I purchased an R3 Pro Saber recently and have been playing with it for the past several days. The main reason I opted for this DAP over other options was to use it as a Bluetooth transmitter which could handle all of the advanced Bluetooth codecs, in addition to the high quality internal DAC and WiFi connection and streaming features (Tidal, Qobuz, AirPlay) included.
My primary goal was/is to improve the sound quality (if possible) of two of my Bluetooth portable speaker set-ups, the DiamondBoxx Model L and Minirig 3’s. I’ve always used Apple products since the invention of the smart phone many years ago. Never owned an Android based product, and as such where Bluetooth is concerned have always been stuck with either the SBC or AAC codecs. In an evolving tech world that now includes higher resolution Bluetooth such as AptX HD and LDAC, I had to find out what I might be missing out on.
I started by researching small Bluetooth receiver and transmitter products that could “improve” my DiamondBoxx sound. The DiamondBoxx’s internal Bluetooth receiver handles SBC and AptX (no HD) only. There are a number of cheap receiver/transmitter products available on Amazon that can handle the better codecs, but then you are also stuck with whatever crappy internal DAC they might be using. Not really a great way to improve your sound.
This led me to the various Bluetooth products from Shanling, FiiO, and Hiby, etc. I ended up going with the FiiO M5 to use as my Bluetooth receiver, as it’s tiny form factor allows me to attach it discreetly right onto the DiamondBoxx. It’s AKM chip DAC and ability to receive LDAC, AptX HD, AptX, AAC, and SBC truly was an upgrade to the DiamondBoxx’s internals and in fact did improve it’s sound quality.
For a Bluetooth transmitter, I selected the Hiby R3 Pro Saber. This is perhaps overkill for it’s intended purpose as this little device sounds really really good as a music player on it’s own. I’ve been listening to it with my Nighthawks, FiiO FH7s, Elegia’s, and Sendy Aiva’s through both the 3.5 mm single-ended and 2.5 mm balanced headphone jacks. As you might expect using the balanced jack yields the best results. For the Aiva’s I need to adjust the gain setting from low to high, but even without fooling around with any type of EQ this player sounds terrific with all of these cans.
I intend to connect the R3 Pro to my iPod Touch (where all of my content is stored… yes I know the Pro has a micro SD slot, but I use streaming services and save content for offline use which you cannot do on the R3 Pro) using it’s USB DAC feature. I can then transmit music coming out of the iPod into the R3 Pro via LDAC Bluetooth to the FiiO M5, and enjoy the highest resolution Bluetooth with my DiamondBoxx player. Pretty cool.
If you are thinking about simply upgrading to an external DAC to use with your smart phone, you could spend $200 on a Dragonfly Red, or for about the same money you could get the Hiby R3 Pro Saber with better (imo) sound quality and much more versatility. For me, that choice is a no-brainer…
