Three, ifi’s Lucky Number?
Ratings
Pros
- A multitude of virtues in a very small space.
- High power.
- Good battery life.
- Sound on a par with similarly priced desktop solutions.
- Excellent price/performance ratio in a very compact size.
- Versatility, very useful and valuable in many scenarios.
Cons
- No RCA or digital line out connections.
- It does not come with a case, it must be purchased separately.
Purchase Link
https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac-3/
Link to the Store
Introduction
This is the first time I have reviewed an ifi product. Although I own the ifi ZEN CAN which I bought some time ago, I had not tried a source from this brand. Established in 2012 and with a distribution centre in the USA, ifi has its own way out of the other brands from the east. Very faithful to the Burr-Brown chips, the brand has a classic touch in its sound that is already a trademark of the house. This time I have been able to enjoy on loan for a few weeks this small portable DAC/AMP in its third generation, called if hip dac 3. It is a battery-powered DAC/AMP with a shape reminiscent of a small flask adorned with a Titanium Shadow tone. It has an aluminium casing and virtually all of the brand’s signature features: iEMatch technology, metal film capacitors, updated version of ifi’s GMT circuitry, along with a new crystal oscillator, Burr-Brown DAC, 16-core XMOS chip, true balanced circuitry, custom iFi OV op-amp, switchable gain selector called PowerMatch, Xbass bass boost selector, MQA support, DSD up to 256 and PCM up to 384 kHz. There are two USB Type-C ports, one for data and one for charging, with LED indicator included, two audio outputs (SE 3.5mm and BAL 4.4mm) and a 2,200 mAh battery that offers up to 12 hours of playback. Let’s take a closer look at what this new ifi product has to offer.
Specifications
- Input: USB-C
- Supported formats: DSD256 / PCM384kHz / Full MQA decoder.
- DAC: Burr Brown.
- Headphone outputs: BAL 4.4 mm, SE 3.5 mm.
- Output power (RMS): BAL 400mW @ 32Ω; 6.3V @ 600Ω.
- Output power (RMS): SE 280mW @ 32Ω; 3.2V @ 600Ω.
- SNR BAL: <109dB(A) @ 0dBFS.
- SNR SE: <103dB(A) @ 0dBFS.
- DNR BAL: <109dB(A).
- DNR SE: <103dB(A).
- THD + N BAL: <0.006X% (360mW/2.0V @ 600Ω).
- THD + N SE: <0.01% (100mW/1.27V @ 16Ω).
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 45kHz (-3dB).
- Power consumption: <2W standby, 4W max. Battery: 2,200 mAh lithium polymer. Battery life: up to 12 hours. Power system Charging via USB-C, compatible with BC V1.2 up to 1000mA charging current.
- Dimensions: 102x70x14mm (4.0″ x 2.8″ x 0.6″).
- Net weight: 135g.
Packaging
The ifi hip dac 3 comes in a small white box, whose dimensions are 126x93x38mm. On the front side there is a real picture of the product. At the top is the brand logo, at the bottom is the model name and the description of the model. On the back side there is a description of the motivation of the product, the main features, a description of the content, the specifications and the certifications it complies with. After sliding off the box, the product is shown inside a white protective pouch, inside a cardboard base. Attached to the pouch is a sticker with a smiley headphone smiley thanking you for your choice. Underneath is a double-sided quick manual card and the rest of the accessories. In a nutshell:
- The ifi hip dac 3.
- Quick manual.
- USB-A to USB-C cable.
- USB-C to USB-C cable.
- Instruction manual.
- MQA card.
- 4 white rubber bases.
- Brand logo sticker.
A protective cover is missing, but is sold separately. The cables are short, clearly for portable use. There is a difference between the two cables, while the USB-C to USB-C cable has a textile coating that makes it look better, the USB-A to USB-C cable is more generic, black and plastic-coated. The packaging is really compact, with just enough and minimal frills. Just adequate, but nice in its size.
Construction and Design
The hip dac 3 is a small, oval flask encased in aluminium alloy and painted in a shade called Titanium Shadow. The body is compact, the casing has a good thickness and the whole thing is relatively light at 135g. The top face has only the brand logo in the centre, in black ink. On the underside are all the informative legends and icons, including one that says something like «designed and built in the UK, made in China». There is also the iEMatch selector. On the front face, from left to right, is the Power Match gain selector, the Xbass bass selector, the potentiometer, the 4.4mm BAL headphone output and the 3.5mm SE output. The selectors have a white LED indicating their activation, while on both sides of the potentiometer there are two curved green LEDs indicating that the device is switched on. On the back, from left to right, is the USB Type-C data port, a sticker with a QR code, a sticker with the Hi-Res Audio logo, the USB Type-C charging port with an LED (red to indicate low battery and white while charging). Little else. I don’t like that the iEMach selector is underneath and its travel is a little short, while its movement is a little rough and unsteady. Otherwise the design is compact, feels quite robust, has LEDs indicating almost all options and the weight is low for its power.
