HiBy R6 Pro II - An Opening Door into the world of DAPs
I am hereby summarizing my opinions on the R6 Pro II, taken from very illuminative impressions. Please keep in mind that I am a beginner reviewer (thanks once again for the opportunity) and I had never heard a DAP before. The closest I have had to it was my Cowon J3 player, a decade ago.
To make this easier, I have compared this one directly to my daily use dongle, the Jcally AP10, which is mostly neutral packing a dual CS43131 and has the following power capabilities: 1.8V/3.8V on the 4.4 bal output, and 0.9V/1.8V on the 3.5mm output; being low and high gain respectively. No wattage info available.
This way I will be able to convey what a beginner audiophile might experience when upgrading from a mid-tier dongle/dac to a mid-tier DAP.
My collection of IEMs doesn't yet have a planar in it to test with the R6 PRO II, but I will be mostly testing it on budget IEMs, as well as in a couple of over-ear Headphones.
User UI
Basic Android System, only having Hiby App pre-installed.
It is sluggish when scrolling and giving commands.
Powering the unit takes 26 seconds which seems like an eternity for a device that has no apps installed.
Better reproduction quality via HiBy app when compared to Tidal, however - Hiby app often crashes, screen touches and drags are not registered, and "unexpected errors" are frequent. For instance Hiby got stuck jumping between these two error messages upon playback " the asset could not be played for some reason"; "Several consecutive playback errors".
MSEB is quite useful. Being able to control subtle sound characteristics like frequency textures, warmth, note thickness, voices, overtones, sibilance, air. Controls are not intuitive but do function as expected.
Ergonomy
The disposition of the buttons isn't very logical with an isolated backwards button followed by a gap and then a start/stop button next to the skip button doesn't feel intuitive.
The left side buttons are in a position where you can easily misclick and either stop or skip the song when holding the DAP. As the device is heavy, you easily make these mistakes. Next time, consider having them in a higher or lower position so fingertips dont accidentally change or stop the song.
Initially I couldn't adjust volume with the Dap Locked, but this has changed on a recent update.
Aesthetics
I really like how the unit is presented, the backside with the grooves are lovely, and the screen quality is top notch, with vibrant colors and enough brightness.
The included leatherette case is a big plus, soothing my worries and nightmares of damaging the unit, as it enhaces the grip and is quite protective (it is thick!).
Bluetooth Connectivity
Pairing: finicky to connect, can't start the pairing from the phone or it won't connect even if detected. It needs to be from the DAP.
Once connected it goes smoothly and won't disconnect. Connection to Bluetooth Buds was way easier.
The codecs depend on the phone capabilities.
The range is mediocre: at 7 steps away from the phone, without walls or windows, on the outside, it starts to stutter the audio reproduction, and 10 steps/meters away it totally ceases playing.
Amplifier Types:
Class A - cleaner and less colored. Less sub-bass rumble but airier treble. Higher fidelity sound.
Class AB - The added punch and analog tint is noticeable on this amp mode. Somewhat of a V-shape goodness boost:
- Meatier Bass, about 5-10% more
- Slightly more forward mids
- High Treble seems attenuated or less evident in comparison to A
- A grainier experience overall but might be also perceived as "added noisefloor".
Talking about Power
Admirable power output on the 3.5mm SO that managed to fully drive my Dt990 Pro 250 ohm version, although not to a very loud level. On High Gain and 90-100 volume it behaves as it should, but for people that like/need listening at higher volumes than most people, such impedance headphones (also planars) will definitely need to be connected to the 4.4 bal port.
I have also tried my AKG K701 (105 db SPL/V @ 1 kHz; 60 ohm) on the 3.5mm SO and it performed well, but left a bit to be desired - didn't feel very alive nor dynamic.
I'm not owning or carrying any planars as of the moment so I can't comment on the behaviour of this kind of both IEMs and headphones.
Listening on the 3.5 mm SO has shown impeccable performance with all my IEMs, but all my following sound impressions have come from connecting my IEMs to the 4.4 bal port.
Power Longevity could and has been improving every firmware update, which have been frequent - I have had 3 firmware updates for the 10 days I have had the R6Pro II with me, which is a sign of good and on-going development.
Power consumption during idle was as if you were playing music - fixed in a new update, but still consumes a lot even if the screen is on sleep.
There was a time when the unit didn't appear fully charged, as it would never hit 100%. This has also been solved on an update.
