The New Android MP3 Player King? Luoran N2 Review
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Check out the N2 here: www.amazon.com...
I think I have an addiction ... I just cant stop reviewing these android dedicated mp3 players. Luoran contacted me to announce their new N2 model was releasing soon and offered me a review unit so I jumped at the chance to see if there were any advances being made in the mp3 player space. This one is a bit pricier (~$100) but also promises a number of spec bumps over competing players: namely a higher resolution 720p screen, much larger 5000mAh battery, and machined anodized aluminum shell with glass front/back. Let's see if it lives up to the hype and can dethrone my current favorite model.
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I haven't been to your channel in over a year. I binge watch everything I missed.
Welcome back!
@@sjm4306 Thank you.
Nice review as always! I've been watching you for over 3 years! No regrets 😊
I agree with you about having physical media buttons separate from volume buttons. Since this is Android, a work around could be to use an app like Volumee to skip tracks with volume buttons. I've used it on phones in the past, and it worked well.
Thanks for the tip, I'll have to check Volumee out!
Yes bad but I wish it was a bit more intuitive and easier to use… has a 2002 technology vibe
The N2 does have a developer mode just create a pin in security then go back to the systems page tap the build number until it ask you for a pin to activate developer mode. I was able to remove a few systems apps with adb specifically the factory music app and musicfx apps and a few other apps that you need adb for removal. I've also installed a volume booster app for when i use a wired headset because the unit has a weak signal through both headphone jacks which is pointless to have two headphone jacks when it can barely drive one set of headphones no matter what the impedance is.
👍
@omari1498 could you tell me which volume booster app you downloaded? Mine seems pretty janky -distorts too much, but I want to know if there's a better app. Thanks!
@@igortakesabride1139 There is no volume booster app that can fix the audio issues on the N2. They all distort the audio signal because luoran used a cheap DAC for this model. After i thoroughly tested the unit, I returned it back to Amazon. I ended up buying the Hiby R6.
I would like it to be even bigger and include a working UA-cam apk. Thanks for sharing :)
It's android. You can download the apk. 😅
Amazing detailed review wow didn't knew this much details about a mp3 players that a decent one should have you're way of telling is so amazing and smooth that we can hear your voice again and again without getting irritated nice voice quality friend 🥳👍🌷🌷🌷🌷🌸🌸🌸🌸hope to see more mp3 detailed reviews from you in future hope you have an amazing weekend and a great day ahead your well wisher and subscriber 🌷🌷🌷🌷
Great video. I ended up getting it but I can’t seem to find a case anywhere for it. It’s so nice I don’t want to drop it and be out all that money.
Yeah since it's not name brand and the manufacturer doesn't make a case themselves your options are gonna be either custom (if you are crafty) or generic as in those flip leather cases that have elastic/neoprene bands to fit a range of devices.
Get someone to 3d print a case.
3d design a case and order it from somewhere maybe?
So i bought one and received it today and as it turns out.. it's not the ACTUAL luoran but luoran probably just rebranded this. The dap i have has the specifications of 3,7gb (probably ddr3) ram and I've seen a bit of Compatibility issues as example with some apk files. Otherwise it's os is very lightweight and it uses very low power. I'm still sad about it not supporting otg so i have to transfer files from another device or sd card tho. I might've looked at it wrong or something but they advertise this dap as "8 core mtk" and I only saw 4 cores..
Thank you! Great review video! I learned a lot. Two questions: How does it sound? Are the headphone jacks balanced? I saw online reviews that said it could sound better.
The headphone jacks are not balanced and the output sounds ok stock, using a digital equalizer helps but I'd just suggest using a good pair of bluetooth headphones so you aren't limited by the internal amp inside the device.
