[Photoman]

Nope absolutely not. Everything is good on both. The normal pro to me sounded a little thicker and mids weren't as clear. The saber bass is leaner and mids maybe more foward but with less warmth and more air.

So for the techno and delic wich can be quite busy and fast I think the saber has the edge in those particular genres.
Especially if you want to hear every part in great detail. But I listen to mostly prog and classic rock zeppelin, rush, yes, genesis, king crimson, elo, queen, dream theater, spocks beard, rolling stones - you get the idea. And the saber sounds great, and the pro sounds great.

Also I like smooth jazz and that sounds excellent. I guess it boils down to one sounding a bit fuller and warmer and one being a bit more sharper and towards neutral with more air. Not huge differences, but as I'm going through my usual stuff I'm noticing the speed and seperation of notes on that real busy stuff.

I can see people liking the regular pro more for it's richer, warmer sound. It might even be better for rock and blues and acoustic stuff. Idk, It all depends I guess on personal taste. The saber/sabre definitely sounds 'faster' to my ears.

Oh and sorry so long winded. And I don't do much pop or r&b so not much help there. But I can't see them sounding bad, the saber isn't dry or analytical sounding or thin sounding. And classical sounds pretty good on it too, very nice presentation.

I appreciate the info. Thanks

 

[abitdeef]

Hey guys,
Ive been using my Fiio M11 with the FH7 Iem for about a year now,
love the setup, but I've found myself getting over lugging around the player, as it is quite big and heavy.
Its fantastic to have stunning sound and 2 SD slots, but came here as I'm thinking something like the Hiby R3 Pro Saber might be a better, more portable option?

I've looked at the specs, and I understand the R3 Pro saber may have a little less power, but wanting to know what people think about the transition.
I listen to lots of music from rock, acoustic, hip-hop.

The 1 SD card slot isn't a deal breaker either, but from what I understand there is also a song limit of 20,000 tracks?

I also find myself using the Hiby player app on the M11, so I'm familiar with it, and think its great, just unsure that if I do decide to sell the M11 would I be disappointed in the R3 pro saber ?

I personally think power aside the r3p saber sounds better than the m11. I like the bass response better. Of course ymmv

 

[Joe Bloggs]

I can't stand using iem's so not an option for me and investing in balanced cables for a transit DAP not really practical. I have used balanced headphones with home gear and the balanced cables can get in the way sometimes. I just read Twister 6's review of the Q1 (last year) and his comparison to the R3 Pro original. He confirmed your point about the balanced output sounding much better on the R3 Pro and by extension the Sabre I assume. He also felt the Q1 sounded better with wider soundstage and better separation than the R3 Pro via 3.5 mm. I will stick with my M9 for now and keep my eye out for a good deal on a Q1. Might import using ebay.ca which adds some buyer protection over ordering direct from China. With Canada moving to phase 2 reopening by the end of the month hopefully importing products will become easier and cheaper with fewer delays in a few months. I emailed musicteck to find out why they are charging $50 on their site to ship to Canada, still waiting for a response.

Enjoy your R3 Pro Saber, once the dealer re-opens I might try to demo the R3 Pro Saber. They actually have the original R3 Pro on sale for $275 so $75 less than the Sabre version right now.

I'm sad to hear that people are put off from using SE earphones with HiBy equipment because they have balanced ports

 

[danz83]

- Is it appropriate to connect HiBy R3 Pro 2.5mm balanced in “line out” mode through unbalanced RCA to Schiit Magni Heresy amplifier?
- Is it going to show the benefits of the balanced output of R3 Pro?
- Will R3 Pro work fine?

Accordingly to HiBy R3 Pro specs, 2.5mm balanced output can work as a lineout with 4Vrms and resistance <1Ohm. Schiit Heresy amp has RCA input only, which stacks ideally with Schiit Modi (modi outputs 2Vrms and has 77Ohms).

I’ve read somewhere that balanced to unbalanced transition is made by shortening “-“ terminal. It, potentially, could be dangerous to the source. Therefore asking this question.
Using, for example, this cable https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Balanced-Compatible-AK100II-XDP-300R/dp/B07K1CY2VT

(Just joined community and this is my first question, apologies if Smith is wrong )

 

[HiFlight]

- Is it appropriate to connect HiBy R3 Pro 2.5mm balanced in “line out” mode through unbalanced RCA to Schiit Magni Heresy amplifier?
- Is it going to show the benefits of the balanced output of R3 Pro?
- Will R3 Pro work fine?

