HiBy Crystal6 II

𝑯𝒊𝑩𝒚 𝑪𝒓𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍6 𝑰𝑰 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆


|| 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ||

HiBy Music is a brand most commonly known for the digital audio players(DAP) and their free android app that allows users to bypass the dreaded android resampling protocol. Unbeknownst to some, HiBy do make IEMs both over-the-ear and bullet type sets from various ranges that may have not been in the mainstream of this hobby of ours as of recently.



HiBy is here to present to you their Crystal6 II, a second iteration of their previous Crystal6 released before. Sporting a 6 BA setup, 2 for each pact of the frequency range and is priced at roughly $350.


|| 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 ||

• I don’t fancy confusing lingo, therefore, the reviews will simple without too much confusing terminologies

• This set is sent in exchange for an honest review. There is no material or financial incentive for me to do this review and I guarantee no exchange has been done by both parties to influence or sway our opinions on this product.

• My thoughts and opinions are of my own. My experience will entirely differ from everybody else. The contents of this review should not be considered factual as this hobby heavily leans on subjectivity. YMMV.

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𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗬𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 HiBy Music 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿.
𝗔𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.

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| 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 |

The Crystal6 II comes in a nice compact box with galaxy-esque design and multiple branding and text all over. The rear of the box contains additional information regarding the manufacturer, HiBy. Other than that, there is nothing noteworthy about the packaging of the Crystal6 II.



| 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 |

Upon opening the box, the included case greets you upfront placed in some foam. Underneath is the included 3 sets of specialized eartips and 3.5mm(SE) termination jack along with some paperwork.



The inside of the case contains the provided cable with the 4.4mm(BAL) pre-installed, additional eartips, and the IEM earpieces wrapped in separate tiny ziplock bags.

𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻:

Paperwork
Spherical hardshell case.
Modular OCC 4-core 2-pin cable
3 sets of eartips (S/M/L)
3.5mm(SE) termination plug
4.4mm(BAL) termination plug

I was kind of confused at first as to why a set of eartips are separated from the bunch and are placed inside the case. Apparently that set is the medium size of the balanced tip they provide. The reasoning behind it is simply because there was no cutout for that size within the cluster of eartips for them to be put on to.
Quite generous inclusions overall coming from HiBy. Although not the most inclusive, what these come with are more than enough for you to get started.


| 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, & 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 |

The Crystal6 II is made out of a high strength 3D printed resin that feels smooth and great to the touch. Heft is really good and really adds to the quality feeling of the product more. The shape of the Crystal6 II is akin to a faux-custom fit that has grooves all over which results in a protrusion or a wing. The whole earpiece is made out of the same material including the nozzle, besides the unique looking vent on the rear. The vent seems to be caused by a metallic material. I’ve never seen such a venting solution before, especially considering the driver configuration these are composed of.



Speaking of the driver configuration, the Crystal6 II is composed of 6 BA drivers, 2 of each are made to target bass, mids, and the treble. As far as I know sole BA sets aren't required to have vents unlike dynamic or hybrid sets.



It only comes in one color or design variation, and the overall design is in theme with the packaging of the box with its galaxy-looking faceplate. I have to admit that the design is too dark for its beauty and is only visible in certain angles, but still pretty nonetheless.


| 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 |

Because of the shape being similar to a custom fit, It isolates noise well even with the big vent on the rear. You can definitely use these for commuting and dismiss the noise of the outside with the Crystal6 II


| 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 |

I find these really comfortable. These can achieve the insertion depth that I want and I didn’t find the wing/protrusion to be painful after hours of usage. The occlusion effect seems to be lighter than average probably because of the vent once again.




**𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗞𝗕 𝗘𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗘𝟬𝟳 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝟭 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗕𝘆 𝗥𝟲 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗜𝗜**


|| 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 ||

Overall sound signature seems to lean on the brighter-end. This is quite contradictory of what tuning I’m into these days but nevertheless appreciated my time with it. Seeing as it is solely composed of BA drivers, I did find that in some instances that BA timbre is audible though not often.



| 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 |

Despite the Crystal6 II having 6 drivers on each ear piece, I never encountered an instance where they’re power hungry. Of course better sources are recommended but be weary of things like the noise floor


| 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝘀 |

The low-end side of things tends to lean more on midbass than subbass. Though the subbass is present, the quantity of it does seem to be lacking especially when the song demands the rumble. The midbass hits quite fast with a decent amount of impact as well as not sounding bloaty or bleedy but does not exhibit great texture.

