HIDIZS S8 PRO ROBIN: A Substantial Performer Device

Robins are an avian species that are part of the thrush family which are mostly omnivorous or insectivorous. They are one of the numerous landbird species and they are usually found in North America, Europe and Western Asia. Robins are considered as harbinger of hope and renewal, also luck in ancient Celtic culture.

HIDIZS is one of the audio companies out there that is considered to be also one of the pioneers of affordable USB headphone DAC/Amp dongles with the release of the S8 in 2020. USB DAC/Amp dongle became one of the must-have device that an audio enthusiast should have as most of the current smartphone models on midrange and flagship segment don't have the analogue 3.5mm audio jack, or a tablet and laptop that doesn't have the satisfying sound quality that we are looking for.

With the release of successive models of some USB DAC/Amp dongles with the likes of S9 PRO+ MARTHA and SD2, HIDIZS released another USB DAC/Amp dongle device which will be the main feature of this review article. This is HIDIZS S8 PRO ROBIN and this model is part of the S8 series that make this one the only direct successor of the original S8 which was the first USB DAC/Amp dongle by HIDIZS.

Unlike its cousins like the S9 series models, S3, SD2 and the XO, this one uses a different DAC chip brand which happens to be also used by the original S8, Cirrus Logic. The Cirrus Logic model that was implemented here is a dual CS43131 which is quite a common audio IC that usually found on other entry-level DAC/Amp dongles but this one known for its reliability, consistent performance, power efficiency and better power output with better decoding to all digital audio types.

The S8 PRO ROBIN is decently packed with inclusions on its compact packaging box, here are the following notable contents inside of its product packaging:

• S8 PRO ROBIN USB DAC/Amp dongle
• Short type-C to type-C cable
• USB type-C to USB type-A adapter
• USB type-C to lightning adapter
• Paperwork like Hi-Res stickers, Q.C. stab, warranty card and user's manual.

The Cirrus Logic CS43131 is a 32-bit low powered DAC with its own proprietary hi-fi headphone amplifier that provides superior audio performance with superior power efficiency on its overall architecture. This IC is capable of driving up to 2 Vrms of power output on high-impedance headphones and with its newly improved design of its modulator and with its own five interpolation filters delivers better volume matching, cleaner output and greatly reduces distortion due to mismatching or certain components. It can decode/encode up to 32-bit/768kHz on PCM and up to DSD256 on DSD format.

Each sampling rate has its own colour code indicator, here is the information of digital audio formats and its colour and sampling rating.

AUDIO FORMAT	SAMPLING RATE	COLOUR CODE
PCM	44.1 - 48 kHz, 88.2 - 96 kHz	Green
PCM	176.4 kHz, 192 kHz	Blue
PCM	352.8 kHz, 384 kHz	Red
PCM	705.6 kHz, 765 kHz	White
DSD	DSD64, DSD128	Yellow
DSD	DSD256	Purple

As for its overall build quality, the S8 PRO ROBIN has an elongated rectangular form factor with an aluminium alloy on its frame with some tempered glasses on its top and bottom panel with a LED colour indicator on the logo part. The dongle itself  is quite light to hold and looks sturdy enough.

It has some button keys situated at the side  panel consisting of two diamond-shaped button keys for volume control while at centre, a circular button key for play and pause.

It has a USB Type-C port that serves as its main analogue connectivity to other multimedia devices and its audio interface, there are two types of audio jacks that were situated in that part, a standard 3.5mm single-ended and a 4.4mm balanced output. The 3.5mm single-ended can delivery a total power output of 160mW (80mW + 80mW) at 32 ohms while on 4.4mm balanced, it was rated up to 320mW (160mW + 160mW) at 32 ohms which make this set on the level of moderately powerful category.

In regards to its hardware and software support, it can be used as a plug-n-play device that is accessible to most known modern portable and desktop devices like smartphones, DAPS, tablets, laptops and PCs. This device is also universally compatible with all known operating system platforms whether it's a desktop or mobile ones like Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, Harmony OS, iPad OS and iOS.

As for its tonal profile, the S8 PRO ROBIN offers some digital filters by pressing both volume key buttons to access other digital tuning filters. The NOS has a warmish-neutral sound signature that adds slightly some texture on certain parts of the frequencies.

DIGITAL FILTER TYPE	COLOUR
NOS (No Oversampling)	Green
High Pass Filter	Red
De-Emphasis Filter	Blue
Fast and Slow Filter	Yellow
Low-latency and Phase-compensated Filter	Purple
Wideband Flatness Filter Mode	White

I'll use the NOS Filter for the entirety of the review and as for the testing on IEMs, I will use the HIDIZS MP143 SALT for a coloured sounding set and LETSHUOER EJ07 to represent a neutral sound profile set.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass definition adds some slight emphasis particularly on the mid bass section but in a proper manner just to have some texture for bass-clef instruments and deep male vocals. It still delivers clean, rumbly, detailed and well-segregated bass response.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange section is linear, clean and transparent with some ample warmth for vocals and instruments’ definition with its respective tonal colour. The male vocals won't sound lean as it has some depth and volume to sound smooth, lush and tender while the female vocals will have a sufficient energy and clarity to sound rich, fiery and sweet.

