Build Quality
The aluminium construction feels durable and the layout is simple. You have the power/USB charging button on the bottom, together with the MicroSD card slot. You have 2.5/3.5mm phone outs on the top section. I would’ve liked an updated 4.4mm BAL out instead of the old 2.5, which is becoming obsolete nowadays. The sides of the player host all of the buttons, such as power, pause/skip/previous, and volume The latter is on the left side.
The buttons feel stiff and there is no wobble at all. HiBy placed a colour-coded LED under the power button to let you know about the sample rate of the track that you’re playing. The screen looks good but it’s not sharp as the higher-end models if you care. The overall build quality is very nice though, it feels secure and robust in every way.
User Experience
The HiBy R3 Pro Saber 2022 features HiBy’s own HiByOS. Not much is changed in UI, as it has the same layout and screens as the previous models.
Using the player overall is a fairly good experience. The screen, although small, is responsive. You have a very small screen by today’s market standards, and its resolution is not the best. Yet, this player is not a rival to those giant screen devices, but still, it’s not very straightforward to get used to it. Expect to have a certain adjustment period.
Typing with an old-school T9 keyboard is not the best thing you can have, but that is an expected compromise for this screen size. Streaming works smoothly without a problem, including the master recordings from Tidal. The good thing about the new R3 model is that it also supports Qobuz, which was not the case with the R3 models before the R3 Pro Saber (non-2022). Since I always use Qobuz, that’s a great feature to have.
The device is fast enough for day-to-day operation, including booting time. I did not face a bug or another problem with the UI or software yet. But don’t expect a very snappy performance like the R6 and R5 models since they have faster processors. I also found the battery life to be quite good. However, when you use WiFi, it drains faster than expected.
The HiBy R3 Pro Saber is also an excellent transport device. You can use it with your favourite DACs and that way you can have a formidable portable system. All you need to do is connect the player to your DAC via USB, and you’re good to go. It instantly recognizes the DAC and you can directly stream MQA and all the other formats without issues. Seasoned audiophiles would also know that the R3 models are perfect companions for Chord Mojo and Mojo 2 size-wise.
You can check this short video below for some basic tips about the R3 series (since it is completely the same with all variants so far):
Page 1 – Intro, Package, Design
Page 3 – Sound Quality
Page 4 – Technical Performance, Comparisons & Conclusion
