-15.87%

iFi Audio Hip DAC V2

✓ 1 Year Warranty included
✓ Authorised UK Dealer
✓ FREE Next Working Day Courier Service to mainland UK

Meet the hip-dac2. Now in Sunset Orange with full MQA decoding.

Regular Price £189.00
On Sale Price £159.00
YOU SAVE 15.87%

What HiFi Award

"At this level, you’re unlikely to find a portable DAC as clear, zealous, fully featured, or as downright good-looking as the iFi hip-dac 2...." -  Read more here

 

Colourful. Capable. Crisper.

Our much loved, original hip-dac has had a makeover! Our portable, hi-res DAC/headphone amp looks ultra cool in its new vibrant Sunset Orange. Not only has the hip-dac2‘s super sleek aluminium case had a update, but its insides have also been enhanced. The new 16-core XMOS chip, which processes data over USB, delivers double the clock speed and four times the memory. This improves overall performance and adds full MQA decoding to the hip-dac2‘s skill set. There also a upgraded crystal clock which contributes to purer, crisper sound. So, whether you are working in your fav coffee shop or chilling on your daily commute, sunrise or sunset, you’ll definitely want to take the hip-dac2 with you wherever you go.

Shooting from the hip

The hip-dac2 replaces the inferior DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Convertor) and amp circuitry in smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs to vastly improve headphone sound. Connect your playback device via USB, plug in your favourite corded headphones or in-ear monitors and the hip-dac2 delivers a sound brimming with bold dynamism and fluid refinement. The Burr-Brown DAC chip selected for for its fluid, highly ‘musical’ sound quality and True Native architecture, together with iFi custom circuitry, enables the hip-dac2 to deliver excellent sound quality across digital audio formats, including bit-perfect PCM, native DSD and MQA. The upgraded crystal clock eradicates jitter (digital distortion), using iFi’s GMT femto precision clocking system. This maintains the integrity of the digital signal until conversion to analogue and enhances sound quality.

MQA decoded

Thanks to the XMOS 16 core tech, the hip-dac2 is now an MQA Decoder rather than a Renderer only. This enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner. MQA rendering technology (used in the original hip-dac among other iFi products) connects to an MQA Core signal (such as TIDAL) and completes the final unfold of an MQA file. Usually, the computer has carried out the decoding.

Power hungry? hip-dac2 it!

The hip-dac2’s amp circuitry, like the original, is of balanced (differential) design. The circuitry incorporates a range of high-quality components, carefully selected for their performance in an audio context, including a custom iFi OV op-amp, TDK C0G class 1 ceramic capacitors, a precision low-noise power supply IC from Texas Instruments and a high-quality analogue volume pot. The amp stage can deliver 400mW into a 32-ohm headphone load, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of headphone and earphone types with power to spare. Even high-impedance headphones are handled with ease thanks to output voltage of 6.3V into 600 ohms (from the balanced output).

Switchable sonics

The amp stage features switchable gain, which we call PowerMatch. This matches the level of drive to the load presented by the headphones, by adjusting input sensitivity and thereby signal strength. Use the lower setting with high-sensitivity headphone. If your headphones require more drive, use PowerMatch to increase gain. XBass is another user-selectable feature – a sophisticated form of ‘bass boost’ that enhances low frequencies without muddying the midrange, particularly useful with earphones and open-back headphones that may lack deep bass. It operates entirely in the analogue domain rather than messing with the digital signal via DSP.

Get connected

There are two USB ports – Type A for audio data and USB-C for charging. The Type A port features a male connector to provide greater mechanical integrity than a USB/micro USB ports commonly found on other DAC/headphone amps. Two outputs are provided – a 3.5mm socket for headphones with a single-ended cable/connector and a Pentaconn 4.4mm output enabling headphones equipped with balanced connectivity to take full advantage of the hip-dac2’s differential amp design. In addition, the 3.5mm output benefits from iFi’s proprietary S-Balanced circuitry, cutting crosstalk and related distortion in half when used with regular, single-ended headphone connections – this is especially beneficial with high-sensitivity in-ear monitors.

More Information
Features

Formats supported:

DSD: 256/128/64, Quad/Double/Single-Speed

PCM: 384/352.8/192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1kHz

DXD: 384/352.8kHz

MQA: 384/352.8kHz

 

Headphone Outputs:

Balanced: 4.4mm

S-Balanced (S-E): 3.5mm

 

Power Output (@1% THD):        

Balanced: 400mW@32Ω; 6.3V@600Ω

S-Balanced (S-E): 280mW@32Ω; 3.2V@600Ω

 

Digital Inputs: USB 3.0 Type 'A' (USB 2.0 compatible)     

Battery: Lithium-polymer 2200mAh (Approx. 8 hours)

Power System: Charging via USB-C, BC V1.2 compliant up to 1000mA charging current and 6.3 volts

Power (max): <2W idle, 4W max             

Dimensions: 102 x 70 x 14mm, 4.0" x 2.8" x 0.6"

Weight: 125g (0.28 lbs)


How will you send my item?

