That is kind of why I only own one DAP at a time! To avoid the need or desire to keep upgrading to something else. Once I get use to the sound of a DAP that I enjoy then I feel less inclinded to get another one until my current DAP starts to show it's age to much. My A55 while still working...

In this price range outside of the R4 and maybe the A306 the others are Linux based DAP's. Namely the M1S, R3 II and Tempotec V3. If you stretch the price a little you can include the R5 gen2. So is there anyone at this point who would still choose the A306 over the R4? I won't likely have...

If you are worried about battery life then its a Sony DAP or the R5 gen2 economy mode. Otherwise battery life will be a sacrifice to get everything else you want or need. My nephew just ordered a Shanling M1S from amazon.ca with a 10% discount. He wanted something to take running and to the...

I can relate as I am struggling with good enough vs well maybe not life changing, but maybe a level higher than I have experienced before in a DAP. Do I just get an R4 or do I stretch and go with something higher end. Retiring soon I am more inclined to aim a little higher since I will have...

You are killing me here! I can't really afford the M5 Ultra but to quote the Godfather. "Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in". :rolling_eyes: Let's see where we stand price wise come Black Friday.

You are a good example of a reviewer I can trust and your opinion will be a factor in my final DAP choice for sure. The R4 is currently #1 on my list but depending on what deals could be had come November something else higher end may be my final choice. One of the consequences of listening to...

That is the crux of it, some reviews are more critical than others as we all have our own biases and preferences. I have been a beta tester before, when I try to write an evaluation of something I am testing it can be a struggle to find the write wording to describe something. Dumbing down...

No gear is perfect they all have strengths and weaknesses so it is possible for a review to be both positive and negative on certain aspects. As far as comparing the numbers it comes down to can you hear a difference based on how it is tuned. I have listened to hundreds of desktop, home...

Some prefer warmer sound to neutral so not everyone wants neutral! You can have musical and warm as well like my A55 with mrwalkman firmware it is not limited to neutral I think he means the sound isn't colored means limited soundstage again how would you know if you haven't heard it...

Well the R4 is very well reviewed by headfonia for the UI and usability so as long as the audio is good it should be a very solid DAP. User Experience The HiBy R4 is an Android 12-based device that offers a fast and responsive experience. It is user-friendly and has a solid battery life, a...

Your last statement is the problem, when you live in a country like Canada where only 10% of the products are available here, try before you buy isn't an option. The only DAP I might be able to try locally is the M5 Ultra once it arrives and most headphones aren't available here either. Even...

I was being facetious not literal! I sold audio gear for 15 years back before the internet became the only place to buy gear. There were plenty of reputable audio magazines that reviewed gear. If you find a site like headfonia whose reviews jibe with your assessment of the products you bought...

I don't agree with that statement, it depends more on the site doing the review. I trust headfonia for their reviews and have bought DAP's in the past based on their reviews. I have found their reviews very much in line with my opinions on the DAP's I bought. The M0 Pro is a very cheap DAP...

Just finished reading the headfonia review, a bit of a mixed bag as far as the sound goes. https://www.headfonia.com/hiby-r4-review/ The new R4 has a capable sound performance for the price, especially in neutral sound reproduction, speed and clarity. It has a neutral but clear character. It...

Yeah I have to say the more I look at it the more I like it. It is simply out of my price range at $800 CDN plus tax. Pity cause I can buy it locally unlike 90% of the other DAP's out there. I can also get the M1S locally and in my price range but hard to choose it over the R4 for close to...

It might be that it only supports standard jpeg and not progressive jpeg like my Sony A55 so size wouldn't be the issue.

Fair enough but I have listened to alot of Class A and A/B amps over the years. The sound differences can be very small or quite noticeable. I guess I was wondering more about whether you buy the Class A/B version to get a noticeably different sound or primarily for the extra battery life...

So other than a more efficient Class A/B amp offering better battery life will the sound tuning be any different?

Pretty sure they are just swapping the Class A amp for a Class A/B amp to offer slightly better battery life. It wouldn't make sense to deprive international customers of this feature. Besides I am not sure there is an opamp onboard to provide power to allow you to turn off the Class A amp...

I guess it depends on your needs, if you only plan to listen to local files and don't care about the android version and you really need the economy mode then why not. It did go on sale for $199 US on Valentines day so if it drops to that price again could be an option. Seems people are...

I suspect that is a feature reserved for the next R5 gen3 (assuming there is one) along with LO. If Hiby was going to offer the feature it would make sense to offer it on first release. If they had offered it I would have bet against another R5 model. Without it I am betting on an R5 gen3...

This is why I have a rule against buying any Chinese DAP's either on pre-order or early release. To much of a crapshoot on how many issues need to be fixed or features to be added. The money companies like Cayin raise from early release orders basically fund the troubleshooting process. They...

I guess one of the advantages of having your own OS is having full control of its implementation. Cayin relying on Hiby for their OS leaves them vulnerable to issues that need to be addressed and may take longer to resolve if they need Hiby's help since Hiby has their own DAP's to worry about...

I guess this is where a compromise had to be made to save on cost. The R5 II was a $450 DAP when it was released so there is a $200 difference. I originally thought that the R4 would be a replacement for the R5 II. But looking at the price difference between the R4 at $249 and the R6 III at...

Yeah Hiby has been really smart with the R4. They have the quad DAC's and the discrete Class A amp to attract the "geeks". Plus the cool space age design to appeal to the mass market who don't know about and don't care about the quad DAC's and the Class A discrete amp inside. My nephews will...