Helm Audio Hunch DAC/AMP review: An wonderful extremely-compact converter and amplifier for your headphones

The used Greek amphitheater at Epidaurus is universally even handed the acoustic surprise of the used world. I would perchance well argue that the noble (though oftentimes Sisyphean) quest for acoustic perfection is a conventional share of the human spirit. Sadly, even with the total trends of novel skills, audio quality on our most step by step mature devices—our smartphones and pills—someway takes a serve seat.

Processing chips inner these devices that convert the digital signal to analog for headphones are both sub-par or downright unpleasant. Furthermore, they in most cases aren’t in a position to turning in the energy excessive-performance headphones want.

Adding an outboard DAC or headphone amplifier to construct up that performance traditionally supposed sacrificing portability. Attributable to Helm Audio, that tradeoff is an element of the past. Helm Audio’s Hunch DAC/AMP is a great-sounding, extremely-transportable DAC and amplifier that decodes the stout vary of this day’s premier excessive-res audio codecs for a mere $99. Read on why I tumble in love with Helm Audio’s Hunch and named it an TechHive Editors’ Replacement.

Improbable match and finish

When unboxing the Helm Hunch, the first element you’ll take into memoir is that the bundle is Spartan. It contains the Hunch DAC/AMP, a USB-C feminine to USB-A adapter, and a branded, self-closing carrying pouch. That’s it.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

Keeping the Helm Hunch in my hands, it felt admire a excessive-quality product with top price materials. The rectangular headphone input was once sealed with a matte shadowy finish and checkered quadrant that enable me accumulate a stable grip on the Hunch for plugging and unplugging headphone jacks. Even with moist or sweaty hands, I had a assured grip. It’s a great attention to element you’ll luxuriate in with extended employ. I will no longer affirm if this prominent finish will save on over time.

High performance in an extremely-compact develop element

The guts of the Helm Hunch is the ESS Sabre 9281A Pro, a 32-bit, two-channel DAC and headphone amplifier in a single. One in every of the predominant promoting system is that the ESS Sabre DAC sports actions a hardware MQA renderer for MQA playback. Right here’s moreover to to DSD, WAV, and each predominant lossless codec. The Helm Hunch will enhance PCM sample rates as much as 384kHz. The Helm Hunch’s signal-to-noise ratio is 115dB.

I’ve examined a variety of outboard DAC/AMP alternate solutions through the years. Whereas they’ve smitten me with their performance, bulk has been their greatest detractor. Helm Hunch’s extremely-transportable, flexible develop element is a predominant differentiator.

The Hunch DAC/AMP’s takes a cue from Apple’ Lightning-to-headphone adapter: On one stay of the Hunch DAC/AMP you’ll gain a USB-C connector and on the opposite a 3.5mm input that furthermore houses the Hunch’s excessive tech electronics. A braided nylon cable connects the 2 system. The tip end result is a mere 3.75-inches long.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

I came across the Hunch’s limited, extremely-flexible develop element to be the most radiant and functional of any outboard DAC I’ve mature with a mobile machine (or a pc for that topic). It was once easy to roam into any pocket, jacket, or backpack. At about 1.2 oz., it didn’t weigh me down. The flexible put by no plan gave me predominant hesitations of tucking it away. And the fact that the Hunch didn’t require recharging or got worthy-hot sealed the deal.

The Hunch DAC/AMP doesn’t desire a driver. It system a USB-C input that is admire minded with MacOS, iOS, Home windows 10, and Android. For iOS devices (admire my iPhone 12 Pro) and computers with out a USB-C port, Helm Audio contains a USB-C-to-USB-A converter in the box. Join the converter and voila! You would possibly well perchance perchance employ the Hunch DAC/AMP across an limitless array of devices.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

Whereas Apple’s newest iPads feature a USB-C connector, you’ll be questioning the plan in which you bridge the gap with iPhones or Lightning connector-essentially essentially based iPads. The acknowledge is easy, correct gain up both the Apple Lightning-to-USB Digital camera Adapter or the Apple Lightning-to-USB-3 Digital camera Adapter. I purchased every adapters for this review. Each feature a Lightning-to USB-A connection and performed identically.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

Some minor hiccups

I will demonstrate two minor hiccups I experienced during my review length: I mature the Helm Hunch by project of its USB-C connector on a Mac, a Home windows 10 PC, and a USB-C essentially essentially based iPad. The whole lot labored splendidly smartly with the exception of for an phenomenal anomaly on the Mac that I narrowed down to the Qobuz desktop app when mature alongside with the Helm Hunch.

