How To Choose Digital Audio Players from HiBy

What started as a music player application has developed itself as a premium HiFi audio gear brand. We are talking about HiBy Music here. Earlier HiBy Music was only a music application designed for different brands such as Cayin, Hidizs, etc. Today, HiBy is known for its premium Digital Audio Players, Portable USB DAC/AMPs, and even In-Ear Monitors. HiBy started its journey back in 2017 with the release of the classic R6 that later laid the foundation for different Android Music Players in the market. Today, HiBy offers a huge range of products that includes digital audio players at different price points. They have the entry-level R3 Pro series, the mid-fi level R6 series, the R2R-based RS2 series, and the flagship R8 as well. Today with the help of this guide, we will help you pick your next DAP from the HiBy’s lineup. For all those who are new to the hobby or are unfamiliar with HiBy’s lineup, HiBy offers a variety of music players currently. The ones available worldwide are the entry-level R3 Pro Saber, the mid-fi R5 Gen 2, R6 2020, the R2R-based RS6, the RS2, and the flagship R8. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s begin.

First of all, you need to decide what you need in your next music player, right from finalizing the budget to the DAC options and other advanced features. We will begin with the budget part first.

Budget:-

Before deciding on any purchase we have to finalize. We have to decide how much we are willing to put in for the next DAP. Among the huge collection of HiFi gears by HiBy, we have got a digital audio player at almost every single price point. Do you want something entry-level? R2 is here for just 99$, looking to add a bit more and get better performance R3 Pro Saber awaits you for just 209$, R5 Gen 2 brings Class A amplification with a premium Dual DAC chipset for just 449$. HiBy has recently launched the classic R2R-based RS2 pure music player for just 479$, followed by R6 2020 for a true mid-fi level performance available for just 699$, then we have the RS6 a premium R2R-based Android music player for 1399$ and then the ultimate flagship R8 for 1899$. As you can see whatever your budget is, entry-level 100$ or flagship-level 1900$, HiBy has spread its products throughout the budget range. Finalize a budget and you have a brilliant HiBy Player for you!!

Android or Non-Android:-

Would you like to use Android applications on your music player device? This will also bring support for different streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, and countless media applications like UAPP, Neutron, and many more. Well, whether you want Android or not is clearly up to you but having an Android audio player surely has its own benefits. This includes a smooth user interface, multiple media application support, full customizability, different EQ applications, and many more features. And you don’t have to worry as HiBy Android players support global lossless support so you will be able to enjoy Hi-Res audio across different applications. In the HiBy’s lineup, the R2, and the R3 Pro Saber are non-android players while the RS2 is a purely music-based DAP with PureAudio HiBy OS. Other players like the R5 Saber Gen 2, R6 2020, RS6, and R8 all come equipped with open Android OS. 

DAC Configuration:-

HiBy currently offers its digital audio players in three different DAC implementations. Firstly, they offer the Delta-Sigma-based ESS Sabre DAC chips, the second is again the Delta-Sigma-based AKM Chipsets, and the third is the R-2R resistor ladder array based Darwin Architecture. Please note that most of the players including the R2, R3 Pro Saber, R5 Gen 2, and R6 2020 all feature ESS Sabre DAC chips while the flagship R8 is equipped with AKM chipset on its DAC part. The recently launched RS2 and RS6 features the R2R-based Ladder Array arrangement. Implementations of all these DACs are superb, Obviously, the entry-level players come equipped with entry-level DAC chips and they climb the ladder accordingly.

Amplification:-

After the decoding part, everything comes on the shoulders of a professionally designed amp section for a clean and powerful output with low distortion and noise-free background. HiBy professionally designs the amp section on its players for the desired response, the R5 Gen 2 comes equipped with a Class A amp mode that presents one of the cleanest outputs in its price range. Most of the players in HiBy’s line-up offer good amplification enabling the DAPs to power most IEMs in the market. Mid to high-end ones have three-level gain modes processing enough power to drive headphones too.

Headphone Output Ports:-

Even the most basic player in HiBy’s lineup, the R2 has a standard 3.5mm headphone output. Anything above it has single-ended and balanced headphone output ports. The R3 Pro Saber houses a 3.5mm single-ended as well as a 2.5mm balanced connection port, the R5 Gen 2 houses 3.5mm SE+2.5mm Bal+4.4mm Bal ports, and so on Most of their recent players like the RS6, RS2, R6 2020 feature 3.5mm+4.4mm termination plugs. The mid to high-end players like the R6 2020, RS6, and R8 house separate output ports for Phone and Line out.

MQA Support:-

In 2022, MQA has become a standard for most HiFi audio sources in the market. Whether it be desktop Decoders, Portable USB DAC/AMPs, or digital audio players. All the players in HiBy’s lineup except the entry-level R2, are MQA certified. They support MQA unfolding completely with the R5 Gen 2, R6 2020, RS6, and R8 supporting full 16x unfold. They present the MQA streams at their full glory with no unfold left presenting the true Master Quality Studio performance.

Battery Life:-

Last but not the least, Battery Life. Now we know these audio players are designed with high-performance audio decoders, and amplification chips, but we also need them to provide us with good battery life. HiBy with their expertise has created each of their player with a decent enough battery life. The R5 Gen 2 gets a rating of up to 35hours on a single charge while the R2R-based RS2 provides up to 10 hours of continuous music playback. Up to 10 hours is decent enough since most of these players support quick charging too.

Let’s know a little more about the different music players in HiBy’s lineup.

HiBy R3 Pro Saber:-

One of the finest music players that delivers respectable sound performance and houses both single-ended as well as balanced outputs. R3 Pro Saber is among the top-selling music players at around 200$ price bracket. It comes equipped with dual ES9218P DAC chips and supports high-resolution PCM/DSD signals. R3 Pro Saber also supports high-definition UAT Bluetooth transmission and has a superb battery life of up to 19 hours on a single charge. R3 Pro Saber is available for just 209$.

HiBy R5 Gen 2:-

Recently launched R5 Gen 2 from HiBy brings Class A amplification to your portable setup. It is also the only DAP in HiBy’s lineup to feature all three 3.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4.4mm headphone outputs. It comes with a premium Dual DAC chipset housing two ES9219C DAC chips. It provides clean and powerful output and features a three-level gain mode to support different IEMs and HPs. HiBy R5 Gen 2 can easily be your entry into the mid-fi segment of digital audio players.

HiBy RS2:-

Just announced last week, the HiBy RS2 is the future of HiBy’s R2R lineup for players. It is designed with a complete R2R ladder array based on Darwin Architecture and supports advanced features such as a 256-tap FIR filter, NOS/OS switch, Dual MicroSD card slots, 8x MQA unfolding, and many more features. Both the MicroSD card slots work simultaneously allowing the users to use a 2TB card on each slot. RS2 gives the taste of pure R2R architecture in a super compact form factor!! RS2 is currently available on pre-order for 479$.

HiBy R8:-

The ultimate flagship of the HiBy’s lineup is the R8. Designed with two AK4497 DAC chips and a compelling headphone amplification section, the R8 is an ideal music player for enthusiasts looking for a no-compromise music player. R8 is the flagship player and the only one with a premium AKM chipset. HiBy R8 is available for 1900$!!

Final Words:-

HiBy offers every single feature one might expect with its huge variety of digital audio players. Available at most different price points, one can choose easily depending on his/her budget. Do check out our entire HiBy catalog over here.