Yes, and that was just with the 3,5 mm output. Running balanced out will get you even more power to drive the ZMF headphones.
So I am thinking of grabbing this to use with Tidal on my iPhone 10. Can I assume I only need a USB-A to lightning cable to interconnect the iPhone to the DAC?
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You won’t be able to go direct USB A to lightning from the Hip DAC. You’ll need the Apple OTG connector https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Lightning-USB-Camera-Adapter/dp/B014VGHG0U/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=apple+otg+lightning+cable&qid=1603299054&sr=8-3
With that you would just plug the the blue USB cable that iFi provides into there and you’d be good to go.
One thing to note in general with the Hip DAC that seems to be a common problem for most people. The USB C port on the Hip DAC is charge only. You will not get any audio signal when using the USB C port in your chain.
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Well this gave me a chance to try the 4.4 mm balance cable that came with the HD800s. I set the Mac up to pass MQA though to the hip-dac. This thing sounds great and has no issue driving the HD800s. New cables for the iPhone arrive tomorrow. Will let you know how it sounds.
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The Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter directly plugs into the USB3.0 ‘Type A’ data input port of the HipDac. No need to use the iFi provided cable.
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Welcome @fljoemon! Yeah I was hoping it would. Thanks for letting me know. Will be jamming mine in there tomorrow. The socket is an interesting design. Didn’t expect it.
Edit: The iPhone camera connector arrived today so I plugged that bad boi into the hip-dac. Set Tidal up for MQA streaming, got the magenta lights on the hip-dac, and hit that XBass button to drive the HD800s with booming bass. Going to try some other headphones with it today for comparison. Love this little thing.
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iFi Audio Hip DAC open box is on sale on the website for $119. I should get a second :-/
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Checking in here as well to gauge interest - how many folks here have not had the chance to demo the Hip-Dac yet but would like to? Drop a reply and let me know!
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So. The HipDac. You plug in a wire to put the sounds into the HipDac, and another wire to get the sounds out of it. If it does its job, those sounds are louder than they used to be, and also not digital anymore. To get the sounds out, you’ll need a 3.5mm single ended thingy, or a 4.4mm balanced thingy. There is also a spot for putting power into the thing, plus a way to control how loud the sounds are coming out. And X-Bass.
There is a difference between sound and music. If a stick hits a thing, it will usually make a sound. When that thing is a thin layer of fabric stretched over the rim of a snare drum shell, that sound will have a specific quality. That quality depends on the material of the shell, the tightness of the head, the set of the snares under the bottom head, even what they are made out of. Whack that stick against that drum in a pattern, use a little creativity, and it might start being music.
The components of that result (or of almost any musical note) have parts too. The attack, the sustain, resonance, the decay. The tone, on its own, and the tuning, in relation to other instruments. The pitch, the timbre are qualities of the sound as well.
So this is what that HipDac is actually supposed do. Take a digital stream of data and change it to the splash of a cymbal. The sound of rosined horsehair being dragged on nylon and wound metals can sound raucous, or gentle, and the HipDac should reconstruct that.
And it does. A symphony like Bruckner’s 4th has a great dynamic range, as well as a huge variety of instrumental lines to listen to, and every instrument is placed where the microphone captured it, stable and clear. Electric guitar effects don’t sound like a bit hash, being appropriately fuzzy, A hi hat sounds like a high hat. You can hear the cymbals open and close and chatter against each other in between. When a rock band digs in and works to make a point, you find yourself nodding along, maybe. not head banging, but definitely brought along for a ride.
Compared to a Modius/Magnius stack, it is not as resolving. It doesn’t have as much juice. The bass isn’t as well defined. It’s just a little harder to hear in between the notes, in between the lines of dense passages of music. It’s 100% more portable. this is a really big deal by the way. Compared to your phones output; buddy, buckle up, you’re gonna be so happy.
Value - defined as sound quality per dollar (or, if you’re a brit, sound per pound)
Looks - Color is better than black, silver and white. don’t @ me, I don’t care.
Sound - In the places where a portable DAC/AMP make sense, it sounds as good as normal backgrounds will allow most to appreciate.
Battery life - My full workday can stretch beyond that battery
WTF
The inset USB A male is a hateful choice and deserves all the WTFs. HipDac2 - exactly the same with USB3 and 4 more hours of juice? Yes, please.
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The hip-dac is, I think, an excellent choice for people who may have a small laptop-centric setup that wouldn’t be able to power some great cans on their own. Maybe you spend hours inside a library on a college campus in front of a Lenovo Thinkpad like I do on occasion. The battery life has its issues, and yes, the choice of input is strange. But iFi does provide the necessary cables with the unit. I wish I could give my thoughts about the resolution and the soundstaging and all those fancy terms, but this is the first “serious” DAC/AMP unit I’ve owned and I think it’s time for an upgrade.
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Let me know if there’s anything I can do to advise if you’re interested in stepping up iFi wise
Glad you’ve enjoyed the hip-dac so far!
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Concur that the battery life on the Hip unit is much less than 12 hours, especially when you use the 4.4mm balanced output.
But for $149 USD, the sound quality from Tidal master tracks to my Shure IEMs on balanced wire is nothing short of stunning, so this is one of the best bargains around in the portable DAC/Amp category, IMHO.
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Thanks for your feedback @joy! Glad you have our favorite little portable beast in your collection and we appreciate the kind words around the bargain it offers.
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Hey,
what Headphones are those? they are beautiful!
I want to say those are the SE846!
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Klipsch Heritage HP-3 headphones in walnut finish. They are an excellent headphone I think, and they pair beautifully with the hip dac.
Folks, it’s been a whole year since we launched the hip-dac at CanJam NYC!
As a result, we’re selling the hip-dac Gift Set, for a limited time only! Featuring a Vegan leather case and Final E3000 iems for £199!
Available now: hip-dac + Final E3000 | iFi audio
Join us for the journey this week as we’ll be reminiscing on the hip-dac’s achievements & highlights.
*Available for UK delivery only
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Today, we’re looking back and feeling proud of the awards our hip-dac has won since launching last year! Here is just a sample.
Music on the go has never sounded so good.
Discover the hip-dac: hip-dac by iFi audio | A small but powerful DAC/headphone amplifier
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Reserved for later usage!
Congratulations! Well deserved.