Hifiman EF600 Review

Sound performance

For this review, I paired the Hifiman EF600 with the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, the Audeze LCD-X and the lovely Meze 109 Pro – an headphone that I really loved with this amp. 

On top of that, I also combined the EF600 with my desktop speakers, the KEF LS50 Wireless, to see how it fares as a pure DAC and the FiiO M17 to compare the internal DAC with my – actual – top DAC.

As for the source, I kept my MacBook and the iPad, combined with the ddHiFi TC28i – plus the FiiO M17, for comparison purposes. For the files, I mainly used Apple Music and Spotify, plus some local files, streamed from my Plex server. I did try Roon a few times, but I’m more used to Plex interface.

Overall signature

The Hifiman EF400 was my reference desktop DAC/AMP since its introduction. Did the EF600 overthrow its older brother as THE all-in-one solution? To nobody’s surprise, yes it did.

Contrary to the EF400 that took some times to gain my favor, the EF600 immediately seduced me with its lushful yet precise signature, outperforming the EF400 from the very start on each and every song that I listened to.

The inclusion of the new dual R2R Hymalaya Pro DAC module in the EF600 makes a significant difference on the long run, especially on high-end cans like the Audeze where everything appeared almost life-like. Whether when tracks were played locally, streamed from Spotify, or even Apple Music the EF600 consistently presented a luxurious soundstage, pinpoint imaging, and impeccable instrument separation. 

While it might not possess the silky finesse of some other high-end devices previously reviewed like the A&K CA1000T – amazon device, only plagues by the software – the nuances and micro-details it revealed in recordings were undeniably impressive. Deep bass, smooth mids, exceptional layering, and the holographic soundstage, usually found on high-end gear, that completely immerses you once you wear your headphones. 

Like before, with the EF600 Hifiman appeared to be aiming for a harmonious balance, reminiscent of their other top-tier offerings. Paired with the Meze 109 Pro, I was amazed by how well it sounded, even with a source as crude as Spotify. This was especially true with dynamic, bass-hitting, tracks like The Abyss from Hardwell, where some drums seemed to pop up right behind my ears – I like that. It’s precise, dynamic, and never harsh, even with bad recordings – but good recordings are just amazing. I also tried a few well-recorded tracks, like Dance Naked Under Palmtrees –  Mo’Horizons, or Baby I’m A Fool from Melody Gardot, and the EF400 was simply brilliant.

Compared to the SMSL DO200/HO200, which I still use to this day, this new DAC/Amp is one for the few that managed to (almost) reach the same level of dynamic range, with a more natural approach, especially on vocals – and some drawbacks – the DO200/HO200 remains undefeated in of SNR – pitch black. But overall, this remains a very nice experience and for bass-lovers like me, the Hifiman EF600 offers exceptional bass control; thanks to its raw power. I could easily drive my old Audeze LCD-X and reach the deepest notes, at low to moderate volume, and as promised, my old HE-6 was correctly driven, through the XLR 4-Pins output though.

Head to head with my xDuoo TA-30, the HiFiman has a more neutral tuning, with a dynamic, energetic, and lively character. Soundstage-wise, the xDuoo appears narrower, and paired with the DT 900 Pro X, the EF400 offers pin-point precision, with excellent depth – even more, if you choose the NOS presets.

A word regarding NOS and OS, I did some tests and, after a few days of listening, concluded that once more, I couldn’t spot a clear difference between the two but once again the NOS exhibited a few more artifacts during my listening, adding unwanted “cracks” and “noise” at random moments, so I mostly use the OS mode. But, in all honesty, for me there was no real difference, so you better try on your own.

As promised in the product sheet, the Hifiman EF600 is absolutely dead silent, even with super sensitive IEMs like my Onkyo IE-C3, or the FiiO FD7. To be sure, I tried various sources to check if EMI shielding was okay too and 99% of the time, I was pleased to hear the same pitch-black background. As I said, I had some parasites, but those were not ground-related, and once I rebooted the device, everything went clear. There was a slight channel imbalance in low-gain though, something that didn’t appear in high-gain, so if you’re sensible to that, you better check twice.

