[brainfog]

@brainfog on a second thoughts, I dunno if the frequency status on the top bar is reliable.
The volume show 0 when it is playing well at ~40. The top bar show 48Khz when the flac ripped from CD is 44.1Khz

@ongbenghui I had not noticed the volume showing zero.. that is odd behavior. I did confirm howerver that the R6 III is indeed outputing at Android default of 24/48 for 16/44.1 albums by connecting an external DAC and confirming bitrate there. I"ve reported the issue to Hiby.. and included email thread in spoiler below. I'll update once I hear back from their engineers.

Spoiler: Hiby Support Response to Direct Transport Architecture Issue

2:16 AM (5 hours ago)

Thank you for your email.

Well noticed and received your feedback about the Direct Transport Architecture on the latest release of the HiBy R6 III device. We'll check with our engineers and get back to you in the next few days. Wish you a pleasant day!

Thanks and best regards,
HiByMusic
HiBy official website: https://store.hiby.com

From: satsun74@gmail.com
Date: 2023-03-20 22:50

To: hello@hiby.com
Subject: Issues with Direct Transport Architecture on R6 III After Firmware Update
Hello,

I've recently purchased a Hiby R6 III from Music Teck and have been very happy with this device (my first Hiby product). However, I have run into some issues with bit perfect playback since upgrading to the newest firmware 1.11_20230310-1937.

Prior to the update, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, PowerAmp, Radio Garden, Hiby Music were all playing back music perfectly as expected. I did an OTA firmware update to 1.11_20230310-1937k over the weekend and since doing so have noticed that when playing 16/44.1 music files, all apps except Hiby Music are now playing at 24/48. HiRes files in Tidal and Qobuz play at the correct bitrate, but anything that is 44.1K is playing incorrectly with one strange exception. When playing Podcasts in Spotify they playback at 16/44.1 while music plays back at 24/48.

I've tested with an external USB DAC plugged into the R6 III and behavior is the same. I've also done a factory reset with no change in behavior.

I am thinking a good next step would be to try to roll back to the original firmware and apply any necessary firmware updates manually but I do not see any place to download firmware and am wondering if you might be able to make all files available with instructions on how to roll back firmware updates?

Thank you in advance and let me know if I can provide you with any further information. I've attached screenshots showing the playback oddities with 16/44.1 from various apps as well as the oddities with Spotify podcast 16/44.1 and Spotify Music 24/48.

 

[ongbenghui]

@ongbenghui I had not noticed the volume showing zero.. that is odd behavior. I did confirm howerver that the R6 III is ineed outputing at Android default of 24/48 for 16/44.1 albums by connecting an external DAC and confirming bitrate there. I"ve reported the issue to Hiby.. and included email thread in spoiler below. I'll update once I hear back from their engineers.

So technically, not longer bit perfect. This device is fairly buggy to be released.
I do have two emails threads with support now.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

From the wording of their reply, they are acknowledging his bug report in the case of his player, not acknowledging that they are seeing the same issue crop up on all their testbeds on the same firmware. It remains to be seen whether this was a firmware update issue or a configuration issue we're all missing the point of at the moment.

 

[Dietmar Görtz]

Are there any leather cases for the Hiby R6III ?

 

[brainfog]

From the wording of their reply, they are acknowledging his bug report in the case of his player, not acknowledging that they are seeing the same issue crop up on all their testbeds on the same firmware. It remains to be seen whether this was a firmware update issue or a configuration issue we're all missing the point of at the moment.

@Joe Bloggs I agree.. not sure everyone is experiencing this issue. I'm wondering if I may have had an issue/hiccup with an OTA firmware update as I had no issues what-so-ever before updating the firmware (beyond the firmware fixes ). I typically always prefer to download and instal such firmware updates via local file so it would be nice if HIBY would make those available as an option for folks.