When first plugging in the Helm Hunch, the Mac sets the Hunch’s Grasp volume in the Audio MIDI app (positioned in the Utilities folder on the Mac) to 1.0 (100 percent). Tidal gave me an alert that the amount was once too loud and robotically adjusted it. Apple Music Apps handled it gracefully proper through the app’s volume support watch over.  Now not Qobuz.

The quantity was once so loud it nearly blasted out my ears and the relaxation over 5 percent volume proper through the Quobuz app was once ridiculously too loud. The one formula I came across to repair the sphere was once to enter the Audio MIDI app and lower the master volume to 50 percent or less. I’ve experienced some oddities with the Qobuz desktop app forward of, and whenever you happen to employ the Helm Hunch with Qobuz on a Mac, you desires to be cautious about this volume anomaly I experienced.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

The 2nd anomaly I experienced started when I linked the USB-C-to-USB-A adapter to be used on my iPhone 12 Pro. Even supposing the Hunch’s energy/lazy light indicator would illumine blue, the Hunch DAC/AMP wouldn’t work on my iPhone 12—or any USB-A pc port for that topic. Audio would approach only from my iPhone speakers and the Hunch would by no plan repeat up as a speaker output possibility. Helm Audio sent me out a substitute USB-C-to-USB-A adapter and bingo! The whole lot labored flawlessly. Within the unlikely tournament you bustle into a identical tell, the USB adapter is the likely field.

THX Licensed

The Hunch DAC/AMP is THX Licensed, which is a wide deal. THX certification is the gold-fashioned in the A/V world for quality and performance. The THX Certification course of entails hanging a product through more than 400 checks. The product must furthermore meet proper manufacturing requirements. And the product is re-examined again for compliance after manufacturing. Helm Audio says the Hunch DAC/AMP’s THX Certification is for extremely-low harmonic, crosstalk, and crossover distortion.

Helm Audio notes that its put is an intrinsic share of this low distortion. The Helm Hunch bodily isolates the DAC from the USB connector. The Helm Hunch furthermore uses a three-oscillator put to lock onto the frequency. The corporate claims these two put system dramatically toughen the Hunch’s performance.

Computerized impedance and signal sensing

The Hunch DAC/AMP robotically detects your headphone’s impedance and sets the output level accordingly (1V for impedances lower than 150 ohms, and 2V for impedances of 150 ohms or bigger).

The Hunch DAC/AMP affords you a visual indicator of the fresh sample-price playback. Blue signifies that the Hunch DAC/AMP has energy (lazy train) or a signal lower than or equal to 48kHz. Crimson signifies a excessive-res signal greater than 48kHz. Magenta signifies MQA remark material no topic the sampling price. The LED indicator is terribly effective and my only positive affirm is that the Helm Audio team should always easy eradicate into consideration altering the lazy train coloration to one other coloration (inexperienced perchance), so as that patrons can debug any capacity anomalous tell. I furthermore essential that when enjoying MQA remark material, the magenta LED regarded to be a mixture of a separate blue and pink light. Therefore, when viewed off perspective, the light would seem dominantly blue or dominantly pink.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

A revelatory listening skills

I examined the Helm Audio Hunch DAC/AMP on an iPhone 12 Pro, iPad Pro, and Macbook Pro. For testing on the iPhone 12 Pro, I mature the previously talked about Apple Lightning-to-USB adapters. Tidal served up all source field cloth. I positioned an emphasis on spinning up tracks classified as Tidal Masters, that are encoded with MQA.

I mature a variety of headphones during my check length in conjunction with the Oppo PM2 planar magnetic headphones, B&W PX, and Beyerdynamic Amiron Home; but my comments beneath will deem my skills with the Focal Sure and B&W P9 Signature headphones.

The predominant and most natural interrogate that got right here to my mind (and I gain yours) is how does the Helm Hunch compare to the constructed-in headphone output on a pc or the Lightning- to-headphone adapters Apple sells.

Effectively, it didn’t eradicate long to total that comparability.

