[fish1050]

I can not afford it :/ 200$ is maximum for me. I was considering few models. Fiio M6, Shanling M0, M2X, Hiby R3 Pro, Hidizs AP80 Pro and Sony NW A55. In terms of desing i like Sony and Hiby the most but there are a lot of opinions on internet that Sony is the worst sounding of all of them. Fiio, Shanling and Hidizs does not support MQA and i have more than half of my music library in MQA. Hiby R3 Pro would be perfect for me if BT interfernces was just firmware problem but i think it is related to hardware. So right now i am without any DAP and it slowly driving me crazy. Previously i had normal R3 but i did not like the sound with my XBA N3. The highs were too smooth and low end was a bit too muddy.

So Shanling apparently started a kickstarter campaign for their new Q1 DAP yesterday. From what I understand it will replace the M0 and the M1. Larger screen than the M1 (2.7") with physical buttons not just scroll wheel. larger battery than the M0 with 21 hours battery life and 80 Mw power and same ESS DAC/Amp as M0. Looks to have a rounder shape than the M0. Could be a very interesting ultra portable option though it is not open No Android so no 3rd party app support. I had the M0 for several months but gave up waiting for features to be added. They just released a new firmware to add replaygain and external playlist support for the M0, to little to late it appears with the Q1 coming soon. It would appear Shanling has abandoned their Linux based MTouch OS in favor of stripped down Android OS like Fiio.

The M0 sounded quite good for the price just couldn't deal with the tiny screen and scroll wheel. The Q1 looks like what I would have liked the M0 to be. A couple of early reviews are very positive and sound quality wise it appears to hold up well against the R3 Pro. No wifi so no streaming but reports on bluetooth are very good with no issues.

Damn, since I don't need wifi or streaming I have to give the nod to the Q1 over the R3 Pro. I wish I know about it before I jumped on the M9. Don't get me wrong I love the M9 but it has features I don't use and battery life is double on the Q1. Early reviews indicate a nice improvement in sound quality over the M1 and I do like the ESS Sabre DAC sound.

 

[tomaster]

So Shanling apparently started a kickstarter campaign for their new Q1 DAP yesterday. From what I understand it will replace the M0 and the M1. Larger screen like the M1 with physical buttons not just scroll wheel. Android OS, larger battery than the M0 and looks like like same ESS DAC/Amp as M0. Looks to have a rounder shape than the M0. Could be a very interesting ultra portable option though it is not open Android so not sure about whitelisted 3rd party app support. I had the M0 for several months but gave up waiting for features to be added. They just released a new firmware to add replaygain and external playlist support for the M0, to little to late it appears with the Q1 coming soon. It would appear Shanling has abandoned their Linux based MTouch OS in favor of stripped down Android OS like Fiio.

The M0 sounded quite good for the price just couldn't deal with the tiny screen and scroll wheel. The Q1 looks like what I would have liked the M0 to be. If Shanling can improve the sound quality with all these other changes could be a big seller for them.

Q1 doesn't have any Android, why people spread fake rumours.

 

[fish1050]

Q1 doesn't have any Android, why people spread fake rumours.

Yeah I updated my post, went off pre-release specs which said it had Android. Fine with me since it doesn't have wifi and streaming no need for Android.

 

[tomaster]

Yeah I updated my post, went off pre-release specs which said it had Android. Fine with me since it doesn't have wifi and streaming no need for Android.

As far as we know it's the same interface as M0.

 

[fish1050]

As far as we know it's the same interface as M0.

Yes it has the latest version of the MTouch OS but the layout should be modified to fit the larger screen. Official launch isn't until next February or March and early indication is release price will be around $119.00 US. Definitely a great on the go option given its size and battery life and early reviews indicate very good sound quality over the M0 for the price. If you are like me and don't need wifi and streaming and don't want Android this is a great option at a cheaper price vs the R3 Pro. So if you need wifi and streaming go R3 Pro, if you don't go Q1, complementary options if you don't want to pay for features you don't need.

Shanling may not be on the same level as Hiby or even Fiio when it comes to the OS. But they make very good sounding DAP's for the price and a great option if you don't need the more advanced features and don't want Android, like me.

 

[thesheik137]

Huge difference is dual CS dacs in R3Pro right? Seems like a big one to leave out. Also Hiby makes some of the best dap SW.

 

[fish1050]

Huge difference is dual CS dacs in R3Pro right? Seems like a big one to leave out. Also Hiby makes some of the best dap SW.

DAC's alone don't make the difference, how they are tuned makes the difference. I read one early review already that puts it at or above the R3 Pro for sound quality. I don't need wifi and streaming so why pay more for features I don't need. The R3 Pro would cost me an estimated $110.00 more than the Q1. They are comparable in power and battery life and the Q1 despite being pre-release has very stable bluetooth unlike the R3 Pro which seems to have issues to fix. I trust Shanling's hardware implementation more than I do Hiby as they have been making audio hardware for decades unlike Hiby. I have owned a Shanling M0 which sounded very good for a very good price. I have also listened to Shanling home audio gear and they make great sounding products.

