HIFIMAN EF500 HiFi Desktop DAC / AMP – Hymalaya Stream Of Unbound Power
HIFIMAN EF500 is a $459 USD Desktop Headphone Amplifier, DAC, Streamer based on the novel Hymalaya R2R DACs developed by HIFIMAN, known to surpass the venerable PCM1704K. Today we will review the EF500 and also compare it with other DAC/AMPs including HIFIMAN EF499 (299 USD), Burson PlayMate2 (544 USD), and EverSolo DAC-Z6 (549 USD).
Introduction
HIFIMAN really decided to be competitive this round, and both of their new DAC/AMPs target the midrange market, EF500 offering a very similar performance to what you find in the ~1000 USD market usually, but for less than half of that. The R2R DAC at the heart is a very interesting piece that will deliver a better performance than the mighty PCM1704K, but the whole unit will still run cool and with no background noise. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to HIFIMAN for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Gentle and refined sound, with exceptional driving power and a huge headroom. Even with IEMs, there is no background noise, and EF500 is a versatile desktop DAC/AMP, with streaming services and no USB DAC delay, being perfect for high-end gaming, movie watching or for powering a stereo system. Overall, EF500 is one of the best looking and safest options to purchase for someone who’s just starting or someone who needs a versatile DAC/AMP for a really good price.
Cons – Only XLR and 6.3mm outputs with no 4.4mm output.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4hobCst
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDVdPG5
Build Quality/Aesthetics
HIFIMAN decided to make a cross between the high performance of the EF400, but infused with the upright design and lower price of the EF499, so here lies EF500, a perfect combo that uses the new HYMALAYA LE DAC, a combo that has been awarded the 2022 VGP Gold Technology Award in Japan. The design of the DAC at the heart of the EF500 has a lower distortion, lower noise and extremely low power consumption compared to the PCM1704K, and it can be considered to be a full technical success.
The driving power of the EF500 is insanely high, at 4.5 Watt, which is fed from an entirely balanced circuit. You can have this circuit feeding off a DUAL DAC setup, with each Hymalaya Le DAC feeding a circuit. The function of EF500 is that of a headphone stand and amplifier, you can actually set the headphones to stand on EF500, and that works pretty well, as it never gets hot during usage, and has just the right coating to not scratch from this. An interesting thing I noticed in the diagrams is that theoretically there should be an XLR in, and there’s a switch, but at the back EF500 has only XLR outputs.
In Windows 11 I did not need any drivers, and for Streaming, you can check out our review exploring EF499, as the function is basically the same. At the top of the EF500 we have a function switch, which allows you to cycle between High and Low Gain and NOS vs OS, and beneath it is the large analog volume control. The two headphone outputs are a 6.35mm Single Ended headphone output, and an XLR 4-Pin balanced headphone output.
At the back we have the XLR and RCA Line Outs, the Ethernet and USB inputs, and on a separate switch selection the Coaxial input. Power is fed to EF500 via a cattle plug, and the device itself has a weight of ~3.37kg. The maximum power output is 4.5WPC Or Watts Per Channel, so 4.5 Watts x2 for a 32 OHM impedance, and 1.32 WPC for the Single Ended output. This is supported by a Channel separation of 131 dB, and a SNR of 117 dB, with a THD of 0.0025%.
USB DAC / Subjective Usage
There is no USB DAC delay, and EF500 is perfect for real time playback, excellent for gaming, streaming and real-time media playback. Even more interesting, the USB port does not inherit noise from the PC computer, and while DACs with no USB Galvanic isolation will have ground loop noise, EF500 does not have this issue at all, and sonically it is perfectly quiet with my PC.
The casing of EF500 is of a very high quality, and it feels solid, well made, while the streaming part simply works, as we have explored in our EF499 review. The volume control is large and smooth to turn, while the gain selector is easy to understand. I have used the Type-C input for the most part, and EF500 simply works, with no software issues or problems.
Even if used loud, or continuously, EF500 runs really cool, and the only complaint I’d say I have is the omission of a 4.4mm balanced headphone output, but this is easily solved by using an XLR to 4.4mm adapter from ddHIFI, the BC44XLR.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To really test EF500 I have used it with both headphones, hard and easy to drive, but also with IEMs. While most HIFIMAN Desktop DAC AMPs were better for headphones, EF500 is excellent with IEMs too, and my test list includes YanYin Carmen, NF Acous RA15, Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium, Sweear He-Live5, RAPTGO LEAF D01, Soundz Avant, Soundz Flame, and Rose Technics QTX for IEMs. Even the most sensitive IEMS are free of all background noise. For Headphones, I have focused on MIRPH-1, Dan Clark Audio Expanse, HIFIMAN HE1000SE, HIFIMAN Arya Organic, HIFIMAN Ananda Nano, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Crosszone CZ-8a enhanced, and Ezetich Thalia. Crosszone in particular is hard to match up and pair with sources, but it sounds really sweet, punchy and dynamic with EF500, while Thalia also gets a punchy midrange, Expanse taking advantage of the high headroom and huge driving power of EF500.
