By Nick Smith, 26th November 2023
Champagne performance on a beer budget – it’s been the subject of audiophile speculation & mythology since time immemorial.
Recently I was notified by Damz87 that Hiby representative Joe Bloggs had generously decided to make his personal Hiby R6 Pro II unit available for an Australian Head-Fi tour that I’d have the opportunity to participate in, and I immediately jumped at the chance.
You see several prominent Head-Fi members who’ve typically owned flagship Digital Audio Players had recently purchased the R6 Pro II (R6P2), and I was surprised how long they’d kept these players in their collection – it isn’t unusual for audiophiles with expensive taste to try out cheaper equipment from time to time, but rarely do they hang on to such items for long…. unless they’re something special about them.
In fact many of my friends who owned TOTL DAPs had spoken of the USD $749 R6P2 almost as if it belonged in the same category – that sonically it was extremely well balanced, and felt much like a flagship player in everyday use. Frankly I was skeptical this could be the case… were they being influenced by hype, or the thrill of a new toy? I made it my business to uncover the truth, so when the opportunity came to try one I leapt.
Now you’ll discover if those R6P2 claims are fact or fiction.
Tech Specs & Battery Life
The Hiby R6 Pro II is an Android 12-based player with a fast Snapdragon 665 processor and 64GB of storage. It utilises two AKM AK4499EX DAC chips & one AK4191EQ chip to process PCM audio files up to an astonishing 1536KHz, DSD up to DSD1024, and it supports MQA 16X unfolding.
R6P2’s headphone amplifier output is a respectable 383mW from its’ 4.4mm balanced jack & 125mW from the 3.5mm single-ended jack. It features Bluetooth 5.0 and supports the UAT, LDAC,aptx, aptX HD, AAC & SBC standards.
Battery life is not one of the R6P2’s strengths. Its’ amplifier can be run in Class A or Class AB modes, with Class A resulting in shorter battery life but supposedly better sound – though I’m unable to hear any difference between them using IEMs. In Class AB the R6P2 is rated for 7 hours from the 4.4mm jack and 8 hours single-ended, whereas in Class A that dives to 5 hours balanced & 6 hours single-ended.
Ergonomics
Ergonomically the R6P2 is a mixed bag, though the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
To begin with at 285 grams it’s much lighter than most flagship players which tend to be well over 400 grams these days, even 600+ in some cases. So if that’s what you’re used to you’re going to find the R6P2 refreshingly light. No, it isn’t truly lightweight like say the Astell & Kern SR35 at 184 grams, but this isn’t a player that prioritises portability over sound quality in quite the same way.
Next, there’s the IPS screen. At 5.9 inches & 1080*2160 resolution it looks fantastic and makes browsing your music a breeze. I wouldn’t say it’s quite up to flagship DAP brightness & contrast standards, but really isn’t far off at all. Using the R6P2 has been a pleasure for this reason alone.
Like anything however the R6P2 isn’t perfect. Firstly there’s no volume wheel so you must instead click Up & Down buttons to change volume, and though I can live with this it definitely isn’t my preference. Secondly the R6P2’s chassis is fairly angular, and doesn’t feel as comfortable in the hand as it would’ve had the edges been more rounded.
Finally there’s the size – this is quite a large player, and though fairly thin & not terribly heavy it’s impossible to build a device with 5.9″ screen that’ll glide in & out of a pocket effortlessly. Whether or not a more dainty DAP with a smaller screen would suit you better probably depends how often you’ll use it while commuting, though there’s no question the larger screen is nice when using it at home.
It should also be mentioned the R6P2 is bundled with a leather case that’s a great inclusion, but I’ve been disappointed with the quality of the leather which isn’t terribly supple at all.
Usability
First I’ll cover R6P2’s main drawback – the lack of a volume wheel is something that’ll bother some people more than others, I’ve even read comments from audiophiles (particularly Sony fans) who actually prefer using buttons. However I’m not one of them, a volume wheel is a convenience I can live without but would much rather have when choosing between players.
Volume wheel aside, it’s all good news here. The Snapdragon 665 processor must be extremely capable because the R6P2 delivers what feels like a flagship DAP experience, with fluid responsiveness tapping through Apple Music menus that’s almost reminiscent of using a smartphone – there’s very little slowdown, and my experience using the R6P2 has been excellent as a result.
Wifi performance has also been strong, perhaps not quite up to flagship DAP levels but definitely not something that’s hindered my Apple Music R6P2 experience.
Page 1 – Introduction, Tech Specs & Battery Life, Ergonomics & Usability
Page 2 – Sound Performance & Technical Performance
Page 3 – Source Comparisons
Page 4 – More Source Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
Great review as always Nick and I agree with so much of what you said. Looking forward to hearing it with my Mass Kobo 475 when it arrives 👍
Thank you Armstrj2! I honestly don’t think anyone can go wrong with the R6P2 unless they absolute insist on owning a smaller player. Definitely the best sonic bang for the buck of any player I’ve tried and good enough to satisfy anyone accustomed to flagship-level sound.
Great review! I’ve been on the fence about getting one of these myself..this review may tip the scale. Appreciate it Nick.
Thank you jeremy, I was skeptical to believe the R6P2 hype myself but it is absolutely the real deal.
Hi, can you a little more about the R6 Pro II + Mass Kobo 475 combination? What exactly is improved and how much ? And how this combo compares, to let’s say, the SP3000 which would be about the same price considering the price of the combo ?
I have a R6 Pro II and I love it, so I’m strongly considering adding the 475 to my chain.
Fantastic review as always ! Thank you!
Marcelo the short answer is – pretty much everything.
Mass Kobo 475 has been my best audio purchase this year. It is simply the best sounding portable amp money can buy, of those I’ve heard anyway, but I’ve heard almost all the good ones.
It expands the stage in all directions, deepens bass, improves resolution significantly, and massively improves control during busy passages – that last benefit is HUGE if you love fast, complex music like I do.
I would take the R6P2 + 475 combo over the SP3000 in a heartbeat, absolutely no contest. Make sure you buy Tamiya Neochamp AA’s – they’re the best sounding brand of batteries we’ve found for the 475, yes there is a sonic difference believe it or not.
Nice, thank you for the answer. I think I will be grabbing one next year then.
Just one more question, how’s the hiss/background noise of the 475 on high sensitivity IEMs ? I have a SoundRhyme SR8 thats like 5 OHMs and the R6 Pro II is the only device I round that is able to handle it without ANY hiss. Did you tried high sensitivity IEMs with the 475 ? If so, is there too much hiss?
Marcelo the 475 on low-gain is almost dead silent, one of the quietest if not the quietest portable amps I’ve owned.
On high-gain the noise floor will go up but I find low-gain is perfectly adequate for IEMs, even those like Storm that are difficult to drive, and use mine in low-gain mode exclusively.