https://m.weibo.cn/status/5199880974242798

Pros:

• Price

• Design and color choices (Reminds me of Evangelion Mechas)

• Lively and colorful sound

• Class A amplification

• Sound customization and enhancement options

Cons:

• Runs warm

Remember when Hiby released the M300 under a new brand, Hiby Digital? That one was in the same vein as later Sony A Series Walkmans and became quite popular. But that’s old news now. The new rage is the R4. Has Hiby finally lost it, releasing such a feature-packed product for only $249?

Disclaimers

Hiby R4, along with their Project Ace, was sent to me by Hiby as part of the Turkey Tour of the Audio Geek Review Group. I don’t get to keep these tour units, even at the end of the tour. As I always say, everyone is biased one way or another, so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Also, I will try to be more concise and to the point in my reviews from now on without worrying about the word count, etc. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments, and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities. Additionally, I will be copying some parts from my earlier Hiby R6 Pro II review, as they are pretty much valid for this review as well.

About Hiby

Hiby was founded in 2011, according to their website, and apparently, has even more experience in the audio field. They are mostly known for their Digital Audio Players, but they also make DAC/Amps and earphones. However, what sets Hiby apart from other manufacturers is their expertise in software. Their UIs, apps, and connection protocol, Hiby Link, are used even by other brands.

Design and Packaging of Hiby R4

With a cyberpunk theme, Hiby hits several birds with one stone. First, they made their target audience obvious, in this case, younger audiophiles. They also lowered the cost with relatively cheap construction and could get away with it. The device has sharp corners, and rubber is used here and there. The 04 number is apparent on the packaging and the device. There are four color choices: Orange, Silver, Green, and Black. The color I got is the most boring one, Silver. Honestly, this Evangelion vibe is what attracted me to the R4.

The Hiby R4 comes in a simple but stylish package. Inside, you are welcomed with the DAP, and at the back, you get a TPU case, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and spare screen protectors. Although it sounds modest, I don’t really need anything else. Higher-end DAPs come with more cables and stuff, but I rarely use them anyway.

Hardware of Hiby R4

So most people choose their DAPs and DACs based on the DAC chips inside. In the case of the R4, 4 ES9018C2M chips are used for digital-to-analog conversion. The amplification circuit consists of 4 OP1652 and 2 OP1612 operational amplifiers. The R4 only works in Class A amplification by default, which can be a downside if you don’t like your electronics running warm or want more battery life. The maximum power output of the device is 165 mW from single-ended and 525 mW from balanced.

Being a budget-oriented device, the Hiby R4 offers 3 GB of RAM memory and 32 GB of internal storage, but as usual, you can store up to 2 TB of music or data with an SD Card.

The 4.7” IPS 720p screen on the R4 isn’t exactly flagship-level, but it's more than enough for regular operation of a DAP.

The R4 supports the usual wireless and wired connectivity options, namely WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB, and Coaxial through USB-C output. Analog outputs include 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced. There are no separate line outputs. The device also supports DLNA, Airplay, and their own Hiby Link protocols, as well as Hiby Cast remote control. It can render X16 MQA too, if that’s important to you. I’m pretty sure there are others I forgot to mention.

So all of these yield virtually no distortion and noise. I didn’t really test the battery life, but Hiby promises 11 hours of runtime with 3.5 mm single-ended output. All I can say is that the battery has a longer life than my R6 Pro II, so through balanced, I can say 9-10 hours of playback is what you can expect.

Software and UI

The Hiby R4 uses an open Android 12.0, which means you can download any 3rd party apps you want, and it should receive app updates for quite a while. Hiby Music comes pre-installed as the default music player, and I didn’t need to use any other music app since I mostly stream my music.

The UI is customized by Hiby for the intended use case. It is not too different from the usual Android experience, but changing audio controls like adjusting gain and amplification type is especially very easy. Hiby also offers four different themes for you to choose from. All of them looked great in their own way, so I had a hard time choosing one. The UI is pretty fast. I only saw it stuttering when loading album art, that’s all.

Hiby’s own MSEB (Mage Sound 8-ball Tuning) is an EQ-based easy sound adjustment mechanism. If using EQ is intimidating for you, playing with MSEB can ease you into it. I think it’s a great feature. Here is the list that shows how each choice affects the sound:

1 -- Overall Temperature: a tilt of the whole line towards treble (cool) or bass (warm)

2 -- Bass extension 70Hz and below

3 -- Bass texture 100Hz (medium)

4 -- Note thickness 200Hz (wide)

5 -- Vocals 650Hz (very wide)

6 -- Female overtones 3kHz (tight)

7 -- Sibilance LF 5.8kHz (medium)

8 -- Sibilance HF 9.2kHz (medium)

9 -- Impulse response 7.5kHz (very wide)

10 - Air 10kHz sloped all the way to 20kHz

Like other Hiby DAPs of late, R4 also has Parametric Equalizer. There are also plugins you can play with. Hiby sent me some samples to try, like soundstage enhancement and crossfeed. I know some of you like unaltered sound, but when it comes to software, you have got to respect Hiby.

Sound of Hiby R4

I have to be honest; for digital audio players, I value functionality more than sound, unless the device sounds straight up bad, and I’m happy to announce R4 doesn’t sound bad at all. It doesn’t have the sound of a flagship, of course, it doesn’t. But during my time testing it, I never felt like I’m missing something.

The Hiby R4 has a colorful and lively sound. You can say it’s slightly V-shaped. Bass is definitely emphasized, and by a big margin. Other than that, it doesn’t sound particularly harsh or glaring. Details and spaciousness aren’t top-notch, but more than enough unless you aren’t analyzing your music. Let’s move on to comparison for more context.

Comparisons

Hiby R4 vs. Hiby R6 Pro II

I know it’s not exactly fair, but the only comparable DAP I had in my hand at the time of the review was my R6 Pro II. Still, the R4 held its ground pretty well.

• Bass is more impactful on R4.

• R6 Pro II is more controlled and well-defined.

• R4 is more colorful and vivid, just like a contrast-maxed TV. R6 Pro II’s rendition is more natural and effortless. Timbre is also better on R6 Pro II.

• R6 Pro II has more air, feels more spacious, and separates better. R4 sounds a little blunted compared to that.

• R6 Pro II is more detailed, which is no surprise. It keeps its composure during complex passages while R4 tumbles a little.

Hiby R4 vs. Fiio KA5

I assume a lot of people will be looking to buy R4 as their first DAP, so coming from a decent dongle, they might be wondering what they will gain, so I compared R4 to my FiiO KA5.

• R4 has more body and note weight. KA5 sounds cleaner and has slightly better timbre.

• KA5 has more sub-bass extension.

• R4 has more energy and bite.

• KA5 is slightly more airy. Details and spaciousness also feel slightly better on KA5.

Conclusion

The Hiby R4 gets my first full 5 stars. Not because it sounds much better than anything else, but because it does everything I care for right. It has a lively sound that you will enjoy when you are out and about. It has a cool design (Yes, EVA bias). It has great power and amplification. It uses a good processing chip and has a fast UI. It has sound customization and enhancement options like PEQ, MSEB, and plug-ins. And most importantly, it does all of this for only $249. So the verdict? I’m planning to buy a unit for myself later!