Sound Impressions
I have given the R6Pro MAX more than 100 hours of burn-in and it will be paired with various IEMs including the HiBy Zeta, FAudio Dark Sky, Westone MACH 80, the more power-demanding Mach 20, and sensitive headphones like the Palma DHS-1.
Summary
HiBy puts the R6Pro MAX as a “Hexagonal Warrior” – with all-rounded performance not only covering the hardware domain but also its sound performance.
In short, it sounds enhanced in many areas and sounds powerful, more weighted in the mid-lows, well stretched and defined in staging, and also more dynamic compared to the predecessor.
Looking at the size of the player I am quite surprised the output power isn’t as high as expected, though the merits of this are that all gain modes are catered for IEMs and the volume steps feel more precise.
It maintains a clean, full-bodied tuning with great clarity and air, with moderate to fast decay speed and a good hint of warmth, and also safely rounded up the top end to give a controlled feeling.
Timbre
To start, I tested with the 41.5Ω-rated, high-impedance Earsonics SWITCH 300 PRO on a 4.4mm SPC cable.
On the middle gain level, the bass punches with a lot of air, and at higher gain it gets firmer and cleaner in decay.
Either gain levels color the output slightly warm and dense in the body, and the treble feels gently rounded, not intrusive but rather controlled as it maintains adequate openness without overly lifting treble details for clarity.
The tuning and response speed offer a good sense of control together, with good definition in the lower registers.
I also tested the R6Pro MAX with the 3.5mm terminated, 96Ω rated Westone MACH 20. Interestingly it doesn’t suffer as I thought it would.
A rather precise imaging with good separation power in the vocal range is achieved, there is adequate resolution and bass power when set to a high gain level and sounds quite balanced in tone.
Still, the 3.5mm output is less solid in output power when focusing on the transients and extension. This applies also to the more sensitive FAudio Dark Sky, which kicks more firmly with a cleaner decay, and sounds more dynamic overall when using the more powerful 4.4mm output.
The HiBy Zeta is much more sensitive, so low to mid gain feels sufficient to let it sound fast and clean with a well-weighted vocal range. The sibilance zone feels quite controlled and is more revealing and defined than on the Mach 20 which leans more towards the bass.
The vocal is well-energized with sufficient thickness and fullness to cut through the mix, delivering powerful chest voices, and works well with hoarse voices and Altos.
The higher resolving power, especially in the treble helps the combo to achieve better balance and to sound more open and airier.
Staging & Dynamics
The rich mid-lows with the moderately fast decay help render an adequately expanded stage that allows the mid-range to cut through at ease.
The vocal line feels well separated from the backing and is nicely layered and detailed, and there is enough intensity and resolving power in the bass for a good perception of depth, which doesn’t sound clumsy with tracks that play with a lot of panning effects or multiple instruments.
Again I would call the treble skillfully rounded, as it doesn’t sound harsh while retaining sufficient air and details and doesn’t feel dampening when the vocal pitch goes high. There is a good sense of control and weight, especially in the midrange.
I would give the output a small tweak to sound slightly more V-shaped and exciting, boosting the amount of air perceived. Otherwise, the stock tuning is slightly warmish and rather neutral which works pretty well with any genre.
On another note, the tuning works particularly well for DSD mastering which will give an even stronger sense of control and resolution without harshness.
For lossy files, I would compensate with equalizing as mentioned, but you may also find the stock tuning and power quite sufficient even for classical music with larger ensembles.
Synergy
Power
So does the output power rating really matter and how does it feel in practice?
The main difference is that the volume steps become more sensitive as the upper limit of the volume becomes lower. This is great for sensitive IEMs, which sometimes require only 20-25 steps out of 100 on a powerful player.
On most IEMs, the output power on the R6Pro MAX is more than sufficient to drive it to full force, you don’t even need to switch to high gain sometimes. What matters is the amping design and tuning.
Noise control is also nicely done at lower volumes. Even at a high gain level, there is nothing more than a faint hiss when using very sensitive IEMs like the Zeta to test
This does help to create a much darker background than on some powerful players where the high or ultra-high gain level is designed for headphones and may sound noisy with sensitive IEMs.
Pairings
The R6Pro MAX sounds rather powerful but controlled with a good hint of warmth in its mid-lows.
This helps it to pair with neutral or clean-sounding IEMs such as the Westone Audio AM Pro X20 by infusing a bit more fullness to the mids while sounding satisfactorily dense and controlled in the bass.
The previous gen R6 Pro II may sound less responsive in the bass with dynamic drivers or a hybrid design such as the Earsonics Elements or the Drop + Etymotic ERX. This time there is sufficient power to drive various types of drivers with sufficient power, so it is much easier to pair.
The character of the R6Pro MAX isn’t very strong but slightly conservative. While there is sufficient power to drive most IEMs to sound fast and clean enough, I would choose to put it with IEMs that excel in extension and treble clarity such as the Zeta, or IEMs that are slightly V-shaped in tuning to boost the dynamics.
Select Comparisons
HiBy R6 Pro II
Technical
The main difference between the R6 Pro II and the R6Pro MAX is the decoding section and amping circuitry, let alone the upgraded RAM and ROM.
