Studio V Anniversary Edition

I recently decided to take a bit of a chance and buy blind into a new DAP. Over time I've slowly become more and more tired of the mainstream Apple/Sony/insert company name here MP3 players on the market and their lack of audio capabilities. Nowadays my player of choice is the iPod Touch and although I very much like my iPod's UI interface I've gravitated towards using a mobile amp to bring the players sonic signature up to speed. Although results have been very good I'm now finding myself becoming more and more tired lugging a two piece brick around so much so I've decided to give the so called boutique audiophile DAP market a shot. After a little nosing around on head-fi and some discussion with a trusted friend from head-fi, lee730, I took the plunge and got the HiSound Studio V 3rd Anniversary Edition. This player is rather pricey, a little to pricey in my opinion, but I was lucky enough to hear about HiSound running a half price Studio V promotion in exchange for an honest review and feedback on their player. I was a little unsure about this purchase due to certain rumblings I had read about it. Buggy UI, loud hiss, limited file support, player freeze ups, seemed to be the main complaints from various users concerning this player. Even so I decided to take a big chance and purchase it anyways due to the vast majority of people, both fans and detractors alike, seeming to agree that this player even with all it's short comings still sounded pretty nice.

I placed the order and got busy encoding my key test tracks from ALAC to FLAC. Roughly a week or so goes by and one day a package from China arrives on my doorstep with my new player. Inside the beat up shipping box is my player and it's accessories safely stored in a leather display box. The presentation of this product I must admit is quite nice. By nature I'm a pretty simple guy and for me it's not about presentation and fancy packaging it's more about getting to the heart of the matter and how the product actually performs but even so I still had to admit the presentation was well done. The first thing that struck me about the Studio V 3rd Anniversary Edition was how freaking tiny it was and how perfectly sized it felt in my hand. It's roughly about twice the size of a box of matches and in my opinion the perfect size for mobile use. The next thing I noticed was how solid the form factor felt in my hand. No cheap plastic on this player the whole thing was brushed aluminum right down to the buttons. I'm very happy with this players physical form factor and my opinion is don't change a thing.

Quick aesthetic impressions aside it's now time to get to the sonics of this player which is the key reason I bought it. This player sounds very nice and easily destroys a straight up unamped iPod, Sony player or Clip+. The sound characteristics, it's lean sounding and fast and to my ears teeters just slightly north of neutral. The bass sounds nice and full, in other words it has authority, but it's still tight and has punch and detail. Mids, a bit on the dry side which in my opinion is a perfect match for my Sony EX600 and jPhonic K2 sp. I generally like dry mids so for me the mids were a nice surprise. As for the highs, it's bright and full of energy but not overly splashy meaning it doesn't sound like that crazy harsh sound of someone running their fingernails down a chalk board. People who are a little touchy concerning their treble may want to give this player a second thought before committing their hard earned bones towards it. That being said I personally think it's far from harsh and would describe it more as forward sounding highs meaning the treble hasn't been overly smoothed over and doesn't roll off so early like say my iPod Touch does. I'm also both happy and very relieved to report the hiss issues reported from users using other generations of the Studio V for me is almost completely non existent. When using my Sony MDR EX 600 IEM if I listen closely I can hear a very very soft hiss. I only noticed it because I was looking for it but if I hadn't been looking for it I doubt I would have noticed it.

