Mini-Me!
PROS: very compact design, fast OS and GUI, open Android w/Google Play store, natural neutral tonality, 3.5mm/4mm HO and LO, MQA (to be enabled soon).
CONS: soundstage just above average (feels more intimate), included screen protectors.
The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion.
Manufacturer website: Hiby. Available for sale on MusicTeck and Amazon.
Intro.
It probably sounds strange, but I feel bad for anybody who is in the market looking for a new DAP, especially if you are after more affordable mid-fi level audio players. When it comes to high end summit-fi flagship DAPs, the choices are more manageable, and entry level market is less busy with some turning their attention to small Bluetooth receivers instead. But mid-fi DAP market is starting to get flooded with feature-packed affordable DAPs.
Some of these mid-fi DAPs packing too much under the hood, and some are getting too big in size. It’s a good strategy to capture attention of audio enthusiasts on a budget who are looking for the best price/performance ratio. But there are others in search of mid-fi DAPs as an alternative to their big and heavy flagship players they would rather keep at home, and instead get something more compact and still powerful enough on the go.
And that’s exactly what Hiby delivered in their new R5 release – Mini-Me scaled down version of their flagship R6Pro DAP. I enjoyed spending the last few weeks with R5 and now would like to share with you about this latest release from Hiby.
Unboxing and Accessories.
R5 arrived in all black nice compact packaging box. The cover of the box had a soft foam inner lining to protect the DAP wedged inside of a foam tray cutout. Other accessories could be found at the bottom in two storage boxes. Overall, the packaging is very straight forward, nothing fancy.
Accessories included a tempered glass protector for the front and film protector for the back, push-pin tool to eject micro SD card tray, a premium usb-c charging and data cable, a clear transparent TPU case, and a manual. One film screen protector was already applied to a display, but I found it to be sticky and rubbery, and I removed it right away to improve touch sensitivity of the screen. The same material film protector was intended for the back, and I didn’t bother with it. The front tempered glass looked too small for the display, probably intentionally since the display screen has curved edges and tempered glass usually won’t stick to the edges.
R5 TPU clear case is very good, similar to the one included with R6Pro. I like this kind of cases because they let you see the design details of the DAP without covering it up, and at the same time enhance the grip and protect from minor bumps. I don’t know if it will turn yellowish or discolored down the road, only time will tell. But so far R6Pro case is still clear. The only thing I don’t like about it the glass back of R5 sticking to the case, creating a visual “splatters”, but it’s really just a nitpicking.
Design.
After dealing with so many larger size DAPs, it feels good to hold a small compact player in my hand. With dimensions of 107.7 x 61.2 x 15.6 (mm) and weight of about 158g, it easily fits in a palm of my hand and allows touch screen navigation with just a thumb. It’s light, but has a little heft to it, and with a clear TPU case the grip feels secure.
The front of R5 is filled with 4” touch screen, a good viewing angle thanks to IPS display, and a decent resolution for this size, 540×1080. The bezel around the display is thin. Left and right sides are smooth and rounded, the only metal (aluminum) sides of the DAP. The top, the bottom, and the back are all glass, more reasons to keep R5 in a case. The display itself is bright and has rich colors, very similar to R6 and R6Pro.
The right side of the DAP has a power button at the top with a built-in LED, the same as R6/R6Pro where the light changes depending on the playback format or when charging. Below it you have hw playback buttons with a slightly larger Play/Pause in the middle and skip buttons on each side. The left side has volume up/down buttons and micro SD card tray. The TPU case has cutouts for all the buttons, so they are easy to access, except for flash memory which is covered. At the bottom in the middle you have USB-C port (for charging, data transfer, Digital Out/SPDIF, and DAC functionality), and symmetrically on each side a single ended 3.5mm HO/LO on the left and a balanced 4.4mm HO/LO on the right. Btw, balanced output is very powerful, supporting 564mW @ 32ohm load. Both SE and BAL ports could be switched between Low and High gain.
Under the hood.
In the heart of R5 you will find a dual Cirrus Logic MasterHiFi series CS43198 DAC. This is a relatively new DAC, released in 2017. I saw it being featured in a few other DAPs after its introduction, but surprisingly not as widespread as I would expect it to be. I think it’s getting a second wind with this R5 release and I’m aware of another DAP release around the corner using the same chipset.
To keep it running fast, Hiby used the same Snapdragon 425 processor as R6Pro, even at the same max clock speed of 1.4GHz, and without surprises the AnTuTu 3D benchmark score of R5 is nearly the same as R6Pro. The internal storage is only 16GB, but with micro SD card you can expand it to 512GB, or perhaps higher in the future.
