HIFIMAN SERENADE

Intro

Goldenwave is a boutique audio manufacturer from China that was recently bought by HIFIMAN. The first two products born out of this collaboration are the Prelude headphone amplifier and the Serenade DAC/amp. The Prelude used to be a DAC/amp when it was produced under the Goldenwave brand name but now HIFIMAN has stripped it out of its DAC, offering it as a standalone headphone amplifier and kept the Serenade as the DAC/amp combo unit.

When the Serenade was produced by Goldenwave it featured a ES9038PRO DAC chip that is now substituted with HIFIMAN’s own HYMALAYA PRO R2R DAC module.

Technical stuff

The HYMALAYA PRO R2R DAC is a small module that consists of several 0.01% precision resistors and supports a new FPGA algorithm. The Serenade uses two such modules in a balanced implementation and HIFIMAN claims that it has a performance equivalent to two PCM1704K balanced connections with a measured performance that surpasses that of the legendary PCM1704.

The Serenade uses a discrete components LPF analog circuit without coupling capacitors in the signal path. The Class A, fully balanced, headphone amplifier is made with precisely matched transistors and is based on the circuit of the Prelude headphone amplifier.

HIFIMAN knows that clean power is the mother of audio so they have designed an internal, linear power supply that is based on a 50W toroidal transformer which has an iron core and oxygen-free copper windings. The power supply has nearly 30.000 microfarads of total capacitance and features multiple, low-noise, high speed voltage regulators.



Non Audio stuff

HIFIMAN Serenade supports traditional USB, optical and coaxial digital inputs as well as streaming media through a wired LAN connection. The USB input uses a separate XMOS XU316 receiver and supports up to 384kHz/32bit PCM and DSD256 while the SPDIF inputs are limited to 192kHz/32bit PCM and DSD64. The LAN wired network further surpasses the USB input to support 768kHz/32bit and DSD512.

An RCA single-ended line level input is also included so you can use the Serenade as a standalone headphone amplifier or preamplifier for an external analog source like a phono.

Analog outputs include both XLR balanced and RCA single-ended while the headphone amplifier offers 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm balanced as well as 6.35mm single-ended outputs.

The HIFIMAN Serenade includes a great variety of inputs and outputs to cover multiple usage scenarios and the only thing really missing is WiFi wireless connectivity for the streamer and maybe a balanced XLR analog input. A version with a Bluetooth module that supports LDAC level reception is only available for the Chinese market.

The whole chassis of the Serenade is made from solid CNC machined aluminum alloy that has a smooth black finish and features an elegant design with rounded corners and curved edges. The front panel has a glass faceplate insert that looks very attractive and houses a small LCD screen that is positioned just before the volume control knob.

The Serenade combines compact size with a low profile so it can fit virtually anywhere, be it your desktop or a HiFi rack. This is a sturdy and exceptionally well made device that weighs a whole 3.9kg. The Serenade together with the Prelude are the best made and assembled HIFIMAN devices I have tested so far.



Operation stuff

Operation is easy and straightforward, the Serenade has three buttons at the top part of the faceplate that are used to perform the various operations. The left one is to cycle through all the available inputs. With the center button you can enter a sub-menu with the options to set LCD brightness and select whether the steaming board power supply will be always on or not. The right button will cycle the output options between headphone amplifier, preamplifier or DAC. The screen will clearly display all settings and input sampling rate.

The power switch is located at the back and since there is no standby button at the front you must reach for the switch every time you have to power on/off the device.

The HIFIMAN Serenade features an embedded network streamer with the option to switch it off when not in use in order to minimize EMI. This is a wired only board without support for wireless connectivity. The device is plug 'n play, the only thing you have to do is to plug a LAN cable and start steaming.

There is no dedicated application so you must rely on third party apps, like the well known BubbleUPnP, in order to access streaming services or your music library through network attached drives. Not much of an issue though since this is the best streaming application available in the market and is very cheap to buy the premium version. The Serenade also supports Tidal connect and it doesn't have a USB port for attaching memory sticks or hard drives.



Power and gear stuff

The headphone amplifier of the Serenade is powerful and can do 4W/32Ω or 760mW/300Ω from its balanced output. Even the single ended output is powerful enough and can do 2.8W/32Ω or 510mW/32Ω. The Serenade can effortlessly power the HIFIMAN Susvara and high impedance headphones like the Sennheiser HD8XX with plenty of headroom and excellent dynamics. With the Susvara, I never needed to go past the middle of the volume knob.

Noise floor is low and not audible unless you plug in some really sensitive earphones like the FiiO FX15 or headphones like the Aune AR5000. With such loads there is also the risk of getting loud too early because the amplifier doesn't have a low gain setting. There is a workaround though, you can always use the iFi iEMatch which helps to enjoy the sonic qualities of the Serenade with your favorite sensitive earphones as it effectively vanishes noise and allows for a wider range of volume adjustment.

