HiFiMAN SuperMini DAP Preview

Recently we’ve done some in depth reviews of HiFiMAN’s hi performance, high end headphones; the latest review being their Edition X headphones for a paltry $1,800/pair. With its distinctive looks and comfort, the Edition X is a worthy piece of any audiophile’s collection and definitely for those who can afford it. So when HiFiMAN announced the release of their SuperMini HiFi portable music player for $399, we initially though they left out a 1 on the front of the price tag.

HiFiMAN was one of the first companies to produce high-res portable players as far back as 2008.  Though the company’s reference players tend to be somewhat large and heavy, the SuperMini combines an ultra-light weight body and a compact size. To give you an idea, at 2.4oz it comes in at about half the size and weight of an iPhone 5s.

HiFiMAN CEO Dr. Fang Bian has always been a fanboy of portable audio players and he and his company have spent years perfecting their new product. For audiophiles who demanded HiFi sound in a portable device, the compromise has always been either a larger device with a separate power hungry DAC chip or a smaller player with an integrated chip and lousy sound quality.

According to Dr. Bian: "We selected a low power consumption controller chip with a DAC built-in.  After heavily modifying firmware and drivers of decoding/Audio/DAC, we have changed its original sound signature and achieved an amazing result. Portable players have always been a passion of mine and I am very pleased with how SuperMini turned out."

The body is CNC machined from a solid block of aluminum alloy and comes in matte black.  It features expandable memory up to 256 GB via a micro SD card. And according to HiFiMAN, the robust output should be able to drive all but the most power hungry headphones. HiFiMAN says they boast a swing output voltage of 4.2V from peak to peak (about 1.5Vrms) and an output power of 320mW.   The display utilizes an OLED screen for deeper blacks and wider angle viewing as well as keeping the unit lighter and thinner than a LCD screen.  The player features both normal and balanced outputs and is shipped with a set of balanced in-ear phones so you’re ready to go right out of the box.

With all these features and with a name like HiFiMAN we’re sure the sound will be incredible.  Are you on the market for a portable DAP?  If so, let us know if the forum if you're considering this product or something else, and why.  Also what are you using it for?  We want to know.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.