Hidizs has been producing audio gear for almost a decade, and its latest launches offer an affordable gateway into portable hi-res audio – the AP80 PRO-X portable music player and MS3 in-ear headphones.
The AP80 PRO-X is a pocket-sized player that the company claims “greatly exceeds the capabilities of laptops and smartphones”, which is just as well really considering that is why you would buy a dedicated audio player such as this. It is able to drive a range of headphones, both wired and wireless, and offers up to 11 hours of playback (or 8 hours when using balanced headphones) on a single charge.
Featuring dual DAC chips, the AP80 PRO-X supports hi-res PCM, DSD and MQA files, as well as Micro SD cards up to 512GB (the player has no internal memory) to store your music files. As far as Bluetooth connectivity goes, Sony’s LDAC codec is supported, as is HiBy UAT (Ultra Audio Transmission), which supposedly supports 192kHz passthrough with a maximum 1.2Mbps data rate.
The free lossless HiBy app can be used to control the player from your mobile device, and the player can also be simply used as a portable DAC for your other source devices.
The MS3 headphones, meanwhile, are IEMs that feature a shell cavity and panel made of aviation-grade aluminium alloy. They sport a 10.2mm dynamic driver with dual magnetic circuits and a bio-nanofibre composite diaphragm.
Hidizs says this design means that the “dynamic driver has higher magnetic induction than an ordinary dynamic driver” and can “can obtain additional acoustic energy” to improve overall performance.
The MS3 IEMs feature pneumatic sound-tuning filters, allowing users to tweak the sound of audio to taste. By changing the direction of the airflow, the MS3 headphones can achieve three different tonal signatures which are recommended depending on the style of music you’re listening to. Hidizs recommends ‘balanced’ as the standard for most music, ‘hi-frequency’ for genres such as classical and jazz, and ‘low-frequency’ for rock and heavier genres.
Both products are available now. The AP80 PRO-X costs £199 / $169 while the MS3 IEMs are priced at £149 / $119.
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