As per usual practice the HIFIMAN Serenade was left playing music for more than 100 hours before listening evaluation. Power, USB and headphone cables are all made by Lavricables.

A caveat

The LAN streamer of the Serenade is a little better sounding than all the other digital inputs, USB included. And I am not talking about the maximum bit rate support, which is higher on the LAN, but I am rather referring to actual sound quality differences when comparing the exact same track through all the digital inputs. Plain and simple, the LAN just slightly surpasses in audio performance all the other inputs and this is the one that must be utilized in order to get the most out of the HIFIMAN Serenade.

Audio stuff

Reading all these technical mumbo jumbo about the HIFIMAN Serenade using R2R DAC modules and discrete audio circuits with transistors and all that stuff made me have great expectations about the audio performance. I was expecting something different sounding than the usual D/S & THX combo units that are flooding the market and I was proven right.

You don't need to listen to more than a couple of favorite tracks to get acquainted with the Serenade and become familiar with its special sound characteristics and the philosophy that hides behind the tuning concept. The Serenade belongs to the rarely found specimens of audio devices that are specifically designed and tuned to sound as natural and musical as possible. Timbre gets the lion's share and technicalities follow suit to support by adding the necessary technical performance a modern audio device should have to stay competitive.

What the Serenade does extremely well is to transform digital streams into real sounding music by recreating and communicating the soul and the atmosphere that are captured inside the recording, connecting the listener with the music. The Serenade has all the necessary means to reproduce instruments and voices with the utmost realism and exceptionally natural timbre, an euphonic and organic sound that is full of colorful harmonies and rich overtones. Furthermore, digital glare and artificiality are banned forever, the treble is free of metallic artifacts and any kind of sharpness or coarseness.

This is a smooth sounding device that doesn't induce listening fatigue while it manages to stay vibrant and energetic enough. Detail retrieval is realized in such a way to let the finest particles naturally emerge from the depths of the recording and gather together to help form the whole picture. The Serenade is not made for analytical listening and has long parted from sterility and clinically driven manners.

This kind of sound shaping doesn't mean that the HIFIMAN Serenade is deliberately adding some kind of extra coloration that is not already present on the source material or manipulating the frequency response of both the DAC and the amplifier. Linearity and neutrality are respected, the sound is not lacking in transparency and overall clarity from the bottom to the top. Resolution and definition are very competitive and not less from what someone would expect for the category. The textures are rich and juicy, from the weighty and visceral low-end, to the lush and fluidious mid-range, up to the liquid-smooth treble. Bass technicalities are really great, it is speedy but not too fast, tight and controlled with plenty of physical impact and good layering. You can definitely find faster sounding and more controlled bass, with greater dynamic impact and even better layering (if that is what you seek) but as a whole, the Serenade offers a nicely balanced low-end that sounds effortlessly natural.

The Serenade shines when it comes to the soundstage and the way it gets recreated by becoming multi-dimensional and holographic. This is not only a spacious and open sounding audio device but furthermore it offers gobs of depth layering and ambient information. Imaging and separation are very good but not class leading, some of the competition, like say the FiiO K9 PRO ESS, can do better than the Serenade. But in the end, what really sets it apart from the competition is its unique way to sound atmospheric , grandiose and speaker-like. Listening to large scale classical music, with headphones like the Meze Elite and the HIFIMAN Susvara, is an unmatched experience.



Treat me like a DAC

Except for headphone listening I have also tested the DAC output of the HIFIMAN Serenade in a 2-channel speaker system that consists of the Audio Physic Spark speakers and the Lab 12 integre4 MK2 integrated amplifier in an acoustically treated room.

In this section I am not going to describe the sound performance of the DAC because it is nearly identical to that of the balanced headphone output as discussed above. What I want to do is to emphasize how good sounding and competitive is the DAC portion of the Serenade. You can buy the Serenade as a standalone DAC/streamer and completely ignore the headphone output if you don't need it.

The Serenade is just excellent as a standalone R2R DAC and can do justice to many 2-channel speaker systems. The overall sound signature and sonic performance reminds me a lot of the Gustard DAC R26 that I have reviewed in the past or maybe the Denafrips Pontus II. Yes, that good is the Serenade as a DAC and it gets my highest recommendation if you are after a mid-range R2R DAC with the added bonus of the embedded streamer.