Thanks@@sjm4306 . And thanks for the quick reply. I sent you a tip 😀 This device looks and seems awesome! It satisfies my every need, even with all the limitations of Android 8.1 and no Google Play etc. It could use some more buttons and a dial but I can live with it. If only, if only it had balanced outputs and sounded good. Why did they come so far and leave out the most important thing?! I may just get it anyway for portable use but I am really looking for an audiophile quality listening experience (on a poor man's budget).
very sincere review. Good job. 😀
What audio player app comes pre-installed? Do you use that, or another Android option? I haven't really been happy with anything on Android for local music, and I mostly use Plexamp to stream my own stuff to my phone. This is a very attractive option that would let me upgrade my phone to something w/o a microSD card slot, but not have to pay a ton of money for an unlocked phone with a lot of storage. I could buy a player like this and move my 1TB microSD card over to it with all my music, and have room to spare.
It comes with some generic one and hibymusic (which is good). Day to day I prefer to use doubletwist though (I manually installed it to this player).
I picked up one of these too a few months ago to replace my iPad mini for streaming content and movie playback while traveling. Mine was branded Moonlight something, same device. I really want to load up Android 11 on it, but afraid to brick it. Got any suggestions?
I honestly wouldn't try unless you are comfortable with building an custom version of android yourself so you can tailor it to the hardware. If you have experience with rolling your own linux distros it'd be a similar experience.
I might buy that.
I don't mind not having UA-cam or Google Play services dependent apps but are there any other obvious downsides of being stuck on Android 8.1? My Sony nw105 player is on Android 9 and even then I find it can get pretty slow/ clunky.
Any service that relies on an online component could one day just stop working and you wont be able to update the app if android 8.1 is unsupported by that app. I've run into this problem a few times where a certain newest version of an app just refuses to install on any android version older than a gen or two behind and the update is required since functionality is effectively broken by some change on their network side of things.
Big question! Does it play songs that are in different tracks, but part of a medley without any pause or silence in between?
If you install an android music app that supports gapless playback then yes. This is just an android device so any specific features you want will be through specific apps that support those features.
Just got a Phinis S6 for $37 and perfectly happy, but theree's no new firmware ??????
Hey @SJM4306, I have a question or two if you don't mind answering. First of all thank you for the video review.
So my question is I'm looking MP4/3 Player that has a particular looping feature so lets say you are listening to a song that is 4 minutes long and lets say you like the beat at 3 : 05 to or the last 15 second of the 4 minutes and some MP4/3 players tend to have that loop feature that lets you loop specific part of the song as long as you like. What do you call that type of loop because that is not the typical looping entire song. Secondly this is have such a specific loop feature?
It's called A-B looping and ... I honestly dont know bc I dont think I've ever really used that mode before. I will say that since this is android and you can install pretty much any app you want, it's only a matter of finding an android music app that has a-b looping.
Okay thank you for the info. I actually prefer when such feature comes with the device rather than relying on third party app.
@TheMatrixArchitect the thing is all the pre-installed apps are technically 3rd party apps lol!
Lol, bro out here having a field day. In certain cases yes that would be the case but you know what I meant, if it's third party then one that company have made deal with and that means they are liable for certain damages that may incurs on consumer's end due to faulty in the app.
Yeah I know what you mean, was just pulling ur leg!
Dude, it's huge. Hard pass.
Size doesn't matter
Side load any aps you want including the play store.
Only made it as far as the pre-used supplied headphones, gah! Can this model be used to output a digital signal, bypassing the internal DAC?
@sjm4306 Hey I hope you're still around reading your comments so that maybe you can answer me on this one: I just bought this model of Luoran N2 based on your great video review here, and now that I'm about a month into owning it, I really enjoy it, but I'm wondering what the USB C to full size adaptor used for if it doesn't work to USB on the go? What is the adaptor FOR, then? Am I missing out on a convenient function?
Hi, it confused me at first too but it's to connect to a usb c smart phone to the luoran so you can transfer music using usb otg.
Tiene el codec bluetooth sbc, acc y ldac de sony, aptx no se porque aunque android lo tiene este codec el reproductor no lo hace andar con audífonos de aptx, para escuchar auricular inalámbrico en ldac pues tienes que tener el auricular esa tecnología.
