MEIZU Hifi Pro USB-C Phone Dongle DAC Review

[digititus]

Thanks
Talking about USB audio - do I need any additional software to use USB Audio (understood as bypassing all onboard audio) ? IS installing UAPP or similar soft enough ??? I want to use TIDAL HIFI... just lost all of my FLAC/MP3 files .


Any advices ??? It must be mobile (no desk DAC's) , cost no mre than 40-50 USD and be powerful enough for 32 Ohm headphones (Marshall Major III).

You need UAPP for best results. Circumvents many issues with Android USB audio, especially the limited hardware volume in Android 9 and onwards

 

[misterawesome]

Well Aliexpress is perfectly fine regarding my experience and protective towards costumers. There are all kind of sellers out there & when possible it's advised to buy from official store's if not the seller rating should be a guide line.
You are aware & learned the lesson by now how sooner or later cable will die & how you should avoid things that come with fixed non replaceable cables. There are some new options but I won't recommend you anything that I am not fully aware of so you will need to think that part on your self.

I'm trying again on Aliexpress (via well-rated seller from Singapore) via the WesternUnion Quick Pay system, as I would like to do this over the iBasso unless absolutely necessary.

 

[gokica]

Hello,

I am wondering how would Meizu Pro fare against Topping NX4. The latter is great. But I am on the market for even smaller option. Would this Meizu dongle power/volume output come close to Topping?

Thank you

 

[amirm]

No.

 

[gokica]

Thank you so much. You are the greatest! Please keep up the great work!

 

[zz218]

Hi, thanks for the detailed review on this dongle. I just got myself a used Pixel 2 which is also my first device without a headphone jack. So, I'm thinking if i should buy another dongle like this Meizu Pro (or non pro) or just use my old USB DAC which I currently use for my laptop. The USB DAC in question is Hifime Sabre 9018 UAE23HD. I can hook it up via OTG adapter. Just wondering is there any benefit of buying this small dongle dac except for its small size? All my IEMs/buds are also easy to drive and mostly with dynamic drivers so output impedance doesn't matter much I guess.

 

[raistlin65]

I'm an urban commuter living in the States (Chicago), so portability and durability is key. I'm upgrading from a (broken) Sonata HD, that I'm using with a Pixel 3XL and 1More Triple Driver IEMs. However, I am having a hard time getting my hands on this (got a fraud alert from Aliexpress and didn't feel comfortable giving them additional financial info; also explored a site called Giztop that seems suspicious). Is there a reputable option anyone in could recommend for ordering from the US?

My backup option is the iBasso DC02 - would this have sufficient power for my setup? I know it wasn't recommended, but wasn't sure if that was because it was underpowered for higher-end headphones. I bought a $9 Apple dongle but, as these forums warned, it wasn't powerful enough on Android.

I bought the Meizu HiFi Pro from HiFiGo. Smooth transaction.

https://hifigo.com/products/meizu-h...-5mm-dac-decoding-headphone-amplifier-adapter

 

[bravomail]

Hi, thanks for the detailed review on this dongle. I just got myself a used Pixel 2 which is also my first device without a headphone jack. So, I'm thinking if i should buy another dongle like this Meizu Pro (or non pro) or just use my old USB DAC which I currently use for my laptop. The USB DAC in question is Hifime Sabre 9018 UAE23HD. I can hook it up via OTG adapter. Just wondering is there any benefit of buying this small dongle dac except for its small size? All my IEMs/buds are also easy to drive and mostly with dynamic drivers so output impedance doesn't matter much I guess.

I doubt u will get better results. But if u don't like bigger dongles - they ye, try Meizu Pro and tell us how it compares to Hifime 9018. I have Hifime 9018 and like it a lot.

 

[paradoxical3]

I have tried the Meizu Pro with both my Pixel 4 XL and my iPad Pro. It performs very well on both of them and they drive my Sennheiser IE800S IEMS to the same volume level on each device.

