[dougms3]

I am contemplating buying Hiby R5G2 , Ibasso DX170 or Fiio M11s. All are mostly in a similar price bracket. Any suggestions on what to buy. I will be streaming 70% and rest local FLAC files. Will drive mainly iems with it. Music Genres are EDM, House, Classical, Pop and I am a Bass Lover.

I'll be honest, the r5g2 has a few quirks that they need to iron out but the class A mode in this thing is really nice.

Gives music richness and body that makes you unwilling to turn it off.

Its too bad that the app developers don't work on DSD support for this device because even at dsd64 it sounds great, at its max dsd capability it must sound amazing.

Negatives are that, it gets quite warm because Class A and battery life that I've experienced with class A on is about 6-8 hours. With it off, it lasts a ridiculously long time maybe 1.5 days of non stop music play.

Also, the minor quirks/bugs in the software are a bit annoying but nothing major, I assume every device will have some annoyances like this. However, its nothing compared to what I've experienced with shanling products.

 

[sunster77]

I also saw the tempotec variations V6 in our local audio store. Price is lower than the R5G2 and specs are almost the same. Any thoughts ?

 

[dougms3]

I can't compare since I haven't heard it. Thats really the only way to know for sure if one is better than the other.

Even if the specs are identical, it doesn't mean they will sound the same. It depends on how the device is designed.

But looking at the specs for that tempotec dap, it doesn't have a class A mode and the benefit of the ess9219c dac chips vs ak4493 are that they are extremely efficient with power which allows for the ridiculously long battery life in the r5g2.

 

[sunster77]

noted. But other than battery life I guess the difference in sound may not be night and day right ? As the price difference is quite significant. The Hiby R5G2 costs 470 USD and the Tempotec Variations V6 costs 340 USD.

 

[dougms3]

The class A mode makes a pretty big difference in sound even on the r5g2. Even non audiophiles can easily hear the difference when you turn it on and off.

As far as I know its the only device that has a class A mode, its not possible unless you have a very efficient dac chip like the 9219c because class A is very ineffecient with power use, at least 50% of the power used for class A is lost as heat. Its the reason why it runs warm when using it.

Not that its not impossible to have class A with other devices but you will be left with very short battery life unless it has a dac as efficient as the 9219c.

 

[sunster77]

thanks for the input. I use very mainstream and low end iems like the venture electronics BIE and the Moondrop CHU. Will the Class A amp make a huge difference in sound with these iems ?

 

[dougms3]

thanks for the input. I use very mainstream and low end iems like the venture electronics BIE and the Moondrop CHU. Will the Class A amp make a huge difference in sound with these iems ?

I can't say if it will be huge but you will hear a difference. The difference the class A mode makes is that it tends to give the sound a richer, fuller bodied presentation, with a slight tube like decay, perhaps some might describe it as a holographic haze.

 

[sunster77]

ok sounds good. My dealer is also pushing me towards the Hiby. Does the HIby have a global Eq which will affect also Spotify ? I would like that

 

[dougms3]

ok sounds good. My dealer is also pushing me towards the Hiby. Does the HIby have a global Eq which will affect also Spotify ? I would like that

Kind of, it has the mseb but its not an EQ per say. It has extensive capabilities that can drastically change the sound characteristics of the dap, I don't use it because it has endless options to tune the sound. Also you can ask @Joe Bloggs with all your mseb questions. I believe he designed it.

I don't use EQ but maybe theres some 3rd party option for that if someone else can chime in.

 

[schwartzasher]

ok sounds good. My dealer is also pushing me towards the Hiby. Does the HIby have a global Eq which will affect also Spotify ? I would like that

The r5 gen 2 with class a mode on won't really be heard with the Chus. The ibasso has android 11 so you can download almost every app you need without compromise. Although r5g2 has the best battery life of them all

 

[dougms3]

The r5 gen 2 with class a mode on won't really be heard with the Chus. The ibasso has android 11 so you can download almost every app you need without compromise. Although r5g2 has the best battery life of them all

I can easily hear the difference on my $12 TRN MT3 iems.

I'm not sure if the r5g2 is pure class A but there is a wide gap in price difference between a class A and class D amp.

No offense but if you're unable to discern the difference with class A mode on and off, you can save yourself alot of money.

 

[schwartzasher]

I can easily hear the difference on my $12 TRN MT3 iems.

I'm not sure if the r5g2 is pure class A but there is a wide gap in price difference between a class A and class D amp.

No offense but if you're unable to discern the difference with class A mode on and off, you can save yourself alot of money.

I can hear the difference, but the difference some of them make, aren't worth it just to pay for class A. You get not a lot of ram and a low cpu. Also stuck with android 8.1.
The ibasso has a11 2gb ram and a bit better cpu which will run better for longer, esp with the android version allowing for things like wavelet to be downloaded and work. The fiio m11s is not a bad deal at around 450$ if that's where they were to get it for. But buying for the class a amp for Chus is not really worth the price. There may be some sort of difference but it's not crazy

 

[sunster77]

I can easily hear the difference on my $12 TRN MT3 iems.

I'm not sure if the r5g2 is pure class A but there is a wide gap in price difference between a class A and class D amp.

No offense but if you're unable to discern the difference with class A mode on and off, you can save yourself alot of money.

Thanks. This is the main problem here in India. Once you buy a product you cant return it most of the time barring some items on Amazon which also has a very restrictive return policy. So if I buy the DAC and don's like it...I am stuck with it or will have to sell it. So I am researching well before taking the plunge.

 

[sunster77]

I can hear the difference, but the difference some of them make, aren't worth it just to pay for class A. You get not a lot of ram and a low cpu. Also stuck with android 8.1.
The ibasso has a11 2gb ram and a bit better cpu which will run better for longer, esp with the android version allowing for things like wavelet to be downloaded and work. The fiio m11s is not a bad deal at around 450$ if that's where they were to get it for. But buying for the class a amp for Chus is not really worth the price. There may be some sort of difference but it's not crazy

If you were to suggest between Fiio M11s and Ibasso DX170 for use with iems like Venture Electronics BIE, 1More Triple Drivers or Moondrop CHU for genres like EDM, POP and for a lively musical presentation and not too clinical and analytical - what would you suggest. I would also add Tempotec Variation V6 in that list as it is similarly specced as the Hiby R5G2 other than the class A amp and battery life but more than a 100$ cheaper.

 

[schwartzasher]

If you were to suggest between Fiio M11s and Ibasso DX170 for use with iems like Venture Electronics BIE, 1More Triple Drivers or Moondrop CHU for genres like EDM, POP and for a lively musical presentation and not too clinical and analytical - what would you suggest. I would also add Tempotec Variation V6 in that list as it is similarly specced as the Hiby R5G2 other than the class A amp and battery life but more than a 100$ cheaper.

I would suggest either tbe ibasso or the fiio. Don't get me wrong, the r5g2 isn't bad, but if you want to get some nice eq, like a wavelet profile, or have it feel fast for longer, the ibasso or fiio would be tbe ones I suggest. The hiby does look real nice though.