HiBy - R4

Pros:
Good sound quality and design
Cyberpunk theme/design is looking good
32gb inbuilt and 2tb supported ( I kept 256 sd card)
Wifi and BT connection helps for Spotify and earphones (personally bt earphones using less and using iem to give better sound quality)

Cons:
Built like a brick heavy
No water proof or resistance
Screen cover is given but very difficult to apply own
Hiby music player supports Tidal officially

Overall:
Liking it 4* out of 5 could be better

I researched a lot, saw a lot of reviews then finally bought this gadget and I am very happy with my purchase.

I am not a rich guy, so 25k on dedicated music player is not easy to spend for me but I have always like DAP's, I used to own Sony's when I was young, then bought a Fiio X3 and now I have a Hiby.

It looks brilliant, buttons feel sturdy, the screen is satisfactory but I am not watching content on it although I can since its android. The software is pretty responsive and fast. The Built quality is really good. It feels solid.

It comes with a silicon case and a band of the same color as you can see in pics, The packaging from Hiby is really good, the box itself is very cyberpunk and so is the DAP.

The sound quality is amazing, I really like, its a massive upgrade from my phone with a Fiio BTR7, it sounds more clear somehow and it drives my headphones easily. The sound preference is just that, its your taste and preference, unless you can hear/use these items and judge for yourself it is seldom useful to hear others praise or reject a gadget. But you can like me, sift thru numerous sources and come to a sane conclusion, in this case my recommendation will be to go for this product. Although I am not an expert only a casual user, but I love my music and have always searched for products in my price range that can give me best bang for my buck. Safe to say HibyR4 has given me that satisfaction and then some.

The battery life is quite good as well, I am getting about 9 hour on high gain with my Fiio FT1 Pro headphones. Also important to notice that I am constantly adjusting playlists so the screen is mostly on for that period. So pretty good battery life if you ask me. I listen to Offline music with SD card, I have my own library of Flac files. This gadget has an SD Card slot for upto 2 TB.

Go for this gadget, Unless you can listen and use other DAPs and make your own judgement, My review is this is perfect for the price. I am very happy I bought this piece.

Thank you for reading.

At this price range I am not sure if anything delivers this value of money. I was a bull in a china shop after getting it, paired it with my headphones, speakers and surrounded sound with and without wires everything sounded better. The low noise setting brought the details so well in the sound especially the hidden violins and organs, it helped me to appreciate the vocal range and the chorus harmonies that often get unnoticed. It's a bit bulky and UI could have been better but at this price range I wouldn't complain

I recently purchased the HiBy R4 Hi-Res Audio Player from Headphone Zone, and I must say—it has exceeded my expectations in every way.
From the moment I started using it, the sound quality stood out immediately. The clarity, detail, and balance across frequencies are truly impressive. Whether it’s vocals, instrument separation, or bass response, everything feels refined and immersive. This is clearly a device built with audiophiles in mind.
The build quality and design are equally commendable—solid, premium, and comfortable to use. The user interface is smooth, and the overall experience feels thoughtfully engineered for music lovers who want more than just casual listening.
What really makes the HiBy R4 special is the value it offers. At its price point, it delivers performance that competes with much higher-end players, making it an excellent investment for anyone serious about audio quality.
Overall, I’m thoroughly enjoying this device. If you're looking for a powerful, high-resolution audio player that delivers exceptional sound without breaking the bank, the HiBy R4 is a fantastic choice.

Super happy with the purchase. Well packed and fast delivery. Sound quality is too good. Using with Orivati od200. Made for each other.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Kk-lAcmtgd8?si=1zSehnaslFlt44wI

I purchased this musical device during Raghav’s Birthday Sale at discounted price of 20800₹ approx. I have HIBY R2 and I know bit about HIBY. This brand is Chinese brand but they are really producing great portable players at affordable price for the people who loves to listen music most of the time. This really sounds awesome. It produces sweet music that we never get bore. Most of the time I listen offline in pure android mode and it really produces every nuisance of music , every bit clearly heard a true high resolution sound. Iam using with two iem , most of the time with Activo Volcano and sometimes with Sennheiser IE200. With Activo Volcano, it sounds like more musical . I really like the sound signature of this device. I have basso DC 07 pro DAC to use with iPhone. But this device has a little edge over ibasso and iPhone combination. In android mode I use it with Amazon music app and Apple Music. But with Amazon music app it plays songs in high resolution format of 192kHz and 32 bit phenomenally great. One weak point of this device is battery. Having 4500 mAh of battery and a display of 4.7 inch , it drains fast , just give one day of backup that means you need to charge it daily if you listen 4-5 hours of music daily. And another point to be considered is that it is working on Android 12 that is very old version and don’t have any information of future android updates. But despite of this two weak point it is really sounds great and that’s enough for a music enthusiasts. It’s my view for this device. While listening music on different devices with different configuration of DAC chips and earphones combinations, someone like the sound signature of one combination and someone doesn’t like that . So it’s a very hard to find perfect balance. Its like trial and error and costly also.At last I thank to Headfone zone for bringing the quality audio gears for music lovers and the delivery is really improved thanks for that also and for discounts as well.

