Great review! Very informative indeed.. would you say that the previous ak4497 chip brings the player a step back vs the ak4499? Or there is more to the dac than the main chip used?

Thank you. I'd say there definitely much more to it, even if you're only talking about sound. It's all about the implementation. A great AK4497 implementation like this one beats a poor AK4499 implementation anyday. And the amplification stage is just as - if not more - important. But as you've hopefully gathered from my review, in my opinion the sound is just one facet of a flagship DAP.

Excellent! It's remarkable to think how far DAPs have come in the last year - when I'm shopping for a new DAP, Hiby will be top of my consideration and who knows how they will evolve. The R8 would be pushing past my budget, but I'd consider their mid range offerings.

Great review. I have the R5 and love it- use UAPP as well. Have you heard the R5? And if so what did you think of its sound quality?