#wiby — Public Fediverse posts

So I got a HiBy W3 II as another attempt at a "cheap" bluetooth/USB DAC. The first attempt was $30 by 1Mii, this one is $50.

The quality and usability of the 1Mii was really bad. The codec support is very limited so if you have good gear and good hearing, compression artifacts were obvious. It has no controls on it, other than to turn it on and off and a couple of buttons for sharing. The TRS port was quite loose so it wasn't unusual for the headphones to come unplugged easily. I only used this if I needed to untether for a moment, typically if I need to get up during a meeting call.

The HiBy still feels cheap. But it doesn’t sound cheap. It supports a wide array of codecs, including AAC for Apple devices, with a high quality DAC supporting high throughput audio, which, up to a point, equates to higher quality audio. It has volume control as well as play/pause control.

While I don't consider myself, necessarily, an audiophile, I do seem to be able to discern differences most people won't perceive. I can tell the difference between the HiBy and a direct connection to my macbook. But man do I struggle to notice. It was super obvious between the macbook and the 1Mii. While I don't have mega expensive headphones to hear all of the nuances or whatever, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are nothing to sneeze at.

The TRS connection is way more secure. While not quite as strong as I've seen in the past, it's not likely to just fall out.

I find myself leaving my headphones connected through the HiBy. Because it sounds so good, I don't feel a need to switch output devices. And if I need to untether, I just disconnect power and go, no device juggling in Apple Music or Zoom.

The 1Mii has a USB-C port, but it's connected to USB2 hardware so it won't negotiate a PD charge. Basically, it won't take a charge from a modern USB-C power source. As I'd upgraded almost all of my USB power sources, this was a problem for me. The HiBy, in contrast, works fine, charging from any USB source.

Lastly, I'll comment on the range. It's good. It's really good. My garage and my office are on opposites sides of the house and I managed to stay connected with that level of separation, including through doors.

So I'll admit, this was another gamble. But it seems to have paid off this time. I'd recommend the HiBy W3 II if this is something you're looking for.

#Audio #AudioGear #Bluetooth #WiBy #Review #DAC

So I got a HiBy W3 II as another attempt at a "cheap" bluetooth/USB DAC. The first attempt was $30 by 1Mii, this one is $50.

The quality and usability of the 1Mii was really bad. The codec support is very limited so if you have good gear and good hearing, compression artifacts were obvious. It has no controls on it, other than to turn it on and off and a couple of buttons for sharing. The TRS port was quite loose so it wasn't unusual for the headphones to come unplugged easily. I only used this if I needed to untether for a moment, typically if I need to get up during a meeting call.

The HiBy still feels cheap. But it doesn’t sound cheap. It supports a wide array of codecs, including AAC for Apple devices, with a high quality DAC supporting high throughput audio, which, up to a point, equates to higher quality audio. It has volume control as well as play/pause control.

While I don't consider myself, necessarily, an audiophile, I do seem to be able to discern differences most people won't perceive. I can tell the difference between the HiBy and a direct connection to my macbook. But man do I struggle to notice. It was super obvious between the macbook and the 1Mii. While I don't have mega expensive headphones to hear all of the nuances or whatever, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are nothing to sneeze at.

The TRS connection is way more secure. While not quite as strong as I've seen in the past, it's not likely to just fall out.

I find myself leaving my headphones connected through the HiBy. Because it sounds so good, I don't feel a need to switch output devices. And if I need to untether, I just disconnect power and go, no device juggling in Apple Music or Zoom.

The 1Mii has a USB-C port, but it's connected to USB2 hardware so it won't negotiate a PD charge. Basically, it won't take a charge from a modern USB-C power source. As I'd upgraded almost all of my USB power sources, this was a problem for me. The HiBy, in contrast, works fine, charging from any USB source.

Lastly, I'll comment on the range. It's good. It's really good. My garage and my office are on opposites sides of the house and I managed to stay connected with that level of separation, including through doors.

So I'll admit, this was another gamble. But it seems to have paid off this time. I'd recommend the HiBy W3 II if this is something you're looking for.

#Audio #AudioGear #Bluetooth #WiBy #Review #DAC

So I got a HiBy W3 II as another attempt at a "cheap" bluetooth/USB DAC. The first attempt was $30 by 1Mii, this one is $50.

The quality and usability of the 1Mii was really bad. The codec support is very limited so if you have good gear and good hearing, compression artifacts were obvious. It has no controls on it, other than to turn it on and off and a couple of buttons for sharing. The TRS port was quite loose so it wasn't unusual for the headphones to come unplugged easily. I only used this if I needed to untether for a moment, typically if I need to get up during a meeting call.

The HiBy still feels cheap. But it doesn’t sound cheap. It supports a wide array of codecs, including AAC for Apple devices, with a high quality DAC supporting high throughput audio, which, up to a point, equates to higher quality audio. It has volume control as well as play/pause control.

While I don't consider myself, necessarily, an audiophile, I do seem to be able to discern differences most people won't perceive. I can tell the difference between the HiBy and a direct connection to my macbook. But man do I struggle to notice. It was super obvious between the macbook and the 1Mii. While I don't have mega expensive headphones to hear all of the nuances or whatever, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are nothing to sneeze at.

