Obscure Chinese DAPs

[vapman]

Thanks as well for the tip on the Pono sale. I used one when I demoed the Ety ER4SR/XR.

 

[neog007]

Zishan DSD player, very early impressions.
 
Received the package today. This is what you get

 
1st sound impression right out of the box: this unit is very very very powerful. I didn't have anything as powerful as a dap before. Be careful first time you use it with iems: at maximum volume you can hear them as if a little portable speaker were….  That´s because the “turbo mode”(a "high gain") is on by default, and it is so loud. This unit can drive high demanding headphones without problems I assume.
 
Without any eq: cold and kinda little bit metallic sound, clear separation and sense of spatiales, all the spectrum well balanced. The bass is powerful and controlled. Detailed hights and voices. The sound is more natural by the line-out as expected. I can define this sound as powerful and very detailed. But these are the early impressions
 
  
 I just find out that without the turbo mode on the player sounds more natural too. There´s also 5 digital filters and depending with one you have it affects the sound signature as expected. Anyway the sound right out of the box is excellent
 
 
The unit starts pretty fast, just 1 sec and it´s on.  There´s no gapless, at least not with this firmware but it plays cue files pretty well. The borders of the player are quite a bit sharp, you can use it as a weapon in your running sessions in case someone attack you…
It comes with the latest firmware available. You have english language but you have to change it in settings because it comes in chinese by default.
 
    
 
There´s a 10-band equalizer, and 180 pre-eq with some well know eq cans on it. Between the eq and the digital filters you can customize the sound a lot.
I loaded a full SACD in ISO format. The unit recognized and played it without any delay. The same with cue files.
 

 
Again, these are just early impressions with no much time for testing. Thanks.
 
 
-  EDIT:     OK, here we´re with more early thoughts and pics…
 
 It’s so powerful that´s insane. A good thing about this is that it makes a pretty decent job as a dac/amp to drive any kind of headphone when connected to a laptop-mobile phone.  It´s as simple as plug and play, no special drivers needed in windows. The same with android. Notice that you can´t use the digital filters in this way.
 
 
This power means good synergy with high impedance cans. I have no one at this time to test. Just for reference I have  a 150 ohm yuin pk1 earbud, and it sounds pretty good with the zishan, way better than with the xduoos.
As I said, the sound signature is cold, analytical, kinda metallic as many people reported in taobao. This is not a necessary bad thing, cold and analytical is the hi-fi cayin n6 compared with the mid-fi n5 i.e. It reminds me the sound of the ZX series Sony players, but adding a lot more of stamina… I recently had the iBasso DX90. This one has a warner sound as expected with the dual sabres. But it costs 3-4 times more…
 
I am happy with the sound right now. But you can customize/improve it by buying better components for the amp section. You have to add $50 to this price and it is an option in Taobao only. I noticed a little bit warmer sound with the line-out, so the amp board is key in the sound signature as expected. Another option is to change the oamp, but be careful with the size of this. Anyway, the options are open and that is good.
    
 
The best fair comparison keeping in mind power and price –not features. - is the xduoo x3. The Zishan is frankly better.
The bass is powerful but controlled. Highs are crisp –at the beginning I almost thought a little bit sibilant-. Vocals are forward. I find the sharp roll-of digital filter the most accurate.
But the unit has cons. In hi-gain the power is so much that can damage your equipment or even worse your ears if you´re not careful. At low-gain the maximum volume is ok for iems, but you rich it in the middle of the volume knot. I assume is not a fine tuning but it´s ok. The equalizer is very sensitive/bad implemented. Again, you have to slide the bars just a few if you don´t want undesirable effects in the sound
   
 
 
 
There´s no background noise, even at very low volume with sensitive iems. With 2 separate boards for amp and decoding this aspect was well solved. I couldn’t find channel imbalance at low volume as well.
The navigation is fast and easy. The physical buttons responds well. This doesn´t feel a “flap-flop” machine. It is very easy to operate also.
 
Ok... I just experimented some interruption while playing a cue of flac24 files, as some people reported in taobao. It was a minor issue anyway.
 
