The nineteenth Shenzhen Worldwide Audio Present, or SIAS 2025 for brief, is a brand new audio present to me in a metropolis that I’ve handed by however by no means spent any time in.
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is basically the Chinese language equal of the USA’s Silicon Valley.
Situated on the border with Hong Kong, town has skilled outstanding progress over the past 20 years, changing into not solely one of many largest and most trendy cities within the nation but additionally one of the industrious.
Chances are high, when you’ve got purchased one thing from Temu, Shopee, AliExpress, and even Amazon Market, that product probably got here from Shenzhen or close by.
Heck, you solely need to go to town’s premier tech space, Huaqiangbei, to get a taste of simply what’s on supply right here from huge flooring of telephones, used and new cameras, hair dryers (sure, that’s a factor proper now), PC and video gear.
Be ready to haggle and think about bringing a Mandarin-speaking buddy to safe one of the best value if you’re out there for some purchasing.
SIAS 2025 In A Few Phrases
In fact, if it’s the newest and best audio gear you might be after, then the SIAS 2025 was the place to be from August fifteenth to seventeenth. Situated on the Shenzhen Exhibition and Conference Middle in Futian, it hosted a number of the newest transportable and desktop audio gear from China and all over the world.
It’s an enormous present, larger than CanJam Shanghai and one of many largest exterior of the Hong Kong AV present, with a stronger concentrate on transportable audio than the HK equal.
Brilliantly organized by Shenzhen Audio, the SIAS 2025 cubicles are populated by many well-known manufacturers equivalent to HIFIMAN, FiiO, MOONDROP, SMSL, Cayin, Sony, Stax, HiBy, and iBasso, to call however just a few.
Central themes for SIAS 2025 appeared to put a heavy concentrate on retro-styling, with tons of recent transportable CD gamers on supply, in addition to a stronger emphasis on basic decoding platforms equivalent to 1-Bit and R-2R.
We additionally had some massive bulletins, together with new flagship headphones from MOONDROP, an extremely cool retro-styled modular CD participant console from DUNU’s increasing Idea line, the TOTL FiiO M27 DAP made its debut, and HiBY teased us with their high-end RS8 II DAP announcement due out later this yr.
Past that, there was a plethora of fascinating new headphone and IEM releases from TRN, AFUL, Distinctive Melody, LETSHUOER, SIVGA, Tangzu, and much more tube dongles to select from Shanling and OXVA.
I actually couldn’t get round half of what was on supply, so apologies if I didn’t cowl your favourite model or gear.
iBasso Audio
This was the primary stall of SIAS 2025 that I visited. iBasso had about all the pieces they’re at the moment providing on the retailer in the course of the world, plus some Anime fashions thrown in for some further ‘Asian taste’.
The star of the present for me was their new D17 transportable DAC Amp. What has it received inside that stunning chassis? It has twin DAC decoding, together with 1-BIT and R-2R, in addition to Korg NuTubes for balanced amplification output at as much as 1.2W.
It additionally has a separate battery for the DAC and amplifier with a 24-step attenuator for analog quantity management with impartial digital quantity adjustment.
It sounded tremendous quiet utilizing the PMG Audio Apx and the UM Multiverse Mentor IEMs I had dropped at the present. No indicators of noise, regardless of some loud present situations, sounding very pure, pure, and expansive.
I’ll evaluate this one, together with the brand new AMP17 card for the DX340, in the end, however for now, the D17 seems to be prefer it may nicely be a stiff competitor to the likes of the Cayin C9ii and even put the D16 Taipan within the shade.
One different shock exhibiting at SIAS 2025 was iBasso’s new desktop amplifier referred to as the Kunlun (no international value but). I couldn’t get wherever close to it, although, with lots queuing as much as strive it out.
What I can inform you is that the Kunlun is able to as much as 7.4W right into a 32Ω, makes use of a linear PSU, is fabricated from stable CNC’ed aluminum, and delivers balanced and single-ended outputs. I ought to be reviewing this when it comes out, so I’ll have extra particulars on the way it sounds by then.
FiiO
FiiO had a reasonably in depth lineup at SIAS 2025, together with some necessary bulletins, which included their new flagship M27 and a higher-end transportable CD participant, the DM15.
The M27 is just not due out till Sept/October, if reminiscence serves me appropriately, however they already had just a few demo models on the sales space for everybody to check out, and that’s precisely what I did.
The TLDR is that it’s a giant step up in decision, sounding extra reference-like and balanced in FR emphasis over the M17. I’d nonetheless class the sound as impartial to pure, nevertheless it sounds extra life-like than the older flagship.
It’s additionally a beast of a DAP, size-wise, with black and silver variations popping out. The shape issue and total look aren’t terribly totally different from the M17. FiiO has retained the identical cyberpunk design language, with refinements in display screen high quality and a brand new quantity dial design, to call however just a few.
Inside, the M27 makes use of a twin ESS ES9039SPRO DAC, a Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS6490 processor, 8GB of RAM, runs Android 13, with Bluetooth aptX lossless. It additionally gives optical and coaxial outputs and USB 3.0 connectivity.
