Hidizs S9 Pro Plus : Martha Review - Dynamic and Engaging

 

General/Packaging/Build

Hidizs is a brand where most in the community are familiar with, particularly with their sources (Mini DAP, Dongle Dac Amp), recently, they are upping the ante by releasing several IEMs which are well received by the community. MS3, MS1, and the most recent Planar MP145, back to the S9 Pro Plus, it is called Martha, why Martha? Here’s the snippet taken from Hidizs’s S9 Pro Plus product page “We've named Hidizs S9 Pro Plus "Martha" because "Martha" was the name of the last surviving female Passenger Pigeon, the largest flocking bird species ever to have existed on Earth. After 109 years since the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, in commemoration of this magnificent species, the professional acoustic brand, Hidizs, has chosen to name their third-generation HiFi Balanced Dongle DAC , the S9 Pro Plus, as "Martha."”

Packaging is the usual Hidizs style packaging, minimal yet doesn’t look cheap. Build quality is fairly good, front and black glass panel, looks premium but the trade off being prone to micro scratches and fingerprints. The bundled USB-C cable is not bi-directional, meaning one end is input, and the other end is output, so if you plug it incorrectly, there will be no sound or power to the dongle. The cable with the Hidizs logo will be the end to plug into your phone/laptop, the other end without any logo will be plugged into the dongle itself, or if you have any other type C cable that’s bidirectional, just use that, not really a big deal.

Specifications

• ES9038Q2M High Performance DAC Chip

• PCM Supports Up to 32bit/768kHz

• Native DSD Supports Up to 512

• Physical Buttons for Volume Control & 6 Filter Option

• 4.4mm Balanced & 3.5mm Single-ended Output

• 138mW+138mW@32Ω 3.5mm SE / 180mW+180mW@32Ω 4.4mm BAL

• Sampling Rate Indication RGB Lighting

• Compatible with all platforms: Windows/Mac OS/iPad OS/Android/iOS/Harmony OS

Gears used for this review

• Hidizs S9 Pro Plus

• Hidizs MS1

• Hidizs MS5

• Oriveti OD200

• Hifiman Sundara Closed Back

• Fosi Audio DS1

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Battery Drain on Smartphone (iPhone 15)

• From 100% to 40%, running for approximately 7 hours +-

• Volume level at 3/10

• Streaming from Apple Music Loseless

• Doesn’t consume that much battery based on my observation, unless you pump up the volume to around 6-7/10

Sound Impression ( Linear Phase Slow Roll Off Filter)

*The listening is done on my Macbook Air M2, occasionally on my iPhone 15

Having heard several DAC with 9038Q2M, it's safe to say they all sounded different due to the implementation of the amplification stage. Even the S9 Pro sounded different from the S9 Pro Plus. S9 Pro Plus is certainly not neutral, slightly coloured, and it is a very dynamic sounding dongle dac/amp. Bass has good control and not boosted, the mids are forward, default filter is slightly more forward, on certain track in can be a little shouty when you pump up the volume, but overall it is alright, another point to note is that, IEM pairing is also crucial, pairing a forward sounding IEM with the S9 Pro Plus, or a bright sounding IEM, will definitely spells disaster. Overall, it is a very dynamic and fun sounding dongle dac amp with plenty of power to spare for most IEMs out there, it can even power efficient headphones without any issue, Hifiman Sundara Closed Back is one of them.

Sound Characteristics of various Filters (Taken from Hidizs S9 Pro Plus’s Product Page)

• <Green Light> Anodizing fast roll-off (Default Filter): Vocals are slightly forward, and high frequencies are extended with reduced resonance

• <Red Light> Linear phase fast roll-off: Enhanced analytical capabilities, delivering a clean and crisp sound

• <Blue Light> Linear phase slow roll-off: Enriched harmonics, full low frequencies, and natural reverb

• <Yellow Light> Minimum phase fast roll-off: Balanced and moderate sound

• <Purple Light> Minimum phase slow roll-off: Clean sound with a forward position

• <White Light> Hybrid fast roll-off: Soft and smooth sound with enhanced detail

My Impression with the above filters are, they do sound different from each other, but to my ears, the differences are very minor, the most noticeable for me will be between the Anodizing Fast Roll Off vs the Linear Phase Slow Roll Off

Comparison

Fosi Audio DS1

• The sound profile is fairly neutral to my ears, doesn’t add any coloration to the frequencies

• Clean and balanced sounding

• Hefty in terms of weight

• Independent volume control on the DS1, S9 Pro Plus doesn’t have that

• Slightly higher power output for DS1, 220mw on Balanced vs 180mw on Balanced for S9 Pro Plus, for IEM usage, it doesn’t really matter than much unless you are using it for headphones

Final Thoughts

Having tested several dongles from Hidizs, it’s good to see they are moving away from the 2.5mm and started to adopt 4.4mm for the balanced out port. In terms of sound performance, S9 Pro Plus is not the usual dongle with 9038Q2M, it is fun sounding, slight warmth with natural timbre, combined with all the factors mentioned makes for a dynamic and engaging listening experience, it is also priced competitively, hence, recommended!

If you are interested in grabbing a pair, head over to the following link:

It will be available to pre-order at 16th Nov 2023 at 70$ instead of the original price at 80$
Hidizs S9 Pro Plus Martha - Non Affiliated

*Received the review sample from Hidizs for the purpose of this review, big thanks to them for the support and opportunity as always