Wired and wireless connections.
Thanks to a dedicated LO/Coax and multi-functional digital usb-c port, Hiby R6 has flexibility of many various wired connections to enable its use as a transport or to pair up with an external dac/amp. Here are some of the examples of my testing.
R6 vs R6/HA-2 – Using Shanling usb-c to micro-usb interconnect digital cable, I seamlessly paired up R6 with Oppo HA-2 portable dac/amp, using it as a digital transport. In comparison to a direct R6 connection, I found the sound with HA-2 to have a little more bass impact, but other than that it was very similar. Also, with external connection, your HO impedance changes according to the spec of a paired up device.
Micro iDSD BL – While trying to stay portable using DAPs, Micro iDSD is one of the few transportable DAC/amp exceptions I still use due to its sound quality and flexibility supporting various connections. Using a budget eBay digital cable with usb-c to full size usb, I had no issues connecting to iDSD and found the sound to be very clear and detailed with a punchy bass.
In comparison, I switched to use Coax output of R6 (needs to be selected in audio settings from pull down menu), where in this pair up I found the sound to be a little smoother and with a noisier background in comparison to digital connection above.
R6 vs R6/E12A – To take advantage of R6 dual DACs while bypassing its internal amp section, I switched to LO (the same menu option where I selected SPDIF above) to test R6 with FiiO E12A portable amp (my neutral amp reference) where I found the sound to be a little bit smoother and the background not as dark. Based on what I’m hearing, it sounds like R6 amps have a blacker background and a brighter tonality, leading to a more resolving sound.
While I’m not a big fan of using portable DAP as USB DAC, this “wired” feature is available with R6 and convenient on the go when you are traveling with your laptop and want to enhance the sound of its stock chipset. Here, after installing Hiby provided drivers, my Win7 laptop recognized R6 without a problem, connected as usb DAC, and it even displayed the sampling/bit rate of the song. The sound quality was the same as listening to R6 standalone.
For Wireless Bluetooth test, I used Sennheiser Momentum Over-ear wireless and B&W P7 Wireless full-size headphones. I tested their performance paired up with R6 vs my aging Note 4, though in both cases it should support aptX codec. I found that I could push headphone volume louder with R6 in comparison to my Note 4, not sure if there is some volume limitation for safety reason with my phone.
In more details, Senns Momentum are picky in some pair ups, but I found no issues with R6. I was able to walk across 50ft of open space, before the sound started to cut off. Comparing the performance of R6 vs Note 4, it sounded nearly identical, crisp, revealing, and with an articulate bass. With P7W, the transmission was clear across 55ft of open space, the sound was balanced and I enjoyed P7W deep bass impact. As a matter of fact, I’m hearing an even deeper sub-bass rumble when paired up with R6 over Note 4.
No wireless discussion could be complete without WiFi and Streaming performance. I had R6 connected to my ASUS RT-N66R router (oldy but goody), 5GHz band. While I was streaming Spotify, had R6 aluminum in a leather case placed in the front pocket of my shorts. Walked to the other end of the 1st floor, an open space of a little over 60ft, and had no issues with streaming, though I was down to 1 bar.
In general, I found R6 to perform like a decent smartphone (not exactly the latest TOTL, but an average smartphone), and with Google Play pre-installed you have access to many different apps, including streaming. I don’t stream too much using apps or from in-house server, but occasionally use either Spotify or DI.fm apps. I know many asked me about Tidal, but unfortunately, I have no account thus wasn’t able to test it. I’m aware that Hiby is working directly with Tidal to fix some minor compatibility issue and hopefully will be able to resolve it soon.
GUI.
While many Android DAPs feature a common interface found in smartphones and tablets, not many of them perform on the same level when it comes to GUI response and app compatibility. Here, thanks to Snapdragon 425 SoC and 3GB of DDR3 RAM, playing music, browsing internet, or streaming audio is a breeze. Plus, Google Play Store already pre-installed so you can start downloading apps without a need to side-load apks or installing custom ROMs.