I do not understand the fear that they would drive IEMS too loudly - there is definitely more juice than the stock Pixel dongle, but with music with decent dynamic range like jazz or classical this extra volume is necessary (I would often max out the weak Pixel dongle). Right now I am listening to Christian McBride’s Out Here album, and on my Pixel with the Meizu the volume is set at about 80% and it’s very comfortable. To me this dongle is the perfect companion for my travel kit and I am very satisfied

 

[staticV3]

Hidizs S8 Review (vs Meizu Pro & 9038S)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KrTsZ2fhESXIHy7vgufu57WVuu1OzBOFaYlflbYK7hQ/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Nicosea]

Hardware volume works as intended on Android UAPP. No idea about iOS though, sorry.

Ok, tested on iPhone 6s and iPad Pro with official lighting camera usb dongle and it works! Volume can be controlled with device buttons or in the apps (whatever app).

 

[confucius_zero]

Just got the Meizu Pro last week. Been putting it against Topping D10, D30, SMSL Idea and even my old 900$ REGA DAC. It came out the winner out of that bracket of products on both headphones and speakers setup by a noticeable margin.

I was so impressed that I swapped out my REGA and am considering selling it. Moore's Law in full effect here.

 

[sndp]

I'm been using the Meizu Hifi Pro with a Samsung Note 10+ and experiencing a lot of interference that causes annoying buzzing sounds similar to cellular interference that makes it practically unusable with my phone atleast. Is this a known issue?

Before it, I was using the Venture Electronics Odyssey HD and didn't experience this.

I also found some other people facing the same issue:

• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/usb...ts-find-the-best.908839/page-46#post-15363930
• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zor...mpressions-thread.917647/page-6#post-15388636

 

[mrnikt]

Looks like the problem is with Samsung devices.
Guy from second link has Samsung Note.
Asked first link author... we'll see

 

[sndp]

With the BGVP T01 dongle DAC, I used to get a lot of pops and crackling sounds which I'm told is a Samsung issue (similar issues reported with iBasso DC01/02). This feels like a very different issue and the buzzing noise sounds like cellular interference (insulation issue?).

 

[or965]

I just received the meizu hifi pro and connected it with the meizu pro 5 and it has distorted sound but when I connected it to a Samsung s8 plus it sound fine.

 

[AlexScan]

I'm been using the Meizu Hifi Pro with a Samsung Note 10+ and experiencing a lot of interference that causes annoying buzzing sounds similar to cellular interference that makes it practically unusable with my phone atleast. Is this a known issue?

Before it, I was using the Venture Electronics Odyssey HD and didn't experience this.

I also found some other people facing the same issue:

• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/usb...ts-find-the-best.908839/page-46#post-15363930
• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zor...mpressions-thread.917647/page-6#post-15388636

Same issu for me, I turn my phone in plane mode for stopping "GSM noise"

 

[Veri]

View attachment 47598

Just got the Meizu Pro last week. Been putting it against Topping D10, D30, SMSL Idea and even my old 900$ REGA DAC. It came out the winner out of that bracket of products on both headphones and speakers setup by a noticeable margin.

I was so impressed that I swapped out my REGA and am considering selling it. Moore's Law in full effect here.

Still waiting on my Meizu non-Pro. Seems it's coming by slow boat ... really eager to try it!

 

[sndp]

The reason I suspect cellular interference as well (apart from the similarity of the buzzing sound to cellular interference) is because I've seen a correlation between bad network reception and the noise. Also, used the DAC with phone on airplane mode on a long flight yesterday and it worked without issues.

 

[mgmate]

I have a Samsung galaxy note 9 (N9600) Snapdragon version with Sennheiser 660s, and I do not have any issue with noise/interference (with network, wifi and bluetooth all active). Sound is cristal clear.

Could be related with low impedance IEM taking noise or a combination of this and celular interference? as @sndp says if in flight mode there is no noise is clear from the radio waves perhaps taking noise from the IEM cable?