Once upon a time HiFiMan made several players. One big and expensive (at that time) 801 and a smaller line, which received indices from 601 to 603. The players turned out good and in fact convinced everyone that high-quality sound and portable - it's compatible concepts. But in addition to large players, many need smaller solutions, a pocket size. The first attempt at HiFiMan, which received the HM-700 index, turned out to be unconvincing, so the second player, who received the modest name SuperMini, approached seriously, and the result proved itself.
Even looking at the technical characteristics, it can be noted that the name in HiFiMan is not too exaggerated. The device was made on the codec, but it was equipped with a good reinforcement (lately I have become increasingly convinced that such solutions may well sound good). A player that is less than 9 millimeters thick and weighs 70 grams produces in a balanced connection more than 4 volts per 32Ω load - this is a really serious application for success. I, of course, did not double-check these figures, but the work of SuperMini with fairly tight full-size speaks for itself.
Added to this was a redesigned design (this time it really turned out to be stylish) and as a killer app they added good headphones. Naturally, HiFiMan as one of the leaders in the portable HiFi market did not save on the price tag, , although in many respects this is due to the complete headphones. For a more budget segment, there is a second model, which received the same epic name MegaMini, but I have not heard it yet.
Specifications
- Output power: up to 320 mW @ 32Ω
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.04%
- Signal to noise ratio: 102 ± 3 dB
- Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, APE, MP3, OGG, AAC, WMA, ALAC
- Maximum resolution: up to 24 bit / 192 kHz
- DSD support: DSF, DFF
- Memory Cards: MicroSD up to 256 GB
- Operating time on one charge: 22 hours (actually about 15 hours)
- Dimensions: 104 mm × 45 mm × 8.5 mm
- Weight: 70g
Packing and delivery kit
The player is packed in the best traditions of HiFiMan. For starters - an external transport packaging made of ordinary cardboard, which preserves the integrity of the inner box. The latter is made of nice black cardboard, the polygraphy on it is minimalistic, the designers restrained and even went against the long-standing Chinese tradition, without pasting ugly stickers with bar codes. In the box, everything is done according to the precepts of John-Ivizm: the player is on top, and the accessories are under it. This time the kit includes a protective film, a very good MicroUSB-cable with a ferrite bead (I use it for connecting DACs) and headphones. The model number on these headphones is nowhere written, but the duck's rule is quite applicable: if it looks like a Re600 and sounds like a Re600, then we can assume that it's the Re600 or something similar to them. Taking into account the retail price for six hundred in the region of 180 dollars, this bonus is quite significant. As a supplement to the headphones there is a second pair of replaceable nozzles and 5 pairs of self-adhesive filters. Also in the box were put different instructions and guarantors, but who are they in normal life interested in?
Design and management
That's what HiFiMan has undoubtedly turned out, so it's design. And what's important is that the design is absolutely unique and unlike anything else, the player has a recognizable appearance and is quite user-friendly. The body is all-metal, according to the latest trends it is completely milled from one piece of aluminum, it also makes Radium a radically black color in the SuperMini. The assembly is performed without any complaints, does not tread, does not make noise and does not creak. The player is very light and compact, so it is ideal for those who are looking for some model for the role of a handheld device.
On the right side there are two volume buttons, a back button and a shutdown button (which, as usual, turns off the screen). Slightly lower there is an opening for rebooting the player, however, I never needed it. Of course, it would be more convenient to place the back button on the front panel, but HiFiMan did this only in MegaMini.
On the bottom panel are two headphone outputs, MicroUSB and a slot for microSD cards. The player understands the cards up to 256 GB, but is not friendly with ExFAT, although the developers promise to add support in the future. The two outputs are due to the balanced circuit used in the player. The presence of two connectors - a step forward compared to the HM-700, in which to connect unbalanced headphones it was necessary to use a very "curve" adapter. In the new model, the main problem is not to connect the usual headphones to the balanced connector, as this will lead to an undesirable earth fault in both channels of the amplifier. What will happen in this case - I do not know, maybe the doors in the metro will open, and maybe the soda will flow. Most likely, there will be no problems, but I would not risk it. If you are not sure about yourself, you should take care of buying a 3.5-mm "plug" for an unnecessary connector, the blessing on AliExpress they cost a penny (however, HiFiMan could put it immediately in the kit).
The front panel contains three buttons, the extreme buttons are responsible for navigating through the menus and rewinding tracks, the center panel is playing / pausing and selecting items in the menu. The button block logically divides the front panel in half. In the lower part - a smooth metal, on top - the glass behind which the screen is hidden. It quickly collects dust and fingerprints, but it also quickly wipes off. The screen is made very cool, it is dark and almost does not stand out against the background of the top part, because of this it seems that the screen works just in the depth of the glass, which looks impressive. Here we use a conventional two-color OLED screen, so we can not talk about color depth. On the other hand - this screen is well read in the sun and has good viewing angles.
The firmware of the player is written according to the latest testaments of audiophile soft-building and works in single-threaded mode to reduce the potential jitter. From this follows its apparent simplicity. The main menu is designed in the form of a simple vertical list. The top item returns you to the playback screen, below it are the media library items: the file browser, artists, albums, genres and favorites. Below is a list of all files for fans to listen to everything and settings. The latter, however, a little: repeat mode, shuffle, backlight and auto power off, and the latter is a sleep timer, and not shutdown when idle. Of course, the player is deprived of a number of useful features like support for playlists and playing without pauses (which the developers promised to add), but it's impossible to name the ascetic firmware, the basic things in it are implemented. The playback screen is quite informative, there is everything from the track name to its bitrate. Long press of the central button brings up the context menu for setting the repeat and shuffle.
In general, management is normal, you do not have to get used to it, everything works exactly as you expect.