Gain levels are both extremely loud, but in low gain, I can go between 9 o’clock and 11 o’clock for most IEMS, and still have plenty of control and an excellent sound. The OS / NOS settings don’t do a lot with EF500 and both are fairly gentle, refined and smooth, although engaging OS will create a crisper sound, with more treble sparkle, but the highest performance with EF500 can be achieved in the NOS mode, so it is how I will be using it during the review. OS mode sounds a bit too sharp and bright, creating a bit of too much extra air and sharpness across the midrange and the treble. Even for headphones, I would still use low gain, except for the hardest to drive cans out there.
Overall Signature – Very similar to HIFIMAN EF499, EF500 has a warm, happy, open and detailed sound with a strong drive, but with a much better control and dynamic range, more refined sound, and improved control with headphones, and a lower THD with IEMS too. It is basically the perfect crossover between the resolution, clarity and improved technical performance of EF400, but the scaled-down size and more controlled sound of the EF499. Having a really detailed and crisp sound, but with a fatigue-free top end, while I said about the EF499 that I couldn’t really discover it was an R2R DAC, EF500 really sounds like an R2R, gentle, refined, softy and smooth, lush, rich and full. If you seek ultimate R2R Performance with the ultimate driving power but no background noise, you will adore the performance of EF500 for the price point. I am mostly describing the NOS mode as it is a bit better subjectively than the NOS mode.
Bass – We start with a deep, punchy and warm bass that gives all music a fair amount of warmth, depth and impact, glazing pop, edm and even metal with a thick and pleasing bottom-end. The bass energy is evenly spread across the low-end reaching both the sub-bass and the mid bass, creating a really pleasing overall sound. For ACG and traditional western pop, the warm bass creates a bloomy bassline that adds to the substance of the song, but also makes the bass guitar audible in most J-Pop and J-Rock songs, giving them a playful and enjoyable presentation.
Midrange – Mids are always the sweetest, most refined and most gentle with an R2R DAc, and EF500 strengthens this rule, having a refined midrange, clean and wide presentation with a wide and holographic presentation, drawing and rendering female voices at the center of the scene, creating a personal and intimate experience while pushing the background instruments in a 2nd background layer that can expand quite exponentially if the song has a spatially wide presentation. EF500 is generally honest to the source, and besides a bit of extra warmth presented in the lower midrange and giving music a happy presentation, it is fairly honest and has a high transparency.
Treble – Having a traditional R2R Treble, EF500 presents music in a gentle, refined, and silky way, with a lot of control and refinement, zero fatigue, and even in rock and metal, with sharp and bright headphones / IEMs I would say the sound is relaxed and laid back. You can always engage the OS mode, but it adds a bit of too much treble sparkle and brightness, so I consider the NOS mode reference and the best performance you can get with the EF500 in general – It is made to sound gentle and refined and forcing the OS mode on will add sharpness but you can still hear that it was meant to be smoother and silkier in the sound.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – As with most Headphone DAC / AMPs from HIFIMAN in the entry-level range, EF500 was designed mostly to be used with HIFIMAN’s own headphones, including HE1000SE, Arya Organic, Ananda Nano and Sundara, all of which are hard to drive. Volume control is exceptional and you cannot hear any kind of degradation regardless of the volume, but EF500 is very good at low volumes too, has virtually zero noise that I can hear even with very sensitive IEMS like Campfire Bonneville or Soundz Avant, and the signature / tuning does not change a lot with the volume, so generally, EF500 is perfect. The saturation gradient is made for headphones though, and with IEMS, the volume saturates to 120 dB quickly when you reach 12 o’clock, in low gain. High Gain is generally very loud for most headphones, and the saturation gradient would’ve been better if it were a bit more logarithmic to allow for more control at the beginning.
Dynamics Handling – EF500 is really loud and forward, saturates drive and power quickly, which means it will sound like a live concert at all times, having a natural instrument separation, focusing more on the lead instrument and lead vocal, pushing everything else in a secondary layer. Sound is colorful, punchy and dynamic, and thanks to the huge headroom, EF500 does not struggle with complex and busy music.
