Key Takeaways

• The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X is a portable digital audio player that offers excellent performance and a wide range of supported audio formats.
• Despite its small size, the AP80 Pro-X has a sturdy build quality and an impressive set of specs, including two DAC chips and support for Hi Res audio.
• With its affordable price tag and convenient features like gapless playback and responsive touch screen, the AP80 Pro-X is a top choice for audiophiles on the go.

The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X might only be a palm-sized player, but it still packs a powerful punch. Retailing at a most bargain-ous price of $199.99, this little DAP is certainly the kind of device that you won't want to leave alone, once you start using it.

Despite its small stature, the AP80 Pro-X boasts some big specs, and today we're going to take a look at what happened when I put the device through its paces. Read on as I review the Hidizs AP80 Pro-X digital audio player.

What's in the Box?

The AP80 Pro-X comes in a nice, compact black box, with a picture of the player on the front, and all the text in a silver print. Opening the box, you'll find:

• Hidizs AP80 Pro-X DAP
• Spare screen protector (the device comes with one fitted)
• Type-C charging cable
• Type-C to Type-C OTG charging cable
• User manual
• Warranty card

So, you get everything you need to listen to music straight away. Aside from headphones, of course (Hidizs makes these too, if you are interested; the MS3 wired headphones are very nice—I should know, I'm also reviewing those).

A Lovely Looking Little DAP

I really like the AP80 Pro-X design. We received the silver version to test out, but the device also comes in black or a nice royal blue colorway. The chassis is an aluminum alloy material, so it is nice and light yet also feels sturdy and well built.

At only 61.2 x 54.5 x 13.8 mm, you get an idea of just how tiny the AP80 Pro-X actually is. Add this to the fact that it weighs a mere 72 grams, and you'll see that this truly is a portable DAP. Honestly, you don't even notice it in your pocket.

The Samsung 2.45-inch IPS touch screen dominates the front of the DAP, and the rear is patterned, with the Hidizs logo in silver accenting.

We have three ports on the bottom edge: the 2.5mm balanced headphone out, the Type-C port, and the 3.5mm single-ended output. On the left edge is the microSD card slot. We have physical controls on the right edge: skip track forward, skip back, and play.

There is also the volume jog wheel on the left, which functions as a power/screen standby button (click to standby screen, press for three seconds to turn AP80 Pro-X on and off). A nice, sunburst style milled cutout, which adds a nice visual style aesthetic to the device, surrounds the jog wheel.

In general, the build quality is excellent, especially for such an inexpensive little DAP. The volume jog wheel is sturdy enough, and I noticed no play or wobble when operating the volume control. So, we have an impressive device, in terms of aesthetics and build quality. How about on the inside?

Pure Palm-Sized Power

In terms of software, the Hidizs AP80 Pro-X runs HiBy OS 3.0. So, if you already run HiBy Music, you'll be happy to know that it will work as standard with the AP80 Pro-X.

Hardware-wise, we have a very well-specced device here. The main chip is an Ingenic X1000, which has more than enough chops to deal with any software that you throw at it. As a result, operating the device feels nice and rapid. There are two DAC chips and these are both Sabre ES9219C. This means your AP80 Pro-X can deal with full 8x MQA unfolding and decoding. Sweet!

The volume control is a Japanese ALPS pot, so you've got a responsive, high-quality control. Above, I didn't notice any play or wobble when operating the volume potentiometer, so we're good here.

The FPGA chip, which deals with any noise and jitter produced during playback, is a custom HBC3000. This means that the reproduction of your digital music for listening should be accurate and without any discernable lagging of sonic elements.

Unfortunately, there's no built-in storage here, so you'll need to use the microSD card slot. This supports cards up to 512 GB, so you have plenty of scope for taking your music on the go with you. I use a 512 GB card and it is more than enough to store a comprehensive collection of digital music in high-quality FLAC format.

Speaking of formats, the AP80 Pro-X supports a massive range of lossy and lossless files. You can play back AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSD, DSF, FLAC, MP3, MQA, OGG, WAV, and WMA. So, no matter what format your digital music collection comes in, the AP80 Pro-X should be able to play it back at its original quality.

PCM support comes at a maximum of 384 kHz and 32 bits, and DSD support carries a maximum of DSD256 (plus anything lower, so DSD64 and DSD128). The device has both Hi Res Audio and Hi Res Audio Wireless certification which is absolutely fantastic as this price point.

You've got two gain settings, Low and High, so your music should sound good no matter what speakers or headphones you pair the device with. This means that with High Gain active, you can listen to sound at higher volumes before that sound distorts (among other things, which we won't get bogged down in here).

There is ample opportunity to tailor the sound, thanks to the eight EQ presets and the 10 MSEB (the quirkily-monicker'd Mage-Sound EightBall) tuning criteria, which allow you to alter the sound the AP80 Pro-X produces to suit your tastes. More on the MSEB later in the practical use section.

In terms of transmission, the Ap80 Pro-X uses the now dated Bluetooth 4.2 codec. However, it also supports Sony's LDAC, CSR APT-X, and HiBy UAT (alongside the HiBy music app). So, there's plenty of scope to wirelessly transmit Hi Res audio.

