HIFIMAN EF600 Desktop DAC/AMP

First, just so you know who’s writing; I’m a professional flute player who’s been playing flute for just under three decades. I’ve spent a large part of my life listening, therefore, to acoustic instruments. This isn’t to demonstrate some egotistical notion of my credentials - rather, it’s to inform the reader of my preferences and to filter my opinion accordingly.

Appearence:
Firstly, from a shallow/ surface perspective, its casing and aesthetic are pleasing. Its size and shape make it stand out as worthy of attention, the buttons are easy to use and well-placed. The volume control is a solid oblong knob, and with the just right amount of resistance, the feel is very smooth. The fact that it doubles as a headphone stand cannot be overstated. A simple decision in retrospect, but so handy and such a great way to display one of its best features (more on that later). The power button is on the back, as are the various inputs, which means the outward appearance is neat.

Sound:
First impressions are important. Of course, if one is an “audiophile” then second, third, and hundredth impressions are just as important, but for those of us with friends we want to show some music to, that first wow factor of the sound is so important. The articulate, expansive texture of the sound brought out by the EF600 is immediately apparent. After hosting many listening sessions with friends to try out their favorite records, I began to realize that catching their attention would always be crucial in the first few moments; the detail and spaceciousness that were brought forth by the EF600 were immediately obvious and vastly different from their previous experience of the tracks they thought they knew well. I mention this because while it’s important to get into the details of this product, listening to music is very often a communal experience and this one with EF600 is a blast. My set up is twofold: for my speaker setup, I’ve got a pair of B&W DM23 (I’m not rich and I love them a lot), a Teac amp which the EF600 feeds, and then I use my laptop as a source via USB-C. For headphones, I have a pair of Ananda Stealth with a balanced cable. I did several blind DAC listening tests with friends and they could tell every time which test featured the EF600. The sound through the speakers has all of the warmth of the DM23s but with an extra layer of clarity that I am still getting used to, and they shine with anything acoustic. Classical and jazz records are a delight. But records using live samples are also incredible - Flying Lotus, for instance… I’ve listened to his work thoroughly (because I love him) and I have been hearing things I could have sworn were not there previously. My B&Ws have never sounded as clear or lively before. By that I mean the sound extends further in treble as well as bass, bringing new information from both ends of the spectrum, while remaining very balanced and I don't find any frequency range obscuring the other. It just made my listening experience something truly special - I listen through Qobuz usually when I can’t get FLAC files directly, and I feel like I am finally bringing out the resolution from the tracks. I did a comparison with a Schiit stack (Bifrost+Jotunheim) I borrowed from a friend, and I’m still extremely happy with mine. The warmth and breadth I get from the EF600 is really outstanding, I can listen to them for days without getting overwhelmed. The NOS in particular gives the sound the appeal of a much more expensive piece of kit - I work with higher-end turntables quite often (I work part-time in a record store) and the almost analog quality of the DAC is something akin to the experience of listening to a vinyl.



A bit about the pairing with Ananda- I know they aren't high-end Hifiman, but they bring out such detail, crispness and the staging capabilities are also fantastic. I often feel like I am watching the concert happen rather than having headphones blasting sound directly into my brain. This means again, longer listening times are possible with less strain on the ears. I have not found a reason to upgrade my headphones yet.

Classical music lovers in particular will find this unit highly appealing. I really cannot recommend it enough.

Prelude:
HIFIMAN needs no introduction, they have proven many times how much they can achieve and if I wrote that they fail, I would have to lie. After the great success of the EF400, they decided to present the EF600, a versatile DAC and AMP with several additional functions. The structure was built in such a way that it can also be used as a stand for headphones, which I really like. On board we have two DACs from the himalaya pro series on R2R and a solid amplifier with a power of 5.12 Watts per channel at 32 Ohm load and 1.8 Watts per channel after the SE output. Unfortunately, we only have two headphone outputs: balanced XLR and unbalanced 6.5mm. There are also two low and high gain levels and two digital filters, OS and NOS. On the back we have a USB C and USB B input, additionally two balanced XLR outputs and the same inputs, a coaxial input and an RCA input and output. The device itself also has a high-quality toroidal power supply and full Bluetooth support, including APTX, APTX HD, LDAC codecs, so we have everything except network functions and all for USD 799. The form factor ensures low space requirements and the ability to use the device instead of a separate headphone stand.



UNBOXING:
Unpacking in this case is not something particularly exciting – it is a standard hifiman packaging, which contains only a cable for the power supply and the device itself, there is a voltage switch at the bottom so we can use our amplifier both in Europe and in other parts of the world. Using the EF600 is very simple, there are two switches and that’s it.
Synergy:
The signature represented by the EF600 is extremely natural, with a huge separation of instruments and channels, so I did not notice any problems, and even headphones as difficult to drive properly as the very bass R9 from hifimnan sound really amazing in combination with the EF600, which proves to me how much this combo can do, providing excellent sound. And this is both using a wired connection and Bluetooth, and even in the case of an aptx connection with Windows.



Sound:


BASS: The low tones are extremely flexible, with great dynamics and a delightfully warm and natural presentation – a bass with a light and pleasant character. You can hear the presence of the R2R system here because the low tones sound extremely light and clear. The songs are very realistic, both when used as a DAC/AMP and as a DAC after the line output. Overall, the DAC section is the strongest point of the EF600 and after the line output the whole thing sounds stunningly good. The resolution and range of the lower registers is one of the best I could expect.

