Just got home from the long journey and the first thing I did after putting my suitcase away was to power up the Hiface 2, and within the 1st few seconds I had to ask myself was I hearing things?! The Hiface 2 is better than the original Hiface, a lot better. Deeper, less bloated bass, decay is improved, along with its sense of space, I mean I now can 'feel' the bass a lot better even from my old rusty w100. Soundstage is also improved, but the most significant improvement lies in imaging realm. Things are now a lot clearer, more transparent, yet there's no coloring in sight. That's exactly what I expect from a good transport. Mids and highs are also take a step up from the original Hiface. There're also plenty of details to hear, the Hiface 2 sure brings back memories when I first powered up my balanced B22, though the amount of detail now is not as striking but the feeling I have now is not too far off.
I don't know if the Hiface 2 is qualified to be called 'hiend' but it sure brings my B24 + B22 to another level. Those guys at M2tech sure knows what they are doing.