Se puede entrar en modo desarrollador si antes se activa la opcion de bloqueo de pantallan con el pin.
Su procesador Tiene 8 nucleos.
No tiene otg, con el adaptador que te dan es para descargar archivos desde un movil a el reproductor luoran, si conectas un pendrive no te lo detecta😢.
Por lo demas es por su rango de precio el mejor reproductor calidad precio.
Para el problema de la falta de volumen con auriculares de cable te puedes descargar un apk desde internet que sirva para amplificar el volumen.
El bluetooth es version 4+ , no es versión 5 como dice el fabricante. Datos comprobados con la apk de benchmark
This looks like a giant smartphone, but with some limitations. Are not better to buy an smartphone and fill the card with MP3 ? Just saying. Nice video.
That's definitely an option. The only thing is no current gen smart phone has expandable storage anymore and few have headphone jacks.
If this machine comes with the front, back cameras and can use it at the power bank will be good 🫰
no mention of how it sounds or if there's a DAC in this?...
I use bluetooth so 1st point is moot and 2nd has to be a yes otherwise there'd be no analog output. As for what specific dac I unfortunately couldn't tell you without tearing it open.
My unit permanently died after installing apps. When I get my replacement unit I’m not gonna install apps to it
That's definitely not normal, I have a feeling that it dying and the installation of apps was coincidental. Much more likely that it had some hardware fault like a cold solder joint or a damaged flash chip that directly caused the failure and installing an app either indirectly pushed it over the edge or just happened to occur at the same time.
Hi sjm4306.... Can you explain the app download process on this model? Do I have to download a apk file first? Do you have one to recommend if so? I have downloaded three apps now from the google browser - I see the downloads come in but can't get them to show on the screen and can't find them anywhere. When a download finished I would tap on it to open it but the screen just turns black with a blue bar across the very top and I guess freezes?? I have to power down then power back on to get back to the home screen but no new apps anywhere. What am I missing here??? Loved your video, just need a tutorial of downloading apps on this thing. Thanks!
So I downloaded my apk's from a computer and wrote them to the sd card connected to the computer while I was downloading all my music to the card as well. Then I used the file browser app to find the apk's on the sd card and install them from there. I cant say for sure why downloading through the built-in browser doesn't work as I didn't try that method (all I can assume is it isn't downloading the full apk's properly or is corrupting them but no idea why).
@@sjm4306 Thank you for getting back. I'm a total newbie to figuring out this N2... had a cheap mp3 years ago but that's it. Haven't had an android in years and apk's were already loaded on it I guess. What apk download do you use. Do I have to download more than one apk file or will one work for all future apps I want to download on the N2? Where would I install/move the apk file to on the N2 once it's downloaded to sd card?
Have you ever done (or can you do) a video on the basic step by step process that you mentioned above that I can refer to? I'm sure there are plenty of ppl that would be appreciative if you do! Thanks again for any help you can offer! Appreciate it!
@@sjm4306 Yea me! I figured it out! Thank you for your help. Best to you!
Hi sjm4306 I have another question for you... I downloaded APKPure to use on the N2 and I am getting bombarded with ads... is APKPure considered a "store" like for example Google Play? And if so is this why there are ads on it trying to get me to install other aps? Not sure I truly understand what an APK file is other than it allowing a non-android ap to be read/opened and used on an Android device. (do I have that right??) So, can you recommend a free APK download file that will open android files on the N2 that doesn't have ads like APKPure does? And can I just delete the APKPure file on my N2 and download a new one? Will it work with the aps I downloaded already or will I have to reinstall them if I remove APKPure? (example.. games, kindle, snaptube...)
Thank you for helping me... again. ;-)
Yes APKPure looks to be a side-store, similar to the google play store but a 3rd party company so they run their own ads to earn money to support the store. In the end nowadays "free" just means you don't pay directly with money but instead with time and patience of having to put up with ads. An apk is the install file for an app (similar to how you have to download an exe to install a program in Windows). Also anything installed will remain installed whether or not you remove APKPure.
