• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

MEIZU Hifi Pro USB-C Phone Dongle DAC Review

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
Before you splash out, try the app "USB audio player Pro" (UAPP). There may be free apps too that circumvent androids sound settings and limits. Might be your HP jack can go louder
It's not android per se. It is the hardware and software implementation of each manufacturer. Out of the headphone jack, my Samsung tablet has lower power than my Huawei Mate 20X.

May I suggest an IEM with high efficiency (TFZ T2 Galaxy, e.g.) if you want high volume with most devices?
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Is there any way of knowing if it will be lounder before I buy ? I have the base specs of the phone, iem and the meizu. I don't see mw specified for all 3. I do however see that the Meizsu hits 103db and the phone jack is about 92db - Is this a good measure to take ?
Your phone doesn't hit any dB Spl. That's up to the IEM you plug into it. It may hit some dB THD+N or dB SNR, but that's got nothing to do with volume.
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Is there any way of knowing if it will be lounder before I buy ? I have the base specs of the phone, iem and the meizu. I don't see mw specified for all 3. I do however see that the Meizsu hits 103db and the phone jack is about 92db - Is this a good measure to take ?
I can tell you that the Meizu non Pro is more than enough power for 97% of IEMs. Just get one of the Meizus and volume should no longer be of concern with IEMs.
 

neut6o1

New Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
1
Likes
2
I just got the Meizu Pro. It has a lot more power than the apple dongle. For my tin t2s running on my oneplus 7t, I lowered my volume by probably more than 25%. I was able to easily run my Focal Elex which fixed my general Android low volume problem. The Sennheiser 6XX is very near maxed out to get a decently loud volume. So if some songs are very quiet or mastered with low volume, it might be an issue for the 6XX still, but most everything was playing plenty loud. The Meizu does get a little warm vs the apple dongle which doesn't seem to get warm at all.

It does seem to drain the battery more quickly. If I need to last on one charge all day, I will probably use the apple dongle with my t2s since it can power them fine with a higher volume. But for listening to my full sized headphones, the Meizu Pro is really good. The sound is great. The Elex is still punchy and feels powerful.
 

elemkay3

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
4
Hi folks. First post, so first of all, thanks to the people who put the time in to make this site a great resource for those of us looking to swim through the sea of average consumer electronics to find something more remarkable for their money (without having to spend it all!)

This looks like a great piece of engineering. Has anybody tested it against a laptop audio jack? I would like a bit of extra volume and clarity from my decent over-ear headphones, and rather than buying a whole desktop headphone amp, I'm thinking of one of these is a much more ergonomic solution. The review says 87mW power output into 33ohm headphones (mine are 32ohm) - would this likely be an improvement over most smartphones, mp3 players, laptops - i.e. your average consumer grade device?
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Hi folks. First post, so first of all, thanks to the people who put the time in to make this site a great resource for those of us looking to swim through the sea of average consumer electronics to find something more remarkable for their money (without having to spend it all!)

This looks like a great piece of engineering. Has anybody tested it against a laptop audio jack? I would like a bit of extra volume and clarity from my decent over-ear headphones, and rather than buying a whole desktop headphone amp, I'm thinking of one of these is a much more ergonomic solution. The review says 87mW power output into 33ohm headphones (mine are 32ohm) - would this likely be an improvement over most smartphones, mp3 players, laptops - i.e. your average consumer grade device?
Yes. It's a definite upgrade and is surely enough for 85% of headphones. Which ones are you looking to power with the Meizu Pro?
 

elemkay3

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
4
Yes. It's a definite upgrade and is surely enough for 85% of headphones. Which ones are you looking to power with the Meizu Pro?

That's good to hear. I do like to go loud, but not "blast your ears off" levels - just hoping to push that extra bit louder than my laptop headphone slot without distorting.

I've been searching for a good pair of over ears for a while, something fairly neutral with a bit of sub bass. I got a oddball find called Houdt Tsunami - small brand but good reviews and only £40. I also just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD25 II cans to compare which I'm familiar with - I'll test them out this week and see which ones to keep.

You found any game-changer over ear headphones in the sub-200ish price range? Part of me thinks I might be a fool to be looking for something neutral enough for mixing, as well as having a bit of the wow-factor when watching movies. I don't think the shape of my head is helping much either!!
 

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
That's good to hear. I do like to go loud, but not "blast your ears off" levels - just hoping to push that extra bit louder than my laptop headphone slot without distorting.

I've been searching for a good pair of over ears for a while, something fairly neutral with a bit of sub bass. I got a oddball find called Houdt Tsunami - small brand but good reviews and only £40. I also just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD25 II cans to compare which I'm familiar with - I'll test them out this week and see which ones to keep.

You found any game-changer over ear headphones in the sub-200ish price range? Part of me thinks I might be a fool to be looking for something neutral enough for mixing, as well as having a bit of the wow-factor when watching movies. I don't think the shape of my head is helping much either!!
Check out the AKG K371/K361 and the 1More Triple Driver Over-ears.

Closest I've found to 'neutral' under $200? Tin T3 IEM for $56. Highly recommended.
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
@elemkay3
1) the Meizu Pro can easily power the Tsunami
2) it will struggle quite a bit with the HD25-1 II
3) Mixing and mastering can only really be done on speakers. Not on headphones and certainly not on IEMs
4) the Tin T3 isn't really regarded as a good IEM. It's mediocre at best from what I've heard. If you're looking for IEMs or headphones, I recommend you join the Crinacle Discord and ask the guys there for help.
 

