Pair up.

Here is how Pro Max pairs up with some IEMs and headphones.  All were connected to 4.4mm BAL output, and tested in high-gain.

Headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x – These 470ohm open-back cans are usually not as easy to drive, but I had no issue even at 55/100 with plenty of overhead volume margin.  The soundstage opening here has an average width, giving you more intimate expansion and imaging.  The sound signature is balanced, and tonality is very natural, organic, and resolving at the same time.  The bass performance is pretty good with more emphasis on a textured sub-bass rumble along with a softer mid-bass punch.  Mids are natural, detailed, smooth, and musical.  The treble is also clear and detailed, with plenty of natural sparkle and airiness.  The sound was more laidback and smoother due to the smoother/warmer nature of Pro Max tuning.

MEZE Audio Empyrean – I hear a wide-open soundstage with a close to the holographic level of imaging, with the sound extending further out, more out of my head.  The soundstage has more depth/height than width.  The sound signature is closer to balanced, and the tonality is natural, smooth, and warmer, but still quite detailed.  Bass has a deeper sub-bass rumble and rounded mid-bass punch.  The weight of the bass notes comes mostly from sub-bass, mid-bass is there, and packs an OK punch, but with a slower attack.  Lower mids are north of neutral, adding more body to the sound, while upper mids are natural, and smooth, with a slightly pulled-back presentation.  The treble is clear and detailed and has a little extra crunch but nothing harsh or splashy.  The treble is airy and extended.

Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd – Excellent soundstage expansion in all 3 directions, along with holographic imaging. The sound is relatively balanced, very natural, and a bit more revealing here.  The tonality is leaning more toward the natural-revealing side.  Bass has a deep textured sub-bass rumble and tight punchy mid-bass.  The weight of bass notes is distributed evenly and not as elevated.  Lower mids are north of neutral, adding more natural body to the sound, while upper mids have more clarity, and transparency, still natural, but more revealing.  The vocals came out clear, and detailed.  Treble also has plenty of clarity, details, and natural sparkle with a good airy extension.

IEMs

Aroma Jewel w/FT – The soundstage has a round proportionally expanded shape with a bit of center-focused imaging.  The sound signature is well-balanced, with a smooth natural resolving tonality, rather musical, and with a laidback presentation.  The bass is pretty deep, and has a textured sub-bass rumble and a punchy mid-bass; the bass has an average speed, nice bloom, and natural articulation, Pro Max adds more weight to the sub-bass here.  Lower mids are a bit north of neutral, adding more body to the sound, not as lean as in some other pair-ups.  Upper mids are natural and resolving, not too bright, but with plenty of clarity and excellent retrieval of details.  The treble is detailed, natural, and a bit more relaxed, with a good balance of airy extension.  Overall, Jewel sounds smoother and more organic in pair-up with Pro Max.

Empire Ears Odin – The soundstage here is huge, and the imaging is holographic.  The bass extends deep with a textured rumble, adding more weight to the low end, and the mid-bass has a strong tight punch.  The bass is layered, tight, articulate, and well-controlled.  Lower mids are neutral, maybe a touch north of it while adding a bit of an extra body to the sound, and upper mids are natural, very detailed, nicely layered, being slightly more extended out of my head.  Treble is crisp, airy, clear, detailed, naturally revealing, and yet, without any sign of splashiness.  In many other pair-ups, Odin has a mid-forward emphasis with less bass impact.  Here, it had a perfectly balanced signature with punchy bass, naturally detailed mids, and crisp detailed treble.  I enjoyed this pair-up a lot, probably among the best I heard with Odin, pushing the bass performance to its full potential.

FirAudio RN6 – A big holographic soundstage expansion and imaging.  The sound signature of RN6 paired up with Pro Max is L-shaped, bringing out more weight in the RN6 kinetic driver with a powerful speaker-like analog bass.  The bass is powerful, but it doesn’t overshadow the smooth natural organic mids.  The mids are fuller in body, and a little thicker, but still quite detailed, though extended more out of your head in their presentation.  The treble is smooth, natural, not as crisp or airy, but with just enough sparkle to add more clarity to the upper mids.  Again, while the sound is warmer and bassier, in this pair-up the L-shaped sound sig I’m hearing doesn’t overpower mids, but the emphasis remains on the full blooming bass impact.

UM Maven II Cresent – The soundstage in this pair-up is wide, but the imaging is a bit more center-focused with the sound positioned a bit more out of my head.  I still hear a deep textured sub-bass rumble and a fast mid-bass punch.  Mids are warmer and smoother in tonality, quite organic.  The treble is well-defined, clear, and natural.  In some other pair-ups, I found Maven II to have extra zing in mid-treble, bringing more revealing characteristics to its tuning.  With Pro Max, its treble still has a bit of a zing, but it sounds more natural and less fatigued, while the overall signature was still balanced and with a clear detailed tonality.  I especially enjoyed the punchy bass of Maven II in this pair-up.

