I got mine mostly to use as a digital transport for my home DACs. I am really happy with it’s playback and functionality, it’s got a big, classy sound. It’s much better than most other components that I have used on my USB input connections. For the price it’s a really amazing bit of kit.
A word of warning, If you are looking for a player for audiobooks and podcasts in addition to music, this is not the one, I was looking for a small inexpensive replacement for my slowly dying iPod nano, so I purchased this along with a 256GB MicroSD and I loaded it up with music and audiobooks. It did not take long to realize there is no bookmarking feature. You can pause a file and it will return to the same position as long as you have not played anything else. I hope that future firmware updates will add a bookmarking feature.
A few people have stated they've had issues when resuming a track, there's a loud 'pop' which can damage your ears and earphones, have you encountered this?
If you hadn't put it side by side with the Shanling I wouldn't have realize how much bigger it is. I know that they are both small. But I was looking for something like it or the FiiO. To use in a wristband. I might have to look for something of equal size and carry it around to see if it will end up bothering me. But thanks for putting them on a direct size comparison. I really like the FiiO. Since you can even pick up calls on it. But I have never seen it available. For well over a year since I learn of it's existance.
This was a good review of a DAP I'd consider buying IF the review didn't miss out an essential bit of info (like ALL DAP reviews) and that's IF it has a QUICK 'search' function, as someone like me that has almost 10000 tracks on my SD card, searching for a particular song is a breeze on my phone, but on small devices like this they MUST have some form of 'quick search' or they're pretty much of no real use or interest to me. I've yet to find ANY DAP that is capable of replacing PowerAmp on my phone - I really wish I could though.
I got mine today, I feel you. I had the same question and yes, it has a quick search. As you can imagine the keyboard is not comfortable but the option is there
Dead simple to make playlist with the music stored on the SD card, seems to support cue files (even WAV that haven’t been updated with FLAC deatails, say) and m3u.
Thanks for the review! Just wanted to confirm a couple thing if that's okay 😅 1) You mentioned that you can take calls with this. Does this work when you connect to your phone via either bluetooth and/or usb? 2) When taking calls, is it able to use in-line mics on the earphone cable? Or can you only use the built in mics? 3) Lastly, can you connect bluetooth earphones to this? I'm almost certain you can, but just wanted to be doubly sure. Thanks!!!
I don’t believe this is capable of taking calls. I have yet to connect my phone though, as that renders the purpose of this useless. It does in fact accept bluetooth devices.
@AstralSurfer it works just like a Bluetooth headset when connected to a phone. And doing that hardly renders it useless - you can stream music or you can watch movies /RUclips on your phone which is fantastic if your phone doesn't have a headphone jack.
Hey, thanks a lot for the review man! I have a question, does the product have a Shuffle Playback mode? I know it might sound silly, but for me it is an important characteristic. Thank you very much
Hello thanks for the review. When using the audio recorder at what distance from your mouth did you keep the dap away? i am thinking of getting it and will also use it as an audio device. Also compared to the AP 80 Pro x how does it compare ?
How long usually batt will last if playing music in background without open menu screen's? I'm tempted to buy this due to small factor+ess Sabre chip is nice
thanks for clear and detailed review ,but i have a NICE powerful E1DA9038 S SUMUSU so instead of using my mobile i will attach my dac to it in balanced mode. Does it make sense ? For the price of both you can reach an high level of quality hi res powerful sound which maybe even better than a much more expensive DAP ! Cash is hard to get isn'it ? SO I strongly recommend e1DA 9038 S (116 $)ONLY BALANCED 2.5 mm and don't use adaptors because you can brick it .Use a proper nice 2.5mm cable . What do you think of my idea as using this lovely dap and stick the tiny beast of E1DA . 16 OHMS goes to a roughly 430 mw and 32 @ 340 mw ....or MORE . Keep up the good job , cheers .
