HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
The Hiby R6 is also pretty packed in this regard. It has Android 6.0.1 which is one of the most advanced versions we’ve seen in Android DAP market yet. With the inclusion of the Snapragon 425 processor, this is easily the fastest Android DAP you can buy. And wait, we’re not finished here; there’s also 3GBs of RAM, which is again the most generous memory size among all those devices.
The device didn’t have Google Play when I received it. Also, some menus had Chinese language and there wasn’t any possibility to install apps other than downloading and running APK files. Joseph provided me the official firmware for international users with Play Store and after that everything has been flawless so far. I was told that the Indiegogo customers will have this firmware installed.
The UI is stock Android and apps-wise it’s very clean overall with almost no bloatware installed. This is another big plus to me, given that the DAP has 32GB memory onboard. You don’t want bloatware occupying the space in your DAP and draining the battery in background. The UI is quite familiar if you ever use(d) Android phones / DAPs before thanks to the stock form, so no issues here. Even if you’ve never used Android before, I don’t think you will have difficulty using the player.
USER EXPERIENCE
The result is a fluid, snappy and almost perfect UI experience in all screens and apps you navigate. It feels like your daily smartphone. Not in a level of some flagship phones of course, but pretty close to mid range smartphones out there, and that is very pleasing. I think the R6 doesn’t have any rivals in terms of that.
The device has 32GBs of internal space but practically it would be around 25GB, thanks to the OS and application files. There’s 1 micro SD card slot to use and I think it can work with the newest 400gb cards but there’s no confirmation on that yet, as far as I know. 2 slots could’ve been very very nice but it’s not a big problem.
One thing I want to highlight is the volume screen. Whichever application or screen you’re navigating, there’s always a volume screen when you click the volume buttons on the left. In there, you can swipe up and down for setting the volume to your liking. I really dig this feature as it’s not only for the players own music app. In TIDAL, in Spotify or in the settings screen, it doesn’t matter. You always have your volume screen on when you press one of the volume buttons.
TIDAL
One little problem I faced is very long song loading times in TIDAL app, when you are connected to a 2.4ghz Wi-Fi network. I noticed this when I first installed TIDAL to the unit, and it never changed ever since. The next song loads up pretty fast, but when you want to jump to the 3rd one, again you have to wait a while. I of course know TIDAL HiFi takes a while to start the song because of large files. But the Sony ZX2, which has much slower and older hardware & software in terms of usage, loads up and starts the songs faster. I think the HiBy R6 is designed to work with 5ghz networks so be aware of that.
This is of course not a problem if you have 5ghz WiFi at all times, but when you connect it to your phone through WiFi Hotspot (2.4ghz), it gets worse and takes so long only until you would give up and return to Spotify. When you have a good internet in your home it’s tolerable, but if you don’t then it’s very hard to use TIDAL. Joseph from HiBy Music is aware of the issue, and maybe it’s just my unit but we’ll see. If you have the unit feel free to comment on this under the review.
Other streaming apps like Spotify are perfectly fine though.
BATTERY LIFE
Usually Android consumes power and reduces the battery efficiency, but battery life is really good for an Android DAP, and that thanks to the efficient processor and having no bloatware. I also noticed it has a great performance when sitting idle. One day I left the device open in the morning, and when I get back home at night there was an only %2 decrease in percentage. HiBy claims 12 hours of battery from the SE output, and I think in practice it should be around 10h easily. That of course always depends on your (type of) usage.
HIBY MUSIC APP
For playing songs in your archive, there’s the HiBy Music application. There aren’t any real flaws I faced in this app, it works perfectly. One thing I liked is the screen that contains your recently played songs. That way I can always return to the songs I play frequently.
I loved the simplistic approach in the app, this is a successful application with a nice layout and menu placements. A theme option could be nice to customize but it’s still very good and simple to the eye.
DSP SETTINGS
There are lots of DSP settings on the HiBy R6, so the player is again quite generous when it comes to sound altering. First of all there’s a 10 band equalizer that provides 0.5db margins so it’s very precise overall. You can use most of your IEMs and headphones and alter the sound to your liking. Other than EQ, there are built in sound settings, which you can find in OS of the device. You can also access this screen from the drop down menu.
You can set low pass filtering, tonality and gain, and adjust the channel balance. What you can also do is set the multi function 3.5mm output to Line-Out or Spdif. I like the tonality (harmonics) setting because with only one touch you can set it to “reference” , “warm” or “tube amp” and all those affect the overall sound. I left it to reference almost all the time but it might be different for you. The other two give a musical an warmer sound.
MageSound 8-ball
Second, there’s the “MageSound 8-ball” inside the HiBy Music application. Through that screen you can adjust almost every aspect of sound you can imagine. To be honest this is the first time I’ve seen this type of rich adjustments and the most beautiful part is that they actually work. What you can do is adjust the overall temperature of sound from cold to warm, bass extension from light to deep, bass texture, note thickness, vocals, sibilance, air and so on… This is really incredible to play with. With this feature, you can make every type of headphone work with this DAP.