The bass seems to be one of the areas where the Crystal6 II doesn’t particularly excel at either due to choice or shortcomings.


| 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘀 |

Mids are quite recessed. Vocals sound capped and sibilance is quite rampant especially with female vocals. Male singers typically have more body on the Crystal6 II compared to their female counterparts. Instruments have a good sense of air and extend quite well further up.
This is also one of the areas Crystal6 II suffers from, whilst not inherently the worst, it’s definitely not the best either. What I can say is that the mids performance of the Crystal6 II is quite middling.


| 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘀 |

This is where the Crystal6 II placed all its bets on. The highs are extended to the point of sounding peaky even to mid to high volumes. Though because of this emphasis, details are great and minor nuances of the sound are easy to pick up during playback. Transients are great as well without feeling cut-off preemptively. Overall the highs sound peaky and sound thin. It’s definitely a case of quantity over quality.

I’m not sure if things like impedance adapters would benefit this IEM as I don’t have one at the moment, but I’d definitely want to try applying things to tone down those highs and help other problems that this set had. I did find that this pairs well with HiBy’s R6 Pro II with Low Gain mode and with MSEB enabled.

| 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 |

Due to the emphasis that the Crystal6 II has, things like layering, imaging and separation are great. I can easily pin-point sources and distinctly know their position even despite other sources playing at the same time. Staging is quite average though but nevertheless easy to distinguish stereo channels while using these and would recommend them if your use case does require it to do so like gaming.


|| 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ||

I’m not so sure about the asking price that these are going for with the performance it displayed. It could be due to my inclination of liking more warm sets and general sensitivity to treble but I do feel like this set isn’t for me but it can be for you. Despite the seemingly negative review, I did find these to be good in some tracks but they are a few and far between on my playlist.



With an asking price of over $300, I suggest thinking of other options first or re-affirm that what these deliver are what you are looking for.

[| 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 |]

https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-crystal-6-ii

(These are not affiliate links. I do not gain anything whatsoever upon purchasing something using the said links)

DISCLAIMER

The HiBy Crystal6 II is a tour unit. It will be sent on to the next tour participant after this review.
The Crystal6 II can be obtained here: https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-crystal-6-ii (no affliate links).





SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 6 Balance Armature (BA) Sonion drivers
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
• Impedance: 58.5 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 110 dB (no units provided)
• Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm, 4 core OCC copper cable
• Plug: modular options for 4.4 mm and 3.5 mm terminations
• Tested at $349 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, these are included:

- 3 pairs of "Crisp" silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
- 3 pairs of "Balanced" silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
- 3 pairs of "Bass" silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
- Carrying case
- 4.4 mm and 3.5 mm modular plugs
- Cable
- Carabiner



Accessories are decent enough for a midFI pair of IEMs, save for the omission of foam tips and perhaps a cleaning tool




3 types of silicone tips are included here.

The "Crisp" tips have the widest bore and boost treble and increase soundstage, though they may cause sibilance. The "Bass" tips as per their namesake are the narrowest in bore, and boost bass (though with a smaller soundstage). The "Balanced" tips are a mid-point of the above two in sonics.




The stock cable is an OCC copper cable. It is braided well, with a chin cinch. There's slight microphonics unfortunately. It has 4.4 mm (balanced) and 3.5 mm (single-ended) terminations, so the Crystal6 II can be paired with most sources other than 2.5 mm ones (no biggie if you have a 4.4 mm - 2.5 mm adapter).

The right cable terminal has a red band to delineate the sides, and I'm glad it is a gold-plated 2-pin connector rather than MMCX, which may be more fragile with repeated cable changes.




The added clamshell semi-rigid zipper case is quite nifty. The innards are lined with a soft bubble pack like material to cushion the contents. The carabiner may be useful to hang the case on the go.

The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock "balanced" stock tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT



Each housing is 3D-printed via HeyGears using quality epoxy resin, with HiBy marketing that each faceplate is custom painted and polished, using a sand and hand painting technique. Hence, each earpiece is supposedly unique!

The shells are very ergonomic and light at 54g apiece. HiBy says they made the shells via 3D scans of thousands of ears, and I concur, with no comfort issues to report on my end.




There's a "R" and "L" lettering to delineate the sides.




HiBy has used a special vented architecture to assist with bass tuning and to relief pressure in the ears. Verily, I did not experience any driver flex with the Crystal6 II due to this, but unfortunately isolation is below average in view of the vents.




There's a nozzle cover over each nozzle to prevent debris and wax from falling in.


INTERNALS

Utilizing a gold-traced crossover board with a 3 way crossover implementation, the Crystal6 II utilize Sonion drivers in the following configuration:

- Custom 39AY dual-woofer LFE for the bass
- Custom 1006 dual BAs for the midrange
- Custom E50DT dual-tweeters for the treble


DRIVABILITY

I tested the HiBy Crystal6 II with:
- Apple dongle
- Colorfly CDA M1 DAC/AMP dongle
- Creative Sound Blaster X5
- E1DA DAC/AMP dongle
- Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone

The Crystal6 II is relatively easy to drive, you can probably get away without amplification, though this IEM scales slightly with juice.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES


Graph of the Crystal6 II using a IEC711 compliant coupler. 8 kHz area is a coupler artefact peak.

Tonally, the Crystal6 II is neutral bright and a treblehead's best friend. It is thin in note weight with a sterile/analytical signature.

Technicalities are top-notch. Imaging, clarity, detailing and instrument separation are very competitive at its price range. Soundstage is average in width, but has quite decent depth/height. Transients are lighting fast.

Packing 6 BAs, unfortunately BA timbre rears its ugly head, and vocals sound nasal, with acoustic instruments sounding a bit metallic.

Bass is focused mostly at the mid-bass, and is just slightly north of neutral in quantity. Bass extension is not the deepest in the sub-bass. Despite having a vented BA bass, unfortunately like most other BA bass IEMs, the Crystal6 II suffers from a lack of decay and "movement of air" in the bass, causing it to sound not as organic as DD bass.

Bass quality is where the Crystal6 II redeems itself. The Crystal6 II has stellar bass texturing and speed, with zero mid-bass bleed. Bass lines are easily picked out in complex bass riffs, it is very fast and clean.

The midrange is a tinge recessed in the lower mids, with no mid-bass bleed to eat into this area. This translates into a very transparent and clear midrange. With the aforementioned good technical chops, this allows vocals and instruments to be layered well on a black background. Crystal clear is definitely a good name for the Crystal6 II!

Thereafter, there is quite a zealous 11 dB pinna gain in the upper mids. This unfortunately adds shout, and the Crystal6 II can be harsh, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve). It is best played at soft to moderate volumes to counteract this.

The lower treble has another peak at the 5 kHz region, which is a double edged sword - great clarity and resolution is added, though at the expense of fatigue for treble sensitive folk. Sadly, sibilance is also present.

The treble extends pretty well, giving good air and sparkle, and the Crystal6 II will be a suitable pair for trebleheads.


COMPARISONS

Comparisons were made with other midFI pure BA IEMs. Planars, hybrids and single DDs and other driver types were left out of the equation as the different transducers have their pros and cons.




Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite

The Orchestra Lite is warm neutral. The Orchestra Lite has more subbass, but a tamer upper mids/treble region, and is very smooth and less fatiguing in contrast.

The Orchestra Lite has weaker technicalities, though it has a thicker note weight and a more natural timbre.


Audiosense T800

The T800 is an 8 Knowles BA setup which is tuned to a mildly bright V-shape. The T800 has more bass, and the bass is vented, giving a decay/movement of air that is similar to a DD bass IEM.

The T800 is quite boosted in the treble/upper mids too, but the big bass on tap gives tonal balance, even though the T800 still lies on the brighter side of the equation. The T800 has a slightly thicker note weight, and technicalities are probably a hair better on the Crystal6 II when it comes to imaging, instrument separation and clarity, though the T800 has superior soundstage.

The T800 has much better passive isolation at almost 30 dB, and is also build of resin (though it has an MMCX connector).


CONCLUSIONS

The Crystal6 II lives up to its namesake in bringing a crystal clear soundscape to the table. Resolution is great, technicalities are all-round excellent, with a very fast and clean bass. If clarity is your priority in music, the Crystal6 II is the one for you.

There's nothing to complain about the build, comfort and accessories too.




