Introduction
Hidizs is very popular in the Chi-Fi industry and they have been experiencing a very nice period thanks to their positive reviews on the MP145, MS1 Galaxy and other IEMs in their lineup. Not only that, they have also received some praise for their dongle DACs, and in this review I am going to cover the Hidizs XO.
Disclaimer: the Hidizs XO was sent to me by Hidizs free of charge after being selected for the “Hidizs Product Feedback Insights Program”. This review represents my personal opinion on the set and it is by no means a promotional or paid content.
At the time of the review, the Hidizs XO was on sale for around 59$ at Hidizs’s official webshop.
I wanna thank Hidizs for this opportunity as I get the chance to try one of their products and give my honest feedback that will hopefully be helpful for the brand and the community.
Technical Specifications
- Size → 55mm * 24.5mm * 9.35mm
- DAC Chip → ESS SABRE ES9219C x 2
- Compatibility → MQA up to 16X (requires software support, recommended to use HiBy Music, DSD (Native DSD64/128/256), PCM (up to 384kHz/32bit)
- Output type → single ended 3.5mm jack, balanced 2.5mm jack
- Frequency Response → PO(3.5): 20Hz-40kHz (±0.12dB) / BAL(2.5): 20Hz-40kHz (±0.12dB)
- THD + N → PO(3.5): 0.0015% / BAL(2.5): 0.0005%
- SNR → PO(3.5): 118dB / BAL(2.5): 119dB
- Crosstalk → PO(3.5): 76 dB / BAL(2.5): 118 dB
- Output Power → 78mW + 78mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE, 195mW+195mW@32Ω Balanced 2.5mm
- Supported systems → Android, Windows, Mac OS, iPad OS, iOS (if you have older iPhones, though, you’ll have to buy a Type-C to Lightning adapter separately)
- Net weight → 11g
Packaging
The box is very small, it has a very simple design and contains:
- The Hidizs XO dongle
- A Type-C to Type-C cable
- A Type-C to USB-A adapter
- User manual and warranty card
- Two small “Hi-Res Audio” stickers
Design and Build Quality
The Hidizs XO is a true beauty in its (Rose Gold, in my case) metal chassis: it’s pleasant to look at, it’s very lightweight and its size also makes it easy to fit in small IEMs’ cases.
There are two RGB LED strips on the sides, on which Hidizs spent some effort (and words), since it’s a highlighted feature on the official product page on Hidizs’ website.
There are two physical buttons on the front:
- The X button: used for changing the RGB LEDs’ colors/effects;
- The O/rounded button: used for applying a sound filter (even though the difference is almost unnoticeable) which is recognizable by the color of the outer RGB LED ring.
Performance
Power consumption and temperature
The XO is not the most efficient dongle out there, even though this doesn’t only depend on the output or the RGB lighting (which for sure, when active, leads to higher battery drain).
One of the main issues is that the temperature increases pretty fast after some minutes of listening; this leads to more energy dispersion due to the heat, hence more power consumption and lower efficiency overall. Summer will definitely be a stressful test bench for the XO, since the operating temperatures will be much higher.
Having a dedicated gain setting option would have been optimal since one could decrease the gain with very sensitive IEMs in order to have less energy consumption and lower temperatures (hence, better efficiency with certain loads).
Sound
In terms of sound, the XO is relatively neutral with a very soft touch of warmth. It’s not the most resolving, accurate or analytical dongle DAC out there for sure, but delivers an overall nice and kinda musical sound that pairs well with almost every IEM.
Soundstage is quite expansive, detail retrieval is nice and the overall instrument separation is in line with the price range. There isn’t anything dirty going on even when very sensitive IEMs are plugged in, and the overall sound is slightly smoothened in the extreme upper and lower end in a pleasant way (hence not the most transparent/clinical or the driest I’ve heard).
Pressing the physical rounded button should slightly change the sound since there are two filter presets, but I found the two settings basically indistinguishable. Let’s say that Hidizs has put much more attention on the lighting, on the build quality and the overall appearance rather than on the sound filter.
Unfortunately, there also isn’t any button nor any combination of buttons that can be used to select a different gain setting, which is a missed opportunity.
Some comparisons:
Hidizs XO vs Truthear SHIO
The SHIO sounds slightly more neutral, more transparent, a little more analytical and detailed. It feels like a more capable product in terms of small nuances and it’s a bit more powerful as well. Not only that: the SHIO drains less battery (in both the gain modes through both the outputs), it doesn’t heat up like the XO and also has two gain levels, a feature that is missing on the Hidizs XO.