Connectivity
The ifi hip dac 3 can be connected to an Android smartphone via the USB-C to USB-C cable. It can also be connected to an Apple smartphone via a Lightning to USB adapter (not included). It can be connected to any PC, tablet or device with a compatible USB output, but only via the data port. For use with Apple iOS and Android devices, battery powered use is recommended, otherwise you may receive error messages from your device. For use with PC it is necessary to download drivers. It has ASIO drivers and you can update the firmware from here:
http://www.ifi-audio.com/download-hub/
Operativity
The ifi hip dac 3 is switched on by moving the potentiometer clockwise and after hearing the click. It is a powerful device and it is recommended to start listening from the lowest volume range. It has a gain selector, ifi calls it PowerMatch. It increases the gain by 10dB. It has a bass boost selector, which ifi calls Xbass. This is an analogue circuit designed to «recover» the lost bass response. The LEDs on both sides of the potentiometer light up in different colours to give information about the format being played:
- Yellow: PCM 44.1/48kHz
- White: PCM 88,2/96/176,4/192/352,8/384kHz
- Cyan: DSD 64/128
- Red: DSD 256
- Green: MQA
- Blue: MQA Studio
- Magenta: Original Sample Rate* (*MQB)
The iEMatch is a selector that reduces the output level. It allows more sensitive headphones to be used with the high part of the potentiometer, whose results are more linear. It is also used for more precision with the volume. It can be activated for 3.5mm SE output, 4.4mm BAL output or deactivated. The device has a dedicated USB Type-C port for data and a dedicated USB Type-C port for charging. Charging the battery can take up to 3 hours using a powerful USB charger. It is recommended to use the included USB-A to USB-C cable, a smart charger or a standard charger up to 6.3V. The battery indicator LED is colour coded as follows:
- White* > 75%
- Green* > 25%
- Red* > 10%
- Red* > 10%
- Red (flashing) ≤ 10%
*The battery LED will flash when the battery is charging.
Measures
Let’s see how iEMatch behaves. In my opinion, it is an attenuator. Ifi could use three gain modes and save this circuit. Although, it is possible that it affects something else. The unloaded output at low gain almost reaches 1V RMS per SE, with the iEMatch activated in the 3.5mm position the voltage stays at 0.23V, a very drastic drop. Given that the output impedance per SE that I have measured is 0.32Ω, is it possible that the iEMatch decreases this impedance even more? Measuring that value is difficult for me because the voltage is low and my measuring equipment is not very accurate in that range. But, it seems that lowering the output impedance even further would be possible in an accurate circuit and achieve much lower background noise. In the same way, it is possible to use the potentiometer in the higher range, where the outputs are also more even between channels.
You can activate the iEMatch with high gain, but you can’t go to the maximum volume because you see a clear distortion. The system stays at about 0.44V RMS.
Something similar happens at the balanced output. At the low gain output it delivers 1.9V, with iEMatch activated at the 4.4mm position it reaches 0.46V. Activating the high gain is the same as for SE, you can’t reach the maximum volume with iEMatch activated, staying at 0.57V RMS without visible distortion.
The output impedance of BAL at low gain is almost negligible, 0.1Ω.
No Load SE
For SE at low gain you don’t reach 1V RMS. At high gain you get up to 3.1V RMS.
15 Ω SE
For SE at high gain you get 1.46V RMS, which means 140mW power and over 97mA. Very good.
33 Ω SE
For SE at high gain you get 2.55V RMS, giving you 200mW of power and more than 77mA. The specifications say that 280mW should be reached and for that you should reach 3V RMS, something I have not been able to corroborate, as above 2.6V RMS there is visible distortion in the audible range.
100 Ω SE
For SE at high gain you get 3.1V RMS, with the volume at maximum. 96MW and 31mA.
No Load BAL
Without BAL load at low gain it reaches 1.92V and at high gain 6.25V RMS.
15 Ω BAL
For BAL at high gain you get 1.54V RMS, which is 160mW and 100mA. Surprisingly powerful.
33 Ω BAL
For BAL at high gain you get 3.31V RMS, giving 330mW and 100mA as well. 400mW is specified, for that the voltage should be 3.58V RMS. It’s not far off, but it doesn’t reach that value over the whole frequency range without visible distortion.
100 Ω BAL
My surprise was that I could not reach the maximum volume with this impedance. It reaches 5.52V RMS and the power is 300mW. A bit disappointing considering that the current is only 55mA.
Frequency Response
The frequency response is flat between 5Hz and 40kHz, as it should be for a Hi-Res product. No difference is observed between channels at medium volume.
Activating the Xbass selector gives an increase in the lower range which is 12dB at 5Hz, 10dB at 20Hz, 8dB at 40Hz, 4dB at 100Hz, 2dB at 200Hz and the curve joins the original without Xbass beyond 1khz.
Sound
Audio brands usually have some kind of house sound. With ifi this is absolutely true. The ifi sound is often associated with a warm, organic, analogue sound. And a lot of that may be due to the technology it uses. Ifi is faithful to Burr Brown dacs, analogue amplification and the use of the best electronic components.
