Meldrick critiques the Hidizs AP30 Music Boy, a Recreation Boy-inspired compact digital audio participant with DSD256 and PCM 24bit/192kHz functionality. It’s at the moment priced at $129 MSRP, with Kickstarter pricing as little as $94 out there for the Aluminum Version.
Disclaimer: This pattern was despatched to me in trade for my sincere opinion. Headfonics is an unbiased web site with no affiliate hyperlinks or standing. I thank Hidizs for his or her assist.
Click on right here to learn extra about Hidizs merchandise we’ve beforehand reviewed on Headfonics
Please word that this text follows our present scoring pointers, which you’ll learn in additional element right here.
Hidizs AP30 Music Boy Assessment
Abstract
The Hidizs AP30 Tiny Boy presents a gaming-inspired design, a forgiving and largely snug tuning with simply sufficient treble sparkle to maintain issues from sounding uninteresting, a deeper customization suite than most rivals at this worth, and a extra beneficiant accent bundle constructed round really carrying the factor.
Professionals
Helpful MagSafe compatibility.
Distinctive design.
USB-DAC node out of the field.
Cons
Underpowered single-ended output.
Hidizs constructed its identify on extra standard DAPs such because the AP80 and its most up-to-date launch, the AP80 PRO MAX Copper Version. So, the AP30 Music Boy is a real departure from the model’s earlier choices.
Formed like a shrunken handheld console, full with a D-pad, A/B buttons, and a built-in puzzle recreation, it leans arduous into ’90s nostalgia, buying and selling subtlety for full-blown novelty.
Beneath the novelty shell sits a correct CS43198 DAC and RT6863 amplifier stage, DSD256 and 24-bit/192kHz decoding, twin 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, and Bluetooth 5.3, wrapped in both a light-weight plastic or CNC’ed aluminum physique.
Priced at $119 for the plastic version and $129 for the aluminum model, the AP30 sits within the mid-tier bracket of the moveable DAP market the place the likes of FiiOs’ ECHO and ECHO MINI in addition to HiBy’s R1 reside.
To see the way it compares in opposition to rivals throughout the similar worth bracket, learn our full ideas beneath.
Options
The Hidizs AP30 Music Boy pairs a Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC with an RT6863 amplifier stage and an RKNANOD grasp chip, dealing with DSD256 playback and native 24-bit/192kHz PCM decoding, whereas providing each 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced output.
Output energy is relatively modest for the phase, with the single-ended jack rated at 61 mW per channel at 32Ω, and the balanced output reaching 137 mW per channel at 32Ω.
Bluetooth 5.3 is onboard for wi-fi output, although notably transmit-only, and USB-DAC performance is supported over the USB-C port to be used with a PC or telephone.
Past the core audio {hardware}, the AP30 additionally throws in a few nice-to-have novelty options: a built-in block puzzle recreation for idle moments, and a fundamental e-reader for textual content information.
Neither is important to the DAP expertise, however they add a bit of additional persona and utility that almost all devoted music gamers don’t hassle with.
Design
There isn’t any mistaking what the AP30 goes for. The silhouette borrows unashamedly from a sure ’90s handheld console, proper right down to the D-pad and the two-tone shell cut up.
Hidizs presents the AP30 in two builds: a light-weight plastic version out there in White, Clear Blue, and Clear Black, and a CNC aluminum version out there in Purple and Black.
The aluminum unit I examined has a noticeably denser, extra substantial really feel than the plastic variations, although at an actual price in pocket weight.
At 68 × 53 × 17mm, the AP30 has a compact footprint for a tool that gives twin outputs and a 2-inch show, however the aluminum version weighs in at a noticeable 80 grams. The plastic version, against this, is available in at simply 56 grams.
The again panel carries a laser-etched whale motif, tied to a partnership with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity, a pleasant contact of persona past the retro gaming shell.
The entrance homes a 2.0-inch IPS show at 296×240, flanked by the D-pad and face buttons that dominate the design language.
The microSD slot sits on the best edge above the amount wheel, simply reachable without having a device or fingernail to eject, a small however appreciated little bit of practicality on an in any other case novelty-forward gadget.
In comparison with the extra restrained retro-styled DAPs in the marketplace, the AP30 trades subtlety for full Y2K retro-futuristic dedication.
Whether or not that reads as endearing or gimmicky will rely totally on the listener, however there isn’t a denying it is without doubt one of the most distinctive-looking DAPs in the marketplace proper now.
Controls
Moderately than a traditional top-mounted button row, the AP30 goes all-in on its gaming inspiration: a D-pad on the left face, and A and B buttons on the best, with Choose and Begin buttons beneath them.
Navigation runs by means of the D-pad, with A confirming a variety and B backing out of a menu, a scheme that may really feel immediately acquainted to anybody who grew up with a sure gray handheld.
Quantity is dealt with individually by way of an ALPS quantity wheel on the best edge, which doubles as the ability button when pressed and held. The wheel has a satisfying knurled texture and turns with clear, evenly spaced detents, making blind quantity adjustment straightforward in a pocket or bag.