It has an identical energy system to the M17, so count on it to come back with a desktop fan stand. When linked through DC, you may rise up to 5W of balanced output energy. I’ll drive most headphones with ease.
The DM15 CD participant was additionally on show at SIAS 2025. I fairly appreciated this little participant. Clearly a step up in decision over the DM13 with a richer management swimsuit and a extra analog sound high quality courtesy of its 24-bit R-2R decoding functionality. Just like the M27, it additionally helps aptX Lossless Bluetooth transmission.
It’s kind of the identical type issue because the DM13, however seems to be extra refined in its machining and interface. There can even be an identical DM15 DAC model popping out shortly after, if that takes your fancy, although it was not on present at SIAS 2025.
The DM15 value is round $280 to $299 USD when launched, however don’t quote me on that. Issues can change quick nowadays. Regardless of the value, we might be reviewing each the DM15 and the M27 once they come out on Headfonics.
Cayin
Cayin had three new noteworthy merchandise on show at SIAS 2025. This included a brand new entry-level dongle, the RU3, a really cool-looking tube-based CD participant referred to as the CP6, and the not too long ago introduced HA-6AMK2 desktop tube amplifier.
I gained’t say a lot on the HA-6AMK2 as a result of the showroom was a lot too noisy to have the ability to do any severe reference listening, however visually, it’s received a refreshed tube guard just like the Soul 170P aesthetics.
The PSU is now equally cut up from the primary amp to the HA-300MK2, and it’s nonetheless EL34/KT88 appropriate, however this time, no guide switching on the again is required.
From my temporary listening, the sound may be very pure to sweet-sounding, with no points on the potential for bass bloat or a rubbery low-end in anyway. I’d have cherished to check this to my HA-300MK2 sitting within the workplace, because the staging efficiency on the HA-6AMK2 was additionally fairly spectacular.
I can solely focus on what I noticed relating to the brand new ‘tube’ CP6 CD participant at SIAS 2025, because the ‘hidden’ unit proven to me was not obtainable for demos.
Nevertheless, it seems to be lovely with a pleasant retro end to the aluminum exterior, one which jogs my memory somewhat of the Idea C from DUNU. Nevertheless, in contrast to the DUNU unit, the CP6 ideally retails for below $500, however once more, don’t quote me on that.
Its JAN6418 tube setup and quad CS43198 DAC inside setup appear pitched to immediately compete with the Shanling EC Zero T, a participant which we can even be reviewing very shortly.
HIFIMAN
The HIFIMAN SIAS 2025 stall was tremendous busy for all the 3 days. Unsurprising, since they’ve a complete new lineup of headphones, together with the HE600, the Particular Version XV, the Ananda Unveiled, and the Audivina LE.
All of them had been there, however as a result of noise of the present, I gained’t supply an excessive amount of perception. I can say we could have all 4 critiques popping out in the end from Nihal and Louis, so keep tuned for that.
One famous statement is that the Particular Version XV shocked me with its trendy, heat, and wealthy sound signature.
The earlier Version XS did have a pleasant bass tone, however this appears to take that pondering to the subsequent stage with equally embracing mids and highs. The XV design additionally seems to be stylish for its $399 value level, so I get a sense this one will promote very nicely certainly.
HiBy
I used to be delighted that Steve Lin, the product supervisor of HiBy, attended SIAS 2025. Whether or not immediately or not directly, Steve and I’ve labored with one another going again to round 2016 along with his earlier work on the superb Fidue A91 Sirius.
I’m not shocked HiBy snapped him up, such is his ‘nous’ for good tuning and wonderful product design. The brand new design language for the R4 DAP and the brand new W4 are two wonderful examples of blending youthful, recent designs with fascinating options and good efficiency.
HiBy had many new merchandise at SIAS 2025, together with their new R6Pro II 2025 DAP, an upgraded model of the R6Pro II 2023 unit we beforehand reviewed, with extra energy below the hood by widespread request.
The W4 is a detailed sibling to the R4 when it comes to design language. This can be a small DAC/Amp with BT functionality and one thing just like FiiO’s BTR17 when it comes to use case situations, which means you want a supply unit alongside it, equivalent to a smartphone in OTG or BT mode.
It seems to be recent with a broad vary of colours (the lime model within the image above was my favourite). Worth level is round $100 with a twin Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC inside, a 1500mAh battery, and a Qualcomm QCC5181 BT5.4-capable chipset.
Their last announcement at SIAS 2025 received my spidey senses tingling: a brand new flagship to exchange the RS8 DAP from 2022 referred to as the RS8 II with HiBy’s signature Darwin structure (presumably R-2R or 1-bit) and a Snapdragon 8 Gen2 8-core chipset processor.
Nothing greater than that was introduced, in order for the way it sounds, seems to be, and the way a lot it prices, we must wait and see till later within the yr.
Click on on web page 2 under to learn extra of my SIAS 2025 Present report.
Click on on web page 3 under to learn the ultimate a part of my SIAS 2025 Present report.
