AP80 - Hidizs next portable Hi-Res music player

[TWidXugA]

Got my Hidiz AP80 pro. Looks nice but my unit is faulty. Somehow the 3.5mm output does not work at all (tried with many earphones). The 2.5mm balanced works well though, and I can even hear radio if I plug some earphones (or just a cable) to the 3.5mm output and also plugin a 2.5mm earphone, in which case the sound will only come out via the 2.5mm ouput. Tried resetting to factory defaults to no avail.

Really disappointed, have contacted the Ali Express store ("BrightAudio Store"), and waiting for an answer.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Got my Hidiz AP80 pro. Looks nice but my unit is faulty. Somehow the 3.5mm output does not work at all (tried with many earphones). The 2.5mm balanced works well though, and I can even hear radio if I plug some earphones (or just a cable) to the 3.5mm output and also plugin a 2.5mm earphone, in which case the sound will only come out via the 2.5mm ouput. Tried resetting to factory defaults to no avail.

Really disappointed, have contacted the Ali Express store ("BrightAudio Store"), and waiting for an answer.

maybe there is a setting that enables the 3.5mm

i have the ap80, and it doesnt have any such setting, but perhaps the pro does

try doing a full power reset, holding power button down for more then 10 seconds

otherwise try updating firmware,

then if not just straight exchange it

had my ap80 one year and no issues so far, got it on sale too

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

.

 

[TWidXugA]

maybe there is a setting that enables the 3.5mm

i have the ap80, and it doesnt have any such setting, but perhaps the pro does

try doing a full power reset, holding power button down for more then 10 seconds

otherwise try updating firmware,

then if not just straight exchange it

had my ap80 one year and no issues so far, got it on sale too

Good suggestions. Tried all except firmware update, but the firmware changes for v1.1 (the only available firmware for the AP80 pro), relate to the apple app connection which I don't use, and I don't want to risk anything that can complicate the replacement/refund.

The one last thing I am trying at the moment is to let it run out of juice, to see if somehow that makes a difference...

 

[LDouglasLJr]

A firmware update shouldn't cause any issues with the replacement/refund of the unit. The firmware is published by Hidizs so it's not like you would be installing something custom.

 

[TWidXugA]

A firmware update shouldn't cause any issues with the replacement/refund of the unit. The firmware is published by Hidizs so it's not like you would be installing something custom.

True, I would hope that it wouldn't cause issues. But with this being (apparently) a faulty unit, there is added risk that the firmware update may not complete and brick the unit altogether. I just don't think it's worth the trouble and will try to get it replaced.

 

[TWidXugA]

I am currently asking for a refund of the AP80 pro, since I feel there are too many minor issues:

• Earphones connected to the 2.5mm out cannot be used as a radio antenna.
• There seems to be no way of saving EQ presets that I could find.
• Frequently it is impossible to quit the bluetooth connection screen once a connection is established.
• The device shuts down after a certain time, which is fair enough, but it doesn't remember what was being played when it is turned back on.
• Frequent dropouts when playing over LDAC from my laptop (which otherwise works well with the Fiio M5 with LDAC)
• Very pronounced latency with using the AP80 pro as a bluetooth receiver with LDAC from my laptop and phone - this is not a problem with the Fiio M5 (using LDAC as well).

Most of these might be fixed in a firmware update, but then again my unit is clearly faulty - 3.5mm out does not work - so this might not apply to other units.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

I am currently asking for a refund of the AP80 pro, since I feel there are too many minor issues:

• Earphones connected to the 2.5mm out cannot be used as a radio antenna.
• There seems to be no way of saving EQ presets that I could find.
• Frequently it is impossible to quit the bluetooth connection screen once a connection is established.
• The device shuts down after a certain time, which is fair enough, but it doesn't remember what was being played when it is turned back on.
• Frequent dropouts when playing over LDAC from my laptop (which otherwise works well with the Fiio M5 with LDAC)
• Very pronounced latency with using the AP80 pro as a bluetooth receiver with LDAC from my laptop and phone - this is not a problem with the Fiio M5 (using LDAC as well).

