Hiby R4 or Fiio JM21 or Shanling M1 plus or Shanling H2

[KrishYesh]

I am looking for a 3-in-1 device acting as Bluetooth DAC, USB Dac, Standalone player under 250 USD

I have shortlisted Hiby R4, Fiio JM21, Shanling M1 plus, Shanling H2

Of these, which has the better sound quality.

Hiby R4 and FIIO JM21 being android based, supports streaming applications like Apple Music. This being an advantage are there any downsides to it.
Also i got to know Hiby R4 supports bit perfect audio bypassing Android resampling. Does Fiio JM21 also does that.

Please note that I am not concerned about the size/weight or power delivery or battery life of these devices as I am fine with those specs.

So far i heard mostly positive reviews about Hiby R4 but i want to take time, evaluate all of them and go for a purchase (as i am not in a rush)

 

[staticV3]

Hi @KrishYesh! Welcome to ASR.

You can find detailed reviews of most DAPs on Headfonics:

HiBy R4 Review

Lynn reviews the $249 HiBy R4, which is a new cyborg-inspired Android 12 DAP featuring a quad DAC and up to 525mW of Class A amplification. Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange

headfonics.com

Shanling M1s Review

We review the Shanling M1s, which is a new pocket-sized digital audio player with up to DSD512 decoding capability and 245mW of output power. It is priced at $229. Disclaimer: This sample was sent to

headfonics.com

Shanling H2 Review

Today, Louis reviews the Shanling H2, which is a new entry-level portable CS43198 DAC and headphone amplifier with up to 680mW of balanced output power. It is priced at $169 MSRP. Disclaimer: This sample was

headfonics.com

Just, please, disregard their sound impressions and sound quality/synergy scores.

These lack any controls like level matching, unsighted listening etc. that are required for objective comparisons and as such, reflect little more than the reviewer's mood on the day of the test.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Hi @KrishYesh! Welcome to ASR.

You can find detailed reviews of most DAPs on Headfonics:

HiBy R4 Review

Lynn reviews the $249 HiBy R4, which is a new cyborg-inspired Android 12 DAP featuring a quad DAC and up to 525mW of Class A amplification. Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange

headfonics.com

Shanling M1s Review

We review the Shanling M1s, which is a new pocket-sized digital audio player with up to DSD512 decoding capability and 245mW of output power. It is priced at $229. Disclaimer: This sample was sent to

headfonics.com

Shanling H2 Review

Today, Louis reviews the Shanling H2, which is a new entry-level portable CS43198 DAC and headphone amplifier with up to 680mW of balanced output power. It is priced at $169 MSRP. Disclaimer: This sample was

headfonics.com

Just, please, disregard their sound impressions and sound quality/synergy scores.

These lack any controls like level matching, unsighted listening etc. that are required for objective comparisons and as such, reflect little more than the reviewer's mood on the day of the test.

In other words, these reviews do not address the OP's primary concern in any useful manner, despite being billed as being about sound quality

I would just say that the R4 has a wide suite of audio enhancement programs available, any of which may make more difference to the sound quality achievable than any amount of hardware one-upmanship these days

See e.g. http://efofi.com

 

[Joe Bloggs]

I will also say, that any of these devices should be fine as a USB DAC, IF you don't care about latency. If you need good lip-sync etc. , you should definitely invest in a dedicated USB DAC.

 

[staticV3]

In other words, these reviews do not address the OP's primary concern in any useful manner, despite being billed as being about sound quality

Still plenty useful for getting a feel for the DUT's operation, interface, features, etc

 

[Somafunk]

Having tried a few daps from various manufacturers I settled on the Hiby R6 iii as it just works without issues and with peq/covulution etc it is pretty much perfect.

So I’d get the Hiby R4

Fiio have a habit/practice of releasing new daps/dongles/equipment that appears to tick all the boxes but are utterly woeful/useless due to software issues that take many firmware revisions to correct

 

[PiedroPieretto]

Just, please, disregard their sound impressions and sound quality/synergy scores.

These lack any controls like level matching, unsighted listening etc. that are required for objective comparisons and as such, reflect little more than the reviewer's mood on the day of the test.

"There’s still lots of punch produced by the H2 and dynamics are well proportioned. Ample bass representation is produced alongside a smooth midrange response, followed by a controlled, and polite treble response."

It does bass! It does mid-range! And hold on! It even does treble! Politely!

What can't it do?

 

[jeff57]

Hi

on cheap portable devices audio measurements and audio quality may not be the only concern...

I already sold a DAP because the (graphical) user experience was terrible.

I sold my last DAP (sony) because it was their first Android device.
It was terribly obsolete (not pleasant to use), and battery autonomy was a show stopper for me.

Set up your own requirements...

Jeff