HiFiman Goldenwave Serenade Wireless Review

When HiFiman acquired Goldenwave, it was clear that the audio manufacturer was committed to creating audiophile DACs and amplifiers. With their own sophisticated R2R chip, the Hymalaya Pro, and Goldenwave’s design expertise, HiFiman aims to build high-resolution audio systems. While great entry level DAC/Amps like the EF499 and EF500 sport scaled down versions of the Hymalaya Pro architecture, Hifiman’s Goldenwave line offers the full potential of the R2R tech and pairs it with excellent amp design. Today we have the brand new Serenade Wireless model for review. It looks to build off of the original Serenade’s great performance while making improvements to its sound quality and feature set. At $999, it’s the most affordable Goldenwave device available, so let’s see how it performs. 

Unboxing the HiFiman Serenade Wireless:

• Hifiman Goldenwave Serenade Wireless 
• Power Cable
• USB Cable
• User Manual
• WiFi antenna

Build:

While Hifiman’s own DAC/amps take a modern and shapely approach to their build, the Goldenwave line has its own distinct look. The Serenade Wireless, like its prior iteration, is matte black with white text on the device. I was pleased to find it feels substantial – there’s a heft here that’s appropriate for a product in this class. Its controls, outputs, and screen are on a smaller piece that extends in the front from within the amp chassis. Inputs include balanced XLR and 4.4mm ports and one single-ended ¼ inch port. On the top you get input, output, and select buttons. This helps keep things minimalist and elegant while remaining functional. There’s an LCD screen and a very nice feeling volume pot. These controls feel great and add a sense of luxury to the build. 

On the back, you’ll find the power input, an OS upgrade port, an Ethernet port for wired connection, a WiFi antenna socket, and digital inputs including USB, Optical, and Coaxial. Interestingly, there’s an unbalanced RCA input that allows you to use the Serenade Wireless as an amp or preamp exclusively. Then you have balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs. These I/O features represent all the possibilities that this deceivingly minimalist device offers. Use it as just a headphone amp, or instead, set it up as a WiFi-enabled DAC/preamp in a stereo set up, or do it all right in this single unit. Its functional size and durability only help increase its versatility, making it great for all sorts of audiophiles. 

Design:

HiFiman wanted to use the best of its DAC and amp technology for the Serenade Wireless. At the heart of this design is HiFiman’s Hymalaya Pro R2R DAC, which uses a new FPGA algorithm that brings its THD rate to -6dB .0012%. Feeding the DAC through different inputs will result in different playback options. USB will allow for 32 bit PCM up to 384kHz and DSD64-DSD256. Coaxial and optical will do 32 bit up to 192kHz and DSD DoP64. But if you really want to maximize the specs here, you’ll want to use WiFi or a LAN connection. Doing this will bring capabilities up to 768kHz PCM and DSD64-DSD512. While it would be great to see the USB input get these highest results too, connecting the device to your NAS or PC over the internet will allow you to get high-resolution audio quality. 

As for the amp portion of the device, the Serenade Wireless uses a Class A circuit based on a fully discrete transistor amplifier. Using a 50W toroidal transformer, it keeps things extremely quiet. In my listening experience, the background was completely silent. And its power output is as brawny as its specs would indicate. It can do up to 4000mW balanced and 2800 mW unbalanced. I tested it with headphones with varied power requirements, and it did just fine with just about everything I threw at it.

Sound Impressions:

I tried the Serenade Wireless with a few different headphones, but my favorite combination was with the HiFiman Arya Unveiled. This pairing had great synergy as the Serenade’s warm and musical sound works excellently with the Arya’s neutral-bright energy. 

Low End:

The bass presentation on the Serenade Wireless is both musical and refined. It makes for an enjoyable sound signature that allows bass notes to have punch and slam while at the same time keeping things under careful control. Bass never gets so bombastic that it becomes overwhelming. Rather, it adds warmth and presence where brighter headphones might be lacking in the low end. For example, the Arya Unveiled is an excellently transparent and detailed headphone. But with the Serenade, it lets its hair down a little and gives music a pleasant and refined touch that adds warmth and musicality without interfering with the headphone’s commitment to detail. That said, warmer headphones like the Meze 109 Pro work well with it too. With that headphone, things were lush and textured in the low end, and even though it played a touch darker, there was no muddiness or bloat to be found. 

Midrange: 

Like the bass, the midrange has a touch of warmth, though it manages to remain neutral enough to avoid becoming too colored. Vocal details were presented well and there was plenty of space for instrumentation with a little more depth. That means it sounds great with anything from acoustic folk to full classical ensembles. The timbre of the midrange is spot on in my opinion, keeping things from feeling too dry or detail oriented, but at the same time avoiding any stuffiness or congestion. All told, the midrange is versatile but definitely on the warmer and refined side. Don’t expect anything too forward. Instead, music is balanced and hits you with gradual precision rather than sheer detail.

Top End:

Keeping in character with the neutral-warm sound signature, the HiFiman Serenade Wireless is laid back in the top end. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of detail, especially when used with a brighter headphone like the Arya Unveiled. But instead of going for rambunctious tactility, the Serenade relaxes treble information. I found the sound to be smooth and enjoyable and great for a non-fatiguing listening session. However, if you prefer a more forward and expressive top end, you’ll want to make sure to pair this amp with a headphone that can balance out this warmth. 

Soundstage:

The Serenade’s soundstage is quite good considering its warmer tonality. Even with darker headphones, the stereo width is expansive. There’s space for sound to smoothly decay, resolving details with ease. I felt fully immersed when listening to the Arya Unveiled. In fact, this is the widest I think I’ve heard that headphone sound. Sounds are distributed across the stereo field effortlessly. I also found the spaciousness to compliment its relaxed top end quite well since it keeps the sound from feeling restricted or veiled. 

Final Verdict:

The Serenade Wireless is a great DAC/amp from HiFiman. While it’s not equipped with full-on streaming capabilities, it can still integrate seamlessly into any modern audiophile setup. Because of its versatility and relaxed sound signature, I found it to be a great compliment to bright headphones, and a solid choice for someone looking for an overall warm sound signature with high-resolution audio. 

The HiFiman Serenade Wireless is available at Audio46.