HIDIZS S9 PRO: Pocket-Sized Hi-Fidelity Tool

"Necessity is the mother of innovation"

The removal of the headphone jack in the smartphones was supposedly the end of the analogue technology that traces back to the late 19th century but the 3.5mm was standardised only in the 1970s with the introduction of Sony Walkman. And 3.5mm SE becomes the staple connector to all multimedia devices including smartphones. With this so-called "courage" path of that company, a move initiated the removal of the beloved analogue jack of their phone started this movement and most companies follow this suit (Even one company making a mockery out of it but afterwards they follow suit as it was a "necessity" for the improvement of their product to be more competitive in the market).

The removal of headphone jacks seems to be a blessing to some enterprising audio companies. These audio companies decided to offer a working solution on this issue of scarcity, a Hi-Fi DAC/amp in a USB pen drive form factor. I was already aware of the existence of these contraptions since 2017 and Audioquest Dragonfly Black was the first device that I've encountered but I digress.

Speaking of enterprising audio companies, Hidizs is one of the companies that were very active and constantly projecting their presence in the current audio market. Hidizs was established in 2009 and it was founded by Mr. Tamson who happens to be a member of a local underground rock band during his college days in his home country and also an audio enthusiast who has a dedication of creating Hi-fi portable gadgets like DAPs and other audio accessories. Along with his fellow colleagues in the audio community scene and some of them have extensive knowledge and experience in audio fidelity engineering, they put up their own dedicated Research and Development in their own company to provide a better product at an affordable price. The Hidisz Sonata HD was the first product that I've encountered from them and their AP80s are among the most popular items for budding portable audiophiliacs.

Let me remind you that this is my first product review on a USB DAC/Amp dongle and I try to simplify my review to be understandable to all readers and sufficiently detailed despite my limited knowledge regarding this subject.

Hidisz S9 Pro is a USB DAC/Amp dongle, this is a flagship model of their USB dongle line-up. It's a variant of the Hidisz S9 with some improvements in power output.

It has a small rectangular form factor which has similar sizes with some USB pen drives. The rectangular-shape casing is made of CNC milled aluminium alloy with a glass-like panel of its surface and it's quite very light and somehow durable, able to withstand a few accidental falls. My colour variant of S9 Pro has a silver-finished coating that looks really attractive and of high quality.

Both of side ends have different kinds of port, a USB type-C socket and its opposite side was a pair of headphone jacks of different output, one is 2.5mm balanced ( I actually wish for 4.4mm but due to the constraints of small sizes its impossible)  and a unbalanced 3.5mm single-ended termination.

The 3.5mm output was rated up to 100mW at 32 ohms (2 Vrms) and up to 200mW at 32 ohms (4 Vrms) which is quite powerful already to most IEMs out there and even to some power hungry cans (a fellow audio enthusiast who happens to be my online mate claims that it can even drive a Fostex T40RP III which have those power demanding planar magnetic transducers). It still wonders to me how Hidizs managed to make it work despite its minuscule size.

It is also noted the S9 Pro has colour-coded LED light for sample rate and bit depth.

Here are some of the colour indicator:

GREEN - PCM 16-32bit /44.1-96 KHz

BLUE - PCM 24-32bit/192 KHz

RED - PCM 24-32bit/384 KHz

WHITE - PCM 24-32bit/768 KHz

YELLOW - DSD 64-128

VIOLET - DSD 256- 512

I have some types of audio file formats in my digital collection, most of them are of lossless format. I've also tested them in the Hiby Player Music app in USB exclusive mode.

Inside of S9 PRO chassis, Hidisz implemented a high performance, flagship-grade ESS DAC ES9038Q2M which I'm very familiar with as it is also implemented on my F.Audio DAP, and this type of ESS DAC is also found on some desktop DAC/Amps like from McIntosh, Burson and Topping. ES9308Q2M is a reference DAC specifically for audiophile-grade portable and desktop devices like DAPs, A/V receivers, mixer and pre-amp consoles. It is noted that the ES9038Q2M has a powerful Saber 9602 headphone amplifier to deliver the best possible audio volume. Looks like that I have a very strong relationship with the ESS as most of my LG phones and a lone DAP have ESS DACs on their internals so I consider myself as an ESS DAC enthusiast (just kidding).

