HIDIZS S9 PRO+ MARTHA Review
HIDIZS S9 PRO+ MARTHA Review (reviewed by Noah Cowin) Design & Build For as little as the Martha weighs, it is quite well built (made from aluminum and glass). The only real concern I have with the unit is the glass becoming scratched, but I would probably use a sheet of "cut to fit" screen protector (for a phone) to apply to the surfaces. I really like the volume buttons - they do not have any wobble and have a nice tactile feel to them. There is a type-C USB connection port and 3.5 single ended and 4.4 balanced audio jacks. I must say that the 4.4 balanced is a welcome addition (as opposed to a 2.5). Specs & Features The unit has the following features: - ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M chipset The ES9038Q2M chipset (same as used in the S9 Pro) has the following characteristics: -PCM support up to 32bit/768kHz -Native DSD support (64-512) - Filters The unit has the following available filters (can be changed when the music is paused by pressing both buttons): -Fast roll-off -Linear-phase fast roll-off -Minimum phase fast roll-off -Slow roll-off -Linear-phase slow roll-off -Hybrid fast roll-off The RGB lighting illuminates to display the current filter. To be honest, I could not really tell the difference between the different filters when I changed them. - 3.5 Unbalanced and 4.4 Balanced outputs It is nice to see newer dongles coming out with the 4.4 balanced connector (as opposed to the 2.5). Considering the unit is on the smaller size it is good that they were able to accommodate the larger size. The connections on both ports were stable and tight - no wiggling or looseness. It seemed as though there was a bit more power coming from the unbalanced port….but I could be wrong. -Physical Volume Buttons I like being able to control the volume of the source from the DAC. A lot of times my phone is in my pocket or sitting somewhere else (if I am using a longer USB cable) so being able to change volume is very handy. I wish that the volume buttons could be set to be independent of the phone as I must be aware when changing DACs/headphones as to not rupture my eardrums. Sound I used my phone as the input source (using Tidal, Spotify) with no EQ or colorization. I would best describe the sound as neutral with a bit of warmth. Lows: I found the bass response to be tight, punchy, and precise. Mids: The midranges could be best described as neutral, transparent, with just a slight amount of warmth. Highs: The treble could be described as well-refined and lively. The soundstage on the unit is decent (not huge, but it does the job just fine). The imaging is quite good - I was able to distinguish the different instruments on the tracks I tested (with both of my test headsets). The headphones and IEMs that I used were easy to drive so I didn't notice the Martha having any struggles (no distortion, etc. at higher volumes). I did not notice any background noise or hissing when using my test IEMs but cannot comment on if that would be the same result for especially sensitive IEMs. Nitpicks There are a couple things I would like to mention that I didn't care for or thought could have been included. These are by no means dealbreakers though... -no app -filters did not sound all that different to one another (at least to my ears) -no option to adjust gain -no option to adjust volume independently from source -no option (button or configuration) to pause/previous track/next track Final Thoughts To conclude I can fully recommend this DAC - it is a simple, yet solid DAC that can appeal to many people across the broad spectrum of audio enthusiasts (casual to more advanced listener). There are quite a few DACs in this price range (too many to begin to list) so a lot of times it comes down to what the individual user likes/prefers. As I mentioned before, I like the fact that it is very easy to use without confusing piles of configurations to go through (can be a good or bad thing??)...that being said, you will either like or dislike how this DAC sounds and works. I rather liked it and plan on using it regularly. I would say that the Martha is a good upgrade to the S9. The revamped construction and features are welcome updates to an already solid DAC. I have noticed that it goes on sale quite often (even though the current price is already attractive) so it becomes an even more viable option.