Sjm4306 Excelent review! Thanks! My question for you is: Pecsu p5s or this model?
So it really depends if you value features or cost more. If the extra cost doesn't bother you, the Luoran N2 imo overall is a better player. But if you want better value for your money the Pecsu P5S honestly is still very good (I'd say 80% valuewise of the N2 at something like 60-70% of the cost last I checked).
@@sjm4306 Where can I buy the N2?
@@sjm4306 I know where to buy the P5S but, where can I buy the Luoran N2? I Just need to know the exact price. That's all.
I've linked the amazon link in the description but looks like they've sold out. I googled and looks like aliexpress has some stock but cant promise it'll be up for long. The price is $99 (at least that was what it was on the amazon link when it was available last I checked).
@@sjm4306 Thanks again. You're the best!
I wonder if Simple ABP Free can run on this.
It's an android player but IDK if it can run on versions of android older than 10.
Hi thanks for the review. I have placed order for the same from Aliexpress. Wanted to ask, does it sound better than a smartphone?
So it depends, over bluetooth it will obviously sound the same but I will say that the analog amp output through the headphone jacks can sound a little weak with some higher impedance headphones. I tested with iems which are pretty efficient, but with much larger headphones I noticed I had to turn the volume up torwards max sometimes. This is probably where they cut costs and your smartphone (if it even still has a headphone jack) will likely have a more powerful amp in it. If you intend to use iems, bluetooth or have an external headphone amp then that levels the playing field, considering the price difference.
@@sjm4306 generally am not an Audiophile but I would be using mp3 at 320kbps mostly. But what you suggest? Should I cancel this and order anything in budget like $100. I have Aliexpress option. Am from Dubai by the way.
@@sjm4306 also I don't use amps. Just bluetooth preferable. I use Sony WH-1000Xm4. And also one bluetooth TWS hearphoens.
If you use bluetooth headphones then it doesn't matter and this will sound as good as any phone or other player. If you use wired headphones then if I'm being honest if you can spend $50-$100 more then you can get yourself a midrange hi-res audio player from fiio or hiby that'll sound much better over the analog jack. Generally though in the under $100 price range, anything you get will sound ok through analog with low/midrange headphones and 320kbps mp3's.
@@sjm4306 so it's better to start from N2 and if audio bug bites me I will upgrade. I guess that's a good idea. What say?
E a google playstore funciona atualmente?
is there any way to get the max volume higher for wired earbuds? Otherwise I adore this thing. :)
I'd suggest trying a music player app like doubletwist that has a built in EQ so you can adjust the pre-amp gain. This will boost the volume a bit but be aware that even with this there's still an overall physical limit of the amplifier inside the player and increasing the software eq gain too much will distort the audio quality.
@@sjm4306 thanks, man! I appreciate it. One other thing...do you know if it works with USB DAC dongles? I'd wager that'd solve all of my problems re: volume and gain. :)
@@sjm4306 oh, geez, you answered my question in the video! Guess I have to return something! 😝
@@DenOfVipersel dac sólo sirve si lo tienes conectas al minijack 3.5
damn why is it so incredibly thick ???
@smj4306: Hey, have you personally tried a larger SD card than the stock 64GB in your N2? I'm wondering if I were to buy a larger memory one, like say a 128 GB (or whatever); if it would work? Please gimme your advice? Thankya!
At one point I put the 512GB card from my tablet into it to transfer some music to the internal memory so I see no reason why 128gb wouldn't work. The days of max memory limits due to crappy firmware are long gone, pretty much anything that runs android will happily accept as much memory as you can throw at it.
@@sjm4306 thanks, buddy :)
an Android device from China with the developer mode mysteriously disabled something about that is definitely sus I would definitely advise against connecting that to your home network
If possible could you review the Luoran M4 Pro model?
I'll try and reach out to Luoran to see if they'd be willing to send me one to review.
