My music library is over 400 GB of FLAC files on an external hard drive. I could listen to it at my desk, but not in my living room, kitchen, or car stereo. I wish I knew about these DAPs earlier. Now I can play my entire music collection anywhere using the bluetooth connection or the microphone output. A real game changer for me.
Good video, i like that last thoughts about for who is a dap. Thats dispositives are very comfortable for the daily routine, at the same time you can listening music with great sound. Greatings!
I bought a DAP for the reasons you listed. I previously purchased a Hidiz Dh80s but I didn't like having to worry about it when trying to use it and do something else on my phone. So I ordered a HiBy R3 Pro Saber and I really enjoy it. It has wifi and can stream Tidal and Qobuz. The Dh80s sounds a bit better but I can hook the Dh80s to the DAP when I want better sound.
Nice review, I have an AP80 Pro X. I really like it. My only argument is I wish it was a bit bigger but most people probably like the compactness. Sounds great and has lots of features. As usual, your reviews make things very easy to understand for the regular hi-fi enthusiast
What a strange comment? How can it be "a bit bigger"? How can that strange requirement be regarded as "an argument"? In favor of what??? It is what it is and it was designed to be small, to appeal to people who wanted a small compact device. I bought it BECAUSE it was small. It is a good unit - very good! You obviously, bought it in error, so the criticism is unfounded - don't blame Hidizs. Perhaps you should "do your research" before spending your money and invest in a rule or a tape measure, first? There are dozens of decent players, out there, that are larger than this one!
@@childofthe60s100 Lord dude, don't be such a whiner. It is a bit small so it rattles in my arm pouch - that is all. If you would DO YOUR research and read my comment, I actually liked the unit and even stated most people would like the compactness - it just didn't happen to work with a carrying case I already had. Try getting out more and getting some fresh air - might help with whatever is ailing you.
Nice review and nice big little player. In my case i switched to Apple Music loseless played with my iPhone + DAC-Amp, i will never go back to a DAP. I use it for my portable gear but also for my Schiit BF2+Lokius+Lyr 3 to drive my Focal Clear. All plays marvely well.
Great review, I own this player and it kicks ass for the price. I use it as a player in my car to an old 3.5mm input, makes my factory stereo sound amazing, also use it in my Kodi player setup as a DAC, sounds incredible. I use this player for just listening to my 320Mp3 collection, outstanding sound by sending the music to my Sony M3 wireless headphones via 1Mii ML 301 Bluetooth transmitter in Aptx-hd through the 3.5mm headphone jack, for the price and it's features it can't be beat, sure you could spend more but why, I haven't found a reason yet.
Hello, Great review and thank you for it. I ordered it yesterday. I was worried at first, but I think it fits. It is quite similar to the Hiby R3 saber and Hiby has the Tidal app. However, I have read that the Hiby has right problems with Bluetooth. My plan now is to connect my Ipad where Tidal is installed with Playlist offline via Bluetooth and use it with the Aeon R/T. Hope that works out so far. Before I used the Nuprime hi mdac which is also good but the cable etc was a bit annoying. Also, there comes a point where the Usb C sockets or the cable starts to have a loose contact.I hope it will be better with Bluetooth. Oh well, there is also a cable with 3.5 mm to Rca that you can buy and connect to the Little Dot amplifier.
My respect Srboljub. Another great review. Of the devices I use Fiio k3, ibasso dc5 and Shanling UP4. I use Fiio K3 for games, movies and to relax with music, Ibasso when I am to lazy to turn on computer, when I'm on the move there is Shanling UP4 the pinnacle of conviniance, phone in my pocket and all the controls are on the UP4, phone I don't touch anymore. I use Tidal to stream, the sound is lossy (bluetooth) but it is not audible when you are outside and on the move, then the ease of use is most important to me. Please do try Fiio btr5, Shanling UP4 or Qudelix, ask them to send it to you! :) Bluetooth devices do everything the same as this DAP but are cheaper and more convenient (they are smaller). Battery drain on phone is not such a problem as with dongles. Pozdrav
Thanks, I was waiting for your review before making the decision to buy one. I listen to music while walking my dog and at least once an unexpected tug on the leash has caused me to drop my phone, the AP80 PRO-X will be much easier to handle in situations like that.