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thank you very much for your kind reply and indeed ,i am going to get this but was undecided with hifi walker h2 ,but i want to have the choice as well of MQA .Amazon already went from 89$ to 125 ?IN A week! From Linsoul i have never paid custom taxes here in Italy so ,there or Hiby or HifiGO or Schenzen Audio . Only problem when i want MQA i need to detach the E1DA as it has no MQA ,even i think i won't die for but live without as the power of Hiby R2 ii is only 90mw.Cheers and keep up good
@@PrimeAudioReviews i have got instead a new LG V30 silver pretty and strong mobile aluminiuma nd gorillaglass both way [it seems new to me ,is perfect] ,so I can use with MQA with the LG Quad Dac(great with Dunu high impendeance adaptor and /or the option to attach the usb dongle .This LG V30 with box ,charger original cable ,new glass screen protector for 130€..not bad i think ,innit?. I think as budget option, at this very moment, was my best deal possible imaginable My eyes always goes to Hiby Darwin Dap ,R8 .That'sa proper DAP.....later on December,,But now enjoying the versátile combo MQA and 24bit 192.hz by QoobuZ, right now .Dunu Titan S and Tin T3 are what remain of ALL stolen collection of iem! They are both nice i recommend best for the price . Blessing Dusk 2 ,the i stop or open back Hd 650 .... Ps I visit the Shop you ve mentioned in your country BTW difficult menu and currency.. Cheers cable
I'm strongly looking into getting this DAP. I need something affordable, and I am growing increasingly frustrated with Fiio's products. They consistently fail after about 2 years for me. I tried the first, second, and third generations, and every one of them had that issue. I was hoping the newer ones would be better, but still was disappointed. For under 100 bucks, I think this is really worth serious consideration. How well do HiBy's products hold up over time?
@@PrimeAudioReviews My Fiio felt pretty solid too but either the battery or electrical connections aren't very good because it'll just randomly decide to not turn on one day and I'll need a new one or send the old one all the way to China for repairs.
Thanks for the review, I'm trying to decide between this, shanling m0 pro and sony nw-a45 and they are all around the same price for me. I will be using letshouer s12 3.5mm to listen to flac files. I want a dap to make it sound more bassy with more slams while maintaining the treble and mids to make it sound more full. Which of these 3 should I go for?
@@PrimeAudioReviews I see. I have seen reviews that says the sony is more warm and slightly worse technicalities than the m0 pro. Which one do you think pairs well with the s12 which is a v shaped with a lot of treble?
I prefer this for the bigger display, better battery life and more features. The m0 is great but r2 ii is better unless you want something really tiny.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thanks for the reply. The WiFi and streaming I don't need. I just need something that plays flacs that I can keep in my pocket when I'm out so I don't have to have a cord attached to my phone
@@PrimeAudioReviews originally I was looking for something like those with aptx lossless since my phone supports that but I haven't been able to find one that does yet
How long does it take to scan a huge library? did you test that at all? And did it scan the whole library again if you added files? My collection is a bit big, around 150GB. I've had a huge issue with these DAP's just straight up crashing while scanning all the files. And adding files is a pain because it scans the whole damn library all over again. Honestly the only MP3 that I've found that doesn't have this problem is the Ipod Classic.
I want to buy one but I'm choosing between this or hidiz ap80 pro x (or only pro, what this difference between them?) or shanling Q1? Which is better if I'm using bluetooth earbuds in term of connectivity and battery life??
@@jonathanmoreno8540 1. Spotify actually does support local flac files. I have some on there. 2. Most people cannot tell the difference between mp3 vs flac. 3. Spotify has more artists and songs than any other competitor. So I'm able to add smaller artists that I can't find elsewhere like artists primarily on youtube or new artists. So your comment is stupid
I got the white one of these as the red wasn't available. Hiby don't seem to be promoting this player too much🫤 we can't even get a firmware update. But overall its a good player, the Bluetooth headphone connection is trouble free
@@PrimeAudioReviews 😳 just had another look and there was an OTA update to Ver.1.1. It seems to solve the issue with the album art updating while scrolling 👍🏼
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I got mine mostly to use as a digital transport for my home DACs. I am really happy with it’s playback and functionality, it’s got a big, classy sound. It’s much better than most other components that I have used on my USB input connections. For the price it’s a really amazing bit of kit.
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback.
@@PrimeAudioReviewshello sir, just wanted to know that what dap sounds better for a neutral signature iem, Hiby r2 Or Shanling M0?!
A word of warning, If you are looking for a player for audiobooks and podcasts in addition to music, this is not the one, I was looking for a small inexpensive replacement for my slowly dying iPod nano, so I purchased this along with a 256GB MicroSD and I loaded it up with music and audiobooks. It did not take long to realize there is no bookmarking feature. You can pause a file and it will return to the same position as long as you have not played anything else. I hope that future firmware updates will add a bookmarking feature.
thanks good to know! I am just starting to get used by audiobooks
Overall, it sounds good right?
@@catgpt-4 you need to power it otherwise if you can live without streaming ,i am thinking to get hifiwalker h2 that has beautiful clean power
@@catgpt-4 only 90 mw
@@pc647590mW is enough for my IEMs. Thanks mate.
A few people have stated they've had issues when resuming a track, there's a loud 'pop' which can damage your ears and earphones, have you encountered this?