I have been using the HiBy R4 for some time, and I am very happy with its performance. The sound quality is very good for a DAP in this price range. It produces clean and detailed sound, especially in the midrange. Vocals and instruments sound natural and well separated.

However, there are a few small drawbacks. The device can become slightly warm during long listening sessions. The battery life is about 10–11 hours depending on usage.

Overall, the HiBy R4 offers great value for money. It has excellent sound quality, strong output power, and useful audio tuning features. It is a good choice for anyone looking for a dedicated player for high-resolution music.

I would like to start this review by thanking headphonezone for existing , without them we would be paying double the price cause of import duty etc, most products in amazon india cost double to triple of whats being listed here .

I bought this DAC to pair up with my sundaras which i had been using with a desktop DAC , my main concern was will it be able to drive the sundaras as it has a high current requirement and it indeed did that beautifully with the 4.4 balanced port , it delivers around 500-600mw on high gain which is enough to drive a high demanding device like planar headphones.

It passed the planar headphone check with flying colours but what surprised me was the 3.5mm jack with medium gain, i had a entry level KZ ZSN pro lying around which i hated from the start , i just plugged it in and boy-oh-boy it made it sound so wide , this DAP has a slightly warm signature so t muffled down the shrieks of the ZSN Pro which i hated the most ,the treble still exists but its not ear piercing anymore , thanks to this i decided to upgrade to a higher model V signature IEM .

1) Multiple modes:-
a) bluetooth recive mode :- i tried this with my amazon firestick HD to watch movies , it shows an ouptut of 96khz , got best quality audio as much as supported by firestick codec. 10/10
2)bluetooth transmit mode:- i paired it with sony xb-900n which supports all codecs , it defaulted to LDAC . this headphone is bass heavy so nothing it can make use of the LDAC here , i will give 10/10 to R4 for a non hassle LDAC connection.
3)DAC mode with linux :- works 8/10
4)DAC mode with mac:- works and needs some format changes in mac to output at highest bitrate 8/10
5)DAC with iphone :- works , format auto changes as per the source audio 9/10
I am not giving 10/10 as for the DAC mode there is a bug cause of which i have to restart r4 to make it receive audio , you can set it to charge and not-charge from the source device which is a plus point.
6)3.5 mm port:- its got more power than any IEM will ever need , medium gain is what you will need the max 10/10
7)4.4mm port:- 8/10 good enough to drive most demanding headphones , the DAC i was using was 1W and this tops of at 520mw , i hope future models can output more power .

Battery and power consumption:- I used it initially without the case and airplane mode ,with apple music lossless it used to become low warm at 3.5mm and medium warm with 4.4mm , with the case on you wont feel any warmth at all.
now with the wifi on and streaming with apple music lossless paired with 4.4mm sundaras , it started to heat up badly , so much that i started to feel the heat through the case and battery started to drop rapidly too , apple music uses DRM so each song has to be decrypted and as the processor on this is old ,there is lot of power consumption plus the AMP is A class which adds more heat , i rate this 5/10 , i wont recommend using this to stream music ,the battery drop is drastic and you will barely get 5 hrs with this.

Equalizers:- its got MSEB and PEQ , i didnt like MSEB as it turned down the volume of IEM and headphones a lot which made the devices lose their ability to reproduce music as it is , PEQ is a different case , you can use it to transform your IEM to any other IEM in the same price segment ofcourse , i didnt feel much volume loss in this mode and used it to change my IEM from bright to warm signature without loosing any clarity .

Apps:- supports all android apps , but dont overload it as it will drain the battery , just install what you absolutely need and nothing more.

HibyMusic App:- I tested a few FLAC files , its a good app if you have less library of your own , if you have a massive library then use poweramp

Body Design :- i love the iphone SE style brick design , its thick ,heavy and feels confident to hold , case makes it more bulky but stops the heat from reaching your hands .

Conclusion:- No DAP can get this better at this price point , although i bought it for the sole purpose of running sundaras portably , i ended up using it everywhere , with my TV , with my PC , its an allrounder which can travel with you , i wish the next edition they make is a bit thinner and lighter while maintaining this futuristic brick shape as well and put a power efficient chip inside it .I returned my PC DAC after using this for a week.

I purchased the HiBy R4 at a discounted price of ₹22,000 (MRP ₹25,000), and at this price, it feels like exceptional value.

Ordered both the HiBy R4 and the Simgot SuperMix 4 from Headphone Zone. The entire purchase process was seamless. Communication was clear, updates were prompt, and tracking details were shared without delay. The shipment was handled via Blue Dart. While there was a slight delay due to logistics issues from the courier’s side, the overall experience remained satisfactory.

The packaging was excellent — secure, well-cushioned, and delivered without any physical damage or concerns.

The device is surprisingly well built for a budget DAP. It feels solid in hand, with a premium finish and thoughtfully placed controls. The UI is clean, intuitive, and free from unnecessary clutter allowing you to focus purely on music rather than navigating distractions.