Another thing to remember about S9 PRO that it doesn't have a built-in battery and to power it up, it siphons off on the battery power of the device sources and it is really quite a nasty, insatiable parasitical audio implement that devours a substantial amount of power if you play some tracks with a sample bitrate of 24bit/192 KHz PCMs to DSDs file formats. And also there is the absence of hardware volume key that you will use on your transport device's volume key buttons and even software of the app you are using. It should be also noted that this thing does really warm up after a few minutes of using it but not to the point that it is a hot iron-like heat.

As for its packaging and inclusions, S9 PRO was packed in a small-size black box and its inclusions are the following:

• Hidisz S9 PRO USB Dongle
• Type-C to USB-A adapter
• Transparent USB dongle holder with cloth clip.
• A thick Type-C to Type-C short cable with a silver colour insulated coating
• Some paperworks such as instruction manuals, Q.C. card, a card discount voucher and serial number card.
• A pair of Hi-Res audio logo sticker (to make hi-fi sound have added even more fidelity and resolution…just kidding)

If you are an iPhone user, the Lightning connector to USB-C is sold separately and it is available at the Hidisz Store.

Another helpful advice is if you put the Type-C connector, make sure that the one that you are inserting with has a Hidisz logo on its casing or else it won't work.

So I've only tested the S9 PRO to my Android smartphones and a macbook (connected it to a Type-C Thunderbolt slot) and all of them work flawlessly. It works on apps in Android OS such as UAPP (USB Audio Player PRO) and Hiby Music Player app.

In general sound quality of this item, Hidisz S9 PRO seems to have a balanced-neutral to reference-neutral sound signature (depends of the ear/head gear that you are using which should have at least a "neutral" type tuning either warmish-neutral to neutralish-bright) as it has an ample texture in all parts of frequency sound spectrum with just a tad of upper mid peaks and presence (some source-zealots will probably interpret it as a "Saber Glare")

BASS/LOWS:

S9 PRO has intended a very impressive bass response in both quality and quantity. It has this precise, articulate and has a good impact as it really stays very static within its frequency range without a hint of smudges that might spillover to other parts of the sound spectrum.

Sub bass is slightly a bit prominent in overall bass region for it has that rumble and reverberation that discernly feel it. Bass synthesizers on some Synth-pop tracks are well-outlined and crisp. Mid bass has an ample texture to give a sufficient note weight on bass guitars, bass kicks and bass-baritones. That density gives a resonant and weighty sound of a bass guitar that even plucking, slapping and strumming are clearly heard. Bass kicks have an enough pounding and sustaining sound thus double bass kicks of some complex metal tracks are executed in a meticulous way. Bass-Baritone vocals have an adequate guttural recital.

MIDRANGE:

Certainly that it has an excellent linearity and almost flawless midrange quality with an exuberant, transparent and pristine within its character. Both male and female vocals exhibit an organic and life-like presentation. Male vocals are firm, broader and deep in all categories of vocal types. Female vocals sound very pleasant as it has this euphonic, mesmerising and soothing feel in contralto to mezzo-soprano voice while sopranos have this silky, shining with expansive spatial range and yet melodic.

Presentations of instruments are accurately reproduced especially on strings as it gives a crisp with well-defined overtones on guitar either rhythm and acoustic ones, a vibrant and lustrous sound of a violin on every bowstroke on its strings. Piano tones seem to have a lively, rich and eloquent sound. A brisk and dynamics on percussives like snare drums as it has that sharpness, precise and penetrating sound. And finally the woodwinds like saxophone and fife have that warm, lustrous and incisive in a higher note and brass instruments like trumpets and horns have this metallic, brilliant, blaring and austere in lower note register.

TREBLE/HIGHS:

As I mentioned that S9 Pro has some reference-neutral characteristics, it has some emphasis on treble region that gives that analytical, dry and airy sound at the expense of being too lean but S9 Pro doesn't even sound lean and inadequate.

In fact, It has a substantial texture and definition in this particular part of the frequency range spectrum.

