HIDIZS AP80PRO-X Review Highlights

 

High-fidelity, quality brand, original sound reproduction

 

Pros:

 

Dual DAC, data accuracy, and moving sound quality 

Support 8X MQA expansion

One-piece aluminum alloy body, luscious feel 

Ultra-portable (credit card size) 

 

Cons:

 

No 4.4 balance port (but supports adapter)  

Turn your phone into a high-fidelity pocket music player with the HIDIZS AP80PRO-X!  

 

Unboxing

 

The packaging is bronzed with a 2-piece shell that glides over each other. Matte black packaging conveys a quiet strength reflective of the device’s power. Eye-catching product image with helpful details that distinguishes it from the competition. 

 

The AP80PRO-X is actually tiny when you open the package. The aluminum alloy body feels cold to the touch with a cool X-shaped knob that looks like something on the Iron Man armor. 

 

 

Make

 

Five-axis CNC high-density aluminum alloy, similar to its predecessor, the AP80 Pro. But the PRO-X is set apart by its details, there is an X-shaped design on the right, with contrasting  rhombic surfaces, appearing seemingly as a hexagonal crystal. The Japanese ALPS volume control adds the finishing touch. A quietly furious design that harmonizes contrasting elements.  

 

This knob is the on/off key, just press and hold. It's also the volume knob. Very smooth. 

 

Samsung touch screen is characteristically smooth and responsive. Available functions include a music player and e-books (I can read and listen to music, without worrying about incoming calls). It also comes with a pedometer! Great to have if you’re a runner like me. 

 

Its headphone outlet lies just below, 3.5 single-ended and 2.5 balanced. The charging port is in the middle, which also doubles as the USB port to connect the DAC/turntable. 

 

Surprising battery life, it lasts 9 hours on the balanced port, and 13 hours on the single port.

 

 

Sound

 

The AP80 PRO-X incorporates two new high-performance ES9219DAC chips from ESS SABRE HiFi, both powerful decoders, with SNR up to +130dB, 121dB DNR, -114dB THD+N, 32 Bit 384kHz PCM. It has excellent dynamic range and ultra-low distortion, and it always ensures the reproduction of high-fidelity sound quality. 

 

The AP80 PRO-X supports MQA 8X hardware decoding at the highest level, which not only ensures "original sound reproduction", but also uses very little storage while preventing the loss of sound quality caused by "analog-to-digital conversion", plus eliminating distortion. 

 

MQA produces sound quality closest to studio quality, reproducing the sound quality of master recordings, for true listening pleasure. 

 

AP80PRO-X has a built-in high-performance FPGA chip HBC3000, which supports hardware decoding DSD64/128/256. It can accurately clock digital audio, reduce shakes and play audio more accurately and smoothly. From decoding to data processing and audio output, flawless at every turn. 

 

When we listened to Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 12 (DSD256), the amazing resolution and the audio data was fully displayed. The passionate playing conveyed by smooth high frequency and natural transition to an intermediate frequency displays an incisive and vivid cohesion of sound. 

 

I feel deeply grounded in the sound itself as if I were there in person. This complex musical piece goes exceedingly with AP80 PRO-X, its high-precision audio data capability generously expands the sheer space and magnitude of this listening experience.  

 

 

Takeaway

 

This particular HIDIZS audio player is truly amazing. Not only impressive in sound, functionality, size but also highly affordable at only 189 dollars! You can truly have it both ways. Simply divinel!