M300 gives access to the Play Store, so I could load PowerAmp Pro. After a small tweak I have gapless playback working perfectly on a 256 GB Micro SD card. I'm very happy.
That is great: I am taking back up considering to get a DAP, after trying many models in 2023, but not hitting the right mark yet. I liked the HIby models I tried, but the operating systems were too old, and I could not get them to really work well.
An excellent review, plenty of useful information. I've got M300 and like it a lot. I also have Hiby R5 gen 2 (my main DAP) and R3 Pro Saber. Have not used the latter ever since getting M300.
I've had the hiby r3pro for a few years it's goog but 2 weeks ago I bought the m300 and it's fantastic. The reason I like it better than the R3 is that I can get Poweramp on the m300 which is my favourite music app. Also the price of the m300 is perfect if your on a budget, probably the best dap at that price.
I just put poweramp on an old LG phone that I have been using as a DAP, also to stream, and I love it! But the battery goes quite fast, so I am considering this Hiby DAP.
I have the A306 from Japan. It is not as laggy as people say. Even better now with Android 13 on it. It loads fairly quickly the album covers, the scrolling is smooth when going through artists or albums ( I have 240gb of Music on it and no lag ). Sounds good, no hiss. I don't use any EQ, and I get about 20 hours ish battery with FLAC songs 16 and 24bit, which is correct but not wowing. To be fair, this is my first DAP so I was really looking for the Hiby r3 ii to be a fair contender as well.
I bought Hiby r3 ii at first. And instantly returned it. The volume knob on my r3 II unit had an annoying squeaking sound whenever I adjusted it with one finger. It reminded me old iPhone meme "You're Holding It Wrong". Software is very limited. I installed Hiby android app, And didn't like it as well. So I bought Sony A306. And it's so much better. It's quick enough, very pleasant to use DAP. After Hiby r3 II experience I wasn't ready to spend my money on another Hiby product knowing what to expected. Maybe build quality and software are not that important for everyone. And it could be an option because sound was good. It's much more affordable than Sony. I think it's important to have right expectations buying Chinese products like Hiby.
could you maybe do a full showcase on what you have on it? how you go about setting it up, and de googling it . i am curious, because i have one arriving in the mail soon
I wanted a DAP with FM stereo so I bought the M300. It is good but the FM has no channel separation even when it shows stereo on the screen. Also there are loud pops when connecting iems. For FM I finally bought a cheap Sony NW E394 8GB Walkman and it has correct stereo separation on FM. Incidentally this cheap Sony has zero noise floor, dead silent. Sony should focus on really customising Android for their modern DAPs if they want to remain a major player in this area.
@bmike2521 hmm.. That I'm not sure.. Im quite new in DAPs.. I've had one before but it was years ago. Have you tried spotify? Does it work offline? I'm thinking I'd just download thru wifi, and use that when I'm outside
Excellent review. First timer here. What's the battery on this when streaming exclusively. I use apple music. Phone with a dongle but battery drain on phone is annoying to say the least. Will it last a day..say 10 hours? I doubt it. In case you tested (or in mood to test), please do let me know here. Thanks.
I haven't tested that so this is only a guestimate. It should give you 10 hours easy, even using wifi, as long as you aren't using the screen all of the time or also use bluetooth. You also have the option of downloading on apple music for offline listening, then you won't need wifi. I got 21 hours with a bit of screen usage but that was only playing local files using wired headphones with wifi and bluetooth off.
@@PerputuallyCensored oh that's good to know. Now it's tempting. For pure nostalgia reasons, I was thinking Sony 306, but this probably better for my use case. Thanks Luke.
@@Crashboomwallop I tried the Sony 306 summer '23, and I did not like it at all. I think the volume control WAS on the player. I did not want to mess with it so I returned it.
However I am seeing reviews for it now here on You Tube so maybe it has had a firmware update and would work better now. I think I will watch a review or two.
Thanks for the great video! Lately on all my devices like Ibasso 320, and my BT devices when trying to see TH-cam or other video media, and when using UAPP app, I get a horrible pop of loud sound before it goes down to the set volume. Have you ever had anything like that happen on UAPP for you?
