[Sulbh]

I write a review of my Xduoo Nano D3 if some of you are curious about it give it a look!
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xduoo-nano-d3.22867/reviews#review-19733

Any questions are welcome too!

Cheers!

How does it compares with xduoo x3?Both are available for same price which will be better choice in terms of sound?

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

How does it compares with xduoo x3?Both are available for same price which will be better choice in terms of sound?

As said in review, both have quite different sound signature....X3 more bright-neutral and D3 more warm-dynamic....my personal favorite still is the incredible Xduoo X3, but I use it often with portable amp too. If you can find it for 70$ I confirm it's still the more detailed audiophile sound you can get for cheap. X3 feel even more sturdy and is kind of smaller, the DAC decode more details as well and is a beast IMO

 

[cqtek]

There are two negative aspects in the Zishan Z3, the battery life and the volume. The life of the battery is approximately 5 hours. When the battery is completely empty, a factory reset occurs, because when the player is turned on the language is Chinese. The volume of work I use is above 20 to 27 (max volume is 31). It may be that the use of that volume decreases the life of the battery, but 5 hours is very little. Can any other owner of this player comment on it?

Compared to the 35 hours of life that the F.Audio S1 has the Z3 seems a joke.

 

[Bluess]

Hello, I don't know which thread to ask. So I'm gonna leave this here.
Does anybody listen to this amp called Mg2?
http://www.dwntme.com/h.Z0SaOHt
Looks interesting. It's portable and opamp rollable. I'm planning to get it to put 2 Sparkos opamp on it. Just want to know the impression before buying.

 

[Wiljen]

I'd have some serious reservations about that amp. The Aliexpress listing for it says it is a 15V DC input but the most 2 18650 batteries will provide is 8.4 when fully charged and 7.4 at resting. I'd look at the E12DIY if you want a portable opamp rolling amp with a good solid reputation.

 

[Bluess]

I'd have some serious reservations about that amp. The Aliexpress listing for it says it is a 15V DC input but the most 2 18650 batteries will provide is 8.4 when fully charged and 7.4 at resting. I'd look at the E12DIY if you want a portable opamp rolling amp with a good solid reputation.

Thanks for pointing that out. I already have a E12DIY in my hand right now. I'm just wondering if it's worth it to make a custom case for it to accommodate SS3602

 

[musicsoul]

I've been looking for a smallish DAP and the Hidizs AP-60 seems to hit the sweet spot:

What I have been looking for

• Good UI - intuitive and clear display (my pet hate is a bad UI with lots of quirks)
• Smallish - to use at the gym
• Decent Battery life

I have an aging Sansa ClipZip which kinda still works, I use it at the gym. Was holding out for the AGPTekker Rocker Rockbox port, but cant wait any more.

Shane55 - are there any frustrating quirks on the UI ? Is there any song or playlist limit of any kind?

Lastly, How is it that there are very few reviews of the AP-60 II - is it because its new ? I'd like to read a review but ordering

Regarding the Hidizs AP-60.
I upgraded the firmware from stock 1.0, to 1.1. Easily done. Fast, great display showing progress of update. Checking on the device, it says '1.11-Beta', but on the site it's listed as 1.1 (not Beta). The are two Beta updates available, one ads Thai to the languages, the other ads something else I didn't need, so I just went with the non-beta one... so I thought. No matter, piece of cake! And it ads a great feature... a clock display (12 or 24h) while in standby screen-lock mode. It also shows battery level and volume. Great update!

So... the sound on IEM's is what I'm focusing on, because, well... it's mainly for workouts. And so far, with the three IEM's I've used; Westone W4, (Original) Brainwavz B2, and Q-Jays, this little thing rocks!!
The W4 is a great IEM for this device. As it's slightly rolled-off in the highs, it puts a bit of 'warmth' to the AP-60, which it can use for some music and applications. The Q-Jays and B2 can be considered shrill (by some), and so the slight sterility of the AP-60 can come off as strident... but it's not an issue for me.
The AP-60 has an analytical sound, but it's not harsh. Very detailed and quick. Cool, but not cold, and as I said, somewhat sterile. It actually comes off as being very neutral... though not warm and 'natural'. It greatly benefits from well recorded, high-res music. MP3's (which I rarely listen to) can be revealed for what they are; annoyingly artifact-prone.
But high-res files are wonderfully detailed and seem 'true to the source', without obvious coloring. I don't get the depth and spatial separation that I do with my dual-DAC DAP's, but I didn't expect that. But it has great detail, and the neutrality can be easily modified and customized with the EQ (which comes with several pre-sets). As an aside, I usually avoid EQ, especially pre-sets, so you'll rarely hear me opine on them. For me, there has been no reason to require an EQ adjustment on anything I've listened to so far.

The UI is intuitive and straight-forward. There is an operating manual which is actually helpful...! It comes with a couple screen protectors (one is already on it), which I find odd, being that it's not a touch-screen, and there is a clip-on back and side protector. It also comes with a micro USB cable, a few other cards and QC inspection tag. Class.

