[Paul_in_Maryland]

I have received my FC3 today. Its a cute little device. But sadly it doesn't work with my phones neither with LG G8X nor with LG V20. I have tried with HIBY Music app in Exclusive USB mode as also with UAPP. None of them seem to recognise the device. I have also tried other USB C to C which works well with my other USB DACs but fails here.

I solved my FC3's conne, too, couldn't get my FC3 to work at its full potential when connected to LG V20 phone.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

I own the FC3 and an LG V20. You need two cables in a chain:
1. USB-C male to USB-A male, and
2. USB-A female to USB-C male OTG (On the Go) dongle to join the first cable to your V20.

 

[parthabhatta]

I own the FC3 and an LG V20. You need two cables in a chain:
1. USB-C male to USB-A male, and
2. USB-A female to USB-C male OTG (On the Go) dongle to join the first cable to your V20.

I can use my FC3 with LG V20 by using the supplied USB C TO C cable without any problem.

 

[snake785]

I think mine may have arrived defective as the left channel cuts in and out if I plug in my headphones all the way into the jack and/or turn the headphone cable. I need to be precise with how I plug my headphones in. This behaviour started just a few hours after I received it with multiple pairs of headphones. Has anyone else experienced this?

Also, the FC3 doesn't seem to support 32kHz like the product information says it does. Playing a 32kHz file in foobar2000 on Windows 10 returns an error that the sample rate isn't supported, On Android, Neutron Media Player will just resample it to 44.1kHz. Every other sample rate seems to work on both platforms as I get the FC3 to show the appropriate colour on playback.

Other than those things, this DAC sounds great and is a perfect size to store in my Sennheiser IE300 case (along with the USB Type C cable). I was also pleasantly surprised that changing tracks with the volume rocker works in windows. Just wanted to add that the FC3 also drives my HD650 very well.

I found the leather case a bit annoying since it keeps sliding around when plugging/unpluging cables. Personally, it does look better without the case, however.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

I think mine may have arrived defective as the left channel cuts in and out ...

Are you using a headphone cable that supports a microphone? If so, that could be the problem.

 

[snake785]

Are you using a headphone cable that supports a microphone? If so, that could be the problem.

That was it! The headphone cables I tried had a microphone attached to them. I swapped out to one without a mic and it doesn't cut out anymore. Thanks a lot for the suggestion!

 

[GlaslowII]

I think i may have a major issue with this device.. (4 months of daily usage)

This morning as i plug my Hiby FC3 on my phone.. It doesn't work anymore... Well i say doesn't work anymore because it registered as a "High Power Device" and that the connected device needs an external power supply.

I tried to isolate and pinpoint the issue.. But from what I've find so far..
1. The wire is not an issue... Because i tried different wires..
2. Phone is not the issue because the power issue thingy exists on my laptop as well.. (pop-up says something about power limit and port something..)
As i plug the device on my laptop.. It was a little hot.. I don't know if something happened with the internal wirings or the chips inside.

This thing is well cared by me not even a single scratch is received by the brushed aluminum finish.....

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

It's time I weighed in with my short impressions. I'll begin with a comment I shared under a YouTube review:

"I'm am amazed by my HiBy FC3, using 32-ohm closed headphones. The definition is incredible. In the Sonata line-up, the closest competitor is the E35, which was introduced in the first quarter of 2021. Even so, from the reviews I've seen, the Hiby will sound better. Amazon Prime Music's free MP3s (256 kbps?) are upscaled within Prime, making the FC3's LED quality indicator change from blue to green. Downloaded 16/44.1 FLAC files upscale to green when played in the HibyMusic 4 app."

When I say "the definition is incredible," here's what I mean. In the Broadway musical Anastasia, there's a song called Once Upon a December. Near the end, the song features a large chorus of men and women. Their voices always blended indistinctly as a muddled mess, even when played through my desktop setup: a JDS Labs OL DAC and a DROP O2 amp. But when played through the HiBy from my tablet or phone, the men's voices can be heard distinctly from the women's. There and in other parts of other songs, the HiBy FC3 has been a revelation.

