Hidizs S3 PRO

HIDIZS S3 PRO REVIEW

Introduction: -

Today at Aural Cafe we are reviewing the Hidizs S3 Pro Dongle DAC and Headphone Amplifier. This is our second interaction for reviewing Hidiz products. Hidizs is a China-based company founded by Tamson in 2012, who himself is an avid audiophile and fronted an underground rock band and decided to dedicate his life to making HiFi music affordable. As an audiophile, it was a no-brainer; music should be heard as intended. In these 12 years, Hidizs has consistently produced the highest quality portable digital audio players (DAPs), earphones, USB DACs, etc. Hidizs products have been recognized by winning the VGP Golden Prize for three consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021).

Their first landmark product in this audiophile world was Hidizs AP100- a HiFi Portable Music Player in 2014. Today we are reviewing their latest offering in budget dongle categories, S3 Pro. It has a 3.5mm single-ended output. The S3 Pro retails for US $45.00 at the time of review.



Specifications: -

• Input: USB-C
• Formats Supported: DSD128 / PCM32Bit-384kHz / MQA.
• DAC Used: ESS ES9281C PRO
• Headphone Outputs: 3.5mm Single Ended
• Power Output: LR 55mW @ 32Ω
• SNR: <117dB
• THD + N: <0.0008% (±10%)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40kHz (±0.1dB)
• Dimensions: 90x10x20 mm, 6g

Disclaimer: -

The Hidizs S3 Pro is a review unit that was sent to us directly by Hidizs for free. We are very much thankful to them. However, this review reflects our unbiased opinion as always.

Packaging & Accessories: -

The Hidizs S3 Pro comes in a small-sized box with the DAC/Amp and all the accessories. The unboxing experience is very simple. Taking out from the outer box, we have the inner plastic box. Inside it, we found the DAC/Amp in a foam assembly. The Type-C cable is non-removable. The package comes with a USB Type-C to Type-A male adopter. All come under the price tag of just US$ 45.00.




Build & Design: -

The S3 Pro features a small-sized circular and compact build. The DAC features a full metal Alloy enclosure because the DAC/Amp feels very robust and even so lightweight in hands. The housing is made up of good-quality machining. The cable attached to it also feels just about right. However, we are getting a USB Type-C to Type-A male adopters inside the package. We have a tiny but bright enough notification LED on the front side of the dongle, that changes color to Red, Purple, and Blue according to the decoding formats. But an independent volume control would be nice to have.



Sound Analysis: -

Since we have reviewed Hidizs items before, this is the first DAC/Amp from Hidizs we are evaluating. We found it to be a device with good balanced sound quality. They have chosen the ESS ES9291C Pro DAC chip inside. We have tried the S3 Pro with multiple sets of IEMs, which don’t seem to have had any issues driving. However, we are not claiming that it could drive demanding IEMs also. Let alone the Full-Size Headphones. The sound is balanced, with a hint of warmth at the lower end. The trebles have sparks and enough energy. Due to the lack of driving power headroom, the sound started to get distorted with higher volume. The lower end got a serious punch in the sound in terms of both quality and quantity. The soundstage is decent and more open at the given price tag. The imaging is precise and does justice to the paired transducer’s properties. The cable is made up of silver-plated copper conductors separately in a twisted pair configuration resulting in a clean sound. When it comes to pairing it will pair well with warm neutral IEMs.

The S3 PRO supports three firmware options that offer different sound tunings. Transparent treble for bright, clean, crisp, and detailed sound. Tonal balance with a pure pleasing sound. More prominent bass with incredible elasticity and phenomenal depth. The Firmware can be installed from a PC with Windows 10, or a higher version installed in it.

However, we would not mind if there were more amount of resolution present. We at Aural Cafe would love to hear a more refined sound with better technicalities. The output power is okay only for beginners in this hobby and only for those starting to explore the portable audio world.



Conclusion: -

At Aural Café, we are impressed with the design idea of Hidizs S3 Pro. It is a lightweight and sturdy dongle with a clean sound. But we have in our mind that can it hold its ground strongly in its super competitive product category after 2 years of release? If you listen to your music casually and are starting to explore the hobby while at home through your mobile phones and laptops and you want a super small and convenient form factor, then S3 Pro could be one of your choices. It also brings on board a decent clean sound with an exciting punch for IEMs.

Non-Affiliated link:-

- https://www.hidizs.net/products/hid...able-hi-res-dac-dongle?variant=44441334775995

The Hidizs S3 Pro is a feature-packed USB DAC/amp dongle that offers excellent build quality, technology, and sound in a super compact form factor.


It uses the ESS ES9281C Pro DAC chip, capable of decoding high-res audio up to 32-bit/384 kHz along with DSD and full 8x MQA unfolding.


The sound signature is smooth, balanced, and natural, with good detail retrieval. Bass is deep and controlled, mids are slightly forward with good timbre, and treble is non-fatiguing.


Unique features include an RGB sample rate indicator, microphone passthrough support, and changeable sound signatures via firmware flashing.


It has enough power (55 mW at 32 ohms) to drive most IEMs and efficient headphones under 80 ohms. But they may struggle with high-impedance models.


Easy plug-and-play usage with smartphones, laptops, etc. There is no need for extra drivers. It also works with USB audio apps seamlessly.


At its compact size with premium build and features, the S3 Pro provides excellent value compared to more expensive DAC/amp dongles.


In summary, the Hidizs S3 Pro packs an impressive set of features into a tiny yet premium chassis. It offers smooth, natural, and detailed sound with the ability to tweak the signature. Easy usage, good drivability for most IEMs, and efficient headphones make it a versatile dongle DAC/amp. Lack of onboard volume controls and limited power for high impedance models are the only notable drawbacks. But overall, it provides great value.

Build quality is as expected, the cable is good and the rest is metal and built well.
The device has good specs despite being so little.

SPECIFICATIONS:

MQA Support: X8
Sampling Rate Indicator Light: Supported
D/A Chip: ESS ES9281C PRO
Sampling Frequency: Up to 32Bit/384kHz
DSD: Up to 128
Output: Single-ended 3.5mm headphone port
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: 0.0008%
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 117dB
Channel Separation: 70dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz (±0.1dB)
Output Power: LR 55mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE
Power Connector: Type-C
Supported Systems: Windows 10, Mac OS, iPad OS, Android, iOS or newer systems.
(For iOS users, the Lightning OTG cable has to be purchased separately)


Sound:
The sound signature can be changed via a firmware update, I chose the default mode for the review it has a little more warmth and Bass is more emphasized still it is balanced and has a natural tonality to it.

Bass; is detailed and has good speed and punch. Even in default mode it is not over emphasized and maintains good control.

Mids are rich and have excellent emotion and timbre, vocals are forward and natural sounding and are pleasant.

Treble: Presents Neutral and with good extension but has a fast roll off keeping it polite and still retaining enough sparkle and details to enjoy without harshness.
Soundstage and imaging: are better than average with accuracy and separation being very good.

Overall the S3 pro is a great little dongle with a long list of features and support for MQA it defiantly makes for a pleasant experience on the go providing you don't have power hungry IEM or Headphones.