[Maxx134]

Yeah, it's driving ZMF stuff pretty well on its own, but I've always loved ZMF cans on tubes and Pendant has been retired since I got Nautilus. It was nice to put it to use again

I noticed they have tube settings in plugins. Tried it but didn't notice much difference so its a small touch. Actually I was using a portable headphone and differences were more clear thru my IEMs.

there's quite a few selections... and that's just on one plugin.

It would be great if I can keep RS8 charged while I'm listening, but barring that it would be really helpful for the "external DAC" screen to show the current battery level. At least then I could see when I'm getting close to running out of juice....

I believe you can select a setting for getting "juice" :

Click and then select:

I believe that should do it...

 

[Auricon]

Here's what HiByCast UI (screen mirroring) looks like on Android. Scrolling and response can be a little slow but works well and stable.

 

[nivram51]

its among the MSEB online profiles, check MSEB

I don’t find it in the default plugins installed on RS8…should I search on a particular online site?

NEVER MIND, finally I found it in MSEB section of Hiby Music!

 

[Maxx134]

Here's what HiByCast UI (screen mirroring) looks like on Android. Scrolling and response can be a little slow but works well and stable.

Nice looking player! What's the player using?

 

[Auricon]

Nice looking player! What's the player using?

It’s the included HiBy Music Pro player and showing default album artwork for albums without art - sending a debug to NativeDSD.

 

[SpeleoFool]

I believe you can select a setting for getting juice:

I believe that should do it...

Confirmed! I found the setting the other day, but didn't listen long enough to verify that it was charging; my player was at 55% both before and after running through a few songs, so I couldn't tell if I was just keeping pace with charging or just being really good at battery life, lol. But I just realized I've been listening for several hours today, and confirmed battery is at 100%!

Which one do you like better with the RS8 the ZMF or the Stellia?

Much tougher call now that I have my 2.5 adapter with (turns put it was with me all along--I forgot about the "emergency" 2.5 to XLR adapter in my bag, lol).

Anyway, we're deep into "flavor preference" territory now. In both cases I've been using RS8 as a DAC only, with VC on Pendant and Stellia on V280. Here's what the setup looks like today:

In general, I prefer VC over Stellia, but in this case I think I'm liking Stellia better for a few reasons:

1. I know what I'm missing with Pendant vs Nautilus at home; Stellia is easier to drive (to full potential) and sounds pretty optimal out of V280.

2. All in all, Stellia is a bit more travel friendly--the Focal case is smaller than the ZMF Seahorse case, and Pendant is much bigger and heavier than V280. I do love having good tubes in the office, but the logistics are more challenging. Not to mention, my stabilized VCs are one of a kind, so I stress a little more taking them out of the house.

3. Stellia's strengths may be more aligned with my typical workday music choices. ZMF is easily my favorite "flavor" for getting lost in music, but during the workday I need to get lost in work. That tends to lead me to listen to stuff like trance or house tunes to keep energy levels up for coding marathons, whereas with ZMF on tubes I just want to sink into rich vocals and feel music emotionally. Stellia is a good fit for that.

I've been listening to various pop tunes today (Bob Moses, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray) and digging Stellia's bass bump. Clarity and details are outstanding, and this chain produces an easy, non-fatiguing listen.

Anyway, context is everything. I haven't tried these both head to head directly out of the player in a portable sense, but both are very enjoyable listens. I might pick VC for a road trip with pleasure listening, because it's nice to be able to do justice to ZMF cans straight from a DAP.

 

[Zeppo19]

Stacking, hopefully it will be okay for heat since i cant really use the fan this way

RS8 is top notch but driving Dianas is not in the books for this machine, the NX7 is somewhat better up to this taak.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

A while back I reported the MQA "crackling" issue to HiBy.
They acknowledged the issue and implemented a fix for it in the new 1.10 firmware.

However, I'm still running into the issue. I'm wondering if anyone running into the earlier issue can confirm that it is fixed.
@twister6 @cristrix @KupingManja
Also if anyone wants to try on their RS8 here are the reproduction steps. I'm also curious to see if someone does not have the problem.