PRaT / Textures – EF500 has a vastly different texture level if you’re using it in the OS or NOS mode, and NOS sounds smooth, silky and has very little texture, while OS sounds really sharp, has a lot of textures and renders square waves edgy with a strong texture in general. OS mode is refined and warm, with a thicker, relaxed texture presentation, in the traditional R2R fashion.
Soundstage – We have a strong lateral projection of music, and a natural instrument separation, with a shallow depth that separates really well between the foreground and the background instrument layers, but doesn’t define layers in between as much. You can expect a dynamic and colorful sound that’s well defined in the 3D space, but EF500 sounds like a live concert, laterally it is wide, while most music is forward and really close to you.
Comparisons
HIFIMAN EF500 vs HIFIMAN EF499 (459 USD vs 299 USD) – EF499 was already an excellent DAC / AMP, with a lot of driving power, and the construction is similar, both DAC/AMPS are designed to act as a spare headphone stand, both have excellent build quality, both have the same inputs and outputs, with the biggest differences being in the sound signauture and the face which is made of a silvery metal on EF500, and a black transparent casing on EF499.
With that out of the way, EF500 has a more R2R sound, and while with EF499, all music sounds much closer to a high-quality Delta-Sigma DAC, EF500 brings a more refined, more gentle sound with a higher resolution, but also a warmer tuning, beefier bass, more bloom and less treble sharpnes, with a much smoother treble. EF500 is a fair upgrade from EF499 in terms of resolution, clarity and detail, as well as soundstage size and impact. Generally, EF500 is the better sounding DAC AMP if you want a smoother, gentler and warmer sound, and it offers you the option to play it sharp and crisp in the OS mode, so a more versatile option overall, if you can afford the higher price point.
HIFIMAN EF500 vs Burson PlayMate 2 (459 USD vs 544 USD) – It is clear from the start that EF500 has a bit more function than PlayMate2, including the XLR Balanced outputs, RCA outputs, streaming abilities, and higher number of inputs too. PlayMate2 has a similar maximum driving power, both DAC/AMPs should be plenty for all headphones you may have, both will provide good control, but EF500 has no background noise or hissing with IEMs, while some is audible with PlayMate2. EF 500 also stays cooler during operation, while PlayMate2 can run hot, but you can replace the Op-AMPs on PlayMate 2, which is not supported on EF500.
The most important aspect of this comparison is the sonic one anyways, and PlayMate 2 sounds more like EF500 in OS mode, sharp, crisp and detailed, with a warmer sound than the usual Burson House Sound, while EF500 can go much smoother, fuller, gentler and more refined if used in the NOS mode. PlayMate 2 expands the soundstage laterally more, while EF500 has better depth and more instrument separation. As PlayMate2 is very much in-your-face, EF500 is laid back, relxed and spacious, offering a more relaxed different listening experience. For the most versatile sound, EF500 has two distinct signatures that are easily accessible, but you can also change the SQ of PlayMate2 if you swap the Op-AMPs, altough they can cost quite a bit.
HIFIMAN EF500 vs EverSolo DAC-Z6 (459 USD vs 549 USD) – Catching up with the modern times, DAC-Z6 has a more complete streaming support, and the balanced XLR Line Outs can have variable volume, which make it a veritable and versatile PREAMP. EF500 fights this off with a much higher driving power, a much lower (non existent) background noise level, even with IEMs, and Tidal Connect works more seamless on EF500. The display on DAC-Z6 is still pretty, but having the DAC AMP run as cool as EF500, and having a headphone stand in the same unit is convenient for sure, and EF500 is the more modern product from a constructional point of view.
If you’re looking for actual driving power, EF500 is much better, and the only thing stopping me from using DAC-Z6 more is the sonic performance, which is easily suprassed by EF500, with a much higher dynamic range, much better resolution, higher impact and lower backgrund noise. Even with IEMs, EF500 sounds much better, and DAC-Z6 is a novelty, beautiful product but sonically EF500 is far more impressive and delivers a significant upgrade in every technical aspect, plus two distinct signatures, one that’s sharp and one that’s soft and gentle.
Value and Conclusion
As time moves forward, HIFIMAN seems to be accelerating in their Research and development, offering better and better products for lower prices, with EF500 being a particularly high value product thanks to both its exceptional solid build, zero noise sound, but also the high driving power and refined r2r sound it has.
At the end of the day, if you know what R2R is, or even if you don’t HIFIMAN EF500 is one of the best DAC / AMPs you can purchase in the midrange to drive headphones, and even for IEMS, as long as you mostly listen loud, it will be perfect. Zero noise but a musical, gentle and silky, refined sound all make EF500 a desirable and particularly fun DAC / Headphone AMP to use and a fully recommended purchase today here at Audiophile Heaven.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4hobCst
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDVdPG5
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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