@ongbenghui There are a few bugs but I suppose that is to be expected with such a new device. As a Fujifilm camera user.. I appreciate companies that actually listen to their customers and provide firmware updates to fix bugs and provde additional functionality on existing devices. My experience with Hiby so far is they seem to be in that category.. so BRAVO Hiby! @Joe Bloggs , if Hiby ever needs product testers I'm good at documentation and finding bugs!

 

[brainfog]

So technically, not longer bit perfect. This device is fairly buggy to be released.
I do have two emails threads with support now.

@ongbenghui I wouldn't say the device is not bit perfect.. because it is with certain apps though I do think our Direct Transport Architecture got a bit messed up during firmware. Again.. not sure if this was caused by OTA update bad juju or is a bigger issue at this point. My Experience to date with with firmware 1.11_20230310-1937:

Software/App:	Bit Perfect Playback
Hiby Music	Yes (Tidal as well)
Fiio Music	No (only tested 16/44.1) - defaults to 24/48
UAPP	YES (Tidal and Qobuz Big Perfect as well)
PowerAmp	No (only tested 16/44.1) - defaults to 24/48
Qobuz	No - 16/44.1 defaults to 24/48 Yes - Anything above CD Quality
Tidal	No - 16/44.1 defaults to 24/48 Yes - Anything above CD Quality
PlexAmp	No - defaults to 24/48
Spotify	Yes - Podcasts 16/44.1 No - Music defaults to 24/48
Roon	No - defaults to 24/48
Roon ARC	No - defaults to 24/48
Radio Garden	No - defaults to 24/48
Sound Cloud	No - defaults to 24/48
Radio Paradise	No - defaults to 24/48

 

[Sphere 57]

@ongbenghui I had not noticed the volume showing zero.. that is odd behavior. I did confirm howerver that the R6 III is ineed outputing at Android default of 24/48 for 16/44.1 albums by connecting an external DAC and confirming bitrate there. I"ve reported the issue to Hiby.. and included email thread in spoiler below. I'll update once I hear back from their engineers.

Spoiler: Hiby Support Response to Direct Transport Architecture Issue

2:16 AM (5 hours ago)

Thank you for your email.

Well noticed and received your feedback about the Direct Transport Architecture on the latest release of the HiBy R6 III device. We'll check with our engineers and get back to you in the next few days. Wish you a pleasant day!

Thanks and best regards,
HiByMusic
HiBy official website: https://store.hiby.com

From: satsun74@gmail.com
Date: 2023-03-20 22:50

To: hello@hiby.com
Subject: Issues with Direct Transport Architecture on R6 III After Firmware Update
Hello,

I've recently purchased a Hiby R6 III from Music Teck and have been very happy with this device (my first Hiby product). However, I have run into some issues with bit perfect playback since upgrading to the newest firmware 1.11_20230310-1937.

Prior to the update, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, PowerAmp, Radio Garden, Hiby Music were all playing back music perfectly as expected. I did an OTA firmware update to 1.11_20230310-1937k over the weekend and since doing so have noticed that when playing 16/44.1 music files, all apps except Hiby Music are now playing at 24/48. HiRes files in Tidal and Qobuz play at the correct bitrate, but anything that is 44.1K is playing incorrectly with one strange exception. When playing Podcasts in Spotify they playback at 16/44.1 while music plays back at 24/48.

I've tested with an external USB DAC plugged into the R6 III and behavior is the same. I've also done a factory reset with no change in behavior.

I am thinking a good next step would be to try to roll back to the original firmware and apply any necessary firmware updates manually but I do not see any place to download firmware and am wondering if you might be able to make all files available with instructions on how to roll back firmware updates?

Thank you in advance and let me know if I can provide you with any further information. I've attached screenshots showing the playback oddities with 16/44.1 from various apps as well as the oddities with Spotify podcast 16/44.1 and Spotify Music 24/48.

I wasn't sure if this conversion of 44.1kHz to 48kHz was due to the firmware update or something I had done to my settings. I did a factory reset and left all settings as they come but the bug persists.

 

[brainfog]

I wasn't sure if this conversion of 44.1kHz to 48kHz was due to the firmware update or something I had done to my settings. I did a factory reset and left all settings as they come but the bug persists.

