DAP Review

Hiby RS6

Other Wired/Wireless connections.

In this section of the review, I will go over various wired and wireless connections I tested and verified with RS6.

Digital usb-c out

I tested this interface using Cayin RU6 usb-dac which got recognized right away.  Volume was controlled only from RU6.  Sampling rate was displayed correctly.  Interestingly, when connected to my phone, I was able to change volume from my phone and RU6, but with to RS6 only from RU6.  But, connected to RS6, RU6 sound quality scaled up in soundstage expansion and blackness of the background.  Could be related to my older Galaxy S9 phone.

hiby-rs6-33

Coax out

With a provided usb-c to coax cable, you can turn RS6 into an audio source/transport.  Just plug it in, connect to external DAC/amp, and it works right away.  I was using micro iDSD BL and everything was recognized without a problem or the need to enable anything in settings.  Actually, with micro iDSD BL the sound was even better with Coax than digital out.

hiby-rs6-34

Line Out

Once connected to external amplifier, volume can’t be controlled from RS6, only from external amplifier.  In R6 2020 and R8 you can adjust LO output with a volume wheel, in RS6 it is fixed due to a different architecture/design.

While using Romi Audio BX2 with IEMs, there is hardly a room to adjust the volume since it is designed for more powerful headphones, even at a very low volume.  In this pair up the sound has a wider soundstage and a little more transparent tonality, less organic in comparison to RS6 PO output.

With C9, the same deal, volume controlled only from the external amp.  Here, the soundstage is more holographic, volume has more headroom, and tonality is very natural and organic.  The biggest improvement is in imaging and soundstage expansion, and also the refinement of a natural tonality.

hiby-rs6-32

USB DAC

When connected to my Win10 laptop, in Notification of RS6 I had to go to Android System message for USB connection and select USB preference for Audio In (usb power) or Audio In (no usb power), depending on if you connecting to a smartphone and don’t want to drain its battery.  RS6 was recognized right away, volume could be controlled from either laptop or RS6.  The sound was identical to listening to RS6 standalone.

Bluetooth Wireless

You have 2 modes of Wireless Bluetooth operation, Tx and Rx.

BT Rx – Select Bluetooth Audio in and search and pair up with RS6 from your smartphone.  Enable LDAC on a smartphone and start streaming from smartphone while using RS6 as a wireless BT DAC.  Volume is controlled from RS6.

BT Tx – Paired up RS6 with WH2 tws within seconds.  Found it to work across 55ft of open space, full remote control from TWS earpieces.  With HD Audio selection it picked right away the highest res connection, UAT TWS in this case.  Volume could be controlled from RS6.

hiby-rs6-35

Conclusion.

When I started testing RS6, I didn’t appreciate at first the power of Darwin architecture because I wanted instant gratification of in-your-face sound changes.  Not until fw 1.20 update and addition of new IEM presets from VE and 64 Audio, I realized how effectively and naturally this DAP could be finetuned without a need of EQ or MSEB effects.  Even without dialing in presets, the resolution, the soundstage, and even the dynamics of the sound showed improvements going from fw 1.20 to 1.30.  Perhaps, the overall changes were not as drastic, but they were quite effective while keeping the same set of hardware and only tweaking controls of Darwin architecture building blocks.

Also, RS6 is one of the fastest DAPs I have tested to date, even putting to shame my aging Galaxy S9 which has a faster processor and optimized to run Android 10.  I know, this is Hiby’s first Darwin architecture release, and probably still work in progress considering 2 firmware updates already.  But it looks very promising, I do hear the results of finetuning, and based on the latest fw 1.30 update I see access to more controls and presets.  It was great to give IEM manufacturers access to the tools, and I think it will be even better to allow users to do the same.  I’m looking forward to continue exploring RS6 and to see what other new releases from Hiby going to feature Darwin architecture next!

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

23 thoughts on “Hiby RS6”

  1. Thanks for the review.
    Would you say it pairs better with IEMs with dynamic drivers, or with BA?
    I usually find dynamic drivers more musical, analogue sounding, compared to BA. But I am a bit concerned that when paired with a player like RS6 they won’t be very resolving.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I would say it pairs up better with iems that have a neutral or brighter sound signature. A warmer tuned iems might loose some resolution paired up with a more natural/smoother source.

      Like

      Reply

      3. Thanks. Just out of curiosity, why don’t you like JH Audio tuning? I haven’t listen to Jolene yet, they are hard to find where I live, but I plan to. It would be good to hear your opinion, maybe it doesn’t worth the effort to go to a distributor.

        Like

  2. I would be very interested in your comparison with the Lotoo PAW 6000. They are similar in price point. I love the sound of the Lotoo, I just wish it had streaming capability.
    Thanks.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Just compared both, RS6 (fw 1.3, VE Erl sound preset) vs PAW6k, and I hear RS6 to have a wider soundstage and a little less colored more revealing mids/treble while PAW6k has a warmer, thicker mids and a little less sparkle in treble.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Thanks Twister for the excellent review.
    This is a new direction for Hiby.
    Would be a good match with Unique Melody MEST II?

    Like

    Reply

  4. I always read your all reviews……Comparison to similar products, cable swaps, iem comparison…..all details gives proper idea and overall picture of product….Thanks 👍👌

    Like

    Reply

    1. when it comes to these headphones, it is heavily pair up dependent. Since I’m into portable audio gear, I only have a few full size headphones and usually try them with DAPs and even usb-dac dongles to hear how they scale up. But, it all comes down to a source you are using. And with that said, R70x is super lightweight and comfortable with a more open sound.

      Like

      Reply

  7. Hey Twister
    Would this dap sound good with single dd iems such as dark sky, zen pro, Luna etc or am I better off getting the hiby r8?

    Like

    Reply

    1. A8k is a bright iem, sp2kT tube mode pairs up better with it. Unless if you play around with MSEB effects on RS6 to take the edge off upper frequencies. But as you know, all is a matter of personal preference.

      Like

      Reply

  9. For you, does the RS6 pair well with the Moondrop Blessing2:Dusk or, say the 7Hz Timeless? Same question re the R8.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Sorry, I don’t have any chi-fi iems, thus not familiar with moondroop or 7hz or other brands. But I don’t see why they wouldn’t pair up well. To be on a “safer” side, RS6 is more musical vs R8 being more revealing, and if any of your iems have peaks in lower treble, revealing source can exaggerate it and make the sound harsher. Thus, RS6 is a safer bet as a source.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Twister6,

        Thanks for replying. My IEMs stand in opposition. The 7Hz Timeless are more analytic, cool and revealing. The Blessing2:Dusk are warmer, more analog and organic but less potent in detail retrieval. The RS6 are drawing me in with their flexibility.

        Like

Leave a comment