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    HiBy R4HiBy R4

    HiBy R4

    HiBy Music's new Android 12 R4 discrete Class A music player is just such an example, being whatever you want it to be – a pocket rocket compact travel companion or beginner DAP.  We've seen this before: just HiBy pushing the boundaries of what's capable at the very top, but also at the bottom. Built on four low-power consumption ESS Technology DACs and two dedicated word clocks, pocket rockets like R4 – at this price – were what Head-Fi used to dream about. Able to decode streams off Spotify, Hi-Res Lossless Apple Music, Tidal and whatever you could download from HiBy's open Android Google Play Store, R4 is an affordable audiophile's dream. It goes right onto Headfonia's Recommended Buys list and into Audiophile-Heaven's Hall of Fame. It punches above its weight to Headfonics. "R4 punches well above its weight, while elevating music playback and user experience beyond anything else I’ve personally used in this price range" says The Headphone List. That fidelity flows on to be translated into difficult, committed audiophile IEM loads too. Eschewing the de rigueur op-amps that you've gotten blaissé about – the ones that other manufacturers fit even into their mid-tier players – HiBy asks you to choose R4's superior discrete Class A output stage instead. [See Product Desc. For More] For an entry-level player, working with high open-loop performance before feedback is applied is no mean feat ... not to mention being able to handle considerable current and provide actual power into low-impedance IEMs. Distortion always remains low when you're listening, helped by its amplifier's Class A operation. 16 output transistors are fully biased to achieve their most linear open-loop operation, ensuring an accurate reproduction of your music without the excessive use of negative feedback.  This means that the increasingly low impedances of modern IEMs will be dealt with adequately. R4's output devices are truly capable of handling current and outputting up to 525 milliwatts of power – it's not a player that will lose composure dealing with loads from Empire Ears and Vision Ears. Picking this HiBy up quickly on the go does not mean sacrificing fidelity. Using op-amps would have been too easy, and HiBy firmly stick by their discrete amplification guns even at R4's price of entry. It's a level of detail that's paid off in natural, accurate sound, reproducing the detail its quad of ESS ES9018C2M DACs are capable of. The attention paid to R4's digital decode extends beyond its DACs, its FPGA and dual crystal oscillators – it's in HiBy's desire to split its quad array of chips into two pairs. One pair decodes PCM, and the other DSD. By recognising the completely different requirements in decoding each format, R4 keeps impressing us below the surface. Specially configuring a pair of its DACs, and their ensuing analog low-pass filters (LPF), means HiBy are in a much better position to bypass DSD's problems and decode the format purely. R4's DSD decode path benefits greatly from its LPF's stronger rejection of ultrasonic noise, in particular preventing single-rate DSD64's noise problems from contaminating the subsequent signal path. HiBy might have gone in all in on the consumer market with R4, but that never stopped these innovators from respecting their audiophile roots. It then backs up that distortion and noise performance with all the luxuries that a modern music lover counts on. Android 12 and Google Play Store's apps run smoothly thanks to a Snapdragon 665 CPU, for up to 11 hours on a single charge. Seasoned audiophiles needing a compact and rugged travel companion will not find themselves missing their reference DAPs very much at all, given how high R4 gets you up the tree in performance. Similarly, newcomers will be treated to the full audio experience very quickly – and in painless financial manner. If you've graduated from R4, be sure to check out HiBy's other marvels here too, or view all our other music players here.

    $399

    Our Price | $369

    Sony NW-A306Sony NW-A306
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    Sony NW-A306

    In the spirit of the Walkman is Sony's entry-level NW-A306, such that anyone can enjoy listening to music today. With Android 12, Google Play Store and Wi-Fi compatibility for downloading and streaming, A306 is a wonderful music companion for any 3.5mm earphone and headphone. Lose yourself in high quality sound that’s even more dynamic and transparent, with a richer, more expansive sound field. Coupled with the ease of downloading and streaming music, it takes your listening enjoyment to a whole new level. [See Product Desc. For More] S-Master HX digital amp technology, independently developed by Sony, is compatible with the Native DSD format, and supports balanced and high power output. It reduces distortion and noise across a wide range of frequencies, for rich and full-bodied sound, further enhanced by new high quality sound lead-free solder. Various DSP tweaks can still be implemented in Sony's custom Walkman software, including DSD Remastering Engine, DSEE Ultimate upsampling and DC Phase Lineariser. Also view all of Sony's other releases here, or our other music players here.

