[14christ]

There is a noticeable change going from the initial fw 1.10, then 1.20, and into 1.30. Others noticed that as well. It's not drastic, more on a subtle level, but quite noticeable. And also, IEM presets add on top of that.

That's actually pretty neat that it can do that

 

[gofishus]

Can you elaborate on detail retrieval between RU6 and RS6? or any other differences? I know it's not what R2R's are known for. But I'm trying to see if there's much to gain from going from dongle to DAP.

I like the RU6 quite a lot already, but kinda wished it was able to retrieve all the micro detail and nuances I'm used to hearing on 9038s. Background is already pretty black and soundstage massive, expanding outside of the head.

Since I use both setups - a Motorola Razr Fold (amazing smartphone for music since it has the giant secondary screen) + Shanling UA2 and also an AK SE100 dedicated DAP.

Pros of dongle + smartphone:
-dongle uses your existing smartphone and is thus a cheaper setup
-sounds arguably as good as an entry level to mid range DAP (with a similar chip)
-is more versatile since when u upgrade ur phone u can just keep the existing dongle whereas for DAPs u gotta change out the entire DAP to upgrade the processor
-BT on phones are usually better than the BT on DAPs

Pros of DAP:
-DAPs can be $$ but also means u can go much higher end than using a dongle (theres no dongles that will give u flagship ESS, AKM sound or R2R sound)
-DAPs have very granular control over the volume (with rotary dial), EQ, and other audio related adjustments compared to a smartphone
-DAPs are more expandable (few phones come with microSDs these days)
-Doesn't eat your phones battery life
-usually have more power to drive headphones as well

 

[flipper203]

I tried presets on my side and I didn’t notice changes …. On fourte noir mainly didn’t test ok other iem

 

[gLer]

Tonality? Overall tonality or sub bass, midbass, or treble tonality? I'm having a hard time accepting the RS6 and dx300 are that close due to a firmware update. Not saying they aren't, just having a hard time with that one.

This is the beauty of an FPGA-based R2R DAC architecture. You can tweak things at the input stage, have it manipulated or 'shaped' by the FPGA and then sent to the hardware (DAC) for conversion. Also, differences between high-end sources like this are often more subtle than we think, so the ability to tweak changes in software and actually improving SQ is quite something.

I like the RU6 quite a lot already, but kinda wished it was able to retrieve all the micro detail and nuances I'm used to hearing on 9038s. Background is already pretty black and soundstage massive, expanding outside of the head.

The one thing that's often overlooked about dongles is headroom. While the DAC sections may be very good and actually equivalent to some higher-end DAPs in some cases, the amplification stage and other electronics are always going to be constrained by size. You'll notice this most when using good IEMs or headphones and playing tracks with very busy or congested passages. That's where the more powerful, more 'roomy' amplification of a dedicated DAP will sound effortless by comparison. Each has their use case, it all depends on how demanding you are of your music and gear.

 

[ayanachibi]

After reading all of your comments after the 1.30G update I borrowed the same unit back for a couple hours to give it a spin to see how much change the update did...and it has pleasantly reduced a lot of the original issues. Because of that I wanted to provide some amendments and updates to the original impressions posted (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hib...res-android-music-player.958878/post-16679172).

This time all listening is done on fw v.1.30g, High Gain, vol 22, NOS, DARWIN 1, paired with the Annihilator only (this was one of the original pairings that was quite honestly intolerable for me so the decision was deliberate), direct comparison made only with P6 Pro this time.

Quick observation updates:
1. The bass bleed from before has definitely lifted quite significantly, no longer pervasively muddy, overall baseline much cleaner.
2. Mid-bass has reined back a bit and isn't trying to blow my ears out anymore. Along with the bass bleed lift mid bass texture can actually be heard cleanly now.
3. Lower mids still blunt and lacking texture, but individual notes much more clear due to bass bleed lifted.
4. Upper mids is still more forward than a neutral sound stage but has a bit more weight and works better with thinner sounding transducers, making pairings less sensitive now.
5. Treble "sharpness" has been toned down quite a bit. The timber still doesn't quite sound as natural as the P6 Pro but it definitely sounds much more analog than a delta-sigma would compared to pre-update.

General sound signature is still mid-bass and upper mids foward but its definitely more balanced than pre 1.30g update.