It features a decent size 3500 mAh battery, with 18hrs (in SE) and 11hrs (in BAL) play time. The charging supports QC3.0 standard, including use of USB-C power supply of 9V/1.5A for a fast charging. Other notable features are Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX/HD, LDAC, and even the new high bandwidth UAT codec support. Two-way Bluetooth (Rx/Tx) is supported as well, so you can use R5 as a wireless BT DAC.
Just like its big brother, expect a fully open Android 8.1 OS with Google Play store and Direct Transport Architecture with Android SRC (sample rate conversion) bypass to support all lossy and lossless formats (up to DSD256). With a dual channel WiFi and Google Play, you are not limited to internal storage playback, and can stream using any of the popular apps. And for internal playback, you can download any app you desire, or use already pre-installed HibyMusic which is a very capable audio player.
Page 2 – Sound analysis and Comparison.
Page 3 – Pair up, Wired/wireless connection, and Conclusion.
Twister6 Reviews 
Hi, I bought a R5 and iBasso IEMs based on your excellent reviews. I am really enjoying the the combination. I am a neophyte and have a question. I bought an iBasso CA02 adapter because I Ineeded a 4.4mm termination for the R5. However, get no sound from the R5 using the balanced jack. I set the R5’s outputs to both “line out” and “phono out”, but no joy. Am I missing something?
Thanks a lot!
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Definitely not missing anything. I assume you pushed it all the way in? Sometimes you think it’s in, but turns out not to be pushed all the way. And the same with your 2.5mm cable plug, pushed all the way in? I assume the bundled 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter that comes with ibasso (IT01s or IT04?) working OK plugged into 3.5mm jack, and nothing is wrong with a cable. So, if everything else is working and all plugged in firmly, your adapter must be defective. Ask for replacement, ibasso is good with support.
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May I ask how does R5 compare with X5iii(line out) only? I mean I use X5iii with Fiio A5 so is the X5iii(line out+amp) as good as a standalone R5?
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Should be good, just a little warmer.
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which one would you recommend, R5 or R6 or R6 Pro?
for the price may have little difference in some areas that both R6 and R6 Pro are on sales, but their larger size seems less convenient than R5
is R5 equipped with bluetooth 5.0? do you find any difference for bluetooth 4.2 vs 5.0? as I need that to pair with bluetooth adaptor or earphones
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In terms of BT 5.0 vs 4.2, there is no difference with headphones I’m using. There could be some with the latest headphones, but still, sound should be similar. R6 has high output impedance, so I would skip it. Then, decide which sound sig you prefer, more revealing brighter R6Pro or smoother R5. Then, consider the size difference, which also going to affect display size. And see how much power you need, since R5 is better for iems and less demanding full size, while R6Pro will have more power for demanding headphones.
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Thanks for your advice!
Have to look for sites with demo to explore on the sound signature.
You have reminded me on the issue of screen display size, hmm..
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Twister,
you mentioned that R5 is not on the same level as some high-end flagships.
I read your comparison: R5 to Fiio M11 and Dethonray DTR1 to Fiio M11. If I got the impression that R5 sounds similar to M11 (even a tad better on few aspects), while DTR1 is seems little bit better than M11. Can I say that R5 is not too far from DTR1 while DTR1 sounds like flagship; with very limited features being a pure DAP only?
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It’s a little tricky because it will depend on which earphone or headphone you are pairing it with. R5 is better for iems, dtr1 is a killer with full size demanding headphones and less sensitive iems. So, I would get dtr1 in addition to R5, not instead of it.
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Thanks… for mobility with common IEM it seems R5 seems better choice for then… the sale price really draw my interest
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Hi there, which iem / cable would you match up with the R5 for classical music to provide depth, clarity but keeping some warmth? Someone else recommend the DX160 & Oriveti OH500 or 300 but I the combination is a bit our of my budget. As the R5 is cheap currently I thought getting a decent IEM & cable to improve the sound would be a better move. Would appreciate your thoughts, thanks.
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I assume we already covered it in our PM exchange on Head-fi: R5 + YB04 😉
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Yes, thanks for that!
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Thanks for a great review. I’ve only recently located this review site and very much appreciate the quality of these reviews. They’re incredibly helpful for those new to the DAP/IEM hobby! Keep up the great work! The R5 appears to spell great value for my application at $299. I’ve been concerned about the inability to access Google Play, etc. and just wanted to make certain that the R5 has the ability to install “Tidal” before I purchase one. Thanks in advance for your response.