I haven't heard a single pop from mine
I think there's a new firmware (update) but don't know if they fixed anything.. seems there may be some faulty devices.. :(
If you hadn't put it side by side with the Shanling I wouldn't have realize how much bigger it is. I know that they are both small. But I was looking for something like it or the FiiO. To use in a wristband. I might have to look for something of equal size and carry it around to see if it will end up bothering me. But thanks for putting them on a direct size comparison. I really like the FiiO. Since you can even pick up calls on it. But I have never seen it available. For well over a year since I learn of it's existance.
Yes, r2 is a little too big for the wrist!
Any issues?
Tidal is what i wanted. This has it. Instant buy
Karnivool, Wheel, Collapse Under The Empire, Bersarin Quartet...GREAT music taste my friend😊
You Sir, know good music when you hear it!
This was a good review of a DAP I'd consider buying IF the review didn't miss out an essential bit of info (like ALL DAP reviews) and that's IF it has a QUICK 'search' function, as someone like me that has almost 10000 tracks on my SD card, searching for a particular song is a breeze on my phone, but on small devices like this they MUST have some form of 'quick search' or they're pretty much of no real use or interest to me.
I've yet to find ANY DAP that is capable of replacing PowerAmp on my phone - I really wish I could though.
Same here there is no replacement for poweramp not even in desktop it is so simple but powerful piece of software
I got mine today, I feel you. I had the same question and yes, it has a quick search. As you can imagine the keyboard is not comfortable but the option is there
@@zuri_ortiz That's good to know. Thanks. 👍
The LED changes color based on the file you’re listening to? It’s only been yellow across the board for me, whether it be mp3 or flac or wav.
I believe it change base on sample rate of the file not file format
This is correct.
Can you shuffle play all songs?
Yeah.
Is there custom playlist support?
Yes. You can import playlists but I haven't tried creating one directly on the r2 ii.
Dead simple to make playlist with the music stored on the SD card, seems to support cue files (even WAV that haven’t been updated with FLAC deatails, say) and m3u.
Love the video ❤
Thank you!!
@@PrimeAudioReviews you're welcome
Thanks for the review! Just wanted to confirm a couple thing if that's okay 😅
1) You mentioned that you can take calls with this. Does this work when you connect to your phone via either bluetooth and/or usb?
2) When taking calls, is it able to use in-line mics on the earphone cable? Or can you only use the built in mics?
3) Lastly, can you connect bluetooth earphones to this? I'm almost certain you can, but just wanted to be doubly sure.
Thanks!!!
I don’t believe this is capable of taking calls. I have yet to connect my phone though, as that renders the purpose of this useless. It does in fact accept bluetooth devices.
@AstralSurfer it works just like a Bluetooth headset when connected to a phone. And doing that hardly renders it useless - you can stream music or you can watch movies /RUclips on your phone which is fantastic if your phone doesn't have a headphone jack.
Good review.
Hey, thanks a lot for the review man! I have a question, does the product have a Shuffle Playback mode? I know it might sound silly, but for me it is an important characteristic. Thank you very much
Yes, this also has shuffle mode.
is it possible to move songs via wifi on r2 ii?
It should be possible with DLNA but I haven't tried it.
Hello thanks for the review. When using the audio recorder at what distance from your mouth did you keep the dap away? i am thinking of getting it and will also use it as an audio device.
Also compared to the AP 80 Pro x how does it compare ?
Hi. I had it sitting on the table about 30-40cm away. It has similar audio quality to ap80 Pro X but is lighter and has a more consistent battery life
How long usually batt will last if playing music in background without open menu screen's? I'm tempted to buy this due to small factor+ess Sabre chip is nice
15 hours.
thanks for clear and detailed review ,but i have a NICE powerful E1DA9038 S SUMUSU so instead of using my mobile i will attach my dac to it in balanced mode. Does it make sense ? For the price of both you can reach an high level of quality hi res powerful sound which maybe even better than a much more expensive DAP ! Cash is hard to get isn'it ? SO I strongly recommend e1DA 9038 S (116 $)ONLY BALANCED 2.5 mm and don't use adaptors because you can brick it .Use a proper nice 2.5mm cable . What do you think of my idea as using this lovely dap and stick the tiny beast of E1DA . 16 OHMS goes to a roughly 430 mw and 32 @ 340 mw ....or MORE . Keep up the good job , cheers .
That should work just fine.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thank you very much for your kind reply and indeed ,i am going to get this but was undecided with hifi walker h2 ,but i want to have the choice as well of MQA .Amazon already went from 89$ to 125 ?IN A week! From Linsoul i have never paid custom taxes here in Italy so ,there or Hiby or HifiGO or Schenzen Audio .