Summarizing, I think this machine is pretty damn good for $140. It plays almost everything and is gorgeous as a dac. You have lots of options that even the x-times more expensive players just don´t (and I’m not referring to the Tetris…). It is  pretty portable and the power it has for it size is simple insane. I find as a minor point the cold sound, a little bit metallic, but you can change/improve this section as I said before. But again this is a very personal thing, some people´d say is too analytical, others´d say this is how a dap must be and let the warmer signature to the cans or separate amps...
 
I will not say this is an A&K killer, but for it´s price it´s a choice to consider if you don´t care too much about the UI or external appearance.

 

[hqssui]

 

 
Thanks for the early impression.  So tempted to get one now.
 
Did you notice any channel imbalance in low volume, asking because of the mechanical volume rocker. And in the second picture the largest DAP, which xduoo model is it?

 

[neog007]

   
Thanks for the early impression.  So tempted to get one now.
 
Did you notice any channel imbalance in low volume, asking because of the mechanical volume rocker. And in the second picture the largest DAP, which xduoo model is it?

Thanks. Surprisingly I didn't find channel imbalance at low volume.  It´s not a dap, its the dac/amp xDuoo XD-05

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

The Zishan is designed to be neutral, the amp section is using OP275 or OPA2134 (depending which revision you receive), and BUF634, all are on the "cool" sounding side, but with no lack in bass at all, and the 470uf Elna RE3 capacitors used for it's output DC coupling are also famous for being analytical, but they will need burn in to gain their proper sound, that is probably why you are finding the line out to sound better, just keep burning it in.

 

[vapman]

I'm really tempted to get one at $140. Thanks for the review.

 

[hakuzen]

thank you for the review. glad you like it.
added to my wishlist.

 

[neog007]

The Zishan is designed to be neutral, the amp section is using OP275 or OPA2134 and BUF634, and the 470uf Elna RE3 capacitors used for it's output DC coupling are also famous for being analytical, but they will need burn in to gain their proper sound, that is probably why you are finding the line out to sound better, just keep burning it in.

Right out of the box these are my impressions, the player has a poweful analytical sound, I like veery much what more to say.. Yes I read in Taobao that it needs some burn -as well as the ibasso dx90 I.e.-, how many time do you estimate ?

 

[RAFA]

I'm really tempted to get one at $140. Thanks for the review.

Where would one get this for 140usd?

 

[raulendymion]

For me this Pono Player looks like kindergarten toy. Especially from Lego Technic.
This triangle based shape doesn't look good. And besides, I don't like Neil Young's crying western-redneck music.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Where would one get this for 140usd?

 
Cheapest on Aliexpress is $140, I don't know what is available for other countries, but for us in Australia we have cashback services for online shopping, atm we get 10% back from Aliexpress purchases, so we can get this player for $126.
 

Yes I read in Taobao that it needs some burn -as well as the ibasso dx90 I.e.-, how many time do you estimate ?

 

Plenty of burn in, 200 hours at least because the capacitors are big, even 400 hours could be beneficial.

 

[neog007]

You can always try to negotiate a sligh discount with the seller and/or apply some aliexpress promotion and that's it. Or go to the Taobao option through agent and buy the $50 upgrade option as well that I think is worth it.

 

[neog007]

Quote:
Originally Posted by T.R.A.N.C.E. View Post


Plenty of burn in, 200 hours at least because the capacitors are big.

I expect 3-4 weeks to get the full potential of this player so, more or less like iBasso dx90. I´m expecting to receive the Mini a1 amplifier soon, i think this one will need a lot of burning time too. I hope you receive your player and amp shortly and share your impressions too.

 

[hqssui]

Thanks. Surprisingly I didn't find channel imbalance at low volume.  It´s not a dap, its the dac/amp xDuoo XD-05

Thanks, XD-05 looks cool.

The way you described the sound sig of Zhishan DAP reminds me of hisundaudio studio iii. Its also bright and very detailed. One of my favourites.

 

[RAFA]

   
Cheapest on Aliexpress is $145, I don't know what is available for other countries, but for us in Australia we have cashback services for online shopping, atm we get 10% back from Aliexpress purchases, so we can get this player for $130.
 

 
Thank you. The review above says, that it has no noise. ==> I believe this is really a good deal.
 
I love powerful players Sort of remind me of some old discmen