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HiBy FC4 MQA USB-C DAC Decoding Audio Headphone Amplifier DSD256 3.5mm 4.4mm ~$115AUD Del'd @ HIBY Official via AliExpress

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HiBy FC4 MQA USB-C DAC Decoding Audio Headphone Amplifier DSD256 3.5mm 4.4mm ~$115AUD Del'd @ HIBY Official via AliExpress
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rosebank on 21/05/2023 - 23:18 aliexpress.com (347 clicks)
ETOWQC1NX9T5

I've been going on a IEM, earbud, DAC buying frenzy but I don't have one with MQA. I don't know what it is but it sounds high tech and I need it. It also has 4.4mm balanced output which is nice because I ordered a whole bunch of 4.4mm gear.

Click on the "Get Coupon" thing and it'd apply at check out. I paid about $100AUD because I had a bunch of coins

Model HiBy FC4
Dimensions 65.322.111.9 mm
Weight 21.7 g
Chipset ES9219 * 2
Buttons Volume up / down
Supported formats PCM up to 768kHz/32bit, up to DSD256 native
RGB indicator light Status indicator
USB port Type-C
Headphone out 3.5mm TRS and CTIA-spec TRRS headsets
Balanced headphone out 4.4mm balanced
Audio specifications
Table header 0 3.5mm PO 4.4mm BAL
Output Level 1.9Vrms (32Ω) 3.3Vrms (32Ω)
Output Power 110mW (32Ω) 340mW (32Ω)
THD+N 0.0008% (32Ω) 0.0006% (32Ω)
Noise 1.7μVrms (32Ω) 2.2μVrms (32Ω)
SNR 120dB (32Ω) 123 dB (32Ω)
Dynamic Range 120dB (32Ω) 123 dB (32Ω)
Crosstalk Rejection 72dB (32Ω) 98 dB (32Ω)
Frequency response (-3dB) 20-90Khz (32Ω)
20-90Khz (32Ω)

Electrical & Electronics DAC Headphone Amplifier

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closed Comments

  • zoe main on 21/05/2023 - 23:36

    measurements by l7audiolab
    https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/hiby-fc4/

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:45
      -2

      I don't look at measurements

      • Nugs on 22/05/2023 - 10:28

        except for mm apparently….
        .

        • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 11:21

          I looked at this:

          Table header 0 3.5mm PO 4.4mm BAL
          Output Level 1.9Vrms (32Ω) 3.3Vrms (32Ω)
          Output Power 110mW (32Ω) 340mW (32Ω)

  • aussieprepper on 21/05/2023 - 23:45
    +1

    Don't expect Fiio level of support, i have a Hiby R2 and it can be buggy at times (crashes multiple times during use) and Hiby never bothered to fix it. The R2 had a total of one firmware update and now they have a new R2 so i guess i will get zero upgrades now.
    My Fiio KA3 which is just a DAC has had more updates.

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:46

      My Fiio KA3 which is just a DAC has had more updates.

      I got one of those too

  • theadeptus1 on 22/05/2023 - 00:02
    +1

    average "audiophile":

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:58

      I own a lot of audio gear, but have stated many times I'm not an "audiophile". I don't look at graphs and measurements like some nerd on Head-Fi, I just buy shit. If I like it, I keep it.

  • FalseProfit on 22/05/2023 - 00:25
    +4

    MQA is audio snake oil, made by a company now seeking bankruptcy protection. It's a lossy technique, so true audiophiles probably stop listening right there. It can be packaged up and played by devices without the decoder but that will have noise from the MQA data in the output sognal. MQA devices use that same stream but apply the decoded MQA data to get a more accurate signal. Still noisy though compared to lossless. I'm guessing tidal use it to save on bandwidth compared to lossless.