Only problem when i want MQA i need to detach the E1DA as it has no MQA ,even i think i won't die for but live without as the power of Hiby R2 ii is only 90mw.Cheers and keep up good
@@PrimeAudioReviews i have got instead a new LG V30 silver pretty and strong mobile aluminiuma nd gorillaglass both way [it seems new to me ,is perfect] ,so I can use with MQA with the LG Quad Dac(great with Dunu high impendeance adaptor and /or the option to attach the usb dongle .This LG V30 with box ,charger original cable ,new glass screen protector for 130€..not bad i think ,innit?. I think as budget option, at this very moment, was my best deal possible imaginable
My eyes always goes to Hiby Darwin Dap ,R8 .That'sa proper DAP.....later on December,,But now enjoying the versátile combo MQA and 24bit 192.hz by QoobuZ, right now .Dunu Titan S and Tin T3 are what remain of ALL stolen collection of iem! They are both nice i recommend best for the price .
Blessing Dusk 2 ,the i stop or open back Hd 650 ....
Ps
I visit the Shop you ve mentioned in your country
BTW difficult menu and currency..
Cheers
cable
Hi David!
Can I connect my USB audio dongles to this device and use it simply as a transport??
Yes, you can!
smooth nice responsive? looks laggy to me
It is smooth and responsive. It's just slow to show album art while browsing album list.
i email hiby and asked about this hiby r2 ii, they said it has been discontinued.. i was like ??? in less than a year?? goodness..
It seems to be still available on AliExpress?
@@PrimeAudioReviews I think yes, just dun get it, I think just released for a year.
I'm strongly looking into getting this DAP. I need something affordable, and I am growing increasingly frustrated with Fiio's products. They consistently fail after about 2 years for me. I tried the first, second, and third generations, and every one of them had that issue. I was hoping the newer ones would be better, but still was disappointed. For under 100 bucks, I think this is really worth serious consideration. How well do HiBy's products hold up over time?
This is my first HiBy DAP so I don't know how it will hold up over time but it sure feels durable.
@@PrimeAudioReviews My Fiio felt pretty solid too but either the battery or electrical connections aren't very good because it'll just randomly decide to not turn on one day and I'll need a new one or send the old one all the way to China for repairs.
My hiby bricked on me a few times after updates. Poorly made. Turns on and off automatically so it wont hold any charge.
@@richardbertoso398 Yeah see I was concerned that might be an issue.
Hey, thanks. But can I play/stop and control volume from a bluetooth headset with this thing?
Yes you can.
Can usb c earphones be used on this?
Yes, should be fine.
@@PrimeAudioReviews thank you
How's the tidal playback? As in the written review it says it supports it
It works a treat.
How's the BT only battery life?
It's really good. I didn't measure it but I'd say around 12 hours
Thanks for the review, I'm trying to decide between this, shanling m0 pro and sony nw-a45 and they are all around the same price for me. I will be using letshouer s12 3.5mm to listen to flac files. I want a dap to make it sound more bassy with more slams while maintaining the treble and mids to make it sound more full. Which of these 3 should I go for?
I haven't tried the nw-a45 but I would choose the R2II over the m0 pro.
@@PrimeAudioReviews I see. I have seen reviews that says the sony is more warm and slightly worse technicalities than the m0 pro. Which one do you think pairs well with the s12 which is a v shaped with a lot of treble?
@@koyonari1843you need to use EQ to make those changes. Differences between DAPs are minor, EQ will let you dial in the sound you want
Can i use a dac between this and iem?
Yes, you can.
Any issues while doing this?@@PrimeAudioReviews
Would you recommend this one or the Shanling M0? (about same price range)..
I prefer this for the bigger display, better battery life and more features. The m0 is great but r2 ii is better unless you want something really tiny.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thanks, actually the M0 would be too small for me anyway. I will go for the Hiby..
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't hear anything about battery life? How long can it go before needing recharge?
It's around 9-10 hours of playback time.
How close does this get to the R3 vII in terms of sound quality and features?
It gets close in both. The main differences are build quality/materials, display size and battery life.
what do you think if compared to hidizs ap80 pro x ?
Audio quality is similar but R2 II has better battery life.
Anyone know where it can be bought?
It seems to have been discontinued (not confirmed).
I have the R3 II and can plug a dongle DAC into it to change it's sound. Will that work on this also?
Yeah, should be just the same.
Will this be any better than my phone in playing flac files? Or I am better off getting a dac for my phone? Please help
Yes this is much better than your phone and heaps more versatile than a dongle dac.
