Timbre on the AP80 Pro-X sounds natural to my ears and in fact it synergizes quite well with most of my iems.Comparing it to the Cowon Plenue PD2 that’s similar in terms of size and output,sporting both 3.5 and 2.5 balanced out,PD2 is sounding a little warmer and less energetic. Support for FLAC, APE, WMA, WAV, ALAC, AAC, OGG, MP3, AIFF, DSF, DIFF, DSD 64/128/256 audio formats The ports of the AP80 Pro-X are pretty straightforward. Hidizs retains the balanced and unbalanced PO which are 2.5mm and 3.5mm respectively and can be found on the bottom panel of the player. A Type-C USB port can also be found on the same bottom panel, which doubles as a USB input and output. Optimize the pure tone mode, disable WiFi and Bluetooth in the pure tone mode, and clear the recently task list. With up to 190mW @32Ω from the balanced output, the AP80 Pro X can drive most off the shelf headphones. Hidizs recommends the device for headphones up to 200 ohms and I think that’s a good ballpark figure.

How does AP80 Pro X compare to KA3 when driving E5000? As expected, AP80 Pro X is a bit behind KA3 due to the difference in driving power (70mW vs 120mW). On the same busy crescendo around 3:05, KA3 helps E5000 render the tremolo of cellos cleanly rather than a blob of low-pitched sound. Compared with AP80 PRO using the final unfold (4X) of an MQA file, AP80 PRO X will use MQA technology for the final unfold (8X) of an MQA file. Desktop DAC+Amp by connecting the DAP to your computer via USB. You must choose to connect as a DAC rather than portable storage in the settings menu. However, 190mW is still not a lot of power on tap, and Hidizs recommends 200 Ohms as a maximum impedance for connected headphones. The 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD650 sound very flat and uninteresting from the AP80 PRO-X. Pair wisely, and the tiny AP80 PRO-X will sound great.

Battery Life

And the last, but not the least – should anyone upgrade from AP80 PRO? Only in case if better MQA handling is vital. Otherwise – probably not. But shifting from regular AP80 or something like Shanling M0 is a must. AP80 PRO-X is just so much better in all aspects. Disclaimer: The Hidizs AP80 Pro sent to us is a sample in exchange for our honest opinion. We thank the team at Hidizsfor giving us this opportunity.

As with the DAP’s previous iterations, the AP80 Pro X comes with Hiby OS. The user interface is straightforward and easy to use, much like an Android phone or iPhone. Navigation is done via swipe and touch gestures on the screen. Disclaimer: Hidizs sent us the AP80 PRO-X, free of charge, for the purpose of this review. In exchange, we’re going to give our honest opinion, as always. Apart from the outer look, the new Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Copper Edition didn’t change compared to the original one. Whilst AP80 Pro X can do many things, it does not do all of them well. I did not have a great experience using the DAP as a Bluetooth receiver because it usually connects to my phones (both Android and iPhone) via SBC rather than AAC or LDAC. I need to disconnect and reconnect a couple times from the phone to ensure the proper codec is used. Even when the connection is correct, there is still more delay than other Bluetooth amplifiers in my collection. I also noticed a slight delay when using this DAP as a desktop DAC.Either way, still a great battery life on this new model for standard 3.5mm mode. Expect a few hours less with Balanced mode being used, as your voltage is significantly higher while using the 2.5mm output option. This is to be expected. Bluetooth The main advantage of using AP80 PRO/ PRO-X balanced output instead of AP80 3.5 SE is the amount of power it produces which inevitably leads to more juicy presentation, more dynamics (especially in midbass section), more clarity and transparency in overall.

an USB-C port, working both ways in/out, so you can plug your own DAC/Amp, or use the AP80 Pro X as DAC, connected to your source Making loud noises does not mean that a pair of IEMs or earphones are driven to their full potential. When fed more power, underpowered IEMs or earphones would sound crisper and more separated (thus making the soundstage feel larger). On the bottom of the AP80 Pro X are a 3.5mm single-ended output, a 2.5mm balanced output and the USB-C port for data transfer and charging the battery. UI However, what if you need a small and affordable DAP for music enjoyment without the distraction of the Internet or straining your phone's battery? What if you also need decent amplification and balance output? Hidizs AP80 Pro X is one of the few remaining DAPs on the market that can satisfy these requirements. The screen is small, at just 2.45 inches, but it is big enough to be easily legible and to show enough information for the system to be easy to use. It is a 480 x 360 Samsung panel that offers good brightness, enough to still be perfectly viewable in the full Sun of the Scottish summer.Rivals include Cowon’s Jeteffect but I cannot think of anything else that is quite as potent in what you can do. Customization is too fun to mess with and just the concept of having it is better than not having it. Streaming Spotify was really good sounding while listening to high resolution material from Qobuz yielded satisfying results minus a loss in overall fidelity and refinement.