HiBy R1

Introduction

The HiBy R1 is a sleek, portable and feature rich Digital Audio Player (DAP) typically priced at $85 (or less if you’re lucky to catch it on sale). With a compact design, advanced features, and support for high-resolution audio formats, it promises exceptional value for audiophiles on a budget.

So with the increasing popularity of smartphones paired with USB-C DAC dongles and the availability of more expensive Android-based DAPs, does the HiBy R1 carve out its unique niche?

So I have now been listening to the HiBy R1 for well over a month and comparing it to some other more expensive DAP’s and also comparing the experience with using some dongles DAC and my smartphone. This has given me even more appreciation for where the Hiby R1 shines but also highlights some areas where (depending on your audio use-cases) the R1 might be a bit limited compared those other options.

While it’s not Android based - the OS on the Hiby R1 does a lovely job in showing off your music:

And I was impressed with the amount of headphones it pairs well with, here it is with the Mirph-1 that I recently reviewed:

But before I get into more details, first lets get into the unboxing:

Unboxing

The HiBy R1 comes with nice stylish packaging:

With some specifications on the back:

Taking off the plastic:

Then sliding out the sleeve to reveal the internal box:

And finally opening this box to reveal the R1:

Lifting this reveals some accessories underneath:

Overall you’ll find:

HiBy R1 DAP

• A nice carry bag
• A lanyard
• A spare protective cover (it comes with one)
• USB-C charging cable
• User manual and warranty card

The unboxing experience is simple, but the device’s lightweight build and translucent chassis immediately stand out, hinting at its portability and design-focused approach.

Build Quality

The HiBy R1’s translucent polycarbonate chassis is available in multiple vibrant colors I decided to buy the white one as I love to see the internals of audio products, even though the frosted plastic doesn’t really let you see too much of the internals:

I do love the lightweight design but plastic build might feel less premium compared to metal-bodied though much more expensive alternatives. I was initially worried it would feel like a toy rather than an audio product, but it feels actually feel nice, buttons are good and the screen while not the best is bright and easy to read even from various angles.

Software Features

Even though it is not Android based, the HiBy R1 covers all the basics that you would need in a DAP, especially given its price point it makes a great device to just try and see if you might like the DAP experience:

So for me if you meet the following 3 criteria the Hiby R1 is perfect for you:

1. Have you own music collection that you would like to bring with you.
   While the R1 has streaming options it works best with your own music on the microSD card.
2. Typically listen with an IEM or a relatively easy to drive headphone.
   While it is surprisingly powerful for its size, just don’t expect miracles given its size and price.
3. You want something super easy to bring with you.
   It is tiny and very lightweight and still has a 3.5mm jack and an microSD card.

Local Music playback

So if you have a large collection of your own music then this is an almost perfect device. Specifically, for this DAP I converted roughly 30,000 songs of my large FLAC collection into a 144Kbps AAC files to fill a 128GB microSD with 1000’s of my favourite albums, but since the R1 also supports lossless formats including DSD256 and PCM384kHz/32-bit for those you want to keep a bit perfect playback. But for me listening to “lossy music” is for convenient way to access to my music rather than absolute sonic clarity that I usually demand on the streamers around my house.

Fast boot and nicely designed screens

The HiByOS, a Linux-based system optimized for audio playback and tailored perfectly for this hardware. I was especially impressed with how fast I can be listening from a ‘cold boot’, roughly 8 seconds after switching on I am back where I was previously and continuing where I left off listening.

Here is a video of the speed of the boot process:

Lets a have a quick tour of the various screens, starting with the main screen:

Music Menu

Let’s look at the Music menu option first:

I won’t show what is behind all the icons as they are mostly sensible ways to drive down into your music:

But 2 of the most important options here are accessed in the top right hand corner of the Main Music screen:

1. One is your custom favourites and playlists
2. The other option in the corner is to allow you tweak the audio playback options and these are extensive.

So that custom playlist option is be interesting:

As these playlists can include “streaming radio” playlists called “Custom Radio”:

Note: I have to thank “Joe Bloggs” on head-fi for pointing this feature out, so I ended using the following radio.txt file, on the root folder of the microSD card, and it was a nice way to listen to other streaming options than those provided by Hiby on the R1, so in this case I added some Radio Paradise streams and a few BBC radio ones:

So, the other key option is playback settings, this has some of the most fascinating options on the R1, including MSEB and other audio tweaks that are amazing options to have in this price range and typically only appear on music more expensive Hiby DAPs:

There are many options under this playback settings, some of the others that are obviously useful are the gain options (High or Low), the Soundfield that is really a crossfeed option with a way to tweak how much of the effect you get. This should not be confused with the Crossfade option which is about blending different tracks together. Gapless playback is also very useful.