Not saying the R3 Pro isn't a good DAP but if you don't need wifi and streaming then there are better options like the Q1.

 

[thesheik137]

DAC's alone don't make the difference, how they are tuned makes the difference. I read one early review already that puts it at or above the R3 Pro for sound quality. I don't need wifi and streaming so why pay more for features I don't need. The R3 Pro would cost me an estimated $110.00 more than the Q1. They are comparable in power and battery life and the Q1 despite being pre-release has very stable bluetooth unlike the R3 Pro which seems to have issues to fix. I trust Shanling's hardware implementation more than I do Hiby as they have been making audio hardware for decades unlike Hiby. I have owned a Shanling M0 which sounded very good for a very good price. I have also listened to Shanling home audio gear and they make great sounding products.

Not saying the R3 Pro isn't a good DAP but if you don't need wifi and streaming then there are better options like the Q1.

If Q1 meets your needs then that's great, especially at half the price. But saying it's objectively better than the R3Pro is a bit of a stretch.

Agreed, that the exact DAC chip model is not the most important factor, but it is the implementation. Which is why having dual dacs, one for each channel, will in fact make a large difference in sound, especially if you are utilizing the balanced output. The balanced output of the R3Pro is 210mw vs 80mw from the Q1, not to mention it has better THD numbers as well etc.

 

[Audiowood]

I think a fix is coming out for the idle standby bug and the bluetooth bug these few days.

Ok I am holding on the return waiting for the bluetooth fix. Please feedback that the AAC codec for receiving blue tooth is not working as well. The sound is just too good to give up so I am waiting for a bluetooth popping sound and AAC support firmware fix.

The deep bass level is very addicting. Way more than the new IPOD or ES100 balance out. In fact the SE out has deeper bass but balance has tighter bass. I like bass a little loose sometimes to feel the rumble, so I switch to SE.

 

[TooPoorForHiFi]

Ok I am holding on the return waiting for the bluetooth fix. Please feedback that the AAC codec for receiving blue tooth is not working as well. The sound is just too good to give up so I am waiting for a bluetooth popping sound and AAC support firmware fix.

The deep bass level is very addicting. Way more than the new IPOD or ES100 balance out. In fact the SE out has deeper bass but balance has tighter bass. I like bass a little loose sometimes to feel the rumble, so I switch to SE.

Any issues w/ the player when using it as Pure dumb DAP, no streaming etc...?

Are you able to play via Folder? I separate my Music via Folders

E.g TOOLS(Folder) > TOOLS Albums(Folder)

so If I want to play everything that is TOOLS I just play hit play on TOOLS(Folder) ?

 

[Audiowood]

Any issues w/ the player when using it as Pure dumb DAP, no streaming etc...?

Are you able to play via Folder? I separate my Music via Folders

E.g TOOLS(Folder) > TOOLS Albums(Folder)

so If I want to play everything that is TOOLS I just play hit play on TOOLS(Folder) ?

If using just DAP no streaming - I will keep it 100%. There may be occasional restart and shutdown all of sudden. Other than that, I dont see any issues.

I do see a play via folders option- haven't try it yet.

If you wanna use it as a lightweight portable dump dap - This is it! The sound for $200 is a pretty darn good. well you get the radio streams for free.

 

[TooPoorForHiFi]

If using just DAP no streaming - I will keep it 100%. There may be occasional restart and shutdown all of sudden. Other than that, I dont see any issues.

I do see a play via folders option- haven't try it yet.

If you wanna use it as a lightweight portable dump dap - This is it! The sound for $200 is a pretty darn good. well, you get the radio streams for free.

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[purplesun]

Are you able to play via Folder? I separate my Music via Folders
E.g TOOLS(Folder) > TOOLS Albums(Folder)
so If I want to play everything that is TOOLS I just play hit play on TOOLS(Folder) ?

I always use folder play. Arranged as Root>Compression types>Artists>Albums. I mostly play within an album folder. R3Pro does that just fine. R3Pro also has a play-through folder setting, which I don't use. I believe folder play is part & parcel of HibyOS UI, just like in Hidizs AP80.

 

[alias71]

Just received the Hiby R3 Pro. It has the 1.0 firmware. I am trying to update it via OTA but I always get this message: "Firmware update check failed". Is this a common problem?
Wi-Fi works OK: I was able to upload few albums via the "Import Music via Wi-Fi".
Thanks!

 

[thesheik137]

Just received the Hiby R3 Pro. It has the 1.0 firmware. I am trying to update it via OTA but I always get this message: "Firmware update check failed". Is this a common problem?
Wi-Fi works OK: I was able to upload few albums via the "Import Music via Wi-Fi".
Thanks!

That happened to me as well, tried different networks too but couldn't get it to work. Ended up updating via sd card.