Most of these might be fixed in a firmware update, but then again my unit is clearly faulty - 3.5mm out does not work - so this might not apply to other units.

it is possible to save presets on both equalizers

it is possible to change the shut down timer

it is possible to resume playing from last position after powering back on

listening to radio is stupid, download some flacs

the software is not made by hidisz, its made by HIBY,

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ap8...es-music-player.878141/page-221#post-15250661

 

[TWidXugA]

it is possible to save presets on both equalizers

Perhaps it is, but while one of them is straightforward, for the other (the real equalizer) I couldn't find the option for the life of me. At least it is a striking case of an inconsistent interface between the two.

it is possible to resume playing from last position after powering back on

It didn't for me...

listening to radio is stupid, download some flacs

What you listen to depends on your life choices, and I for one try not to question those. The hardware should support using radio while listening to the 2.5mm output, period.

the software is not made by hidisz, its made by HIBY,

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ap8...es-music-player.878141/page-221#post-15250661

Thanks for that, I had stumbled on that link before while scanning this thread.
To be honest, IMO the AP80 pro software is just not great, lacking in polish and consistency. Plus there is all the bluetooth implementation mess...

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Perhaps it is, but while one of them is straightforward, for the other (the real equalizer) I couldn't find the option for the life of me. At least it is a striking case of an inconsistent interface between the two.


It didn't for me...


What you listen to depends on your life choices, and I for one try not to question those. The hardware should support using radio while listening to the 2.5mm output, period.


Thanks for that, I had stumbled on that link before while scanning this thread.
To be honest, IMO the AP80 pro software is just not great, lacking in polish and consistency. Plus there is all the bluetooth implementation mess...

2.5mm is a professional connection. no need for radio to work over that

there is option to resume play from last track or position if you turn it on

software is made by hiby and i find it to be very good. its one of the few softwares that offers the option to play through folders. my friend uses jetaudio pro version player for android and it doesnt even have that option.

even if updating firmware bricked it you can still exchange it, so i would do that.

 

[TWidXugA]

2.5mm is a professional connection. no need for radio to work over that

there is option to resume play from last track or position if you turn it on

software is made by hiby and i find it to be very good. its one of the few softwares that offers the option to play through folders. my friend uses jetaudio pro version player for android and it doesnt even have that option.

even if updating firmware bricked it you can still exchange it, so i would do that.

Fair enough, I won't bash it any more, even because my opinion might be tinged by my bad experience with the faulty unit.

BTW, the Fiio M5 does have play through folders, and I use it all the time. Though it was a common feature, surprised it isn't, but I definitely need it.

 

[LDouglasLJr]

If you want to talk about people with bad opinions, that would be those of use who did the kickstart campaign who then didn't receive units for many months after they were promised. And also during that time the Hidizs rep that was on here completely disappeared.

And yes, I was one of those who has/had a very bad opinion of this company. I like my AP80 (non-pro) and I like the way it soundst. Would I purchase another unit form then, never!

 

[Zachik]

If you want to talk about people with bad opinions, that would be those of use who did the kickstart campaign who then didn't receive units for many months after they were promised. And also during that time the Hidizs rep that was on here completely disappeared.

And yes, I was one of those who has/had a very bad opinion of this company. I like my AP80 (non-pro) and I like the way it soundst. Would I purchase another unit form then, never!

+1 on all your points...

 

[Facta]

...


What you listen to depends on your life choices, and I for one try not to question those. The hardware should support using radio while listening to the 2.5mm output, period.

FM radio doesn't work with earphones plugged into 2.5mm balanced port? This is a case with just AP80 Pro or any device's 2.5mm balanced port in general?

 

[TWidXugA]

FM radio doesn't work with earphones plugged into 2.5mm balanced port? This is a case with just AP80 Pro or any device's 2.5mm balanced port in general?

I can only answer for the AP80 pro. FM radio does not work with earphones plugged into the 2.5mm balanced port in the AP80 pro, but I cannot state if that is a rule for other players. It is frustrating, for example, if you want to take the AP80 pro with you on holiday but don't want to carry around two sets of earphones.

Thinking further about what @OmniscientNihilist said though, there might be a case not to connect the radio antenna circuit to the 2.5mm output if that can somehow introduce noise. The 2.5mm is a higher fidelity output, with higher output power, that could further amplify that noise. I don't know if that is the reasoning behind the AP80 pro design though, this is just a guess. Another guess is that it is a cost-cutting measure.