Does the Hiby FC4 really suck that bad?

[gatorengineer64]

So wanted a small dongle amp for travel, and a less expensive set of IEMs. I want to focus this post on the Dongle DAC I bought a Hiby FC4. Bought this for small light and cheap. My home unit is a Shanling H7. I didnt expect much of a sound difference, but the difference is enormous. The Hiby sounds very bright with no base. Tried two sets of IEMs both the Truthear Novas and my reference MESTS. Same issues on both, was careful that its not just a volume issue. Massive Attack Mezzanine, Chris Whitley Dirt Floor, were the main test tracks. Can a dongle Dac really sound really noticeably bad? I bought the shanling to be able to drive some planars as well as IEM, but shocked at the difference. Can someone recommend a Dongle DAC that doesnt suck?

 

[Nutul]

I cannot check the HP power you might need, but for SQ I'd give the Eversolo H2 a try... it's even on the same price range.
Also Amir has positively reviewed the TempoTec Sonata BHD Pro, also about the same price.

 

[asrUser]

Can someone recommend a Dongle DAC that doesnt suck?

iBasso DC-Elite. However, for Novas I would rather take either a Cayin RU6 or RU7.

 

[gatorengineer64]

I like the sound on the shanling h7 alot so I settled for it's little brother. We will see

 

[Gershy13]

Ive got the Hiby FC1 and ive noticed that it seems to be quite bright in the treble. I wonder if its just a Hiby thing?

 

[gatorengineer64]

Had some time with Shanling UA5 which is what I bout I really like it so far. Not nearly as bright. Amazon got the hiby back.

 

[Deleted member 68540]

So wanted a small dongle amp for travel, and a less expensive set of IEMs. I want to focus this post on the Dongle DAC I bought a Hiby FC4. Bought this for small light and cheap. My home unit is a Shanling H7. I didnt expect much of a sound difference, but the difference is enormous. The Hiby sounds very bright with no base. Tried two sets of IEMs both the Truthear Novas and my reference MESTS. Same issues on both, was careful that its not just a volume issue. Massive Attack Mezzanine, Chris Whitley Dirt Floor, were the main test tracks. Can a dongle Dac really sound really noticeably bad? I bought the shanling to be able to drive some planars as well as IEM, but shocked at the difference. Can someone recommend a Dongle DAC that doesnt suck?

I cannot speak for IEMs (I only own the Shanling Sono, which I'm not sure would be an appropriate baseline for comparison), but I have just (subjectively) A/B compared the HiBy FC4 and the FiiO BTR7 in DAC / balanced mode using my HE-R9 (with more bass) and my Fidelio X3 (with less, but IMO more articulate bass). Can be the balanced output, but I've found no appreciable difference. Foot stomps in Dirt Floor, for example, are equally audible in both dongles / headphones, as are those slaps(?) at 1:21 and 1:25. I find nothing to malign the FC4 for, find it an excellent DAC overall.

 

[Gershy13]

I cannot speak for IEMs (I only own the Shanling Sono, which I'm not sure would be an appropriate baseline for comparison), but I have just (subjectively) A/B compared the HiBy FC4 and the FiiO BTR7 in DAC / balanced mode using my HE-R9 (with more bass) and my Fidelio X3 (with less, but IMO more articulate bass). Can be the balanced output, but I've found no appreciable difference. Foot stomps in Dirt Floor, for example, are equally audible in both dongles / headphones, as are those slaps(?) at 1:21 and 1:25. I find nothing to malign the FC4 for, find it an excellent DAC overall.

I wonder if it's just QC issues? I have a hiby FC1, and the first one I ordered had loose buttons and would not work with a trrs jack.
Imo the fc1 doesn't sound great (especially when you turn the volume up) but it is cheap so I don't expect much from it.

I've not had the best experience with hiby, so just because of that I'm probably going to go with something from a different brand (even if the fc4 is good)

 

[Deleted member 68540]

I wonder if it's just QC issues? I have a hiby FC1, and the first one I ordered had loose buttons and would not work with a trrs jack.
Imo the fc1 doesn't sound great (especially when you turn the volume up) but it is cheap so I don't expect much from it.

I've not had the best experience with hiby, so just because of that I'm probably going to go with something from a different brand (even if the fc4 is good)

On board re the FC1. I am using it to preamp a set of Edifier MR4 speakers in my parents' place, but find it very thin sounding overall and will be replacing it and their current Fosi DS1 (which they use to power their heapdhones - and I find nicer than the FC4) with an integrated solution -- likely the SMSL DL200, which pairs superbly with the MR4. The FC1 and FC4 are very different value propositions, though.

 

[Gershy13]

On board re the FC1. I am using it to preamp a set of Edifier MR4 speakers in my parents' place, but find it very thin sounding overall and will be replacing it and their current Fosi DS1 (which they use to power their heapdhones - and I find nicer than the FC4) with an integrated solution -- likely the SMSL DL200, which pairs superbly with the MR4. The FC1 and FC4 are very different value propositions, though.

Good to know that the fc1 is just pretty shit then lol. I'm probably gonna end up replacing it with the fiio KA13, seems like it's a good option, lots of power and the same cs chip that is generally well regarded in this forum. For a very similar price to the fc4.

 

[DS_Construct]

I can second the Tempotec BHD Pro. I bought it and it sounds fantastic.