[Mellowship]

I'm not hearing any hiss with the HDII, don't know what kind of earphones you're planning to use it with but for this kind of price you might as well try it? It's not like you're spending $60 on a DAC or something lol

No hiss also for me with the HD mk2 firmw.D. Even with KZ ZS5v1.
Right now I'm using the Sabaj D1, an old DAC with the PCM2704, and my KZ AS10, and it hisses like crazy, but the sound has those great dynamics of the primitive 2704 chip.

 

[129207]

No hiss also for me with the HD mk2 firmw.D. Even with KZ ZS5v1.
Right now I'm using the Sabaj D1, an old DAC with the PCM2704, and my KZ AS10, and it hisses like crazy, but the sound has those great dynamics of the primitive 2704 chip.

I have the Tempotec running on firmware D, and my AS10 are hissy. A previous post mentioned that it could be an Android issue, but I've tried it on three phones so far (two with Android 7, one with Android 8) and the hiss doesn't disappear. I can hear it in Youtube, Spotify and Tidal. Haven't tried it in a dedicated local player, like Neutron or something alike.

Maybe it's just the Tempotec version, and not the Hidizs?

EDIT: It's definitely an impedance issue. When I try a headphone or IEM with an impedance over 32ohm, there's way less audible hiss.

 

[Mellowship]

I have the Tempotec running on firmware D, and my AS10 are hissy. A previous post mentioned that it could be an Android issue, but I've tried it on three phones so far (two with Android 7, one with Android 8) and the hiss doesn't disappear. I can hear it in Youtube, Spotify and Tidal. Haven't tried it in a dedicated local player, like Neutron or something alike.

Maybe it's just the Tempotec version, and not the Hidizs?

EDIT: It's definitely an impedance issue. When I try a headphone or IEM with an impedance over 32ohm, there's way less audible hiss.

I just tried the AS10 with the Hidizs on Honor 8 / Android 8 using Spotify (highest quality streaming) and I ear no perceptible hiss.
Could be my ageing ears that are starting to get less sensible to high frequency - low amplitude sounds?! How old are you, if I may ask?

 

[129207]

I just tried the AS10 with the Hidizs on Honor 8 / Android 8 using Spotify (highest quality streaming) and I ear no perceptible hiss.
Could be my ageing ears that are starting to get less sensible to high frequency - low amplitude sounds?! How old are you, if I may ask?

I'm 35, but I wouldn't call my hearing perfect. I have some hearing damage from spending years on stage. Lost some upper frequencies, nothing dramatic though.

 

[Mellowship]

I'm 35, but I wouldn't call my hearing perfect. I have some hearing damage from spending years on stage. Lost some upper frequencies, nothing dramatic though.

Less than two months to 40 here...

I guess the hissing problem might be due to the Hidizs/Tempotec themselves. Maybe some batches have a different DAC ?! I guess I was lucky with mine.

 

[peter123]

I have the Tempotec running on firmware D, and my AS10 are hissy. A previous post mentioned that it could be an Android issue, but I've tried it on three phones so far (two with Android 7, one with Android 8) and the hiss doesn't disappear. I can hear it in Youtube, Spotify and Tidal. Haven't tried it in a dedicated local player, like Neutron or something alike.

Maybe it's just the Tempotec version, and not the Hidizs?

EDIT: It's definitely an impedance issue. When I try a headphone or IEM with an impedance over 32ohm, there's way less audible hiss.

What do you mean by it's an impedance issue?

Of course IEM's/headphones with higher impedance is less prone to hissing, this is always the case as they're harder to drive.....

 

[RiflemanFirst]

I bought one of these the other day for the fun of it. I did a quick functional check with the original firmware then flashed the D firmware on it. It seems to drive my TH-X00, HD598 SE, and various earbuds with plenty of juice to spare. It drives my HD660S with just a bit extra headroom. Sound maybe a bit on the bright side overall compared to my Modi Multibit & Magni 3 stack, but still pleasant to listen to. Overall it seems like a good value for the money, but it definitely isn't perfect. See below.

My nitpicks:
1.) The volume adjustment is stuck to 6.0 dB steps via Windows. Range is -42.0 dB up to 0.0 dB. This makes finding the "sweet spot" for your ears a bit difficult unless you have a secondary method of adjusting volume. I was able to get around this by using the volume adjustment within Tidal or Foobar2000 to fine tune to the proper level. Seems like there is a bit more granularity to the volume adjustment via my Android phone.

2.) I get some clicking & popping when starting music tracks or when skipping to different parts of a track regardless of using Tidal or Foobar2000 on my Windows machines and to a slightly lesser degree on my Android phone.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

So, I've been enjoying using this device. Its been running great on the Pure Music firmware.

However, recently I realised that my built-in microphone sucks in my laptop so I decided to flash the "C firmware" which is focused on music but still supposed to allow the microphone to work. So I flashed the firmware properly, and realised that the mic shows up in Windows Devices but does not work... just silence! I tried everything.

However I then flashed the "A - Focused on Calls firmware" and voila, mic is working with my laptop now but of course max I can have for audio is 24bit/48000khz.

Can anyone try to confirm this issue for me on their device too? Just flash the "C firmware" and see if the microphone is working with your PC.

 

[Mnie88]

Hello All

After flashing to firmware D (pure music), I cannot get it to work on my Mate 10 Pro (Android - latest emui).
Do any of you know of a solution, other then downgrading the Sonata ?

 

[RiflemanFirst]

Hello All

After flashing to firmware D (pure music), I cannot get it to work on my Mate 10 Pro (Android - latest emui).
Do any of you know of a solution, other then downgrading the Sonata ?

No sound at all or just no microphone?

 

[Mnie88]

No sound at all, just a clipping sound when I connect it, and then nothing.

 

[Mnie88]

No sound at all or just no microphone?

No sound at all, just a clipping sound when I connect it, and then nothing.

 

[RiflemanFirst]

No sound at all, just a clipping sound when I connect it, and then nothing.

Does it still work on whichever machine you flashed the firmware with? Mine works on both my Windows machines and my Android Phone after updating to the D firmware. You may need to go into the USB settings on your Mate 10 and make sure the phone is still powering or "charging" the Sonata HD.

 

[Mnie88]

Does it still work on whichever machine you flashed the firmware with? Mine works on both my Windows machines and my Android Phone after updating to the D firmware. You may need to go into the USB settings on your Mate 10 and make sure the phone is still powering or "charging" the Sonata HD.

Still work on Windows 10, but not on android. It automatically change to power usb device (cant change that, despite developer settings). And just tried with my other usb dac VE Odessy, and it works on the phone.

 

[RiflemanFirst]

Still work on Windows 10, but not on android. It automatically change to power usb device (cant change that, despite developer settings). And just tried with my other usb dac VE Odessy, and it works on the phone.

It is possible that the D firmware doesn't play nice with your phone for whatever reason. Maybe you can try flashing the A or C firmware to see if it makes a difference. Either way, the Sonata HD should work fine as an audio output device with the D firmware on your phone. Not sure what else to try other than contacting HIDIZS for support.