[audionewbi]

wow, where do you find these amazing cases/

 

[David Kleinfeld]

wow, where do you find these amazing cases/

Still Taobao but these one from the official china shop of Hifiman. Stil I think they are made by clover but quite nice. There is also a blue version but they were out of stock.

 

[audionewbi]

Guys, is there a way to do a hard reset the device beside a prolong 10 second press?

 

[David Kleinfeld]

Guys, is there a way to do a hard reset the device beside a prolong 10 second press?

Not that i am aware of.

 

[bflat]

I finally received the R2R2K Red. It will still be several days before I can comment on sound quality, but here are my impressions of ordering and functionality.

Ordering - I appreciate both HFM support on Head-fi and direct customer support for their responsiveness. The long and frustrating shipping and tracking were due to:

1) Mistakenly assuming "In Stock" on HFM Store meant local stock in US. In fact, the R2R2K was not in stock locally and needed to be shipped from China.
2) You will not receive a shipping update until DHL in Hong Kong takes possession of the package. This is DHL's excellent notification system. That is fine except my next point.
3) The R2RK originates from Shanghai before DHL HK and there is absolutely no tracking info available for whatever service is used from Shanghai to Hong Kong. For me this took 7 business days.

Once DHL received the package, it took 3 business days to arrive from HK to CA. This is what I've experienced with DHL Asia in the past. I can understand there are complications shipping directly from the factory, but it would have been so much better experience being told this up front. For example, I have ordered from other vendors who proactively email me after ordering to tell me they need additional time to ship. In that same email they ask if I still want to place the order or do I want to cancel. Overall, not a big deal. I only share this Information so that others can adjust their shipping expectations.

Functionality (Latest 6-17-19 Beta Firmware)

In brief, and no surprise, if you want the R2R2K mainly to function as a DAP, look elsewhere or wait until firmware advances enough for your needs. Here is where DAP functionality stands today:

UI

1) Navigation is 100% consisting of the six icons on the lower screen. This by itself is ok, but scrolling through albums, artists, and tracks can only be done one step at a time with the up and down arrows. If you need to scroll 100 lines down, you need to press down arrow 100 times.
2) No playlist function. You get a favorites function so technically you could use that as one playlist.
3) My 200 GB SD Card with 117 tracks scans and works fine. My 512 GB card with >15K tracks will not scan at all. I don't think this has anything to do with file limitations since scan completely fails. I would be curious to know if anyone has managed to get 512 GB card to work.
4) As many have already mentioned, there are no physical buttons so if you want to skip a song, you have to first turn the screen on, then press the down arrow.
5) Artist sort is track artist and not album artist. You can get around this by managing your tracks in folders by album artist as there is a folder view.

Overall I would say if you have a small number of albums (100's not 1000's) and you don't use playlists, the UI is sufficient as a DAP.

Connectivity

As reported previously, Sony DAP OTG does not work with R2R2K. I see the USB audio enabled on my WM1z, but when I press play, I get no sound from the R2R2K and the DAP ends up freezing after a few seconds. Once I disconnect, DAP unfreezes. Close, but no banana. I also cannot get LDAC BT connected so at this time, I don't see a way to use a small Sony DAP like the A50 series as UI alternative. As a USB DAC, no issues connecting from my MacBook Pro.

Stability

So far so good. I've left the R2R2K playing about 100 tracks in a continuous loop for the past 24 hours and it's still going. This is a mix of MP3, AAC, ALAC, and FLAC at sampling rates up to 192K. When powered off, you do see what appears to be screen burn in, but that's normal for OLED. Once you power up, the ghost pixels clear up.

Look and Feel

I am amazed how small and light the R2R is. The build is solid and the volume wheel feels sturdy. On the later, it could use some texture as it is a little slippery. My only complaints here are (only speaking about the Red version):

1) Presentation box is nice, but seriously, it only contains the player (with no protective wrapping) and 2 USB cables. I would rather save the dollars on a box that could easily be 1/4 the size. As it is the box is filled 80% with foam.
2) Need to include a case and screen protector at this price point. Or, I would much rather take a case in lieu of the fancy box.
3) Include an extra SD Card tray or 2. The design is pretty flimsy and easy to drop. Should have gone with no tray, but assume it's too late for that.

 

[audionewbi]

But once you press play you will willingly not get bothered by most of your complaints.

I’m surprised r2r2k red is using a different firmware than r2r2k black. I thought the two unit are the same except few hardware differences.

 

[bflat]

But once you press play you will willingly not get bothered by most of your complaints.

I’m surprised r2r2k red is using a different firmware than r2r2k black. I thought the two unit are the same except few hardware differences.

I think it's the same firmware. When I downloaded from the HFM support site, there was only one option for R2R2K.