Not had that happen but I only use UAPP for audio. Might be worth contacting the developers directly. They put out pretty frequent firmware updates for issues that they are aware of.
I just got the m300 amd after disabling apps, leaving WiFi off, I'm only getting 4-5 hours of playtime through wired headphones. Also, the "quick share" disappeared and turned back to nearby share but neither work when trying to send files, just stops halfway through or goes to 99% and will fail. Any help with the playtime and "quick share"?
@PerputuallyCensored yes with screen off and no Bluetooth off, using wired headphones. Great lol. Because the sony nw-a306 did the same thing until I let the battery die a few times and recharged and then eventually after a about 3/4 times then I got about 12-17 hours of playtime. I'm guessing I'm going to have to do the same with this? Why do these android players need a "burn in"?? Also, as I mentioned, the quick share or now as it has reverted back to nearby share again, doesn't work. I have location services on to test it, share with everyone and it still doesn't send files to it?
I don't think they do need burn in. In terms of battery life my experience has been very different to yours. I got 21 hours out of the M300 and over 30 hours on the A306. All without putting the batteries through multiple charge cycles. I don't use quick share I'm afraid so I can't help there.@@NoBodyO2TheG
Great review, what's the Bluetooth like on the m300? There's a bug on the r3ii where it cuts out every now and then, which still hasn't been fixed. I'm considering sending it back and getting the m300.
@@PerputuallyCensoredsure there is. No difference between Hiby R3 and R6 but there is a difference between R3 and m300, it's timbre, and bass presentation. R3 has thin note weight in the treble, very inorganic sounding, and no bass to speak of really, these are the differences. The differences are subtle and due to the dac chip, not the machine itself. Ess dacs are as described, CS are a little warmer with more note weight.
@@wahid-lg1kk I’ve never used the R3. What IEMs did you use? You believe you can demonstrate these “differences” consistently in a blind A/B? If so I look forward to your video showing us.
I don't use bluetooth. If the best sound quality is your aim bluetooth won't get you there. With wired the sony has a noise floor and the hiby doesn't. That is the difference in sound between them.
Only you can decide that and I have no idea by what you mean by "better". It is preference. I don't like the UI of Poweramp and it also does not do bit perfect playback.
So I’m an iPhone user. Since apple only uses AAC, I want to be able to listen to Hi Res. Since this uses android, I saw someone who used an android phone to download Apple Music and be able to stream Hi Res music through the app. Have you tried this or can you let me know if this would work?
I'm not sure if the Apple Music App will do bit perfect on Android. The M300 doesn't do bit perfect anyway, it does system wide upsampling, irrespective of what App you use.
I have a MacBook Air laptop but Android phones: what I have been doing is moving the cds from my hard drive on the Mac onto a micro sd card (which is tiresome but it works) installed PowerAmp player on the old LG phone that I have been using as a DAP, and it works really well! However, I am considering getting DAP and might get the M300 to see if that would work as I would like a dedicated device for music, both my library and streaming Tidal, etc.
not sure about bit perfect though. I was an ipod classic user, still have it, when I updated the OS on my Mac I could not transfer the cds cleanly like I did when there was itunes, or even at the beginning of Apple Music. The hacks I found to do it no longer worked! I should just sell it to someone who could actually use it!
I also go Mac (Macbook Pro) to Android for managing my Library. I find the best way to transfer or move music is to just put the DAP SD card into the Laptop and transfer that way. It is relatively quick@@francesschaefer
m300 does not by-pass android SRC on purpose to saperate from hiby and hiby digital for non audiophiles, so everything will be upsampled by android then to the DAC. so apple music high res will not be bit perfect.
@@Laowei1does it bypass everything or you need to use specific apps, like Hiby music or Tidal, which have usb exclusive modes? More importantly, is the dac chip used always, if we listen to TH-cam music, is the dac engaged?
Sadly no way around a DAP if you want a small device just for music. Yes, you could buy a phone but those are huge and it's really hard to find something below 6", let alone 4", plus a lot don't even come with a 3.5mm port anymore.