Complete headphones or Re600, or very similar to them both externally and by sound. These are compact dynamic IEMs with one radiator using a balanced connection. Due to their small size, they fit comfortably in almost any ears, providing good insulation. The set of attachments in the SuperMini set is reduced in comparison with the original delivery, there is only one pair of small two-flange ones and one pair of large two-flange attachments. I'm lucky, I'm using just the last ones, you may have to look for others. The wire is thin enough, in silicone insulation. It visibly hardens in the cold and has a small microphone effect (in other words, it makes noise from rubbing against clothes). To fight against the latter, you can find somewhere a clothes clip for fixing the cable to clothing or simply use a breech landing. The connector is standard for the company 3.5 mm TRRS. It is necessary to admit that HiFiMan lost the "war of standards" of balanced connection, and fans of balance will have to get an adapter from 2.5 mm to 3.5 if you plan to use non-complete balance models.
HiFiMan stated for the player 22 hours of operation, which is very good, but I do not know how they measured it, I only had about 15 hours with the headphones (FLAC 44.1 / 16, volume 10). Also not bad, but still less than claimed.
Sound
To listen to the device used the following headphones: Meze 99 Classics, Lear LHF-AE1d, Ambient Acoustics AM10, Audio Zenith PMx2, Noble Kaiser K10AU, Campfire Audio Jupiter, Dita Audio Brass and others. And, of course, the complete headphones were also not forgotten.
In general, the sound of the player - medium-detailed, with a slope in a light feed, especially with complete headphones. The player does not try to stun the number of microns, instead offering a pleasantly voluminous scene with a good localization of sound sources.
The first attempt to listen to the player caused me quite a strong surprise, poured into the question "and where, in fact, the bass?". Then I remembered my experience with the Re600, which in the beginning caused almost the same questions. The secrets are actually three. The first is the warm-up required for these headphones. The second one is a quality reliable landing (for me large two-flange attachments come from the kit, but you may have to look for others). The third - the Re600 basically serves bass without accenting, so lovers of "more bass" kit from this review will not work, or headphones, or the player will have to change. In general, the bass here is good, although average in depth, infernal depths in SuperMini clearly not put. The resolution is decent, although not prohibitive, the separation of tools at a good level, but the study of textures is also slightly below ideal.
To the midrange range in HiFiMan came very utilitarian, not trying to make it super-detailed. Thanks to this, the player sounds quite nice, without dirt on bad records and poor quality headphones. Naturally, lovers who like to listen to the creaking of the shoe of the second trombone, will need to look for another player, with an emphasis on microdetails. At the same time, SuperMini transmits emotions well, and underlined VCH in most cases add even a little aggression. The imaginary scene is slightly more than the average in width and the average in depth, which for the player on the codec is a very good result. The transfer of the nature of the instruments and their positioning is at a good level for the price category.
The upper frequency range, like most light sources, is not suitable for everyone. Because of the emphasis on the VCh player, it can sometimes sound sharper than necessary, although this does not always happen on all tracks and, if desired, it's good for jamming with the selection of other headphones. Of course, we do not have to wait for an ideal RF processing from the player without a dedicated DAC, but the upper range is quite good and readable.
Comparisons with other models, I will not give, because almost all players that have a dedicated DAC, from a similar price category will be better in resolution and speed. This is a compromise, which has to go for the sake of size, working time and good headphones in the kit.
Compatibility
I do not know what real power this player is developing, but it really does a good job with the 300-ohm Sennheiser HD650, shaking them qualitatively. Of course, it does not reach the stationary harvester, but the result is pleasant. With planers in the face of ZMF Omni player copes worse, but still the result is very good considering the size. The reverse side of the coin is a noticeable noise on the most sensitive low-ohm plugs. The situation would correct the switch gain, but in this model it does not.
The genre of the player is better suited for those styles where you need a bright presentation: vocals, classics, chamber music, instrumental genres. For styles such as primitive electronic music or pop music, it is not very suitable due to insufficiently powerful LF. As for the metal - then the question remains at the mercy of the buyer, someone a light feed will do, someone is not very. To record the player is moderately sensitive, somewhere on 6 points out of 10.
Traditionally, several tracks for example
Marvin Gaye - Save the Children . When we say "soul," we mean "What's Going On." It was Marvin Gay who became a musician who raced the music of black quarters to the top of the charts and showed that it's possible to record a conceptual and actual album in any style. Naturally, his rich voice with filigree control is well suited for HiFiMan SuperMini.
Dirty Projectors - Keep Your Name . What happens if you take a dull modern indie rock in low-style style, traditionally mixed with pop music, and add everything that comes to hand - from the crazy effects of the vocal to the piano side of the party? It will be a completely new level of music, exciting its unpredictability and originality, and on SuperMini, plunging into this atmosphere of light schizophrenia, it sounds very good.
Russian Style Folkestra - Du Riechst So Gut . I do not think that after VURRO's Boogie I can be surprised by musical hooliganism, but this team made a serious request. Cover yourself know who, performed on folk instruments - it's very cool, and the cuts on the saw (sorry for the pun) are generally beyond competition. So I included this track in the review for the opportunity to write that the saw on this player sounds very reliable and with all the overtones.
By the way, for fans of VURRO like me - there was a new track, a bit eclectic, but still as beautiful in its madness (which is only one wheel).
conclusions
A very good kit for those who want to buy "everything at once", not engaged in the selection of components and other audiophile sufferings. In SuperMini, the user receives immediately and a handy pocket player, and very good headphones. Of course, the sound of this model is not universal, and for some users it will not work, but it's a payoff for a slim body and a long time of work. By the way, I tried this Trinity Vyrus player with a bass filter, and they change the pitch very much, making the sound fatter and more massive. In general, the field for experiments with SuperMini is very wide.
The article is based on materials .
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