DTA (Direct Transfer Audio)
DTA Architecture could be the most shining feature of the R6. In short: it’s done by bypassing the Android sound system. The stream goes through the modified Android audio stack on the DAC without any sample rate conversion. Even volume adjustment is performed directly by the DAC instead of the digital recalculation.
The resulting sample rate is shown at the status bar on top, next to the battery icon. So basically Android OS does not interfere with the sound and this is a great specialty from the engineers. And here’s the thing: this also works with TIDAL and Spotify, so it’s not exclusive to the HiBy Music application. Whatever you listen to, it’s directly from the DAC (unless the developers of Spotify and TIDAL change how those apps work in terms of audio processing).
SOUND
Now whatever a DAP has in its sleeves, the defining moment is when you select a song and hit play. The HiBy R6 is top notch in terms of user experience; so let’s see how it performs in the most important category.
The R6 uses dual Sabre ES9028Q2M DACs and this is good stuff. There are certainly more advanced DACs on the market but let’s not forget that this unit does not have a flagship price point at all.
To sum up: the R6 has a smooth and non fatiguing, warmish, a little bassy and organic sound overall with good imaging capabilities. It certainly isn’t a DAP for fully neutral and bright/open sound lovers. On the other hand, it’s a great DAP for folks like me, because it’s musical and dark-ish. It’s impossible to please everyone in this regard but sure thing is that the HiBy R6 is also very good in terms of pure sound quality.
I will follow my order like always with this review, so let’s start with evaluating the lows.
BASS
The bass of R6 is punchy, impactful and enjoyable. It’s certainly very impressive, in terms of rumble and decay. Midbass is on acceptable levels, so that mids can shine in their area. Lows can hit hard when asked, and recovery is quite good. Overall the quantity of bass is not shy on the R6, especially with dynamic driver IEMs. I should say it has heavy bass, instead of a light and quick bass response. But despite that trait, the recovery is pretty impressive. Layering is also quite good but the resolution of bass is not great. The good thing is that it’s definitely juicy and that it has a small hint of fun in it, no overly doing so.
HiBy R6
Even though it has a lot of bass when needed to, midbass is under control at all times, helping to get good separation from other frequencies. It’s maybe not at the level of TOTL players in terms of that, but I would say it’s quite acceptable. Good bass quantity can make bass lovers happy, as well as people who want to get more bass impact from their IEMs/headphones. Juicy bass character also serves well for deep staging.
Overall I found that R6 has a musical, engaging and heavy bass to impress you if you’re lover of bass rumble. The thing I loved the most though, is the great level of control, tightness and recovery despite the fact that it’s somewhat a bassy player to some extent. Strong bass is great though, especially for RnB, Pop and etc.
MIDS
Musical, energetic and transparent are the 3 words that come to mind when I listened to it first. I love having my mids a little vivid, delicious and organic. The way the R6 produces the mids is wonderful in that regard. So overall I’m impressed. Vocals and instruments are very pleasant with a very nice, smooth tonality. Sibilance or edginess are almost non-existent, we have a very musical and easy to listen DAP in our hands.
Transparency of the mids is another good part of the HiBy R6. But because it has a dark-ish tonality, general resolution is definitely not on the top level. Still you will be satisfied for the price range, just don’t expect something like Sony WM1Z or AK SP1000SS. It’s actually better than X5III to me but more on that later.
I liked the fact that the mids are a little bit forward but not too in your face, there’s a very good balance right there. So it’s very easy to enjoy the mids of this player especially if you have an IEM which has a good resolution and harmonics. Mids are very coherent as a whole and in terms of tonality it’s on the dark side, I should remark that. If you like open and airy mids, than this is not your best bet. But on the other hand, if you seek a player that has a musical and dark touch, than this could be your dream.
TREBLE
This is the only part that I found the R6 somewhat lacking in. The air, extension and definition of highs are not very revealing or transparent. The player simply is not very resolving in this regard. To me this is not a life or death issue but for the people who love flat, reference and open sound will not like this trait. I personally think that there should be more treble overall to assist the good level of quality of the bass & mids.
This character results in a warm, dark and musical way but because I think the R6 is a great DAP in terms of the other parts of the spectrum, hearing this kind of absence from highs is a little disappointing. Th treble resolution is not at a very high level either. You will need a bright IEM/Headphone for this, but it will make the R6 excellent. Or, you can rake up the DSP settings and EQ to match the sound to your liking. Since the player has an immense amount of options in that regard, you won’t have a big problem generating your own sound.
HiBy R6
TECHNICAL
When I approach the DAP on the technical aspect, I can say it has a great separation for all frequency ranges. So the result is quite satisfying, especially for the bass part. The overall control and harshness-free nature of the HiBy R6 left me with a positive impression overall. In terms of blackness, the background is darker than some Anroid DAPs I’ve heard. To me the Hiby R6’s price is on a acceptable and proper level.
Resolution is also great except for the treble part I’m afraid. I can’t imagine how it could’ve been with just a little more top end extension. But thankfully they’re articulated most of the time, so there’s no congestion of any kind. Actually that’s the case as a whole for HiBy R6 as well, it’s not congested or aggressive by any means.
The sound stage is one of the most impressive parts of the R6. The staging is both very wide and deep for the price level. Thanks to the assist of beautiful separation and resolving character of bass & mids, you get a great player in terms of imaging. So it’s very capable of creating the image and giving you a picture to pick the elements of the music.
Continue to PAGE 4 to read comparisons, balanced and end words
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?