@@Juleru EXACTLY!!! That's why I've been eyeing on this device for quite a while now. Small palm size android device is a rare breed nowadays. Doesn't really need bit perfect, as long as it sounds even a bit better than my Samsung s21, it'll be more than enough for my need. That being a dedicated music player separate from my phone, compact form factor so it's nice to hold, and physical skip track button for much intuitive navigation. Most of the devices that support bit perfect are quite chunky, and while 4.4 balance output is a nice to have, they often adds up the thickness as well. Right now as an entry level dap, I think a device that's small, comfortable to hold, and can have all my CD collection and music streaming services all together are the aspects I value more. Got one in my shopping list now, gonna take a few more days to make my final call.
@@jackenboot The Fiio JM21 is going to be released soon, so maybe wait a little bit (until there are reviews): 4.7" screen, Android 13, 3.5mm and 4.4mm, $200, not idea what "bit perfect" means but people are apparently really excited about it.
M300 gives access to the Play Store, so I could load PowerAmp Pro. After a small tweak I have gapless playback working perfectly on a 256 GB Micro SD card. I'm very happy.
That is great: I am taking back up considering to get a DAP, after trying many models in 2023, but not hitting the right mark yet. I liked the HIby models I tried, but the operating systems were too old, and I could not get them to really work well.
i've put a 1.5 tb and i'm super happy with the m300, sounds AWESOME with poweramp, fiio music and all the players. Stunning!
An excellent review, plenty of useful information. I've got M300 and like it a lot. I also have Hiby R5 gen 2 (my main DAP) and R3 Pro Saber. Have not used the latter ever since getting M300.
I've had the hiby r3pro for a few years it's goog but 2 weeks ago I bought the m300 and it's fantastic.
The reason I like it better than the R3 is that I can get Poweramp on the m300 which is my favourite music app.
Also the price of the m300 is perfect if your on a budget, probably the best dap at that price.
I just put poweramp on an old LG phone that I have been using as a DAP, also to stream, and I love it! But the battery goes quite fast, so I am considering this Hiby DAP.
@cmoranchel1 way worse than any motorola, this is purely for headphones, and not cheap ones if you can 🙂
I have the A306 from Japan. It is not as laggy as people say. Even better now with Android 13 on it. It loads fairly quickly the album covers, the scrolling is smooth when going through artists or albums ( I have 240gb of Music on it and no lag ). Sounds good, no hiss. I don't use any EQ, and I get about 20 hours ish battery with FLAC songs 16 and 24bit, which is correct but not wowing.
To be fair, this is my first DAP so I was really looking for the Hiby r3 ii to be a fair contender as well.
Many thanks. I'll be purchasing one shortly and will share my impressions.
I bought Hiby r3 ii at first. And instantly returned it. The volume knob on my r3 II unit had an annoying squeaking sound whenever I adjusted it with one finger. It reminded me old iPhone meme "You're Holding It Wrong". Software is very limited. I installed Hiby android app, And didn't like it as well. So I bought Sony A306. And it's so much better. It's quick enough, very pleasant to use DAP. After Hiby r3 II experience I wasn't ready to spend my money on another Hiby product knowing what to expected. Maybe build quality and software are not that important for everyone. And it could be an option because sound was good. It's much more affordable than Sony. I think it's important to have right expectations buying Chinese products like Hiby.
Thanks Luke great review for us privacy focused folks
Holy moly, did your dap survive Wham!!!
I don't stream I just load up the player with 350 CDs lol
Very honest review. You win a new subscriber
Wow, what an honour 🙄
Dude, do you think the naa55 walkman can move a hidiz mp 145 well? Do you also think the m300 can move them?
could you maybe do a full showcase on what you have on it? how you go about setting it up, and de googling it . i am curious, because i have one arriving in the mail soon
I sold it a while ago.
I wanted a DAP with FM stereo so I bought the M300. It is good but the FM has no channel separation even when it shows stereo on the screen. Also there are loud pops when connecting iems. For FM I finally bought a cheap Sony NW E394 8GB Walkman and it has correct stereo separation on FM. Incidentally this cheap Sony has zero noise floor, dead silent. Sony should focus on really customising Android for their modern DAPs if they want to remain a major player in this area.
That loud pop on the hiby is definitely annoying.