    $489

    Our Price | $429

    Cayin N8iiCayin N8ii
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    Cayin N8ii

    Cayin Audio, you keep outdoing yourself. When every release from these innovators is expected to be a revolution, N8II had to break significant new ground. This tube or solid-state flagship music player achieves exactly that, with upgrades on every front. N8II plays with a deftness of touch to dynamics, realistic distances and imaging, plus a soundstage bathed in a gentle light that is at the same time detailed but never fatiguing. Headfonics heard N8ii up Cayin's tube DAP game. It went right onto Headfonia's Recommended Buys list. Twister6 heard "Cayin take their original N8 DAP to a whole new level ... beyond of 'everything but the kitchen sink'". Ear Fidelity declares it a "masterclass of a DAP", with "tube and Class A a game changer". Dual ROHM BD34301EKV DAC chips make their debut in N8II and portable audio, fronted by a full Google Play Android 9 operating system. That all feeds Cayin's new timbre selector that applies to both balanced and single-ended discrete amplifier outputs. [See Product Desc. For More] Four years in the making since Cayin's original N8 made history as the first portable tube music player ever, N8II achieves what its predecessor couldn't even have begun to dream of. It doubles up on its 6P1 tube complement in its small signal gain stage, packing two Nutube dual triodes for true balanced, differential, operation from either its 4.4mm or 3.5mm outputs.  N8II's Nutubes can be turned on or off on both outputs to match your listening preferences. If you choose to bypass tubes, signal direct from the DACs runs to the power stage, benefitting your gear that loves the precise, clean detail associated with transistors. READ ALSO DAPs have gone down the tube Taking inspiration from Cayin's tube/solid-state C9 portable amplifier, N8II's differential analog design relies heavily on common-mode rejection to serve as a clean, transparent – but never sterile – flagship reference with 125dB of signal-to-noise ratio. A marvel of miniaturisation, N8II packs C9's discrete power stage, operating in switchable Class A or Class AB to put out up to 1,200 milliwatts. This bias system ensures the output of watts that are supreme in quality – a result of individual transistors being turned on and operated where their open-loop linearity is optimal to further push distortion down. Cayin leave you the ability to boost N8II's operating voltage beyond 14 volts, further ensuring transistor linearity while guaranteeing headroom for large dynamic swings on bigger cans that need it. However, it's not only about the quantity of power, but more importantly the quality. Signal integrity is key. N8II's volume control remains fully analog, eschewing a lossy digital control thanks to JRC's NJW1195A resistor ladder part, implemented only after the gain stage. Any attenuation is kept far away from the delicate output signal from new ROHM DACs – of which Cayin's implementation has been key. READ ALSO C9 – nothing is too extreme for Cayin BD34301EKV decodes DSD as a native 1-bit stream without PCM processing, owing to N8II's external analog volume control. ROHM's flagship chip's ability to output analog in current, pushing distortion figures down and upping tuning potential via N8II's extensive current-to-voltage I/V converter, also cannot be overlooked. This small-signal segment beginning from the ROHM DACs has been overbuilt for a music player. But what might be considered extreme elsewhere, is only expected from Cayin.  Currawong says "N8II is for people who must have the best DAP of its kind, regardless of the cost".  ROHM's input signal processing via dither and advanced clock handling, plus a chip layout that's been streamlined for silent operation, are also talked up. N8II's FPGA feeds a pristine I2S signal to the dual DACs, after which they are upsampled by up to 32 times before being converted according to ROHM's linear-phase digital filters. Cayin have deployed the perfect Google Play-based Android 9 UI to feed every imaginable kind of content to its shiny new digital sub-system hardware. Direct Transport Audio bypasses otherwise mandatory sample rate conversion of stock Android. So play Tidal 16X MQA, Qobuz and Hi-Res Lossless Apple Music as the file was originally encoded with full confidence, with no undue digital tampering. The flexibility yielded by Cayin's Snapdragon 660 CPU and 6GB of RAM running optimised Android 9 is phenomenal, and fully at the service of N8II – Head-Fi's most advanced and complete music player in 2022. Those wanting more horsepower yet from Cayin can look at C9 as a potential stacking option from N8II's balanced line-outs here, browse Cayin's other revolutionary products here, or view all our other music players here.