As for instruments, there are some noticeable just a pinch of colouration but not the point of being exaggerated or over emphasised that might ruin the timbre and tonality of some instruments. Strings have a crisp and lively sound like violins and guitars and woodwinds like piccolos, concert flute and clarinets will have its bright, airy and expressiveness on their respective sound characteristics. On brasses, a metallic sound of trumpets, an intensity sound of trombones and a muffled sound of horns. Percussives like snares, tom-toms and field drums will retain some of its sharp, hard, warm and resonant sound correspondingly. Pianos will have a balanced and consistent sound on them.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this one is neutral, smooth and capable of adding some airy extension on the brilliance region depending on the capability of the driver technology of the transducers that were used.

It gives a sufficient sparkle and doesn't add any colouration on some treble-clef instruments like cymbals, hi-hats and celestas although on some tracks with keyboard glockenspiels, it sounds a tad more sweeter.

OVERALL TECHNICALITIES:

The device can project a reasonably spacious sound field in a clean, black sonic canvass. It is also quite pretty resolving in macro-dynamics in terms of firmness of its tonal frequency compression and a fairly  sharp definition of its micro-detail definition capable of extracting nuances and detail on audio tracks decoded from its sources.

PEER COMPARISONS:

FOSI AUDIO DS2

• Its frame structure is entirely made of aluminium alloy which is quite solid in terms of build quality and a tad weighty.
• It uses the same Cirrus Logic audio IC model and also in dual array configuration.
• It also has physical button keys like volume control and play/pause but much like the S8 PRO, it doesn't have even a manual switch or button key for gain mode.
• Like the S8 PRO ROBIN, it also has a warmish-neutral sound profile.
• It doesn't have any options to choose other digital filters.

EPZ TP20 PRO

• It has a tad broader form factor and it is also solidly built of aviation-grade aluminium alloy.
• It also uses the Cirrus Logic audio IC model in a dual configuration.
• Along with physical volume key buttons and a play/pause, it also has a manual gain switch.
• It also has a warmish-neutral sound but has a bit smoother treble response.
• On paper, it delivers more power output than S8 PRO ROBIN.

TRUTHEAR SHIO

• It has similar size to S8 PRO, but it has PU-leather wrapped around on its external chassis to give that premium look.
• It uses a newer Cirrus Logic CS43198 which is more powerful on processing and delivers more output.
• Aside from volume buttons keys and play/pause button key, it also has a manual gain switch.
• While it also has a warmish-neutral tonal profile, this one is more resolving and detailed sounding.
• This one is noted for its driving capability that it can drive some notoriously power-hungry planar cans in the market.

As I put a conclusion on this product assessment, this device will somehow will its fangs that will slug all its way in an ever competitive entry-level dongle bloodbath. With its proper thermal control, a moderately powerful output, a likeable tuning profile, a capability of choosing digital filters and packed with some adapters to be used in other devices like older PCs and iPhone models, this device offers a lot and truly deserves a spot.

And also, this one is reasonably priced at under US$100/£80 so audio enthusiasts with some budget to purchase audio stuff should try this one out. The HIDIZS S8 PRO is now available at HIDIZS’ Official Online Store, just check the link below, non-affiliated one guaranteed.

LINK:

https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-s8-pro-robin-hifi-balanced-dongle-dac

SPECIFICATIONS:

Model	HIDIZS S8 PRO
Output Power	80+80mW(SE); 160mW(BAL)
Input Mode	USB Type C
Output Mode	3.5MM + 4.4MM Headphone
Frequency Range	20Hz-45kHz (±0.5dB)
THD	0.0006%(32Ω SE), 0.0005%(32Ω BALANCED)
SNR	≥118dB
Sampling Rate	32bit/384kHz
DSD	DSD64/128/256
DAC Chip Set	CIRRUS LOGIC CS43131 (2x)
Material	Aluminium Alloy
Compatible Devices	Mac\Windos\IOS\Android
Dimensions	58mm x23mm x 11mm

PROS:

● It has a leaner form factor with decently built quality.

● Lightweight and quiet compact to hold.

● It has three physical buttons, two for volume control key buttons and a single circular one for play/pause.

● It offers 6 digital filter options to choose from for your tuning preferences.

● 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced output jacks.

● Universally compatible to all known OSes either on desktop-grade ones or mobile ones.

● Can deliver a good power output which is quite enough to amplify power-guzzling IEM sets like planar magnetics and ceramic dynamic drivers.

● A warmish-neutral sound profile.

● It has competent technical capabilities.

● Good thermal control management.

● Affordable pricing.

CONS:

● Doesn't have manual gain mode.

● Thinking that the circular button looks like a knob functionality but it isn't.

● Compared to other dongles in the same price bracket, it has a lesser power output delivery.

TESTING TRACKS: ( * = 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 *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

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 send my gratitude to BELLA JUAN for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.