bzfrank
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2016
- Posts
- 231
- Likes
- 88
Short opinion now after 120h burn-in:
First: I purchased the iHifi990 with my own money, nobody pays or supports me, nor I have any connection to to manufacturer. I am just a portable audio enthusiast who happens to collect DAPs, IEMs and stuff. You know the game...
Case, Appearance and usage
The iHifi990 comes in a nice, CNC-milled aluminum full-metal casing. Its looks and feels very nice. The quality is good, no gaps or misfits, the surface is spotless. Display is bright, good readable and has a large viewing angle. Usage is straightforward, the selection wheel gets a bit used to if you come from a DAP with only keys but works fine. The volume knob is inside the case, electronic and turns in 'steps' (0-120) I usually listen at ~60, so there is plenty of room for louder output. The maximum level could be setup'd in the settings. The steps are fine enough to find a good setting.
I particular like the two separate 'up'/'down' buttons at the left side, to fast skip up/down in the song list. These work also when the main display turns off during play, as does the volume knob. The other buttons on the front side are disabled until the power key (also on the left side) is pressed again. A long press on the power key turns things off completely.
The case looks like as if it could be opened, there are two small screws visible at the lower side. I have not tried though.
The iHifi990 has one MicroSD card slot. Again, nothing special there. I took over the 64GB MicroSD from a DX80 in FAT32 format, works.
There are two outputs on the lower side, one for headphones the other for digital output (wire, no optical) and a Micro-USB. I have only tried the headphone and Micro-USB in USB mode yet. In USB mode the 990 comes up as a std. USB drive on a PC/Mac. There is also a DAC mode I have not tried yet.
The user interface reminds me of the UI of the Hidizs AP60. Some elements are identical, e.g. the fast select "wheel" for gain, playmode, etc. during play. Also it behaves quite the same. It is even 'bug compatible', more later.
The 990 does not have the dreaded 'thump' sound of the 812v2 and to (a lesser degree) the 960 when turning on/off or switching songs. Its silent, if not asked to play.
Stability
No problems here, It just works. Stable even if the firmware is currently marked as beta (0.11beta).
I noticed it gets slightly warm in my jeans pocket while playing. Not too warm (my IR thermometer tells 36 °C on the surface) , though just enough to notice it.
Runtime
I have not tested to the limits yet, but I ran it 5 hours straight and still had half battery. Charging is reasonable fast.
Sound
(My personal, subjective opinion of course, YMMV)
This thing is made to play music and it does it beautifully. The general signature is neutral/warm with a tad smoothness particular in the highs (less so than the 812v2). I would say its character, not coloring though. Background is like the event horizon of a black hole - silent, at least on my IEMs. It works well with the TK13 IEMs and also Phonon SMB-02 headphones.
The general signature certainly follows in the steps of the 812v2, reviewed here
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ihifi-812v2/reviews/15851
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ihifi-812v2/reviews/7699
and the iHifi960
http://www.head-fi.org/t/647503/review-ihifi960-portable-dap-and-transport
I am able to compare it directly to the iHifi812v2 - its more detailed and refined, better textured especially in the bass range and has a better soundstage, not particular wider but separation and placement is improved significantly. The difference is quite pronounced. While the 812v2 is the wild, untamed bother in the family, the 990 comes as a connoisseur. I prefer the signature to the iBasso DX90. The DX90 has a wider soundstage but is a tad too bright for my taste ("sabre sound"). The DX80 comes close but again I must say I like the iHifi990 more at the moment.
Bugs
Opening a very large AAC file (3h playtime, 240Mb in size) takes almost 30 seconds. During this time the UI freezes, then comes back and playback is flawless. I did know this particular behavior from the Hidizs AP60 which does the same. My guess is the player needs to scan the AAC file and this takes a lot time and CPU. There is no such delay for MP3 or FLAC.
Burn-In
Recommended, I believe it needs at least 100h to develop its signature.
Who should try this player? If you look for fancy features, bluetooth, wifi, Apps, bling-bling spectrografic display during play or similar, this is not for you. If you are out for a player that is musical, a tad warm but still neutral and well built I'd say go for it.
Would I buy it again - yes. It sounds great and makes a very nice addition to my DAP collection. I only hope for a nice leather case in the future.
