Review: Hidizs DH1000 – Pocket Power

Hidizs DH1000

 

Sound

I have used the DH1000 in three different scenarios. Hooked up to my Android phone via OTG and fed by Tidal on the go. Connected to my iPad Air2 playing either from Tidal or Roon. And lastly connected to a Windows or Linux PC sourced by Roon. I only ran into a driver issue with Windows at first. Somehow WASAPI wasn’t able to keep control over the device, causing Roon and other programs to crash, after installing the ASIO drivers from Hidizs that problem disappeared. Weirdly enough another one popped up though. Whenever I restarted the device and used a Windows PC (running Windows 10), the volume would be set to 100% output. That one took me a few times to get used to. That however didn’t exist with any other scenario…

DH1000 spits a clean and clear signal, that convinces with high precision and accuracy. The sound stage stretches nicely wide and deep, though definitely is not the biggest around. Instruments are separated with care and a good amount of air between them, enabling also to have a precise imaging. A top quality layering lets everything finds its correct place in the room. The DH1000 is very detailed and has high rendering capabilities.

Bass has good body and dynamic character. It reaches low, though its response is not overly extended. Bass has good texture to it and is well controlled. It has a slight bump in its upper bass regions, adding a layer of warmth to the presentation. Which is very welcome to my ears.

Hidizs DH1000

Hidizs DH1000

Midrange overall is vivid and organic with a warmer approach in tone. Voices have a soft and smooth touch to them, that goes for male and female. Especially female vocals sound inseparably good to me though. Mids are full bodied, but don’t overwhelm in weight.

Definitely its strongest point is the treble for me. Highs are soft shimmering, with great clarity and extension. They have a richer tone and don’t show any signs of sibiliance. Treble is revealing, crisp and airy. Certain instruments, such as strings, have a very nice harmony over them. Making these very enojyable.

Going balanced with the DH1000 ended in a tighter bass, better instrumental separation, more air and a bigger sound stage. I know there will be shots fired for saying this, but in my opinion the DH1000 is best when used with a balanced terminated ear- or headphone. To me the implementation of the used components make a big difference. I’ve seen so many arguments about this. My standing won’t change, and I invite you to listen to this DAC/Amp with both outputs.

Hidizs DH1000

Hidizs DH1000

Driveability

The specifications of DH1000 say that it is able to drive headphones with impedances that vary from eight to 600 ohms. That in my opinion is quite a bold statement. So I was very eager to try out my entire collection of in ears and headphones. To my great suprise the DH1000 was completely dead silent, no background hissing at all, which is always welcome in my books. To give this little fella a stress test I decided to let it partner with my Sennheiser HD800S and my vintage AKG K240 (aka Sextett). The Sextett is rated at 600 Ohms and certainly a bitch to drive properly.

The DH1000 had absolutely no problem with any of my C/IEMs, all of them were driven with ease and as said, without any form of hissing. The natural and slightly warmer, smoother tone of DH1000 certainly pairs well with most of my inventory.

When under heavier loads, the DH1000 still keeps its control. Though of course, bigger cans like the HD800S are better off with a dedicated and more powerful desktop amplifier, they did sound pretty decent. The Sennheiser gets plenty of volume, with some headroom still available. All out of the weaker single ended port. The HD800S doesn’t get to reveal its fullest potential, but still sounds nicely organic with a wonderful sound stage and crystal clean highs. A full-sized amplifier will tickle out the very best of it though.

The Shinola Canfield is a closed back dynamic over-ear headphone, that is easily driven by the DH1000. It sounds full and engaging with a good sound stage and a lot of details. The DH1000 spits insane volumes into this headphone.

As for my AKG K240’s… I fear these are too intense for the DH1000 as they don’t get close to moderate listening volumes (on single ended) or near their full potential. Too bad, I was hoping for the Hidizs to be hardcore enough foth this vintage pair.

Hidizs DH1000

Hidizs DH1000

Conclusion

I knew Hidizs only from their name and the things I’ve read about them so far. With the DH1000 that changed, and I’m glad it did. The DH1000 is impressively built, looks gorgeous and performs very well with a broad selection of in ears as well as harder to drive over ear headphones. It is detailed, lush and organic, all characteristics I enjoy and look for in an audio device. It pairs very well with all of my custom monitors and makes a great sounding portable setup out of my Android phone and Apple iPad. That certainly will come in handy when I’m travelling around or just want to be on the move with a lighter package.

4.4/5 - (60 votes)
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A daytime code monkey with a passion for audio and his kids, Linus tends to look at gear with a technical approach, trying to understand why certain things sound the way they do. When there is no music around, Linus goes the extra mile and annoys the hell out of his colleagues with low level beatboxing.

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