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
Well, there you go. We have a curator in the house. From what he's heard it's mediocre. He's never listened to it but feels free to pontificate. Par for the course.

I can tell you from owning it (as well as the well-regarded Ikko OH1 and Moondrop Starfield) and from actually listening to it that it is very good.
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
I'm only relaying what I've heard about the T3 from lots of people
Sorry if that offended anyone.
 

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
I'm only relaying what I've heard about the T3 from lots of people
Sorry if that offended anyone.

So, you've never actually worn it and listened to it?
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Seems like I wasn't clear enough. With "from what I've heard" I meant from what I've heard on YouTube and read on lots of forums and from lots of owners.
 

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
Seems like I wasn't clear enough. With "from what I've heard" I meant from what I've heard on YouTube and read on lots of forums and from lots of owners.

Well, there you go. By his own admission he's never actually heard the item under discussion..
 

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Well, there you go. He's never actually heard said IEM.
Then tell how anyone could ever ask someone else if a headphone, IEM, DAC or whatever sounds good if the only way to make sure is to listen to it yourself?
If I can tell you that a piece of gear I own sound good, then why can't I tell you that I was told that another piece of gear sounds bad?
 

elemkay3

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
4
Check out the AKG K371/K361 and the 1More Triple Driver Over-ears.

Closest I've found to 'neutral' under $200? Tin T3 IEM for $56. Highly recommended.

Thanks for the recommendations. I bought a pair of Tin T2 IEMs and they were excellent for the sound quality, but I can't get used to the feeling of sticking things that close to my eardrums. I'm hoping I'll be happy with either the HD25 1 II or the Houdt Tsunami headphones. But the AKGs have very good specs for the price and I will probably get a pair to try them out.

@elemkay3
1) the Meizu Pro can easily power the Tsunami
2) it will struggle quite a bit with the HD25-1 II
3) Mixing and mastering can only really be done on speakers. Not on headphones and certainly not on IEMs
4) the Tin T3 isn't really regarded as a good IEM. It's mediocre at best from what I've heard. If you're looking for IEMs or headphones, I recommend you join the Crinacle Discord and ask the guys there for help.

Yes indeed, I misspoke - just for music making in general, rather than the final mixing and mastering process. Like I said above, I just can't enjoy the feel of IEMs, so won't be going there again. I've done a fair amount of research, and I'm pretty much at the point of just picking the best out of the two I mentioned, but if I don't get on with them I'll check out the Discord.

It shouldn't struggle with the 25-1 II as they have smaller 41mm drivers compared with the 50mm Tsunami; also I heard them plugged into headphone port on a 2008-era laptop and they were doing fine. If the Meizu Pro can supply more power than the average laptop headphone port then in theory it should handle the 25s easily. But looking at the specs, they do have a much higher 70ohm impedance.

The AKG K371s recommended above have a far superior frequency range and sensitivity than either of them, so I will probably pit them against the best of the current pair. Anyway, this is off-topic now so thanks for taking the time and for your input.
 
Last edited:

Asylum Seeker

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
414
Likes
295
Location
Guatemala
... I bought a pair of Tin T2 IEMs and they were excellent for the sound quality....

Not bad, eh? For a >not well regarded< and >mediocre< earphone, that is. I mean, the temerity, the gumption to challenge the received wisdom of the Crinacle Oracle and the YouTube Tribune...:rolleyes:

;)
 
Last edited:

staticV3

Master Contributor
Joined
Aug 29, 2019
Messages
7,540
Likes
12,014
Attach files
Dongle Power Consumption.png
 

elemkay3

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
4
Not bad, eh? For a >not well regarded< and >mediocre< earphone, that is. I mean, the temerity, the gumption to challenge the received wisdom of the Crinacle Oracle and the YouTube Tribune...:rolleyes:

;)
Aye well I'm happy to have his opinion as well as yours. Youtube and other sources are good, as long as you take them for what they are - opinions from people who may or may not know what they're talking about. The more you read, the more likely you'll get a good picture from them. It was actually the first and last IEM I purchased, for what it's worth.
 

tifune

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 18, 2020
Messages
1,085
Likes
767
It shouldn't struggle with the 25-1 II as they have smaller 41mm drivers compared with the 50mm Tsunami; also I heard them plugged into headphone port on a 2008-era laptop and they were doing fine. If the Meizu Pro can supply more power than the average laptop headphone port then in theory it should handle the 25s easily. But looking at the specs, they do have a much higher 70ohm impedance.

sorry if I'm offkey here, I can't seem to find the beginning of this convo - but, I have HD25's with Meizu Hifi non-Pro and around 80% volume is where it becomes too loud for me. The Pro will absolutely get the job done. If you're not in a rush, common consensus in the E1DA 9038D will probably be the clear winner but no ETA yet and with the Corona-drama we can expect it to be delayed even further.

Edit: additionally, subjectively the Meizu non-Pro sounds better than the Heidisz S8/Sonata Pro with the HD25. Not sure if I just like distortion or if the Meizu's perform better under load than the S8/Sonata as ivdx and some others have posited
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom