In any game, whether it’s headphones, music players or DAC/AMP, HiBy Music is always one of the top names. Products from the HiBy brand are always highly appreciated in all aspects from design, perfection to sound quality. Launched in mid-2022, FC4 is HiBy’s latest DAC/AMP model and is expected to be one of the best products in the segment of more than $80. To compete directly with fierce competitors such as iBasso DC06 or Shanling UA3, … HiBy FC4 is integrated with a series of modern equipment such as: ES9219 dual DAC chip, SE/Bal headphone port with extremely strong pulling power and many other advanced technology.
Table of Contents
Packaging and accessories
The first plus point for HiBy FC4 is that the cover box is very carefully designed with quite eye-catching colors. Printed prominently and clearly on the front is the product name accompanied by HiBy Music’s unique brand logo. The Hires Audio and MQA standard certification stamp will be on the right edge of the cover box. Meanwhile, on the back will be detailed information about the manufacturer.
Gently slide the outer cover and open the inner box, you will see HiBy FC4 placed on a foam sheet. Right below the sponge are the accessories that come with the DAC/AMP, they include:
- 1 USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- 1 USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- Detailed instructions for use
- Certificate of MQA compliance with MQA registration form
- Guarantee card
Design
Compared to its two predecessors, FC3 and FC5, HiBy FC4 is slightly larger in size. This is completely understandable because FC4 is integrated with both 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm Bal ports. The outer shell of the DAC/AMP is made entirely of aluminum alloy and uses the Bauhaus design language with the main color being luxurious and elegant black. The borders on the body of the device are softly rounded.
The front of the DAC/AMP, in addition to the words “HIBY FC4” painted in gold, will have an RGB LED strip that displays the music format being processed:
- Green corresponds to MQA
- Blue corresponds to MQA Studio
- Dark pink corresponds to MQA Rendering
- Yellow corresponds to PCM ≤ 48kHz
- Light blue corresponds to PCM 64kHz ~ 192kHz
- Orange corresponds to PCM ≥ 352.8kHz
- White corresponds to DSD
- Red corresponds to standby mode
Arranged on the right side are 2 hard keys that increase/decrease the volume. Connections integrated on HiBy FC4 will include USB Type-C input, 3.5mm Single-Ended and 4.4mm Balanced headphone output. With the plug-and-play connection method, users only need to plug FC4 directly into the source and connect to headphones to play music without having to install any additional drivers.
Outstanding features and technology
To be able to decode high-quality Hires music formats, HiBy has integrated the FC4 with a pair of ES9219 DAC chips with the ability to handle PCM 32bit/768kHz and DSD256 Native music files well. The audio signal after decoding has very high detail and fidelity. This is partly shown clearly through the total harmonic distortion index of less than 0.0006% and the SNR index greater than 123dB. With MQA 16X support, sound quality will be significantly enhanced.
The outstanding point of HiBy FC4 compared to other cheap DAC/AMP models in the same segment is its extremely strong pulling power. Possessing a capacity of 110mW@32Ohm (when using the 3.5mm port) and 340mW@32Ohm (when using the 4.4mm port), respectively, helps FC4 be completely confident when paired with headphones on the market.
The professionally designed circuit structure allows HiBy FC4 to accurately and fully convey all the emotions of the original music. To increase the synchronization between components inside the DAC/AMP, FC4 is equipped with HiBy’s dual crystal oscillator (45.158MHz and 49.152 MHz) to reduce jitter noise and increase pulse accuracy.
Not stopping there, HiBy FC4 is integrated with a 28nm USB receiver chip and a dedicated 416M DSP circuit to enhance signal reception while significantly reducing power consumption. The volume circuit (30 adjustment steps) inside the DAC/AMP allows users to adjust the volume more accurately, limiting signal loss.
Similar to other HiBy products, the FC4 DAC/AMP is compatible with the HiBy Music application.
HiBy FC4 Headphone Amplifier, MQA 8× Unfolding Dual ES9218PC Portable USB DAC/AMP: Buy it now
Sound quality
It seems that HiBy has done a very good job of adjusting the sound quality of FC4. The sound that this DAC/AMP possesses is tuned in a neutral direction with two mid/treble ranges that have high clarity and realism. Although the mid range has detailed timbre, it does not lose the naturalness of the original music. Meanwhile, the treble extension is handled very carefully, making the FC4’s retrieval ability even better. The bass range is subtly adjusted for depth and adds just a little volume.
Similar to DC06, HiBy FC4 will enhance the space of the sound. The soundstage will be a bit more open, along with the ability to separate detailed layers and extremely precise positioning. However, the sound image is still not really impressive and only stops at a good level instead of being excellent like some higher-end products.
Compare
Vs HiBy FC5
As mentioned above, FC5 has a more compact design than HiBy FC4 but is not equipped with a 4.4mm Bal port. The appearance of the FC5 is a bit more polished when integrated with tempered glass and stamped with Hires Audio and MQA. Both are equipped with LED lights that display the music format being processed.
The FC5 is integrated with a pair of ES9281Pro SoC DAC chips that support PCM 32bit/384kHz decoding, DSD128 and dual ES9603Q amplifier circuits that produce 125mW@32Ohm. Compared to FC5, FC4 clearly possesses stronger pulling power and better decoding ability.
Moving on to sound quality, the FC5 has a smoother-sounding mid range and a bit more detailed signal retrieval. The treble strip on the FC5 sounds quite detailed but is not handled well, so in some music passages it will cause a slightly annoying sib sound. As for FC4, the treble strip is processed better so listening is more comfortable. Adding a little amount of volume in the bass range makes the bass hits sound more solid and powerful.
Vs iBasso DC06
FC4 seems to have a more beautiful design due to its soft rounded edges. Meanwhile, the appearance of DC06 looks a bit rough but gives a more solid and healthy feeling. Both are equipped with 3.5mm SE, 4.4mm Bal ports and LED lights to notify the music format being processed.
Although not equipped with volume control hard keys like the FC4, users can download the UAC application to fine-tune the volume on the DC06. With 64 steps of control, the DC06 has a bit more precision when adjusting the volume. It’s a pity that the UAC application is only used to increase/decrease the volume, but with the HiBy Music application, you can do many more things.
The two DAC/AMP have quite similar technical elements. They all support MQA 16X, easily decode Hires music files, have almost the same capacity and even the SNR index is equivalent. Using the same dual DAC chip makes the sound of FC4 and DC06 have many similarities to each other. The extension in the bass range is well handled and tidied up, while the treble range has high sharpness but well limits the creation of harsh sib sounds. The most obvious difference probably comes from the DC06’s vocal part, which has better clarity and realism.
Considered HiBy Music’s most advanced DAC/AMP model, HiBy FC4 with Hires decoding capability, MQA support, extremely high output power and neutral sound quality is a very good choice if you have Need to buy a quality DAC/AMP.