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Hidizs S9 Pro Plus “MARTHA” Review

Kindlefirehditaly

Disclaimer:

I’m always grateful to Hidizs, who keeps contributing the most to my hobby. Thank you very much to Zoie for kindly sending me this Hidizs S9 Pro Plus for testing and review!

Though I’m still not as skilled as the most knowledgeable person you can find online, I’m starting to acquire an intriguing amount of Dac.

The review, as always, will be completely unbiased and uninfluenced.

I would like to remind you that I am just a person who enjoys trying out new items and listening to a lot of music; I am not an expert.

My opinions are obviously subjective.

Tech Specs:

Packaging

The Hidizs S9 Pro Plus comes in a black and sturdy, well-made plastic box, quite simple and standard for Hidizs but perfect for transport and compact to keep costs down.

Front Box
Back Box
Unboxing
Plastic box
Accesories
Unboxed

Once opened inside, we find the dac embedded, below we find the accessories:

Build quality/First impressions:

S9 Pro Plus
Back
Side
Outputs
Type C
On Hand

The build quality of Hidizs S9 Pro Plus is very reminiscent of Hidizs XO; the shape is the same, with a slightly more “aggressive” design. The frame is made of aluminum, while the two sides are made of transparent plastic. On the front, we find the Hidizs logo, which lights up based on the sample rate or the filter used. In the back, we find Martha’s specifications. Finally, we have the 3.5mm SE output and the 4.4mm balanced one, the first ever Dac from Hidizs to adopt them.

Finally, we also have the volume buttons, which at first glance look like two wheels, but they don’t rotate; they can only be pressed to lower or raise the volume; if pressed together, they change the filter. Personally, the feedback from the buttons does not give a feeling of extreme solidity. As for the Type C cable, it is a little short and very rigid.

Power:

Finally, with the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus, we also have a little more power. We have 276mW@32Ω on 3.5mm SE and 360mW@32Ω on 4.4mm BAL, which are very respectable values achieved thanks to a double amplification chip.

By now, many of their headphones were offered with a 4.4mm termination, so it was right to also offer a DAC to pair with them. There’s definitely power on both ends; you can easily run any IEM or headphones on it. The MP145s pair perfectly, and you have all the power you need. The Letshourer S12Pro also runs perfectly. The Hifiman HE400SE reaches very interesting volumes if you consider that you are using a dongle.

The latest planar IEMs are very easy to drive even on SE output, such as the Kefine Klanar, which doesn’t even need 40% volume to reach excellent sound pressures.

Sound Signature:

By now, I have tried other DACs that mount the ESS9038Q2M, such as the F.Audio KS01 and EPZ Tp30, but also the old Hidizs S9 Pro.

I must point out that the volume is not independent, but I hope Hidizs also makes a firmware to be able to add it.

What stands out is a touch of warmth in the overall sound; in the first two mentioned, the sound is slightly brighter and perhaps even more neutral. I must say that I also liked the Hidizs implementation on S9 Pro, so I find it an added value.

6 Filters:

There are six filters that can be changed by pressing both buttons at the same time:

  1. Green Light: Anodizing fast roll-off (Default Filter): Vocals are slightly forward, and high frequencies are extended with reduced resonance.
  2. Blue Light: Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off: Enhanced analytical capabilities, delivering a clean and crisp sound.
  3. Yellow Light: linear phase slow roll-off: enriched harmonics, full low frequencies, and natural reverb
  4. Purple Light: Minimum Phase Fast Roll-Off: Balanced and Moderate Sound
  5. White Light: Minimum phase slow roll-off: clean sound with a forward position.
  6. Red Light: Hybrid Fast Roll-Off: Soft and smooth sound with enhanced detail

Theoretically, there should also have been a seventh filter, which unfortunately does not exist! In fact, the colors that the LED indicates are a maximum of 6, and consequently, the number of filters.

The difference in filters is honestly very difficult to hear, especially if you are not used to paying critical attention to what you are hearing. If you think that switching from one filter to another will upset your life, know that you will be disappointed. The changes are extremely delicate and require almost bat-like ears. I sincerely admit to you my difficulty hearing real changes, and therefore I would not recommend this DAC if your hope is to have six filters that completely change the sound.

Fast Comparison 

vs EPZ TP30

The real rival for the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus is the EPZ TP30. The similarity in size and even position of the outputs, buttons, and LEDs is remarkably suspicious. I could venture that they have a very similar or even the same motherboard, but it is the implementations that make the differences. Epz Tp30 has no filters, is slightly brighter and probably analitycal, the construction is massive, and it weighs at least 4 times the Hidizs Martha. Personally, they’re two excellent DACs, but the S9 Pro Plus is definitely lighter. The Epz Type C cable is definitely better.

vs Hidizs S9 Pro

Hidizs S9 Pro Plus has everything that was missing on the Pro version. Finally the 4.4mm balanced output and a few buttons that never hurt. Sure there’s some extra power, a nicer design and some extra features. The S9 Pro is currently priced at $50 on their site. A great price!

vs Hidizs XO 

As the new model is out, I believe the Hidizs XO will become somewhat less noticeable. The XO is a great equipment, but even with its buttons, it doesn’t have many features. The lights aren’t a really useful feature, so if the price of the two models is the same, I think the more powerful one will be chosen. It gets much warmer than the other two Hidizs models.

vs F.Audio KS01

The F.Audio KS01 is the only DAC with the same chip priced under 50 USD. It is full of features and full of firmware to try, but only has a 3.5mm output with a decidedly interesting power considering the price. I have not encountered any problems, but some users have had background noises. I would like to point this out as it is a product with a suspiciously low cost and perhaps few quality controls. As for the sound, the sound is excellent and different from the crowd.

If, however, you are looking for DACs with a warm sound signature, then you can definitely save money and opt for dual Cirrus chips like the EPZ TP20 or Moondrop Dawn Pro.

Who do I recommend this DAC to?

The market is more saturated with dongles every day, which makes it hard to even choose! The Hidizs S9 Pro Plus is certainly an excellent choice if you want to try a DAC that features an ESS chip. The sound is slightly corrected by Hidizs; in fact, from what I hear, it has a slightly warm tone compared to others.

The build quality is good, the body is light, and it works very well on different devices. In recent weeks, I have not had any kind of problem, either on Android or MacOS. If the price charged is between 80 and 90 USD, it will be an excellent DAC to take into consideration, especially if you purchase it in some bundle offered by Hidizs.

8/10

Pros:

Cons:

Where to buy:

Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha HiFi Balanced Dongle DAC
Hidizs Official Site

Extra 5% discount using: PF5OFF

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