But drilling down into the MSEB options:

All these MSEB options can modify the audio within a configured range which can be from fine-tuning or excessive:

So these options impressed me so much I decided to measure them, so I created a special section for the MSEB later in this review.

Note: I left it at excessive for the measurements as I felt that shows the maximum range.

Equalizer Presets sub-menu has some decent presets for those who don’t want to experiment with MSEB but still want to tweak the audio they are getting:

The “Custom” option at the top allows you to personalise the 10 band EQ via a nice simple interface:

You can trigger an update music information used for the menu here:

Streaming Menu

Going back to the main menu the Streaming options are sadly limited, this is one area where I think the HibyOS needs much better support:

Beyond my own music, I am currently using Apple Music, Roon, PlexAmp, so I did not investigate these 2 services though from reading online both options work, but they lack some of the niceties you might expect like Album Artwork.

Note: I had suggested to “Joe Bloggs” that Hiby could “create” other “Streaming Apps” by bundling support for different groups of Radio Stations into a “Streaming App” like Radio Paradise, Calm Radio or BBC Radio, as I have seen many Streamers do this to ‘fill out their portfolio’ of streaming support.
But this when he suggested I look at the radio.txt options as an alternative which I provided above .

Books Menu

The Books menu slightly disappointed me as I initially thought it might be a special folder for Audiobooks but it is actually for ebooks / text files which given the screen size seems like a waste of a top level menu option:

Wireless Menu

The wireless menu includes excellent support for different wireless protocols, including DLNA and Airplay:

The Bluetooth support is also excellent:

The Hiby Link options allows you to use your smartphone to remotely control the Hiby R1, so for example leaving your R1 plugged into an amplifier (like a streamer) you could control most aspects of the R1 from the Hiby Link app on your iPhone or Android Smartphone:

System Menu

Again lots of useful menu options under the system menu:

When I received mine I immediately updated the firmware:

I currently have version 1.3 and I believe most of the issues every reviewers have been fixed with this version as mostly it has worked flawlessly for me:

MSEB EQ Measurements

The MSEB option impressed me enough that I thought it deserved it own section. It stands for the (Magic Sound 8-Ball), and basically it is a beautiful way to “marry” the subjective aspects of audio with the objective and measurable changes in the sound signature, so allowing things like fine-tuning of tonal warmth, vocal clarity, and other parameters for a highly personalized listening experience with out resorting to typing in Frequencies or Q-Values.

This is EQ for those who don’t believe in EQ but like to experiment with sound, as Hiby have used excellent ‘subjective’ terms for changes in the objective, measurable listening experience.

So, as someone who loves to get stuck into the details of every device, I thought I would measure and graph the differences of apply “extremes” of each of these settings so allow people understand what changes they are applying.

So, firstly the Overall Temperature from Warm to Cool:

I really like this option as effectively this is overall ’tilt’ of the sound signature. In some of my recently reviews like the Kiwi Ears KE4 I discussed how both IEMs and Headphones are trying to approximate the sounds of “Speakers in a Room” and tonality of the best sounding speakers comes down to the tilt (from Bass to Treble) of the speakers. So, having a tool to easily control the overall tilt is an excellent idea for those wishing to play with the tonality of their IEM’s or Headphones. For example with the KE4 I would subtly lower the bass to treble tilt, while with the KZ ZA12 that I have recently reviewed, that Treble focused IEM would do well with a more dramatic lift increase in the bass to treble tilt.

Next, I measured the Bass Extension, Bass Texture and Note Thickness settings:

These are more traditional bass PEQ filters with fairly broad Q-values.

Next, I measured the 2 vocal focused options, the Vocal and Female Overtones:

The Vocal ones is much broader than the very focused Female Overtones option.

Next, the 2 Sibliance Low Frequency and High Frequency options:

These 2 are very useful options for those to hate sibilance, but for those who don’t these might be useful for those who want to hear “detail” in the music.

And finally, the last 2 options, the Impulse and the Air:

So, the MSEB system adds a unique ‘subjective’ friendly layer of customization, allowing users to tweak their audio experience very finely to their tastes. While not as flexable and fine-grained as say a set of 10 PEQ Filters I do think it is a much more user-friendly approach to EQ which I definitely welcome.