    It's apparently a style of noise that to some listeners is pleasant, but still, it's not as the original masters intended. Kind of like the noise introduced with records and record players I guess haha some like it, but it's noise none the less

    • cello on 22/05/2023 - 07:56

      I understand there are always discussions about MQA, my question is how bad is it being 'lossy'? As all digital audio is lossy to a higher frequency, a 'lossless' CD quality sample has no more information above 44.1khz/16bit and will be always a lossy 96khz/24bit sample, say a lossy MQA 196khz/24bit sample, although not as accurate as a 100% lossless 196khz/24bit sample, should it be a least a lot more accurate than a lossless 96khz/24bit sample, not to mention a 'lossless' CD quality sample?

      • Raj09 on 22/05/2023 - 09:07

        When you say lossless you should be able to reconstruct the original l signal from the digital. In case of mqa you can't do that. It adds noise. Check goldensound test on YouTube.

        About going 96khz and 24bit, there's a limit to how much detail you'll perceive. Things like timing are more important than sampling rate.

        • cello on 22/05/2023 - 09:42

          I think it will depend on what 'original' is, none of the digital audio is 'original' compared to the higher sample rate.

          Say 'original' is a perfect circle, digital audio would be like polygons in such a high number of segments, that to our eyes, we think are circles. A 2 bit polygon is square, which is not like a circle at all, but a 3 bit polygon being an octagon is much closer already. A 'lossy' 4 bit polygon may not be as round as a perfect 'lossless' hexadecagon, but it should surely be rounder than a 'lossless' perfect octagon. I mean, the compressed/lossy part of the data should only exist in the extra bit, with the lower bit rate always being accurate, so even if it won't be as good as the full higher res it compared to, it should always be better than the lower rate a bit below.

          As you say 'there's a limit to how much detail you'll perceive', I think that is the 'snake oil' part of all high-res audio above CD quality. In theory, CD quality has already exceeded the range the human ear can detect, but many of us find the extra details from high frequency may still play a difference even if we are not sure if our ears can 'hear'. Given even 'lossless' high-res is not always detectable by most playback equipment/most people, there will be more 'snake oil' debate about lossy high-res.

          To me, any serious equipment /recording that provides CD quality is good, many high-res equipment/recordings are good because they are seriously made for audiophiles, not just because they are high-res. A good CD quality DAC is better than a cheap high-res one, for MQA DAC, if from a reputable manufacturer, such as NAD, are really good, while from some others, may be not so much. It won't be something I particularly look for or something I particularly avoid either.

          • Raj09 on 22/05/2023 - 09:55

            @cello: I get your question and I might not have the answer on whether better lossy is superior than lossless. There might be some truth in there but I'm not sure.

            Definitely though a good CD quality dac can be superior than a cheap high res one. Also don't forget the audio chain. You might have a great dac but if you pair it with a crappy headphone you'll hear a shade of what you could hear.

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:56
      +1

      MQA is audio snake oil

      So like most "audiophile" shit? If it sounds like crap I'll just return it

      • AlexF on 22/05/2023 - 09:37

        No one can know if it sounds like crap due to loss and/or distortion or creative intent - like grain in films. You can guess, but you need original to compare.

        • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 09:38

          I've got a few tracks I can test with

  • Tacooo on 22/05/2023 - 01:05
    +1

    I don't know what it is but it sounds high tech and I need it.

    It's not and you don't. Nobody does.

    • jasswolf on 22/05/2023 - 02:40

      People need balanced audio, it's just that those people are contending with significant EM interference in their setups, i.e. they work in music/audio/stage production.

      When you're making exacting high end gear, past a certain point there's enough incentive there to create balanced audio products as they will likely be used in such environments, and doing so etches away a little signal noise. Dongles are no exception to this, but that's working under the assumption that it's a genuinely balanced audio solution.

      As for MQA implementations, it was effectively a royalty scam, but they had an upcoming codec - SLC6 - that had early promise. No idea if that will see the light of day though, as they went into voluntary administration last month.

      • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:53

        Dongles are no exception to this, but that's working under the assumption that it's a genuinely balanced audio solution.

        So you're saying the balanced output on this is BS? If so, I get free returns. I also got a FiiO JadeAudio KA3

        • jasswolf on 22/05/2023 - 12:09

          No, but they can be wired in such a way that they work with the connection types, but don't actually cancel EMI.