I added a 512GB microSD card to store my offline FLAC files along with my Apple Music library. Speaking of Apple Music, I was pleasantly surprised to confirm bit-perfect playback. The LED indicator glows:

• Yellow for Lossless (44.1–48kHz)
• Cyan for Hi-Res (88.2–192kHz)

The DAC dynamically switches sample rate, which is impressive at this price point.

On Low gain, the volume felt slightly underpowered for my listening preference. Switching to Medium gain transformed the experience the punch improved, dynamics opened up, and details became more engaging without any harshness or distortion.

What stands out most is:
• Excellent micro-detail retrieval
• Clean separation between instruments
• Noticeable improvement in dynamic contrast
• Wider and deeper soundstage compared to phone DACs

The layering in orchestral tracks feels more dimensional. Background textures are easier to pick out. Bass feels controlled rather than bloated.

For anyone stepping into the audiophile space, this is a fantastic entry point. It genuinely makes you realise how limited most wireless headphones are. Once you hear properly powered lossless playback, it’s hard to go back.

The HiBy R4 strikes a strong balance between technical clarity and musical engagement. It scales well with quality headphones like the Sennheiser HD 560S and HD 569, and still elevates simpler headphones like the HD 202.

For anyone who wants a powerful, clean, and versatile DAP without jumping into ultra-expensive territory, the HiBy R4 is an excellent choice.

Probably we should stop spending so much on Phones and start spending more on these gadgets as they give the best for what they serve for .

Well, first of all, I'm no audiophile. So my perspective is purely based upon what my ears are telling me and what sounds great to me, such as is this Hi-res DAP enjoyable? Is this energetic and punchy? Is this musical? Is it full of features for a DAP of this price?

YES CHOOM!

And more! This device is basically a market disrupter, all these features at this price, is quite unbelievable. It has features, DAC chip only a costly DAP usually has. Class A amplification, System wide Parametric EQ (PEQ), MSEB, MQA decoder...etc etc.

Let's start with the looks. The build is aluminum and feels very solid in hand. Looks amazing, it has the Industrial Cyberpunk (Mostly Cyberpunk 2077) going on, that or some would say Neon Genesis Evangelion, you wouldn't be wrong based upon color you wanna go. I went green because it has the Neon vibe to it, and I'm a Cyberpunk 2077 fan. No DAP looks this stylish. Mostly they look sophisticated and posh, but none looks this PUNK. I would like to believe if HIBY was inspired by the game.

I really like the back light bar when it's on. The front has a light panel on top as well, which changes the color based upon quality and bitrate of your audio.

The screen quality is OK and not too bright, it's a 720p on a 4.7" screen, so does the job just fine at this price.

But it shines brightest where it matters, Sound!
How to put it...this DAP doesn't sound like a 24k INR DAP. Period.

For analytical and audiophile purists: It has a warm neutral and natural sound signature, very good soundstage, not too close, not too far. Just right. Much better than Fiio BTR 17 which is very close.

For rest of the casual and fun people: It sounds so fulfilling, rich and dynamic. It has punch and weight in it's sound delivery. Very energetic and fun to listen to. Smooth and Musical.

And you get system wide PEQ and MSEB, adjust them to your heart's content to get the shape you listen to, flat, U, V....go crazy. I personally am a V shape lover and this device satiate my requirement and then some.

Case in point, I did get a Fiio BTR17 from Headphone Zone. I was swept away with plethora of amazing reviews that device got on youtube.
But I didn't like the sound of that device, nor I liked any of the sound of Fiio devices, such as the costly Fiio M23, which one of my office colleague has, and I didn't like it. I dunno, Fiio sounds abit "digitalized" and "cold & analytical" for me. No disrespect to Fiio lovers though. Maybe they love that sound signature, I don't.
Hiby sounds natural and full on the other hand. So request to potential buyers of any audio devices would be: 'try it before you buy it'.
But in this case I can just throw a perspective:
If you love ifi Audio signature, you would love Hiby as well. Both of them are FUN.

This DAP also is quite powerful, have good amount of power on 4.4mm and 3.5 mm. Specially in the 4.4mm. You can drive some heavy headphones too, but I would recommend a good pair of IEMs in this case.

I have used Simgot EW 300 in 4.4mm and KZ ZS10 Pro X in 3.5mm. Both were easy to drive. At 38 volume, the Simgot was Quite loud in 4.4mm.

Having class A amp it does get slightly warm though. Not in the uncomfortable realm by any means.

I got a 256gb micros SDXC card for FLACs. Plug and play process. The device formats the card according to it automatically.
Using this device for FLAC as well as Stream software such as Spotify and Apple music.
Hiby's custom Android 12 is snappy and looks cool. No trouble with any of the apps.

Last but not least, Thanks Headphone Zone for their impeccable customer support when I returned the Fiio BTR 17 and I got this instead. You truly care about your customers being end up with devices they are happy with, and believe me I'm very happy with this.
Amazing device, amazing experience.

Cheers Chooms! You don't need 'city to burn', get Hiby R4 instead.