I like outright ownership of my music. I have collections over the decades. I travel to places with no internet for weeks on end. This DAP will always give me my music.
Fiio KA3 dedicated DAC or Hidiz ap80 pro x ? I 'm concerned about wide soundstage and neutral sound Any other suggestion that beats both of them at same price ? if I could get better bluetooth receiver capability would match my needs
@@overthetarget9401, I was just looking in the menus but you have to adjust this in play settings instead of MSEB, but the balance function is present.
I like the MSEB feature. Here's my MSEB settings for the Skullcandy Ink'd Plus. I used 3 songs to get this. One: ELO - Strange Magic Two: Arsonist - Respect The Unexpected Three: Dir en grey - Ugly One is an old 70s classic rock tune. Jeff Lynne really tended to bury the Cymbols in his mixes and I wanted to try and make them more highlighted. Two is a nice thumpy late 90s Hip Hop track with good drums and solid bass. Three is an old-school Japanese Metal track with a lot of thumpy kick drums, weird electronic noises and lots of Cymbol work going on courtesy of DeG's drummer Shinya. I managed to make all three of these tracks sound the way I want them to with the MSEB. Bar 1: Negative 12. Bar 2: Positive 8. Bar 3: Positive 12. Bar 4: Positive 12. Bar 5: Negative 8. Bar 6: Positive 12. Bar 7: Negative 14. Bar 8: Negative 8. Bar 9: Negative 12. Bar 10: Positive 12. Optimal Volume is 45. Gain is set to LOW. Digital Filter is set to Fast Filter, Phase Compensation.
From my experience DAPs always sound worse when used as an external dac/amps. For example my shanling m8 sound much much worse when used from my laptop. It is maybe due to the poor generic usb cable sound quality. Because of that I dont use my m8 like that, and also because i dont want to stress/overheat its battery.
i personally find daps to be my way to go to when im in the public transport routine. I may be old fashioned but i like to have a separate thing for my music especially because i do have lots of flac files and starting to even own dsd files. I tried to fill my phone with flac music but it will just make my phone slower, power consuming and just can't do. That's why i came here and was looking forward to watching some sort of product's review and will definitely check it out.. which kind of in ear headphones would u match it with?
I am between this and hiby r3 pro saber. I tend towards to r3 but I have read that some people experienced issues with the Bluetooth. Can someone help?
Great review, thank you. Taking just my Smartphone with no DAC is heavy enough...Samsung S21 Ultra is a brick on the arm and overheats in the armband that I use. This would be great. Question - does it have a manual lock screen to avoid accidental clicks on the screen while it's in an armband or pocket? Thanks and have a nice day.
@@jeffward24 Go with the Rebel series if you don't mind a thicker case. It will survive almost anything. And when in shell, I think it would actually survive car driving over it.. Regards.
@hefic Hi! Thanks for the excellent advice; much appreciated. What player are you currently using? Do you usually use stand-alones like this? I like the idea of going phone-less, but i listen to a lot of UA-cam content, such as yourself, and don't own a lot of Hi-Res type of content yet. Thanks again and have a great day!
Excellent review! Why do you prefer the sound of the DH80 over this dap (when both are connected to a phone)? In what ways is the sound better (and worst if any)?
“another type of joy” exactly. I am using a FiiO. Use case is especially holiday and situations in general where I am asking myself, do you really need your mobile right now ¿ downside is loading the microSD. Ripping CD is no fun. And no Tidal App although my FiiO has WiFi.
I have an AP80 Pro X. I really like it also. Its the complete independence thats attractive as well as sounding so very good. I hate things that use phone battery power, because you never know when you are going to need that power!
I bought one of these because I wanted a higher end experience with my music. I didn’t feel like my fourth gen ipod was that high end of a music player. I have nice iem’s and my music files are looseless. I felt like the ipod was weakest link.