We ship to addresses within the UK using Royal Mail and DPD couriers.

How much does delivery cost?

Standard 2-3 working day delivery is FREE on all orders to mainland UK. Next working day courier service is available on all orders for a small fee of £4.99. On some items this is provided for FREE. 

For orders to UK Non-mainland and International destinations, there will be an additional charge at checkout. Please see below for more information.

How long does delivery take?

Depending on the delivery service you choose, delivery usually takes between 1-3 working days to mainland UK from the moment we despatch your order. Orders to UK non-mainland and international destinations can take longer.

When will you despatch my order?

Orders placed before 3pm are processed and despatched the same day (excluding bank holidays and weekends). Orders placed on weekends will be processed and despatched the following working day.

*Please note that international orders may require extra checks before we are able to despatch your order so timescales may vary.

Can I track my delivery?

Yes - Order tracking is offered as standard on all items, whether they are shipped via DPD or Royal Mail. You will receive your tracking information via email once we have despatched your order. 

UK Non-mainland and International destinations.

Due to the UK leaving the EU, some of our delivery partners have changed the way we ship to international and offshore destinations. This means that for the time being we are unable to ship items to these locations.

We are still accepting orders to these destinations however delivery times and prices are not final. We will confirm via email once we know more from our delivery partner.

Shipping for all items to UK Non-Mainland and International destinations will incur a charge at checkout. This charge is not final and we may need to charge for additional postage if required.

Shipping to international destinations may require further security checks and I.D. may need to be provided by the cardholder. We reserve the right to cancel any orders where you are do not pass our security checks or do not pay for appropriate postage.

Please note that we are unable to ship some items outside the UK. To avoid any disapointment please contact us before making your order.

What do you class as UK Non-mainland?

Rep. Ireland, N. Ireland, Channel Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and Scottish Highlands. If you are unsure whether your address is classed as UK Non-mainland please feel free to contact us and an advisor will be happy to help.

For any further enquiries with regards to your delivery please contact us on 020 8813 7666 and one of our adviser's will be happy to help.


If you're not happy with your item or you've changed your mind.

Even though we're sure you'll be happy with your purchase, it's important that you are aware of how we deal with returns in the event that you need to send something back.

We understand how inconvenient it can be when you buy a product and aren't 100% satisfied with it. For this reason we have designed our returns policy to prevent any further inconvenience to you in these instances.

Under 30 days

  • You can return your goods for a full refund or exchange as long as you inform us of your intention to return the goods within 30 days of receipt, starting from the day after you receive your goods (Exclusions apply, see below.)

  • All return costs are down to the buyer and it is recommended that you return your items using a trackable method with appropriate insurance (if required).

  • Once we have confirmed your return, please ensure that you return the item within 14 days.

  • If a returns number is provided then please ensure that the parcel has this clearly marked.

  • Items need to be returned in "as new" condition in their original packaging. We don't mind if you open the product to check it, however any used or damaged products will be subject to a 25% handling fee so please take care when opening your items. 

After 30 days

  • We will not offer a refund after 30 days of you receiving your delivery unless your product is faulty. 

Exclusions from our returns policy

As we're sure you'll understand, there are some products that we can't offer returns on due to their nature. These include:

  • Special order items and cables cut from a reel (priced per metre). These items will be clearly identifiable.

  • In-Ear headphones due to health and hygiene reasons.

  • Products that include software which require activation.

 Please note that these exclusions do not apply to items that become faulty.

If your product becomes faulty

We endeavour to get your items to you in fully working order, however in the event that your items do become faulty, please read below on what you should do next.

In a lot of cases with some products, faults can be fixed by performing some basic troubleshooting, so to prevent any further inconvenience to you we advise that you contact our Customer Service team who can guide you through some basic troubleshooting before sending items back.

Under 30 days

  • If your items become faulty within 30 days of delivery you are entitled to a full refund or exchange. Please contact our customer service centre who will provide necessary returns details.

  • Please send the items back with a cover note including a description of the fault and your original order number.

  • Once we have fully tested the item and confirmed the fault, we will process the refund or exchange including cost of carriage back to us (within reason).

  • If during our testing we cannot find a fault, no refund will be given and you will be charged for delivery of the item back to you.

After 30 days

  • After 30 days you will still be able to get your faulty items repaired or replaced within the manufacturers warranty and we will be happy to assist you with this. Please contact our customer service team to find out the best way to get your items repaired or replaced. Please be aware that after 30 days we will not cover you for any carriage costs.