[OmniscientNihilist]

Yeah. I suppose you can only push those Sonys so far…

no doubt you possess other more upstream headphones and a dap to power them properly also.

you can only push any single speaker so far

if u want more then get a triple speaker

bass, mids, tweets

 

[lafeuill]

This very humble-priced, very cute and very pocket-friendly dap makes me very happy. ^^

Don't miss my DX300 one bit when I'm out and about. Hidizs should really get more traction for offering that much for so little money. And size !

Power specs are not particularly exciting on paper, but real life says otherwise. Turns out 210mW per channel from the 4.4mm HO is more than adequate to drive not only my VE8 on low gain at 20/100 - and believe me when I say I like it LOUD - but the more power-hungry A8000 also sing like there's no tomorrow.

Great job Hidizs.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Anyone know how to get it working as a BT receiver? Am I missing any setting here?

I only loaded it with an SD card with FLAC, was trying to use it to stream downloaded Spotify from my phone to the AP80 so I can also use it as a BT receiver to my non-BT desktop speakers and in case I wanted to listen to any album I didn't buy but have on Spotify, but I can't get it to work.

Spotify otherwise works on the (cheap) BT receiver I was using for my desktop speakers.

I manually selected Apt-X already on the AP80. No dice. Spotify just clicks and stops playing, or plays a track but even at max audio on both nothing is coming out of the AP80, which just shows "LDAC 96khz" or "LDAC 0khz" regardless of whether I select AptX or SBC.

My laptop works into the AP80 via BT. A little slow connecting, but otherwise works. Regardless of whether I select AptX or not on the AP80, the display will show "SBC."

My newer Android phone that I have my sim card in and was my FLAC player (it still has a headphone jack, but the screen is effing up, which is one reason why I got the AP80) also works via Spotify stream, but AP80 displays "AAC 44.1khz."

So it seems like the problem is only on downloaded Spotify...but then again that's also only a problem on the AP80 since the same older phone with Spotify downloaded off WiFi otherwise works on my desktop speakers' BT receiver, my BT speakers, every car I've used it in...so it seems like the older phone has a problem where it only registers as LDAC on the AP80?

UPDATE 1 : I went into Developer Mode on my phone and whatever I select on the AP80 and the phone switches over into something else on the AP80 until it connects, at which point it goes into LDAC and then fails; on the phone side, when I go back to the options, doesn't matter if I restart it or not, whatever I select wouldn't be what I'd find when I go back in there. This is annoying AF.

UPDATE 2 : After several resets where every reset of the Android phone finds the preset BT audio codec different from what I selected before restarting, at some point I selected AAC on both the phone and the AP80. AP80 went into displaying LDAC as usual, but then suddenly this time there was sound. I already expect that when I switch these off I won't be replicating this success easily (more so when I don't even know how I got it to work).

UPDATE 3 : One Galaxy S7 Edge (the problematic phone) the solution seems to be select LDAC Standard on the AP80 then LDAC, Balanced Quality on the S7Edge). This might drain battery faster on both and is still annoying more so when this is just 320kbps Spotify downloads, but at least it works in case I need it to work for this use case.

UPDATE 4 : LDAC manual selection on both S7 Edge and AP80 no longer work. When you start with manually selected LDAC though both devices will work but automatically switch to AAC. No problem for my use case (Spotify), but for reference the S7 is really problematic on this thing and if you're expecting to use LDAC for FLAC, no guarantees that it will work flawlessly given it's doing this other thing now, and could also happen with some other Android phones.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Many of these phones can only send AAC or SBC over bluetooth to other devices.

The choke point could be around there.

i use the Hidizs with bluetooth and use aptx to bluetooth earphones.

*I have not done excessive testing to check about using it as a reciever - android phone to hidiz to earphones

* maybe a usb c to usb c might solve it also. ddhifi has a good one.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Many of these phones can only send AAC or SBC over bluetooth to other devices.

The choke point could be around there.

The choke point is that regardless of what CODEC I select on the AP80 and the S7 Edge, once I hit "play" on the latter, the AP80 displays LDAC then nothing actually goes through. That's already on developer mode where I can manually order the S7 Edge to just only do SBC or AAC or Apt X, despite LDAC being an option.

Just out of trial and error I discovered that the only config that works is "LDAC Standard" on AP80 with "LDAC, Balanced (SQ and Connectivity)" on the S7 Edge.

