Recently, a novelty appeared on the market of portable Hi-Fi equipment, which many experts and music lovers immediately started talking about. Hidizs, a hitherto unknown company, introduced the AP100 audio player to the world community. First of all, the price attracted the attention of customers to the product - the device is not positioned in the budget class (15,000 rubles). Naturally, the potential buyer was interested in how the Chinese are able to surprise others.
The focus of this article is the Hidizs AP100 class portable Hi-Fi audio device. The review, user reviews, technical specifications and comparison with analogues on the market will provide the reader with all the necessary information about the new product.
Brand new brand
Any buyer knows that little-known Chinese manufacturers, providing their new products to the world market, always try to cheapen their product in order to somehow compete with popular products in their segment. At least, this was the formation of the brands Xiaomi and Lenovo, which, being in the budget price segment, freely competed in quality and functionality with devices from the middle class.
However, portable players are not the category of goods that has an increased demand among the population, therefore, one can not expect a significant reduction in the price of a product from a manufacturer. So the user will have to purchase this product at his own peril and risk at the proposed, and quite considerable cost. We can offer as an aid only a complete overview of the technical characteristics of the gadget and owner reviews.
First meeting
Amazing people these Chinese - they try to save on everything. Even on the packaging of an expensive device. A box of ordinary cardboard looks very unpresentable, which confuses many users even before purchase. But the impressions of the manufacturer change when becoming acquainted with the equipment, there is something to be surprised even by the most demanding customers. In addition to the device itself, inside the box the user will find: a case, instructions, a micro-USB interface cable, audio cables and a proprietary sticker.
The attention of the buyer deserves a case for Hidizs AP100. It is made of high quality material, very reminiscent of the skin. Thanks to the case, the portable player looks very expensive. In general, the equipment is decent and deserves only positive reviews.
Appearance and build quality
At first glance at the device, it might seem that the manufacturer decided to save on the plastic from which the Hidizs AP100 gadget is made. The review of the novelty is able to put everything in its place and prove to others that appearance is deceiving. The body of the device is made of magnesium alloy. Only on the front of the audio player there are plastic inserts.
As for the dimensions, they slightly go beyond the generally accepted framework of mobile devices (when compared with smartphones). The Hidizs AP100 player is more like the old PoketPC Palm - it is 2 times thicker than any modern smartphone. But the width and length of the device allow you to carry the player even in the pockets of outerwear.
Ergonomics
The display, which occupies a third of the entire case, large control buttons and open ports for connecting interface cables are clearly designed for the convenience of the owner. In fact, without taking the device out of your pocket, you can touch compositions and touch the speaker volume by touch, however, there are also negative notes in user reviews. If you take similar portable players for comparison, you can find that their external beauty in no way affects the infringement of ergonomics. And the Hidizs product, having large dimensions, has too much free space on the case.
Any music lover agrees that by moving the buttons on the case or by enlarging the LCD screen, the manufacturer would have gained greater respect for potential customers. Trying to make the device exclusive, the company's technologists could not provide compactness to the Hidizs AP100 portable player.
Inconvenience of use
Oddly enough, the case made under the skin, which comes with the device, was subjected to negativity. The fact is that the manufacturer, once again trying to stand out among competitors in the market, prefers the appearance rather than the ease of use of the audio player. The case thought out to the smallest detail fits perfectly into the design conceived by the company's technologists, but it is worth turning on the player, as a flaw is immediately revealed.
The protective material is too thick, which is why access to the control buttons has become limited. So, to control the volume, you need to make an effort to press the desired key on the body of the Hidizs AP100 device. Reviews of negative owners can be understood, because many users will again have to choose between ease of use and beauty, which are incompatible in one player.
Hardware
The Cirrus Logic CS4398 digital-to-analog converter supports recording up to 24 bit / 192 kHz. An equalizer is built into the device, which works at the hardware level and is able to regulate the entire range of reproduced frequencies, but not their part, as it is implemented in cheap players. The decoder also has hardware support and is able to independently control sampling. For the set of processes occurring inside the device, there are two Ingenic 4760B crystals capable of decoding any amount of audio data in real time (as in stationary Hi-Fi systems).
After a close acquaintance with the hardware (having disassembled the Hidizs AP100), many users understand that the overall housing is closely connected with the internal components of the device - microcircuits fill the entire internal space of the gadget. In general, it is difficult to imagine a portable player with a filling, like a stationary device - it just does not fit into consciousness.
Software part
Better to start with the fact that on the official website of the manufacturer for the gadget there is specialized software. This means that the player Hidizs AP100 firmware can not only be updated, but also changed. The ability to control the device programmatically unties the hands of many owners who find flaws in the portable player. That's just with the software part of the gadget everything is in order - in the user reviews there is not a single negative about the ease of management.
The menu, although in English, is quite informative and convenient. In general, it is strange that the player is deprived of the Russian interface, most likely the problem will be fixed in the near future, since an official representative office has appeared in Russia. Many users say that managing something is like working with a car radio.
