HIDIZS S8 USB DAC Amp, 384kHz / 32Bit USB C Portable HiFi Audio Decoding Amplifier for iPhone iPod Android Computer with Windows/Mac OS/iOS/iPad OS System (Black，4 Interface Cable Included)

Like: It does amplify the signal, quite a bit too. It adds more space, separation, and sound-stage to the music. There's more power behind the bass too. You can plug it into a phone, laptop, pc, etc. It's very portable and made of some decent materials.Dislikes: First, It's rather noisy, the sound coming from it isn't as clear as I was expecting, there's definitely slight distortion. Second, If you actually want to use it's full DAC/AMP capability, you HAVE to go to the TempoTec website, download the firmware update, do the ambiguous steps to convert it to Full HD Sound, and hope you don't brick it. Third, it's lacking in compatibility with a lot of software and hardware on the smartphone side. I tried both my Samsung Galaxy S8 and Essential PH1. On both, the DAC wouldn't operate into both channels when using Tidal. In fact, on my phones, the only way to get it to work to its full potential is by downloading the HiByMusic app which allowed the DAC to takeover from the phone's own output. I used FLAC files that I already owned and it sounded great, but you can't get that same sound from Tidal or any other programs on the phones. As for PC, it works really well, just go set the Sound Settings to 24bit 96KHz output and you'll be golden. Tidal and everything else works through PC.Would I buy this again? probably not, unless it had better software and hardware support on smartphones.Update 4 years later: bought this in 2019 and wrote my original review then. It's now 2023 and I can say that the software support increased some. If you're using an android download USB Audio Player where you can play music from your own files and also Tidal and other services using HD and MQA. For these reasons I added a star.Note, after returning here you update my rating I noticed the product being sold now is not a dongle but a thumbstick looking DAC. Don't know if it's the same, just beware.

Overall I'm pleased with the product and for the price and the audio quality that it is able to deliver; hands down it's a great price to performance ratio. I am using this on my Asus Zephyrus S laptop which has weak sound quality and is unable to power my higher impedance headphones/earphones. Keep in mind that this is best suited for mobile devices and will be a significant upgrade over the stock chips that most phones comes with. There will be decrease in battery life, but that is to be expected and the trade off for acquiring better sound quality.There are 3 modes, which can only be enabled by flashing it's firmware.A. Calling Priority (Not recommended, it will drain your battery quickly if you use this for calls)B. Tone Quality? (No idea what the difference is but it's the same as mode A)C. Pure Music (Best sound but has no calling capabilities, and IMHO if you bought this you didn't buy it to have better quality calls)The firmware flashing is not as straightforward as install and flash, you'll need to look for the PID on your device manager and input it on the flash tool. There's an easy step by step how-to on their website. I don't recommend flashing it on a Mac, so use Windows.

I have tested this using Pixel 2 and there is no comparison with the dongle which is included with the phone and this one! The sound is not only clear, but is amplified a few times as well. YouTube music videos also sounded well with enough clarity and depth. I usually use Hi-Res earbuds that are ~32Ω and this adapter is more than enough for them. That is why I set volume to 30-40% and I am pleased with the results. I have used: USB Audio Player PRO from Play Store. When I used bigger headphones which are ~62Ω, then I had to increase the volume to about 60-70% which was a good level for me. I do think that headphones up to 100Ω would be OK for many users(just a theory) As many reviewers say about similar product that HIDIZS sells, there are 3 firmware options: A, C and D. Many users are flashing firmware D, which should give the best sound(24bit/192kHz Hi-Res)

It's hard to write about durability for a product you have only had for hours, so I'll update this review with that important information. Now for the the reason for my haste in writing about this well made and sturdy appearing DAC dongle. Or for the music lovers the answer to the USB C headphones jack problem. Buy this. Best $20 I've ever spent. The sound quality through a just okay set of earbuds is amazing! For higher end headphones Klipsch, B&O, Sennheiser, Sony they are slublime. Everyone has different tastes and they may not be everybody's nirvana but for $20 my favorite earbuds are once again working their musical magic.My Moto Z3 now has the detail, musicality and soundstage of a ridiculously expensive product. If you still can't tell the TempoTec Sonata HD just blew up my internal joy meter. Oh Happy day.