          All of that being said, the Truthear SHIO is probably way better value during AliE sales (Shenzhen Audio will also offer discounts on Amazon during these times, as well as major Amazon sales).

    • carmar on 22/05/2023 - 06:58
      +1

      But isn't "I don't know what it is but … I need it." the essence, the driving force, the FOMO, that is Ozbargain???

      • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:54
        +2

        You just described my life

  • glade90 on 22/05/2023 - 07:22
    +2

    Just buy the Apple USB-C dongle which is known to be one of the best DACs on the market - for only $15

    Reviews

    https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r…

    https://www.audioreviews.org/apple-audio-adapter-review/

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 07:50
      -1

      I have several USC-C dongles already, but I wanted one with 4.4mm balanced output

  • BargainHunterJohnnyB on 22/05/2023 - 08:11
    +1

    What's funny is that apple music has the best quality music around, anyway.

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 08:15
      +1

      I have an Android phone and Youtube Premium. Should I ditch my brand new S23 Ultra and buy an iPhone? Or just subscribe to Apple music? What should I do?

      • BargainHunterJohnnyB on 22/05/2023 - 08:18
        +1

        You're in luck because Apple music on Android Is lossless and has tracks that are up to 24 bit 192 Khz sample rate - i.e., The Eagles - Hotel California.

        And you can stream these from a non-apple product - i.e., S23 ultra.

        • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 08:29

          Cool. What's the regular sample rate for most tracks?

          • willyroo on 22/05/2023 - 09:29

            @rosebank: As a comparison, Spotify "Very High" quality is 320kbps MP3. On good gear you can detect a really subtle difference between this and FLAC or WAV (lossless).

            • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 09:37

              @willyroo: YT Premium is 256kbps AAC. I only use YT Premium because I'm deeply entrenched in the Google ecosystem. If @BargainHunterJohnnyB tells me that all Apple Music tracks are lossless, then I don't mind switching to that or Tidal.

            • Laserface on 22/05/2023 - 11:12

              @willyroo: Spotify is Ogg Vorbis, not MP3.

              you can upload mp3s as an artist (they recommend lossless formats) but they convert it all to ogg vorbis 320kbps.

              can definitely hear a difference between spotify over bluetooth vs spotify over Carplay/Airplay in my excperience (the latter being better quality), probably because of the BT codecs/transcoding involved.

          • BargainHunterJohnnyB on 22/05/2023 - 09:40
            +1

            @rosebank: 16/44.1 minimum which is CDQ.

            TBH I can't tell the difference between 16/44.1 and 24/192

            • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 09:45

              @BargainHunterJohnnyB: I probably can't either unless I'm using my "serious" DACs and amps and headphones, not this portable gear that I'm going to use with IEMs and earbuds.

              But if I were to switch, Apple is $10.99, might as well get Tidal for $1 more. Both have 1 month free.

              • bleemo on 22/05/2023 - 09:57
                +2

                @rosebank: Get Argentinian Tidal.

                [LINK] https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/732323

                You'll need to have a credit card that 'works' with this deal though, but for a few dollars a month, you can get TIDAL with MQA or whatever other 'hi-res' stuff they have. The cheapness of the deal makes the audio sound sweeter.

              • BargainHunterJohnnyB on 22/05/2023 - 11:05

                @rosebank: So what does Tidal offer that apple music doesn't? You realize that most serious audiophiles think that MQA is a scam, right?

  • Raj09 on 22/05/2023 - 09:01

    Mqa is bull crap. It's fancy drm. Stick to lossless my friend

    • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 09:27

      I mostly listen to 24-192 FLACs. I don't even know what MQA is

      • BargainHunterJohnnyB on 22/05/2023 - 11:06

        You can't listen to FLAC on Tidal IIIRC - it just feeds you MQA

        • rosebank on 22/05/2023 - 11:09

          No, like FLAC files on my DAP or PC. I've never streamed hi-res, only Google Music Youtube Music/Premium

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