Hidizs S3 Pro Hi-Res DAC Dongle Review – Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco: A Primer for Youth
Hidizs S3 Pro: Wandering around downtown Chicago recently during weekday business hours, I made the following (admittedly imprecise) calculations:
Percentage of Single Pedestrians Wearing Headphones or IEMS: 60%
Wireless vs. Wired: 65%
Apple vs. Non-Apple: 60%
Headphones vs. IEMs: 5%
Over-ear cable IEMs: <1%
Conclusions:
- A surprising number of people are plugging in—when I made the same informal survey two years ago fewer than half were wearing headphones or IEMs.
- Wireless is the future.
- We traditionalists, who tout fancy over-ear IEMs with cable upgrades, external amps, etc., are a tiny, ever-dwindling minority.
Digression aside, I confess to approaching this review of Hidizs’s new $69 dongle with a fair amount of skepticism, mainly because its rated output power (55mW@32Ohm) is underwhelming on paper. However, as Sir Isaac Newton (or perhaps Ted Bundy) once stated, all milliwatts are not created equal—it’s all in the implementation. In any case, the Hidizs S3 Pro is a pretty impressive piece of kit whose performance, within its limitations, belies its modest specs.
The Hidizs S3 Pro is a well-machined, if diminuitive thing which, unlike the Hidisz S9, is strictly plug and play with my Android phone. It does run warm and seems to suck up an above-average amount of power.
Like the S9, the S3 Pro is by no means neutral-sounding—it has a bright tone and a forward, adrenalized L-shaped sound signature which, when paired with efficient (16-32Ohm) IEMs, has the effect of tightening and deepening the low end. Some of my more “referenced-tuned” IEMs, such as the TY Hi-Z G3 or the Vivo, which are conspicuously bass-shy when driven by my mobile, actually sound pretty punchy with the Hidizs S3 Pro, while the voluminous but slightly flabby low end of my Moondrop Kanas Pro sounded conspicuously faster and better-sculpted with the Hidizs S3 Pro.
The net result is to create the impression of more space between performers (since the low end has less bleed into higher frequencies) and, correspondingly, to make the soundstage seem wider.
Results with less efficient phones such as my 150 Ohm Faeal Snow Leopard earbuds were less impressive—the Hidizs S3 Pro drives ‘em okay, but other than, again, a tighter and more impactful bass, didn’t really get louder than or improve on my LG V50 in high-impedance mode, which sounded less colored and truer to source.
The S3 also really struggled to drive my Beyerdynamic DT990 cans, which, in fairness, aren’t designed for portable use. However, the combination of the Hidizs S3 Pro with my power-hungry Shozy Rouge was revelatory—the Shozy took on a physicality and fullness I hadn’t previously heard.
The big distinguishing feature of the Hidizs S3 Pro is its ability to decode MQA. MQA has become the third rail of the audio world, with many churlish types opining that it’s somehow an overhyped scam because it’s a ”lossy” format. As presented by the Hidizs S3 Pro, however, you can fully hear the difference between FLAC and MQA masters on Tidal—the MQA is mega-detailed and more expansive, albeit somewhat overbright and overemphasized in the treble, which is more of a function of the recording than the S3. I did find the lower-rez FLAC tracks to be less fatiguing and more natural-sounding, but of course you may well think otherwise.
Ultimately, the pressing question is whether the Hidizs S3 Pro is a good buy at $70 given the fact that a perfectly adequate dongle like the Meizu Master Hi-Fi can be had for <$25, while more powerful, well-reviewed pieces like the Hidizs S9, Cozoy or various Audioquest can be had for around a hundo.
Well, unless you intend to pair the S3 Pro with challenging loads, I’d opine in the affirmative—in terms of refinement and esp. bass control the S3 is a step up from the budget class, while its beefier, pricier rivals get louder but don’t necessarily sound better. I’m sufficiently enamored to use the Hidizs S3 Pro as my daily driver, at least until a newer shinier toy comes along.
Disclaimer: Not like I needed or wanted another dongle, but the Hidizs S3 Pro was sent for review, unsolicited and free, by Hidisz.
Tested at：$70
Product Page/Purchase Link: Hidizs.net
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