Hidizs' new USB-C wired earbuds look like a dream for iPhone 15-owning audiophiles

With hi-res audio support and a built-in DAC, these in-ears could be a serious audio upgrade for your iPhone 15, Android phone, Mac or PC

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If you’re looking for the ultimateiPhone 15headphones – or headphones for any other device with a USB-C port – then Hidizs’s new ST2 Pro Digital IEMs may be just what your ears desire. The firm says they’re “the world’s first Hi-Fi Digital In-Ear Monitors” but they’re not just for audiophiles: thanks to the zero latency of physical cables, they’re also aimed at gamers for whom every millisecond matters. They could also be useful for creatives such as movie and music makers, too. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on them atCES 2024.

Hidizs isn’t exactly a household name but we’ve been very impressed by its products: theAP80 PRO-X portable music player and MS3 in-ear headphonespunch way above their price tag; their whale-inspired (seriously)MP145 IEMsdo the same, andwe recommended the AP80 PRO-X as an excellent wireless DAC for smartphones. So we’re seriously intrigued by the ST2 Pro.

Why Hidizs ST2 Pro could be the perfect partners for your iPhone

Instead of the traditional headphone jack, the ST2 Pro have a USB-C connector also packs in an ESS ES9281C PRO DAC, which supports high-resolution audio file formats including 32-bit/384KHz PCM, DSD128 and MQA.

This means that they’re capable of making the most of the high-quality lossless tracks that you can get fromApple MusicorTidal, with detail you’re missing out on when you useAirPods Pro 2and their compressed Bluetooth connection.

The 10mm magnetic circuit dynamic drivers are said to deliver a frequency response of 20Hz at the bass to a very airy 40KHz for treble, and the 1.2-meter cable is 6N high-purity oxygen-free copper. Without the cable they weigh 11g, so they should be fairly comfortable for protracted listening, gaming or recording sessions.

We expect these to be a seriously powerful audio upgrade for the iPhone 15, and while you could already use one of thebest portable DACswith some of thebest wired headphonesto achieve the same results, that’s pretty clunky if you’re on the go. This packs everything into one convenient set of headphones, and we love that.

If you already have headphones you love with a 3.5mm jack, Hidizs has thought of you too: its new SD2 mini-DAC connects to USB-C devices and has an ESS ES9270 DAC with support for audio files up to 32-Bit/384kHz (PCM) & DSD128, and a frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz. It then outputs to a 3.5mm port you can connect any standard headphones to.

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Prices and availability for the ST2 Pro haven’t yet been announced, but the SD2 dongle will be available from February.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

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