Starting off, I pitted the Helm Hunch to Apple’s Lightning-to-headphone adapter. The Helm Hunch’s affect on the music was once nothing looking wonderful. Taking note of the Helm Hunch’s musical presentation was once admire going into that hallowed serve room in every excessive-stay audio retailer. The musical soundstage snapped into an straight away discernible, 3-dimensional layer. Instruments and vocals tightened up, standing in a agency dwelling and time. Instruments particularly exhibited more refinement, texture, and air.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

Listening on my iPhone 12 Pro through the Apple Lightning adapter was once a downer by comparability. Music was once flat, coming from a two dimensional sound stage. The all-famous midrange was once muddier. I in most cases essential bass bloat. And the head stay? It was once dead. It lacked the delicacy, air, shimmer, and pleasure that the Helm Hunch delivered.

Taking note of the something as easy as the Tidal Grasp of Sting’s “Fragile (Live)” from the album My Songs laid bare the adaptations in the 2 adapters.

The Helm Hunch reveled in bringing “Rise” by Dominique Fils-Aimé to lifestyles. Percussive notes snapped with authority, weight, precision, and relentless assault. Right here’s how proper bass desires to be experienced. The identical notes were comparatively dead, robbed of dynamics, and flat on the Apple headphone adapter. Taking note of the the same music through the 2 assorted adapters is a completely assorted emotional skills.

Whereas you happen to admire bottom stay authority, then you’ll love what how the Helm Hunch will render bass notes. Bass drums on the Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Fashioned Man” by the Minnesota Orchestra performed by Eiji Oue rumbled with gravitas and anvil-admire authority. But the total while, bass notes were taut, affirm, and delicately textured. Whereas you happen to pair the Helm Hunch AMP/DAC with excessive-performance headphones, you’ll be ready to interrogate deep into the music and peel serve nuanced instrument layers as that you can through any excessive performance headphone DAC/AMP.

Taking note of Lisa Gerrard’s “Elegy” from Immortal Memory was once a living proof. Listening with the Focal Sure, the Apple adapter had a penchant for smearing Ms. Gerrard’s vocals. In actuality, going serve to the Apple adapter had a fatiguing attain on me in most cases. With “Elegy” particularly, the listening skills made me bodily anxious. When I switched and listened to “Elegy” through the Helm Audio Hunch with the Focal Sure, my body bodily reacted and relaxed. I was once straight away drawn into the music’s haunting notes with Ms. Gerrard’s etherial vocals and idioglossic lyrics.

Theo Nicolakis / IDG

The skills was once the the same no topic the genre or artist: Classical, rock, jazz, you name it. The Helm Hunch liberated Linda Ronstadt’s crystalline vocals on “(I Treasure You) for Sentimental Reasons” from the album For Sentimental Reasons. The Hunch DAC/AMP rendered Ms. Ronstadt’s vocals with unheard of purity, element, and air—lifelike. What Apple’s headphone adapter did by inequity was once downright prison. Piano notes lacked element and air, and Ms. Ronstadt’s vocals were rendered flat—and dare I snarl uninvolving. Backward and forward I went, shaking my head in disbelief each time on the inequity. And when the sax traces on “Sentimental Reasons” kicked in through the Helm Hunch with an exceptionally gentle, tremendous, top stay I was once provided.

An audiophile no-brainer

Helm Audio’s Hunch DAC/AMP is a form of merchandise whose ticket, performance, make quality, and develop element form it a veritable no-brainer. For a mere $99, the Hunch DAC/AMP noticeably improved the audio quality, dynamics, and emotional engagement of every music I examined with it on every machine and with every headphone. Helm Audio’s Hunch is a hands-down winner and I inquire of of will soon be an audiophile darling.

Whereas you happen to’re shopping for a extremely-slim develop element DAC and amp that can decode every predominant excessive-res format—in conjunction with MQA—in an extremely-compact develop element, then grasp your self a Hunch DAC/AMP. I do know in my belief, I realizing on shopping my review sample and giving it a permanent home in my transportable audio collection. Highly speedy.

• The Helm Audio Hunch DAC/AMP’s prominent audio performance; capability to decode every predominant excessive-res audio format—in conjunction with MQA; extremely-compact develop element; and $99 ticket makes it a must-hang machine.

  Pros

  • Improbable audio performance that trounces equally sized adapters
  • 32-bit/384kHz DAC in a position to MQA and DSD decoding
  • USB-C-to-USB-A adapter incorporated for iOS and legacy devices
  • Slither-n-play and not using a drivers, external energy offer, or charging required

  Cons

  • Apple Lights-to-USB adapter required for Lightning-essentially essentially based iOS devices

Theo Nicolakis is a C-Stage technologist and digital communications expert. He’s furthermore a passionate audiophile and home theater aficionado.