šŸ”· iFi Hip-DAC

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Portable DAC/AMPs & Dongles
163

argon mk3 and hd660s

164

For those headphones, I would actually consider looking at like an xduoo xd05 imo, it would better compliment the headphones

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165

Thank you!! that looks perfect!

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166

one thing i have noticed over the years, if the the connector cable that comes with your device is blue, its garbage. theres some company that makes cheap as hell interconnects and they are all blue. i have had them in wide variety of electronics and gear, and they never last long at all before issues arrive. have had phone cords, ethernet cords, usb cords. all garbage. when i got my zen dac, first thing i did was order a new cord because not only was it way to shortā€¦but the tell tale blue!

167

Is that a replacement knob, or just a replacement pot on the Archel in the background?

168

Just a knob, thatā€™s the extra large size, I replaced it with a less comical sized knob that looks exactly the same just slightly smaller, but noticable larger compared to oem

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169

I just purchased the Hip Dac to be my portable source with my Galaxy S10. Going to use it with my Elegia, Nighthawks, and future IEM purchases. Would I get better performance out of the headphones if I purchase balanced cables, or stick to 3.5mm? Iā€™ve heard there is some low level hiss on some headphones from the balanced out.

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170

The Hip-Dac performs noticeably better and provides more power with its balanced output. I have not noticed this low level hiss on my unit.

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171

I have focal elegia + hip dac right now and I find the soundstage to be non existant :persevere: Would the soundstage increase using balanced instead of standard 3.5 or should I buy something else?

172

The 3.5mm out is S-Balā€¦so youā€™ll need a 3.5mm TTRS ended cable not a standard 3.5mm :+1: been down there lol.

173

Wait so itā€™s got 3.5mm trrs along with the 4.4mm?

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174

Yes it does

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175

Yep iFi like their 3.5mm S-Balanced and the Hip-Dac also sports a 4.4 mm pentacon out :+1:

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176

I am stuck comparing this to the ifi nano bl. I am using DCA Aeon 2 Closed for reference. For the hip dac, the balanced output is noticeably better than the 3.5mm unbalanced. I really enjoy the Xbass feature for a lot of my songs. However, when I switch to the ifi nano bl using only 3.5mm unbalanced, it sounds a lot more refined than the hip dac. I wish the ifi nano bl had the Xbass feature!

Does the S-Balanced with a 3.5mm TRRS perform the same as the 4.4mm balanced? Iā€™m wondering if finding a 3.5mm TRRS adapter for the nano would make the sound quality better over just using my trs unbalanced 3.5mm adapter, since it made a difference on the hip dac. Has ayone tested the 3.5mm s-balanced vs the 4.4mm pentacon? I am considering looking for a used ifi xDSD just to have the best of both worldsā€¦

177

Just get the xDSD. I guarantee you the balanced 3.5mm connect on that (plus the hardware) is very much better than either the hip dac or the nano. I own the nano and xdsd. Selling my nano now lol.

The nanoā€™s form factor sucks. The xDSD is better than the hip dac in pretty much every way with the same form factor.

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178

Thanks! I guess Iā€™ll start looking for a used xDSD or one on sale. How much better is it compared to the nano? And what 3.5mm trrs adapter are you using? Iā€™m having a hard time finding one.

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179

Hart does a 3.5mm TRRS interconnect for that system, and offer the DCA cable as well. Great system, especially if you have multiple headphones and multiple sources.

180

not using an adapter. 3.5mm unbalanced cable to ifi attenuator with balanced switched on.

much better. Iā€™d have to a/b them, but the xdsd is just pleasant where the nano is underwhelming

181

Yeah I tried emailing them for a custom order over 3 weeks ago and havenā€™t gotten a reply since. I think they are just massively backed up due to covid. Their system looks amazing though! Iā€™ll probably go for that eventually.

I see. Was the ifi attenuator worth the extra $50?

182

ive been listening to the 3.5 and to the 4.4 a bit lately with the elegia and im finding the 3.5 grainy and unrefined in comparisonā€¦ as a result the biggest things I notice are improved detail retrieval, instrument separation and timbreā€¦ this is the only balanced amp I have used so far and the first time ive compared se vs bal on anything but with the hip dac ill echo some sentiments above in saying a balanced cable is a very significant upgrade when using the hip

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