HIBY R3 II Review

Sound

The new R3 II has a good sound performance for the price, especially in terms of dynamism, speed and separation. It has a neutral but soft character. It doesn’t sound incredibly musical, and it certainly is a faithful device to the recording. However, there’s a hint of warmth in the mid-bass and mids overall, but that’s subtle. The treble range is smooth and soft, which takes away the clarity a bit. Let’s break it down. 

Tonality

The sound character of this device may come across as dull and dry to some, or even too safe. However, a hint of musicality adds some life to it. When this quality is combined with its excellent technical performance, we are left with a fantastic digital audio player that costs under $200.

The R3 Pro Saber’s bass has a good punch and authority when needed. The mid-bass section is slightly warmer than neutral, resulting in a full-sounding presentation. The slam and kick are very satisfying, providing a solid foundation for music, particularly Pop and Dance genres. Additionally, the bass performance is well-controlled in Jazz and Classical music. However, the texture and depth aren’t there, compared to higher-end DAPs. 

The R3 II’s mid-range boasts a commendable tonality and musicality, albeit not on par with AKM-based players. It offers pristine mids with immaculate detail, air, and space, resulting in an expansive sound with excellent timbre, body, and fullness. However, the mid-range may sound more proximate to the stage, which may not be ideal when compared to high-end DAPs in terms of positioning and depth. Nevertheless, given its price point, the R3 II delivers a good performance in terms of tonality and mid-reproduction presentation.

The R3 II handles peaks and sibilance very well, showing good control and dynamics in the treble range. It has a smooth and natural sound without any harsh character. This character doesn’t compromise the transparency or extension, both of which are handled well by the R3 II. However, there is a slight drawback in terms of extension and clarity. Though the treble is detailed, there is something missing in terms of space and air, which may not be noticeable in popular music but can be discerned in modern Jazz recordings.

Technical

The R3 II boasts impressive soundstage performance, thanks to its newly integrated chip and overhauled amplification stage. Its soundstage is notably superior for its price point and represents a considerable improvement over its predecessor models. The new R3 model offers a larger stage for length and width, along with better separation and layering, resulting in remarkable imaging.

Moreover, the DAP delivers a high-performing, technical sound, with a good noise floor and black background. Its technical performance is excellent, particularly considering its price point. The spaciousness in mids is especially noteworthy, as is the micro detail performance and noise floor, which are both very good and demonstrate an impressive transparency level.

Balanced Output

When it comes to output, this device has the power to drive a wide range of IEMs and headphones available in the market. I found that I didn’t even need to select high gain with any of the IEMs I tested. However, full-size headphones require a bit more power. For these, you can use the high-gain mode and the BAL output. The 4.4mm out is particularly strong.

The 4.4mm out has a better response with more dynamism and separation compared to the 3.5mm out. The BAL output of this player simply makes the sound better in terms of technical performance. There isn’t any noticeable difference in tonality, but the resolution, transparency, background, and layering are all a notch better.

Page 1 – Intro, Design

Page 2 – Package Build Quality, User Experience & Software

Page 4 – Technical Performance, Comparisons & Conclusion