Accordingly to HiBy R3 Pro specs, 2.5mm balanced output can work as a lineout with 4Vrms and resistance <1Ohm. Schiit Heresy amp has RCA input only, which stacks ideally with Schiit Modi (modi outputs 2Vrms and has 77Ohms).

I’ve read somewhere that balanced to unbalanced transition is made by shortening “-“ terminal. It, potentially, could be dangerous to the source. Therefore asking this question.
Using, for example, this cable https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Balanced-Compatible-AK100II-XDP-300R/dp/B07K1CY2VT

(Just joined community and this is my first question, apologies if Smith is wrong )

If the Heresy inputs are balanced, the cable should work ok, but most RCA line inputs share a common ground with the rest of the amp circuitry and if so, could be hazardous to the health of your source.. Make sure before using!! I can't be more specific as I am not familiar with the Heresy circuitry.

 

[abitdeef]

I'm sad to hear that people are put off from using SE earphones with HiBy equipment because they have balanced ports

Then quit making the balanced sound so good Hey do you think you could report a bug to your development team? The recently played feature isn't working on the newest saber firmware- don't know if they're the same firmware but...

When you add new music and update the db, the recently added is blank.

Thnx

And would it be possible for them to have volume memory between outputs and BT instead of global memory. So I don't put my iems on after using BT and blow my eardrums out because volume is set to 100.

 

[Photoman]

Then quit making the balanced sound so good Hey do you think you could report a bug to your development team? The recently played feature isn't working on the newest saber firmware- don't know if they're the same firmware but...

When you add new music and update the db, the recently added is blank.

Thnx

I second that. Please fix

 

[MrNaturalAZ]

But I listen to mostly prog and classic rock zeppelin, rush, yes, genesis, king crimson, elo, queen, dream theater, spocks beard, rolling stones - you get the idea. And the saber sounds great, and the pro sounds great.

We have very similar taste in music!

 

[Richiyaado]

Then quit making the balanced sound so good Hey do you think you could report a bug to your development team? The recently played feature isn't working on the newest saber firmware- don't know if they're the same firmware but...

When you add new music and update the db, the recently added is blank.

Thnx

I've had an occasional issue with the regular R3 pro. A couple of times, I've had to update the db twice before the newly-added music will appear.

 

[Wladimir]

One more question dear friends - if you could choose between Fiio Q5 or R3 Pro/Saber for the same price, mainly for desktop /USB-DAC use and occasional travel, which one would you choose?

 

[purplesun]

I'm sad to hear that people are put off from using SE earphones with HiBy equipment because they have balanced ports

Cheer up! Fortunately, it's not the more sought after 4.4mm balanced out. Thank goodness for that.

 

[abitdeef]

We have very similar taste in music!

I'm old lol, I was a teen when great music was coming out. Still remember Van Helen's first album and ACDC highway to hell and Judist priest, Journey, Aerosmith, Ozzy, BTO, April Wine, Styx, Boston, Kansas, Thin lizzy, Sweet, lynerd skynard, Devo, The kinks, The Cars, Cheap trick, Heart, Floyd and on and on and on.

Prog is one of my faves though. Rush is probably my favorite band it's tough with zep and the who, yes ....

Nothing was like Van Halen's debut though. It was like music from another dimension lol. No one had that sound and technique.

Great years and great music.

 

[abitdeef]

One more question dear friends - if you could choose between Fiio Q5 or R3 Pro/Saber for the same price, mainly for desktop /USB-DAC use and occasional travel, which one would you choose?

For desktop use, I'd chose Q5. Is it Q5 or Q5s ?

 

[Wladimir]

For desktop use, I'd chose Q5. Is it Q5 or Q5s ?

Ordinary Q5. I can buy it used for the same price as new R3 Pro, so I'm wondering. I'd be pairing it with Meze 99 Classics (with upgrade 2.5mm cable) and maybe some decent IEM in the future.

 

[JuanLuis91]

Ordinary Q5. I can buy it used for the same price as new R3 Pro, so I'm wondering. I'd be pairing it with Meze 99 Classics (with upgrade 2.5mm cable) and maybe some decent IEM in the future.

I used the meze 99 neo with 2.5mm balanced cable on the ibasso dx120. Let me tell you that the improvements are noticeable, a more controlled sound and with better definition. At the meze I changed the factory pads and put some hybrid brainwavz on them, again, the changes are noticeable.