For the wired outputs, we have the following specs, with a recommended headphone impedance range between 8-200 ohms:

Single Ended Output

• Rated Output Power: 70mW + 70mW at 32 ohms
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 90 kHz
• Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise: 0.0015
• Dynamic Range: 115dB
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 119dB
• Channel Separation/Crosstalk Rejection: 110dB

Balanced Output

• Rated Output Power: 190mW + 190mW at 32 ohms
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 90 kHz
• Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise: 0.0015
• Dynamic Range: 116dB
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 120dB
• Channel Separation/Crosstalk Rejection: 117dB

Finally, the battery is an 800mAh 3.7V lithium polymer cell, with a charging time of around an hour, and a 40-day standby time. You should get 6-8 hours of playback via the balanced output, or 8-11 hours out of the single-ended output. You can see you've got a powerful device for something so tiny!

Hidizs AP80 Pro-X Performance and Use

In general, I find that the Hidizs AP80 Pro-X is an excellent device for performance. It is easy to use in almost every sense, and as such makes for a DAP that I literally can't be without—whether that means on the go or listening to ambient music on the sofa, or enjoying a summery mix in the park.

I tested the Pro-X with a range of different IEMs (Hidizs MS3 and FiiO FD11) and a pair of over-ear headphones (Audeze LCD-5). Let's look at use and performance in more detail.

AP80 Pro-X Usage

From a usage standpoint, I love the Pro-X. Everything about it just works. It is easy to navigate, the physical controls are great, and the touch screen is responsive to touch commands—which is ideal considering this is how I mostly operate the device.

Thanks to its tiny frame and light weight, the Pro-X is truly portable. You can easily carry it around in your pocket without even noticing it is there. Again, this makes it easy to operate when in your hand; at only 72 grams, you will not suffer any wrist strain holding onto it to navigate through your albums. Likewise, you can do it one-handed as it only has a small screen.

Despite this small screen, I had no issues prompting operations on the Pro-X. Even scrolling through the alphabet carousel to find albums is a cinch! Indexing my FLAC collection from the microSD card was incredibly fast, and I was listening to my collection within a couple of minutes of inserting the card.

There are a couple of little quirks, like the additional pedometer (which is kind of useful if you don't have one otherwise, I suppose) and a simple text-based eReader, but I don't think I would ever want to use the latter on a screen of this size.

The HiBy MSEB is a great addition, allowing you to tailor the sound to exactly how you want to hear it. It provides ten different parameters via which you can twiddle with sonic reproduction beyond just the EQ, with criteria like Bass Extension, Overall Temperature, and Impulse Response—all tweakable via this lovely DSP feature.

Finally, in case you were wondering, the Pro-X supports gapless playback, so no spaces between tracks when listening to mix compilations, such as the Fabric series, which I thoroughly enjoyed via the device.

AP80 Pro-X Performance

The Hidizs AP80 Pro-X is a peak performer. It worked a charm with all the pairs of headphones I connected to it during testing (I connected the Audeze LCD-5 via a 3.5mm adaptor). As for sound, the device is amazing, delivering bit-perfect music to my ears thanks to the dedicated FPGA chip.

I notice zero unwanted noise during testing, whether using the IEMs or the over ears. No hiss, and the background was totally blank for what my ears could discern. A mark of good quality if ever there was one—particularly in this price range.

The soundstage is nice and wide, with any pairing in my arsenal. Imaging is also great, and layering is nuanced. Picking out instruments is easy, and they all sit in the right positions. Micro-detailing is great; I was listening to DJ Shadow's Preemptive Strike—an album I have enjoyed since its release in 1997—and noticed several buried samples I haven't heard before.

Sound reproduction is rapid and very precise. Sonic elements remain faithful to the original sound; vocals are clear and well presented, bass has a satisfying rumble and remains unmuddy, although needs a little EQ if you are big on your bottom end, and top end shines without offering any sibilance or causing fatigue.

Listening to bassy tracks, I found the pairing with the Audeze LCD-5 to be the best, even if it isn't the most practical use case, as those cans are not the kind you are about to take out and about with you. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant's Bushrock delivered suitably precise bass, which is good news given the roots reggae vibe.

For mids and treble, the pairing didn't matter, in my opinion. Burial's immense compilation album Tunes 2011-2019 is loaded with detail, and you can hear it all thanks to the AP80 Pro-X. This is an album that requires careful listening to appreciate it fully, and the Pro-X allows this thanks to its fantastic representation.

The frenetic production Kid606's Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You is busy at the best of times, yet the Pro-X does a fine job of separating those mid and treble-heavy elements. Olive's You're Not Alone had the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention, with Ruth-Ann Boyle's vocals delivered in all their lilting silky-smoothness.

In all, a great device.

Recommending the Hidizs AP80 Pro-X

The latest in Hidizs AP80-series of DAPs is nothing short of an absolute winner. It combines everything you would want from a DAP and then some. For such a small device, I can't help but be impressed beyond what my words here have described. At the price point Hidizs has placed the AP80 Pro-X, you cannot go wrong. If you want a dedicated device that is portable and plays your music faithfully and at high resolution, this should be your go to—it is certainly mine.

Top marks for Hidizs here. This is a wonderful little player and one I cannot put down. Bravo.