5:50 but for Spotify, downloading the songs should be fine right? So it’s still usable for my use case
I bought one and can’t use downloaded files from TH-cam music. Maybe this doesn’t have DRM support?
@bmike2521 hmm.. That I'm not sure.. Im quite new in DAPs.. I've had one before but it was years ago.
Have you tried spotify? Does it work offline?
I'm thinking I'd just download thru wifi, and use that when I'm outside
Excellent review. First timer here. What's the battery on this when streaming exclusively. I use apple music. Phone with a dongle but battery drain on phone is annoying to say the least. Will it last a day..say 10 hours? I doubt it. In case you tested (or in mood to test), please do let me know here. Thanks.
I haven't tested that so this is only a guestimate. It should give you 10 hours easy, even using wifi, as long as you aren't using the screen all of the time or also use bluetooth. You also have the option of downloading on apple music for offline listening, then you won't need wifi. I got 21 hours with a bit of screen usage but that was only playing local files using wired headphones with wifi and bluetooth off.
@@PerputuallyCensored oh that's good to know. Now it's tempting. For pure nostalgia reasons, I was thinking Sony 306, but this probably better for my use case. Thanks Luke.
@@Crashboomwallop I tried the Sony 306 summer '23, and I did not like it at all. I think the volume control WAS on the player. I did not want to mess with it so I returned it.
However I am seeing reviews for it now here on You Tube so maybe it has had a firmware update and would work better now. I think I will watch a review or two.
Thanks for the great video!
Lately on all my devices like Ibasso 320, and my BT devices when trying to see TH-cam or other video media, and when using UAPP app, I get a horrible pop of loud sound before it goes down to the set volume. Have you ever had anything like that happen on UAPP for you?
Not had that happen but I only use UAPP for audio. Might be worth contacting the developers directly. They put out pretty frequent firmware updates for issues that they are aware of.
I just got the m300 amd after disabling apps, leaving WiFi off, I'm only getting 4-5 hours of playtime through wired headphones. Also, the "quick share" disappeared and turned back to nearby share but neither work when trying to send files, just stops halfway through or goes to 99% and will fail. Any help with the playtime and "quick share"?
4-5 hours of playtime with the screen off? You have bluetooth on? I'd return it for another unit.
@PerputuallyCensored yes with screen off and no Bluetooth off, using wired headphones. Great lol. Because the sony nw-a306 did the same thing until I let the battery die a few times and recharged and then eventually after a about 3/4 times then I got about 12-17 hours of playtime. I'm guessing I'm going to have to do the same with this? Why do these android players need a "burn in"??
Also, as I mentioned, the quick share or now as it has reverted back to nearby share again, doesn't work. I have location services on to test it, share with everyone and it still doesn't send files to it?
whoa...
@francesschaefer thank you, that was very helpful lol.
I don't think they do need burn in. In terms of battery life my experience has been very different to yours. I got 21 hours out of the M300 and over 30 hours on the A306. All without putting the batteries through multiple charge cycles. I don't use quick share I'm afraid so I can't help there.@@NoBodyO2TheG
Great review, what's the Bluetooth like on the m300? There's a bug on the r3ii where it cuts out every now and then, which still hasn't been fixed.
I'm considering sending it back and getting the m300.
I only use wired so I can't answer that.
Bluetooth is fine on M300. I used aptx hd and ldac. No drop out or glitches.
@@debtanudutta5721 GOOD!
On the Hiby M300, whether with or without the USB Pro application, there is a difference that you can feel
A difference in what?
@@PerputuallyCensored sound quality
There is no difference@@feel387
@@PerputuallyCensoredsure there is. No difference between Hiby R3 and R6 but there is a difference between R3 and m300, it's timbre, and bass presentation. R3 has thin note weight in the treble, very inorganic sounding, and no bass to speak of really, these are the differences. The differences are subtle and due to the dac chip, not the machine itself. Ess dacs are as described, CS are a little warmer with more note weight.
@@wahid-lg1kk I’ve never used the R3. What IEMs did you use? You believe you can demonstrate these “differences” consistently in a blind A/B? If so I look forward to your video showing us.
