Hidizs AP200 audio player review: a musical maelstrom with velvet expression in the middle

Three years wait for the promised… This proverb, characteristic of our mentality, seems to have caught the eye of our Chinese brothers. Back in 2014, Hidizs, a brand from the Celestial Empire, released its first Hi-Fi player AP100 and was determined to take another leap into the market, swinging the flagship of its own production – AP200. The model, judging by the pictures, looked like a Korean product Astel&Kern 240. And on board, rumored to have settled also Korean DAC chips – two Cirrus Logic CS4398. But the player was never born then… And now, finally, the spell of our proverbial end, three years have passed and the postponed flagship Hidizs AP200 – already in a completely different guise and on other components, played! Very interesting – how exactly?

Thanks to XChesser Audio for providing the sample for listening.

Hidizs AP200 Audio Player

Specifications

DAC: 2 x ES9118C with DSD256 and PCM support up to 384Khz/32bit

DAC shielding: 24K gold plating

2 crystal oscillators

Amplifier: TPA6120A2

Power output: 130mW @ 32&Omega

Signal to noise ratio: 115dB 20-20kHz A-weighted

Channel separation: 76dB 1kHz

Output impedance: 4.8&Omega With a load of 32&Omega

Connectable load: 16-150&Omega

Processor: RK 31884 x Cortex-A9 1.4GHz

RAM: 1 Gb

Housing Material: Aluminum/Stainless Steel

Back panel: For stainless steel: Rosewood/glass with texture like carbon/glass For aluminum: Glass

Internal memory: depending on version Aluminum 32gb , stainless steel stainless steel 64gb 128gb

Headphone jack: 3.5mm, 24K gold plated

DSD Support: DSD 64/128

Supports PCM: 384kHz/32bit

Card Support: MicroSD Card up to 256GB

Screen 3.54 IPS touch

OS: Android 5.1/Hiby music

Bluetooth: Bluetooth V4.0, aptX Wi-Fi

WIFI: 2.4GHz IEEE802.11 b/g/n standards supported

USB Interface: type-C USB 3.1

Capable of working in USB DAC mode

Battery: 3100 mAh 8-10 hours of use depending on load charging from the adapter 5v/2A about 4 hours

Dimensions: 106.5 X 60.5 X 15.7 mm

Weight: Stainless steel: 208g Aluminum: 145g

Appearance and Set

The unit comes in all black. Even the Hidizs logo in the center on the box is also black, just with a deeper shade. Inside the player placed the cable for the power adapter, the usb type-c cable for sync with PC, OTG cable usb type-c/micro-usb to connect to an external DAC via micro-usb connector , various papers-instructions-warranty, protective film on the screen and a translucent plastic case for the rear of the case. In general, there are no frills, but there is everything to charge, drop music and go on the road. In addition, the device turned out to be extremely compact, only 106.5 X 60.5 X 15.7 mm, fits in the palm of your hand like a real one.

A 64GB player arrived for me, made of stainless steel and the back is rosewood. The AP200 looks very attractive and you just want to stroke it, it feels really good. However, the novelty is quite weighty for its dimensions, weighing up to 208 g. And that’s right: a good thing should be in the body, and the assembly should make a good impression..

Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a touch screen: IPS with a diagonal of 3.54. The display is small, but for a player is quite suitable, it has a decent color gamut, good brightness, an acceptable touch. By the way, swipes pass without any serious delays and lags… In general, it looks like a decent smartphone, but clearly not top-end. And they did not forget to stick the sticker: “Hi-Rez Audio” – in the bottom left corner..

The back panel is made of wood with a carved “Hidizs” logo and the model name as I told you before. On the left end there is a start/pause button, and a bit lower a nice plus/minus rocker to tame the volume, and, besides, by a double short pressing this button at both ends also performs the function of switching the track forward/backward.

On the top end can be found the power button, on the bottom end are headphone jack 3.5 mm it must be the same connector for line out , USB type-C connector and a slot for microSD with support for memory cards up to 256GB.

If you’ve had a smartphone in your pocket at least once, the controls are clear and straightforward, because the flagship Hidizs AP200 has absorbed the normal Android 5.1 Lollipop. So the main player you can switch to it at all from Android , it may well be a popular application HibyMusic, though, specially written for this novelty.

Well, let’s open an old acquaintance: “Ba! All familiar faces!”. The menu has the usual structure: everything/folder/album/artist swipe to the left and all the settings open like in the palm of your hand. If you’re bored with the old familiar, it’s not hard to install your own player app. You just need to be in the Wi Fi zone and click the Play Market, in short – “pour, but drink!”.

However, soon enough I stumbled over the pitfalls of minor flaws and damp control software. For example, I was not able to connect the device via Bluetooth to receive signal DAC. I assume that I messed up in some way, but if even an experienced user got lost in three pines and could not find his way out, well, excuse me – there were more than three prodigal pines…

Or here’s another fun: hooked player with Wi Fi, started streaming music from the apk file “SomaFM” through the player Foobar 2000 downloaded from Play Market . I was about to rejoice at how sneaky I am! But the music was not playing long: the signal began to clunk, and then there were continuous deadlocks, as if in the old days the film on the wire was jammed…

Okay, turned off Wi Fi, went outside. But the Google player HibyMusic didn’t give a damn about my street and, like a wreck, was searching for the Internet, so that it could update right on the roadway… After all, I managed to disable automatic software update. You can finally exhale and immerse yourself in real music. In spite of the above said criticism, this small device turned out to be a real abyss of music..

