Portable DAC suggestion for Hiby R1

[XaviMartinez55]

So I have been using my Hiby R1 for a few months now , and I was kinda happy, but still looking for different earphones just to find THAT one....

Well, today I have plugged both my Artti T10 and my KZ Zenith to my Macbook Air M3 and played the same exact songs (same files) that I use in my R1.

The R1 is a joke compared to what comes out of the Macbook Air. It sounds, way, way punchier, livelier, to the point where it's clear that I don't really need more earphones. Jawdropping experience really....

What I need is a Dongle DAC that sounds and behaves like the MacBook Air.

Also, does anyone have the Hiby R3 II ? How do you like it ?

 

[RandomEar]

This honestly just sounds like there is some form of EQ active on either your Mac Book or your R1. I would check the settings on both and match them in case they aren't matched, yet. If they still sound different to you, check if you're in low or high gain on the R1 and then tune the EQ on the device. I see no reason why a different audio player would offer any advantage in driving something like a 16 Ohms IEM. These things are trivial to power.

 

[XaviMartinez55]

This honestly just sounds like there is some form of EQ active on either your Mac Book or your R1. I would check the settings on both and match them in case they aren't matched, yet. If they still sound different to you, check if you're in low or high gain on the R1 and then tune the EQ on the device. I see no reason why a different audio player would offer any advantage in driving something like a 16 Ohms IEM. These things are trivial to power.

This is the first thing I have checked.... no eq, no "sound enhancer".

The R1 sounds noticeably brighter and with less bass. If eq was the only issue, that would be easy to correct, but it's also the dynamics and transients.

Actually, same with my Iphone 14 pro max...... night and day difference.

I am ABing since an hour, and it's not snake oil, subtle "oh I can hear the electrons aligning in my OFC gold plated / 48 strand $200 cable" kind of difference....it's abysmal.

Happens with my T10, Zenith and even the Zero 2.......

 

[RandomEar]

I'm sorry, but "dynamics and transients" is just audiophile jibber jabber. As long as the frequency response is flat, the device has enough power on tap and there is no impedance mismatch, there should be no difference in sound. A lack of power or a drop in the FR seem unlikely in this case. So either one device is just louder (which also affects the perceived bass and treble response and "punch"), or the output impedance of your devices is different. As I said before, this should be easy to fix with EQ. Make sure that you tune in an equal volume level and then start to alter the EQ in the bass range.

With 16 Ohm headphones, small differences in output impedance can quickly influence the bass level of the audio. The rule of thumb is to avoid impedance ratios of less than 10. In your case, the Artti is around 16 Ohms, so an output impedance of around 2 Ohms on the R1 could already affect the sound. And maybe the Artti has got an even lower impedance in the bass region - the manufacturer only specifies the value at 1 kHz.

If all EQ efforts fail, I would rather suspect a defect in the R1 and contact the seller for a warranty replacement.

 

[XaviMartinez55]

Ok thanks.