@@PrimeAudioReviews thanks for your reply
hey i have tanchjim space and sonata bhd pro will this be better than those sicne ive been wanting to switch on dap
Similar in terms of audio quality but it's much more versatile in use.
how about the soundquality vs ibasso dc04pro?
sorry for my english
I didn't try dc04pro
Can it drive a planar iem like the s12?
Yes, absolutely.
@@PrimeAudioReviews thanks. Let me rephrase my question... Can it drive planars better than under 30 dongles?
I plan on getting the m0 pro or the r2 2 and plan on controlling it with my phone is one better than the other for that with their apps?
They both function similarly when controlling with a phone. The hiby dap has some extra features like Wi-Fi and native streaming.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thanks for the reply. The WiFi and streaming I don't need. I just need something that plays flacs that I can keep in my pocket when I'm out so I don't have to have a cord attached to my phone
@christoph9510 in that case, have you considered Shanling UP4 or FiiO BTR5?
@@PrimeAudioReviews originally I was looking for something like those with aptx lossless since my phone supports that but I haven't been able to find one that does yet
Does someone know if it can move planar iems?
Yes, it's fine for planar IEMs (most planars are efficient nowadays).
@@PrimeAudioReviews thnks a lot
Can i connect to a Bluetooth headphones when this is connected to PC via USB as DAC? Like working as bluetooth transmitter ?
Nope, I tried but couldn't make it happen.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thank You for trying it out and confirming.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Does it atleast work as a USB DAC when connected to PC?
Of course
How long does it take to scan a huge library? did you test that at all? And did it scan the whole library again if you added files?
My collection is a bit big, around 150GB. I've had a huge issue with these DAP's just straight up crashing while scanning all the files.
And adding files is a pain because it scans the whole damn library all over again.
Honestly the only MP3 that I've found that doesn't have this problem is the Ipod Classic.
I haven't tried anything over 64GB but I find it scans reasonably fast. You can set it to auto scan or manual.
does he being hot when music is played?
No it stays super cool
@@PrimeAudioReviewshe meant you 😅
😅
If you want to choose (hiby R2 II, or shanling m0 pro) !?
I prefer R2 II for it's bigger display and extra features.
Can I use this as a Bluetooth receiver, like a BTR5?
Yes, absolutely and it works great that way.
I want to buy one but I'm choosing between this or hidiz ap80 pro x (or only pro, what this difference between them?) or shanling Q1?
Which is better if I'm using bluetooth earbuds in term of connectivity and battery life??
Get this. It has better function and battery life.
@@PrimeAudioReviews Thanks for the reply! I'm gonna go ahead and get it.
@@PrimeAudioReviewsIncredible considering the price difference, got mine coming today can't wait!
Does it require a DAC or an IEM would be enough? And does it have apple music????
It has a good DAC chip in it already. You can stream apple music to it from your phone.
@@PrimeAudioReviews from my phone??? Doesn’t it have that??? Like you said it has inbuilt Tidal and qobuz.
Yes it has native tidal and qobuz but if you want Apple Music you’ll need to connect to your phone or MacBook via Bluetooth
@@PrimeAudioReviews thanks, one last question, do you know any compact and affordable DAP like this which have inbuilt Apple Music?
@subhrajitrana3513 not really. I think you need to pay more for an Android os dap and they're usually way more expensive
Looks like a big Apple Watch
. Thanks for your nice review !Can you attach a more powerful DAC like E1DA 9038 SUMUSU ,? I mean through the usb c otg exit
Yes you can!
@@PrimeAudioReviews THANK YOU SO MUCH MATE !
hiby 2
Comment for da algorithm
Streak count: 261
Comment for algorithm
Heck yeah
Wish it had spotify
This is for hifi music, Spotify does not have hifi music 💀
@@jonathanmoreno8540 1. Spotify actually does support local flac files. I have some on there. 2. Most people cannot tell the difference between mp3 vs flac. 3. Spotify has more artists and songs than any other competitor. So I'm able to add smaller artists that I can't find elsewhere like artists primarily on youtube or new artists. So your comment is stupid
@@LuciferArc1 you're wrong. Deezer is better and has more songs
@FerocityMedia depends on the artist. Spotify does indeed support local flac files btw
I got the white one of these as the red wasn't available. Hiby don't seem to be promoting this player too much🫤 we can't even get a firmware update.
But overall its a good player, the Bluetooth headphone connection is trouble free
I'm pretty sure there have been 3 firmware updates so far
@@PrimeAudioReviews 😳 just had another look and there was an OTA update to Ver.1.1. It seems to solve the issue with the album art updating while scrolling 👍🏼