Interesting transformations
The high-quality portable player Hidizs AP100 is quite suitable for connecting to a home theater or active home speakers. However, to get the best quality sound, the user needs to use a coaxial connection (the corresponding output is on the player’s case). In their reviews, many users claim that comparing a portable device with home theaters is quite interesting.
The player can be connected to a receiver, TV, computer speakers, or even to a car radio - there are no restrictions on the owner of a portable device. Quite a convenient gadget, given its portable capabilities and support for all types of audio files.
Skills and abilities
The portable Hidizs AP100 is capable of working on a single battery charge for 10 hours. For a home user, this is quite an acceptable indicator, but for music lovers who prefer to listen to high-quality music on a long journey, ten hours may not be enough. Fortunately, high-capacity portable charging modules can solve the problems of demanding users.
As for the playback formats, here the manufacturer managed to surprise not only buyers, but also many experts - the player plays all known audio formats, including Apple Lossless and AAC. The owners of the portable player no longer need to worry not only about compatibility, but also about the sampling of the sound file. Regardless of the format, the device decodes the file at the hardware level and gives the listener maximum sound quality.
Firmware Features
Fans of updating the software to the latest version should be extremely careful with the Hidizs audio player. The fact is that, in an attempt to please users, the manufacturer responds to almost all the wishes of the owners left in the reviews for the product in the media. Yes, such feedback allows you to quickly improve the operation of the device, however, there are software failures that can completely disrupt the performance of the Hidizs AP100 player. It does not turn on, freezes at startup, does not work with the library of music files - this is just a small list of problems that a user who has downloaded raw firmware from the manufacturer’s official website may receive.
Before updating the software, it is better to read user reviews, and only then can you install a new firmware. By the way, it’s better for owners to immediately understand the player’s settings and remember the action algorithm that allows you to change the interface language. The fact is that all firmware is installed in Chinese by default.
Ease of learning
Keeping up with the topic of the language barrier, it is worth noting that the Hidizs AP100 device also has instructions in two languages - Chinese and English. In the operation manual, all functions, in addition to the description, are provided with images, so users should not have any problems with management. But it’s better not to touch the global settings of the portable player without the knowledge of foreign languages - many users in their reviews note that due to incorrectly set parameters the device ceased to produce high-quality sound. Resetting to factory settings will help to fix the problem.
Interesting functionality
Quite an interesting display is equipped with the Hidizs AP100 gadget. The screen overview in the media is practically ignored. The fact is that, by its primary characteristics, the liquid crystal matrix is monochrome, but it is worth uploading an entire album with a cover to the player, as a color picture appears in front of the user. A rather strange decision by the manufacturer, because it would be more logical to equip the device with a monochrome display, which has much lower power consumption.
Touching upon the topic of the liquid crystal matrix in the player, it is worth noting that the lack of a sensor practically did not appear on the ergonomics of the device. Firstly, the physical dimensions and resolution of the screen do not allow comfortable working with touches. The second factor is saving battery power.
Music lovers will also like the sleep timer, which is able to turn off the device not only at the specified time, but also when idle. In their reviews, many users attributed this feature to the advantages of a portable player.
Analogs and competitors
In the media, many potential buyers are trying to compare two devices in different classes. “What is better - Hidizs AP100 or Fiio X5?” - users ask. The answer is obvious: in terms of sound quality, the Fiio X5 modification is superior to the competitor. However, it is worth noting that the benefits are limited only to high-end sound, in all other respects (price, ease of management and settings) AP100 will be the best purchase.
But the analogues in the budget price category of the Chinese representative of Hidizs will be FiiO X3, iBasso DX50 and HiFiMan HM-700. Comparison of these portable players leads many enthusiasts to very interesting conclusions. The fact is that each device has a specific feature of reproducing sound at different frequencies. Music lovers are given the opportunity to choose a device to their taste.
Player Accessories
Many buyers believe that the headphones for the Hidizs AP100 should be special, at least most users prefer expensive products. Experts recommend that owners of portable players focus not on the brand, but on the convenience of listening to music. Headphones should not cause discomfort. It is clear that consumer goods will be uninteresting to customers, however, chasing high cost is not necessary (at least, speaker systems should be no more expensive than the player itself).
Wireless technology enthusiasts are also advised to think carefully before opting for headphones that work over the air. There may be a loss of sound quality when playing audio files. Experts recommend trusting only wired devices.
Finally
A pretty interesting solution came from the Chinese, who decided to surprise the world with their Hidizs AP100 product. Satisfying the market for portable devices, a little-known manufacturer has created a device that can push middle-class stationary audio equipment out of the market. Affordable price, convenient control, full support for all existing audio formats make this device quite attractive in a budget class Hi-Fi equipment.
There are, of course, negatives. The lack of Russification was noticed by almost all users. Many owners of the device hope that in one of the firmware the manufacturer will eliminate this problem. Some users would like to see support for touch input with a liquid crystal screen, however, in their reviews they could not explain to readers what the inconvenience of operation is.