Last but not least, I did some comparisons between the single-ended ports and the balanced one. In terms of raw power, there’s a massive bias switching from the 6.35mm to the XLR 4-Pins, power almost immediately doubled and driving the Audeze was possible in low-gain, whereas I had to stick to high-gain via the 6.35mm port. This was especially true with dynamic, bass-hitting, tracks like Universal Consciousness from Charlotte De Witte, where some kicks seemed to pop up right into my face.

Finally, I tried the line output of the EF600, plugged into my desktop speakers, the old but mighty KEF LS50 Wireless. Once more, the DAC turned out to be much better than the KEF one, both in terms of resolution and tonicity, but the new DAC also outperformed my FiiO Q7 – an equally priced DAC/AMP – that I usually plugged to my speakers as a DAC. The Hifiman perfectly matched the amp embedded in the KEF and more than once, I was baffled at how good the combo sounded.

Paired with the FiiO M17 though, the duo didn’t sound as good as expected. The amp inside didn’t match the ESS DAC and the final result was precise, but harsh, giving me headaches over long listening sessions. But on the other hand, pairing the Hifiman (DAC) with the Q7(amp) gave me great results. Who knew?

A superb device from start to finish.

Tonality

Highs: clean, almost dry, but o so good. The Hifiman EF600 avoids the classical upper-mid boost and goes straight to your ears, with no trickery, ever. If that could have sound a bit harsh, I never encountered any sibilants nor aggressiveness during my listening sessions, even on sensitive headphones like my Onkyo. None of that was found on the DAC, fortunately, and difficult electro tracks such as Naive response from Daniel Avery never scorched my ears.

Good test track : Roscoe – Beyond the wizard Sleeve – Midlake

Mids: open and linear. Vocals and acoustic tracks were an easy job for the Hifiman EF600, even more once paired with a good headphone. The soundstage is exceptionally wide and voices glided easily into my ears, especially paired with the Audeze LCD-X. Yet, I preferred the Meze 109 Pro with this DAC, as some good pairing occurred, giving me the right amount of details and a wide soundstage.

Good test track: Between a smile and a tear

Bass: deep and powerful. Hifiman did a terrific job here, and the EF600 impressed me more than once, especially in balanced mode. It reaches the deepest spot, and the more you push, the better it gets, so be careful when you turn on the volume!

Good test track: One man show – Rui Reis Meia

Noise and power

Noise: the EF600 is usually dead silent but sometimes you’ll hear gremlins when connecting the DAC to your computer. In analog mode, that never occured with me though.

Power: power-wise, you’ll be able to drive any headphone of your catalog with the Hifiman. It’s incredibly powerful, but never too much and you always feel in control. Amazing!

Conclusion

Like the EF400, the Hifiman EF600 is a great addition to the vast world of desktop USB-DAC/AMPs. Sure, $799 remains a steep sum for many newcomers, but for this price I don’t think that you’ll get another desktop DAC/AMP as good as this one. 

Sound quality is superb, build quality is very good, I/O is excellent and the conception design makes it the perfect companion for every source you may own, even game consoles like the… PS5 (wink, wink). It’s not night and day compared to the EF400, but this new device remains a massive improvement on everything that made the previous model a recommended gear for me.

Long story short, for less than $1000, this is, plain and simple, one of the best all-in-one DAC/AMPs available at the moment. It’s almost perfect, but quite honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else this nice to listen to, in this price range. We are adding the EF600 to our Best Buy list for DAC/AMPs. It’s a Recommended Buy Award Winner !

Bravo!

Pros

• excellent performances in every mode (DAC, Amp, DAC/Amp)
• powerful amplifier with excellent channel separation
• good I/O and great build
• excellent price/performance ratio
• smaller footprint than the EF400…

Cons

• … but taller than the EF400
• only two headphone outputs
• some random noise in NOS