Which is better in sound quality? Sony or hiby m300? I will use it with bluetooth headphones only. Thank you
I don't use bluetooth. If the best sound quality is your aim bluetooth won't get you there. With wired the sony has a noise floor and the hiby doesn't. That is the difference in sound between them.
By putting the jack cable can I listen to the FM radio with Bluetooth?
I've no idea.
Which is better poweramp or usb audio pro? Thx in advance
Only you can decide that and I have no idea by what you mean by "better". It is preference. I don't like the UI of Poweramp and it also does not do bit perfect playback.
No need to spend money. The Hiby music app is more than good enough, comes preinstalled and is completely free.
So I’m an iPhone user. Since apple only uses AAC, I want to be able to listen to Hi Res. Since this uses android, I saw someone who used an android phone to download Apple Music and be able to stream Hi Res music through the app.
Have you tried this or can you let me know if this would work?
I'm not sure if the Apple Music App will do bit perfect on Android. The M300 doesn't do bit perfect anyway, it does system wide upsampling, irrespective of what App you use.
I have a MacBook Air laptop but Android phones: what I have been doing is moving the cds from my hard drive on the Mac onto a micro sd card (which is tiresome but it works) installed PowerAmp player on the old LG phone that I have been using as a DAP, and it works really well! However, I am considering getting DAP and might get the M300 to see if that would work as I would like a dedicated device for music, both my library and streaming Tidal, etc.
not sure about bit perfect though. I was an ipod classic user, still have it, when I updated the OS on my Mac I could not transfer the cds cleanly like I did when there was itunes, or even at the beginning of Apple Music. The hacks I found to do it no longer worked! I should just sell it to someone who could actually use it!
I also go Mac (Macbook Pro) to Android for managing my Library. I find the best way to transfer or move music is to just put the DAP SD card into the Laptop and transfer that way. It is relatively quick@@francesschaefer
Dose it support Aptx adaptive?
I don't use bluetooth so I don't know but I suspect not.
How do u think this compared to the ap80 pro x?
Never used it so I don't know.
Is apple music available in M300?
On the Play store.
m300 does not by-pass android SRC on purpose to saperate from hiby and hiby digital for non audiophiles, so everything will be upsampled by android then to the DAC. so apple music high res will not be bit perfect.
@@bbbench thank you
m300 does not by-pass android SRC on purpose to saperate from hiby and hiby digital for non audiophiles
Can do this via a USB-C dongle easily with the M300.😃👍
@@Laowei1does it bypass everything or you need to use specific apps, like Hiby music or Tidal, which have usb exclusive modes? More importantly, is the dac chip used always, if we listen to TH-cam music, is the dac engaged?
Is the wifi still bad for streaming music? Can it download playlists fast enough to make up for it?
I never had an issue with bad wifi on the M300. I sold it a while ago anyway.
The M300 has FM radio so you can still listen to local news
I don't belive in DAPs, they are very expensive for thier purpose. beside, I can get a cheap phone with enough storage to act as my MP3 player.
Sadly no way around a DAP if you want a small device just for music. Yes, you could buy a phone but those are huge and it's really hard to find something below 6", let alone 4", plus a lot don't even come with a 3.5mm port anymore.
@@Juleru EXACTLY!!! That's why I've been eyeing on this device for quite a while now. Small palm size android device is a rare breed nowadays.
Doesn't really need bit perfect, as long as it sounds even a bit better than my Samsung s21, it'll be more than enough for my need. That being a dedicated music player separate from my phone, compact form factor so it's nice to hold, and physical skip track button for much intuitive navigation.
Most of the devices that support bit perfect are quite chunky, and while 4.4 balance output is a nice to have, they often adds up the thickness as well. Right now as an entry level dap, I think a device that's small, comfortable to hold, and can have all my CD collection and music streaming services all together are the aspects I value more.
Got one in my shopping list now, gonna take a few more days to make my final call.
@@jackenboot The Fiio JM21 is going to be released soon, so maybe wait a little bit (until there are reviews): 4.7" screen, Android 13, 3.5mm and 4.4mm, $200, not idea what "bit perfect" means but people are apparently really excited about it.