Interestingly enough, while Notification bar has a familiar volume icon with a volume level, Bluetooth icon (when enabled), WiFi icon (when it’s on), battery icon with remaining %, and a time, once you pull Notification bar down, unlike some other DAPs, you will find a very minimalistic set of short-cut controls: down to brightness adjustment, WiFi and Bluetooth controls, and Audio Settings. There is no general Android Settings icon, instead it’s a separate shortcut on the main Android screen, also found in apps drawer.
Under Audio Settings in Notification menu, you will find Low Pass filter selection for ESS DACs which includes: Minimum phase, fast roll-off, and slow roll-off options; Multifunction Output selection between Lineout or SPDIF; Gain with Low and High settings; L/R channel balance slider; and Tonality (harmonics) selection of Reference, Warm, and Tube Amp. The Settings shortcut on the main screen takes you to a regular Android settings section with typical system settings of WLAN, Bluetooth, Data usage, Display, Apps, Storage, Battery, and others. Perhaps Hiby wanted to keep Notification bar less crowded, but I would have love to see Settings shortcut in the upper right corner where it could be accessible from any screen, instead of searching for the shortcut on the main Android screen.
Of course, you are free to run any audio app of your choice which going to have its own custom GUI, but since we are on a subject of Hiby DAP which comes already with its Premium Hiby Music v3 app, I didn’t bother to use anything else, especially after I learned of MageSound 8-ball DSP effects. Hiby Music app is very user friendly and feature-rich, and its navigation on R6 is very fast, especially since its interface is very logical to navigate.
The main screen at the start has top bar with Music listing where you can navigate by a song Title with the ability to play all in Shuffle mode or to select individual tracks to add to Queue or to Playlist or to Delete. You can also navigate by Folder or sort by Album, Artist, Genre (depending on ID tag of your songs), or Private Cloud (DLNA/LAN or Baidu?). There is a separate tab for Favorites, Recently played, or Playlist. Also, there is an option to enable HibyLink to connect to your smartphone. Last, but not least, a Search menu. While going through these choices above, at the bottom you always have a visible playback bar with a currently selected song with navigation controls.
Tapping on that playback bar brings up the main playback screen, also with a clear layout. At the top you see a song/artist name with 3-dot setting menu next to it (add to playlist, share, EQ, show album info, and properties display). Below it, the top half of the display shows embedded artwork (if available), and you can swipe to the left to see if there is embedded lyrics, and one more swipe for a detailed info about the song. And speaking of detailed info, once playback starts, the sampling rate of the song is displayed in the notification bar, something I haven’t seen with any other DAP yet.
In the lower left corner of artwork screen, you can tap to select playback mode: loop all, loop one, straight play through, or random playback. The lower right corner has a link to open current playback queue, based on either a folder where you are playing from or an album or playlist. Lower part of the screen has playback controls with Skip Next/Prev on the sides, and a large circle with Play/Pause in the middle and Fast Forward/Back navigation to scrub through the song. While I personally prefer a straight horizontal bar to touch-forward through the song, this Circle navigation bar became a signature control of Hiby app, and it’s large enough for a precise control.
Also, I liked the EQ interface which you can access from the playback screen. First of all, unlike many other DAPs where enabling EQ drops the output by at least 3dB to avoid clipping, here the volume doesn’t change but you have +/-12dB amp gain adjustment. Then, you have 10-band EQ (31,62,125,250,500,1k,2k,4k,8k,16k) with each band having +/-12dB adjustment. These 10 bands sliders spread across 2 screens, but the top of the EQ has a common graphics screen with a visual of all 10 bands so you can see the final EQ curve. Furthermore, in addition to a custom preset, you also have 8 genre specific EQ presets which you can modify further.
Hiby Music app comes with its own comprehensive Settings menu which can be accessed by swiping to the right from the main screen of the app. Here you can access Music Scan (scanning all or specific folder, with a number of scan options), Download manager (assuming, for songs?), Equalizer (as described above), MageSound 8-ball (Hiby own special effects), Plugin (available plug ins, currently with Parametric EQ and Joe’s Sound Filed Enhancement plugin), Sleep timer, Settings (a very comprehensive set of music app settings), Quick guide, and About section.