@Joe Bloggs Seems like this issue is affecting a few of us at least.

 

[brainfog]

Are there any leather cases for the Hiby R6III ?

@Dietmar Görtz Basically you have three leather case options from Hiby:

• R6 III (Gen 3) Green leather case $14.90 - I have this case and it feels very nice. Volume adjustment is becoming easier as the case wears in
• R6 III (Gen 3) Brown leather case $29.00 - Mine is on order and shipped out yesterday
• New R6 leather case $66.00 - This has been reported as fitting the R6 III but I have not confirmed

 

[Imbrie]

@Dietmar Görtz Basically you have three leather case options from Hiby:

• R6 III (Gen 3) Green leather case $14.90 - I have this case and it feels very nice. Volume adjustment is becoming easier as the case wears in
• R6 III (Gen 3) Brown leather case $29.00 - Mine is on order and shipped out yesterday
• New R6 leather case $66.00 - This has been reported as fitting the R6 III but I have not confirmed

Can confirm that the New R6 leather case fits the R6III perfectly.

 

[ongbenghui]

@ongbenghui I wouldn't say the device is not bit perfect.. because it is with certain apps though I do think our Direct Transport Architecture got a bit messed up during firmware. Again.. not sure if this was caused by OTA update bad juju or is a bigger issue at this point. My Experience to date with with firmware 1.11_20230310-1937:

Software/App:	Bit Perfect Playback
Hiby Music	Yes (Tidal as well)
Fiio Music	No (only tested 16/44.1) - defaults to 24/48
UAPP	YES (Tidal and Qobuz Big Perfect as well)
PowerAmp	No (only tested 16/44.1) - defaults to 24/48
Neutron	Yes if it is working.

I think poweramp will perform upsampling to 96khz or something when you chose the hires setting. Has deleted since and will probably reinstall to test.
Thanks for the compilation, I think they are accurate.

 

[cobrabucket]

I was thinking about getting a new DAP and have narrowed it down between the Hiby R6 III and the Shanling M3 Ultra. Any thoughts or comments?

 

[BobbyTBrown]

I was thinking about getting a new DAP and have narrowed it down between the Hiby R6 III and the Shanling M3 Ultra. Any thoughts or comments?

I was in the same position. But I decided to go with R6 III because of MESB which allows you to tune the overall sound to your liking. It is system wide, but not applicable to MQAs though.

The RAM is higher at 4GB, and the storage is also higher at 64GB.

I use balanced cables mainly. And so the higher balanced output at 405mW (compared to 260mW) is a nice advantage to have in you back picket, just in case.

It also comes with android 12 rather 10, and so apps should be supported for longer.

The overall quality of Hiby’s screen is not as good as it should be though. There are noticeable backlight leaks around the edges of the screen.

 

[cobrabucket]

Good info, Much appreciated.
My only concern is that I understand the noise floor is higher on the R6 III than the M3U. I think my most sensitive IEMs are either the Campfire Vega OG or Dorado 2020, but I don't think they are as sensitive as something like an Andromeda though. Might not be a big deal?
Also, as far as bypassing the resampler and getting bit-perfect audio, does this also apply to Apple music or Amazon music? My understanding [at least a few months ago] was that they were resampled and/or had a max rate.
Getting close to making a decision here... Thank you very much!

 

[adrenalight]

I was thinking about getting a new DAP and have narrowed it down between the Hiby R6 III and the Shanling M3 Ultra. Any thoughts or comments?

Was in the same position and went with the Hiby. Had the chance to try out both of them and have some comment.
While I prefer the form factor of the Shanling (smaller, feeling denser to hold) and it has better battery, the overall software experience is better on the Hiby. And as others pointed out, Android 12 is a plus.
Soundwise, there are differences but not huge, I plan to use them with iem only anyway so output power is also not very important. It really depends on preference. So what is more important for you, form-factor+battery or software experience + long term support.