Output power: 100mW
THD+N: 0.006% (32ohm)
Noise: 2.6 uVrms
SNR: 117dB
Dynamic range: 105dB
Crosstalk rejection: 72dB
Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHz (-3dB)
Total Score
Foreword
FC6 is by far the best dongle I’ve ever listened to. Not just as a dongle but as a source, what else sounds like this for $269? R2R and darwin architecture work in perfect harmony. Let’s take a closer look at Hiby FC6
Build
Dimensions 22.4*50*10mm and weight is 19g
The design is really good. The Hiby FC6 is very small, almost too small for a dongle. And they didn’t forget to fit a screen in this tiny volume. The great-looking aqua green FC6 comes with its own leather case, which is a serious plus point.
The tiny Hiby FC6 is a marvel of electronic architecture – in other words, a masterpiece of engineering. The FC6 has a display and display control button, volume keys, a type c port and a 3.5mm output. We will talk about this 3.5 business.
Sound
Let’s clarify one thing
Before I analyze the sound, I’ll explain something you might be wondering. If the Fc6 is so good, why does it have a 3.5mm output and not a balanced 4.4mm?
To get a true balanced output you need an exact copy of the dac department you have. That means double the dac, diode, resistor, pcb etc. So the cost will increase dramatically and the size will change. A 4.4mm fc6 would cost 500usd and be twice the size, which would defeat the purpose of the device and for all that effort you would only get a 4.4mm output. So it would be quite inefficient.
From another perspective
If we had made a 4.4mm “FC6” for $300 using a cheaper dac and cheaper diodes instead of R2R, believe me, it would be worse than what we have now. Trust me on this, Hiby did a smart thing with 3.5mm. Now let’s analyze the sound.
Tune
In general terms, I would call the tone natural, rich and accurate.
Tonality is a specific characteristic of the product. Therefore, not every product works well with every product. However, the FC6 worked very well no matter which iem I listened to it with. FC6 is a source that plays in balance between analog and digital, maybe a little closer to analog. Its sound can be very “fluid” depending on the headphones you use. The features included in the product significantly increase your control over the sound.
Techs
The FC6 is technically a very competitive product, not perfect. But it’s so good for the price that it can stand up to many endgame devices. At its most basic level, it offers good resolution, great imaging and accurate definition across the entire spectrum. There are very few devices that can do that. I’m going to do you a favor and list the “good” and “great” things, because at this point there is nothing bad.
The good things
-Resolution
-Soundstage
-Detail Reproduction
The great ones
-Accuracy and consistency
-Timbre
-Layering
-Separation
-Imaging
When you look at it this way, the only thing missing from the Hiby Fc6 is power. That’s assuming you’re not going to wear over-ears with this tiny dongle, and there are over-ears that can.
Some Great Features
I’m talking about the Darwin Ultra filter, HDR and OS/NOS. Darwin Ultra is an alternative to the well-known “fast normal, slow late” (sharp/soft) filters and relatively better. Let’s look at the others.
HDR
HDR is a Darwin Architecture feature that Hiby says uses advanced algorithms to improve dynamic range. It enhances musicality by bringing details to life.
My experience is as follows: I kept HDR mode on as much as possible. Because it makes better the recordings that are not good. On good recordings, it doesn’t add much, but it doesn’t hurt. Independently of the file format and sampling, HDR is a feature I find useful.
OS/NOS
FC6 gives us the chance to switch between this OS and NOS. OS means oversampling and NOS means non-oversampling. Which is better has been debated for decades. In this article I’m not going to give you a long explanation of os and nos. Instead we’ll talk about which one works best on FC6.
Oversampling is a mode that “oversamples” all frequencies across the spectrum using all possible means. This means that by increasing the sampling rate, the available information is used and more is produced. The OS tries to multiply the amount of information to produce a more accurate sound. In other words, it tries to give you the fullest and most complex version of the music you are listening to.
Non oversampling doesn’t touch the sampling, but it weeds out some of the “wrong” information/sounds without your brain (or ear) realizing it. Think of it as removing the chaotic annoyance you feel when listening to a highly digital sounding source. In my opinion non oversampling works better most of the time. When an unnatural nuance is replaced, your brain replaces it with a better one. NOS is actually based on that. NOS can cause a micro amount of resolution drops.
I choose OS or NOS based on the file quality of the music I’m listening to. If I’m listening to a 24bit/196khz 5056kbps file, I prefer NOS, if I’m listening to a 44.1khz 713kbps file, I prefer OS. In doing so I ignore the tonal differences between OS and NOS because I like both tones, and in the case of the Hibby FC6 the tonal difference is not so huge. In technical terms, it is a lot.
THD+N
In addition, the FC6 has a THD+N rating of 0.6% (32ohm), which is great for an R2R dac. Considering that this device was built to drive iem, we couldn’t expect anything else. Compared to delta sigma dacs, this may sound like a lot, but it is enough. I would like to mention that I have never encountered any problems in this regard.
Usability
Tiny size, light weight (19g), leather case, basic type c connection. Usability is almost perfect. The only problem is the bane of all dongles, parasite.
The FC6 has a very quiet background and noise-free sound. However, some cable movement and the occasional waves emitted by the phone can cause interference, albeit rare. I’m not complaining about this because it’s in every device. But it’s still something you should be aware of.
Last Words
Hiby FC6 is a very successful device both for its price and its dimensions. The pinnacle of the dongle, at least for now. A device that can be used as a main source.