Although I have only tested the ZEN CAN amplifier and this hip dac 3, perhaps I should not generalise this premise to the rest of the devices. However, both the components used and the brand itself are looking for something in that direction. But when I tried the hip dac 3 I was surprised that this feeling was not so pronounced. I think this device has those certain nuances, but it also has a sound that tends towards a realistic, mature, descriptive and wide neutrality. I was surprised to find a wide and voluminous soundstage, superior to many dongles or similar devices I own, with more flesh, weight, body and size. At that point, I set about comparing the hip dac 3 with those small devices, looking for that juicy, physical, extended sound. In fact, I didn’t find it and that’s why I have admitted the first superior value of this music flask.
Starting with a more concrete description of the sound, in the low end, the hip dac 3 offers a very deep range, with a slight rubberiness associated with a sense of darkness that gives it that realistic, analogue feel. It has a bit more flesh and physicality compared to cooler dacs, which can sound more dry or sterile. The hip dac 3 is juicier in this respect, offering a rounder, fuller bottom end. I get the impression that the bass hit has more travel, offering a more discernible, rougher texture. Although it is also less compact, compared to Sabre dacs like the EarMen TR-Amp. In this way, I feel the bass is longer, subtly slower in its recovery, but also with that extra physical part, extension and texture, which makes it more exciting and fun, without losing its good technical capacity.
In the midrange I continue to get that sense of physicality and body, which enhances the sound and adds a sense of volume and space, without having to fiddle with the potentiometer to make up for it. In this way, male vocals feel full and very full, enriched by the warm character of the hip dac 3. On the other hand, the profile’s orientation towards neutrality is demonstrated in the clarity of the midrange. Without feeling forced or exalted, the midranges are clean, transparent and separated, reproduced with ease, but in a very complete and descriptive way. This is how the instruments are described in a quite vivid, even lush analogue way, winning the emotional game against other more bland, cold and sterile dacs. My feeling is that the hip dac 3 offers a juicier, more organic and natural sound that makes it more enjoyable, at the same time more palpable, surrounding, even voluptuous and full of attractive musicality. Despite the above, the hip dac 3 doesn’t lose detail, it just exposes itself on a slightly different plane. My sense is that the body and physicality of the bass remains at a closer point, while the micro detail remains explicit, albeit on a plane not quite as close as the TR-Amp represents it. Its visibility is about the same, but there is a subtly greater density surrounding it.
I find the ifi sound represented in the treble. The analogue aspect of the high notes means that they are represented in a softer way at their end point. While the TR-Amp is more vivid, sparkling and fine in the last flash, the hip dac 3 ends the treble in a subtly rounder way, which gives it that point of musical softness, which is appreciated after hours of intense listening. The result is an equally explicit, extended, transparent, clean and separated high end, but less sharp and penetrating. It’s not that there is a drop in the energy level, it’s not a nuanced treble, but that the energy is more controlled, more distributed and emitted with a little less drive and edge.
But if there is something that I liked and surprised me about this portable device, as I mentioned at the beginning of this section, it was the sensation of spaciousness and scene. Without being a monster in this aspect, the sensation of volume, occupied space and depth, made me compare it with several similar products, searching in those, the size of that scene to find out if it was superior. The truth is that it has not been easy to find a device at that price level. That is why I must conclude that the hip dac 3 is excellent in this respect. Thanks to the physical, powerful, energetic feel of the bass, coupled with its level of depth, rounder body and extension, the soundstage feels wide, voluminous and more three-dimensional. It doesn’t quite have that enveloping, gaseous, head-over-heels sensation, as I think the analogue nature of the sound gives it a realistic spatial attachment, without becoming detached or volatile. However, this does not detract from the fact that it possesses a remarkable sense of height, openness, distance between notes and separation. In that more technical aspect, this ifi is able to discern the micro detail as other dacs more analytical, but without getting to expose it in a more preferential plane, but more realistic or perhaps, a little behind the voluptuousness of the bass or first midranges.
Conclusion
The ifi hip dac 3 is a very portable device that is powerful, musical, very versatile and highly equipped. Ifi didn’t want to leave anything behind and has equipped this device with almost all the improvements of its big brothers: iEMatch, PowerMatch, Xbass, dual audio output BAL 4.4mm and SE 3.5mm, integrated 2,200 mAh lithium battery, analogue potentiometer, separate USB Type-C connections for data and charging, the best electronic components, Burr Brown dac, MQA, DSD 256 and PCM up to 384khz. All this in a small, slim flask with a Titanium Shadow aluminium body. Not to mention a very competitive price, the ifi hip dac 3 can be a very effective entry-level device for multiple scenarios, which will make it unnecessary to carry other more expensive, even more bulky dongles or desktop systems, given its power, sound quality, size, connectivity and all those features I’ve already mentioned. Does the rest of the competition have all that at this price? Answer for yourself.
Earphones and Sources Used During Analysis
- Hidizs MP145 Golden Titanium
- BQEYZ Wind.
- Letshuoer S15.
- Letshuoer Cadenza 4.
- NiceHCK Himalaya.
- Rose Martini.
- Simgot EA1000 Fermat.
- TinHiFi T5s.
- Rose Star City 5 Pro.
- Shozy P20.
- Hidizs AP80 PRO-X Red Copper LE
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro