Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
For the last few years I’ve been observing how Hidizs has developed from a small domestic single-product company to the international and respected portable HiFi gear brand. My experience covers each single piece of their audio technology: AP100, AP200, AP60, AP60Pro, AP80 DAPs, all IEMs, cable DAC converters, stand alone DAC, etc. Can’t state that all of those had flawless performance but none has fallen short of expectations in terms of audio quality. Still love my old AP100 and still use AP80 as the most convenient one. Furthermore, Hidizs was the first to utilize HiBy OS with its excellent HiBy link option which has become a golden standard for various current DAPs from other brands. Overall, AP80 Pro’s sound signature is characterized as being reasonably neutral and natural. It leans towards clarity and brightness, and this produces a good impression of transparency. These impressions are essentially an aggregate average, and I compiled them using a variety of headphones, including the Meze 99 Classics, HarmonicDyne Zeus, Thieaudio Legacy 5 IEMs, and Mangird Tea IEMs. The balanced headphone output yields a noticeable improvement. One letdown was the decision to use a BT 4.2 instead of BT 5.0. Bluetooth 5.0 would’ve enabled a longer range which would be nice when moving from place to place. Although, Bluetooth 4.2 range is good enough for the common listening use case. The signature is a bit on the brighter side, no moody or tube-like performance, no cattle Hidizs strives to improve and I’ll always be there to take a listen. They hit three home runs in a row. The standard AP80? Great Dap. The Cu variant? Just as good and also so fancy! This new AP80 Pro model? A bit better and refined than the last generation.
The only thing to be aware of when driving headphones with the AP80 PRO-X is that its limited power output will indeed influence the sound of high-impedance headphones, as it may not have enough power to drive them properly. Still, in most cases it should provide you with a clean listening experience at moderate volume levels. To give you a practical reference, the HD 6XX (whose impedance swings between 300 Ω and 500 Ω) are driven to a level which I find plenty loud even on low gain. Final Thoughts
Handling demanding IEM
Depending on the pairing,it can sound very good if the iem/headphone has good synergy with AP80 Pro-X The X has a very similar clear and transparent sound to the PRO. This is likely due to the SOC (system on a chip) architecture of the ESS9219C chipset being an evolution of the previous ES9218P. I find the sound signature to produce a neutral and natural-sounding base upon which the audio tweaking settings can build. 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. Improvements from sources are primarily minor and nuanced, despite my textual descriptions. If you are beginning your head-fi journey, getting different IEMs or earphones would yield more benefits. If you know your gears very well, improvements from sources can be delightful. In this case, the R3 Pro uses a Dual CS43131 DAC from Cirrus Logic. And that is something that changes the sound in an obvious way.
Unfortunately, no DH80 copper edition has been announced yet, and combining the new DAP with the amp doesn’t look pretty, at all. Still, for the price, this remains a solid piece of work, and knowing that’s a limited run, I’m quite happy to get one for myself! Screen
TL;DR: recap
Lows are fast and tight, and highs are snappy. For my preference,I find this pairing to be pretty good. The AP80 Pro has dual ES9218 DAC chips in it, which is fine so long as the quality is noticeably better than just one good DAC. I don’t feel any different from the AP80 Cu version I reviewed 8 months ago. I feel like some things were changed in terms of physical quantities between this newer Pro model and the last one. I’ll get into that in a bit. But, Hidizs decided to go the extra mile, taking inspiration from the likes of Astell&Kern or Cowon, and gave the AP80 Pro-X a special edition with… a copper body. Is there any difference apart from the look? That’s what we’ll try to find out today. Design and build quality Casing When connected to a computer as a DAC, the AP80 PRO-X supports most major operating systems: officially, Windows XP and newer, macOS 10.7 and newer, and iPad OS. Not officially, this list also includes Linux and Android. Battery Life After removing the DAP from the white pouch you can see how a screen protector protects the main panel. The rear panel is also protected. Paper sheets will allow you to remove the cover over the screen protectors.
The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user 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.The rest of the external and internal data, as well as the chips used, is commented in the specifications, so I don't see the need to repeat these parameters. As you can see, the number of controls is very large and I think the system does not miss any option. Bass - lower midrange presented in a sterile uncolored way, it sounds precise, has fast slam and transient. The AP80 PRO-X is equipped with dual ESS9219C DAC chips, renowned for their unparalleled dynamic range and incredibly low distortion. With a remarkable +130dB SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), +121dB DNR (Dynamic Range), and -114dB THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise), this DAC chip sets new standards in audio performance. Supporting 32-bit 384kHz PCM (Pulse Code Modulation), the AP80 PRO-X delivers high-resolution audio with exceptional clarity and detail. It also offers up to 2.0Vrms output with analog gain control, effectively reducing output noise during real-life listening sessions. With these cutting-edge features, the AP80 PRO-X ensures an unbeatable sound quality experience.
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