Hidizs – AP60 Hi Res on a Shoe String
Hidizs AP60 DAP
Pros
- Extremely well priced and plays many formats
- Supports APT-X, A promise of full digital out will make for great Chord Mojo Transport
- Great packaging, screen protector, leather bag, half decent earphones.
Cons
- Only has 1 Micro SD Card Slot and no onboard storage
- Bass Linearity and Some slight strain the mids and soundstage areas
- UI a little crude and take a while to get used to
The DAP
The finish is of a high gloss resin. A variety of colours is on offer and we have the dark blue displayed here. The screen is 2” and displays the album art clearly enough.
The shape of the AP60 is not your standard small brick shape. Here again Hidizs has sculpted angles subtly into the form and we have some small cutaways around the sides and bottom of the device.
It is now time to switch on, plug in a decent set of IEMs and a decent sized micro SD card. We shall see whether this thing works and put it through it’s paces.
Operating the AP60
Switching on is the long press of a round button on the top left hand side of the player. A logo instantly appears and within seconds a simple looking menu appears. I had loaded a 64Gb micro SD card with 1 hi res album , Legend by Bob Marley, purchased through HDTracks. I was impressed at the scanning speed but this was for 1 album only. I put in another full 64Gb card and it too scanned that at a rate of knots.
The UI is no doubt contributing to this speed. It is very basic and is accessed by the buttons at the bottom of the AP60. The files all worked that I threw at the Hidizs. There is a low and high gain function, for the IEMs I put through them only low gain was needed. Equaliser functions are another option within the menu; so too are USB options that will have much interest in the audio community.
USB functions
The AK4452VN Dac chip has enough sophistication not only to handle hi res and DSD. It can be developed into an OTG and USB Dac to play from your laptop or smartphone. This aspect is colourfully claimed throughout the literature of the Hidizs AP60 and may already have prompted an impulse purchase by many. They will currently be disappointed. The firmware from the manufacturer is in it’s infancy. USB out did not work on my MacBook. USB OTG the same story. The menu functions have this function ready to roll. The USB device is recognised through iOS but no sound comes from the unit. This we are led to understand will come in future firmware upgrades. The 2nd USB element may be even more useful if the claims are true.
The company has told it’s followers the AP60 will be able to act as a digital out transport giving fans of the Chord Mojo and Hugo and many other excellent Dacamps the ability to strap up a tiny companion for hires on the move. If it worked this would make the HiDizs DAP the cheapest digital transport on the market. It does not currently work. As of early December 2016 we must exercise faith and patience that the technological capabilities of this little marvel can be fulfilled and this won’t become obsolete before it’s time. Believe, brothers!
Bluetooth
Currently the only means of seeing what the AP60 can do as an outboard device. The bluetooth works with the usual distance limitations and is surprisingly good quality with the Aptx on the Hidizs. Your smartphone with your Tidal or Deezer or Spotify is unlikely to outlast the excellent battery life of this little marvel whilst you are out and about. And it takes up no space in your pocket.