The interesting thing about this player is it seems to love all the gear I hook up to it. Believe it or not the DT1350 sounds quite good on it. Originally when I heard this player the first thing to come to mind was my DT1350's loaded treble would be way to energetic with this DAP. In the end I wound up with mud on my face when I hooked it up only to realize the treble now sounded a little more detailed and slightly smoother in the upper mid to lower high transition. It wasn't night and day of coarse and I still had some sibilance problems with badly recorded music of coarse but overall I was quite happy with my DT1350 treble on the Studio V. Next up was my V-MODA M-80. I thought the M-80 sound signature would become more lean with this DAP only to be shocked to find the mids were now more detailed while still sounding as warm as before. The M-80 highs, still flat which was a bit of a disappointment considering I was hoping this player would give the M-80 a little more life up top. Oh well can't win them all I guess. On the plus side the bass seemed a little less bloated and the slight bleed into the lower mids seems to have improved a bit. From there I decided to hook up my recently acquired V-MODA M-100 headphone which has a forward sounding bass. The M-100 sounded very nice on the Studio V and I realized the bass although still quite forward sounding (it has 8 db of boosted bass) was now a little more detailed and seemed just a hair quicker on my Studio V when compared to my UHA-4 amp. The M-100 highs seemed well defined and although the Studio V didn't really boost them they did seem very well extended. Overall I would have to say the whole sound signature of the M-100 sounded slightly cleaner on the Studio V. Something interesting I would like to add, maybe it's just my ears but the M-100 has a slight U shape in it's mids and when paired with the Studio V that slight U became even more apparent. Even more interesting is when I hooked up gear which is known for being mid centric at it the mids suddenly seemed to become more prominent then I was used to.

As I started throwing more gear at the Studio V (Grado SR 60i, EX600, Westone 4, K2 sp, e-Q7) I started to realize this damn player had no real coloration of it's own but instead preferred to disappear and let the gear it was hooked up to do it's own thing. Thus far this is sounding like a really great player isn't it? Sonically I have to admit I'm very happy with it. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, battery life is in the double digits as in 50 to 80 hours. I thought it sounded far fetched myself until I got the player. When I got the player I plugged it in and let it charge overnight to guarantee a full charge. In a span of roughly two weeks I was still showing two out of four power bars with roughly 3 to 5 hours a day of use. Two days ago I decided to plug it in again and let it recharge overnight and so far I'm still showing a full charge on the display.

Something else I think is worth mentioning is this players versatility in driving gear. Most of my stuff is known for being efficient. Probably the most demanding I have is the DT1350 which in the big scheme of things isn't really that demanding when compared to other headphones. To try and test this players amp section I shot by a fellow head-fiers home and let him have a listen. This gentleman is known around my city for having a wide selection of headphones one of which being the 600 ohm AKG K240 Sextett. I didn't expect the Studio V to drive this headphone and neither did he and it took maxing out the volume but it did drive it to an acceptable volume level with only some minor control issues in the lower bass. Although I've heard these headphones being driven better by other more powerful gear I was none the less rather impressed how well it was able to drive it.

This player is now really starting to sound like a real winner isn't it? Don't get to excited time to talk about the Studio V's achilles heel, the UI. In short, considering this player retails for a suggested street price of around 500 bones the UI can only be described as completely unacceptable. The good news, even though the UI is flawed it's still stable enough to make the player work for you. Let me try and explain. When you first turn on the player you're greeted with a HiSound logo and from there the player quickly scans your micro SD card. A few seconds later the main music app appears. Now if you hit the music app and navigate any music on it's internal 4GB memory generally you'll be OK. But if you try to navigate your music on your SD card look out boys and girls what you hear will sound like utter crap. What I mean is your music will play but it will clip and pop and if you try navigating around to find other music while there's music playing in the background the music will click pop and cut out with practically every click. I'm not even going to get into the buggy playlists option because no matter what I did I couldn't get it to work.

Thankfully there's a work around for all this silliness. If you completely ignore the music app and navigate to the Resource Manager app after clicking on it you'll then be greeted with 2 options, external memory and internal memory. Click on external memory and navigate your music to your hearts content because the resource manager app unlike the music app works generally not to badly. I did notice the odd little clip or pop once in a blue moon but overall it worked to my satisfaction.  Although I'm quite happy the resource manager works well enough to make the player work for me I still can't help but feel a little put out and bummed that such a pricey DAP's UI is buggy and can't help but wonder what was HiSound thinking when they decided to release a DAP with only half of it's UI running smoothly

