Balanced Output
[responsivevoice_button]
When I switched to the 2.5mm output, I noticed some differences with the sound of the R3 Pro. The full bodied and warm sound is not there that much. The sound is instead closer to neutral with a flatter presentation. The staging and imaging is better overall with more space.
The micro details are a bit more apparent and the separation is slightly sharper. I found the BAL performance very good and very very close to the R5, which I’m going to describe below.
Comparison with HiBy R5
The R5 gives you a leaner and more neutral presentation. The R3 Pro is warmer in comparison with a fuller sound. R5 presents a flat type of bass response with lesser rumble and fullness. Mids sound very clean in both of them but the R5 has better resolution. Timbre-wise this might surprise you but I think the R3 Pro is better. That’s my opinion though, yours can vary. The R5 is just not there in terms of fullness and body. However the R5 still has better overall mids to me with better transparency, dynamism and spaciousness.
HiBy R5
Treble is the part that I criticized in the R5. It does manage to present good bass and mids for the money, but the treble section is lacking. So overall, I personally think the R3 Pro and R5 are quite similar in terms of treble. There’s not much of a difference there. Both are not exceptional in terms of extension, although in the R3 Pro it can be tolerated because of the asking price. The BAL output of the R3 Pro is pretty close to the R5 in my opinion.
Other than those above, of course the R5 gives you a superior user experience with a fluid OS and much faster operation. The screen is much better in terms of resolution and color accuracy as well. It also has a 4.4mm BAL output. It feels more premium then the R3 Pro too, if that matters for you.
Conclusion
The HiBy R3 Pro is a viable choice for the ones who’re looking for a super compact DAP with lots of features and streaming capability. The original R3’s negative parts in the sound is now covered. We now have a much better model in our hands for sound quality. For just 199 $, you get a lot of things including a very nice sound which is the most important in my book.
I also think that this device is a great transport. Don’t look at it as a sole DAP. Sometimes I stream through my phone with UAPP app to my DACs, but the R3 Pro is much smaller and it doesn’t need any other application to work with DACs. It also helps me to get rid of my phone for this purpose. Wonderful.
This is a recommended tiny DAP for sure.
HiBy R3 Pro
Ricardo
Hi… thánks for the review.
I´m looking for na upgrade from my Fiio X3 MKII and was considering the Hidizs AP80 Pro or the Hiby R3 Pro… what is your opinion? (using manly Bose QC35II or Sennheiser Momentum Over ear (MKI). Thank you
Berkhan
I’m afraid I don’t have any idea about the AP80 Pro. Choose whichever that suits you the best.
Ricardo
thanks for your answer… someone recommended me the R5 because it would be better suited for headphones… is this acurate? on the other hand I have a Fiio Mont Blanc Amp so woud the R3 Pro + Fiio amp be a good option? Thanks again
Berkhan
Yes, R5 would be better for you in that case.
Sotiris
Hi.
I’m about to buy a Hiby R3 Pro and I would like to know if it works with windows 10 and if it supports archives mp3 and wav.
Please respond.
Thank you.
Berkhan
Yes for both of your questions.
You’re welcome.
Sotiris
Thank you for your answers.
Christopher J Evans
Given that the R5 is now $299 do you see that as better value over the new R3 Pro ?
Berkhan
For obvious reasons, yes. But that would depend on your chocies about size and other aspects.
Jorge A.
Hello, Berkhan.
I came to your review directly from HiBy’s page. I’m new to audiophile, and I’m planning to get into it with this DAP. I’m also planning to upgrade my headphones next year to complete my portable set. In the meantime I use Amazon special edition of the Sennheiser HD 598 CS. Do you think that these headphones will be good enough to take the most of the R3 Pro? Or should I consider something else?… I mostly buy and ripp CDs as FLAC format and I’m using Tidal for MQA on streaming too.
Thanks for your review, I’ve been looking for something honest like this. I’ve red a lot of interesting things that were decisive for me to get this one (budget mostly).
Berkhan
Hi Jorge,
I think the R3 Pro is a good start for you and your headphones are enough for now.
xs
any comparison of sound of r3 pro to radsone es100?
Berkhan
I haven’t heard the ES100.
Jeff
Is the R3 Pro Saber able to power the HiFiMan Sundara headphones?