This time there is no A/AB mode for switching between different timbres, but the technical performance is surely a leap so I don’t think it is necessary either as you may just adjust on the MSEB panel in case you want a bit more warmth, and clarity or speed in the bass.
In short, the higher output power makes the R6Pro MAX more versatile especially when pairing with higher impedance dynamic IEMs or hybrid IEMs.
Design
If you view the top, the two devices are nearly identical yet the R6Pro MAX is nearly 1.5x the weight of the R Pro II as the battery goes up by 3200mAh and more room is reserved for the upgraded amping circuitry. The rest is pretty similar and the R6Pro MAX feels much heftier.
Performance
I tested with the HiBy Zeta and Westone MACH 80 and with the R6 Pro II set to Class A mode which gives a fully, more powerful presentation compared with the R6Pro MAX.
When compared side by side, the first thing I noticed is the resolution being strengthened on the R6Pro MAX, and the treble feels more polished while it feels more balanced in tone.
The tuning direction may feel similar at the first few seconds though the R6Pro MAX excels in treble delivery while maintaining even better resolution and layering effects in the lows, and sounds richer and more separated in the mids.
In general, the R6 Pro II is more leaned to the bass and sounds more smoothened in the treble which works quite well with sensitive IEMs and tracks with fewer elements.
The R6Pro MAX is more capable when it comes to more demanding IEMs and resolving complex bass lines or larger ensembles due to its stronger resolving power and bass recovery speed.
FiiO M23
Technical
The FiiO M23 comes with Snapdragon 660, Android 10, and AK4191EQ+AK4499EX DACs. Output power goes as high as 1000mW each channel and output impedance is below 1Ω for 32Ω loads.
HiBy always leads in terms of OS features and the newer SoC has better power efficiency, so it operates slightly smoother on the R6Pro MAX.
On paper, the MAX output power of the R6 Pro II is quite a bit below the M23, and we will test how it affects the performance with higher loads.
Design
The designs on the two players are very different and there is something I prefer over each other for each of the designs.
Assuming you are not using any leather cases, HiBy blends more materials and curvatures into the back panel design which I think is superior and more innovative.
Despite this, FiiO puts in a more innovative volume button which I prefer more simply because it is larger and easier to reach out to in the pocket.
The screen on the R6Pro MAX is larger and more easily operatable for on-screen actions, but the pixel density on the R6Pro MAX is better than on the M23 which makes it feel sharper.
For those who are connecting to amplifiers, the LO ports on the R6Pro MAX are also more intuitive. The M23 features a physical customized button, hold button, and Desktop mode to bypass the internal battery for prolonged battery life, which is a thoughtful feature.
Performance
Unlike the R6 Pro II, this time the R6Pro MAX comes closer to the output power of the FiiO M23 but is still roughly 30% behind.
Using the Palma DHS-1 to test, the R6Pro MAX set on high gain feels more colored in the midrange frequencies and denser and punchier in the lows.
The FiiO M23 stresses more on the dynamics and openness and sounds sharper, delivering a more V-shaped impression. It kicks deeper and cleaner in the bass compared to the more rounded, gentle W-shaped tuning on the R6Pro MAX which I find favors vocal more than on the M23.
The M23 still offers better dynamics and a cleaner response for genres like classical music, though when it comes to vocal work the R6Pro MAX is more welcoming with superior fullness and weight, and it also feels more detailed.
Testing with the HiBy Zeta, it is also clear that the R6Pro MAX sounds more colored, organic, and richer with darker voices, empowering weaker voices with more thickness.
The M23 keeps the vocal clean, allowing more backing instruments to be heard. It retains the brilliance of drums and strings compared to the more polished upper register on the R6Pro MAX which suppresses the air for more roundness and control.
The higher output power on the M23 as well as its THX AAA 78+ amping offers the M23 a similar level of control as the R6Pro MAX. However, the richer tuning allows a clearer perception of bass transients and fundamental vocal frequencies to be heard more distinctively on the R6Pro MAX.
I also used the MOONDROP Venus to test and in this case, I think the M23 gives a cleaner and more vivid response while the R6Pro MAX feels less responsive yet fuller and more pronounced in the mids.
The higher output power on the M23 would give it an advantage in certain scenarios that require the swings but for IEMs, it may be less noticeable.
My Verdict
The HiBy R6Pro MAX is a step up from the older R6 Pro II, sounding more balanced, natural, and resolving. In particular, I like how the vocal is delicately presented with sufficient weight and control, also the enhanced power benefits the soundstage and vocal line to sound more natural.
The unexaggerated tuning and more earphones-than-headphones-friendly gain steps allow it to be paired easily with different genres of music and with different earphones at ease and allow for easy adjustment with MSEB.
The overall build, OS experience, and sound performance are decent, and quite a bit more capable in every department compared to the R6 Pro II. The resolution is comparable to higher-tier products.
As long as you are happy with the thicker size, this would be a safe bet for an all-rounder DAP.
HiBy R6Pro MAX Technical Specifications
- Operating System: Android 12
- SoC: Snapdragon 665
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Digital output specs: USB-C Audio: 32-bit/192kHz
- Wireless connectivity: UAT, LDAC, aptX (transmit only), SBC, AAC, SBC (receive only)
- Bluetooth: BT 5.0
- Screen size: 5.9” IPS
- Expansion: MicroSD card (up to 2TB)
