As you know, brevity is the sister of talent. And if we are not talking about the prose, but about a miniature device, which plays music as well as a large? It’s a sign of genius? Perhaps… Thought about this a few days ago when I listened to a kind of music “inch” – audio player Hiby R3. Let me remind you that Hiby brand is widely known in narrow circles as a developer of software audio player for mobile OS – Android and recently -iOS. It’s no secret that Hiby supplies firmware to many manufacturers of portable audio: Cayin, Hidizs, FiiO, Shanling… But it’s one thing to write, and another thing to play and listen. Not long ago, the Hiby brand launched its own audio product based on Android 6.0 was the older model R6
We have already reviewed it
. And today we are listening to and evaluating another novelty of the brand – ultra-portable audio player R3.
Thank you to XChesser Audio for the sample for testing.
Specifications
| DAC chip: ES9028Q2M |
| Processor: Ingenic X1000E |
| Frequency Range: 20 Hz 40 kHz |
| Output power: 56 mW 3.5mm regular , 112 mW 2.5mm balance |
| Output impedance: 1 Ohm |
| Screen: 3.2′, touchscreen, IPS, 360 × 480 |
| Internal memory: none |
| 1 MicroSD card slot: up to 2TB |
| OS: HiBy OS v3 Linux customized |
| Supports most audio formats, up to 384 kHz/32 bit, DSD 256 |
| Bluetooth: 4.1 APT-X |
| WiFi: 2.4 GHz |
| Audio outputs:3.5mm, balanced2.5mm |
| Digital Output: USB Type-C USB/Coaxial |
| Charging/connecting: USB Type-C |
| Battery: 1600mAh, single charge life: up to 10 hours. |
| Dimensions:82mm×61mm×13mm |
| Weight: 95 grams. |
Appearance and package
The device comes in a nice box, the outer part of which is a retractable glossy white case, decorated with a picture of the player and the logo on the front side.
Out of the white case comes out a black box, very stylish on the outside, and inside it there is a lot: here and a plastic case-back, cable USB type-C for charging and synchronization with PC , protective glass and protective film on the screen, a variety of papers, instructions, stickers, they do not pay much attention.
The size of the device “for a baby”: only 82 × 61 × 13 mm, very compact, but pleasant to the touch, without sharp edges, its weight and a hundred grams does not reach … The player sits invitingly in the palm of your hand, caressing its streamlined shape. The device has no internal memory, but you can install a microSD card up to 2TB. The device is made of stainless steel, at least, that’s how I got the feeling.
All of the front panel is touch-screen: IPS with a diagonal of 3.2′ that has enviable responsiveness and excellent color reproduction. Not every smartphone has such a cool screen.
The back panel is covered by a black glossy plastic plate and in the very center is the silver logo. On the left side there is a “click” to adjust the volume +, – . On the right side are located the control buttons: power, track switching back and forth, and start pause. Between the power button and the navigation buttons is a LED, which in blue sends a message that the player is working.
On the top end we can find the outputs: 3.5 mm jack for regular headphones, it is also a line, and 2.5 mm balanced.
On the bottom face is a slot for microSD card, and USB Type-C connector for charging and syncing with PC . Through this USB connector you can output a digital signal both USB via OTG and S/PDIF coaxial to your external DAC, if you have one.
For example, I connected R3 to my iFI micro iDSD Black Lable using proprietary Cayin CS-30TCR cable without any difficulty. Tested, it works perfectly! Via the same USB-connector, R3 can also function as an external sound card/USB DAC if connected to a PC.
Turning on the tiny gadget, you immediately get into a shell Hiby Music. The control, if you at least once used this software player, will not cause difficulties. Here everything is as usual. Swipe right, swipe left, flip up and press. And also physical keys, located on both sides of the device, help you.
The mini source menu itself has the usual structure: everything/folder/album/artist swipe to the left and all the settings are open in the palm of your hand, to the right – and you’re back, swipe the curtain up, turn on WiFi, Bluetooth, Gain, etc. d. In general, “pour and drink!”.
One of the main features of R3 player is the support of the streaming service Tidal. So, in the presence of Wi Fi in your fairway is just to activate this option to enter your username password, and hand in a full!
In general, R3 is really a miniature, beautiful and effective audio device, which pleases not only the eye but also the ear. Next, let’s talk only about the sounds!
Sound
The following headphones were used for listening: 64 AUDIO A18, 64 AUDIO A12t, Vision Ears VE8, Lime Ears Aether, Custom ART FIBAE 2, InEar ProPhile 8, InEar SD-2, Audio-Technica SX1a, Phonon SMB-02.
With all headphones the device played very well, some serious genre deviations were not noticed.
The R3 model, like its big brother R6, is based on the DAC chip from ESS, namely – on ES9028Q2M. But unlike the flagship, which has two such chips, the novelty has only one.
Their sounding style is somewhat similar, but one can catch the difference: R6 has smoother, wider, serious sounding material with an analog tint, and R3 sounds more cozy, driving, with more expression, presented in a playful way. In short, our “baby” is always on the positive!
And the output impedance of R6 is 10 ohms, while R3 is ten times less, which makes it even more attractive for use with in-channel armature multidriver headphones. Undoubted advantage to the “kid’s” piggy bank!
The pitch of Hiby R3 is quite energetic, emotional, with moderate accent in the low frequencies, smooth and musical midrange and a little simplified, but nicely colored high-frequency range.
The overall picture looms quite harmonious, beautiful and comfortable, a little warm colors. This baby is just made for enjoying music. In short, it sounds very musical! Its virtual space is medium in size, it lines up proportionately in both width and depth.
The low-frequency range is slightly accented, which gives a warm touch to various compositions. The bass is thick, enveloping, mannered. It does not spoil us with super speed characteristics or timbre variety, but it is well composed, solid and very musical.
The midrange is presented neutrally, cleanly, smoothly and moderately emotionally. Vocal parts and strings sound very nice. This musicality does not accentuate any small details although there is nothing wrong with detail ! , it is intoxicating in a thick and harmonious manner, presenting the music beautifully, in its pleasant, melodic and comfortable way.
The high frequencies are served as beautifully, vigorously, but at the same time without excessive aggression. They’re not overly intelligible, but they don’t have any obvious flaws either. At least in the category of players under $250-300, everything here is quite decent, without obvious simplification and excessive brightness.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the R3 audio player is very successful. Compact size, nice modern design, good screen, and most importantly decent sound for such a tiny size. This tiny device can be used as external sound card and portable transport for digital output, as well as for streaming of TIDAL music service. That kind of functionality in a miniature form is something you might want to buy! And, of course, pleases the price of novelty Hiby, which at the time of writing the review in the online store XChesser Audio is 15 100 Dollars. In my opinion, it is fully justified!
Pros
Sound, comfort, design, price.
Cons
No.
The R3 audio player seems to have impressed you with its performance, especially when it comes to sound quality. However, I’m curious to know more about its other features. Can you tell me about the user interface, the battery life, and the storage capacity?
What makes the Hiby R3 audio player particularly exciting or exceptional when it comes to singing? Can you please elaborate on its unique features and qualities that make it stand out in terms of audio performance?