Its weakest link is the battery. If u use it everyday it probably won't hold charge for long. Same if u let it die for months. Unless it comes with removable batteries.
The small-ish battery, also means it's charged back up in no-time at all. 🙂 And I get a solid 7h out of it, enough to last my whole day, and then some. But it's really small, a few cc internal space extra for a larger battery, wouldn't have hurt the overall design, in my opinion.
I have the ap80pro (previous gen) in red, and it's nice, but not the best for sound fidelity. It's harsh on the highs. Some call it lively, I call it harsh. You can adjust EQ in settings, but you would preferably pair it with a warmer IEM or headphone. It's really for portable convenience and iPod nostalgia more than anything. I enjoy using it with my Timeless IEMs and KPH30is. However, something like the magsafe-enabled Khadas Tea or even my Qudelix5k tucked into a rubber magsafe wallet can rival the convenience of the AP80 Pro due to how seamlessly they can connect to your smartphone.
I have the Hidizs AP80 Pro X, and with a pair of cheap 'n cheerful KZ ZSN Pro X's for on the go, best $25 ever spent btw, they don't sound harsh to my ears. I was worried about this, but in another review they mentioned the noticeable jump in audio quality, especially the more neutral sound of the new version compared to the non X version, that made me take the jump.
Is $199.99 the price kills it? Is it better than apple i pod touch? Can’t take pics..or watch video? Or play games on it? Can’t even go to the internet?
This company just ignores you if you have a problem. Also what not said in the reviews is that you need to buy and use their proprietary cables for it to work. And the cables supplied are way too short to be practical.
Do NOT buy this to use as a dac paired with an iPhone! I bought it for that and it’s absolutely awful! Hidizs claims it’s compatible but if you buy the little cable lightning to usb c from hidizs it does NOT work! Your iPhone starts charging your dap if you connect them through the cable and does not recognize the dac. Pairing through bluetooth sucks as well, if I pair it with an iPhone 14 pro, it will disconnect at least ten times an hour! As a dap it’s ok but horrible with an iPhone!! Regret buying it hugely.
Trust me, I have one, and it sounds way better than my venerable iPod classic I still have lying around, I did an A-B comparison. (I have an old iPod still in use, since it integrates nicely with our V40 in car infotainment system)
Do not buy this!!!! It has an incompatibe label hierarchy system to modern labling systems, so if you like organised music tags THIS IS NOT FOR YOU! This guy should have a red light on his door.
My music library is over 400 GB of FLAC files on an external hard drive. I could listen to it at my desk, but not in my living room, kitchen, or car stereo. I wish I knew about these DAPs earlier. Now I can play my entire music collection anywhere using the bluetooth connection or the microphone output. A real game changer for me.
Good video, i like that last thoughts about for who is a dap. Thats dispositives are very comfortable for the daily routine, at the same time you can listening music with great sound. Greatings!
I bought a DAP for the reasons you listed. I previously purchased a Hidiz Dh80s but I didn't like having to worry about it when trying to use it and do something else on my phone. So I ordered a HiBy R3 Pro Saber and I really enjoy it. It has wifi and can stream Tidal and Qobuz. The Dh80s sounds a bit better but I can hook the Dh80s to the DAP when I want better sound.
Nice review, I have an AP80 Pro X. I really like it. My only argument is I wish it was a bit bigger but most people probably like the compactness. Sounds great and has lots of features. As usual, your reviews make things very easy to understand for the regular hi-fi enthusiast
What a strange comment?
How can it be "a bit bigger"?
How can that strange requirement be regarded as "an argument"?
In favor of what???
It is what it is and it was designed to be small, to appeal to people who wanted a small compact device.
I bought it BECAUSE it was small.
It is a good unit - very good!
You obviously, bought it in error, so the criticism is unfounded - don't blame Hidizs.
Perhaps you should "do your research" before spending your money and invest in a rule or a tape measure, first?
There are dozens of decent players, out there, that are larger than this one!