RS8 Firmware 1.10_20230107-1114
Application: Tidal Music
Tidal Config: Settings-->Quality-->Streaming/Download-->Set to Master

Steps:
1) Add The Lover Of Beirut (Anouar Brahem), then add Se tu m'ami (Akiko Nakajima, Niels Muus)
2) These two tracks should appear side-by-side in your playlist:
Se tu m'ami (Akiko Nakajima, Niels Muus) - Labeled as HIFI
The Lover Of Beirut (Anouar Brahem) - Labeled as Master
3) Play some of Se tu m'ami first. And you can skip to next track anytime to play The Lover Of Beirut.
(The cracking happens right away at the beginning of The Lover Of Beirut for a few seconds. While it is happening, you can hear the music playing in the background. This is just as an example, it happens always when switching from non-MQA to MQA track)

I've let HiBy know that I'm still experiencing the same issue. They recommended trying a factory reset, which I have done. Same issue exists, so I'm wondering if others are seeing this issue.

I don't know that this will ever be fixable, or that it should even be fixed (given what fixing it would imply)

 

[MusicalDoc8]

I don't know that this will ever be fixable, or that it should even be fixed (given what fixing it would imply)

Imma be clear with you: MQA is a meme, and there's companies gimping DSD sampling in favor of "16x MQA". Keep on going your own road!

 

[swedishpat]

Confirmed! I found the setting the other day, but didn't listen long enough to verify that it was charging; my player was at 55% both before and after running through a few songs, so I couldn't tell if I was just keeping pace with charging or just being really good at battery life, lol. But I just realized I've been listening for several hours today, and confirmed battery is at 100%!


Much tougher call now that I have my 2.5 adapter with (turns put it was with me all along--I forgot about the "emergency" 2.5 to XLR adapter in my bag, lol).



Anyway, we're deep into "flavor preference" territory now. In both cases I've been using RS8 as a DAC only, with VC on Pendant and Stellia on V280. Here's what the setup looks like today:



In general, I prefer VC over Stellia, but in this case I think I'm liking Stellia better for a few reasons:

1. I know what I'm missing with Pendant vs Nautilus at home; Stellia is easier to drive (to full potential) and sounds pretty optimal out of V280.

2. All in all, Stellia is a bit more travel friendly--the Focal case is smaller than the ZMF Seahorse case, and Pendant is much bigger and heavier than V280. I do love having good tubes in the office, but the logistics are more challenging. Not to mention, my stabilized VCs are one of a kind, so I stress a little more taking them out of the house.

3. Stellia's strengths may be more aligned with my typical workday music choices. ZMF is easily my favorite "flavor" for getting lost in music, but during the workday I need to get lost in work. That tends to lead me to listen to stuff like trance or house tunes to keep energy levels up for coding marathons, whereas with ZMF on tubes I just want to sink into rich vocals and feel music emotionally. Stellia is a good fit for that.

I've been listening to various pop tunes today (Bob Moses, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray) and digging Stellia's bass bump. Clarity and details are outstanding, and this chain produces an easy, non-fatiguing listen.

Anyway, context is everything. I haven't tried these both head to head directly out of the player in a portable sense, but both are very enjoyable listens. I might pick VC for a road trip with pleasure listening, because it's nice to be able to do justice to ZMF cans straight from a DAP.

So the RS8 drives the caldera and atrium pretty well straight out of the dap without an external amp? I’m thinking getting those closed back when they become available for my trips.

 

[SpeleoFool]

So the RS8 drives the caldera and atrium pretty well straight out of the dap without an external amp? I’m thinking getting those closed back when they become available for my trips.

Yes to Atrium at least (I don't have Caldera yet). RS8 won't quite deliver an optimal desktop / tube experience, but it drives Atrium well enough to be enjoyable. I certainly wouldn't avoid the combo, and if you're looking to enjoy some ZMF flavor on the go it's a good way to go.

 

[Maxx134]

It’s the included HiBy Music Pro player and showing default album artwork for albums without art - sending a debug to NativeDSD.

I found you can click the top right menu to download album cover artwork and info like lyrics, right from the Hibby music Player app.

 

[Maxx134]

tube experience

"mastermind" plugin has a "tube" setting

which seems to add a touch of relax presence or depth in the mids, very subtle and tastefully done without any loss in resolve.

 

[TomKorn]

Question: has anyone tried the RS8 with a USB-C to RJ45 adapter to use an Ethernet connection?

On Cayin N8II no problem. On the RS8 only WiFi seems to work.

Thanks.

 

[Joseph Lin]

Does anyone has Hugo 2 and RS8 at the same? Can you compare the difference between them on DAC sound?