 

[bflat]

R2R2000 Red Impressions

IEMs used - JH Layla V1 Universal and 64 Audio Tia Fourte
Comparisons - Sony WM1z (with K Mod) Balanced and RME ADI-2 DAC Single Ended
Other notes - Burn in for Red was approx 60 hrs. All impressions were done off the SD Card and on battery power for Red and WM1z.

Summary - R2R2000 Red ("Red") is highly competitive in its' price ranged when solely based on sound. It has nice range and extension and an overall warm, smooth sound that you can listen for hours on end. If you where hoping for a Chord like analytical, transparent sound, look elsewhere. You want organic, musical with plenty of detail and layers, then definitely worth an audition.

While I didn't think the pairing with Laylas was all that good, the Fourtes paired up really well and the interesting thing is Red + Fourte may sound pretty close to the recently announced Fourte Noir which has a warmer low end and smoother top end. I found myself getting more into the music with the Red+Fourte combo. Was it good enough for me to keep? I have to admit, I'm torn. Considering how narrow of a use case I have with just Red + Fourte, it's hard to justify $999. My intent was to potentially replace my RME with the Red and had it paired better with Laylas, it would have been an easier decision since I swap between my IEMs as my mood and genre calls. Regardless, here are my impressions.

Impressions

I consider my "reference" sound to be the RME DAC and JH Laylas with bass tuners at neutral. I will dedicate more impressions comparing my WM1z to the Red, but mention here what I find different between RME and WM1z. RME is overall an analytical sound with very high resolution. It is very transparent and will expose any flaws in recordings. My WM1z in comparison has a slightly more liquid low end, slightly warmer mids, and slightly smoother highs. In fact, when listening to the RME in "enjoyment mode" I usually turn up the low eq and turn down the high eq. In all cases, I find the difference in sound between Red and WM1z to be greater than WM1z to RME. Both of my IEMs are terminated to 4.4mm pentaconn so no adapters were used for WM1z and Red.

Laylas

Lows - I hear a noticeable amount of more high/mid bass with the Red compared to WM1z. It definitely bleeds into the lower mids. Red has more impact, but I can hear more sub bass with WM1z giving it a deeper sound stage compared to Red.

Mids - Red has more warmth due to some bass bleed so lower mid vocals sound fuller while upper mid vocals are comparable to WM1z. I also hear a little better separation of mid range instruments and vocals with the WM1z. Difference is not a pronounced as lows and highs.

Highs - WM1z definitely sparkles more and has sharper details but a more narrow sound stage compared to Red. Red has an equal amount of detail but it is more diffused. The difference is so much that when I swap between the 2 sources, it makes WM1z sound glaring and the Red sound rolled off. It takes a good 5 min or so for my ears to re-adjust to each so it was challenging to really give a good impression of each on its' own.

Tia Fourte

Lows - With the WM1z, I find the dynamic bass driver in the Fourte to sound more like a BA driver - very tight and fast. The Red on the other hand, adds a nice liquidity to the low end and brings out the characteristics of the dynamic driver. It's nicely contained too as I don't hear much bleed into the mids. I enjoyed this aspect of the Red the most and wish I had it for the WM1z. Equal soundstage depth but Red adds more rumble.

Mids - Not a whole lot of difference here, but I do at times hear some glare in the upper mids with WM1z. In those same spots, the Red does a better job of toning it down and making the upper mids more coherent with the rest. Very subtle though.

Highs - Not nearly as different as the Laylas. Both WM1z and Red sound similar. Red is maybe a touch smoother. I had no problems swapping back and forth unlike the Laylas. Soundstage on the other hand sounded wider on the Red.

 

[twister6]

R2R2000 Red Impressions

IEMs used - JH Layla V1 Universal and 64 Audio Tia Fourte
Comparisons - Sony WM1z (with K Mod) Balanced and RME ADI-2 DAC Single Ended
Other notes - Burn in for Red was approx 60 hrs. All impressions were done off the SD Card and on battery power for Red and WM1z.

Summary - R2R2000 Red ("Red") is highly competitive in its' price ranged when solely based on sound. It has nice range and extension and an overall warm, smooth sound that you can listen for hours on end. If you where hoping for a Chord like analytical, transparent sound, look elsewhere. You want organic, musical with plenty of detail and layers, then definitely worth an audition.

While I didn't think the pairing with Laylas was all that good, the Fourtes paired up really well and the interesting thing is Red + Fourte may sound pretty close to the recently announced Fourte Noir which has a warmer low end and smoother top end. I found myself getting more into the music with the Red+Fourte combo. Was it good enough for me to keep? I have to admit, I'm torn. Considering how narrow of a use case I have with just Red + Fourte, it's hard to justify $999. My intent was to potentially replace my RME with the Red and had it paired better with Laylas, it would have been an easier decision since I swap between my IEMs as my mood and genre calls. Regardless, here are my impressions.