Sound Quality

Default Sound Signature and MSEB flexibility

The HiBy R1 by default delivers clean and detailed audio, thanks to the CS43131 DAC. The default sound signature is well-balanced and will bring out the best and worst in both your headphones or IEMs and in your music as it should be.

But as I mentioned earlier one of the key features of the R1 is the various clever meaniful audio tweaks like the MSEB “EQ” allowing you to quickly and intutivately tailor the sound to perfectly compliment your headphones or IEMs, making the R1 both enjoyable for a variety of genres but crucially a great device to help experiment with different sound signatures.

But in the rest of this section, I will briefly talk about the default “neutral” sound signature.

Bass

The bass response is punchy yet controlled, with good depth. Tracks like Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” showcase the R1’s ability to deliver impactful bass without overshadowing the mids.

Midrange

Vocals and instruments shine with warmth and clarity. Listening to Adele’s “Someone Like You” highlights the natural timbre and smooth presentation of the mids.

Treble

The treble is crisp and airy, with plenty of detail retrieval. Classical pieces like Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” come alive with sparkling highs that avoid harshness.

Specifications and Measurements

Hardware

• Processor: Ingenic X1600E
• DAC: Cirrus Logic CS43131
• Audio Output: 3.5mm headphone out
• Battery: 1150mAh, offering 15 hours playback and 400+ hours standby
• Storage: MicroSD support up to 2TB

Power

The R1’s performance is impressive for its price, though obviously DAP’s like the Hiby R3 II with balanced output have significantly more power. The signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range ensure clean, distortion-free playback even at higher volumes. The integrated amplifier can drive most IEMs with ease, though it may struggle with high-impedance headphones.

Comparison

This little chart might provide a little insight into the cost and capabilities of the Hiby R1 compared to either a Smartphone with Dongle or a dedicated Android DAP

The R1 offers better value than most dongle setups but lacks the premium build and app ecosystems of pricier Android DAPs. While it will have similar power to most dongles, it will also lack the power of a dedicated Mid-tier Android DAP. But its size is perfect and for the price it is does enough of everything you need in a DAP well enough that I cannot really fault it.

Compared to the FiiO JM21

The HiBy R1 excels in affordability and portability and is excellent for those who want to bring their own music collection with them, the FiiO JM21 offers more powerful audio output, many more customisation and streaming options as it is based on Android 13. So offers more for those willing to pay 3x the price of the R1 and happy to carry a larger device with them.

Compared to the FiiO M23

The M23 costs about 10x the price of the R1 and is a good representation of a high end DAP (even though there are many much more expensive DAPs than the M23). With the M23 you have even more power than the JM21, a massive battery and more built in storage and better DAC and output stages for potentially a cleaner sound. At this end of the DAP market you are basically buying something that replaces a desktop headphone amplifiers with something that could be bought with you, even though it is not really ‘pocket-able’.

Where the R1 shines over other DAP’s or headphone DAC dongles

I personally think for those curious about DAP’s the R1 is a much better option, at its price it is effectively a no risk purchase and gives you a taste for both carrying your own music with you, gives you back both a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD slot (when these have disappeared from smartphones), gives you tons of very useful audio tweaking options and I think most of all gives you a distraction free way to enough your music and leave your smartphone untouched.

I also feel it so small it is almost the same size as a typical headphone DAC dongles, yet provides more capabilities and similar power, here is it compared to the Snowsky Retro Nano:

Rating

I have given it a 5-star pragmatic rating as I have grown to really like the Hiby R1 over the past month, its weight and size, microSD support, together with decent power and a very nice audio experience provided by the Hiby OS when playing my own music makes it a very pragmatic device for $85.

So, even the limited “streaming” options offered, the R1 is a stunning bargain and a great device to “dip your toe” into the DAP market. While Android DAP’s like the FiiO JM21 and other Hiby DAP’s like the R3 are definitely a step-up in power and capab capabilities they typically cost 2x or 3x the price of the R1.

Conclusion

The HiBy R1 is an exceptional budget DAP, combining portability, high-quality audio, and extensive customization. While its lightweight build and buggy software are drawbacks, its sound quality and features far exceed its price point. With future firmware updates, the R1 has the potential to become a definitive choice for budget-conscious audiophiles.

At $85, the HiBy R1 delivers where it matters most: great sound in a compact, affordable package.