Joe Bloggs
Sponsor: HiByMember of the Trade: EFO Technologies CoHis Porta Corda walked the Green Mile
After becoming the latest addition to Head-Fi's hallowed list of sponsors
, I am pleased to announce the very first Head-Fi world tour for HiBy. Call it the Easter 2023 world tour 
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r6-gen-iii
The R6III is a solid midrange performer that we hope punches above its weight (or, "defies class boundaries" as I wrote for the ad copy
). At 250g it's a bit of a weighty unit so that's a good thing! Headline features include dual ES9038Q2M DACs, 405mW max power, class A/AB switch, open Android 12 running on Snapdragon 665. It is an excellent entry point for anyone looking to try out the full HiBy android experience, which is characterized by•competent systemwide customization of the stock Android experience for audio needs (dubbed HiByOS)
•numerous audio additions to the Android backend to support MQA systemwide, as well as various DSP options, including the mother of all DSP options, a fully-configurable four-way impulse response convolver for correcting / modifying the sound to the needs of your particular audio chain in just about any way imaginable (fully bypassable, of course)
•good support of latest player technologies and features while at the same time guaranteeing great sound on the level with or better than "barebone" HiFi players, thanks e.g. to premium componentry, expert shielding and DTA (Direct Transfer Architecture) ensuring that audio data passes unchanged by the OS from the source files to the premium DACs (unless you so wish, see above).
In addition, we will be shipping our HiBy Crystal 6 mkII IEMs to go with this player on tour. This is a 6BA/earpiece pair of hi-res in-ear monitors, with a balanced tuning as pictured here: (the IEMs, not the FR graph. They weren't graphing correctly on the product page. Check back later. I'm getting a pair of these to report on in advance)
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-crystal-6-ii
As well as getting to try out the Crystal 6 MkII together with the R6 MkIII, reviewers will also get to be the first to try out advanced options for adapting the player / playback to their audio chain (such as the Crystal 6 MkII, or anything else you care to pair with it) via new DSP plugin modules currently in development!
We are now soliciting tour participants from all over the world to enrol in our inaugural Head-Fi tour! Anyone may apply as long as they agree to the review regulations at the end of this post, and as long as they intend to write about their experience and share it with us!
Update 18 Mar: end-of-tour arrangements will be that the last member of the tour (drawn by lot or to a limited extent determined by circumstance) will, in exchange for the dubious honour of waiting the longest time to receive the package for review, get to KEEP the review package
*in light of the above, applications to delay your turn in the review queue for personal, work or whatever reason will be treated carefully by the management
Simply post at least the following in reply to this thread to apply for the tour:
1. Your main spoken / written languages
2. A summary of your existing audio gear, including any players, earphones, amps, etc. whether HiBy branded or otherwise (but don't be shy if you don't have much, it's not necessary to have a stack of existing equipment to get selected
3. Point to any existing review experience you have--where your existing reviews are posted, if any. (but don't be shy if you don't have any, this is your chance to start
4. Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): this is very important as after looking at the list of applicants we will decide on how to group them by geographical region.
Review regulations (subject to change before the tour commences):
•Reviewers should promptly indicate when they have received the tour package from e.g. the post office. Once the package is in hand, they have up to 10 days for forming impressions before shipping to the next reviewer.
•Reviewers should ship the tour package to the next reviewer by registered post in the original product packaging provided, and keep records and receipts for reimbursement purposes
•By applying for this tour, you indicate that you are fine with your real name and address being privately provided to us for shipping purposes, and HiBy is allowed to share excerpts of what you write about our products and/or link to your full review on their product and store pages.
•Reviewers will not be held responsible for any damage to the tour package sustained during shipping or normal usage, however, they should not open, modify or perform any DIY work on the products.
•Reviewers should do the review fairly and objectively, and related product photos are required.
•Reviewers need not overstate the advantages of the products.
•Reviewers should indicate that the review tour packages are free loan units, in order to avoid any misunderstandings.
•Reviewers are prohibited from using or disseminating pirated music on the tour package.
•Reviewers are reminded to listen responsibly and safely to the tour package, to not use it when operating machinery or driving, and not to drive headphones to excessive volume with the tour package.
•Reviewers may send the review content to us for examination prior to publishing—for basic fact-checking purposes only. We will only request corrections of factual mistakes regarding the tour package. Reviewers may post the corrections alongside their original content for reference.
•Reviewers agree to be nagged by Joe Bloggs for a review if it hasn't come out yet for quite a while
Happy listening to all!
<--yes, you're welcome to bring your own amplifier into the mix
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