But pure sound lovers like me probably won’t use the feature and simply leave it all closed. In my case, I only use the EQ to some extent with my IEMs, and I think those DSP settings are not fully natural sounding but it’s great to have this much detail in terms of sound effects. So I congratulate the effort. The people who fancy these kinds of DSP features most likely will fall in love with the device.
There’s also a plugin menu and there you can find even more options, such as “Sound Field” & “PEQ Combined” which are for sound stage and equalizing specific frequencies. Even though I don’t like playing around with DSP settings, this has to be mentioned as being another special aspect of HiBy R6.
Continue to PAGE 3 to read the DTA Architecture and sound impressions
yoketom
Can you recommend one between Cayin N5II vs Hiby R6?
Berkhan
I will experience the N5II soon, but I don’t have it at this moment to compare.
Darren Cotter
Why did you use the discontinued FiiO X7 as a comparison?
Wouldn’t it have been fairer to use the current X7ii against a DAP so new, it’s not even available in the UK via normal retailers?
Lieven
Availability…
Berkhan
We can’t have everything at hand at all times. I’ve never tried the X7 mk2, so I just included the X7 so that people can have some idea.
John Lee
#sigh – there will be no difference between balanced and SE unless it has been dramatically retuned between the two outputs. The only difference is output volume, you know this! But still repeat myths about balanced being magic.
Ridiculous and misleading.
Ask Hawaiibadboy!
Lieven
You’re cracking me up dear John. Thank’s for making me laugh this early in the morning.
Linus
it all comes down to how well the implementation is in my opinion. There are some balanced outputs that sound better than single ended and some that sound worse. it is not about balanced being magical, it simply relies on the components used in the signal path of the output. some devices have much better balanced operation (think Sony WM1Z or ALO CDM) because they were made for that specific operation, single ended came second there.
but yeah, this can lead to an endless discussion and has been the topic of heated conversations in the past, so let’s agree to disagree. You say nay, I say yay… 🙂
rob
“some devices have much better balanced operation (think Sony WM1Z or ALO CDM) ”
– I have the Sony and yes, there is a big, noticable difference between the BAL and SE outputs. I use the Campfire Lyra in balanced and have never wanted to go back to SE. I have not tried BAL with my Noble Encore.
Berkhan
Thank you for this comment. Cheers.
Berkhan
Have you listened to the device and compared SE – Balanced?
Joseph Yeung
Hello John,
Although I would love for Berkhan’s write up to be even more positive in every aspect (who wouldn’t in my position? ???? ), I do agree that there are differences in the implementation of SE and balanced in Berkhan’s unit that may lead to the heard differences. Although the design is said to be pretty much final, there is one final touch we can put in the output stages that can make the SE and balanced outputs more… identical. We’re talking some very minor change here that won’t affect the production schedule at all 🙂
Best regards,
Joseph Yeung
HiBy Music Product Manager
Loplop
Joseph,
Was this SE tweak implemented before units shipped?
Also: any comment on the Tidal issue? Tidal is mostly my use case for this unit, and I’d be disappointed if it was worse than my ZX2, which was poor (sluggish, lots of stops/dropouts). My AK Kann works perfectly with Tidal, but is a bit dry sounding. I’m hoping this HiBy will be the best balance of SQ and features for me 🙂
Berkhan
If you have a 5ghz network, it’s not a problem.
John
Hello thanks for the review.
In your opinion wich one would be best paired to a paire of Isine 20 :
The Chord Mojo or the Hiby R6.
Thank you.
Berkhan
You’re welcome.
I don’t know to be honest. Never listened to the Audeze.
Mojo has a narrower and congested sound stage, but it has great mids and treble. R6 has much wider stage IMO. But Mojo should be superior from Single Ended. R6 has a great balanced sound though.
So in the end it depends if you prefer to stack with your smartphone go for Mojo. But if you like standalone DAP like me, I suggest the R6 (balanced out).
John
Thank you very much, I will go for the R6 with the balanced output !
Cellendril
For the iSine 20, sans Cipher, go for the device with adjustable EQ.
S
Would love to see some more comparisons, say with the Sony NW-ZX300, or even the WM1A!
Berkhan
WM1A is on a higher level so I didn’t include. ZX300? Not yet listened.
Dhofi
Hello, could you confirm if the SE jack could respond to button or mic?
Berkhan
Just tried it, and no, cable buttons don’t work.
Slowpork
Hi,
You mentioned R6 lacks treble airness, which earphones you used to test?
May you comment briefly more about R6’s output impedance and earphone impedance you used?
Thanks a lot.
Berkhan
Hi,
Oriolus MKII
InEarz Nirvana
CTM VS3
FiiO F9 Pro
were used mostly.
The treble air is not much of a problem from the balanced output though.
Amin Mohamad
Hi,
Which one would be best paired to hiby R6: Fiio F9 pro or Nuforce HEM8 ?
Thank You
Berkhan
The F9 Pro is indeed a very nice pair, especially when you take the balanced cable into account. So I recommend it.
As for the NuForce, I’ve never listened to it.