Audio Impressions
Here we will mostly be comparing the usage of a Dongle (Jcally Ap10 on 3.8v mode) versus the DAP - Hiby R6 Pro II on medium gain on IEMs and High Gain on Headphones
IEMs
Tanchjim Zero:
Intensified Sub-Bass, Bass slightly intensified. The remaining frequencies seem left untouched. The added rumble is notorious, the midbass punch not very much, yet it doesn't detract from the intended tuning experience.
Better separation along with wider added soundstage, gives off the feeling of being able to pinpoint more details in the treble region. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't increase details, it just creates more room for the frequencies to spread, thus allowing details to be more easily perceived.
Also stereo effects (left to right, and vice versa) seem to "travel" longer distances.
The low frequency boosts and added technicalities overall contributes to dynamics being more evident and engaging, benefiting the holographic experience.
Less distortion: If I increase the volume above my normal use, it distorts less than with the dongle (still within a comfortable volume window).
Truthear Hexa:
I can notice the warmer signature here, but not in the same way. Way lower bass boost than on the Tanchjim, I can hear less sparkle on cymbals and high hats, but when things go harsh (bad or old mixes) it has a positive effect on them, smoothening it.
Again, soundstage has improved slightly and dynamics are felt more intensively.
On busier tracks it feels like there are more layering capabilities than on dongle dacs.
It definitely gives some life to Truthear Hexa, making it a nice combo.
Truthear Zero
It was on this set that I clearly noticed the different Class Amp Behaviours on the Hiby.
Class A neutrally reflected the IEM's tuning and everything sounded tidy and as I familiarly remembered. A very faithful experience and compared to my daily neutral dongle, the AP10, it behaved very similarly tuning wise. Obviously, the amp technical and power capabilities are not comparable and I clearly noticed the benefits of the expanded soundstage, quite more prominent dynamics and altogether more vivid and engaging experience.
I can almost say I felt the Truthear Zero was finally being pushed to the best of its capabilities here. Definitely an enlightening moment for me as a beginner audiophile reviewer.
The story changed a lot on the Class AB Amp - it seemed to boost the mids but making them sound unnaturally metallic and voices got overly grainy, a very specific and exclusive reaction here on Truthear Zero.
Tracks that have a tape reel effect or a lot of ground noise (recording hiss), had these "sonic artifacts" augmented.
From my past experience the Truthear Zero has a very peculiar tune and behaviour given it's driver configuration and is quite sensitive to dac/amp rolling.
Moondrop Aria:
This used to be my daily driver during late 2020/21 so it was a pleasure revisiting it and even comparing them to nowadays budget dethroners, just to conclude upon the notorious speed at which IEM technology has been growing and being made accessible, specially at the entry-level cost bracket.
I still find it a quite interesting and musical tuning, not too sheen on technicalities, sluggish and sometimes boomy on the bass, supposedly mid focused, somewhat treble shy and certainly grainy.
I have had mixed results over the years pairing the Aria with wired dongles, always having to minimalistically recur to EQ to smoothen a few edges. For the purpose of this review I shall keep comparing it to my "neutral" Jcally AP10 wired dongle.
Under the juice of the Hiby R6Pro II it sang heartfully, the soundstage rose significantly in height. Comparing to my wired dongles for the first time, my ears blatantly catched up on a step upwards in resolution. Even if the unboosted treble was clearer and more evident.
I really enjoyed the natural warmth of this DAP with the Aria, using Class A Amp, still maintaining all the characteristics I so fondly remember cherishing on this set.
The Class AB Amp was too much for me here, oversaturating frequencies and incentivizing the grain.
Tangzu S.G. Wan'er:
This fun yet relaxed fellow set still is a valid and actual recommendation to a beginner audio enthusiast so it deserves a ride on the Hiby R6Pro II.
It natively packs a superbly balanced sub-bass to midbass ratio that packs a fun factor, and still manages to be very genre versatile. It is on the higher mids that I don't really vibe with it, classifying it as thin sounding. Treble is tamed and safe, although never discouraging.
Once a bit claustrophobic, under the DAP's control it no longer felt so. It is remarkable the consequences of a good quality and clean amp when compared to devices that carry less powerful amps.
Kinera Hodur:
Especially with AB Amp it raises the mids, presenting them a tad more forward, whereas this was a caveat for this set, in my humble opinion. As so, percussion is presented a bit forward and so more engaging than before, roughly a 10% increase if I am to estimate a value.
