Hisoundaudio, a manufacturer and specialist in the audio department for more than 20 years, has recently introduced their brand
new line of high fidelity audio players under the presented name of PDAA. PDAA stands
for “Portable, Digital, Acoustic, Amplifier, All-purposed, and Affordable.” During 2008, we were introduced to their first and most affordable model - the AMP3 PRO. The player was targeted towards headphone owners looking for a serious and enjoyable portable music source that offers sufficient
amplification and battery life at an affordable price. In October 2009, an updated version of the AMP3 under the label of "PRO2" came out. The redesign of the PRO2 improved on some of the disadvantages of the PRO while keeping the same affordable MSRP at $210.
Specifications
Variation: Black Metal, or Silver Metal housing
Amplifier: Class A Circuit
Frequency Range: 17 Hz-28 kHz
Power Handling: 100mW Peak
Screen: 1 inch OLED
Compatible Formats: MP3, WMA, WAV
Memory: Built in 4GB + expandable to 20GB via Micro SD/SDHC
Battery: 1800MA Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
Playback Time: >100 Hours (Level 8 Volume)
Accessories: USB to Mini USB Cable, Wall Charger, PAA-1 High Fidelity Earbuds
Dimensions (mm): 74.5 L X 40 W X 20 H
Weight: 100g
Price: $210 plus shipping
Packaging and Accessories (8/10)
Hisoundaudio has strayed away from the fancy packaging that many other manufacturers use. It is not covered in a ridiculous amount of material. Rather, Hisoundaudio has decided to go with a much simpler presentation. The PRO2 arrives in a square, black stiff cardboard box consisted of two pieces—the top and the bottom. The box is simply printed with “AMP3 Professional mp3 player” on it. As we reveal the player by removing the top cover, we see that it is securely stashed in a firm foam piece where it is protected from movement and scratches. As we remove the foam piece, we are presented with the stash of accessories that arrive with the PRO2.
As we take a quick look at the PRO2, we notice that it isn’t the most sophisticated set of accessories that would come with a player. We come across a USB to Mini USB cable, which is used to transfer music files onto the player while also acting as a cable for charging the PRO2. The cable could be directly plugged in to a computer via USB while being connected to the PRO2. Charging could take betwen 2-3 hours for the 1800Ma Lithium-Ion battery to completely fill up. The alternative and faster way to charge the PRO2 would be to charge it from an electrical outlet. Hisoundaudio provides the needed adapter or module for this. The USB side of the cable plugs into the connector that plugs into the outlet, while the mini USB side stays plugged in to the PRO2. The charging time is reduced to between 1.5 hours and 2 hours. Last but not least is the set of Hisoundaudio PAA-1 High Fidelity Earbuds. These earbuds house a fairly common driver technology, the moving-coil or dynamic. The PAA-1 earbuds are by far superior in sound quality to any other stock earbuds offered by other manufacturers; they offer a very immersive and musical audio experience when paired with the PRO2. In fact, Hisoundaudio claims that the earbuds are tuned for the PRO2 in harmony to allow the consumer to receive one of the best audio experience without having to buy separate, high quality earphones. There are no manuals included in the package of the PRO2. However, the manual and instructions for operating are easily accessible through HIsoundaudio’s website.
Build Quality (8/10)
Looking at the Amp3 Pro2, many may not be interested due to its less “modern” look. With the simple box shape player with a simple yes unique button layout, the player may look like it is a product from 10 years ago. Don’t let this fool you though; the build quality of the Pro2 far exceeds many players on the market today.
The Amp3 Pro2 has an enclosure made from high quality brushed aluminum that is also used to make aircrafts. The aluminum enclosure is nearly 4mm thick, providing an extremely rigid housing that can withstand devastating impacts and drops. The aluminum enclosure also acts as an EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) shield. When your mobile phone rings, there is no interference conducted through the player to create an extremely uncomfortable loud ringing or hissing noise in your music. The enclosure is consisted of three pieces, the top and bottom screwed on to the one-piece side enclosure. Hisoundaudio has chosen to use screws to put the player together to allow easy access to the player for repair, and it also allows a much more rigid construction compared to an adhesive. Adhesives deteriorate and harden over time, and when the player is dropped the parts could come apart. Hisoundaudio has put this into mind and the company claims that the player will offer a minimum of 10 years life span.