@@childofthe60s100 Lord dude, don't be such a whiner. It is a bit small so it rattles in my arm pouch - that is all. If you would DO YOUR research and read my comment, I actually liked the unit and even stated most people would like the compactness - it just didn't happen to work with a carrying case I already had. Try getting out more and getting some fresh air - might help with whatever is ailing you.
@@childofthe60s100 where in that comment does he blame anyone? He stated a personal preference that is very subjective.
Bigger is bigger battery longer play time
slightly larger screen for older eyes.
So went with LG v60 phone and dap.
Nice review and nice big little player. In my case i switched to Apple Music loseless played with my iPhone + DAC-Amp, i will never go back to a DAP. I use it for my portable gear but also for my Schiit BF2+Lokius+Lyr 3 to drive my Focal Clear. All plays marvely well.
Lossless
Great review, I own this player and it kicks ass for the price. I use it as a player in my car to an old 3.5mm input, makes my factory stereo sound amazing, also use it in my Kodi player setup as a DAC, sounds incredible. I use this player for just listening to my 320Mp3 collection, outstanding sound by sending the music to my Sony M3 wireless headphones via 1Mii ML 301 Bluetooth transmitter in Aptx-hd through the 3.5mm headphone jack, for the price and it's features it can't be beat, sure you could spend more but why, I haven't found a reason yet.
Hello,
Great review and thank you for it.
I ordered it yesterday.
I was worried at first, but I think it fits.
It is quite similar to the Hiby R3 saber and Hiby has the Tidal app.
However, I have read that the Hiby has right problems with Bluetooth.
My plan now is to connect my Ipad where Tidal is installed with Playlist offline via Bluetooth and use it with the Aeon R/T. Hope that works out so far.
Before I used the Nuprime hi mdac which is also good but the cable etc was a bit annoying.
Also, there comes a point where the Usb C sockets or the cable starts to have a loose contact.I hope it will be better with Bluetooth.
Oh well, there is also a cable with 3.5 mm to Rca that you can buy and connect to the Little Dot amplifier.
My respect Srboljub. Another great review. Of the devices I use Fiio k3, ibasso dc5 and Shanling UP4. I use Fiio K3 for games, movies and to relax with music, Ibasso when I am to lazy to turn on computer, when I'm on the move there is Shanling UP4 the pinnacle of conviniance, phone in my pocket and all the controls are on the UP4, phone I don't touch anymore. I use Tidal to stream, the sound is lossy (bluetooth) but it is not audible when you are outside and on the move, then the ease of use is most important to me. Please do try Fiio btr5, Shanling UP4 or Qudelix, ask them to send it to you! :) Bluetooth devices do everything the same as this DAP but are cheaper and more convenient (they are smaller). Battery drain on phone is not such a problem as with dongles. Pozdrav
When you fly and or travel a lot (domestic and international) is when you find them very useful and indispensable.
Thanks, I was waiting for your review before making the decision to buy one. I listen to music while walking my dog and at least once an unexpected tug on the leash has caused me to drop my phone, the AP80 PRO-X will be much easier to handle in situations like that.
I like outright ownership of my music. I have collections over the decades. I travel to places with no internet for weeks on end. This DAP will always give me my music.
You touched all the things I'm wondering about the AP80. I'm going to buy a iFi Go Link instead.
Very good analysis. You look film star ⭐️ like actor from Hollywood movies.😄
Having been suckered into buying a Hidizs AP200, I'll never touch anything into buying anything from them again...
Please explain
I have a Hiby R3 Pro and it's good, not "perfect" but it plays well.
Pls explain for me too …
Nice review. could you give your thoughts on radio functionality and quality . i can't find an alternate device with a good dac.
Fiio KA3 dedicated DAC or Hidiz ap80 pro x ? I 'm concerned about wide soundstage and neutral sound Any other suggestion that beats both of them at same price ? if I could get better bluetooth receiver capability would match my needs
When you compared dacs with this Dap, which player did you use with your phone? The same player? Because I think they do not sound the same
The problem with this is the new hiby r3 pro saber which has more power and wifi for streaming and receiving dlna
All those MSEB features, do you know if it even supports basic pitch frequency tuning next to song tempo tuning in a unlinked manner. Thanks!