The weird part really is why the AP80 overrules what I set it to other than LDAC as the S7 Edge, when I check, doesn't change which CODEC it's using when it doesn't work. It is only on the AP80 that the displayed CODEC suddenly turns into LDAC with the S7 Edge regardless of what was on the screen before I played music.

The same issue doesn't happen on the S9 and Windows laptop.

* maybe a usb c to usb c might solve it also. ddhifi has a good one.

Ergonomically doesn't work for my use case as I got the AP80 so that I can wireless control its playback of music on its SD card (mostly at home so I can hook up the AP80 to my desktop amp and set the output to fixed 2V) or stream Spotify to it from an Android that has downloaded Spotify (mostly for on the go casual listening).

I got Spotify working, but it's just weird that only LDAC works which might consume more power unnecessarily as I'm only using it for 320kbps Spotify downloads.

The other weird part is my current phone (that has my newer sim card in it but has since started to screw up) seamlessly streams to the AP80 in SBC by default, and I haven't toyed around manually selecting CODECs on it since...well...it works, although I'd avoid using it due to the screen (and one reason why I got the AP80 - so I can minimize wear on the phone until I can move and then get a new phone there instead of blowing a lot of money on one where I currently am).

 

[Unolord]

Looks like my Kickstarter AP80 is on it's last legs, at least in terms of battery life.

For the past year I've used it exclusively in my bedroom at night playing ambient music for an hour or so when going to sleep. I noticed today that after charging it and then letting it sit for a few hours that it was at 82% when I turned it on. I just played one 4min song to test it and it dropped 14%. While typing this I checked it again and it dropped another 7%.

I guess it'll be fine for sleeping or plugged in, but as a commuter DAP it's a no go. I have the Sony NW-A45 and Fiio M7 that are both less than a year old and I just got the Zishan Z4 so I'm good.

BTW I have a Samsung YP-Z5 from 2006 that still works and has better battery life than my AP80 does now...

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

Looks like my Kickstarter AP80 is on it's last legs, at least in terms of battery life.

For the past year I've used it exclusively in my bedroom at night playing ambient music for an hour or so when going to sleep. I noticed today that after charging it and then letting it sit for a few hours that it was at 82% when I turned it on. I just played one 4min song to test it and it dropped 14%. While typing this I checked it again and it dropped another 7%.

I guess it'll be fine for sleeping or plugged in, but as a commuter DAP it's a no go. I have the Sony NW-A45 and Fiio M7 that are both less than a year old and I just got the Zishan Z4 so I'm good.

BTW I have a Samsung YP-Z5 from 2006 that still works and has better battery life than my AP80 does now...

i used ap80 for one year with no change in batter

now i used ap80 pro for one year with no change in battery

my ap80 has broken screen. i would like to just sell it. but im guessing it would be hard to open for parts

ill keep using ap80 pro for longer. i would like to get at least a few more years out of it

although i dont like the equalizer in it that much. they should improve them and also add some simple effects. like voice enhance and reverb etc..

 

[Unolord]

i used ap80 for one year with no change in batter

now i used ap80 pro for one year with no change in battery

my ap80 has broken screen. i would like to just sell it. but im guessing it would be hard to open for parts

ill keep using ap80 pro for longer. i would like to get at least a few more years out of it

although i dont like the equalizer in it that much. they should improve them and also add some simple effects. like voice enhance and reverb etc..

I got my AP80 in Jan 2019. It was my DD until March 2020 when I got the Sony NW-A45. From that point on it was mostly an hour a night until now. No idea what the life expectancy of the battery is but mine is def worn out.

Not a big deal. I have other DAPs. C'est la vie.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

I got my AP80 in Jan 2019. It was my DD until March 2020 when I got the Sony NW-A45. From that point on it was mostly an hour a night until now. No idea what the life expectancy of the battery is but mine is def worn out.

Not a big deal. I have other DAPs. C'est la vie.

does that sony have replaygain?

i dont like using any player without it. its stupid of players not to include that

my last little cheap sony had volume normalizer in it

does nw-a55 have normalizer?

i should probobly get a player wiht android. then i can put any app i want on it i guess?

 

[Unolord]

does that sony have replaygain?

i dont like using any player without it. its stupid of players not to include that

my last little cheap sony had volume normalizer in it

does nw-a55 have normalizer?

i should probobly get a player wiht android. then i can put any app i want on it i guess?