Impressions

I consider my "reference" sound to be the RME DAC and JH Laylas with bass tuners at neutral. I will dedicate more impressions comparing my WM1z to the Red, but mention here what I find different between RME and WM1z. RME is overall an analytical sound with very high resolution. It is very transparent and will expose any flaws in recordings. My WM1z in comparison has a slightly more liquid low end, slightly warmer mids, and slightly smoother highs. In fact, when listening to the RME in "enjoyment mode" I usually turn up the low eq and turn down the high eq. In all cases, I find the difference in sound between Red and WM1z to be greater than WM1z to RME. Both of my IEMs are terminated to 4.4mm pentaconn so no adapters were used for WM1z and Red.

Laylas

Lows - I hear a noticeable amount of more high/mid bass with the Red compared to WM1z. It definitely bleeds into the lower mids. Red has more impact, but I can hear more sub bass with WM1z giving it a deeper sound stage compared to Red.

Mids - Red has more warmth due to some bass bleed so lower mid vocals sound fuller while upper mid vocals are comparable to WM1z. I also hear a little better separation of mid range instruments and vocals with the WM1z. Difference is not a pronounced as lows and highs.

Highs - WM1z definitely sparkles more and has sharper details but a more narrow sound stage compared to Red. Red has an equal amount of detail but it is more diffused. The difference is so much that when I swap between the 2 sources, it makes WM1z sound glaring and the Red sound rolled off. It takes a good 5 min or so for my ears to re-adjust to each so it was challenging to really give a good impression of each on its' own.

Tia Fourte

Lows - With the WM1z, I find the dynamic bass driver in the Fourte to sound more like a BA driver - very tight and fast. The Red on the other hand, adds a nice liquidity to the low end and brings out the characteristics of the dynamic driver. It's nicely contained too as I don't hear much bleed into the mids. I enjoyed this aspect of the Red the most and wish I had it for the WM1z. Equal soundstage depth but Red adds more rumble.

Mids - Not a whole lot of difference here, but I do at times hear some glare in the upper mids with WM1z. In those same spots, the Red does a better job of toning it down and making the upper mids more coherent with the rest. Very subtle though.

Highs - Not nearly as different as the Laylas. Both WM1z and Red sound similar. Red is maybe a touch smoother. I had no problems swapping back and forth unlike the Laylas. Soundstage on the other hand sounded wider on the Red.

Connected directly, I prefer Red+Fourte over Red+Noirte. With Noirte the sound is too thick and even a bit too dark for my taste. BUT, when it comes to IEMs, especially low impedance higher sensitive, you need to use iEMatch to sound as it intended to be. There is something with R2R2k output impedance (I assume it being on a higher side since this reminds of hiby R6 behavior with its 10ohm OI) which works great with full size cans, but with IEMs you need iEMatch. I'm using 2.5mm iEMatch with 4.4mm adapter and it sounds amazing with either Fourte or Noirte, and you no longer have to deal with a background hissing.

Was listening to Empyrean with Red the other night, and it sounds as good as LPGT + XI Audio Broadway S amp pair up. Impressive for a tiny DAP.

Also, when paired up wireless as BT DAC with your smartphone or other DAPs, you can use R2R2k play/pause/skip to control your source remotely. I just wish there would have been hardware buttons for that As I just mentioned in my FB post, majority of DAPs have USB DAC as a bonus feature. Here, you have USB/BT DAC with DAP as its bonus feature, and because of that you have a rather minimalistic GUI.

 

[bflat]

Connected directly, I prefer Red+Fourte over Red+Noirte. With Noirte the sound is too thick and even a bit too dark for my taste. BUT, when it comes to IEMs, especially low impedance higher sensitive, you need to use iEMatch to sound as it intended to be. There is something with R2R2k output impedance (I assume it being on a higher side since this reminds of hiby R6 behavior with its 10ohm OI) which works great with full size cans, but with IEMs you need iEMatch. I'm using 2.5mm iEMatch with 4.4mm adapter and it sounds amazing with either Fourte or Noirte, and you no longer have to deal with a background hissing.

Was listening to Empyrean with Red the other night, and it sounds as good as LPGT + XI Audio Broadway S amp pair up. Impressive for a tiny DAP.

Also, when paired up wireless as BT DAC with your smartphone or other DAPs, you can use R2R2k play/pause/skip to control your source remotely. I just wish there would have been hardware buttons for that As I just mentioned in my FB post, majority of DAPs have USB DAC as a bonus feature. Here, you have USB/BT DAC with DAP as its bonus feature, and because of that you have a rather minimalistic GUI.