Treble has an almost spotless, lucidity, shimmer and crisp quality that defines its detail quality and tones of harmonics.

Cymbals strikes have that snap and elan as it has a glistening, metallic and a sizzle that has good extension towards the brilliance region with sparkle and air. Hi-hats appear  to have that shorted buzzing and shrill which is its natural sound characteristic.

GENERAL TECHNICALITIES:

S9 PRO is very proficient in projecting its technical capabilities. It has a wide sound field that gives a sense of expanse within its headroom, excellent height reach and good depth value for the distance range between front to rear. With these impressive spatial proportion, It does give that immersive 3D-feel on how it give an accurate spatial cues on placement of instruments and vocal positioning, with a very specific and distinguished on layering forte on interpreting each distinct frequency and dynamic character along with significant separation of each element that even a very complex track like multi-instrumentals scores will absolutely play it effortlessly with no hint of congestion and chaotic sounding.

It is also adept at delivering a clear, well-detailed and resolving capabilities in a pitch black background sonic canvas. Harshness and grainy noise floor is practical absent on this one.

PEER COMPARISONS:

AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY BLACK (2016)

• It has a bit larger chassis and more solid build with matte coating finish. It has a 3.5mm SE and USB Type-A port which is contrasting to a more modern features of S9 PRO like 2.5mm balanced and a type-C por but if you want to use it in smartphones specifically android, you need that proprietary adapter and USB OTG cable which is quite a hassle to set it up in my opinion.
• It has a mild U-shaped sound signature and manifests a natural timbre but it is a bit softer in presentation and less detailed compared to S9 PRO. Bass is a unrefined and vague in presentation, Mids is in a neutral and transparent state and treble is even more even unpolish as it shows some coarseness, grainy and metallic due the boosted upper mids. Sample rate and bit depth of Dragonfly Black is somehow capped to 96 KHz PCM and doesn't even support native DSD capability but it can do MQA rendering.
• Technical aspects on this one clearly shows its age, it is totally outclassed by the S9 Pro by a mile from staging to resolving capability. A few notable advantage of Dragonfly Black was it plug & play mode that it can be use to all music apps in Android and will act as a headphone amp while S9 Pro is more specific and limited as you can use only on few music apps like UAPP, Hiby Music Player app and Neutron app.

To conclude this review, USB Hifi Dongles like the Hidisz S9 Pro became an important and logical implement as the continuous abandonment of the venerable headphone jack by most smartphone companies seems to be an inevitable and it is indeed a future tool for mobile audio enthusiast who wants to experience a high fidelity musical experience that is portable and ease of use.

For sure that this USB Hifi dongle is quite voracious and glutton on sucking up some battery life on the device on which Hidizs S9 PRO is connected, but as for sound performance it is unequivocally deliver an almost-desktop grade DAC/Amps sound quality with a clean, accurate sound reproduction and brimming with good details and solid macrodynamics.

Will I ever recommend this one to some budding audiophiles? I will definitely endorse this one without batting headphone and hesitation.

HIDIZS S9 PRO is still available for purchase and if you are interested to purchase it, just click the link there below. You can also check out there the detailed specification of this product.

                    ☞● AFFILIATE LINK●☜

"Titillates the sound of your guilty pleasure."

PROS:

● Small, light pocketable size USB DAC/Amp dongle.

● LED indicator for detecting sample rate of an audio file format.

● Clean and neutral sounding with impeccable almost uncoloured tuning.

● Up to par bass response.

● Sufficiently lush and balanced texture midrange

● Shimmering, detailed and airy treble.

● Detachable connector.

● Powerful output on both balanced and unbalanced headphone jacks with almost desktop-grade performance.

● Quite impressive on handling build-up heat on such a small device.

● Can even process a DSD256 file format and even DSD512, what a processing little beast.

CONS:

▽ No hardware volume key button.

▽ An absence of built-in battery on which turn this dongle device into a parasitical power-craving set. (But in a silver lining, it deliver an excellent sound quality)

▽ Sorry MQA lovers, MQA unfolding is not supported on this device.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to HIDIZS nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly. 

Once again, I would like to thank EMMA LI for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.