HiBy RS8 Android Hifi Audio Player

There are some very nicely written online on Head-fi, but here is a subjective take. Only have maybe 15 hours of listening time and just found iem/cable combo I really like. A lot of burn-in to go ,but initially love the maturity of the player. Bass is much more defined, more present than other Hiby players. Takes some time to get software worked out as it is not the same as R8. Slowly getting a handle on software issues. Wish that Shuffle all button was repositioned farther from previous page icon, fat fingers always hit the yellow shuffle button, so I use a stylus pen instead. Just knew when rumours of release of RS8 that I wanted item and am very satisfied on purchase. Love large battery, will try M.2 soon on USB port. Am looking for conversion software to make DSD 1024 files.So, would I buy again...YES as service from Musicteck is Super Great and very happy to get in on the first batch sold. Alot still to learn but very satisfied with product. RS8 is not conducive for carting around as is heavy/large, so not for out and about, however RS6 works just fine. Very satisfied with my purchase.

Albeit it being a little large and chunky. It packs a punch and drives most headphones well too. This has the snappiest OS of all their devices and also best sound quality. I also enjoyed the RS6 but this is another step above!

Do you want everything in a Digital Audio Player (DAP)? Do you want a DAP that you would be willing to keep even if the "next best thing" arrives? Do you want a DAP allows you to alter the sound in so many ways, it'll make your head spin? Do you want a DAP that tells all the others, "Hold my beer"? Well, it won't be cheap, and it won't be light in weight but the HiBy RS8 is not your run-of-the-mill high-end DAP either. Unlike most other DAPs that use a brand name Digital Audio Converter (DAC) chip, the RS8’s R2R DAC uses a large number of transistors in equal numbers for each channel and controlled by a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to convert your digital music into a form the amplifier can boost and send to your headphones/iem’s or other external device. That DSP can be software upgraded to refine or even change the music quality so if you want warm and lush sound or more neutral or more analytical the RS8 has the settings and controls that let you do that.
The Amplifier on the RS8 is also not based on a chip (although there are chips that regulate but not change the analog channels. The amp has two modes; Class A which provides a very analog sound (and will warm up the RS8), and Class B which provides more power for sensitive or power-hungry headphones.
There are so many features available for the user. Based on Android 12, any musical or streaming apps can be loaded and used although I find the HiBy player to be just fine! WiFi and Bluetooth are both supported and can let your player be controlled from another device while at the same time streaming music to an external Bluetooth speaker. The RS8 can serve as a digital music source for and external DAC, line-out analog to an external amp, or function as a usb DAC for your computer or other device.
If you need to use some or all the features on the RS8 for any real amount of time then you need a beefy battery. The 12000mAh battery should provide plenty of juice to let you listen to music the way you want. If power gets low, the RS8 supports a number of fast-charge protocols.
I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface (don’t do that, the finish is beautiful.) of what the RS8 can do. It is designed to be a top-of-the-line DAP with an architecture and features that will be hard to beat. And it has a sound that it hard to beat. Lastly, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t sound perfect from the beginning. Research on R2R DACs indicates you need to invest some break-in (or stabilizing) time for the DAC’s transistors to settle. 20-100 hours of playing music should bring quite a change to the sound quality, usually for the better.
If there were ever a reason to go broke (Please Don't!) on a piece of expensive personal audio, the RS8 maybe it. But it could also serve you for a long, long time.