The Sub-Bass and Bass are already clean on this unit, abundant yes, but never to distort, however I can now feel a more cohesive rumble and punch, respectively, where before they used to get crowded on busier tracks which sometimes affected the separation of bassier instruments.
Dynamics were already a strong perk on this set, but they have bulked up and seem to have more depth, making it even more engaging.
Simgot EA500 (tested on both lower and higher power modes n the Ap10 - 1.8V/3.8Vmode, and low and medium gain on the R6Pro II):
Simgot's Ea500 have been the latest surprise on my collection which also means it has been the victim of some modding tests, so please take into consideration that my unit might not sound like yours (foam or dunu S&S tips, vent tape mode, and copper balanced cable). I have been trying to accomodate for the above average pinna gain and high sensitivity of this IEM. My goal has been perking up the lower end a tiny bit and smoothing down the pinna glare and treble regions so it does become as fatiguing, which has proven to be a difficult task for me.
With its 123 db/Vrms of sensitivity comes the challenge of not overfeeding the unit with power or volume, risking some sound signature flex or ear damage.
Now, with dongle/dacs it can be hard to fine tune the balance of gain and volume, and the Ea500 can easily end up sounding piercing and very uncomfortable to sit through long listening sessions. Finding that perfect sweet spot of loudness has been quite the hassle on dongles as they usually have less steps to regulate volume.
Also finding the dongle with the right sound temperament to synergize with the Ea500 has also been a baffling quest.
Behold on the Hiby R6Pro II, it is now way more convenient to manage all these IEM and personal sound requirements - by being able to choose between 3 gain modes, a full 1-100 volume steps for each one, choosing between two different amp behaviours, and a whole MSEB settings list to fiddle with, I could now fully optimize my experience with the Ea500.
I have achieved a very cohesive sound by choosing the combination of Medium gain and a lower volume (45-48), the AB class Amp mode, lightly tweaking a few MSEB settings (overall temperature, bass texture, voice forwardness, for instance).
This was how I managed to extract the best out of my Ea500, thanks to this DAP.
Moondrop Quarks DSP
Sadly I can't have DSP IEMs working, it won't output audio both on exclusive and non exclusive mode. Nevertheless, hardware controls seems to work (volume up and down from my Quarks DSP)
IEM Pairing Conclusions:
On a scale from 1-10, where 5 is Neutral, 1 is Warm and 10 is Bright, I would score this DAP overall as a 3.5 to 4.
Nevertheless, it can behave mostly neutral on the Class A mode, or warmer on AB Amp Mode.
It becomes of great sinergy value when matched with neutral to neutral-bright IEMs, giving them what they sometimes lack - sub-bass ambience, midbass punch and intense dynamics. The Class AB Amp mode is very tempting to use along these for this purpose, adding to them a punchier, grittier and meatier experience.
On already warm sets it doesn't overdo it, but instead minimizes any distortion there might be, specially on the lower frequencies.
Treble has been the least affected region from my perspective. I may say I have felt no boosts, also no attenuations, yet the general positive effect it has on the soundstage creates more room for frequencies to "spread", thus making it easier to pinpoint details on this region.
On IEMs that may have harsher treble, it does smooth out the experience.
With Headphones
DT 990 Pro (3.5 mm SO, High Gain)
- Behaves as it normally does on my studio and desktop amp, performing the whole frequency range in a fully extended way, both ends (low and high).
- Soundstage and Dynamics are a delight and I am seriously impressed on how a portable unit can fully provide for this demanding set.
The A amp sounds natural and very close to what I am used to hearing via my studio audio signal.
With the AB amp it shines with analogue tint and I feel the sub-bass and midbass might be getting a very slight bump up.
AKG K701
Performs clearly and as I have always recognized it. Could feel more lively, but I also think these headphones are dying on me, so I won't add any following impressions here.
Final Words
Despite being a lovely unit and it pushing my IEM's capabilities to the fullest, it is a cumbersome experience in terms of portability, ergonomy and connectivity.
Whilst being perfect for IEMs, I think it could have done better on the headphone department, of which I also don't have enough to demo.
Technology wise, I was expecting a bit more of software that would inspire the user to tweak more sound settings to their liking.
In terms of sound it is fabulous: a very engaging and a transforming experience. I can now say I somewhat understand what mid to high tiers of audio playback devices are all about, and it is now difficult for me to turn back and listen to the regular budget dongle.
For me, the stellar resolution and the life it gives to IEMS are reasons enough to win over its setbacks.
Thank you once again for the opportunity and for reading my impressions,
Miguel Esteves