In this article, I review the HiFi Walker H20 Pro HiFi digital audio player. The H20 Pro features dual ES9219 DAC chips, bi-directional Bluetooth and a 3.2″ touch screen. It’s priced at $199.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by HiFi Walker for an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own, based on my experience with the product.

HiFi Walker H20 Pro

In the Box

• H20 Pro player
• USB charging cable
• Micro SD memory card
• Storage pouch

Features

The HiFi Walker H20 Pro comes featured with dual ES9219 DAC chips. It supports up to a modest 32-bit/192kHz and DSD256. It uses FPGA technology with an independent clock system and low-noise, low-jitter crystals for high-precision timing.

The device has bi-directional Bluetooth 5.1 and functions as both a Bluetooth audio source and a decoding amplifier. You can even control playback, volume and manage music from your smartphone using HiBy Link. The H20 Pro supports Hi-Res wireless audio codecs including LDAC and aptX.

Customizing the sound to your liking is made easy by the inclusion of EQ and MSEB (Magesound 8-Ball. There are 8 EQ presets and a custom EQ available. The MSEB software is a combination of multiple algorithms based on parametric equalizer (PEQ) and sound field adjustments.

The H20 Pro can be used as a digital transport via the USB-C port. It also supports OTG and can be used as an external DAC with PCs

Design

My first impressions of the H20 Pro during the unboxing were positive. I was surprised by how sturdy and hefty it felt out of the box. The aluminium chassis has a smooth matte finish that feels good in the hand.

But for some unknown reason, the designers figured putting a thin glass back panel on the device was a good idea. I would disagree—the glass panel is a fingerprint magnet that gets covered in smeary finger grease the first time you pick it up.

In addition, the glass is susceptible to scratches, and my unit looks like it has taken a beating, although it’s spent most of its time sitting on my desktop. I fail to see the reasoning for design decisions like this, especially when no protective case is included in the box.

On the front of the unit is a 3.2-inch touchscreen display. The screen is clear, colourful and bright enough to be used outdoors on a sunny day.

The playback controls and volume wheel are located on the right side. After using so many other devices with a multi-function volume knob, I found myself trying to click it like a button quite often. But in the case of the H20 Pro, there’s an additional Power/lock button just beneath the volume wheel, followed by the 3 standard playback buttons. Lastly, there’s a microSD card slot under the buttons that supports up to a maximum of 512GB storage.

The 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs are on the bottom, along with the USB-C port.

The 1500mAh battery offers approximately 10 hours of continuous music playback, which is the standard for contemporary devices.

Usability

Navigation through the UI is done via the 3.2-inch touchscreen. There are 3 text sizes available in the settings menu – I stuck with the default ‘medium’ setting. The UI is responsive and there’s no noticeable lag when navigating through the screens.

The software is basic and lacks some of the features commonly found on modern DAPs, such as preloaded Tidal or Qobuz. However, it does include MSEB, but apart from that, the UI is really just a basic music player with system and playback settings. The only additional functionality is a built-in e-book reader.

Although album art is displayed on the ‘Now Playing’ screen, it’s frustratingly absent when browsing your music library. Furthermore, album and song titles are often truncated due to the narrowness of the display.

Users are provided with the usual settings options. Interestingly, the H20 Pro includes WiFi which you can use to transfer and stream music to the device. At the end of the day, the UI is functional but it lags behind others like the HiBy R3 II and Hidizs AP80 Pro X interfaces.

Sound

The 3.5mm headphone output delivers up to 112mW @ 32Ω and the 4.4mm pushes 380mW @ 32Ω. Those numbers are quite low – even some dongle DACs have a higher output these days but in reality, it’s more than enough for all IEMs and a wide variety of full-sized headphones.

The sound signature of the HiFI Walker H20 Pro is neutral with extended highs and a tight bass. It’s more refined than I was expecting and seems tuned for transparency. It has a nice black background, even with sensitive IEMs.

I found the HiFi Walker H20 Pro works well with a wide variety of IEMs and headphones. Multi-BA IEMs sound tonally correct, so although it’s not mentioned in the documentation, I assume that the output impedance is sufficiently low.

Despite H20 Pro’s modest output power, dynamic IEMs and hybrid units are driven with ease. It excels in capturing the nuances of both powerful crescendos and more delicate quiet passages. I found the layering and imaging were good and there’s plenty of width in the soundstage.

IEM Pairings

Simgot EM10: I found this pairing satisfying, especially in the treble where the EM10 comes across as somewhat laid-back. The tightness of the H20 Pro’s bass works well with EM10’s elevated sub-bass and ensures it never gets too boisterous or dominant.

Letshuoer S08: This IEM works especially well with the H20 Pro. The bass extension is excellent and loaded with texture. Midrange instruments and vocals are articulate and nuanced with good note size and just the right balance of body and clarity. The treble is warm but airy and helps to create a wide soundstage.

Verdict

The HiFi Walker H20 Pro digital audio player sounds great. It has a neutral-bright sound signature that prioritizes transparency and details. However, its user experience is somewhat hindered by its basic, legacy-style software. While the hardware excels, the outdated interface and lack of modern features may be a drawback for users seeking a more seamless and intuitive UI. That said, if pure audio quality is your priority, the H20 Pro offers excellent performance for its price.