In general, we are waiting for the promised firmware upgrade and you will get the fullest functionality. And who has enough music without the new firmware, like me, for example, can still play and listen. So don’t hesitate to listen to the device!

Sound

To listen to the following headphones were used: 64 AUDIO U18 Tzar, Ambient Acoustics AM5 LAM, Etymotic ER-4S, Etymotic ER-4SR, Westone UM3X, Audio-Technica ATH-SX1a, Beyerdynamic dt 250/250, and Phonon SMB-02.

With all headphones the device played properly, I did not notice any genre deviations. Depending on the plugged headphones the character of sound was a little bit changed in one direction or another, getting its coloring, but in general the musical presentation was on a fairly high quality level.

For example, with Etymotic ER-4S the sound is cool, but very detailed and crystal clear. Speed and attention to the smallest nuances, that is what is present here in all its glory. On the whole with Etymotic ER-4SR the player sounds calm, smooth and a little bit chambery.

In tandem with AA AM5-LAM the flagship AP200 strikes with powerful and precise punch, very melodic mid-range and slightly restrained, but accurate treble, which, like a cupid’s arrow, strike exactly to the heart.

With Westone UM3X the mid-bass area is raised and the high-frequency range is smoothed, giving the sound more solidity and roundness.

Paired with 64 AUDIO U18 Tzar the device sings in all its glory, producing sound at the highest level. Harmony and musicality reign here, and, not only with immersion in the finest details not a single nuance is lost! , but also in the natural expression and balance of the sound.

Combined with the Phonon SMB-02 the new player amazes with its musicality, genre versatility and neutral output.

If we connect Beyerdynamic dt 250/250 headphones to the hero of the review, they will sound much quieter than their predecessor models. And it’s understandable: 250 ohms is not a joke for such a tiny player. But the sound “in an unequal marriage” nevertheless does not lose the weight and warm monitory pitch inherent in these excellent ears. By the way, I personally enough volume in this combination, I even turned the level above 80 percent – babahaloalo normal!

Hidizs AP200 tonal balance is quite smooth without any peaks or valleys and no irritants. The first thing that catches your ear when listening to the sub, is the maximum neutrality, musicality and smoothness of the musical material.

The musical picture is drawn in warm and neutral tones with a balance of micro and macro detail. The virtual scene is not very wide, but it is well-drawn in depth, so you get a sound array, which has 3D-balance: in depth, width and height. It is a very solid layer of music: with good separation of instruments, solid bass kick, with velvet expressiveness in the middle in vocals and a refined, slightly smoothed treble – without obvious peaks and valleys. Very harmonious, I didn’t expect such speed from this midget.

Clip Phonon SMB-02 to AP200 and listen.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark “the punishment of luxury”

The overall delivery is, as I promised, neutral. The punch is very precise and dense, it directly “hits the bone,” chilling goosebumps on the skin. The synthesized bass is very fast and subtle, without the slightest hint of hum or droning.

The midrange is extremely smooth and musical, outlining all the fine details. The synth shimmers, giving off crystal-clear notes of the main melody.

Andy McCluskey’s vocals are a little accented against the background, sounding clean, velvet and crisp, without the slightest hint of croakiness.

The backing vocals are distinct and timbally varied, rhythmically calling out “hey, hey, hey!”

High frequencies without a drop of brightness, sharply and meticulously draw out a distinct “chick, chick, chick”..

Nothing to complain about. And how all this stuff is musically served – just fancy! And the bass, well, it’s a real treat! Accurate, bouncy, whipping..

All the power of the composition is perfectly transmitted without falling apart into small components and making all the details of the piece stand out well in the general flow. “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten”, not a single nuance escapes your ears.

That’s quite a serious approach to sound, no doubt about it!

Elbow “Magnificent She Says “

A very melodic composition.

Low frequencies sound accurately, the bass drum punctuates without too much accent – “d-d-d-d”. The bass guitar glides softly and velvety, emphasizing the rhythm without sticking out against the general background.

Guy Garvey’s vocals, clear as a teardrop, soar against the general background of the musical picture, they are slightly above the main background. And emotional coloring is conveyed very clearly: each sigh, each intonation hits the bullseye.

Guitars picking at figures, weaving patterns in the right channel. Strings, violins come in, dotting the general background and finishing off subtle nuances to the keyboard theme, rolling out on both sides of the canvas..

The high frequencies glide neatly, like a jazz brush, over the hi-hat..

Smooth and serene, lepothetic!

Bottom line

The treble is crisp, a bit polished, without overt simplification or brightness.

The midrange is very smooth, detailed, and yet still has no loss of coherence. The vocal parts are pushed forward just a little, so they are able to express the emotion very well. Very musical in the middle.

The bass is nicely popped, precise without any hint of hum. Sometimes it seems that the lowermost part of the range tends to go down. However, this phenomenon is not chronic: quite often the bass is on full display. It is massive but not too much of a fanatic, it does not drown out the rest of the bands in any way.

Conclusion

The model, in my opinion, is very interesting. I think that in terms of sound and ergonomics, the player was a success. Yes, it’s inferior in terms of sound to the top segment, but not in everything, by the way. I personally, having more expensive devices in my “garage”, was fascinated by its voice.

One thing upsets me so far: flaws in software control. There are still questions here, I hope that the engineers of Hidizs will bring the flagship to the flagship level without spoiling the sound that is already there.

And the price is right, too. Depending on the version 32/64/128 GB of the device you can spend 17,900, 23,900 or 26,900 roubles without losing the main thing – the sound. I think this price tag is more than justified.

Sound, ergonomics, appearance, price.

Software flaws, crude firmware.