Unfortunately, the Crystal6 II has BA timbre, and will not be compatible for high volume listeners or for our treble sensitive brethren, due to the augmented upper mids/lower treble. Sibilance is also a relevant critique, though perhaps one can use EQ or foam tips or a warmer source to salvage this area. Those who yearn for a lush or analoguish style tuning may also need to look elsewhere, as the Crystal6 II lies on the sterile side of the equation.

If you are a treblehead or analytical head, and want a pair for critical listening, definitely consider the Crystal6 II in the conversation, though the above caveats will apply if you are sensitive to treble.

The Hiby Crystal6 II was loaned courtesy of Joe Bloggs as a little runners up gift for their latest review tour.

Disclaimer: People being nice to me influences my opinion and makes me want to say nice things.

I joke, these are just sound impressions to my ears.

From everything I’ve read Hiby IEMs have been considered companion products to their DAPS, one of which I was also sent the Hiby RS6. This review is a mix between sound impressions from the RS6 and from my regular android phone the Oppo Reno 8 Lite.

The Crystal6 II is my first all BA IEM, if i’m being upfront, impressions of BA only IEMs always seem to have some caveat:-

“I can’t believe an all BA is able to produce this sound”

“This is the best bass i’ve heard from a BA”

"I can't even pick up on that dreaded BA Timbre"

You’ve read the rest of them. But suffice to say caveats don’t come across as particularly confident and I’ve never really considered an all BA set.

Well it’s safe to say after some pretty extensive listening across devices that I genuinely like this IEM simply as an IEM.

I won't be able to give my impressions without referring to pre-conceived notions I had prior to listening to this, so away we go

~
First of all, I find the shell with it’s opalescent streaks, understated but beautiful. They aren’t flashy enough to make you feel like it’s jewellery or an over the top statement piece but they do have a lovely up close look that makes me want to move to Cooper Pedy to dig for opals.



Another plus before sound is that the Crystal6 II can run perfectly well from a 3.5 aux smartphone. I find this pretty important. I like having a phone to sort my music, DAP always seem to come with some kind of downside, my least favourite of which is on board storage space, sd card restrictions and physical size. When I say it can run perfectly fine, I mean that the sound isn't noticeably unenjoyable, the technicals are dramatically reduced on a smartphone but the tone of the frequencies still work together well.

While the Crystal6 II sounds truly extraordinary from the RS6, the sound can still be considered from an Android.

Sound Impressions - Without DAP

Bass
I never originally thought I was a basshead, but after getting into this hobby I’ve discovered that I undoubtedly am. However I do listen to bass heavy music, so for me, it isn’t about being a basshead, but having an accurate representation of bass as the genre requires. When I hear subdued bass, music doesn’t sound neutral to me, but neutered.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that “BA Bass” is just bass. Yes, the tuning here gives more punch and depth than width and weight but it’s actually preferable in some circumstances and I’ve found myself missing it’s clear speed and sharpness when going back to Dynamic Drivers. Circumstances where it isn't good is where you want big wide bass like in Psybass or Drum n Bass but for trance it actually works quite well.

Sub bass is not affected whatsoever by the lack of a dynamic. I find the Sub-bass here more powerful and enjoyable than many other pairs I have. However, here is the most impressive part and a little discovery. . . .

It deserves it’s own paragraph. Kickdrums in convoluted electronic music have always found themselves subdued in busier mixes as other elements come over the top. The consistency of this experience has led me to assume that this is the result of the mix itself, producers purposefully dialing bass back to keep things clean and put focus on melodies. NOPE.

It’s a result of drivers dialing themselves back to make space for the rest of the sound. But this experience is completely different on the Crystal6 II. Throughout none of my testing did I notice a change in tone or volume of kickdrums.

Still, kickdrums are a jab rather than a round house kick, but be assured, you’re still getting hit.

Mids
Might be the star of the show.

Picture a fire man with a fire hose spraying his water up and down. That’s what it feels like the mids achieve from these little tubes. A barrage of sound waves spraying out at you, just like the fire hose, you can feel them as they oscillate up down and around. This is the experience I thought a planar was going to give me, but I find this much more enjoyable.

They are still well presented and balanced over the bass notes sitting more or less in line with the treble. Voices come across with prominence and when called for a delicateness. Ambient tones are smooth but not quite reaching silky smoothness.

