HIDIZS S8 USB-C Headphone Adapter Review

[urfaust]

The Windows driver for the non Pro works for the Pro and allowed me to use the ASIO driver in Foobar for high rez files that were not playing correctly using WASAPI event or push. Still not 100% sure why those files wouldn't play using WASAPI because none of my other DACs had a problem with changing the sample rate.

This is what im getting right now

Doesn't seem to recognize anything, yet i can select the device "Sonata HD USB Audio" in windows and regular apps

Which .exe did you install exactly?

 

[Bronco]

Amazing how inexpensive state of the art is becoming!

It's $41 today on Aliexpress! !

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_6,searchweb201603_53

Whenever I click on any of these Aliexpress links - or even do a straight Google search - I’m taken to a Polish version of the site. Is this normal?

 

[ZolaIII]

Whenever I click on any of these Aliexpress links - or even do a straight Google search - I’m taken to a Polish version of the site. Is this normal?

Well they do redirecting of urls regularly so it is normal. For instance I have their app and it always opens urls in it.

 

[Labjr]

Whenever I click on any of these Aliexpress links - or even do a straight Google search - I’m taken to a Polish version of the site. Is this normal?

That happened with the Chrome browser on my notebook. Always went to the Russian version. I cleaned the cookies out and cleared the history and it fixed it.

 

[sejarzo]

Which .exe did you install exactly?

http://www.tempotec.com.cn/en/3-Support/index.htm

All the way at the bottom:

I am still somewhat baffled about what is going on. When I connect the Sonata HD Pro to either my PC or notebook, I can play 44.1k/16 files via WASAPI event or push without issue. Any 48k/24 playback is slightly slow and distorted, and 96k/24 files play distorted AND really slow, as if the device is always interpreting the data stream as 44.1/16.

So I decided to install that driver, and then I could see "ASIO : SONATA-HD" in the output device list in Foobar. If I select that output, then I can switch between any sample rate/bit depth files without issue. No need to stop playback or close/reopen Foobar--the Sonata HD Pro is able to change on the fly, as it were.

If you click on the icon that the driver package puts on your desktop for the device, and it's connected to a port but not playing a file, you will see exactly what you posted above. If I am playing a file in Foobar, open up the Preferences menu, click on Output>ASIO and then double click the entry for SONATA-HD to open its control panel, I see this. The top portion appears to show that it defaults to 32 bit depth, but red line at the bottom shows that it's playing back at the correct rate/depth. That being said, I can select 24 or 32 bit depth when playing back 44.1/16 in Foobar/WASAPI and it works fine...but selecting that bit depth in WASAPI doesn't result in proper playback of non-44.1/16 files.

Goofy, eh? That control panel isn't exactly a model of clarity, either. Nothing seems to happen when I click on the white "play" arrow or the red circle at the top.

Also...I posted something earlier to the effect that this behavior might be related to connecting to an external hub rather than a port on my PC, but that's not the case. The only way I can play anything other than 44.1/16 files via Foobar and the HD Pro is by using ASIO.

 

[Zerohour]

So here quick measurements Hidizs S8 vs Tempotec Sonata HD Pro in DAC mode.

Hidizs S8:
View attachment 51033

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro:
View attachment 51034

I see little difference in level and run to run variations.
My conclusion: they are the same device in different packages.

while not entirely surprising (given the background of said companies and the subsequent hardware teardown linked by users before), its nice to get confirmation through measurements. Currently running the Sonata HD Pro on my Win10 PC and while the volume step discrepancy is a bit annoying (especially when changing gear with different sensitivities), otherwise its performing well (casual music/gaming use with speakers, IEMs and headphones)

 

[vitalii427]

the volume step discrepancy is a bit annoying (especially when changing gear with different sensitivities)

Yeah, it's really annoying

 

[RedCometZero]

Can you explain the volume step discrepancy? I'm considering getting this to pair with a Sennheiser HD1 and future Drop THX Panda

 

[staticV3]

Can you explain the volume step discrepancy? I'm considering getting this to pair with a Sennheiser HD1 and future Drop THX Panda

The S8 has two different, independent Hardware volume controls built in.
The first is uac2 volume, so you control it through software. Windows can do so as is, on Android you need a special player like UAPP. It has 16 steps including one mute step.
The second volume control is the one where you use the buttons. Here you have 13 steps without a mute step.