I really couldn't be happier (well... if it had a clip, I'd be ecstatic!). Really a sweet, well-made little device. High quality design and construction, with a well thought out UI. And it sounds great...! True gapless. (I haven't listened to enough random / shuffle play to address a question earlier, but all in good time).

Cheers.

 

[shane55]

I've been looking for a smallish DAP and the Hidizs AP-60 seems to hit the sweet spot:

What I have been looking for

• Good UI - intuitive and clear display (my pet hate is a bad UI with lots of quirks)
• Smallish - to use at the gym
• Decent Battery life

I have an aging Sansa ClipZip which kinda still works, I use it at the gym. Was holding out for the AGPTekker Rocker Rockbox port, but cant wait any more.

Shane55 - are there any frustrating quirks on the UI ? Is there any song or playlist limit of any kind?

Lastly, How is it that there are very few reviews of the AP-60 II - is it because its new ? I'd like to read a review but ordering

@musicsoul...
For me, going from my Sansa ClipSport (terrible piece of electronics) to the AP-60 is like going from Horse and Buggy to Maserati. No comparison in sound quality, playability, usability, etc.

As for playlists... I just made, for the first time, a playlist in J River Media Center (M3u) and dragged it to the AP-60. Worked like a charm, instantly. I can't speak for making playlists any other way, nor can I address limits as I probably have less than 200 tracks in the playlist. But they are all CD quality (AIFF's, FLAC's, ALAC's) or above... up to 192k/24bit.

My ONLY gripe so far is in the sorting of songs. I'm not exactly sure how it does it. Sometimes I think it's by name, sometime it appears to be by date modified, sometimes (like with the M3u) it just seems kind of random. But since I mostly workout to shuffled music, I don't see this as a real deal breaker issue.

Cheers

 

[mbwilson111]

My ONLY gripe so far is in the sorting of songs. I'm not exactly sure how it does it. Sometimes I think it's by name, sometime it appears to be by date modified, sometimes (like with the M3u) it just seems kind of random. But since I mostly workout to shuffled music, I don't see this as a real deal breaker issue.

I only listen to full albums so if those do not play in the correct song order that would be a deal breaker for me. Tempted but need to know more. I would think that in folder view they would have to play in the correct order.

 

[shane55]

I only listen to full albums so if those do not play in the correct song order that would be a deal breaker for me. Tempted but need to know more. I would think that in folder view they would have to play in the correct order.

A ripped album has never failed to play in the correct order. For individual albums I create a separate folder.

I'm not sure what it is with mixed music folders, and why they are in an odd order. Some same-album tracks are grouped together, but others are all over the place.
That said... if they are tagged well, the player has an Album view that works pretty well. Even if they appear somewhat mixed in a folder (which I recommend against, in your case) the play seems to be able to group them well.

 

[musicsoul]

Thats the thing with Rockbox - you can customise the hell out of it and its generally rock-solid. But its dead and no ports for any recent devices it would seem.

I do like to be able to sort a folder by last modified, Play order is important but probably not deal-breaker for me.

How come there are no reviews for the AP-60 Mk2 ? I do like the fact the buttons are physical and not touch anymore

 

[shane55]

Thats the thing with Rockbox - you can customise the hell out of it and its generally rock-solid. But its dead and no ports for any recent devices it would seem.

I do like to be able to sort a folder by last modified, Play order is important but probably not deal-breaker for me.

How come there are no reviews for the AP-60 Mk2 ? I do like the fact the buttons are physical and not touch anymore

Yeah... I'd like to be able to sort, but I'm putting that a little farther down on my list of 'wants'. If it's possible with this device, someone would need to point out how...

The only thing about this device v. the Sansa is the lack of a clip, or a way to attach it to my gym shorts. So I realized that I do have a little 'key' pocket on them and the AP-60 fits perfectly in them.

And I agree... this device should get more notice and reviews. It's great.

 

[cqtek]

I recommend to use Fat Sorter software to alphabetize the FAT table of SD memories after copying new files to it.



http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/FAT-Sorter.shtml

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Thanks for pointing that out. I already have a E12DIY in my hand right now. I'm just wondering if it's worth it to make a custom case for it to accommodate SS3602

I buy a Walnut V2S just for portable amp aspect, but music player sound quite nice too and it have supposedly a usb DAC fonction that I do not try yet. Opamp are easily changeable and I change it for a Burson V5i DUal....soundstage is immense now, and clarity is very good with a very dark background (darker than my 200$ Ibasso D2+ BOA). Its crazy shyt IMO Value is phenomenal here....even with a cheaper Opamp I guess!

 

[Bluess]

I buy a Walnut V2S just for portable amp aspect, but music player sound quite nice too and it have supposedly a usb DAC fonction that I do not try yet. Opamp are easily changeable and I change it for a Burson V5i DUal....soundstage is immense now, and clarity is very good with a very dark background (darker than my 200$ Ibasso D2+ BOA). Its crazy shyt IMO Value is phenomenal here....even with a cheaper Opamp I guess!

Nice stuff you got there mate. Also great naming sense