Acid lines in Goa Trance comes across furious and powerful, keeping composure in even the busiest of tracks.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call anything here “Spectacular”, these aren’t quite reference, they don’t grab the microdetails and you aren’t getting the widest presentation of sound. But there is a smooth cleanliness to the sound.

You’re able to drive these quite loud to get more of those clean mids into your ear holes and across your brain which is pure joy and it’s easy to get lost in a track.

Treble
I’ve heard the new Hiby Zeta before listening to this which has tainted my experience somewhat. Had I not heard that, I would have said that the highs have great detail, no sharpness, aren’t hot, cymbal crashes roll of delicately and there is very fine balance of frequencies.

And I will still say all that, because it’s true. But i’ve seen the light, or rather seen the light shone on the treble when 4 EST drivers are being used.

It’s not fair to compare, but after this revelation i have to say that the highs are fine, portrayed true to form, not offensive but not the star of the show.

Technicals
Are not all that and detract from the sound. From a smartphone they are right on average. They don't improve the experience, but they also don't make the experience worse. However for me, I need atleast a big soundstage, it's one of my favourite parts of hearing music. Separation is still good but without the wider stage the imaging is bang on average. You can place instruments but once powered with a DAP the placement becomes much more precise and accurate.

In a lot of ways you can summarize the overall sound like this. The Crystal 6 does everything right, has a smooth presentation and is a fun way to listen to music. I was surprised to see myself enjoying the sound presentation of an all BA set more than the Planar 7HZ Timeless, it’s smooth sound presentation along with the design and driveability make it a great IEM.

Now all that’s without any help from the Hiby RS6

Sound Impressions - With Hiby RS6 DAP

YOOOOOOOOOO!

The soundstage opens up immensely, I didn’t have much to say on technicals earlier because they sit on average and there wasn’t much to say, it didn’t take the enjoyment away but it also didn’t increase the enjoyment. Now they are wide, deep, out of head, the delicate nature of the sound is smoother and moreish. There is a nice rounded off distant stage that instruments sit within and curve around without even a chance of bumping into one another.

Without the DAP these were a smooth, clear and enjoyable listen. With the Hiby RS6 the Crystal 6 II sounds unreal. Cohesion is the first thing you will notice with sound flowing at you in a singular fashion. Everything previously mentioned with the lows, mids & highs is maintained but amplified. Bass is still the same but has more power and assertion behind it, they feel like they have more colour within them AND Psytrance kickdrums have that beautiful crack behind them.

The mids still flow at you with a constant oscillation but are smoother, fuller, have edge details and sit within a more separated and larger stage. The highs are still in line with the mids but have more presence without stepping into hot-hot-hot territory.

Songs that include vinyl crackle have it loud and clear, cymbals roll off further and cohesion OH THE COHESION.

I really wasn’t expecting the difference to be so extreme but after hearing this pairing together the claim that the Crystal 6 II was tuned to work with the RS6 makes perfect sense.

I really want to stress that the soundstage when paired with the Hiby RS6 is on on par with with my Kublai Khan. The width and depth are something to behold and these things truly are your ultimate pairing with the RS6.

Sound Summary
These are great for smooth music and almost anything that doesn't need big wide dirty kicks. But I will be the first to say that yes, sometimes you want those big wide dirty kicks and for those moments you are getting more depth than width here. But the mids and highs really flow in what I find to be quite a unique way. With proper power you get a full sound, spacious soundstage


Other Things
The length of the stem is on the longer side, making tip selection important. I wanted to feel everything up against my ear so opted for shorter foam ear tips supplied with the Zeta. It goes without saying but getting the tip deep and cosy gives you more sound.

Photos of the case and tips and all of the unboxing experience can be seen in the earlier review.

I have a photo of the Crystal 6 II on a Rhino




Final Thoughts

These seem to me like an obvious pairing to the RS6. There is a lot to like and only very few genres in which you can find something to do a better job and let's be honest, you probably already own whatever those are.

I find vocals, instruments and highs to come across with a wonderful smoothness. The bass is pretty fantastic for particular genres and presented differently and satisfyingly.

My favourite part is the vibrating oscillation of the mids both with and without a DAP. But with a DAP these have so much more to give and the first proof of that for me.

So why a 4.5 star rating? Well the technicals when paired with the RS6 are on par with or close to a kilo-buck IEM. The texture and feeling of the sound is excellent and the smoothness is just so smoooooth.

https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-crystal-6-ii