Loplop
Thank you for the thorough review! I think this player might be my replacement for my ZX2; I rarely use IEMs, and the ZX2 just can’t drive most headphones properly. I bought an AK Kann, which certainly has the driving power, but is a bit dry when matched with my Focal Clear’s (better with T1p, OK with LCDX). I tried the SP1000Cu, which was lush, but too laid back. I’m hoping this one has enough power to drive the Clear’s well.
Thanks for the thorough review, and for calling out the Tidal issue. I hope this has been improved by now, or will be shortly. I listen to a lot of Tidal…
Berkhan
For sound quality alone, the R6 wouldn’t satisfy your needs because you’ve already tried top notch DAPs.
It sure is quite powerful from balanced. But not sure if it’s more powerful than the SP1000cu.
Dilpal Singh
How is the pairing with oriolus mk2 and flc8s. Both are low impedance iems. Do they behave badly with Hiby r6?
Berkhan
Oriolus MK2 sounds pretty good, I didn’t have any issues with it. Don’t know about the FLC. But as I stated in the review, in my case there wasn’t an issue with the output impedance.
But then again, I fully recommend to use this DAP with the balanced output.
Norman James Roa
How would these pair with the CA Vega??:)
Norman James Roa
*this
Berkhan
No idea. If the Vega is open and a little bright sounding, than it would be a nice pair.
Wheels
So one thing that wasn’t mentioned that I’m kinda interested in.. The Bluetooth option. Does it support the LDAC codex?
Berkhan
No, there’s no LDAC AFAIK.
Peter Mcdonnell
Hi, I have just purchased the R6 and the problem I have is connecting to wifi unless I am literally a couple of feet from my router it just won’t connect, either 2.4 or 5g. Any suggestions, I have a very strong wifi signal and no problems with any other devices.
Berkhan
Hi. Sorry to hear your Wi-Fi issue. Have you tried with another router in another place?
George
Hello.
Would you care to elaborate how the R6 is bassier than ZX2?
I thought the ZX2 was a warm DAP while on the other hand I heard from a few that the R6 is just a tad on the warm side.
Berkhan
Hi,
Both are warm DAPs, but the R6 has a little more bass quantity. It’s simple as that. But in my opinion the ZX2 is the better DAP in terms of overall sound quality.
GEORGE
Thanks for your answer.
Yes, I can understand ZX2 being the better among the 2. I’d also easily imagine that one beating the most of today’s DAP out there when it comes to sheer musical performance.
Is it safe to assume that the R6 lies somewhere in-between ZX2 and X5iii in terms of bass quantity?
Oleg K.
Dear Berkhan,
you wrote that “Also, some menus had Chinese language and there wasn’t any possibility to install apps other than downloading and running APK files. Joseph provided me the official firmware for international users with Play Store and after that everything has been flawless so far”
Could you clarify – were you able to get a fully international version after installing the new firmware (without the chinese Hiby-logo during turning on the DAP, without the chinese language and pre-installed chinese applications)? or you just installed google play?
Thanks in advance!
Peter
I have been enjoying my R6 for a few weeks. IMHO the balanced out is more than just higher volume… the SQ is improved. I bought three balanced cables for my headphones and IEM.
No apparent problems with my single driver 17 ohm SE215s. No problems with WiFi or Tidal response.
My only beef is the keyboard… the double duty keys at the top of the keyboard are hard to get right. 50% of the time I tap a letter and get a symbol or number. A numeric shift button (a-la iPhone) might be better.
jack
maybe a stupid question but really need helps since new in audio thingy. just purchased R6 and I read about balanced output. what kind of IEM that I shall purchase to use this feature? thanks
Berkhan
It’s not about the IEM, it’s about the cable. You need to get a 2.5mm balanced cable.
oli
Hello and thanks for the good review.
I am looking for a good matching IEMs for this player and I have had some hard time finding the answer given the potential issues resulting of the higher output impedance.
Do you have some recommendation IEMs you tried with it and give some good synergy? (i’ll use the balanced output). I have in mind some like these: TinHifi P1, Etymotic ER-4XR and Simgot Ek3, being aware some of them may change its designed tonality given R6’s relaitve high output impedance. If tonality issues happen, would you recommend the ifi-iematch?
Berkhan
I recommend you the ER-4XR out of those. The output impedance is not that of a problem to me, but you can get the IEMatch for improvement.
grace
hi, I am looking to buy a DAP and maybe this one is it. but I got some questions. aside from music I would like to also use it as a media center. so watching movies from the sd, YouTubing and Netflix.
My questions are the following:
– how well does it play movies
– does the movie go into landscape mode once you choose to watch it in fullscreen (kinda like Netflix, they don’t do landscape mode but when the film plays it goes to fullscreen mode)
– is the android os updatable
Could you please try this out for me as I am really wanting to buy this but still on the fence if it does not do the following concerning the movie aspect
Berkhan
I don’t recommend watching movies with this player. Go with your smartphone instead. The screen is quite small and it doesn’t have the best colors.
grace
I dont mind the small screen. was just wondering about the questions I asked …
Egi Indra Wilantika
Does westone 4r needs iematch for the r6?
Egi Indra Wilantika
Or should i go for 2.5mm balanced cable?