First: I purchased the iHifi990 with my own money, nobody pays or supports me, nor I have any connection to to manufacturer. I am just a portable audio enthusiast who happens to collect DAPs, IEMs and stuff. You know the game...
Case, Appearance and usage
The iHifi990 comes in a nice, CNC-milled aluminum full-metal casing. Its looks and feels very nice. The quality is good, no gaps or misfits, the surface is spotless. Display is bright, good readable and has a large viewing angle. Usage is straightforward, the selection wheel gets a bit used to if you come from a DAP with only keys but works fine. The volume knob is inside the case, electronic and turns in 'steps' (0-120) I usually listen at ~60, so there is plenty of room for louder output. The maximum level could be setup'd in the settings. The steps are fine enough to find a good setting.
I particular like the two separate 'up'/'down' buttons at the left side, to fast skip up/down in the song list. These work also when the main display turns off during play, as does the volume knob. The other buttons on the front side are disabled until the power key (also on the left side) is pressed again. A long press on the power key turns things off completely.
The case looks like as if it could be opened, there are two small screws visible at the lower side. I have not tried though.
The iHifi990 has one MicroSD card slot. Again, nothing special there. I took over the 64GB MicroSD from a DX80 in FAT32 format, works.
There are two outputs on the lower side, one for headphones the other for digital output (wire, no optical) and a Micro-USB. I have only tried the headphone and Micro-USB in USB mode yet. In USB mode the 990 comes up as a std. USB drive on a PC/Mac. There is also a DAC mode I have not tried yet.
The user interface reminds me of the UI of the Hidizs AP60. Some elements are identical, e.g. the fast select "wheel" for gain, playmode, etc. during play. Also it behaves quite the same. It is even 'bug compatible', more later.
The 990 does not have the dreaded 'thump' sound of the 812v2 and to (a lesser degree) the 960 when turning on/off or switching songs. Its silent, if not asked to play.
Stability
No problems here, It just works. Stable even if the firmware is currently marked as beta (0.11beta).
I noticed it gets slightly warm in my jeans pocket while playing. Not too warm (my IR thermometer tells 36 °C on the surface) , though just enough to notice it.
Runtime
I have not tested to the limits yet, but I ran it 5 hours straight and still had half battery. Charging is reasonable fast.
Sound
(My personal, subjective opinion of course, YMMV)
This thing is made to play music and it does it beautifully. The general signature is neutral/warm with a tad smoothness particular in the highs (less so than the 812v2). I would say its character, not coloring though. Background is like the event horizon of a black hole - silent, at least on my IEMs. It works well with the TK13 IEMs and also Phonon SMB-02 headphones.
The general signature certainly follows in the steps of the 812v2, reviewed here
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ihifi-812v2/reviews/15851
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ihifi-812v2/reviews/7699
and the iHifi960
http://www.head-fi.org/t/647503/review-ihifi960-portable-dap-and-transport
I am able to compare it directly to the iHifi812v2 - its more detailed and refined, better textured especially in the bass range and has a better soundstage, not particular wider but separation and placement is improved significantly. The difference is quite pronounced. While the 812v2 is the wild, untamed bother in the family, the 990 comes as a connoisseur. I prefer the signature to the iBasso DX90. The DX90 has a wider soundstage but is a tad too bright for my taste ("sabre sound"). The DX80 comes close but again I must say I like the iHifi990 more at the moment.
Bugs
Opening a very large AAC file (3h playtime, 240Mb in size) takes almost 30 seconds. During this time the UI freezes, then comes back and playback is flawless. I did know this particular behavior from the Hidizs AP60 which does the same. My guess is the player needs to scan the AAC file and this takes a lot time and CPU. There is no such delay for MP3 or FLAC.
Burn-In
Recommended, I believe it needs at least 100h to develop its signature.
Who should try this player? If you look for fancy features, bluetooth, wifi, Apps, bling-bling spectrografic display during play or similar, this is not for you. If you are out for a player that is musical, a tad warm but still neutral and well built I'd say go for it.
Would I buy it again - yes. It sounds great and makes a very nice addition to my DAP collection. I only hope for a nice leather case in the future.
