Hifiman releases EF400 AiO DAC-Amp

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Simple solution... turn down the volume on my PC to 50%. Now the EF400 pot has better range.

Am I losing anything by not feeding the EF400 with max volume (USB out)?

You're raising the DAC portion's noise floor by the corresponding digital attenuation, but the amplification circuit almost certainly has a higher noise floor, so it should be a non-issue.

 

[Peterinvan]

Gain too high for most headphones...

I caved and bought the iFi ieMatch4.4. Will update impressions in a few days.

 

[Snoopy]

Just add a negative gain in software..
I used the EF400 with focal elegia and aeon noire. Was fine in low gain .

But returned the unit because of static noise, Transformer humm and the DAC was pretty limited.

 

[Peterinvan]

Just add a negative gain in software..
I used the EF400 with focal elegia and aeon noire. Was fine in low gain .

But returned the unit because of static noise, Transformer humm and the DAC was pretty limited.

Roon Addresses Gain Issue:

Set Roon DSP to -12db. LCD-XC into 4pin-XLR, EF400 set to low gain/OS, now comfortable up to 10:00 on volume knob (using LCD-XC, Elegia, or 109Pro). After 30 hours burn-in, I am really enjoying the sound quality

My QC tag says 2022-10-24. I do not hear any static or hum. My source is Tidal from my PC, so the DAC has all the functionality I need.

 

[Yoda896]

CAMERON OATLEY (@GOLDENSOUND) just destroyed the EF400 with his review:

Hifiman EF400 Review & Measurements

An in-depth review and measurements of the Hifiman EF400 R2R DAC/Amp combo. There's a lot to like about the EF400, but some concerns that listeners may want to be aware of before buying.

headphones.com

 

[Peterinvan]

@Goldensound just posted on Head-fi that there is a recall on the EF400 (addressing the phase issue)

 

[dskelto]

I bought a unit and it sounded really good until about 50 hours into my burn-in period, then static/ distortion presented in the right channel. Power cycled, disconnected, reconnected, turned Roon off and on etc. problem persists. Will be returning. This was connected via USB C to MacBook Pro using Roon, listening with Aryav v2. I will look for a different R2R solution to compliment my X16/ A90 stack.

 

[Daorom]

I took this device. Already warmed up, from the hands. This is my first external DAC. I can only compare with LG G8, in which the sound is very I like it (with iem Moondrop Ariya).Sorry for my English, I'm writing through a translator.
I really liked the EF400! It's just magic! It's opium... A real live sound. I listen from Takstar HF580. The sound flows through the body and spreads around How river ). I listen to instrumental, jazz, classical ... Mostly in the mode NOS.

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Spoiler: photo

 

[Mr:River]

 

[gitesh]

Long time lurker here but this is my first post!

I am releasing a video review of the EF400 soon. I'm fortunate enough to compare it against the Denafrips Ares II + Monoprice THX887, as well as against a Topping A30/D30 Pro stack.

The EF400 sounds best on my Arya Stealth and HE1000SE headphones. It adds a subtle warmth to the low end while also smoothing over the treble region ever so slightly. This helped a lot with reducing some of the treble "grain" sound I noticed with the Arya Stealth on certain tracks. As a result, the EF400 paired with my Arya Stealth and the HE1000se are the best I've ever heard those headphones sound. Very agreeable sound that seems more versatile and better mimicking of a higher quality dynamic driver.

I noticed slightly better sound stage and imaging performance on the Topping stack though when paired with open back headphones from Sennheiser. I also felt the topping stack sounded better on the Meze cans, as those are already warm/smooth out of the box. The ARES II R2R DAC with the THX 887 pairing is perhaps the best setup of the three, but that's to be expected considering it's about double the price.

It really comes down to what kind of sound you like. Just as I often enjoy listening to records, I really love the way the EF400 sounds on my Hifiman planars. It's a great pairing!

Can the hifiman ef 400 be used as a DAc in a stereo system also ? Looking to go with my stereo receiver and bookshelf speakers

 

[Jimbob54]

Can the hifiman ef 400 be used as a DAc in a stereo system also ? Looking to go with my stereo receiver and bookshelf speakers

Yes but there are all in one boxes that are both cheaper and objectively better that do too. For what headphones?

 

[gitesh]

Long time lurker here but this is my first post!

I am releasing a video review of the EF400 soon. I'm fortunate enough to compare it against the Denafrips Ares II + Monoprice THX887, as well as against a Topping A30/D30 Pro stack.

The EF400 sounds best on my Arya Stealth and HE1000SE headphones. It adds a subtle warmth to the low end while also smoothing over the treble region ever so slightly. This helped a lot with reducing some of the treble "grain" sound I noticed with the Arya Stealth on certain tracks. As a result, the EF400 paired with my Arya Stealth and the HE1000se are the best I've ever heard those headphones sound. Very agreeable sound that seems more versatile and better mimicking of a higher quality dynamic driver.

I noticed slightly better sound stage and imaging performance on the Topping stack though when paired with open back headphones from Sennheiser. I also felt the topping stack sounded better on the Meze cans, as those are already warm/smooth out of the box. The ARES II R2R DAC with the THX 887 pairing is perhaps the best setup of the three, but that's to be expected considering it's about double the price.

It really comes down to what kind of sound you like. Just as I often enjoy listening to records, I really love the way the EF400 sounds on my Hifiman planars. It's a great pairing!

Hello. I mainly listen to streaming music (Amazon Music) with my iPad directly connected to my Harman kardon 3380 and paired with b & w 706 s2 speakers. I find the setup sometimes bright . Would the hifiman ef 400 suit my stereo setup ? Thanks in advance.