Overview
The
HiFime 9018 is a definite improvement compared to the sound card of my 2014 Macbook Pro. It sounds very natural and detailed. I would still recommend an amp to drive high impedance headphones like the HD650 (mentioned in the HiFime product description) and my pair of DT990 250 Ohm though… The DAC will drive them to a loud listening volume but nothing more. HiFime informed me that in order to make the DAC work with a variety of headphones they limited the output power as the Savitech USB receiver only has a 8 step volume control. The upcoming 9018D with its lossless digital 255 step volume control has a higher max output power and can be used for a greater range of headphones (sensitive IEMs till high impedance HPS).
Comparison
With their similar price tags I compared the HiFime9018 to the Fiio E10k. I think they are really close with an edge towards the 9018s sound. Then again the Fiio has a more powerful amp stage and high quality finished housing. The Sabre ES9018K2M
32bit DAC chip is nice spec-wise but honestly I do not hear improvements in audio quality above 44,1kbps/16bits PCM files. DSD is another story...
DSD support
Playing native DSD128 stereo files in Audirvana Plus is where the HiFime 9018 really shines. I was really impressed with my first DSD128 experience and I think it has an edge over high-end FLACs.
While being impressed my biggest disappointment was with the DSD playback as well. The volume control is done by the USB receiver and this means that the signal is altered before going into the DAC chip and thus playback of DSD is impossible below 0db (highest volume level). If you use this DAC to feed an amp you're fine but when connected directly to headphones you're stuck at the highest volume level. Luckily for me this still is a comfortable level with the DT990 250 Ohm. The 9018D which I mentioned earlier also addresses this issue as the digital volume control has access to the DAC data path (explanation
here).
Nice to know
"One more thing" which I find really nice is the tiny footprint and light weight. The housing does get warm due to the packed double PCB but nothing I am worried about.
The plastics give the unit a somewhat plain look and the finish is below level compared to others in its price range (read Fiio E10k). This being said it does feel very solid.
Native android 5.0 support works like a charm on my Nexus 7 with an OTG cable, really nice for those bedtime listening sessions
.
The folks of HiFime are really nice and try to answer any questions you might have, thumbs-up!
Summary
The HiFime 9018 delivers! The Sabre ES9018 chip, usually found in higher priced DACs, produces a natural detailed sound which will leave you smiling while listening to your favorite tunes.
If you are looking for the best bang for buck USB DSD DAC to connect to an amp look no further. As a standalone DAC/headphone amp there are limitations for high impedance headphones (+200 Ohm) and DSD playback, in this case my recommendation would be to wait for the
HiFime 9018D USB DAC (preorder). If you don't care about DSD playback ( you should
) and have relatively low impedance headphones you could go for the
HiFimeDIY Sabre U2 Asynchronous USB DAC at $57.00.