Vision Ears VE10 – With VE10 being one of my more sensitive IEMs next to Campfire, I do have to mention there is a mild waterfall hissing even in high gain, but nothing in comparison to other pair-ups.  The soundstage expansion is more focused, not as holographic, typical of VE10.  The sound signature is balanced with a fuller body natural detailed tonality.  The sub-bass rumble here has a little more weight next to a rounded mid-bass punch, mids sound natural, organic, and still quite detailed, and the lower treble peak gives a treble more crunch but not as accentuated as in many other pair-ups, keeping the treble natural and detailed.  Tbh, I even enjoyed the VE10 pair-up more with Pro Max than with R8ii.

Wired and wireless connections.

Besides being a portable DAP, you can expand Pro Max functionality as a transport to drive an external DAC/amp, to use external AMP, or to turn the DAP into a wired/wireless usb DAC.  And of course, you don’t have to be limited to wired headphones and can take advantage of a Wireless Bluetooth connection.

Wireless/Bluetooth

I tested Pro Max BT Tx with Hiby WH2 TWS and confirmed operation within 25 feet.  UAT codec support was recognized, and I was able to pair up using it as the default hi-res codec.  Also, I confirmed full remote control of the playback from WH2.  The stability of the connection and the sound quality were no different than using my Galaxy S22 phone, though with my S22, I get closer to 40 feet of open space coverage.

Pro Max also has BT Receiver mode which turns this DAP into a wireless DAC/amp.  You need to go into Settings, Working Mode, select Bluetooth Receiving Mode and then search for R6 Pro Max from your smartphone.  When paired up, click the gear setting icon next to Pro Max on your smartphone in the Bluetooth menu and select LDAC protocol.

USB Audio Out

I tested and verified this one with various popular USB DAC dongles, such as RU7, W4, and DC Elite, and found it to work without a problem.  Similar to how I have it configured in HibyMusic with my Galaxy S22, I had Exclusive HQ USB audio access enabled and selected USB Audio Performance mode.  The sound quality was no different than when connecting these dongles to my Galaxy S22 phone.

USB DAC

I verified this functionality using my ThinkPad T480s laptop running Win10 Pro.  Once connected, swipe down the Notification bar on Pro Max and tap on USB Preferences, then select either USB DAC (enable usb charging) or USB DAC (disable usb charging) to enter USB DAC mode.  Alternatively, you can also select USB DAC from the Working Mode menu in Settings.  From the USB DAC screen, you have access to change audio settings and enable Bluetooth.  No drivers required, Win10 recognized the DAP without a problem, and Pro Max was selectable in Windows Audio Settings.  Volume could be adjusted from the Laptop and Pro Max.  Sound is the same either playing directly from Pro Max or playing the same song from a laptop with Pro Max connected as USB DAC.

Coax out

With an optional custom usb-c to coax cable (for Hiby and Cayin daps), you can turn Pro Max into an audio source/transport.  Just plug it in, connect it to an external DAC/amp, and it works.  I was using iFi micro iDSD BL and everything was recognized without a problem or the need to enable anything in Settings.  Volume was only adjustable from micro iDSD, not Pro Max.  And, with micro iDSD BL, the sound was even more resolving using Coax rather than digital out.

Line Out

Pro Max automatically detects when Line Out is connected (icon in the notification bar), and I was able to adjust the Pro Max output level with volume control.  I did my testing with a Cayin C9ii amp.  Pairing Pro Max with C9ii is a great way to get more power or access to more sound-shaping tools.  Depending on the C9ii setting, the sound remains natural and organic, and you can select NuTube for more analog textures.

Conclusion.

As I mentioned in the intro, unlike some other manufacturers with only one latest model covering each of the entry, mid-fi, and summit-fi level players, Hiby gives you more choices in each category.  If money is no object, some audiophiles go for the most expensive flagship, though I’m a big fan of R8ii that priced below RS8.  Also, when it comes to flagship releases, some people try to justify the jump in price considering diminishing returns.  Entry level might be cutting too many corners, thus mid-fi gets more attention from audiophiles who are looking for the best price/performance ratio DAPs.

From their mid-fi DAP selection, Hiby’s R6 III has been already refreshed in 2025, and R6 Pro II had its spotlight almost 2 years ago, though it still holds plenty of relevance.  Now, here comes the R6 Pro Max and I’m sure many were wondering if this is going to be an upgrade to Pro II or a supercharged version of it.  From the outside, it does look like a maximized version of Pro II, very similar in the design, just thicker due to a bigger battery as I suspect.  Under its hood, the system has been supercharged with new flagship ESS DACs, more RAM/ROM, a higher capacity battery, and a higher BAL output power.  But the sound performance change is on a whole different level.

As I mentioned in my sound analysis, while Pro II had a more traditional neutral tuning with punchier sound, Pro Max tuning went in a different direction with a smoother fuller-body musical tonality, almost reminding me a bit of a tube sound quality.  And that was not only due to a different DAC, switching from AKM to ESS SABRE but also due to an updated internal amplifier section design.  When listening to Pro Max, I hear a more laidback analog sound quality which captures the emotions of the sound while Pro II has a faster, more neutral, and more revealing tonality which helps you analyze the sound.  One is not necessarily an upgrade of the other, they have a complementary tuning which I enjoyed in both!