Final judgement, this is a very nice sounding player that checks off two of the three must haves for a player to receive full praise from me. Sonically, it's a very nice capable player that will make your gear shine. All the gear I own seemed to synergize quite well with it to the point the player became transparent and I could just forget about it and concentrate on my music and what the headphone/IEM I was using could do. Physically it's form factor is the perfect size for mobile use and it feels rugged and solid in your hand. It feels like it will stand up to the test of time. If HiSound could get a firmware update out in the near future and fix or even maybe completely eliminate the buggy Music app section and playlist section on the UI this player would be a great player. As it is the UI is the only thing that's holding this player back right now and if HiSound decides to not further develop this player with a proper firmware update then they'll only be shooting themselves in the foot. This is a very nice sounding player with a premium price tag attached to it and a buggy UI in this price range is unacceptable to the customer who chooses to invest so much on an MP3 player. As it stands now I would rate this player a 3.5 out of 5 stars which can easily become a 4.75 out of five if the UI issues were addressed.

Well, this one has taken a while for me. First of all, thank you Jack for letting my participate in the promotion, it was the only was I was able to afford this! :rolleyes:

So, a little background info here. I've gone through quite a few DAPs once I decided to try to make a main portable rig. I started from a modest Clip+, which as we all know is the gateway drug. It made me want an E6, then an E7, then a CMOYbb, and finally a C421. My DAP went to an Ipod, and finally a DIYmod. I thought the DIYmod/amp combo was my end game. It sounded great, had a TON of storage, and had that sexy “Head-fi stack” appeal. But something still didn't feel right. It was a bulky combo, and one I felt was quite fragile if I happened to drop it. The battery life on the C421 is superb, but the DIYmod isn't, especially for a music skipper like myself. And also I couldn't get over the fact that it just seemed like too warm of a rig for my already warm (at the time) IEMs and cans. I was so proud of it, and it truly was a conversation piece. But when I saw this deal, I couldn't resist, and sold it away to fund this. And you know what? I'm actually pretty damn happy now.

I've actually had this unit for a bit, and have used it with several IEMs of both types, and am currently using them with some KSC75's. Once December gets here I'll be testing this with my Tzar 350's and report back then as well. Maybe if I get some other full sized cans, I'll post that too. More information is better. Now to stop rambling!

PROS:

• Stupid good battery life

• Can be used as a separate amp, and actually does a pretty good job at it

• The most durable DAP I've held yet.

• Sounds great, with a slightly bright presentation that gives good detail.

• The sound works PERFECTLY with warmer signatures. SM3, most of the higher dynamic IEMs (save for EX series) will even out with this player, and will sing.

EH:

• The file naming issue isn't a huge deal, once you get a tagging program set.

• No support for 24/96 FLAC

• Very slight detail errors on the casing (I'm very neurotic about these things, so grain of salt on this one)

• Because of the brighter signature, I feel there is a very slight bass rolloff. This player might make some IEMs too energetic.

CONS:

• The firmware. While it isn't horrible for very simple tasks, it keeps this player from being a no question asked superpower. Jack has said there will be an update though, so fingers crossed. It's not enough to keep me from recommending it though.

• Boot time. This is related to the firmware, and it reindexes everything, every time you boot. With proper tagging (thanks lee!) it boots in a minute or so if nothing has changed, but with several files/folders, prepare for a wait if you have added anything.

Alright, now on to the details.

PACKAGING:

The packaging was nice, a faux shiny leather case with a charger, USB cable, and some updated PAA-1 earbuds were included (PAA-1 is still one of my favorite earbuds, so that's a plus). I actually like the casing and stuff, although it would be nicer to see packaging that matched the handsome champagne color of the player. Not much else to say here, it did its job.

BUILD QUALITY:

Now THIS is a tough player. It is completely metal, with an acrylic plate on the back, and metal under that. I'm not gonna lie, I've dropped it a few times. The ONLY damage I see is some slight cracking in the acrylic backing. While this saddened me to no end (I love my things being in pristine condition), it affected the playing in NO WAY. Thanks again flash memory ;) Speaking of dropping it, the other posters are completely accurate. You could kill someone with this thing, given enough force. It is a metal bar. I'm one of those people who feel I got a better product if it's heavier (see: stupid misconceptions of hifi).