I’m sure more plugins will be available soon, and I hope PEQ will get its own GUI since for now it’s very low level basic interface. MageSound 8-ball is what many will be interested in. It’s a very comprehensive set of very useful effects that can really shape the sound with quite natural results. You can adjust the “temperature” by going from cooler/brighter to warmer/darker signature, adjust bass extension (from light to deep), bass texture (from fast to thumpy), note thickness (from crisp to thick), vocals (from recessed/crisp to more forward/smoother), female overtone, LF/HF sibilance level, impulse response (from slow/music to fast/hard) and level of air. At first, I assumed it will be more like an EQ adjustment, but the more you use it, the more you realize it’s like DSP effect processing, reminding me of BBE/JetEffect in some way.
Bottom line, no matter what app I was using, everything was very responsive and super fast.
Twister6 Reviews 
Thanks for the review. I’ve got a FiiO X7ii that I am thinking about changing. I’ve already got the DX200 and Opus#2 shortlisted. Should I add the R6 to this list? Any other suggestions would be welcome.
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definitely consider it, but you have to be aware that with some of your multi-BAs and hybrid IEMs – iEMatch will be necessary.
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may you make a review pairing it up with qdc neptune?thank you in advance.
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sorry, I never heard of qdc neptune…. just looked up the spec. It’s a single BA, though should pair up well. The only concern is low impedance. But either way, iEMatch can solve this problem.
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I need one!
(My life was so easy with Sansa Clip on my shirt and Meelec M9 in my ears… 🙂 )
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I’m going to assume that you have never heard any Custom Art ciems? Their Fibae range sound a natural fit (though assumption = dangerous on my part!) if you don’t want to use a dongle. Got both on order so looking forward to them. Also available as universal if you ask nicely.
Maybe on the con’s list you ought to put long wait time from ordering due to nature of backing indigogo!
Nice review as always.
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I reviewed a few CA in the past, just never got to Fibae series. Heard 2 is too smooth/natural while 3 is too forward? But yeah, they use crossover which makes the sound independent of OI. 64audio does it with LID crossover used in U12t and Trio.
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Thanks a lot!
It’s not entirely clear what position the iematch switch was in, could you clarify?
It would be great if you continued to post matching with other IEMS.
It’s a pity you can’t test Tidal or other hires apps to be able to estimate the implementation of bypassing Android SRC.
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I always use the lowest (first) setting on iematch, otherwise you will need more gain compensation from your source. The higher the setting, the more attenuation and the more volume you have to raise from a DAP. With Tidal and other streaming services, I’m not sure if they can sound identical to high res from your internal storage. They are not streaming 100MB individual songs and do have to use some compression, right?
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I was referring to the comparison of hires apps like Tidal or Deeser on R6 and Flio, Cayn, etc because they do not bypass the src.
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I have read many times many times when you mention how the 64 Audio U12 need a higher OI player!
Do u have any idea if the Onkyo DX P1 would be a good match?
I simply love that player more than any other at any price.
Thanks
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are you planning to buy u12? those are discontinued, replaced by u12t and trio, but if you can get second hand – don’t think it will sound as good as paired up directly with R6. Don’t have experience with Onkyo, but it’s a low impedance source. Might work better with a brighter cable like Ref8.
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Thanks for the fast response , and for the review of course , I already have the onkyo and the u12 and I use it with the hybrid balanced penon Audio cable , to me it sounds great but can’t help to think that the U12 should sound better , due to the OI. I recently listened to the forte and the u18 and both are great but liked the 18 better. I can’t really afford to pay 3k for IEMs so stocked with the U12 I am. That’s why I was thinking maybe buying the R6 after selling my onkyo. The hard decision is weather I sell it or not because I truly love it.
Any advice?
Thanks
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your decision, man. I’m not familiar with Onkyo dap, but I have a feeling R6 will be an upgrade, plus, a bonus upgrade of U12 sound 😉
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Great review! So far loving the R6 paired with my 64 Audio U4-SE and Plussound Echo Series Cable and Null Audio Arete MK III Cable (a bit stiff). Loving 64 Audio so much I’m waiting for a pair of discontinued U8’s this week (current line up is out of my range). Also waiting for Atlas Zeno IEM cable to pair up with the U8. Big mistake I made (gotta read more before jumping the boat) was wanting to try some open backs and going with the AKG K7XX. Great headphones but because of there sensitivity the R6 will not run them on there own. Using the FIIO A5 will get them to where I want but I want to avoid stacking. Even though open backs may create a larger soundstage I really want a good closed back, any suggestions? Even though I incline to listen to music on my IEM’s a lot more every day!