The OLED screen is recessed into the housing, with a thin layer of stiff plastic as a covering. Now, if there is any flaws with the build, it would be this thin plastic used to cover the screen. The plastic is not sealed on the edges, so dust tends to get in through the sides which could be irritating as there is no way to clean the inside without taking the player apart. The covering is also extremely fragile, it is easily bendable with a gentle push and would be easily damaged if excess pressure is put on. On the bright side, the surface is scratch proof, so need to worry about it being covered in scratches rendering the screen un-viewable.
Design and Usability (8.5/10)
HIsoundaudio had strongly pressed on the point of simplicity. The interface and buttons were designed so the user would be able to operate the system without having to look at the screen or take the player out of their pocket. Simple presses and holding of the button would easily guide you to another screen. The buttons on the main controls are volume increase, volume decrease, fast forward (next), Rewind (previous), and pause and play. There are just five buttons on the control that operate the whole system. Holding the pause and play button would bring the user to the menu, where then pressing forward or backward would move the selection to a different category ranging from FM Radio to Settings etc… Press and hold the pause and play button for 3 seconds will also turn on or off the unit.
The interface like mentioned is extremely simple. When the user selects to listen to the Stereo FM Radio that the PRO2 allows, all they have to do select FM Radio and it’s ready to start playing. Forward and backward buttons will change the frequency channel of the FM Radio listening to. The settings, such as sleep time of the player, language, storage space remaining, play mode etc. are all very straight forward to operate.
One of the unique characteristics of the PRO2 is that it has a line input where the user can use the Class-A amplifier in the PRO2 to amplify another source. Hisoundaudio is the first company to incorporate this design, as it has never been seen on the market today. Using the input and setting the player to play line-in is very easy. The user simply plugs the input that they would like to play and the AMP3 will register that there is a line in and will automatically switch to line in playing mode. To stop line in playing mode, simply hold the center button of play and pause which will then bring the user back to the menu where you can select the “Now Playing” button.
Overall, the unit is very easy to navigate and extremely easy to use just as what Hisoundaudio has promised.
Sound - always in price-to-sound ratio - (8.5/10)
The sound is one of the most distinct characteristics of the AMP3 PRO2. Like the PRO1, Hisoundaudio did not incorporate an audio equalizer. The company believes that an equalizer will put off their tuning and "degrade" the sound quality. During the redesign of the AMP3, Hisoundaudio has specifically focused on the connection from audio processing and amplification to the 3.5mm output. Hisoundaudio has said that the signal would degrade dramatically if the connection was not the best. According to a company representative, the connection has been improved and the audio performance should have increased by 10-15% in comparison to the previous AMP1. Has it really? Continue reading to find out.
High Frequencies
High frequencies is in my opinion the hardest frequency range to reproduce. Having the perfect combination of crisp sound with a good amount of detail, but without being fatiguing, is a large target to hit when designing the audio of the player. Hisoundaudio has nearly hit the point offering one of the most engaging audio experiences on the portable player market today. The PRO2 brings a very natural, yet crisp, sound to the highs. Vocals are the most dominant part in this category. Out of all the players that I've heard in the past, I have yet to hear such natural and rich high vocals. The PRO2 offers a very beautiful transition between notes giving a very smooth sound to the vocals. Instruments sound clear, and are separated very well from each other. There is never a part where the PRO2 fails to distinguish a piano to a violin. There is always that separation of the difference in tone as they never meet and mix with each other. All the higher frequency instruments are brought up from the music, and every little bit is heard.
