HiBy R6 Pro Hi-Res Music Player – Specs, Price and Release Date (UPDATED)
HiBy Music is releasing their latest flagship Hi-Res portable digital audio player – the HiBy R6 Pro. It’s the successor or rather the improved version of their current flagship the HiBy R6. The older HiBy R6 and upcoming R6 Pro looks similar, but the R6 Pro comes with added features and improvements.
UPDATE Feb.: It’s now available on Amazon.com here!
UPDATE: Looks like HiBy is finally ready to release their new HiBy R6 Pro flagship portable audio player anytime now. HiBy has updated their site and officially revealed the complete features, specs including expected manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the R6 Pro – at $799 USD. They did mention that “is not available yet” and the price may vary due to international trade conditions. But at least it’s finally out and it’s just around the corner. So what does the new HiBy R6 Pro offer? Check out below.
HiBy R6 Pro Portable DAP Features
The new HiBy R6 Pro is an improved version of the company’s previous flagship DAP – the R6. The R6 Pro runs on Android Orea 8.1 and features two ES9028Q2M Sabre32 reference DAC chips paired with four MUSES8920 high quality audio J-FET input dual operational amplifier. HiBy has also included a 4.4mm balanced port since this has been growing popularity over the 2.5mm balanced output. It’s larger compared to the 2.5mm balanced plug, this means more surface contact area.
The HiBy Pro R6 features Direct Transport Audio architecture and will support up to DSD256 natively. It will run on HiBy OS with HiBy Link, meaning it’s still Android-based but the player itself will be HiBy’s proprietary player. It will also feature MSEB Tuner, or Mage Sound 8-ball Tuning that is based on parametric equalizer (PEQ) and sound filed adjustment.
As for the unit itself, the HiBy R6 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC with 3GB of memory. It comes with 32GB of internal storage plus a microSD card that can support up to 512GB of microSDXC card. It features a nice 4.2-inch touch screen display with a resolution of 1280×768 (HD), and yes it is an IPS panel and expect quality is similar with the previous R6. The R6 Pro DAP is powered by a huge 4,000 mAh battery and supports QC3.0 quick charge. Good thing it does have quick charge feature since it can take a while to charge a 4,000 mAh under “normal” charging speed.
When it comes to connectivity options, aside from the 4.4 balanced output, it has line out, coax out and USB Type-C. But it’s only USB 2.0 and not USB 3.0 or USB 3.1; so I don’t expect transfer speed would be that fast if you copy files via the USB connection. It also has WiFi 2.4G/5G dual band and Bluetooth 4.2 with apt-X and LDAC support. Its body is made of stainless steel, measures 120mm x 67mm x 15.7mm and weighs around 285 grams.
You can check out the rest of the HiBy R6 Pro’s specifications from the HiBy R6 Pro vs R6 comparison table below.
HiBy R6 Pro Price and Availability
The HiBy R6 Pro comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $799. Actual price may vary depending on the region. It is also expected to be available any time soon. No specific date yet.
UPDATE: The HiBy R6 Pro is now available on Amazon.com here.
HiBy R6 Pro vs HiBy R6 – Specifications
Below is a table showing the specifications of the HiBy R6 Pro, side by side with the specs of its predecessor, the R6.
