Hiby R2

amazon Hiby R2 reviews

Hiby R2 is the newest and cheapest music player officially launched by Hiby. This model can be considered a shortened version of Hiby R3, which was very successful with a slight reduction in hardware. In return, Hiby R2 still retains the most core things on the elder Linux kernel operating system and the ability to Streaming TIDAL at an unbelievable price: only $ 110. Hiby R2 is promised to redefine the concept of a universal music player.

DESIGN AND FINISHING

We’ve got the tapered players, we’ve got the long ones, and this time Hiby gives us a square player that’s quite similar to the Hiby R3 Pro. The biggest difference comes from the zinc alloy shell material on the Hiby R2 to distinguish it from the aluminum housing of the R3 and R3 Pro.

Instead of a modern design style, Hiby R2 follows the direction of Hipster. Outside the case, when the screen is not turned on, you will see a black metal block. But when you turn on the screen, it is a colorful interface on a black background, vivid without being flashy. Perhaps Hiby wants to send a message to the future owners of Hiby R2: Although they have a normal appearance, their souls are very rich.

The buttons and ports are arranged on all four sides of the machine. Because the device is square, we temporarily call the edge of the connection ports the bottom edge. On this side, we will have a Type-C port, a 3.5mm audio output port, and a micro SD card slot.

The right side places three buttons to switch tracks and stop playing; the left side is the volume up and down keys.

On the top of the device, a power button with a glowing LED border changes color according to the quality of the music being played. A specialty preserved from the firm’s first R6 line.

The front and back of the device are covered with tempered glass, just like high-end music players. The back of the machine also has two logos, Hires Audio and Hires Audio Wireless, imprinted very prominently.

The front of Hiby R2 is equipped with a 2.45 “screen, 480 * 460 resolution for sharp display, quite vibrant colors. The screen has a wide-angle and high brightness so that it can look good even in the sun.

All the details on the body are very well machined, just like how Hiby perfects the product on Hiby R3 or R6. The glass is pressed directly into the chassis to achieve high tightness, with no excess glue or gaps. The buttons are all made of metal, with good key feedback.

Summarizing in this section, Hiby R2 is a machine with a very good design and finish. Bringing in a design language that is much different from the previous generation.

CONFIGURATION AND FEATURES

Hiby R2 is considered a shortened version of R3 because the decoding hardware of this machine is reduced to a Single-End decoder circuit. However, all features in the software and connectivity remain the same.

Hiby R2’s audio processing circuit is equipped with an ES9218 DAC chip, similar to most music player models in the same price range, such as Shanling M0 or Shanling Q1. Hiby R2 can decode 32bit/384kHz PCM, DSD128, and especially MQA 4x Unfold with this chip.

With the slogan redefining a universal music player concept, Hiby R2 is the world’s first model in this price range equipped with a Wifi connection and TIDAL integration to Stream Hires music over the Internet. This feature currently only appears on mid-range models such as Hiby R3 or Shanling M2X. In addition, Hiby R2 also allows copying music files wirelessly via Wifi connection quickly and conveniently.

Besides, Hiby R2 is also equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, supports many high-end codecs such as UAT, LDAC, aptX. You can use the Hiby R2 as a music transmitter to True Wireless headphones or turn the Hiby R2 itself into a high-quality Bluetooth DAC/AMP.

Hiby R2 runs on the company’s self-developed HibyOS Linux kernel for perfect Bit-perfect signal output. The interface of HibyOS on Hiby R2 has also been heavily customized to fit the small screen size.

The built-in battery on Hiby R2 for up to 15 hours of continuous music playback.

In addition to supporting features for listening to music, Hiby R2 is also a high-quality voice recorder with a built-in 2-microphone and an ebook reader. The perfect combo for young people just starting to explore the world of sound.

where can you get a Hiby R2 online

HiBy R2 Portable Hi-Res Music Player, Palm-Sized HiFi Lossless MP3 Player with Bluetooth 5.0/LDAC/aptX/DSD/FLAC/MQA/5G WiFi/ES9218 DAC, Mini High Resolution Digital Audio Player – Black: Buy it now

Hiby r2 mp3 Network Streaming Music Player Hires Lossless Digital Audio Tide mqa 5gwifi ldac dsd Web Radio Bluetooth 5.0: Buy it now

oneforus HiBy R2 MP3 Music Player Tidal MQA Network Hires Bluetooth 5.0 Streaming Lossless Digital Audio WiFi LDAC DSD Internet Radio ES9218: Buy it now

EXPERIENCE AND SOUND QUALITY

HibyOS on Hiby R2 has an intuitive interface and is much easier to use when compared to Hiby R3. The menu selection bars are divided into color icons. The controls are converted into swipe gestures for navigation. Response on the user interface is quick and smooth. I’m glad to see that at a cheaper price point, the Hiby R2 gives us a better user experience again.

Although it is an add-on feature, I am very surprised with the RECORD section on Hiby R2. We have many advanced options in the software, such as recording in WAV, FLAC, or MP3 format. You can also change the bitrate quality from 8-48kHz and choose to record in mono or Stereo 2-microphone mode.

The quality of the recording file is very good, warm, and relatively clear. The sound is recorded in Stereo, so it creates a fairly realistic space. Although not comparable to professional recorder models, the built-in recording feature on Hiby R2 is still really good quality.

Finally, the sound quality assessment. Hiby R2 has a warm, smooth, emotional tone with a little emphasis on the low-mid part.

The treble range is enhanced with sharpness, crispness, and increased detail when listening to low-quality recordings. The bass range is average, bouncy, but not too prominent. The vocals are reproduced quite warmly, slightly back, and add a little emphasis on the high-mid to make the voice more soaring. It blends well with the background music without mixing up the track.

There is no over-enhanced sound range that makes the music denatured. It’s all well-rounded, very well controlled, especially in the highs.

Hiby R2 recreates a stage space that is not too spacious, feeling like listening in a Studio. The ability to separate the instrument layers is average, enough to distinguish the instruments in the music.

The vocals have a rather large image, but they blend into the background music smoothly. Positioned slightly back to create more space in the stereo field. This type of sound is extremely suitable for popular music genres such as Pop or EDM, but it is not good at expressing music with complex textures.

Hiby R2 will give better and more accurate layer separation when playing high-resolution music files like DSD or Hires. That is a point worth noting so that you can get the most out of this machine.

CONCLUDE

It’s been an explosive year for the mainstream player, and the Hiby R2 has reaffirmed its eloquent claim. Indeed, Hiby R2 has blurred the line between popular music players and mid-range music players when equipped with too many features in this price range.

If you are a young music enthusiast who wants to start experiencing high-end sound, then the Hiby R2 is the best option you can currently find.