Thanks for the tips! I tried my Utopia and HD820 and you are right, Red has plenty of power to drive both at high gain and the tone and details are close to my desktop system. I couldn't believe Red sounds as good as it does with my HD820. I don't have an IEMatch so I used my WA11 as an amp with Red in line out mode. Yep, Laylas sound much closer to reference. Fourte changes a little bit - slightly tighter bass and a little sharper upper mids on up. Since WA11 OI is 1 ohm, it seems your theory is true. Just adds to the "What is this thing?"

This really throws a wrench into how I was planning to use the Red LOL!

 

[twister6]

Thanks for the tips! I tried my Utopia and HD820 and you are right, Red has plenty of power to drive both at high gain and the tone and details are close to my desktop system. I couldn't believe Red sounds as good as it does with my HD820. I don't have an IEMatch so I used my WA11 as an amp with Red in line out mode. Yep, Laylas sound much closer to reference. Fourte changes a little bit - slightly tighter bass and a little sharper upper mids on up. Since WA11 OI is 1 ohm, it seems your theory is true. Just adds to the "What is this thing?"

This really throws a wrench into how I was planning to use the Red LOL!

Of course, you can use external amp, but you are adding some coloring on top of 1702 DAC with WA11 amp For iems, I strongly recommend you to give iEMatch a shot. To my ears the balanced output of Red (either 4.4mm or 3.5mm TRRS) sounds better, and you can use either 2.5mm iEMatch (with additional 2.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor) or 3.5mm iEMatch (which also has a switch for 3.5mm BAL, and you can get 2.5mm to 3.5mm BAL adaptor, or just use it as SE 3.5mm). Tonality of many IEMs I tried was off, most likely due to some impedance mismatch, and with iEMatch it not only corrected that but also reduced the hissing, and I mean down to nearly eliminating it. Plus, iEMatch has 2 "gain" attenuation settings which you can use in combination with either High or Low gain on R2R2k to find your sweet spot in sound synergy.

Also, R2R2k is tiny, so nice to keep it portable without any piggyback amps 'nough said before I'm gonna turn into iematch spokesperson (deja vu of my R6 review) lol!!!

Btw, wish there was a way to find out what codec is used when connected wireless.

 

[bflat]

Of course, you can use external amp, but you are adding some coloring on top of 1702 DAC with WA11 amp For iems, I strongly recommend you to give iEMatch a shot. To my ears the balanced output of Red (either 4.4mm or 3.5mm TRRS) sounds better, and you can use either 2.5mm iEMatch (with additional 2.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor) or 3.5mm iEMatch (which also has a switch for 3.5mm BAL, and you can get 2.5mm to 3.5mm BAL adaptor, or just use it as SE 3.5mm). Tonality of many IEMs I tried was off, most likely due to some impedance mismatch, and with iEMatch it not only corrected that but also reduced the hissing, and I mean down to nearly eliminating it. Plus, iEMatch has 2 "gain" attenuation settings which you can use in combination with either High or Low gain on R2R2k to find your sweet spot in sound synergy.

Also, R2R2k is tiny, so nice to keep it portable without any piggyback amps 'nough said before I'm gonna turn into iematch spokesperson (deja vu of my R6 review) lol!!!

Btw, wish there was a way to find out what codec is used when connected wireless.

I look forward to your full review. I don't see myself getting adapters and the IEMatch - too much of a hassle given the pain and expense I went thru to go all out on 4.4mm. I am re-evaluating the Red for full size headphone use, but there I need the DAP features LOL. Stars do not seem to be aligning with for me. I would even consider upgrading to Black if the DAP features were just a little better and could support 1 TB.

 

[Pham thach]

Can you directly compare the sound of r2r with opus 2. thank you

 

[dhc0329]

I would even consider upgrading to Black if the DAP features were just a little better and could support 1 TB.

Blacks suffers similar limitation of only able to detect a little over 5800 files.

 

[twister6]

...
This really throws a wrench into how I was planning to use the Red LOL!

As I'm exploring R2R2k more, to compensate for its primitive GUI a wireless BT pair up is a great alternative. Tried it with my Galaxy S9 and other DAPs (WM1Z, LPGT, SPK SS, N6ii, DX220, R6Pro/R3 - all pair up well, except none of the Shanling DAPs work) to use other sources as easier to navigate touchscreen transport. Too bad none of the Shanling DAPs pair up, would have been cool to use M0 as a transport, but something as small as R3 or even smaller Hidizs AP80 (the same Hiby audio interface) is even better. That tiny AP80 has a display size somewhere between M0 and R3 so it's easier to navigate, a separate volume wheel, and hw playback controls. I assume the wireless connection is LDAC since I switched it in AP80.