Diameter: What I like most is the natural and very transparent presentation. The separation of instruments and the tonal range are truly impressive. This is due to the excellent separation between the right and left channels. This provides a sense of enormous tonal range and distributes individual instruments around the head. The stage generated by the EF600 is really large, both in depth and width. Vocals sound transparent and very natural, they are also slightly warmed, but overall they sound very good. The midrange is undoubtedly the strong point of this presentation.

Treble: They are resolved and transparent, have the right amount of shine and a lot of information. The midrange is soft and pleasant. The amount of high tones is very good, and their timbre is pleasant and very clear. This is one of the most natural DAC/AMPs I know. We will also have a large amount of information and detailed and colorful sound. This approach to high frequencies makes us listen with pleasure and full involvement.



Bluetooth:
Wirelessly, the EF600 plays very similarly to a USB connection, the connection stability is very good and I haven’t noticed any problems. Searching for and adding new devices is intuitive and works very well. I also did not notice that the sound after LDAC differed in quality from the USB section, which proves a very good implementation.

DAC:
As I have already mentioned, the EF600 DAC is impressive and impresses with its excellent naturalness and realism, with excellent channel separation and an excellent amount of information. Here I really have to admit that HIFIMAN is absolutely right in saying that HIMALAYA PRO is a very well-thought-out DAC circuit. Delightful in terms of the correctness and purity of the presented content. Honestly, this is one of my favorite DAC circuits.

AMP:
As an amplifier, the EF600 works well, has a lot of power and responds perfectly to the nature of the source we connect to it. It handled models such as Sundara, Edition XS and Aria Organic perfectly and had no problems with driving them.



Comparisons:
EF600 ($799) VS XDUOO TUBE AMP ($100-500)
When comparing the EF600 with XDUOO tube products, the dynamics and purity of the sound are definitely an advantage for the EF600, while using the EF600 as a DAC for a good-class tube amplifier, you can see the huge potential that hifiman has included in this device.



Summary:
Hifiman constantly follows the trends it sets and this is also the case with the EF600, it is an excellent DAC and a great amplifier enriched with a fully functional Bluetooth receiver. The only thing missing was a 4.4mm output, luckily we have XLR and can use an appropriate adapter. As an AMP it also performs very well, there is a lot of power and the signal purity is exemplary. In the case of models such as EDITION XS, ARIA ORGANIC or sundara closed, the synergy was amazing. This is a very good product worth the entire price we have to pay for it. Although the amplifier section is good and has excellent dynamics, the greatest potential in the EF600 can be found in the DAC section with even better quality amplifiers, you can clearly feel the increase in quality provided by R2R in this system. Therefore, overall, I think that the EF600 is a very well-priced DAC and headphone AMP at USD 799, with great possibilities in the amplifier section and very large possibilities in the DAC section. I will venture to say that it is worth buying it even as an external DAC because it is difficult to look for such naturalism and realism in sound. in competitor products. So I must say, great work by hifiman, excellent product and quality of workmanship adequate to the budget.

This is my first impression of the HIFIMAN EF600 DAC/amp. I received the HIFIMAN EF600 about a week ago. I have been enjoying listening to it daily. I traded up from the EF400 because I wanted a coax input in addition to the USB. I currently have three other DACs, all using the sigma-delta modulator method of conversion. They are the Burson Conductor 3 Reference, the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, and the Gustard X-26 Pro (running into the HeadAmp GS-X mini). I listen with the HIFIMAN HE1000 v2 Stealth Edition headphones. Stock headphone cable for the ¾” jacks on the Burson C3R and RME ADI-2 DAC FS outputs, and Cardas Clear 4-pin cable for the balanced outputs on the others. My disc spinner is the Audiolab 6000CDT transport. I use my Apple MacBook Pro into the Core Power Technologies USBe Perfect to send Qobuz into the DACs. This past week I’ve been listening to a variety of jazz from Miles Davis to the Bad Plus; classic rock, prog rock, indie rock and Zappa; and guitar & vocal music like John Prine, Sam Baker and Shelby Lynne’s tribute to Dusty Springfield; Just A Little Lovin’ (excellent album).

The HIFIMAN EF600 surprised me. Actually, it nearly floored me. At this price, I did not expect it to sound as good as it does. To me, this sounds better/more enjoyable than any other DAC/amp I have. I was shocked when I first put on Thelonious Monk’s Underground CD. Every instrument sounded more real, more fleshed out, than I had ever heard them sound before on this CD. I have been similarly pleased streaming Qobuz via USB cable. Using the Low Gain NOS mode, the EF600 sounds fuller and weightier than my other DACs, as well as sounding more like I’m listening to my Rega P6/Hana ML/Parasound JC 3 Jr. rig than to a digital source. The OS mode on this DAC sounds more like a sigma-delta DACs. It is a little on the bright side, and the fullness (analog-like sound) of the NOS mode isn’t there. I suppose its good if you have midrange heavy headphones that can use a little zing, maybe like my olds Senn HD-600 cans.

To sum up, the EF600 (in NOS mode) gives you the power and detail of a solid state amp, along with the richness of a tube amp (like my Feliks Audio Espressivo Mark II). At this price, I think it is unbeatable. Thank you, HIFIMAN, for putting out this DAC/amp at a reasonably attainable price point. It sounds like something costing many times its price. Oh, and the HE1000 V2 Stealth cans fit perfectly over the headphone holder portion of this DAC/amp. It’s a keeper.