Nice review, does the DAP have a left-right balance control?
Yes, it does. You can find this option in the MSEB-function of the dap.
@@marikekleinenberg7673 Thank you, much appreciated.
@@overthetarget9401, I was just looking in the menus but you have to adjust this in play settings instead of MSEB, but the balance function is present.
Hello,
Great review Can this Dap handle a 300 ohm sennheiser hd 800?
I like the MSEB feature.
Here's my MSEB settings for the Skullcandy Ink'd Plus.
I used 3 songs to get this.
One: ELO - Strange Magic
Two: Arsonist - Respect The Unexpected
Three: Dir en grey - Ugly
One is an old 70s classic rock tune. Jeff Lynne really tended to bury the Cymbols in his mixes and I wanted to try and make them more highlighted.
Two is a nice thumpy late 90s Hip Hop track with good drums and solid bass.
Three is an old-school Japanese Metal track with a lot of thumpy kick drums, weird electronic noises and lots of Cymbol work going on courtesy of DeG's drummer Shinya. I managed to make all three of these tracks sound the way I want them to with the MSEB.
Bar 1: Negative 12.
Bar 2: Positive 8.
Bar 3: Positive 12.
Bar 4: Positive 12.
Bar 5: Negative 8.
Bar 6: Positive 12.
Bar 7: Negative 14.
Bar 8: Negative 8.
Bar 9: Negative 12.
Bar 10: Positive 12.
Optimal Volume is 45.
Gain is set to LOW.
Digital Filter is set to Fast Filter, Phase Compensation.
From my experience DAPs always sound worse when used as an external dac/amps. For example my shanling m8 sound much much worse when used from my laptop. It is maybe due to the poor generic usb cable sound quality. Because of that I dont use my m8 like that, and also because i dont want to stress/overheat its battery.
i personally find daps to be my way to go to when im in the public transport routine. I may be old fashioned but i like to have a separate thing for my music especially because i do have lots of flac files and starting to even own dsd files. I tried to fill my phone with flac music but it will just make my phone slower, power consuming and just can't do. That's why i came here and was looking forward to watching some sort of product's review and will definitely check it out.. which kind of in ear headphones would u match it with?
I am between this and hiby r3 pro saber. I tend towards to r3 but I have read that some people experienced issues with the Bluetooth. Can someone help?
Great review, thank you.
Taking just my Smartphone with no DAC is heavy enough...Samsung S21 Ultra is a brick on the arm and overheats in the armband that I use.
This would be great.
Question - does it have a manual lock screen to avoid accidental clicks on the screen while it's in an armband or pocket?
Thanks and have a nice day.
Buy Encased holster with clip. I'm using their holsters for jogging for a decade. Indestructible.
@@hefic Thank you very much!
@@jeffward24 Go with the Rebel series if you don't mind a thicker case. It will survive almost anything. And when in shell, I think it would actually survive car driving over it.. Regards.
@hefic Hi! Thanks for the excellent advice; much appreciated.
What player are you currently using?
Do you usually use stand-alones like this?
I like the idea of going phone-less, but i listen to a lot of UA-cam content, such as yourself, and don't own a lot of Hi-Res type of content yet.
Thanks again and have a great day!
@@jeffward24I'm on Samsung S10+ and Muzio player. It's good enough.
Excellent review!
Why do you prefer the sound of the DH80 over this dap (when both are connected to a phone)? In what ways is the sound better (and worst if any)?
DH80s sounds fuller and more three-dimensional, where AP80 just feels flatter both spatially and dynamically.
“another type of joy” exactly. I am using a FiiO. Use case is especially holiday and situations in general where I am asking myself, do you really need your mobile right now ¿ downside is loading the microSD. Ripping CD is no fun. And no Tidal App although my FiiO has WiFi.
Are you able to use a cable with a mic and buttons. Mine doesn’t work. Thanks
Did you listen any difference between uat and LDAC?
Can I connect it to my Marshall Stanmore or Woburn using a 3.5 mm.jack?