The annoying part is that realistically you will only ever use one of the two and in that case, something like the Meizu dongle with 100 steps of uac2 volume has a clear advantage.

 

[Matias]

Hidizs S8 needed to have at least 20, ideally some 30-40 volume steps in hardware. This would be ideal.

 

[staticV3]

In theory, it has 13*15+1=196 Hardware volume steps, but as I said, you'll probably only use either 13 or 16.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Isn't volume steps OS/phone related? Oneplus has 31 steps as far as I know.

 

[staticV3]

Isn't volume steps OS/phone related? Oneplus has 31 steps as far as I know.

Software Volume is OS related. What we are talking about is Hardware volume, which is entirely up to the hardware manufacturer.

 

[Asylum Seeker]

I wonder whether you'd be better served by a Fiio BTR3, BTR1K or Shanling UP2. Nearly the same size, cheaper, good volume control and BT connectivity as a bonus.

 

[RedCometZero]

Ah bummer. Any chance they'll fix the volume steps via firmware?

 

[vitalii427]

The S8 has two different, independent Hardware volume controls built in.
The first is uac2 volume, so you control it through software. Windows can do so as is, on Android you need a special player like UAPP. It has 16 steps including one mute step.
The second volume control is the one where you use the buttons. Here you have 13 steps without a mute step.

The annoying part is that realistically you will only ever use one of the two and in that case, something like the Meizu dongle with 100 steps of uac2 volume has a clear advantage.

Moreover in some cases with hardware volume buttons steps are different. And this is most annoying. Quote myself:

First of all I want to say that hardware volume buttons work very strangely and it annoyed me much during measurements. For example full scale sine signal with full hardware volume shows 1.897 Vrms but 1 click down sometimes shows 1.117 Vrms and sometimes 1.254 Vrms. Furthermore when I did few clicks down then few up sometimes I got 1.410 Vrms - it is 1 click before full volume. WTF?!?!?

 

[DosThou]

Using this exclusively with USB Audio Player on an Android phone and I have no problem with volume control. Honestly can't tell any difference between Sonata Pro and my ADI-2 Dac (which I've sold) with IEM.

Only problems I have is that it can't seem to output sound with any other apps besides UAPP on my phone and that it's got a micro USB in, purely due to the fact that it's surprisingly hard to find a short micro usb to type C cable on the market (bought some intended for drone control, didn't work). Would have waited for the Type-C version if they're even making one but you can never be sure with these Chinese companies actually producing better products or even with the same performance as seen with Musiland. $40 for the Tempotec version is a bargain for the performance you get even with all the shortcomings anyway.

 

[digititus]

\
Only problems I have is that it can't seem to output sound with any other apps besides UAPP on my phone

This is because UAPP driver is loaded. Make sure UAPP is NOT running when you want to use other apps (e.g Spotify). When you plug in the DAC, UAPP asks you if you want to use it. Press cancel, then you can use the DAC with other apps.

 

[DosThou]

This is because UAPP driver is loaded. Make sure UAPP is NOT running when you want to use other apps (e.g Spotify). When you plug in the DAC, UAPP asks you if you want to use it. Press cancel, then you can use the DAC with other apps.

Did that. No dice. That does the trick indeed with my Musiland and iBasso dongles but with the Sonata Pro seems like UAPP will constantly interfere with playback and ask to load the driver a while after I selected no.

 

[ZolaIII]

Did that. No dice. That does the trick indeed with my Musiland and iBasso dongles but with the Sonata Pro seems like UAPP will constantly interfere with playback and ask to load the driver a while after I selected no.

Try enabling USB debugging before connecting. Seams it's related to UAPP that with prompting again and again to give it a permission, Neutron acts the same while HiBy & HF don't. They ask just once.

Edit:
To enable USB debugging go to the developer options, find it & switch it on.

To enable developer options go to the about the phone & tap there several times on the kernel version/build number (depending of brand).