The D-pad and face buttons are tactile and exact, although the button spacing is tight given the AP30’s small footprint, and bigger fingers could discover the Choose and Begin buttons fiddly to hit precisely.
After you regulate quantity on the amount wheel, the on-screen indicator lingers noticeably longer than it must earlier than you possibly can interface with the gadget once more, like skipping to the following observe. The AP30 makes you wait it out first, which provides an odd little bit of friction.
On my aluminum version in purple, the D-pad and face buttons additionally take noticeably extra power to actuate than anticipated.
I/O
The underside fringe of the AP30 homes the USB-C port flanked by the three.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, retaining all connections conveniently alongside one aircraft slightly than cut up throughout the chassis.
The microSD slot on the best edge helps as much as 256GB, a reasonably normal ceiling for this class of DAP. The AP30 will bodily learn bigger playing cards, however the library scan itself is not going to index content material previous the 256GB mark, so outsized playing cards don’t provide a sensible workaround.
The USB-C port handles charging and doubles as a USB-DAC enter, although the AP30 can solely operate as a USB DAC itself; it can’t settle for an exterior DAC or amp downstream, a limitation shared by most DAPs on this worth bracket.
There isn’t any devoted line-out, and the balanced output is the clear precedence connection for essential listening given the ability hole versus the single-ended jack.
Yet one more USB-DAC quirk value flagging: the amount wheel goes useless when you’re in DAC mode.
Quantity should be managed totally from the linked supply, which looks like an odd omission on a tool that in any other case leans so closely on bodily controls as its identification.
Battery Life
The AP30 packs a 1,200mAh battery, a fairly beneficiant capability for a tool this compact, and Hidizs charges it for a full cost in about an hour over USB-C.
Playback estimates differ meaningfully by output: 10–12 hours over the single-ended jack, dropping to eight–10 hours by way of the extra power-hungry balanced output.
In my testing, sticking principally to the balanced output on low acquire with IEMs, I landed near the 8–10 hour estimates beneath regular listening volumes.
With Bluetooth lively, playback dropped additional to a claimed 6–8 hours, and my very own testing tracked moderately near that vary.
Given the AP30’s small dimension, the battery life on provide is respectable, although the balanced-output and Bluetooth figures each path what larger-bodied DAPs on this phase can usually handle.
Packaging & Equipment
The AP30 arrived in a cardboard field nested inside a barely bigger outer field, a comfortable match that’s simpler to take away from the underside than the highest.
Inside, Hidizs contains the participant itself, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a shorter USB-C to USB-C cable, a printed guide, a spare display screen protector, a clear protecting case, and a metallic magnetic ring for attaching the AP30 to telephones or telephone circumstances.
This can be a notably beneficiant accent bundle for the phase, and it displays the AP30’s “wearable” pitch: the case and magnetic ring exist particularly to assist carrying the participant clipped to a bag, worn on a strap, or snapped to the again of a telephone.
The magnetic ring turned out to be genuinely helpful slightly than a gimmick. I hooked up it to the included AP30 case and used it as a USB DAC proper off my iPhone 14, magnetically locked in place as an alternative of dangling from a cable.
With headphone jacks lengthy gone from fashionable telephones, having a DAC that may bodily anchor itself to the again of the gadget it’s feeding is a small factor that solves an actual, on a regular basis annoyance
It’s a small however significant distinction in philosophy, treating the equipment as core to the supposed use case slightly than an afterthought.
Software program
Software program Impressions
The AP30 runs on HidizsOS, a proprietary Linux-based system constructed particularly for this gadget, and it feels distinct from most different finances DAP software program I’ve used. Boot-up takes a little bit beneath 10 seconds, which is respectable for the class.
The house display screen presents a row of icons: Music Library, a built-in pixel block puzzle recreation, an eBook reader, File Explorer, Bluetooth Settings, and System Settings, all navigated by way of the D-pad with the A and B buttons dealing with verify and again.
The puzzle recreation is a bespoke creation slightly than a licensed Tetris port. Whereas it is not going to maintain anybody’s consideration for lengthy, it’s a genuinely charming inclusion that matches the AP30’s identification higher than a gimmick normally would.
The highest of the display screen persistently shows a quantity indicator, the time, and battery degree, retaining key info seen without having to dig right into a devoted Now Taking part in display screen.
Album artwork is sadly a sore spot. Getting cowl artwork to show on the ‘Now Taking part in’ display screen proved more durable than it needs to be, with accurately tagged information nonetheless displaying up clean as a rule.
On a brighter word, one small software program choice I appreciated: music retains enjoying uninterrupted whilst you’re within the block puzzle recreation.
It’s a minor element, however it means the sport genuinely capabilities as a distraction layered on prime of listening slightly than one thing that pulls you out of the music totally.
Navigation
The place the AP30’s software program reveals its lack of maturity is in menu depth and consistency.
Digging into acquire settings, digital filters, or Bluetooth pairing requires navigating by means of nested screens that don’t all the time comply with the identical logic from one menu to the following.
