Got the N6II delivered today. Didn't think USPS would make a delivery today due to hurricane Dorian, but nevertheless, it showed up at my doorstep.
BLUF: I love it !!
Quick initial impression and crude comparison to the Hiby R6 Pro, its close competitor.
In my opinion, similar in sound signature to the Hiby R6 Pro with a slightly lower output rating but still quite powerful (take it w/ pinch of salt, as i hear very little difference in SQ between decent DAPs). Very quiet on TE5B w/ no noticeable hiss. Don't really want to cover sound at the moment, as I've only had it in my ears for <30 minutes.
+++
Build Quality: Feels solid and premium. I really like the sandblasted matte black finish and the glass rear panel. The film type pre-installed screen protector is a nice touch too. Little bulkier than the Hiby R6 Pro but still feels good in the hand.
Speed: Highly responsive. Snappier than the Hiby R6 Pro (in my experience) with the same snapdragon 425 SOC. Guess that extra 1GB RAM makes a difference. I can navigate thru android OS and apps such as TIDAL w/ ease (less loading time).
Wifi: This has been my biggest gripe with the Hiby. Less than stellar wifi strength, and the random drops when streaming via TIDAL, which is absolutely frustrating. So far so good with the N6II.
Pause button: pause/play button works well with the screen off. With Hiby R6 Pro, it takes 5-10 sec to unpause when the screen is off or you have to turn the screen back on to quickly unpause. Wasn't a deal breaker for me, but more of an annoyance.
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Volume dial: The volume dial feels cheap and plasticky. Turns too freely and volume change is inconsistent. I would've liked slightly more tension w/ each click. Also wish there was a separate power button. I keep inadvertently end up changing the volume level when clicking to exit standby mode.
Surface temperature: Definitely runs warm/hot on 3.5SE compared to Hiby R6 Pro (haven't tested balanced 4.4 yet).
Single button navigation: I miss the traditional Android 3 button navigation layout on Hiby R6 Pro. Not sure how to access the overview with a single button layout.
Well that was a quick first impression. Gonna spend some quality time with this DAP and i'll report back with some sound impressions and new findings.
Thanks.