    $4,799

    Our Price | $4,200

    HiBy R6 Pro IIHiBy R6 Pro II

    HiBy R6 Pro II

    Ambitions keep rising at HiBy Music. Give your flagship IEMs the treatment they deserve in 2025 and beyond with R6 Pro II alongside R6 Pro Max. As if bringing AKM’s sought-after flagship AK4191EQ DSP and dual AK4499EXEQ DACs to a new level of affordability wasn’t enough, R6 Pro II adds on a discrete Class A balanced 4.4mm headphone amp. Sophisticated, open and airy, there's a refined flavour imparted on top of its neutral yet forgiving transparency. Headfonia have already elected it to their Recommended Buys list, something that Audiophile-Heaven second. R6 Pro II is The Headphone List's "instant recommendation at or below the kilobuck mark ... packs more technology than I’ve seen in flagships only a year or two ago, with sound quality that comes oh so close". R6 Pro II’s AKM decode gets passed along beautifully to drive your prized headphones and earphones says MOONSTAR Reviews. Audio Discourse writes HiBy hit it out of the park – empowered by a beautiful I/V stage, Class A discrete transistor output stage, Android 12, full Google Play Store and streaming usability, plus HiBy's relentless drive to surpass previous limits. [See Product Desc. For More] A modern-day music player is so much more than its DAC chips, and HiBy have taken that to heart … hoping everyone does too, to truly see the extent of their efforts. Greatness achieved at the highest end is easy, but portable digital audio has a new master in HiBy because of how much of that essence trickles down affordably into R6 Pro II. HiBy’s effort means R6 Pro II is greater than the sum of its parts regardless of its entry price, and ensures the very best platform for Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)’s resurgent flagship DACs to make their mark.  That’s evident because of the mastery HiBy designed around AKM's digital ecosystem. These Japanese giants, back on their feet with a clean slate, started afresh expanding the basic footprint of a single DAC chip IC into three separate parts – to similarly multiply capabilities by a factor of three. AKM’s AK4191EQ DSP is the brains of the operation, receiving pristine I2S clocking and data from HiBy’s FPGA. Aboard, AK4191EQ’s delta-sigma modulator takes advantage of its expanded, dedicated, silicone footprint to lay claim to the title of the first chip IC working at seven bits. These seven single-bit modulators flow on into R6 Pro II's AKM 4499EXEQ DACs, one for each channel and built with a single purpose in mind: to turn the interpolated, noise-shaped, digital data it receives into the most precise analog waveform possible afforded by its large footprint.  Silicone size matters when it comes to a great DAC IC, and AK4499EXEQ has it. Enabled by much more exact, matched resistors and capacitors aboard for precise DC single-bit decoding, and dynamic element matching that is less burdened by switching errors – granted by parts accuracy from a bigger footprint. Any conversion errors from AK4499EXEQs outputting in current manifests as DC offset, and not total harmonic distortion, that is easily filtered out. That's expected of any source claiming to be high performance.  HiBy's eight-channel current-to-voltage I/V section follows these AK4499EXEQs, befitting of chips that output in current for best distortion performance and indeed more expensive players.  By treating each of the eight channel current outputs separately before stereo summing, R6 Pro II yields a small-signal stage that is transparent and, most importantly, accurate. HiBy's gain signal flows as a linear waveform on to a series of 16 discrete bipolar power transistors working in Class AB or an optimally pure Class A. Differentiating itself from so many others who use op-amp ICs with inordinate amounts of gain, R6 Pro II's open-loop linearity remains excellent before application of feedback. That's owed to its Class A bias ensuring individual output transistors are working in optimum condition – aided by an operating voltage of five volts. Distortion and noise are kept low, without resorting to the excessive use of negative feedback. HiBy designed a true-balanced differential amplifier to further improve R6 Pro II's linearity, and you can count on common-mode rejection at its best whenever you plug in via 4.4mm.  R6 Pro II's current handling is impressive given its number of output transistors in parallel, meaning this HiBy remains unfazed driving even the punishing low impedances of Odin and Legend Evo from Empire Ears, plus the Vision Ears EXT, Subtonic Audio's Storm, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs. A separately regulated inductor-based power supply ably backs up this potent voltage source. And even this overachieving HiBy is able to supply its clean small-signal to the likes of outboard amps such as Cayin Audio's C9II, via a dedicated 4.4mm line-out port. By putting such a high-performance circuit and a big 5,000mAh battery in the palms of people's hands and offering them a Snapdragon 665 with full Google Play support, HiBy grant you the ability to bypass Android 12's sample-rate conversion for bit-perfect playback. This is what it means to truly step-up in 2024, and HiBy use the statement that is R6 Pro II to tell you how much more you should expect. See what forward-thinkers HiBy can really do higher up the range here, or view our other music players here.