Comparison with the FiiO K9 PRO ESS

(sound only comparison)

The K9 PRO ESS is more neutral and transparent, an audio device that is more absent rather than present. Technicalities are of higher quality but the sound signature is slightly more sterile and drier when compared to the warmer and smoother sounding Serenade. The K9 PRO ESS is cleaner and more energetic, with better overall definition and offers a more analytical view into the recording but it is also flatter and not as dimensional and atmospheric as the Serenade. The bass on the K9 PRO ESS is more impactful, faster and tighter but not as rich and visceral as on the HIFIMAN Serenade which has also the ability to sound more organic and natural than the K9 PRO ESS which additionally is not devoid of some digital glare and artificiality.

Conclusion

The HIFIMAN Serenade is an all-in-one audio device where all outputs are equally treated and offer the same kind of sonic performance without compromises. You can consider the Serenade both as a powerful DAC/amp for your headphones or as a DAC/preamplifier for a 2-channel speaker system and treat the embedded streamer as a nice gift. Whichever the use scenario might be, you are going to be rewarded with a very musical and organic sound signature backed by strong technicalities.

I consider the Serenade as the best sounding and well made audio device HIFIMAN has made thus far and has rightfully become an indivisible part of my reference systems both for headphones and speakers listening alike. The HIFIMAN Serenade earns my warmest recommendation and it is an audio device that you must definitely audition if you value timbre realism and lifelike musicality.

The review sample was kindly provided free of charge.

The price of the HIFIMAN Serenade is $999 (€1139) and you can buy it from the HIFIMAN store.

A deluxe version of the review with more photos is available in my website.

I’ve had the pleasure of owning Hifiman’s new balanced Dac/Amp, the Goldenwave Serenade, for a couple of months. It’s quite an aesthetic build and the minimalist black casing gives a reassuringly solid feel. All the connectivity options one might require are snugly packed onto the back of the unit, including balanced and unbalanced outputs. For my listening, I’ve connected the unit to a MacBook Pro using Wireworld’s Supernova optical Toslink-3.5mm cable – an expensive option, but worth it for the noticeable improvement in sound.

On the front panel we have XLR and 4.4mm Pentacon balanced outputs as well as the standard unbalanced 6.35mm stereo plug. I had fun using two outputs simultaneously, connecting my Hifiman Arya Organic and Sennheiser HD650 via XLR and 6.35mm respectively, using high-quality OCC copper cables by GAGACOCC for both.

Both headphones sound great with the Serenade, but what struck me first of all was the volume difference between the two – comfortable listening on the Sennheisers being around 12 o’clock and 10-11 o’clock on the Arya. The HD650 is meant to be quite an efficient headphone so it goes to show just how easy to drive Hifiman’s more recent headphones really are.

The serenade has a very enjoyable sound signature which reminds of a tube-amp warmth and fluidity. Transient and airy sounds are just fantastic with the Arya; there’s a real tangible feel to experimental electronic music by artists such as Bernard Parmegiani and Autechre. On some brighter recordings, I did feel the treble was too much and found myself switching to the HD650. The sibilance on Anderson .Paak’s vocals in Oxnard was much easier to bear with the Sennheisers and the silky smooth delivery of bassline and back-up vocals had me tapping my foot. The Serenade is excellent with dynamics so your pop and rock will really have the rhythmic kick to give it that fun factor.

While the Serenade brings the best musicality and smoothness out of the HD650s, the Arya’s hyper-detailed sound can be fully enjoyed too. I perceived sounds in some recordings I had no idea even existed before, and found it hard stop listening to very well-edited albums such as Radiohead’s King of Limbs. There’s a three-dimensionality in tracks such as Bloom or Codex where subtle editing and stereo effects in background electronics would be totally lost with headphones not capable of such resolution (probably in part due to the Arya’s remarkable treble extension, up to 65khz). This doesn’t mean the sound is clinical – there’s a very pleasing feeling that the instruments are floating naturally in a holographic picture, with an aforementioned tube-like effortlessness that my Chord Mojo doesn’t even come close to. The Arya’s wide soundstage is also brought out very nicely, and they can perform the ‘disappearing act’ headphone enthusiasts yearn for, in a way that the HD650, for all its excellent qualities, isn’t quite capable of.

Easily one of my favourite things about listening to music with the Serenade, is the loving way instrumental sounds are presented, particularly stringed instruments such as guitar - I especially enjoyed listening to Ravi Rhankar's Sitar playing. Without wishing to get too poetic, it genuinely feels as as if the instruments were smiling, enjoying the proper presentation of their textures and dynamic range.


To sum-up, the Serenade is clearly a very capable unit and delivers an excellent price to performance ratio. The sound is controlled and authoritative but nonetheless feels liquid and natural, with a three-dimensionality and tangibility that can be quite addictive! I’d absolutely recommend giving it a try with your favourite headphones.