In my opinion, this device has a "butt ugly" GUI. Is there any way to change how the screen looks? (home screen icons etc)
It looks like a custom theme so should be possible to install a theme manager app to change it.
Oh cool, some more background noise while I clean.
I probably should be offended but meh I'll take the view rofl
@@sjm4306 lmao I'm just teasing you pal
I know, just messing around lol
Whats the Bluetooth connection like for earbuds? I've had some terrible players and its like owning a discman, anytime you move the earbuds cut out, drives me demented
No problems with my sony xm3's till you get more than 25 feet away. In crowded public areas you may get the occasional short dropout but not very often.
@@sjm4306 good to hear, I've been hearing the volume isn't that loud on the player itself, is that true
Yes the headphone output amp volume is limited but that obviously only affects wired headphones and not bluetooth ones.
@@sjm4306 cool thanks
What is the Spotify app like? I would like to give it to my son, who likes to stream music, is the Spotify app is fully functional, this seems like the ideal player for him.
I dont use spotify, but I know that this is just an older version of android so all apps are full original versions. The only gotcha is that since this player cant be updated to the newest version of android the apps also cant be updated to their newest versions.
That thing is thick enough they should've put a full size USB port on it.
It doesn't support usb otg and full sized usb isn't standard for usb slave/sink devices so it'd violate spec to put a full size port on it. Usb c is now common enough that imo it's a good choice.
I have a Gameboy Advance SP 101 that has a broken screen that I can't afford to fix do you fix stuff for free for viewers just to make videos?
Sorry the replacement screens are over $50 now and even if I could do the swap for free I cant swallow that cost for the few bucks I'd make from advertising for the one video. When I had a sponsor I could work something out but not since they stopped supporting my channel.
@@sjm4306 dang I'm sorry to hear that hopefully you get some more sponsors soon
Did you say on another video that you repair mp3 players?
Yep
And add if they are not going to put buttons that control the device atleast add a remote like the MINI disk players used to have🫤
What is the best Micro Card to purchase for this player tried 4 different cards stops formatting at 20 percent.
What brands are the cards you tried? I use microcenter cards and occasionally sandisk and haven't had an issue yet.
@@sjm4306 Thank you
The Bluetooth doesn’t sync my car audio
Can you see your car bluetooth id on the device, does it fail to pair?
how where you able to download stuff on there
Easiest way is to copy directly from a computer to an sd card and then insert the sd card into the player. Otherwise you can plug the player into the computer via usb and copy into the drive that pops up (this'll be slower than the first method tho).
Are they sold out everywhere? I cant find one
Yep, just did a check and looks like they are sold out for the time being. That was quick! I'll reach out to my contact and see when they expect a restock. Edit: Looks like they have some on aliexpress, though no promises how long that lasts.
Can you connect external dac to this ?
Iirc this model didn't have usb otg so nope
Its nice. But Dankpods has topped it sadly.....
I see you are a man of culture (as a fellow dankpodder)!
Who uses MP3 files? Seriously? Flac, dsd, yes... MP3, nooo...it's not 'double headphone jacks', one is 3.5mm and the other 4.4 double ended, and has more power. . Don't use both at one time. You have to set it for data via USB or it won't read the card or flash drive.
dose it have an EQ SETTING?
It's android so you can install your own apps. You can just install a music player app with eq settings.
This one is just a tad too big.
Do you have a food eating vlogs or lifestyle vlogs channel kindly let me know if you have any thanks 😊👍🌷🌷🌷🌷
I've done a few thrift store videos in the past and a travel video for when I visited niagara falls, probably the closest videos I have to general lifestyle vlogs. No food eating videos, I'll spare the internet from having to watch me eat lol!
@@sjm4306 oh wow thanks for telling me I will search your vlogs and watch them as for eating vlogs 😅👍i just leave them ultimately completely to your decision 😅👍if you want to share your opinions about any dishes then do kindly let us know via foods videos thanks take care and have a fantastic day 😊🌷🌷🌷🌷