Can the Tidal app inside the DAP, download music for offline listening?
I have an AP80 Pro X. I really like it also. Its the complete independence thats attractive as well as sounding so very good. I hate things that use phone battery power, because you never know when you are going to need that power!
whats the difference between prox and pro? i just know that the pro x doesn't have the radio feature
How did it sound attached to a separate DAC?
hi i am between AP80PROX and hiby r3 pro saber, any suggestion?
Hiby Bluetooth is useless
I bought one of these because I wanted a higher end experience with my music. I didn’t feel like my fourth gen ipod was that high end of a music player. I have nice iem’s and my music files are looseless. I felt like the ipod was weakest link.
Lossless
waiting for your xduoo link2 bal review 😄
Info:Only Bluetooth 4.2 in 2022.Better buy Fiio Btr5 2021 than use with the old Hidisz 80 or Smartphone.
How does compare to ipod touch? Night and day?
hiby r2 ii vs hidizs ap80 pro x vs Shanling m0 Pro?
Its weakest link is the battery. If u use it everyday it probably won't hold charge for long. Same if u let it die for months. Unless it comes with removable batteries.
The small-ish battery, also means it's charged back up in no-time at all. 🙂 And I get a solid 7h out of it, enough to last my whole day, and then some. But it's really small, a few cc internal space extra for a larger battery, wouldn't have hurt the overall design, in my opinion.
How about ease of adding eq to the music?
Can I deactivate Bluetooth on this?
Can this play any type of video file?
I have the ap80pro (previous gen) in red, and it's nice, but not the best for sound fidelity. It's harsh on the highs. Some call it lively, I call it harsh. You can adjust EQ in settings, but you would preferably pair it with a warmer IEM or headphone. It's really for portable convenience and iPod nostalgia more than anything. I enjoy using it with my Timeless IEMs and KPH30is. However, something like the magsafe-enabled Khadas Tea or even my Qudelix5k tucked into a rubber magsafe wallet can rival the convenience of the AP80 Pro due to how seamlessly they can connect to your smartphone.
I have the Hidizs AP80 Pro X, and with a pair of cheap 'n cheerful KZ ZSN Pro X's for on the go, best $25 ever spent btw, they don't sound harsh to my ears. I was worried about this, but in another review they mentioned the noticeable jump in audio quality, especially the more neutral sound of the new version compared to the non X version, that made me take the jump.
Would love to see a Review of the new portable "Khadas Tea" :)
Smart phone not better for audio. Dap are miles ahed instead of sound production.
Disappointed that radio is not included
Dh80s or these? Which is better
I prefer DH80s sound, but if you really want a DAP this is close enough.
Is $199.99 the price kills it? Is it better than apple i pod touch? Can’t take pics..or watch video? Or play games on it? Can’t even go to the internet?
It can do make your dinner and take your dogs out for a walk though,
This company just ignores you if you have a problem.
Also what not said in the reviews is that you need to buy and use their proprietary cables for it to work.
And the cables supplied are way too short to be practical.
Do NOT buy this to use as a dac paired with an iPhone! I bought it for that and it’s absolutely awful! Hidizs claims it’s compatible but if you buy the little cable lightning to usb c from hidizs it does NOT work! Your iPhone starts charging your dap if you connect them through the cable and does not recognize the dac. Pairing through bluetooth sucks as well, if I pair it with an iPhone 14 pro, it will disconnect at least ten times an hour! As a dap it’s ok but horrible with an iPhone!! Regret buying it hugely.
Sounds like a HiFi iPod to me.
Trust me, I have one, and it sounds way better than my venerable iPod classic I still have lying around, I did an A-B comparison. (I have an old iPod still in use, since it integrates nicely with our V40 in car infotainment system)
Just BT 4.0 ….
5 valve gigabyte
Do not buy this!!!! It has an incompatibe label hierarchy system to modern labling systems, so if you like organised music tags THIS IS NOT FOR YOU! This guy should have a red light on his door.
The very worst thing i ever had in my hands!!! it went straight in the garbage
U have big ears..
Huge! 👂