide range of outputs. You can connect your headphones using either a standard unbalanced 3.5mm stereo jack or a balanced 4.4mm plug (also called a Pentaconn). Which one you select depends upon your headphones, but when you’ve gotten headphones with a balanced 4.4mm cable, use that one because the sound will probably be barely higher and louder.

The device within reason well built, although the button seems slightly misplaced in comparison with the opposite buttons. On the front of the case is an illuminated HIDIZS logo that changes color depending on the kind and determination of the audio file being decoded.

To connect the S8 Pro to a smartphone, HIDIZS features a short USB-C to USB-C OTG cable. One end plugs into the S8 Pro and the opposite into your Android phone, tablet or laptop. For iPhone users, a USB-C to Lightning adapter is included, in addition to a USB-A adapter to be used with older devices.

To start the music, just plug the S8 Pro into your phone and it is going to be recognized as an audio output. Then plug a pair of headphones into the S8 Pro and begin the music using something like Tidal or Deezer, depending on which streaming service you employ.

The S8 Pro can handle digital audio files as much as 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. MQA just isn’t supported, so should you are a Tidal subscriber, you must use the FLAC option as an alternative of Tidal Masters in your streaming app.

At the guts of the S8 Pro are two Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chips. There is one chip for the left channel and one for the precise. Using two discrete DACs helps with channel separation and creates a more focused soundstage.

The S8 Pro’s unbalanced 3.5mm headphone output has an impedance of 32Ω and might output as much as 80mW. If you employ the balanced 4.4mm output, the facility to the headphones increases to 160mW, which provides more volume. In general, the output is nice, although I discovered that I needed to push the three.5mm output to my limits.

To put the S8 Pro through its paces, I launched Tidal and commenced listening to the high-resolution version of Eliane Elias’ recent album. Quiet. To test the nuances of a DAC amp, there’s nothing higher than a little bit of smooth bossa nova. I attached a pair of Sennheiser’s recent HD 620S, an outstanding pair of inexpensive closed-back headphones which have probably the most neutral and detailed sounds you could find at an affordable price.

The S8 Pro produces an in depth and nuanced sound that just isn’t too bass-heavy, but actually not harsh or digitally metallic. The DAC has several digital filters in-built that will be modified by pressing the 2 volume buttons concurrently. The available filters are High Pass, NOS (Non-Oversampling), De-Emphasis, Fast and Slow, Low Latency and Phase Compensation, and Wideband Flatness Mode.

As with many digital filters, the noticeable effect may be very subtle and depends upon how the music was recorded. Try them out and should you find one you want, persist with it, but do not get too hung up on the filters as they’re pretty insignificant. How the music sounds is way more affected by the recording than the filter setting.

The sound from the S8 Pro is nice and low in distortion. For the worth, the S8 Pro offers lots and is good for listening to music for long periods of time. Choose your headphones fastidiously as they make the most important difference to the sound. If you’ve gotten headphones which can be difficult to drive, the limited power of a USB-powered DAC amplifier will affect the amount.

Verdict: If you wish a high-quality headphone DAC for listening to high-resolution music on the go and do not need MQA support, the HIDISZ S8 Pro is an actual bargain. It has 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs and a variety of digital filters to check out. The construct quality, especially the rotary knob, bothered me slightly and I would love to see the design modified for the following version. However, should you enjoy listening to music with wired headphones and wish something that delivers a lot better sound than most smartphones, the HIDISZ S8 Pro is a solid buy for headphone lovers.

Prices and availability: The HIDISZ S8 Pro is obtainable now and costs £79 / €79 / $99.

More info: www.hidizs.net

Technical data:

• DAC: Dual 32-bit CS43131.
• PCM support: Up to 32 bit/384 kHz.
• Native DSD support: Up to DSD256.
• Outputs: 3.5 mm unbalanced and 4.4 mm balanced.
• Chassis: CNC aluminum alloy, integrated molding.
• Physical buttons: Power, volume +/-, filter selection.
• Sampling rate display: Colored LED.
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 45 kHz.
• Distortion: 3.5 mm: 0.0005% / 4.4 mm: 0.0006%
• SNR: 3.5mm: 125dB / 4.4mm: 125dB.
• Distance: 3.5 mm: -74 dB / 4.4 mm: -110 dB.
• Output power: 3.5 mm: 80 mW + 80 mW at 32 Ω / 4.4 mm: 160 mW + 160 mW at 32 Ω.
• Selectable digital filters: High pass, NOS (non-oversampling), de-emphasis, fast and slow, low latency and phase compensation, wideband flatness mode.
• Compatible platforms: Windows/MacOS/iPad OS/Android/iOS/Harmony OS.