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I’m IEM guy 🙂 not much experience with closed back. I do still use MSR7 and like T5p 2nd gen. Last yeat at canjam, I was VERY impressed with AEON closed back too.
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Do you think iEM Shure SE535 would match well with R6? I was having second thoughts to place an order. Very nice review. Thanks.
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i guarantee it will need iEMatch
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I got the same pair. Works very well I think. I don’t think I hear any issues due to the high impedance.
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Why wasn’t it compared to the DX200?
Really interested in your opinion since they both use Sabre chips, with one being mobile and one being desktop grade.
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Someone asked me the same question. With AMP1, there are a lot of similarities in sound wiht R6, though obviously amp1 has more power and low output impedance. DX200 really scales up in performance when you upgrade amp modules. Even since I switched to AMP4, I’m keeping it permanently attached. DX200 will have an advantage in sound quality and amp module choices, but keep in mind – dx200 is bigger and heavier, and doesn’t have Google Play (either side load apk files or need to install Lurker’s custom ROM which has Google Play store).
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hi twister6,
How do you connect R6 with idsd BL using usb otg? Should i use app usb audio player pro or hiby app can do it? Please advise. Thanks.
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ok nevermind,. i can play it through deezer and poweramp.. but not hiby app
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That’s strange because I was using it with Hiby app. Per my review in a picture, it’s just a cheap $5 usb-c to full usb otg interconnect, and once you turn micro iDSD on you will get a pop-up if Hiby app can access the connected device (or something like that). When you click OK – it should work.
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Hello and great review. here on headfi always enjoyed the simplicity of the reviews for a relatively uninitiated ones like me.
I been on X5(3)+A5 combo. my only issue is the hissing i get on Dunu’s and even IT01 also catches them. Lot of classical rocks even good recordings would play with minute pauses and the hissing just destroys all the mood.
I loved this player , my only issue is single card as i travel and I prefer music along with me.
If someone preferred warmer musical tone, bit of punch in that musically, but no hisses, decent battery and dual storage what should I try. Older rock, some alternate n metal is what keeps me happy. Wifi – i dont need, bluetooth- if its there all right but not a deal breaker to my needs.
Sony WM1A is way out of my reach currently 🙂 .
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have you looked in to N5ii? That might fit you better, hiss free, SE and BAL outputs, and dual uSD storage. I reviewed it not too long ago on my blog.
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i saw and at that price point it seems too good to be true :). The sound comparison was similar to costlier daps. My only worry was the volume wheel and that just kept me away. and Cayin’s UI I tried with first gen and I never took to it.
any other option that also be future proof.
Thank you for replying. really appreciate it.
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Sorry to bother you again. how would you stack Opus#1S in this mix?
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it’s inferior in sound quality (not by a lot, but R6 still sounds more detailed), but the biggest downfall in this comparison is that #1S is just an audio player, no bluetooth, no wifi, no app support, no streaming, etc.
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With the potential problem with the high output impedance, with can’t Hiby make a hardware modification to address this?
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it’s not a problem, just a part of the design. They had first batch released in China first where everybody loved it, they went on IGG to crowdfund it and got feedback from audophiles who demanded low OI. You can’t change the design after production started, it will only introduce the delays and will make people upset who bought it already. My vote goes for R6 Pro version in the future 🙂
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Hi wanted to know what you think
Would ibasso it01 or it03 would be a better pair for Hiby r6, a little confused beteeen these two and would like to know what you think ( m well aware of their price difference )
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Did you read the last page of my R6 review? These two have two different sound signatues, you can also search on my blog for detailed reviews of it01 and it03, to get a better idea which sound you prefer. Regarding pair up, as I mentioned in the review, with R6 it01 pairs up great directly connected while it03 requires iematch adapter due to high impedance of R6 which messes up the sound. So, all will depend on your budget and a sound preference.