It feels good in the hand. It's also a lot smaller than I imagined. When I saw the Studio, I thought “Wow, that thing is FAT”. But it really isn't so bad. I would say maybe 2 7^th gen Ipods on top of one another. It's really quite pocketable, and this is probably one of my favorite things about it. It isn't a pain to get out of my pants pocket, and doesn't look like I'm smuggling a bomb when it IS in my pocket. It works out quite nicely.

Aesthetically speaking, it's a gorgeous piece to me. While some prefer a different look, I've fallen for this finish. Around the jacks there are some markings where whatever cutting device made them didn't make it perfect. It is barely noticeable until you start nitpicking. Nitpicking like the flattened off edges, one of them on mine is slightly uneven. Would you think about this on a day to day basis? Not unless you have a lot of free time, and forgot your headphones at home (*cough cough*).

Despite these minor minor cosmetic flaws, I couldn't be happier with the build of this thing. Major respect to Jack and crew on that.

INTERFACE:

The Achilles heel of this player, and honestly the only negative thing I can say about it. I feel the UI isn't unusable, but very clunky and primitive. One BIG example is the index check every time you boot. This is an annoyance, and a very big one depending on if you've tagged your stuff properly. It could take quite a while if you have a ton of stuff on there.

That brings me to another thing, this thing is P-I-C-K-Y with tagging. Thankfully enough lee730 has a VERY good tutorial on how to batch tag all your stuff when your transfer it over. If I could change one thing and one thing only about this player, I would actually choose the tagging issues. For instance, accepting ID3v2 or letting things be tagged 1,2,3 instead of 01,02,03. I can live without an EQ. But I can't live with my tracks being unorganized, especially if it's an album I haven't heard before. But once you have your stuff started and playing, it works A-OK. I would like Last.fm scrobbling on here, but I can't really think of a Chinese DAP that supports that without Rockbox. Oh well :S

PERFORMANCE:

Back to the good! This thing sounds great. It may have been because my main IEM when I had my DIYmod was too warm for it (SM3), but it opened up on this player. I also had a few dynamics that I tested on this and I really do feel that this player evens out warmer/bassy IEMs in a good way. It seems to open up the 1K-7K area, and personally I felt more detail extraction. This is a double edged sword though. With IEMs such as the HF5, I felt that it was a little too bright. I didn't get to try my impedance adapter at the time I had them, but I felt that might have helped a bit. I'm a closet basshead though, so I want my bass very VERY punchy :P

The amp only part functions great. It gets very very loud (and makes me wonder if the DAP itself keeps the amp from being as powerful as it could be). It has a very clear, transparent sound with what I feel is a slight slight rolloff under 60hZ.

Overall, I love this mini brick. Would I buy it for MSRP? If the firmware gets updated, in a heartbeat. Would I otherwise? I would be more hesitant, but would definitely be content either way.

The player, for lack of a better word, is dramatic but not artificially so. More like it has the ability to bring home the soul and intentions of a song. There's a tangibility here that you don't get from other all in one players. Music often has a personal message or story that a performer is trying to relate and it's the hardest thing kit has to do. Call it goose bump factor but it won't show up in specs. This player can transport you there.

It's not perfect. The ui could be more refined (but it's fine), the display larger(but it's fine), quieter (but it's fine) and sonically, it just sounds great in a natural presentation yet dynamic sort of way. It's close enough to just right that there's little to criticize and preference for some other more expensive hi end player would simply be that, a personal preference. It's dynamic, detailed, open, focused and has a unique solidity without sounding hard. It runs forever and plays 24/48 wav files. It will also play FLAC at standard def, aac, wma, mp3 and APE. There's not much here not to like if music is your main goal.

I can get my way around a circuit but really, when I'm listening, I just don't give a crap. I never presume to know more than those that actually create. I think they've stayed with this basic platform and refined it because, A, they know it (and there's a lot to be said for that) and B, they just plain like the way it sounds. So do I.

I can say that judging from comments on comparisons to the V by others, I'm glad I waited. The difference in price seems marginal considering the improvements. Even if small, they seem significant for IEMs. Probably less so for cans.