    $1,099

    Our Price | $1,049

    Hiby RS2Hiby RS2
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    Hiby RS2

    R2R is for the purists, and few get purer than RS2. HiBy Music distilled the necessities from their pioneer RS6 for pure file music playback in a mini-form factor. Clearly enough, to land on Headfonia, and Audiophile-Heaven's, Recommended Buys list, with no shortage of the R2R experience for Headfonics. While being the smaller sibling, RS2 plays music back with a sonic truth and a particular delicacy and refinement only possible from R2R, but different to its Darwin V2 counterparts. Those with a tremendous personal music library of files will be particular enamoured with RS2's dual micro SD card slots for up to 4TB of storage. READ ALSO Darwin R2R sees HiBy set the bar PCM and DSD will be decoded up and down RS2's ladder of individual resistors, in the second generation of HiBy's low-powered, battery-friendly, Darwin architecture. With the work and skill it takes to design one's own R2R resistor DAC from scratch, we must say: RS2, like RS6 before, is proof of how far up the ladder HiBy have climbed. [See Product Desc. For More] We've heard multiple times it's not a matter of parts but the implementation that counts. So we pay attention when RS2 coverts PCM and DSD via separate circuit paths, doing so for the former ala typical R2R – NOS (non-oversampling).  That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. Lovers of reference sound need not fret, however, with the ability to switch PCM decoding from NOS to oversampling mode for the cleanest possible result. That scrubs any last distortion and artifacts beyond the audible human hearing range. HiBy make the distinction between PCM and DSD, because RS2 separately converts the latter with the most purity ever encountered in a portable device till date. Instead of pre-conversion to PCM as many other off-the-shelf DAC chips do, RS2 preserves the original DSD file throughout the process.  Believe it: HiBy decode natively in DSD's true 1-bit process. RS2 calls for a simple low-pass filter for the purest, most elegant portable DSD conversion that preserves the simplicity of the process and original waveform. Amidst minimal digital filtering, the format's analog-like goodness gets delivered unmolested to your ears. RS2's dedicated and separate R2R PCM and DSD circuit paths mean you stand to enjoy the best sound you thought possible from either form – impossible to this extent, till now.  The final product goes through JRC's NJW1195A digitally-controlled analog volume control before reaching the output amp, for preservation of your music's true resolution, and that very special, discrete, native DSD decode. The sleekest, latest version of HiByOS allows you to navigate basically between your albums, artists, files and folders as you wrote them to your SD cards. With 4TB of external file storage, and up to 10 hours of playback, get back on the road with maximum portable fidelity in 2022. Also check out HiBy's bigger RS6 here, all of HiBy's releases here, or view our other music players here.