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Hey Twister! Nice review. Could you tell that R6 is superior to Plenue R in sound quality? I can’t decide between these too. Because if they technically are on par(soundwise), but have just different signatures, I would rather go with the Plenue R. But if R6 is a step up in sound, then the decision is clear.
Thank you in advance.
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It’s not exactly night’n’day, unless if you are dealing with some low impedance multi BA iems and not using iematch, just keep in mind high output impedance of R6. I think many will be making their choice based on features between these two, especially if you want a fast android performance with streaming and app support. Other wise PR is damn good.
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Hi Twister,
I want to double check that the R6 suits my needs. I intend to get a coax cable (3.5mm to BNC male),connect it to a Nuetrik impedance convert (75 to 110) and finally link it into my subwoofer, which expects AES signal.
Is the output signal from the RS coax port SPDIF 75 on?
I’m I correct I require an audio coax cable? (not to be confused with Topslink).
Thanks!
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R6 already comes with 3.5mm to BNC male cable bundled in, for SPDIF coax output (you can select either Line Out or SPDIF coax out). I’m using it to drive iFi Micro iDSD DAC/amp. To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s 75 ohm, can’t find it anywhere in the spec of R6 or Micro iDSD. I’m a “portable” audio guy, only familiar with DAP and portable dac/amp equipment, sorry man.
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Super helpful. Exactly what I need, although I’ll have to get a new coax cable: the enclose is RCA terminated, whereas the 110ohm converter wants a BNC connecter.
BTW, how do you find the sound from coax port? Does the bit perfect algorithm makes a difference?
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well, to me the sound from the coax port is “colored” by the external DAC/amp which I use 😉 Though I’m into portable setup, Micro iDSD is one heck of a transportable DAC/amp. So, in general, no complaints with Coax of R6 😉
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That amp is sweet!
BTW, the R6 will be replacing an sp1000…Its confined ecosystem, where I can’t stream off SoundCloud, drives me crazy. I wish A&K fitted the DAP with a digital input for a Chromcast and likes…Furthermore, 11 months of the year, the DAP serves as a transport, and the sp1000 has only Topslink output, which is prone to jitter and requires tons of format conversions. Oh well…
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I love SPK as a standalone DAP, but for $3.5k it’s one expensive transport lol!
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Well argued 🙂
May I trouble you with one question?
Can the R6 can be controlled remotely? Put differently, I’d like to run the “HiBy Music” app on my phone, and, using the HiByLink feature, control the R6 remotely.
Thanks…
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hibyLink is supported as part of the HibyMusic app on R6 and when you install it on your phone to control it remotely. Other remote control apps – you can search Google Play, I’m sure there are many in there. R6 is like a full android phone without a “phone” part, like iPod touch 😉 So, whatever you can install on a phone can also be installed on R6.
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Hi, I am a iem newbee. I ordered the R6–it comes tomorrow. I have an older iem–Earsonics SM64. It seems to get no love in the reviews I have read. Could I trouble you to steer me in the direction of IEMs in the $500-1000 range. I read your reviews and I am trying to find the sweet spot between expense and sonic quality for the R6. I prefer a direct match if possible. I listen to mostly jazz and classical. I don’t want to put you on the spot and I will be responsible, of course for my buying choice, and will test as much as possible. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much.
Doug
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Funny, that’s a price spot which doesn’t get as much coverage from me, either going with budget iems or a lot more expensive flagships. You do need to try different ones. If you are in US, attending CanJams might be a very good start for you. For the type of music you are listening to and in this price range, I would try Westone UM Pro 50 v2. It will give you a more musical tonality, and still with a great bass extension and punch and enough airy sparkle in treble. These are not the most resolving, have that Westone laidback feeling, but you might need to get either ear-buddy or iematch adapter, unless if you are getting R6 from MusicTeck where they offer now a free ear-buddy with R6 purchase.
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Hi
Thanks for the review. Does the iEMatch take any volume from the signal? I’ve just seen a Youtube video on how to update to 8.1. Looks overly complicated.
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iEMatch does attenuate the output level, so volume will be lower, you will have to raise it from the DAP.
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