Here's my review!
It's big, it's beautiful, it's wonderful to the touch! Here it comes the review of the DAP/Accent piece called HiBy R8II!
First off: they basically gave ALL the steroids to the R6ProII, making it grow big and strong. And also gave it a wonderful alcantara jacket. It is true that it can be considered something that can get dirty over time, but the looks are just great.
They put the buttons on both side, left for volume control, right for all the others. To me the old controls on the RS8 were the apex of controls, impossible to push the wrong buttons, and one side free for better handling. But to each their own, and experimenting is never a wrong thing to improve a product!
But the real question that i hope to answer here is: Is this a titan killer that for 2k mogs the TOTL daps and thus usher a new deflationary trend in DAPs?
Testing methodology: I pit the R8II vs my RS8, both turbo settings, high gain and both using my LCD5 to give them a big sweat with THE audio equivalent of an electron microscope.
Let's get started:
Right off the bat, i had to really go between the player constantly to get any real readout. The R8II exhibits a more analytical experience, in the sense that the RS8 has a more "armounious" sound, bring the whole frequency spectrum together, while the R8II i feel has a tendency for emphasys on higher frequencies and separation. Mind you, the difference is there but it is taxing to actually be sure of what i just wrote, thus it should be considered a "nuance", and not something that impacts sound too deeply.
And as always, sample your DAPs before purchase! though at this point i also have to say that unless you have already a TOTL player, this guy is 99.5% of the TOTL game for half the price. I feel the last 0.5%, the "apex predator" part, is when it goes beyond just perfection in technicalities and frequency response and brings the music more "coherently" together.
Classical Song: Beethoven, Simphony no.9 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
Both they render it wonderfully, but if i were to boil up the experience, is a tad more "neutral" on the R8II, while the RS8 links tha whole spectrum together in a more organic way. I'd say that the RS8 is what you feel when you have the sound played by an instrument, while the R8II feels like how it sounds straight from a top-end surround system. It's apex technicalities + tonality on the R8II and apex technicalities + tonality + armonious on the RS8.
Jazz: Weaver - A Anight Of Chesky Jazz Live at Town Hall
There again is the only real difference i can spot: the RS8 goes in to avoid any "excess" in the frequencies, and the highs are rendered powerfully yet never shrilly. Meanwhile the R8II follows very strictly the recording, and it feels like the highs are a tad higher and less to my liking. Though the R8II also seems to have a small edge in soundstage. Listening to the song, at the 4.50 mark, there is the audience clapping, and the R8II feels like sitting in the center front row, hearing the distinct claps, while the RS8 has a really small reduction of the individual claps.
Vocal: I Put a Spell On You - Casey Abrams - Chesky Records
I feel here the slight edge of the R8II in soundstage here, and the same tendency of edging toward laser-like accuracy of the sound vs the more "enveloping" feeling of the sound on the RS8.
It highlights the difference in philosophy of the player. The RS8 is geared toward the most armonious sound, while R8II is geared more toward soundstage improvement and sound positioning.
Metal: Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce
The RS8 makes a more armonious sound, while the R8II analytical aspect makes for a less "coherent" sound, focusing too much of detail and slightly missing to amalgam the sound. Basically you get "too" detailed, and thus it feels less engaging and more a dry description.
Videogame/: Atomic Heart - Golden Hoop (NEUS Remix)
The RS8's rendition is amazing, engaging and powerful, visceral! The R8II is more evened out, spacing the different sound sources, powerful basses and pleasant highs. But if i were to chose one, the RS8 wins in the "emotional" aspect, while the R8II is "analytical".
Battery:
Gotta add this part beacuse the RS8 has less battery drain both in idle and while playing. Not otherwordly, but can make a difference since i prefer charging my players as rarely as possible to maximize battery lifespan. Then again, the R8II follows the wise philosophy of HiBy with two sets of screws that can be unscrewed to access the battery, thus changing it isn's much of an hassle.
Conclusions:
For 2k, it's basically a TOTL minus, when compared to the RS8, that special sauce that brings the sound more "armoniously" together. Hard to put in words, better to listen to it with a TOTL HP and have the time to try different sounds.
Hiby made a player that gives you so much TOTL experience that gives you much reason to hesitate to invest more into the DAP game. Is it perfect? No the RS8 in my opinion is still the King. But this is just a step under it, and for basically half the price. New to the DAP game? This is your endgame before you have a chance to try the RS8 and fall in love with it. But if you want the peak perf-price in the TOTL game, this is it easily.
Very reccomended, and my congratulations to HiBy for having a very sensible pricing policy. Other could have slapped a 3k price on it and still would have been competitive. HiBy instead chose to allow more people to experience this level of sound, and for that they have my respect, in a world where companies try to milk their customers dry instead of earning their love and support.
TL;DR
R8II is a monster of detail and technicalities. FR is so even you can use it as a level, and you have a laser-like accuracy in sound direction. And the price-performance is amazing.