    $699

    Our Price | $659

    iBasso AMP12iBasso AMP12
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    iBasso AMP12

    iBasso Audio's Amp12 is now released as an ultimate separate amplifier module for their flagship DX340 music player, its large, dual batteries ensuring iBasso could take this module's analog circuit to town. Clean, precise and infinitely detailed, with plenty of headstage, air and also a rumbling, authoritative bass, Amp12 is a product of the comprehensive discrete circuit built within, one Headfonia says "enhances the player signature in many ways, giving you a more natural approach to the sound", complete with pictures. [See Product Desc. For More] Indeed, iBasso built Amp12 to act as a most faithful conduit to your music, allowing it to remain truthful to the way it was recorded. The voltage gain stage is tuned to provide a vast and open soundstage, while the power stage takes that and preserves all the low-end authority in your music. Headfonics throws this back to when iBasso championed the term neutral, in days gone by, Audio-PH talking about its perfect balance. Audiophile Heaven adds Amp12 gave music a new lease of life. Plug any big can from Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones straight in to be immediately impressed, or use its dedicated hardware line-out as the ultimate source for Cayin Audio's C9. Also view all our products from iBasso here or our other music players here.

    $329

    Our Price | $315

    Cayin N3 UltraCayin N3 Ultra

    Cayin N3 Ultra

    Cayin Audio's N30LE flagship proved so popular, they shrunk it down into a mini-me. Introducing the N3 Ultra, the entry-level tube music player with dual JAN6418 valves that yield warm, liquid sound to both single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs.  Baby Cayin's strengths are clear to Twister6. Headfonics says Ultra "is a huge setup from the older 2021 N3Pro version". Dual AKM AK4493SEQ DACs help bring N3 Ultra's concept into the future. Its tubes then sweeten Cayin's decoded analog. Ear Fidelity writes it's "wildly recommended ... it's just that good", praise which was echoed by Headfonia and ichos-reviews. Not content to just extend tube timbre to its balanced outputs, Cayin also adopted N30LE's dual modes to give N3 Ultra the same Classic and Modern tube flavour options. Working its JAN6418 pair either as a triode, a pentode, or turned off entirely, yields clear, audible differences that lets you find the perfect synergy with your transducers. This swappable tube signature then flows on to powerful solid-state output buffers capable of driving the low impedances of your IEMs and headphones. The evolution from Cayin's original N3Pro kick-started a tube DAP genre and indeed inspires flagships these days. But Head-Fi's foremost innovators show us first never follows, staying ahead of the curves with guaranteed hits like N3 Ultra. [See Product Desc. For More] N3 Ultra is so much more than its DAC chips, which as Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)’s resurgent AK4493SEQs deserve a mention as lowering power consumption and performing better than their predecessor's metrics. Where N3 Ultra really begins to impress is the presence of its pair of Raytheon JAN6418 tubes – each taking care of one channel. READ ALSO The past, present and future of Cayin tubes Placed at the voltage gain stage where it will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of these pentodes makes its presence heard on all four analog outputs by popular request – 3.5mm single-ended phone out, 4.4mm balanced headphone out, 3.5mm single-ended line-out and 4.4mm balanced line-out. Indeed, N3 Ultra is a huge upgrade. It throws out the lossy DAC digital volume control of its Pro predecessor – catastrophically located in the signal path before the tubes back then, already diminishing dynamic range performance before the arrival of the precious decoded analog at arguably the noisiest section of its circuit. Never again. N3 Ultra incorporates a JRC NJW1195A electronically controlled analog volume control only far AFTER its tube gain and right before its power stage, where its quality can be showcased. This resistor ladder volume control comes only after the voltage drivers, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity, and the best signal-to-noise performance. READ ALSO DAPs have gone down the tube Cayin count on the square law function of N3 Ultra's JAN6418 to push down distortion a