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Yes, not a problem installing Tidal and being able to play songs offline, and it even supports full MQA decoding.
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Thank you. I guess I can “stream” as well? Last question – any thoughts on vendors, MusicTek or direct from Hiby? I’ve never purchased from either and am worried about customer service but am also concerned with speed of delivery – I’d like to have it soon!
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If you are in US contact Musicteck for availability, they are Hiby’s official US distributor. Very well known and highly respected retailer.
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How would you compare this to the ibasso dx160 since they have similar specs (dac chips primarily)?
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covered it in my d160 review 😉 https://twister6.com/2019/11/06/ibasso-dx160/ – look on Comparison page.
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I see that you have used R5 LO with Fiio E12A amp? Did this improve the sound a lot and definitely a clear improvement over R5 Sound? I’m satisfied with the way R5 sounds and volume is also good, I’m just thinking would an amp would improve clarity and vocals on my HD650 ? Thank you
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small improvement, not nigh’n’day. Just more clarity and wider soundstage.
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Well done Twister. As I sit and listen to my R5 4.4 Balanced Out with KZ IEM’s, I can wholeheartedly say “yes”. Spot on. The R5is a fantastic little DAP that outperforms more expensive brethren. I have done some comparisons and find at the current”sale” price at MusicTek, a resounding YES. To not purchase this DAP at that price would nothing less than foolish. I do not need to power huge planars, only be happy with intimate IEM’s. Thank you…
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glad to hear it, man! And, it’s more than just local playback, you also got access to Google Play store all the streaming apps 😉
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Yes Tidal is surely a good thing supporting MQA playback, Amazon HD and Pandora too. I’m subscribed to all 3 and just cannot drop any.
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By the way Twister… I have the urge to use my new iFi Hip DAC/Amp with the R5 DAP.
My question is that being too redundant or can it be effective? Not even the DAC so much (Burr Brown candy) but the additional amp power to utilize harder to drive headphones such as The Hifiman Planar Magnetic (so fine) HE4XX? What’s your take on this please?
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Not familiar with Hip, but my gut feeling it would be redundant since it was designed to be used with laptop or a smart phone instead of another dap. Micro iDSD is a different story, but I was under impressions Hip was for portable use, like you would use R5 as your USB dac.
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Hip DAC is just a newer product from IFI. Similar to IFI’s Micro iDSD or xDSD. Thank you anyway. I intend to try using the amp portion only from the HIP DAC for driving harder to use full size headphones. Thank you so much Twister and please Stay Well!
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You can’t use ifi hip dac only as an amp. You can only connect via USB ….it will act as dac amp .
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Lenin: Will Hip a DAC work together with R5?
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No. It does not . Unless u wanna use hip dac as a dac and amp , and double decode to analog. You can use ifi xcan amp with R5. If you want bass boost options and more power 💪 from R5.
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Ok it’s all figured out. I understand. So just let me as a new age question. R5 DAP or Note 9 and ifi hip DAC? Your thoughts and opinion please.
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Lenin: Will Hip DAC work with R5 through USB?
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Ya Hip Dac Will work with R5 through USB. You are using R5 just as a digital pass-through and all decoding and amping are done in ifi hip DAC. R5 is redundant and ur not using anything in R5 Other than as a digital source.
R5 as a dap is better than “Note 9+ Hip Dac” in terms of convenience and sound quality too. You can also send audio via Bluetooth to R5 from Note9 and completely use ur Note 9 for media consumption.
If you have R5, there’s no reason to have Hip Dac. Unless you want to experience Burr brown dac and amp from ifi hip Dac. But In terms of sound quality, R5 is superior, in detail, clarity, and overall separation.
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That’s a great explanation! Thank you Lenin. Although these questions are probably asked all the time, you took the time to explain this in a very straightforward way. I do have both R3 and hip dac. I will be using each device separately to enjoy sound signatures from different headphones and sources. Again, as a lover of all things audio, I thank you!
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you are most welcome.
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I own R5 since September and I like it, but I’d like a better sound.
I’d like to improve body sound and better performances at all.
I thought Cayin N6ii T01 would be a good choice or A&K SA700, I prefer open android Dap and with good drive, even better than R5 (I know it is not easy).
Can you suggest me some products?
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no familiar with SA700. But I have reviewed N6ii with all of its dac/amp cards in separate reviews. Please look it up on my site, it will give you more details.
