"Through the HiFiMan, Music Made More Sense," Says Stereophile

Don't shortchange your digital audio files by listening to them with a 'mass market' player. The HiFiMan HM-602 is a portable player designed with audiophiles in mind. You won't believe how good your digital music can sound. As an added bonus, the HM-602 also functions as a high quality headphone amp, and it can also work as a USB DAC.

"Through the HiFiMan, music made more sense and was therefore more enjoyable and more enriching," reports Stephen Meijas in Stereophile magazine for May 201. "Each time I went back to the HiFiMan, I suddenly felt more relaxed and more engaged. My body was talking to me, and it was saying, 'This is right.'"

"If you crave better-than-iPod sound quality, you should check out the Hifiman HM-602," observes Steve Guttenberg in his CNET.com review for October 31, 2010. "It's a giant step closer to home hi-fi quality in a portable device."

Non-Oversampling DAC

DACs that don't provide oversampling can offer great sound for little money. The HM-602 from HiFiMan is the first portable player using the non-oversampling Philips TDA-1543 DAC. It sounds like a mega-bucks machine but is very affordable.

As younger brother of HM-801, HM-602 shares the HM-801's great sound signature. To make it as portable as possible, the HM-602 lacks the modular amplifier design of the HM-801. However, its headphone amp circuitry is very similar to HM-801's standard module.

8 GB Flash Storage Plus SD up to 32 GB

The HM-602 includes 8 GB of onboard flash storage. It also accepts SD cards up to 32 GB, providing you with hours upon hours of source material.

The HM-602 plays WAV, MP3, ACC, OGG, and APE files. It can also play 96 kHz sampled FLAC files, but reduces 24-bit resolution to 16 bit.

It's Also a High Quality Headphone Amp

In addition to its portable player status, the HiFIMan doubles as an excellent headphone amp. So hook it up to your home gear, plug in a premium pair of headphones, and enjoy!

The HM-602 is capable of driving both high impedance and low impedance headphones. The high-gain / low-gain switch makes it easy to change output settings.

• Portable digital audio player
• Also functions as headphone amp and USB DAC
• Plays WAV, MP3, ACC, OGG, and APE files; plays 96-kHz sampled FLAC files, but reduces 24-bit resolution to 16 bit
• DAC Chip: TDA1543
• LPF Op-amp: OP275, OPA2604
• Headphone amplifier op-amp: OPA2107
• Onboard flash memory: 8GB
• Accepts SD cards up to 32 GB
• Connections: Headphone output; line output; USB data exchange; USB DAC input
• Battery time: 9 to 10 Hrs

• Frequency response: 20-20 KHz
• Distortion: 0.09%
• S/N: 92 DB
• Stereo crosstalk: -74 DB (Line out)
• Weight: About 7 oz

"The HiFiMan distinguished itself as the more engaging player, with enhanced bass weight and control; a more expansive soundstage; larger, more precisely placed images; and a richer, fuller overall sound. In direct comparisons, the iPod consistently sounded restricted and more mechanical, with less clarity and definition. Additionally, and most important, the HiFiMan exhibited a greater sensitivity to nuances of tonal color, enabling it to reveal deeper levels of musical meaning. Through the HiFiMan, music made more sense and was therefore more enjoyable and more enriching. Each time I went back to the HiFiMan, I suddenly felt more relaxed and more engaged. My body was talking to me, and it was saying, 'This is right.'"

- Stephen Meijas, Stereophile magazine, May 2011

"The HM-602's sound is better than the iPod Classic in terms of see-through transparency, bass weight, and dynamic clout. In short, it's a giant step closer to home hi-fi quality in a portable device."

"Better yet, the HM-602's built-in amp is more muscular than the iPod's, and can drive full-size headphones, including Hifiman's terrific HE-5. That combination sounded sweet, and the HM-602 even drove my Sennheiser HD-580 headphones. Sure, iPods can play these headphones, but just barely. The HM-802 is even better than the HM-602 in that regard; the bigger model is definitely more powerful and dynamic sounding. But the HM-602 is just slightly more than half the price of the HM-801, and it delivers 80 percent of the sound quality."

"If you crave better-than-iPod sound quality, you should check out the Hifiman HM-602."

- Steve Guttenberg, CNET.com, October 31, 2010