There are key capabilities which are solely tied to urgent the choose key when media is enjoying, and capabilities like SD card formatting and the screen-off timer sit in much less intuitive submenus slightly than a single consolidated settings web page.
Typically double urgent the B button whereas on now enjoying brings you again to the media library, with one other press of the B button bringing you again to the primary menu.
However for those who press it ever so barely slower, the preliminary 2 presses simply cycle between now enjoying and a listing of obtainable songs
In comparison with extra established gamers which have had a full product cycle and firmware updates to sand down their very own menu quirks, the AP30’s software program looks like precisely what it’s: a first-generation implementation with actual potential that has not absolutely caught as much as the {hardware} but.
Customization
The AP30 presents a genuinely deep customization suite for a tool this dimension, together with adjustable acquire, a multi-band digital filter choice, and a built-in graphic equalizer with a number of presets alongside guide band adjustment.
Display screen brightness and auto-shutdown timers are each adjustable, although the ranges are much less generously documented within the menus than I would love.
The EQ implementation particularly stands out as extra succesful than what most DAPs on this worth vary provide, giving listeners actual room to tune the AP30 towards a most well-liked signature slightly than being caught with the inventory tuning.
I discovered a light, few-dB bass shelf raise paired effectively with brighter IEMs, although I largely left the EQ flat for the sound impressions beneath to evaluate the AP30 by itself tuning deserves first.
One factor the AP30 doesn’t but provide is any actual visible customization past the built-in theme.
Given how enthusiastically modding communities have picked up customized theme-making for different finances DAPs, I’m hopeful the AP30 sees that very same type of grassroots assist as soon as it’s in additional palms.
Sound Impressions
The next sound impressions have been accomplished utilizing the MOONDROP Blessing 3, Kiwi Ears KE4, and Kiwi Ears Orchestra II IEMs, with headphone testing performed on the Sennheiser HD 600, MOONDROP Previous Usual, and the Koss KPH30i.
Abstract
General, the Hidizs AP30 presents a impartial, forgiving signature that stays snug by means of a lot of the frequency vary, with a contact of additional vitality within the treble that provides cymbals, high-hats, and upper-register synths a bit extra chunk than a completely impartial tuning would.
Bass reaches deep with out overwhelming the combination, the midrange is pure and unforced, and the treble carries a light raise slightly than a full roll-off.
It reads as forgiving general, not too brilliant, however with a little bit sparkle up prime, and background noise is basically nonexistent even with delicate IEMs.
Bass
The AP30’s bass amount is nice, reaching genuinely deep into the sub-bass with out ever overwhelming the remainder of the combination, a pleasant trait for a supply at this worth.
Sub-bass extension is an actual energy right here, digging in with extra depth and presence than I anticipated given the AP30’s modest energy output.
Mid-bass carries a light-weight, managed heat slightly than a heavy one; it provides a contact of physique to bass guitar and kick drum with out bleeding into the midrange.
Personally, I’d have most well-liked a bit extra mid-bass heat right here, although that’s a matter of style slightly than an goal shortcoming.
Texture and layering are acceptable however not a robust go well with; dense bass traces in digital and hip-hop tracks mix barely slightly than separating cleanly.
Mids
The midrange is the AP30’s clearest energy, rendered with a pure, unforced high quality that avoids sounding skinny or artificially boosted.
Vocals, each female and male, sit comfortably within the combine with a contact of added heat slightly than a strictly impartial forged. Male vocals particularly carry a pleasing density with out changing into muddy.
Instrument separation is respectable slightly than distinctive; acoustic guitars and pianos are rendered easily however with out fairly the final phrase in particular person definition.
The general tuning philosophy right here favors coherence and ease over microscopic element retrieval, and it largely succeeds at that objective.
Listeners who discover strictly impartial mids a contact medical will doubtless discover the AP30’s midrange extra instantly inviting, if much less technically exact.
Treble
Treble on the AP30 leans a bit brighter than a completely impartial tuning, with a noticeable raise that provides cymbal strikes a little bit further vitality in comparison with extra impartial sources.
That very same raise extends to high-end synths and a few wind devices, each of which come by means of with a contact extra shimmer and presence than I anticipated from a DAP with this in any other case forgiving general character.
Regardless of that added vitality, the AP30 stays on the best facet of the road; I by no means bumped into outright harshness or sibilance throughout any of my pairings, and the additional liveliness reads extra as sparkle than fatigue.
For genres like jazz and acoustic music, that added air is a welcome trait, serving to cymbal decay and instrument shimmer come by means of with extra life than a purely rolled-off tuning would enable.
Staging & Dynamics
Soundstage on the AP30 is modest, with restricted width and shallow depth, giving a extra intimate, closed-in presentation.
Instrument separation holds up moderately effectively in less complicated preparations, however denser tracks with a number of competing parts can sound compressed and barely congested.
Dynamics are mild slightly than punchy; the AP30 doesn’t ship the identical sense of transient snap or low-end authority {that a} higher-power supply can present.
Click on on web page 2 beneath for my beneficial pairings and chosen comparisons.
