Audio Precision APx516B Review

[restorer-john]

This APX516B is the Apple iPhone SE of analyzers. It's not the one you really wanted, just the one you could afford.

I'd like to see improvements/new models at the top end, not the bottom end. About time for a 555B replacement if you ask me and reduce the price of the 555B for a few years, then kill it.

With all the functionality and "flex packs"/perpetual licenses it comes in around half the cost of the 555B in any case.

 

[restorer-john]

Are you willing to concede it could be 99.9%?

A number plucked from exactly where?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

This is awesome, but as someone else mentioned... What about the AP500 key + the E1DA?
I'd really love to do some testing on products and search for the "golden sounds" that people always talk about.

The software is $3500 which is out of reach. If I really wanted to get into the business of testing DACS and Amps, I'd look for software (s) that did the same test as the AP Software. It may involve more than one piece of software, and it almost certainly would not output the same nice, lovely way the AP 500 software does, but there has to be other stuff (perhaps some of it even freeware) that would perform the same tests.

And if you wanted to use their software, it should prove compatible with any number of ASIO-enabled Audio interfaces: Api has even done much of the work for you in this regard as verified by their page regarding the software:

"Any ASIO-enabled audio interface should suffice with APx500 Flex. However, AP has thus far verified the compatibility of the audio interfaces listed below and configuration templates for these devices are included in APx500 software (v5.0.2 or later).

Guides for setting up Flex with one of these audio interfaces are also available (see Downloads tab). Each of these verified compatible interfaces offer quality analog I/O (<90 dB THD+N, 192 kHz SR) and stable drivers with consistent delay. Please contact the manufacturers, or their authorized resellers, for more information.

Danville Signal dspInstrument spDAQ, Echo AIO-A2, Echo AIO-SA, Lynx Aurora (n), Lynx E22, RME Fireface UC, RME Fireface 802"

 

[Palladium]

It’s in the review — for assessing amplifiers.

I understand the context yadda yadda, but I still find the irony of cheap DACs now easily surpassing the SINAD of analyzers.

 

[RayDunzl]

It's oddly amusing when considering the cost of test equipment necessary to assess the ultimate performance of inexpensive devices.

 

[mcdn]

How would a E1DA Cosmos ADC plus scaler with the Topping DX70 fare if you always had AP’s software?

APx500 Flex Audio Analyzer

www.ap.com

For 1kHz loopback I get 113dB with a Topping D90 balanced direct to a Cosmos ADC, vs the 106dB of the APx516 and 122dB of the APx555. Using an SMSL D6S, Cosmos APU, Cosmos Scaler, and Cosmos ADC @sarieri got 125.5dB (https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-testing-with-aes17-filter.46684/post-1885195)


I really really hope we can persuade @JohnPM to add an API to REW so it can be scripted for automated test procedure execution though, that would really push AP!

 

[CleanSound]

This is like the reincarnation of the AP One.

I see this being something repair shops would buy, definitely not for R&D.

 

[sam_adams]

I really really hope we can persuade @JohnPM to add an API to REW so it can be scripted for automated test procedure execution though, that would really push AP!

REW API beta releases and discussion.

REW API help.

 

[amirm]

Hi Amirm, interesting review, thanks.

I ask a perhaps trivial question: if I understand correctly, looking at the first two graphs, do some of the products you tested have the same degree of noise and distortion as that of the analyzer?

The analyzer would already be at "full scale" with some products, see Dac?

I think the best DAC i have tested has a noise floor around 1.5 microvolt. APx555 has a noise floor that is slightly below 1 microvolt. That clearly impacts the measured noise floor of the DAC. For this reason, companies like Topping have built noise amplifiers that exaggerates the noise level, then they back out the gain of that amplifier, netting something like 140 dB dynamic range whereas I measure 10 to 15 dB lower with the analyzer by itself.

 

[amirm]

A general question so to understand what each one shows:

Why one reports 5Vrms in it's input and the other reports 8Vrms?
Is it a setting setting internal resistors?

I assume so although that is kind of arbitrary at times and one could override it to get better apples to apples comparison.

 

[amirm]

And what can you measure with this kind of performance? DACs from 20 years ago? What's the purpose of this product?

Well, there are plenty of "high-end" DACs that don't perform well so you could measure those.

 

[amirm]

A question. In the dashboard figure, can't you just increase FFT length to reduce the measured noise floor, and then end up with a similar looking graph as the APx555?

Well, you could do the same with APx555 and get even lower floor there. But yes, within reason you can. The dashboard already has 32K FFT. You could go to a million but the display will take forever to update then.

 

[pseudoid]

Thank you @amirm,
This APx seems to be aimed at the Meat-and-Potatoes types.

 

[gvl]

Quant Asylum performance at 20x of the price.

 

[amirm]

Would be interesting to see how this APX 516b compares regarding features and specs against the E1DA Cosmos ADC which is $179 on Ali Express.

I have not tried to run the AP software against third-party hardware. The so called "Flex" license is needed and I am not sure that is included in my software license. If someone wants to send me the hardware bits, I can try. As noted though, you pay a ton for the software licenses.

 

[amirm]

Quant Asylum performance at 20x of the price.

I have not kept up with QA lately but the version I tested a while back had a SINAD of 99 dB (test conditions may not be identical): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nts-of-quantasylum-qa401-audio-analyzer.8694/

That version of the software was also not as capable as AP software.

For sure, it is a lot cheaper though.

 

[MacClintock]

I wonder if they downgraded the performance deliberately to not cannibalize their flagship or if the pricing constraints just did not allow even better performance.

 

[sam_adams]

This APx seems to be aimed at the Meat-and-Potatoes types.

Yes, the Kobe - Wagyu beef and Le Bonnotte potato crowd.

 

[vkvedam]

In addition, the APx516 uses a pair of ADCs to capture the signal independent of the noise and distortion resulting in much less distortion.

Thanks for the review @amirm, did you mean to say APx555?

 

[JSmith]

It is on loan from the company and costs from US $6,000. As tested, the cost is around $9,000.

Interesting to see this compared with the APx555, thanks for publishing these results Amir. A recent article @audioexpress noted;

Upholding AP's world-class quality, service, and support, the APx516B carries a 3-year warranty, ISO17025 calibration, and global technical assistance. The base model APx516B starts at $6,000, while a configuration with HDMI or serial interface goes to $9,000, and more with a PDM interface. Included in the APx516B base price (Flex Pack 1) are the Level & Gain, THD+N, Stepped Frequency, Loudspeaker Production Test, Pass/Fail, and Signal Acquisition measurements. Those are basic measurements that are included with every analyzer as a perpetual license and includes updates for the current version number and next major software version. A 3 year subscription to all the APx software costs $2,480 or $827/year, and there are one year and five year subscription options as well.

APx516 B Series

www.ap.com

JSmith