[iFi audio]

Been listening to mine which arrived 24 hours ago, pretty much non-stop except for 6 hours of sleep.
Late yesterday I flashed FW 3.5c and it got even better. This thing is a keeper.

Incidentally, all the MQA troubles I read here, there and everywhere (in various contexts) continually make me happy that I remain listening/loving with Qobuz and local FLAC.
Trouble-free aural wonderfulness, and the Hip Dac delivers it effortlessly thus far.

edit: and it's true what many have said... the "XBass" on this thing is truly like an illicit drug; I shy away from bass-boosts in general except for specific tracks and headphone combinations.... but this button is becoming a very guilty pleasure.

Thanks a lot and I'm happy to read that you like hip-dac this much! As for its bass booster button, that's what happens when only bass is subject to it (... which is easier said than done!)

Enjoy!

 

[crazywipe]

Hi, I have one question: Can I use the hip dac with USB A on a laptop without using self internal battery? I mean self alimented with the USB A cable.
Thanks

 

[gazzington]

I'm thinking of getting one of these. What dap makes a decent small portable transport?

 

[utdeep]

Hiby R3 Pro

 

[chickentender]

Well, I won't add much to this thread beyond the short bit I've mentioned other than to echo quite a bit of praise many have lobbed at this things sound delivery.
Unfortunately, the only other thing I will add, after using it extensively for near to a week now, is that the battery life is rather abysmal. Luckily for me I purchased it to be primarily home/desktop use with the added benefit of being portable. However, if I'd purchased this for portable use primarily with the claims of 12 hours, and even the augmented 8 hours, in mind I'd have been more than a little pissed, frankly. I've been getting 4-5 hours at most, and that's mixed use with several cans, some that need matching and some that do not, Xbass in use perhaps 50% of the time. I can simply leave it plugged in (as I intended to) but did want to mention this.
In my humble opinion, this little thing is near to perfect and would be just that if it A) had better battery life, and B) had the ability to run in amp-only mode (with analog input).
But be all as it may, I'm still quite happy with it.

 

[iFi audio]

Hi, I have one question: Can I use the hip dac with USB A on a laptop without using self internal battery? I mean self alimented with the USB A cable.
Thanks

Hi crazywipe,
If you wish to use hip-dac as a desktop DAC you would want to use the USB type C (for power) and USB type A female (for data).

All the best,
iFi team

 

[BubbaJay]

I gotta say that I'm liking using my Hip Dac more than my desktop setup which is the D50s and Mimby with the SMSL SP200 THX amp. My desktop setup might be technically better but I like the musicality the Hip Dac gives my headphones like with my HP-3 and SR325e, even my Ananda and Sundara sound really good with it.

I've always like the way the Burr Brown chips sound and it gives my hp's that little bit of add warmth that makes them sound creamy and fun. I thought about getting the iDSD Black Label but I don't think it will sound much better than the Hip Dac and at $599 that's a steep price.

 

[SubieGC8]

so much value with the hip dac

 

[rasmushorn]

Any comparisons to the Mojo?

 

[utdeep]

With balanced, I think it might be better than the mojo. USB-C and MQA are also a bonus. Don't have one with me to compare though, but I've owned the Mojo on two separate stints.

 

[shoaibexpert]

Hi @iFi audio

I am buying the Hip DAC and noticed that there was a 4.4 Pentaconn balanced port and a 3.5mm port. I have these 2 questions:

1. Is the 3.5mm port fully balanced when used with a 3.5mm TRRS balanced connector/cable or does it stay single ended?

2. Also, with 3.5 Single ended connectors/cables, does it improve the SQ to go from say a 3.5mm single ended connector/cable (which comes with most headphones) to a 4.4mm Pentacon (other than voltage increase in voltage) connector cable...as i read something about the S-balanced providing all the benefits of balanced to single ended cables?

I am asking if I need to change my supplied headphone 3.5 single ended cable to either a 3.5mm or a 4.4mm balanced cable...given the 3.5mm TRRS balanced cables are cheaper..but ill only do this if it improves the SQ over the normal 3.5 single ended operation with the hip DAC.

Thanks

 

[TS0711]

I figured I'd try my xDuoo X20 as a source... The amp section of the Hip Dac in high gain takes total control over my Beyer DT880 (250 ohm) and normalizes the overly heavy bass. The cool thing is I can either control the x20 via an app or stream to it over BT. Tital masters do not light up purple when streaming to the x20.

 

[crazywipe]

Hi crazywipe,
If you wish to use hip-dac as a desktop DAC you would want to use the USB type C (for power) and USB type A female (for data).

All the best,
iFi team

Thanks! I have only one problem, I will use the Hip Dac with my Thinkpad that has only 1 usb type C that is used for charging, and it has two usb type A (one on the left side and one on the right) I was wondering if I can use one cable splitter with usb type a and type c connected to the hip dac and one type a connected to my thinkpad. Will It works? Sorry for the kinda weird question...

 

[iFi audio]

Thanks! I have only one problem, I will use the Hip Dac with my Thinkpad that has only 1 usb type C that is used for charging, and it has two usb type A (one on the left side and one on the right) I was wondering if I can use one cable splitter with usb type a and type c connected to the hip dac and one type a connected to my thinkpad. Will It works? Sorry for the kinda weird question...

All good, it's not a wierd question at all. In theory it should work, but let me double-check.

Tital masters do not light up purple when streaming to the x20.

You mean magenta LED on hip-dac?

1. Is the 3.5mm port fully balanced when used with a 3.5mm TRRS balanced connector/cable or does it stay single ended?

hip-dac incorporates our very own S-Balanced circuit topology, please see here: https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/iFi-audio-xCAN-S_BAL-Tech-Note.pdf

2. Also, with 3.5 Single ended connectors/cables, does it improve the SQ to go from say a 3.5mm single ended connector/cable (which comes with most headphones) to a 4.4mm Pentacon (other than voltage increase in voltage) connector cable...as i read something about the S-balanced providing all the benefits of balanced to single ended cables?

hip-dac's 4.4mm headphone out is fully balanced and more powerful. If you intend to use IEMs, 3.5mm out is the way to go, and 4.4mm out if you intend to use regular cans fond of extra power.

With balanced, I think it might be better than the mojo. USB-C and MQA are also a bonus. Don't have one with me to compare though, but I've owned the Mojo on two separate stints.

Thanks!

so much value with the hip dac

I won't disagree

 

[Poganin]

hip-dac's 4.4mm headphone out is fully balanced and more powerful. If you intend to use IEMs, 3.5mm out is the way to go, and 4.4mm out if you intend to use regular cans fond of extra power.

I found that some power hungry IEMs, like the Tin Hifi P1 or the IMR EDP benefit from the balanced output too.