Detail is not the biggest part of the PRO2. Hisoundaudio has claimed that they want to make the player as “musical” as possible as they refused to make the player sound “accurate” and overly detailed. In my opinion, the PRO2 offers an adequate amount of detail while maintaining that “musical” signature Hisoundaudio has designed the player to produce. Though, in my view there could just be a bit more detail in the high frequencies to allow that extra little engagement in classical and orchestral music.
Mid-Range Frequencies
Being an owner of the Sony X series, I have been presented before with one of the most musical sounding mid-range frequencies prior to hearing the PRO2. The PRO2 offers this once again to me, but on a whole new level. The X series was very warm, with a deep depth to the reproduction. The PRO2 on the other hand produces a brighter, more detailed mid-range frequency that has an even deeper depth and richness. Pairing this player to the Westone ES3X, the monitors quickly reveal the potential of the device. Vocals in the range sound as if the singer were right in front of you. The mids are extremely natural sounding. Instruments are also not a problem for the Pro2. Guitars, for example, sound enveloping and each pluck is easily heard as the tones are distinctly separated from each other. However, once again Hisoundaudio has held back on the extreme details as they say it would produce a less “musical” sounding experience. They also put the mid-range frequencies a bit more forward, to give vocals and such a bit more emphasis. For the mids, Hisoundaudio has seemed to hit the target on the “musical” reproduction they were striving for.
Low Frequencies
Low Frequencies…the most popular frequency range of all for any teenage listener. Ask any student or a youth of what good rock and heavy metal music is, most of them would probably say “good bass.” However, many listeners tend to not realize that the source they are using could be bloating of low frequencies, causing an overly boomy and distorted presentation. This is where the PRO2 steps in to fix the problem. Hisoundaudio focused on the bass on an extensive level. The PRO2 presents a natural, yet quick, accurate and deep, sound. Its presentation is among the best I have heard, including some simple home setups that I have had in the past. While the lows are not overly emphasized, the PRO2 offers a rather powerful, quick and clean punch. Pairing the JH Audio JH10X3 Pro with the AMP3 PRO2, the lower tone and energy presented are almost to the level of flawless musical experience. Without doubt, the AMP PRO2 offers one of the most impressive low frequency representations in a portable player today.
Soundstage
Soundstage wise, the AMP3 PRO2 may fall short. The width of the presentation is rather closed in. When compared to my simple Meelectronics Groove with the Little Dot MKI+ amplifier, the width and depth of the soundstage are margins. On the brighter side, the height of the soundstage is very well done as it extends beyond any player that I have heard before. Overall, the soundstage is a bit wider than an average portable media player. However, a larger soundstage would offer a much greater level of engagement in the music.
Score Breakdown:
High - 8
Mid - 8.5
Low - 8.5
Soundstage - 7
Stereo Imaging - 8
Frequency Extension - 8.5
Transparency - 8.5
Decay - 8.5
Impact - 9
Speed - 9
Clarity - 9
Conclusion ( 8 /10)
With the AMP3 PRO2, Hisoundaudio has strived to offer one of the most engaging and musical sounding audio reproductions on the market today. Being priced at an affordable $210, Hisoundaudio has hit a new level of bang-for-the-buck performance. Considering the audio properties of the AMP3 PRO2 and its phenomenal rock solid build quality, I would recommend the PRO2 to anyone looking for a simple portable music player without breaking the bank. With the provided high fidelity earphones that match some $100-$200 earphones that I have heard in the past, the AMP3 PRO2 is a true bargain for its features. The downside of the AMP3 PRO2 is that despite the audio performance of the PRO2, which is impressive for the size of the player, could be a slight problem for some as it is rather thick. As well, the corners of the player are a bit sharp and they tend to poke at the users' thighs when placed in a tighter pocket. The slightly smaller soundstage may be a turn-off for some buyers. Nonetheless, with the 150 hour battery life I managed to achieve on volume 4-5, the extremely rigid construction, affordable price, and the strong audio performance, the PRO2 is truly a bargain in its class.
AMP3 PRO2 Silver
This review was written and submitted by Felix Yau. Review and score rating edited by Cecil L.