| Specifications | R6 Pro | R6 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android8.1 | Android 8.1 |
| CPU Model | Snapdragon 425 SoC | Snapdragon 425 SoC |
| CPU Structure | Quad-Core A53 | Quad-Core A53 |
| CPU Frequency | 1.4GHz | 1.4GHz |
| DAC | ES9028Q2M x2 | ES9028Q2M x2 |
| Amplification | I/V: Muses8920 x4 LPF&Amplifier: SSM6322 x2 Crystal: Low Phase Noise Crystal x2 | LPF: QPA1612 x2 Amplifier: TPA6120A x2 |
| Connectivity | ||
| WIFI | IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n | IEEE802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| USB | 2.0 (Type-C) | 2 |
| Display | ||
| Display Size | 4.2 inches | 4.2 inches |
| Display Color | 16 million True color | 16 million True color |
| Display Type | IPS (Corning Gorilla Glass) | IPS |
| Resolution | 768x1280 | 768x1280 |
| Display Pixel Density PPI | 320 | 320 |
| Touch Screen | G+FF/5 | G+FF/5 |
| Storage | ||
| RAM | 3GB | 3GB |
| Internal Storage | 32GB | 32GB |
| Micro SD Card | > 512GB | > 512GB |
| Buttons and Interface | ||
| Buttons | 6 Buttons | 6 Buttons |
| Button Customization | Power / Previous/Pause/Next/Volume Up/Volume Down | Power / Previous/Pause/Next/Volume Up/Volume Down |
| Player Output (PO) | 3.5mm | 3.5mm |
| Balanced Output | 4.4mm | 2.5mm |
| Analog Audio Output Interface (LO) | 3.5mm LO/COAX multiplexing | 3.5mm LO/COAX multiplexing |
| Digital Audio Output Interface (Coaxial) | 3.5mm LO/COAX multiplexing | 3.5mm LO/COAX multiplexing |
| USB | USB data transfer, USB DAC IN/OUT, Charging | USB data transfer, USB DAC IN/OUT, Charging |
| General Specification | ||
| Color Choices | Stainless steel color | Stainless Steel/Aluminum Alloy Black Red/Green/Blue |
| Dimensions | 119.8mm x 66.96mm x 15.7mm | 116mm x 66mm x 15.5mm |
| Net Weight | about 285g | about 275g |
| Impedance Adapter | 8~150Ω | 8~150Ω |
| EQ Adjustment | 10-band EQ adjustment (±12dB) with 10 preset EQs | 10-band EQ adjustment (±12dB) with 10 preset EQs |
| Left and Right Channel Balance | Left 10dB to right 10dB | Left 10dB to right 10dB |
| Gain Selection | DSD+6dB TGC, High and Low, 2-level | High and Low, 2-level |
| USB DAC | PCM/ DoP/Native | Maximum support 384kHz/32bit?DSD256 |
| Tone Adjustment | Minimum Phase/Fast Rolloff/Slow Rolloff Default / monitor / warm sound / bile duct | Minimum Phase/Fast Rolloff/Slow Rolloff |
| Power Specifications | ||
| Power Source | USB DC5~9V | 5V 2.5A, 9V 1.5A |
| Battery Capacity | 4000mAh (14.8Wh) | 4000 mAh |
| Charging Display | Lightning icon | Lightning icon |
| Charging Time | 70%≈60min (QC3.0 Quick Charge) 100%≈150min (QC3.0 Quick Charge) | 70% < 70min (QC3.0 Quick Charge) 100% < 140min (QC3.0 Quick Charge) |
| Power Status Display | 0~100% | 0~100% |
| Other Features | ||
| Software Upgrade | Internal storage upgrade, micro SD card local upgrade, OTA online upgrade | Internal storage upgrade, micro SD card local upgrade, OTA online upgrade |
| Font Size Setting | Support | Support |
| Third Party App | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Single-ended Headphone Output (3.5mm) | ||
| Output Power | 245mW+245mW(@32Ω) | 120mW+120mW(@32Ω) |
| Noise Floor Level (Noise) | 3.8uVrms | |
| Frequency Response (±3dB) | 20Hz-90KHz | ±0.02dB 20-20000Hz/±0.5dB 10-70000Hz |
| Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) | 131dB | 118dB@Max |
| Channel Separation (Crosstalk) | 68dB | >77dB |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD+N) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Closed-Loop Output Impedance | 0.24Ω | |
| Balanced Headphone Output | 4.4mm | 2.5mm |
| Output Power | 750mW+750mW(@32Ω) | 300mW+300mW(@32Ω) |
| Noise Floor Level (Noise) | 5uVrms | |
| Frequency Response (±3dB) | 20Hz-90KHz | ±0.02dB 20-20000Hz/±0.5dB 10-70000Hz |
| Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) | 133dB | 120dB@Max |
| Channel Separation (Crosstalk) | 97dB | >98dB |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD+N) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Closed-Loop Output Impedance | 0.28Ω | |
| Line Output (3.5mm) | ||
| Output Level | 2Vrms | 2Vrms (10 kΩ/1 kHz) |
| Noise Floor Level (Noise) | 2.6uVrms | Balanced 3.1 /Single 2.8 |
| Frequency Response (±3dB) | 20Hz-90KHzv | |
| Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) | 122dB | |
| Channel Separation (Crosstalk) | 109dB | |
| Total harmonic distortion (THD+N) | 0.00% | |
| Closed-Loop Output Impedance | 10KΩ | |
So what do you think guys? Currently, the R6 is priced at around $499 MSRP (available on Amazon.com here); there is a $300 price difference between the R6 Pro and R6. Do you think it is worth the upgrade? For those who don’t own an R6 yet, I think it’s better to jump directly to the R6 Pro. Still, the price difference is somewhat significant and needs to be considered.
I don’t see any significant reason for the Pro, since I have already some cables with 2,5 mm – connector. Got the R6 really the update to Android 8.1?
This might come in purple?
Not sure yet