As previously mentioned the Annihilator was originally intolerable as a pairing but has improved significantly and is now "just" fatiguing. Instead of recommending to avoid using RS6 with any thinner/upper mid forward IEMs I would instead recommend with general caveats.

Honestly this player should not have been launched without this firmware in the first place, but glad to see Hiby committed to following up with their products and provide meaningful updates.

Recommendation update from specific pairings only to recommended with some caveats (some pairings will still work much better but its much less likely to be an issue compared to before.) As with any audio gear if possible try and demo first.

 

[littlexx26]

After reading all of your comments after the 1.30G update I borrowed the same unit back for a couple hours to give it a spin to see how much change the update did...and it has pleasantly reduced a lot of the original issues. Because of that I wanted to provide some amendments and updates to the original impressions posted (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hib...res-android-music-player.958878/post-16679172).

This time all listening is done on fw v.1.30g, High Gain, vol 22, NOS, DARWIN 1, paired with the Annihilator only (this was one of the original pairings that was quite honestly intolerable for me so the decision was deliberate), direct comparison made only with P6 Pro this time.



Quick observation updates:
1. The bass bleed from before has definitely lifted quite significantly, no longer pervasively muddy, overall baseline much cleaner.
2. Mid-bass has reined back a bit and isn't trying to blow my ears out anymore. Along with the bass bleed lift mid bass texture can actually be heard cleanly now.
3. Lower mids still blunt and lacking texture, but individual notes much more clear due to bass bleed lifted.
4. Upper mids is still more forward than a neutral sound stage but has a bit more weight and works better with thinner sounding transducers, making pairings less sensitive now.
5. Treble "sharpness" has been toned down quite a bit. The timber still doesn't quite sound as natural as the P6 Pro but it definitely sounds much more analog than a delta-sigma would compared to pre-update.

General sound signature is still mid-bass and upper mids foward but its definitely more balanced than pre 1.30g update.

As previously mentioned the Annihilator was originally intolerable as a pairing but has improved significantly and is now "just" fatiguing. Instead of recommending to avoid using RS6 with any thinner/upper mid forward IEMs I would instead recommend with general caveats.

Honestly this player should not have been launched without this firmware in the first place, but glad to see Hiby committed to following up with their products and provide meaningful updates.

Recommendation update from specific pairings only to recommended with some caveats (some pairings will still work much better but its much less likely to be an issue compared to before.) As with any audio gear if possible try and demo first.

will you buy it back or get a new one?

 

[ayanachibi]

will you buy it back or get a new one?

Not at $1400

 

[davidmolliere]

Not at $1400

I haven't posted it yet in classifieds but selling mine at a fair price if that's of interest

 

[littlexx26]

Not at $1400

how much you think it should be?

 

[dadracer2]

For those who are interested, my full detailed review of RS6 is up!

Nice review and very comprehensive.

 

[vanez1985]

Just tried RS6 (fw 1.3, Erl preset) vs DX300 ampp11/mkii, and their tonality is not too far off. But I do hear RS6 a little wider and background blacker. Either one has their Pros/Cons. Some people might want a modular amp design and bigger multimedia screen, others want a more pocket friendly footprint and various sw-based sound profiles instead of buying additional modules. Also, both are very fast open Android daps.

Thanks! If sound difference is not that large, I'll definitely prefer 1.5x battery life for less money then despite larger footprint, and having AMP12 as well could probably help with blacker background and wider soundstage, also being potentially better suited for brighter / mid-forward and/or harder to drive HPs / IEMs.

 

[Electrocrytic]

Anyone here have the chinese version RS6 ?
Its still at v1.20 according to OTA. Its unusual for the international version to update first.

 

[twister6]

Anyone here have the chinese version RS6 ?
Its still at v1.20 according to OTA. Its unusual for the international version to update first.

Do you have Chinese version of RS6? I thought those come without Google Play store and you can't even sideload it.

 

[muths66]

Anyone here have the chinese version RS6 ?
Its still at v1.20 according to OTA. Its unusual for the international version to update first.

Mine is chinese version but already updated to global. Thought i send you the update. I forget who ask me for global update.

 

[Electrocrytic]

Do you have Chinese version of RS6? I thought those come without Google Play store and you can't even sideload it.

Yes chinese version without google, not that i want google, i'd disable it but annoying that updates are behind, it use to be the other way round