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I’m looking for a player that can support over 50,000 songs (Sony NW-40 tapped out at 50,000 even though I have more songs than then that on the SD card). What is the limit on either the R5 or R6. I saw that the R3 had a limit of 20,000. If not these, can you suggest one with a high or limitless song list (only limited by storage space). I want to put my entire library on a unit and I’m over 50,000 songs and growing.
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Just got this answer straight from Hiby. When it comes to scanning/indexing songs, R3 Pro has limit of 15k because it’s not android DAP. But R5 and R6 Pro don’t have a song limit due to these being Android daps, running HibyMusic app (the same way as you would on your smartphone).
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Hi I talked to Hiby they told me that the R8 Stainless steel version with 4G will not be sold in the United States anytime soon if ever. So that was the big selling point for me. So my question the aluminum version of the R8. Which will be for sale in the United States. Is it a lot better than the DX 160 or just a little bit better. Is the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth a lot better or little bit better. So trying to decide since the main selling point for me is not going to be there. So there is obviously a lot more competition now with no 4G. So would you recommend the R8 over let’s say the M15. Or one of the cheaper models of the Astell&Kern.I really like the DX 160. So I was thinking of doing the 220 Max. But it’s too big I want something that’s really portable not just transportable. So hope you get the R8 soon and look forward to a review
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I already posted on FB 2+ wks ago pictures of R8 when I received it. Still have dozens of products to get to so review will take a while. R8 4G sim version only works with 4G in China, thus they are not even sending those review unit to anybody outside. And it is on the level of performance of A&K, Sony, Lotoo, Cayin high end flagships. Plus, it is the fastest Android dap available on the market, based on running benchmark tests it is a lot faster than even M15. Sound performance closer to MAX level, still need to do more testing. Keep in mind, R8 is as big as MAX, just thinner, also cost about $1.9k. It makes no sense to compare high end flagship to entry level daps. Regarding BT/Wi-Fi, Dx160 performance is not that great, you known it, their focus was more on audio quality. And MAX bt/wifi is good, but not stellar, identical to original DX220. Regarding sound comparison, I have people arguing with me all the time they hear their iPhone or SanDisk clip+ mp3 player sound better than $3k daps. So it’s all relative to people’s ears and very subjective. Plus, depends what you are planning to drive. It is easier to convince our mind that easy to drive iems sound similar on various audio players, while the real test is when you are driving more advanced hybrids/tribrids or hard to drive demanding headphones. Like, R8 has a boost Turbo mode that doubles output voltage. Just read more about it on Hiby site.
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Thank you so much for your reply. Well it turns out circumstances kinda force my hand. I have had the Plenue R for a couple years now dropped at least a dozen times a couple of those were really hard drops from a good height. One little scratch that’s all it’s on the body and everything else works perfectly. The I Basso DX 160 had it on a counter it fell about 2 feet to a tile floor total loss nothing works. I couldn’t believe it. Kept trying to restart it rebooted. It’s totally dead. When I hold it I can hear parts moving around inside so it’s totally dead. So that was a deal breaker for me I love the sound of that machine as you said I probably have to spend twice the money to get the same sound. Some of the firmware was a little iffy and there were some other problems but overall I really love the machine. However the build quality was not as I expected it to be especially compared to the R. So I went ahead and pulled the trigger and ordered the R8 I’ll receive it sometime mid September. However I don’t want to just run around with a $2000 machine in my pocket all the time sometimes yes but not all the time especially if I’m doing some hard work or play. So I also on your recommendation bought the Hidizs AP 80 Pro. That should be here by the end of the week. That will keep me going till I get the new R8. So thank you so much for all of your help. It helps us amateurs to have really competent professionals like yourself to help us navigate all of the options out here. So I will definitely be letting you know what I think of both machines once I have a chance to really work with them. Thanks again be in touch soon.
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Do You know how to have root in hiby r5?
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Have no idea, sorry. You will need to find audiophiles on xda-developers site so they can root it 🙂
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bonjour et grand merci pour vos revues pertinentes et détaillées. je n’arrive pas à choisir entre R3 pro et R5, R3 pro a t’il un volume faible ? mais R3 pro a t’il le meilleur son ? avec plus de basses ? R5 est plus détaillé mais plus aigu ? merci de m’aider car c’est difficile de choisir sans écouter
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just translated your message with Google Translate 🙂 If you only care about the sound and local files playback, you can save yourself money by going with R3 Pro. Maybe R5 Sabre sounds a little better, but you can really save money going with R3 Pro. Now, if you want more power and planning to use streaming apps (Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon, etc) – get R5 Sabre, it is a full Android DAP with access to Google Play store.
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merci encore
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