WATCH FULL REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/W1kjDExJhyk

PRICE: $1,999

PROS:

Extremely well-engineered piece of tech
TOTL build & aesthetics
Alcantara fabric is VERY premium
Great screen quality for a DAP
Very responsive and stable UI
AMAZING Battery life for how much the DAP does
Feature-rich
Versatile device
Darwin-MPA is an improvement from the standard R2R
Dedicated Tube-like OPAMPS
Great for media consumption
Solid power output on 4.4mm
Turbo Mode for extra power and crispness
Smooth, analogue-like sound without massive compromise on technologies
Hi-Res wireless support
System-Wide Bit Perfect Audio
HiBy suite works flawlessly with the DAP
Great storage size and expansion
8gb RAM is more than enough for audio and slight multitasking operations

CONS:

Might be too thick or too heavy
SE might be too low-powered for some
Alcantara fabric is a dust magnet and might not age well
Gets VERY hot on turbo mode and 4.4mm
4 hours to fully charge from 0 to 100%

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR:

People looking for an overall TOTL music listening experience
People looking for a powerful, feature-rich, and versatile music player
People looking for an analog-like sound without compromising on technicalities or distortion
People who want a well-built premium looking and feeling device

WHO THIS UNIT ISN’T:

People who want a lightweight music player
People who want something less boujee and more lowkey in terms of aesthetics
People who want more power in SE/3.5mm
People who want an easier-to-maintain device

AT A GLANCE:

Bringing the flagship listening experience to the absolute highest order, the HiBy R8 II is genuinely one of the most impressive device that I’ve held and used. Powered by their brand new Darwin-MPA and sipping from a 12000mAh battery, the DAP is more than just a music player. Quite frankly, this lives up to its name of the “portable concert hall” as the experience from the build all the way to the listening experience is luxury. This is fundamentally a rich flex, however. The features, while revolutionary and ground-breaking on some aspects, are way beyond what a normal music enjoyer might want. This is a dedicated device for hardened audiophiles who really care about their listening experience and want to squeeze out everything you could in an audio device. And if you care that much, you deserve to have a taste of the top, and the R8 II delivers exactly that.

Thank you for reading my review on the HiBy R8 II. Big thanks to Joseph Yeung of HiBy for giving me and my fellow reviewers the opportunity to review the HiBy R8 II. If you would like to order one (to which I’d say good on you), consider using the non-affiliated link below: https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r8-ii

If you have any questions or concerns, contact me on my Facebook page or at [email protected]