I've got some Ipod touches, amps with lod, a few Sansa's Rockboxed and not and this is my go to on many fronts but mostly sound as it's tops. It's easily pocket-able and lasts for days. I still have my touch if I want Internet or apps and my clip+ if I just want to clip to my T-shirt etc or am worried I'll drown the player etc. but the Studio has ended my search. It may not be the absolute best player made but it probably is at the price and it has buttons instead of a touchscreen, doesn't cost >$800, is small enough to shirt pocket completely hidden, and lasts for a long, long time. My touch 3 LOD to a custom amp is close but it still costs more and is bulkier than I have any interest to carry. Like many here (some with a lot of experience) it's become my go to player.

I wanted to give the line in a work out so hooked up some original AKG 701s and the lod from an Ipod touch to use the Studio as an amp. It tightened and focused the sound with more slam and bass control while driving the 701s as loud as I could ever use them. The amp stage probably adds around 6db to 10 db of gain full up. I couldn't get it to clip on the AKGs. Maxed, the volume was just bearable for a short time to test. If you don't know these 701s, they're notoriously hard to drive cans and this drove them well.

On it's own, there's not enough gain to play the AKGs very loud but these are the extreme and the amp is plenty strong given enough signal at the line input side. I'm sure it will be fine as is for most cans as well.

the Studio V is an DAP made by hisound. There are two firmware on this DAP, dynamic and BA.

I will be using the Dynamic firmware in my review and the IEM that i will be using is UM3x RC and IE80.

High: Really smooth high and detailed. the studio v extended the high nicely. i suspect the Studio V would not pair nicely with an bright IEM.

Bass: the bass is tight and punchy, its not boomy but definitely present and well controlled.

mids: the mids are very detailed and abit foward in my opinion. it also have an nice midrange

Imaging: The imaging is probably the best part of the Studio V 3rd anv. it have superb imaging making the sound like 3d.

soundstage: the soundstage is very wide and deep. this DAP have the widest soundstage compared to my other DAP

battery life: it have an very long battery life, i think around 68 hour of music playback

UI: The UI isnt as bad as some people say but the UI could be better (its simple to use though).

Special thanks to Jack also known as hisound for the promotion and a really fantastic DAP. Jack told me that the Studio V need burn in, so far i have burned in for around 29 hour. i will update my review when i notice a change in sound. i will do a comparison to the previous Studio V late when my unit is fully burned in. for this kind of quality, i think its an great value and totally worth the price.

edit: i forgot to mention that this player also have excellent clarity

Simply stunning sound quality - will drive anything with its massive power output.

The UI isn't brilliant, but it is OK. English instructions would probably help (maybe I'll write some).

Head and shoulders above the Sansa Clip+, but then so it should be at 10 times the price.

Update - 5th October 2012

I have had this player for the best part of a month now and still love it to bits. I recently spent a week on a beach listening to this player and have to say that it lasted all week on a single charge with still 50% left for the plane home. 

What impresses me most is the detail and clarity that this little unit squeezes out of every track I've played on it. I listen almost exclusively to Pink Floyd and Roger Waters' material (all in flac) currently through Etymotic HF5s (which may be a little too clinical for use with the Studio), although I am seriously considering some CIEMs to go with this high end PMP.

I have heard detail and layering that I didn't even know existed in some of Waters' albums. I've compared a number of tracks with the Sansa Clip+ and it just doesn't pick up some of the background samples and voices like the Studio does.

What I will say is that this player will show up any poor quality recording or compression, so aim for the best quality formats you can and you'll be fine.

I am still finding the UI a bit clunky, but I am getting used to it. Also, there is sometimes a very slight click between tracks on albums where one track leads into the next (ie most Pink Floyd albums !). Whilst this is not enough to not recommend this player, it would be nicer if it wasn't there. I have not tried any other firmware with this player as I love the sound that comes as standard.

In all - highly recommended if SQ is your bag. Everyone at work who has plugged they (rubbish) iPhone earbuds into it have been impressed *sigh*. If it can make them sound good, just imagine what a decent pair of IEMs will sound like ;-)