The sound signature that you're describing reminds me of Lotoo PAW 6000 with the organic sound of R2R. would be interesting to hear the comparison between the two from those that can compare both.

do you think that beyond 150 hours it may still have slight changes or do you think that all in all the sound has stabilized?

Great review, thanks a lot!
BTW, my internal Sheldon Cooper found a minor typo: "even though Bluetooth is inherently lossless" was supposed to be "even though Bluetooth is inherently lossy", was it?

@fabio19 I can't see it changing much more at this point. I reckon the sound sig is locked in. That said, HiBy has the ability to alter the sig with new FW, so we wait and see.

@vanez1985 thanks man, going to change it now! Good catch.

@gLer : Do you mean a version later than 20211018-1446?

@fabio19 yes, that's the version I'm on now. There will no doubt be many more to come, though if and how they decide to tweak the sound, I'm not sure.

Thanks for your information

Gotta love the "High Resoulution" branding...

Hey. How does this fare against Shanling M8?

Epic review. You might just have sold me a DAP. It all sounds good.

@DanielListening it's gotten better and better too. Like any good R2R DAC it takes time to break in, and even improves with warm up during a listening session.

What a wonderfully detailed review. Thanks so much! Also I love your pictures. I gotta step it up photography wise myself now

Your review was very informative, and gave me the confidence that the RS6 matched my preferences. A DAP for enjoying music, and less for evaluating music. Just got one, and am really enjoying everything I play through it.

Thanks for the feedback @ttt123. Glad you're enjoying it. It's a really great DAP, andveauly one of the most 'musical' I've heard to date.

I think I am fortunate to not be a first adopter, but can use your experiences (and others) to determine what looks interesting, when they show up months later on the 2nd hand market, and are more affordable. Recent gems have been the Cayin N6ii Ti, and the RS6. And rediscovering the old Sony EX1000, which I had not used for awhile.

Regarding the RS6, I think it must be exceptionally good in timing/speed/timbre (PRAT). ( I am trying with NOS and fast filter.) I am finding that music I previously could not listen to for long, would not involve me, I am now discovering the richness that they have, which I could not feel before. Jazz has a note richness, and timing/flow that makes it interesting/involving, whereas before I would get bored with it, and my attention would wander.
Cont'd

RS6 - cont'd
What I look for in a system, nowadays... Is it musical? Does it make music involving, and elevate it to a performance, and not background music? Does it pull you in, or do you find yourself not paying attention.? This seems (to me) to be the hardest thing for a system to do. And until you experience it, you can't even describe what it is you are looking for. It's like somebody who has never seen color, trying to describe what it is. Which is one factor in why the Audio journey is never ending. Often, you don't even know the question, or can only theorize about it, so how can you get to the answer?

Great feedback. This, to me, is the magic of good R2R at play. You can't describe it or even put your finger on it until you hear it for yourself. It just sounds right. So much 'hi-fi' gear is initially impressive with its speed and resolution and technicalities, but gets fatiguing after a while. The RS6 is plenty technical, but lets you sink into the music, relax, enjoy. That's what I personally look for from audio gear, especially at higher price points.