Hiby W4 Portable HIFI Bluetooth Headphone Amplifier Review – Dual Core, Dual Mode, Uncharge DAC
Hiby W4 is a $99 USD Portable DAC and HEadphone Amplifier, with Dual CS43198 DAC at the core, Bluetooth 5.4 support, and a multitude of protocols supported including aptX, LDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX HD, and others. Today we will review the W4 and explore how it stacks against the world as well as how it sounds like.
Introduction
Hiby is best known for developing software, so it was a rather big surprise for me when they announced the W4, but it was an even bigger surprise when I saw how popular W4 is in Asia, where it is considered by many a staple of the Bluetooth DAC AMP receiver. I don’t quite understand the secret to it yet, but in this review we will explore how W4 got so popular, how it sounds like and why Hiby spent so much time developing it.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to Hiby for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Sh54nu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3fTFJjx
Build Quality – Design
At its core, W4 is a Bluetooth DAC and Headphone Amplifier, similar to FiiO BTR17 and FiiO BTR15, but considering that BTR17 is 199 USD and BTR15 is 119 USD, then W4 is much closer to BTR15 in price. Focusing on W4, it comes with a QCC5181 Bluetooth Chip and with a Dual CS43198 DAC as the main DAC solution. I don’t really understand why some companies call those Bluetooth headphone amplifiers, when the DAC part is actually even more important. The amplifier part is powered by two SGM8262 amplifier chips.
Hiby has right now the king Bluetooth codec support list, including aptX Adaptive, aptX LossLess, aptX-HD, aptX, LDAC and AAC and SBC. This theoretically includes everything minus LHDC, which my phone does not support anyways so I wouldn’t be able to test in the review. Sadly, no smartphone flagship supports LHDC and most of them don’t support aptX Lossless, aptX HD nor any advanced bluetooth codec either, and the first moment I see a smartphone manufacturer launch something even half decent with Bluetooth I am surely jumping on it.
We are also seeing the Battery Life being decent, with the 3.5mm output offering a 6.3 hours of battery life via Continuous AAC Playback. For the 4.4mm balanced headphone output, you will expect a battery life of 5 hours. The power output is vastly different with the single ended headphone output offering 125mW per channel of power, while the 4.4mm balanced headphone output will pump 475mW of power per channel.
You can purchase W4 in multiple colors, including Black, White, Green, Yellow, Orange and Cyan. Battery size is 1500 mAh, and W4 has a 2″ colour touchscreen, with USB DAC mode supported. Uncharge means that W4 will run using its own internal battery and not discharge the battery of the smartphone. You will be able to see cover art on the display of the W4.
Subjective Usage
First thing that was not mentioned anywhere but which I noticed in an instant is that W4 has a touchscreen that you can use to control it. Default orientation makes all the outputs and inputs at the top, and it has buttons on the sides which is nice. I saw a setting for NOS, which I don’t really understand because the CS43198 DAC is not an R2R DAC so OS / NOS should not be possible with W4.
I assumed that the upper right corner is a volume wheel, but it does not move and it is not a volume wheel, instead being just an aesthetic accessory, as you use buttons to set the volume of the W4. You can touch on UAC2 on the main display to switch between BT and UAC 2.0 input. As it is UAC 2.0, that means W4 will theoretically not work with Nintendo Switch and other consoles that only have support for UAC 1.0.
Total number of volume steps is very low at 15 steps, so you don’t have a granular volume control at all, and even at absolute maximum over the balanced headphone output, the power is weak, barely enough for Moritz Audio Enzo which is an in-ear pair of IEMs, and I am on high gain, balanced output, and providing power to W4, so it is made for portable earphones and not for hard to drive headphones. Cover art support does not work for USB DAC mode, but it does work for Bluetooth mode with s24 Ultra.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired Hiby W4 with multiple IEMs and Headphones including Faith Audio E1000, Grell OAE2, Lily Audio Genesis One, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, TinHIFI T7, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Moritz Aura, HarmonicDyne Romantic, Hiby Digital Yume, HIFIMAN Audivina LE, HIFIMAN Ananda Unveiled, Westone Mach 80, BQEYZ Winter II, Fosi Audio IM4, Aune AC55.
It has very low maximum driving power, a low number of volume steps and it is perfect for IEMS and very easy to drive headphones, not adequate for hard to drive headphones and best used for portable IEMs. It might even struggle to achieve a high volume with sensitive IEMs, but the driving is good, with good bass and low distortion.
Overall Signature – Hiby W4 sounds a bit warm, a bit smooth and has a good synergy with pop music and modern music, but it lacks the edge and aggro side for rock and metal. It also has a low maximum driving power which makes it a bit relaxed and smooth. It will take away some treble energy and put in a bit of extra mid bass. The NOS button does not do much for the sound as the DAC inside is a Delta Sigma DAC, but you can fine tune the sound with Filters and EQ, although results of filters are very small,a s you’d expect from a CS43198 DAC combo. EQ is very effective.
Bass – Starting from the low-end, W4 sounds a bit boomy and warm, with a good presence of bass and some extra weight in the 60 Hz – 120 Hz range, adding a bit of extra bloom and boom to each song. It has a bloomy bass character, a bit slow and a bit less bouncy than the raw type of bass present there. This adds some coloration to the midrange and at default it sounds warm and a bit boomy rather than truly neutral.
Midrange – Mids are sweet, with a good female voice presence, it emphasizes with tenor male voices more than bass male voices, and it is not really made for death metal growls, instead sounding better with thinner vocals and guitar solos / pianos. This means less djent and more post hardcore for W4.
Treble – Top end is on the smoother end of things, relaxed and a bit laid-back as W4 sounds rather laid-back and not overly aggressive.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is extended with no audible compression in wired mode, but audible compression in Bluetooth mode. Textures are generally wet towards waxy and fluid, while W4 has a relaxed tuning in general.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – You will struggle to go beyond 110 dB with most IEMs, Headphones and it does handle its maximum volume wheel, but sounds very quiet even at high volumes. This is a bit disappointing as the quoted max power should be plenty, but in reality, it is best for quiet listening and medium volumes at most.
Soundstage – Soundstage is as wide and extended as the dynamic range, it is not a technical staging and does not separate the instruments strongly, instead sounding a bit vague and blended, but large and deep also.
Value – Conclusion
When you factor in the low price of the W4, it is an excellent product, it costs little but offers a lot, it is interesting and fun to use without breaking the bank, and it also has both USB DAC and bluetooth functions, can be attached to your phone and has its own internal battery with a fair life. Value for the money is great if you listen at quiet levels.
Hiby made W4 a winner DAC AMP with Bluetooth and it is very similar to FiiO BTR15, the most direct competitor, but with many extra features like the display, cover art support, as well as its unique shape and way of attaching to your phone which makes it a great choice if you’re into portable music listening.
PROs
- Smooth and warm sound that is a bit romantic
- Cover art support and good bluetooth receiver quality
- Ergonomic and small, with a nice color theme
- Multiple colors available
- Good EQ support and UAC 2.0 Support with only minor DAC delay
- Strong Bluetooth codec support
- Top value for the money
Cons
- Very few volume steps, 15 not being enough for a granular volume control
- Low maximum loudness, below 110 dB at max even with easy to drive IEMs
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Sh54nu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3fTFJjx
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
