So, first of… Welcome to me! Finally got around to joining ya’ll. But on to the topic.
About two years ago I purchased a Hidizs AP60 II. And while I do enjoy it, its got some limitations in terms of the physical build of the device. Most noticeably, the controls are just a touch finicky. And I’ve found that it spends about half of its time as a DAC attached to my office laptop.
This means I’m in the market for a new device, and I’ve been searching.
I’ve looked at the FiiO M6. I’ve got a FiiO DAC on my home desktop which I truly enjoy, but I’m not 100% in favor of having an possibly unpatched version of Android on my network.
But then there is the Shanling M2X. I love the physical scroller, and the shape is just so… so nice. But the un-removable Tidal, which I don’t use, seems like waste.
Finally, there is the upcoming Hiby R3 Pro. I’m familiar with their OS(see the Hidizs), but I’m a little concerned with is UX, and future support.
What say ya’ll to help sway my opinion? I’m driving some easy to drive IEMs and M40x.
If your looking for a dap, the r3 pro does look very promising. Here is a question, do you need it to be a dap? Is a portable dac amp combo out of the question? That would make sure your interface isn’t outdated since it’s just your phone, and there are dac/amp combos that have better preservation mode or desktop mode that prevent battery damage
So, I need the DAP side as a I travel, etc. And I really value being able to unplug everything but what I’m listening too and what I’m working on. Something other than my phone.
Gotcha, then the r3 pro would be my pick imo, as it will have the most up to date interface and most likely be the snappier player, have the most mature features and support, and imo a balanced enjoyable sound
I gotta say; I love my fiio m11 I just got. One feature that stood out for me as a Mac/iOS user is the inclusion of airplay so I can use my phone or iPad for videos/games and use the fiio as a wireless Dac/amp or just music straight off the dap. Mainly because airplay is lossless with little to no lag. It’s just a nice additional feature. Wish more wireless options like the btr5 would add airplay since is pretty far surpasses Bluetooth in my opinion.
I do like the look of the r3 pro and my r6 was a very good device and hiby’s “sound” is pretty good. Very Slightly warm but still great
Well I do love my fiio, and in all honesty, the lack of play store worried me until I noticed that the only apps I ever installed on my r6 were tidal and Spotify lol. Never had a need for anything else. I honestly prefer not having to sign into another android device with my google account and spend a day tweaking the settings the get the player to hold a charge over night while in sleep. The r6 killed battery on standby, to the point you’d think I left music running on it.
Hate to be the party pooper here, but I’m not a fan of the M6 - I sold mine and replaced it with an xDuoo. The M series has too much phone in it and not enough DAP for my tastes. I’m probably old fashioned, but the discontinued FiiO X series is more my speed. I LOVE my X3-II because it just plays my music files, the controls have become second nature, and it’s extremely reliable.
It might have been a touchscreen or screen protector issue for me, but the M6 was not at all pleasant to use. Any navigation I tried to do on screen I had to do twice because it wouldn’t respond the first time. I could never get Amazon HD to work on it, and when I installed the firmware update it refused to play 192 kHz flac. I couldn’t send its digital out to an external DAC and charge it at the same time, so it just sucked battery (probably because I left the screen on while playing music).
I also enjoy these as well lol, I really like my questyle qp2r for the sound and simplicity. Also liked the lotoo players before they went touch screen as well
The xDuoo I got is the X10T II - no amp or dac in it, just digital out - USB, AES and coax/optical. I bought it directly from the xDuoo store to feed the Modi multibit at my office setup.
It’s a well-made device - quality materials with solid, durable buttons and no touch screen.
Not sure about the rest of their lineup and I haven’t tried Rockboxing yet. The factory installed OS is stable and reasonably intuitive so far.
For $230, I think the X10T is probably one of the pricier ones in the line. Their X3 II is $120.
I got an M6 for Christmas and if I had it to do over again, I’d get a Hiby. The main reason I ended up with the M6 is because it was a gift from family members whom I didn’t want to put in the position of ordering from anything other than an authorized US-based dealer if something went wrong including arrival on time for Christmas. That pretty much left the FiiO. To my ears the M6 has a distinct lack of mid and upper bass that I’m still having a tough time getting over with a fair amount of my music.
TFZ T2 Galaxy IEMs comparing directly with them on my iPhone 6s Plus, no EQ on either device. Nearly every other aspect of the M6’s sound comes across as an equal or distinct improvement to the iPhone. Just not the bass.