I use mine with a pair of KRK KNS8400 closed headphones on my Huawei Android tablet and my LG V20 phone. Even on the V20, music sounds better. It could be because the HiBy's 9281pro quad DAC is more advanced than the LG's 9018 or 9118 quad DAC. But I suspect it's more that the HiBy has more power, delivering more dynamic range and punch.

I occasionally use my FC3 with my Samsung Tab S4 tablet. But I haven't been able to get the Samsung to allow the FC3's DAC part to work; I'm just getting Samsung sound through the FC3's amp, and the FC3's blue LED never turns green.

I'm toying with the idea of getting a second dongle, to keep on a different floor, attached to different headphones. The FC3 is a safe bet; on Aliexpress, scores of users give it an average rating of 4.9 stars. But being a good Head-Fier, I would always wonder, "What could I have tried instead?" My possible choices are:

• HiBy FC1 ($35 plus shipping from the HiBy store). An incredible value. Same build, same buttons, same LEDs, but with a slightly lesser DAC (a 9270) that can't be as fully programmed and can't play MQA (which I don't use anyway).
• Tempotec Sonata E35 ($80 shipped from U.S. Amazon). The closest competitor. Dual DACs, similar power (80 mW vs. the FC3's 70), and favorably reviewed.
• Trasam DSD ($80 shipped from U.S. Amazon). No reviews, and it uses an even lesser DAC, the 9018K2M--the first of ESS's third-generation DACs, where the 9038 marks the fourth generation. But it uses "an advanced MAX97220 low-pass filter and a new increased LDO Low Dropout Linear Regulator, to further reduce the distortion and noise floor, the signal to noise ratio up to 120dB." More important, it has 120mW per channel at 32 ohms. Among single-ended dongles that cost $100 or less, only the Xduoo Link2 has more (150mW).

 

[NoGainToBeHad]

My FC3 with the HiBy Lightning adapter no longer works properly with my iPad or iPhone. The volume is stuck at maximum and I can’t adjust it using the hardware volume buttons on the FC3 or any of the controls on my Apple devices. It was working properly when I first got It, I wonder if the upgrade to IOS 14.6 was the cause. Is anyone else experiencing the same problem?

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

The top-of-the-line Sabre 9281pro DAC can be found in only five DAC+amps: Audirect Beam 2S, Earmen Sparrow, Hiby FC3, THX Onyx, and Zorloo Ztella. Of the five, only the Audirect and Hiby provide physical volume controls. And of those two, only the Hiby lets you use your unbalalanced headphones.

So the Hiby FC3 would be the best value?

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

So the Hiby FC3 would be the best value?

Absolutely. Check out this site's raves: https://www.hypethesonics.com/hiby-fc3-minihype/

 

[kadinh]

Anyone interested in the new release, the FD3?

 

[3Putter]

Anyone interested in the new release, the FD3?

I am interested to hear feedback on one. I doubt I'll buy one but I might. How much better will it be from my other dongles?

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

Anyone interested in the new release, the FD3?

Good find. Thanks! The dual 9038 and dual amps intrigue me. But it's sad that the power for unbalanced mode his barely inched, from 70 mw to 85. And I guess I would have preferred a standard dongle form factor for inline use.

 

[kadinh]

I am interested to hear feedback on one. I doubt I'll buy one but I might. How much better will it be from my other dongles?

Good find. Thanks! The dual 9038 and dual amps intrigue me. But it's sad that the power for unbalanced mode his barely inched, from 70 mw to 85. And I guess I would have preferred a standard dongle form factor for inline use.

I’m almost convinced to buy it but I have a S9Pro that just arrived today.

I’m also wanting to read what Andy thinks about it. I’m tempted to buy one and send it to him so he can review it asap. He said it would be sept/oct before he would have money to buy one.