Hidizs S-9, Cozoy Takt-C, and Meizu MasterHiFi USB-C DAC/Amps Review – Wang Dang Dongle All Night Long
Hidizs S-9, Cozoy Takt-C and Meizu MasterHiFi USB-C DAC/Amps: There are design pretexts for eliminating the headphone jack, but I’m certain the principal reason is to enable Apple /Google/Samsung can sell you expensive accessories and, more critically, to hack into your user information. If you accept the inevitable, however, you might as well get the best sound you can, which makes devices like these little USB-powered dongles more essential.
The thumb-sized (12g) $109 Hidizs S-9 looks and feels very premium, so much so that I encased it in the plastic pocket clip to avoid marring the lovely aluminum-and-glass surface. Setting it up to use with my LG G8 was a hassle—you have to enable developer options, enable USB debugging and download and set the Hiby music app—even after going through these steps my phone would periodically flash a “device not supported” message and stop playing. (note that with my PC, the S-9 was simple plug-and-play and had no issues). Once set up, the Hidizs S-9 is as basic a design as you’ll encounter—no volume or other controls and no sound modes, although it does offer both SE and balanced outputs. As others have noted, it does run a bit warm, and its high current draw will noticeably affect your mobile’s battery life. Output, though, is surprisingly good for such a wispy thing and it capably powered 150 ohm Beyerdynamic cans; comparatively speaking my generally serviceable LG G8, in high impedance mode, sounded softer and flatter powering the same phones.
The Hidizs S-9 presents an aggressive, bright timbre with a lot of midrange presence. Compared, again, to my unamped G8, the Hidisz S-9 substantially widened the soundstage and sharpened imaging; there was noticeably more space between performers and low end sounded not so much deeper as more etched. High end seemed more extended on the Hidizs S-9, at least on less efficient phones. In contrast to my mobile, background on the Hidizs S-9 is dead quiet and no hiss is detectable. That said, the Hidizs S-9 is not neutral-sounding or free from coloration—it imparts a digital sheen on the music (and sort of a brittle edge to the treble), although I didn’t find it fatiguing after a few hours.
The similarly-positioned $100 Cozoy Takt-C is likewise well-machined and features volume and play buttons; like the Hidizs S-9, the Cozoy would periodically pause with my mobile but worked flawlessly with my PC. Soundwise, the Hidizs S-9 sounds louder and larger; the Cozoy Takt-C sounds more transparent, smoother and truer-to-source, although also noticeably thinner and less powerful, with less bass impact. I preferred the Hidizs S-9 overall, which is mainly a function of the harder genres I listen to; I might opt for the Cozoy Takt-C for quieter, less dynamic fare, especially with more efficient headphones.
Given the quirky operation of the Hidizs S-9 and the Takt with my LG, I shopped around for a cheap alternative which would play more seamlessly. I was about to buy the $37 Tempotec Sonata HD Pro recommended by Jürgen when, irrationally, my eye caught the diminutive $23 Meizu MasterHiFi, which touted a Cirrus Logic chip, 32/384khz decoding and fairly impressive output power. (Note: there is a well-reviewed $55 Pro version of this unit which has the same chip but supposedly upgraded opamps). The Meizu MasterHiFi, in fact, paired flawlessly with my phone and is quite the lusty beast, with a surprisingly quiet background and enough juice to drive 150ohm buds to the proverbial insanely loud level without distortion. Soundwise, the Meizu MasterHiFi, is forward and a bit bright; it’s less refined and smooth than the Cozoy Takt-C and slightly grainer and less detailed than the Hidizs S-9, but actually had more bass presence and control than either. FLAC and higher-resolution files sounded less extended at the highend on the Meizu MasterHiFi, but for listening on-the-go to Spotify, the Meizu was more than serviceable and imparted a noticeable richness to my LG.
Compatability quirks notwithstanding, all of these little devices have considerable merit and are a significant upgrade to the inboard soundcards on my phone and computer; that they’ve gotten so cheap is another continuing miracle of Chifi.
The Cozoy Takt-C was provided by Hifigo, the other two I purchased myself.
Get the Cozoy Takt-C at the HifiGo store
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