Build quality and lighting are of great quality on the XO, no doubt, whereas SHIO looks and feels cheaper even though its performance is slightly superior overall.
Hidizs XO vs Type-C Apple Dongle
There’s really no competition when it comes to power output, so it doesn’t make any sense to compare them under this aspect. The Apple Dongle, though, sounds very good in terms of quality, with a more linear and transparent sound compared to the XO.
The XO wins in terms of soundstage and overall detail retrieval, but it’s also slightly warmer than the Apple Dongle, hence a bit more colored and musical.
The Apple dongle has no issues with heating (it isn’t very powerful, though, so that also plays a role) and it’s basically a cable, while the Hidizs XO has a full metal chassis, RGB lighting, a balanced output (the Apple Dongle only has an unbalanced output) and looks way more premium.
Hidizs XO vs Fosi Audio DS2
The Hidizs XO is warmer, and slightly smoother in the upper end with a tad more low-end body. The DS2 is a bit brighter instead and more transparent, sounding slightly drier than Hidizs’ dongle.
In terms of power and efficiency, the DS2 can reach higher volumes and it does that without becoming very warm/hot after some minutes of listening, a thing that happens instead on the Hidizs XO and that leads to more power consumption than the Fosi DS2.
Both are built very well, they are very lightweight and portable, both feel solid in the hands and both sport an added 4.4mm jack port for the balanced output, along with the unbalanced 3.5mm port. The Hidizs XO has RGB lighting but doesn’t have any volume control buttons, and the sound filters are basically identical in terms of sound. Another important difference is the fact that the XO sports a 2.5mm balanced port, whereas the Fosi DS2 features a more common and safe 4.4mm output (2.5mm outputs aren’t very appreciated because 4.4mm connectors are generally less delicate on the long run).
The XO is not a bad dongle but the Fosi DS2 is a product with an overall higher value for money, even though they sound slightly different in terms of sound approach..
Fosi DS2 vs Hidizs XO
The Hidizs XO is warmer, and slightly smoother in the upper end with a tad more low-end body. The DS2 is a bit brighter instead and more transparent, sounding slightly drier than Hidizs’ dongle.
In terms of power and efficiency, the DS2 can reach higher volumes and it does that without becoming very warm/hot after some minutes of listening, a thing that happens instead on the Hidizs XO and that leads to more power consumption than the Fosi DS2.
Both are built very well, they are very lightweight and portable, both feel solid in the hands and both sport an added 4.4mm jack port for the balanced output, along with the unbalanced 3.5mm port. The Hidizs XO has RGB lighting but doesn’t have any volume control buttons, and the sound filters are basically identical in terms of sound. Another important difference is the fact that the XO sports a 2.5mm balanced port, whereas the Fosi DS2 features a more common and safe 4.4mm output (2.5mm outputs aren’t very appreciated because 4.4mm connectors are generally less delicate on the long run).
The XO is not a bad dongle but the Fosi DS2 is a product with an overall higher value for money, even though they sound slightly different in terms of sound approach.
A very personal take on this dongle and its target market
I think Hidizs tried to attract two kinds of customers with a single products:
- Audiophiles/audio gear hobbyists with the balanced + unbalanced outputs and nice technical specs
- Those who are attracted by RGB lightings (i.e. gamers and similar users)
I don’t really dig when things are mixed up because the final result is usually an in-between that works just ok for both kinds of users instead of excelling.
If Hidizs wanted to make something appealing to gamers, then a very good idea would have been making a dongle with unbalanced output and TRRS support so that gamers could also microphone input, and they could also have the RGB lighting that was implemented on the XO (which is definitely cool).
If they instead wanted to aim to the hobbyists that search for the best dongles around, then they should have put a bit more effort at making the XO more efficient, with a better temperature management and less battery drain (less effort on the lighting, more effort on the overall performance).
Final Thoughts
The Hidizs XO is among the most compact and lightweight dongles out there, enclosed in a high quality metal chassis and featuring both balanced and unbalanced outputs, which lead to a versatile and powerful source.
The RGB lighting is the icing on the cake, but it really looks like Hidizs put too much effort on a feature that drains more battery on a dongle that isn’t already very efficient. In fact, I would have understood the RGB lighting if the product was targeted to gamers, but this one aims to those who listen to music and prioritize quality, power and efficiency on the move, and the lighting doesn’t really improve the overall experience.
I still think the XO is a great device, but there are even better dongles in their price bucket and if Hidizs managed to address the few mentioned issues, this could have been an even better contender (especially considering their original listing price).