The TRS connection is way more secure. While not quite as strong as I've seen in the past, it's not likely to just fall out.

I find myself leaving my headphones connected through the HiBy. Because it sounds so good, I don't feel a need to switch output devices. And if I need to untether, I just disconnect power and go, no device juggling in Apple Music or Zoom.

The 1Mii has a USB-C port, but it's connected to USB2 hardware so it won't negotiate a PD charge. Basically, it won't take a charge from a modern USB-C power source. As I'd upgraded almost all of my USB power sources, this was a problem for me. The HiBy, in contrast, works fine, charging from any USB source.

Lastly, I'll comment on the range. It's good. It's really good. My garage and my office are on opposites sides of the house and I managed to stay connected with that level of separation, including through doors.

So I'll admit, this was another gamble. But it seems to have paid off this time. I'd recommend the HiBy W3 II if this is something you're looking for.

#Audio #AudioGear #Bluetooth #WiBy #Review #DAC

So I got a HiBy W3 II as another attempt at a "cheap" bluetooth/USB DAC. The first attempt was $30 by 1Mii, this one is $50.

The quality and usability of the 1Mii was really bad. The codec support is very limited so if you have good gear and good hearing, compression artifacts were obvious. It has no controls on it, other than to turn it on and off and a couple of buttons for sharing. The TRS port was quite loose so it wasn't unusual for the headphones to come unplugged easily. I only used this if I needed to untether for a moment, typically if I need to get up during a meeting call.

The HiBy still feels cheap. But it doesn’t sound cheap. It supports a wide array of codecs, including AAC for Apple devices, with a high quality DAC supporting high throughput audio, which, up to a point, equates to higher quality audio. It has volume control as well as play/pause control.

While I don't consider myself, necessarily, an audiophile, I do seem to be able to discern differences most people won't perceive. I can tell the difference between the HiBy and a direct connection to my macbook. But man do I struggle to notice. It was super obvious between the macbook and the 1Mii. While I don't have mega expensive headphones to hear all of the nuances or whatever, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are nothing to sneeze at.

The TRS connection is way more secure. While not quite as strong as I've seen in the past, it's not likely to just fall out.

I find myself leaving my headphones connected through the HiBy. Because it sounds so good, I don't feel a need to switch output devices. And if I need to untether, I just disconnect power and go, no device juggling in Apple Music or Zoom.

The 1Mii has a USB-C port, but it's connected to USB2 hardware so it won't negotiate a PD charge. Basically, it won't take a charge from a modern USB-C power source. As I'd upgraded almost all of my USB power sources, this was a problem for me. The HiBy, in contrast, works fine, charging from any USB source.

Lastly, I'll comment on the range. It's good. It's really good. My garage and my office are on opposites sides of the house and I managed to stay connected with that level of separation, including through doors.

So I'll admit, this was another gamble. But it seems to have paid off this time. I'd recommend the HiBy W3 II if this is something you're looking for.

#Audio #AudioGear #Bluetooth #WiBy #Review #DAC

So I got a HiBy W3 II as another attempt at a "cheap" bluetooth/USB DAC. The first attempt was $30 by 1Mii, this one is $50.

The quality and usability of the 1Mii was really bad. The codec support is very limited so if you have good gear and good hearing, compression artifacts were obvious. It has no controls on it, other than to turn it on and off and a couple of buttons for sharing. The TRS port was quite loose so it wasn't unusual for the headphones to come unplugged easily. I only used this if I needed to untether for a moment, typically if I need to get up during a meeting call.

The HiBy still feels cheap. But it doesn’t sound cheap. It supports a wide array of codecs, including AAC for Apple devices, with a high quality DAC supporting high throughput audio, which, up to a point, equates to higher quality audio. It has volume control as well as play/pause control.

While I don't consider myself, necessarily, an audiophile, I do seem to be able to discern differences most people won't perceive. I can tell the difference between the HiBy and a direct connection to my macbook. But man do I struggle to notice. It was super obvious between the macbook and the 1Mii. While I don't have mega expensive headphones to hear all of the nuances or whatever, my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X are nothing to sneeze at.

The TRS connection is way more secure. While not quite as strong as I've seen in the past, it's not likely to just fall out.

I find myself leaving my headphones connected through the HiBy. Because it sounds so good, I don't feel a need to switch output devices. And if I need to untether, I just disconnect power and go, no device juggling in Apple Music or Zoom.

The 1Mii has a USB-C port, but it's connected to USB2 hardware so it won't negotiate a PD charge. Basically, it won't take a charge from a modern USB-C power source. As I'd upgraded almost all of my USB power sources, this was a problem for me. The HiBy, in contrast, works fine, charging from any USB source.

Lastly, I'll comment on the range. It's good. It's really good. My garage and my office are on opposites sides of the house and I managed to stay connected with that level of separation, including through doors.

So I'll admit, this was another gamble. But it seems to have paid off this time. I'd recommend the HiBy W3 II if this is something you're looking for.

#Audio #AudioGear #Bluetooth #WiBy #Review #DAC