It has Sony's version of replaygain called Dynamic Equalizer.

My Fiio M7 runs on Android 7. I haven't sideloaded any APKs yet. I prob won't since the processor is a little old and might get bogged down.

That's said, there are plenty of DAPs with a more current version of Android. Add that to better CPUs and you def have more options.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

It has Sony's version of replaygain called Dynamic Equalizer.

My Fiio M7 runs on Android 7. I haven't sideloaded any APKs yet. I prob won't since the processor is a little old and might get bogged down.

That's said, there are plenty of DAPs with a more current version of Android. Add that to better CPUs and you def have more options.

i like the android player OMNIA

mind you i was having a small issue with the most recent free version on my friends phone

but otherwise it can be setup exactly how i like

paid version is only 5$ and unlocks the equalizer and sound effects

i hardly use those anyway since my headphones have the perfect sound signature

i like replaygain mainly because it normalizes the volume so perfectly. only flaw is it requires you set replaygain tags

sometimes other volume normalization, like the one on pc potplayer for example. removes the fade in and fade out on tracks because its normalizing it all to the same level. this is stupid.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

It has Sony's version of replaygain called Dynamic Equalizer.

My Fiio M7 runs on Android 7. I haven't sideloaded any APKs yet. I prob won't since the processor is a little old and might get bogged down.

That's said, there are plenty of DAPs with a more current version of Android. Add that to better CPUs and you def have more options.

with batteries its supposed to be better if you dont fully discharge them or fill them

so you stay in between 20 - 80

or at least 10 - 90

most of the time.

also avoid very hot or very cold might reduce the lifespans

i used to walk around outside in winter with mp3 player in my outer pocket. it would get very cold. eventaully the battery became crap. aslo i was alwasy discharging it all the way and filling it up all the way. so after a few years it was crap

 

[Unolord]

with batteries its supposed to be better if you dont fully discharge them or fill them

so you stay in between 20 - 80

or at least 10 - 90

most of the time.

also avoid very hot or very cold might reduce the lifespans

i used to walk around outside in winter with mp3 player in my outer pocket. it would get very cold. eventually the battery became crap. aslo i was alwasy discharging it all the way and filling it up all the way. so after a few years it was crap

Yeah, I learned years ago about the life cycle of lithium ion batteries and how to preserve them. I even used to buy spare phone batteries back in the day.

My AP80 was used daily for abut 1.5 years. As much as I loved the SQ it put out, the tiny touchscreen became a pain point for me. Eventually after hearing about the Sony NWA-45 being on sale at Amazon UK for less than half the price of Amazon CA I grabbed it.

I think the AP80 sounds better but the form factor of the Sony worked for me. The battery life was no contest. The Sony killed the AP80 in that area. 3-5 times longer depending on the use case. So the AP80 became my bedtime player primarily for ambient or classical music.

This past December I saw the Fiio M7 on sale at London Drugs for $99 so I snagged one. It's an older DAP but was still being sold at $250+ at the time everywhere else in Canada.

Then a month ago the Zishan Z4 came out and I ordered it. 4.4mm/3.5mmx2/2.5mm output. I didn't have to use my TempoTec or HIby 2.5mm amps. The software is something out of 2005 and screen is an old LCD but the SQ is great and because it's a thick slab of aluminum (or aluminium) I can crack coconuts with it as well.

I just find it funny that my 15yr old Samsung Yp-Z5 still has great battery life after all these years. My Samsung YP-P2 still works but has terrible battery life and it's a year younger than the Z5. Sometimes merde just happens.

 

[OmniscientNihilist]

primarily for ambient or classical music.

check out the soundtrack for the 2009 game Machinarium

 

[steelglam]

Has anyone compared the AP80 Pro to the HiBy R2?

My Shanling M0 has died, and I will not be buying another because I was disappointed with the build quality. After only two years of owning it, the screen turned white and remained that way, the volume/on-off knob broke (never dropped), and it is no longer recognized by any computer of mine.

So I am on the hunt for a new ultra-small DAP that does LDAC Bluetooth, has an SD card slot, and sounds good (prefer neutral sound to bright or warm).

The HiBy is more in line with the price that I paid for the Shanling, perhaps a bit cheaper.

Any thoughts are much appreciated! Thank you!