Hidizs S8 pro Robin review
About me
I am an audiophile in sunny South Africa. If I would have to state my sound preference, I would say I am a Sennheiser HD650 with a tube headphone amp and streamer as source streaming Tidal High-res kind of guy. In 2020 during the pandemic I moved to a smaller place and swopped my big listening room with turntables and reel to reel players for portable and desktop audio. I was one of the biggest fighters against digital and here I am typing this review listening to Tidal via HIBY player on my phone connected to the S8 I am reviewing and some in ear monitors while I am nodding to the music and typing on a computer keyboard like some piano player playing Mozart piano concerto 21. The reason why I chose to write a review rather than video is because my broken South African English would be a bigger talking point than my actual opinion on the product so just bear with me ok.
This unit was send to me by Hidizs as part of the Audio Geek Reviews South African tour. In that regard I have to say Hidizs communication is top notch and they answer and reply to emails promptly. It took two weeks to be delivered to my door by courier. This review is totally my own opinion and I receive no compensation in any way from the company as my integrity and name are much more important than any financial gain.
Unboxing
The packaging is really nicely done with a cardboard cover sliding over a watch size plastic black box. I would say it’s similar to jewelry packaging and feels a bit premium. The package contains the s8 and an OTG cable with two extra adapters of which one is for lighting(Apple) and the other is a USB for connecting to non USB-C devices. You also get a set of cool “High-res” stickers to properly display your High-res certified portable Dac/Amp. There is also an instruction booklet to help you out and a very thriving bunch of groups on Facebook dedicated to portable audio.
Specs
1. Dual 32-bit High-performance DAC Balanced Architecture - CS43131×2
2. PCM Supports Up to 32bit/384kHz
3. Native DSD 64/128/256
4. 4.4mm Balanced & 3.5mm Single-ended Output
5. CNC Aluminum Alloy Integrated Molding
6. Practical Function Buttons (volume +-/filter switching)
7. Sampling Rate Indicator
8. 80mW+80mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE / 160mW+160Mw@32Ω 4.4mm BAL
9. Compatible with All platforms: Windows/Mac OS/iPad OS/Android/iOS/Harmony OS
10. Hi-Res Audio Certification
Connectivity
I connected the unit to my desktop computer still running Windows 7, laptop (Windows 11), Oppo A78 (Android 13), LG V40 (Android 10). The desktop I had to download a driver for Windows 7 which you can find on the Hidizs website. There are two drivers for windows 7 and the Asio one worked for me. On the Oppo I battled a bit. You have to make sure your phone is in developer mode and then under developer options you have to enable OTG. I Listen to music on the Oppo and LG v40 via Hiby player streaming Tidal mainly. On the LG it gave me a prompt and I accepted and it was connected. Also if you are using Hiby player you can blow your ears out if you do not configure the hardware/software volume control setting out beforehand so be careful.
Look & Build
The unit is very light so I don’t see it wearing down your phone’s USB-C port quickly yet it still has a premium Aluminum feel. The unit also comes with volume control buttons and a play/pause button on the side. The OTG cable is decent and I specifically looked at the gluing on the plastic cover of the USB adapter because I have found on other products it comes loose the first time you use it. The unit also has an LED indicator in the form of the Hidizs logo which is a nice touch.
Sound
I am used to sterile ESS chips so this Cirrus Logic chip was refreshing to hear something that is neutral but not sterile. There is a certain little bit of warmth there that makes your foot start to tap. It sounds very uncolored and this is where the filters come in and you can change your sound filter to your taste. I did not experiment with the filters a lot as I am bit of purist who doesn’t fiddle with EQ to much. I have found this unit to be very satisfying for Jazz music. I listened to the album 2xHD Compilation - SAX SAX SAX (2019) in 24-bit/192 kHz FLAC format and every note from the saxophones sounded so real and every breath on the sax could be felt. I also tried from my laptop playing local 16bit FLAC files and specifically older hard rock like AC/DC- Back in Black stood out. Especially the upper strings on the electric guitar sounded really sublime. Streaming Tidal through Hiby player on the V40 was just as satisfying. I also tried it with some EDM music for kicks and even though the bass sounds very clean the sub bass is lacking which I am sure you can solve with EQ or the nice filters on the s8 pro I am not into that. The amp section is powerful enough to drive most in ear monitors and headphones except the most demanding ones. I hooked a pair of vintage Koss very inefficient headphones up to it and it ran out of steam on the 3.5mm port. Luckily you have a 4.4mm balanced port which offers more power and headroom for the more demanding stuff like planar IEM or Higher impedance headphones.
Conclusion
In my country South Africa, a product with this type of value is unknown and I can recommend it if you are an audiophile starting out in the hobby or if you are a person who appreciate nice clean sound without a lot of coloration. If you pair the s8 with a 10mm dd in ear monitor, you will get a nice full range type of speaker sound. The unit is available as of today Hidizs has given me a special coupon code for the Audio Geek reviews South African tour. Please see below and hop on over to the Hidizs website to redeem your code.
Sales price: ($69); with the 5% discount code applied, it will be $65.55.
Special price: ($65) - limited to 100 units; with the 5% discount code applied, it will be $61.75.
Official website 5% discount code: REVIEWTOURZA
https://www.hidizs.net/products/hidizs-s8-pro-robin-hifi-balanced-dongle-dac
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