# HiBY W5 - 192KHz Bluetooth audio breakthrough



## IryxBRO (Mar 5, 2019)

HiBy W5 — the world’s first Bluetooth DAC/AMP receiver with UAT (Ultra Audio Transmission) codec that might set the new wireless audio standards for the entire industry. 192KHz Ultra Audio Transmission technology was developed by HiBy as new generation of Bluetooth audio codec superior to all previous standards. HiBy has managed to take the advantage of Bluetooth 5.0 and overcome previous bandwidth limitations that didn’t allow sufficient data transfer speeds, consequently lowering sampling frequency. With the introduction of UAT, 192KHz files with the maximum transfer rate of 1.2Mbps would be streamed directly from the source to headphones with no further downsampling.






*HiBy W5 technical specifications and discription:*

Type: Bluetooth audio receiver with integrated DAC&AMP
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 (CSR8675)
Bluetooth audio codecs: SBC, AAC, apt-X, apt-X_LL, apt-X HD, LDAC, *UAT*
Max. bit rate: *1.2Mbps*
Max. bit depth: 24bit
Max. sampling frequency: *192kHz*
DAC&AMP chip: ESS Sabre ES9218P
SNR: 118dB
THD+N: -103dB
Output power: 80mW+80mW@32Ω
Audio output: 3.5mm
Control elements: 1 sensor button + LED indicator
Battery life: ≥20 hours (W5 battery + cradle battery), ≥100 hours at standby
Compatibility: Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS
Other features: intergrated mic for voice calls, IP67 waterproof, remote control by HiBY Music app
Weight: 19.5g (W5), 57.1g (cradle)


Short comparison of main specs of the two latest audio codecs developed by Qualcomm (apt-X HD) and Sony (LDAC):





As far as we understand, HiBy might be pushing their innovation to different vendors right after confirming that it is perfectly stable. Anyway, W5 is compatible with all currently available BT audio codecs and could be paired to any other audio source supporting Bluetooth. Therefore, you can use it with any DAPs or smartphones and enjoy all advantages of the latest wireless audio transmission technologies.



HiBy has launched W5 on KickStarter on 5th of March and would start delivering production units on May. Next post of this thread would contain our review of fully functional peproduction sample.




__________________________________________________________________________________________
*LINKS:*

*HiBy W5 on KickStarter: LINK  
Official HiBy W5 page: LINK*

__________________________________________________________________________________________
*Reviews:*

*1. IryxBRO review: LINK*
2. *HiBy W5 on HeadFi:* *LINK*
3. *Review by Audio123: LINK*
4. *Review by Headfonics: LINK*

__________________________________________________________________________________________
*FAQ:*


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## IryxBRO (Mar 5, 2019)

*My review is here*

*Review by Audio123: LINK*
*Review by Headfonics: LINK*


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## jant71

Hmmm, no volume control is a deal breaker for me  and other controls being worse than necessary doesn't help either... press and then press and hold to power down? I can see on TW earphones at their size but a BT amp should have the three control buttons at least like most others do.


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## manukmanohar

jant71 said:


> Hmmm, no volume control is a deal breaker for me  and other controls being worse than necessary doesn't help either... press and then press and hold to power down? I can see on TW earphones at their size but a BT amp should have the three control buttons at least like most others do.



Oh, no! Lack of volume control is a bummer.

Btw , @IryxBRO , would you know what is the output impedance of the 3.5 mm out. (becomes important for OI sensitive iems like Massdrop Plus, Andromeda).


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## IryxBRO

manukmanohar said:


> Oh, no! Lack of volume control is a bummer.
> 
> Btw , @IryxBRO , would you know what is the output impedance of the 3.5 mm out. (becomes important for OI sensitive iems like Massdrop Plus, Andromeda).



No data. Should check or ask. I would update if I'd have this info


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## rendyG

I would really want to support Hiby on this project, but Earstudio ES100 just seems like a better option still, except w5 may sound just a touch better.
It doesn't have balanced out, volume buttons, the software and mainly it can't match the ES's battery life..
Now I'm regretting I didn't jump on ES100 back then :/  I didn't believe in bluetooth, until I tried ES100 for a minute recently.

Am I missing something?


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## audio123

My take on the HiBy W5. Enjoy & Happy Listening, as always! 





manukmanohar said:


> Oh, no! Lack of volume control is a bummer.
> 
> Btw , @IryxBRO , would you know what is the output impedance of the 3.5 mm out. (becomes important for OI sensitive iems like Massdrop Plus, Andromeda).


I got you. Quite silent with my Andromeda!


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## subtec

IryxBRO said:


> HiBy has managed to take the advantage of Bluetooth 5.0 and overcome previous bandwidth limitations that didn’t allow sufficient data transfer speeds


This is a little misleading. Audio transmission is done over Bluetooth Classic, and BT Classic hasn't changed with BT 5.0. Only if it was using Bluetooth Low Energy (which it isn't) would BT 5.0 make a difference.


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## Joe Bloggs

IryxBRO said:


> No data. Should check or ask. I would update if I'd have this info


The output impedance is under one ohm. For more information, the w5's DAC and amp are the ESS ES9218P combo DAC/amp chip.



manukmanohar said:


> Oh, no! Lack of volume control is a bummer.
> 
> Btw , @IryxBRO , would you know what is the output impedance of the 3.5 mm out. (becomes important for OI sensitive iems like Massdrop Plus, Andromeda).


Actually it has volume and transport buttons, if a single button overloaded with button combos counts


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## Pro-Jules

Will I be able to listen to a HiBy R6 Pro in the highest quality setting UAT and also receive phone calls via my iPhone?  

I other words will it be 'multi device'?


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## IryxBRO

Pro-Jules said:


> Will I be able to listen to a HiBy R6 Pro in the highest quality setting UAT and also receive phone calls via my iPhone?
> 
> I other words will it be 'multi device'?



Can't tell anything about the IPhone but Android allows to receive calls no matter which codec is currently used


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## Joe Bloggs

Pro-Jules said:


> Will I be able to listen to a HiBy R6 Pro in the highest quality setting UAT and also receive phone calls via my iPhone?
> 
> I other words will it be 'multi device'?


It connnects to one device at a time...


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## IryxBRO

Joe Bloggs said:


> It connnects to one device at a time...



Yep, but what is the point of sending data from R6Pro if sending it from a phone would be give the same sound quality.... don't know about IPhone in this case


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## Pro-Jules

Some Bluetooth devices can multi-pair. 

Would be handy to be alerted and be able to take calls on my headphones.


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## ClieOS

I am interested as well. Unfortunately I can't place an pre-order on Hiby store for now as apparently I need to order it from a local distributor. Guess it will take a little longer to get one.


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## raykkho

Some of us have received the final product and initial listening is very positive, especially from such a tiny device via Bluetooth!


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## Pro-Jules

Is the highest setting of UAT better sounding than LDAC?


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## raykkho

Pro-Jules said:


> Is the highest setting of UAT better sounding than LDAC?



I cannot answer that question since if I'm correct, only a handful of DAP or device has UAT, such as Hiby's own R6. Using my OnePlus 6T and LDAC, I'm getting 24/96 max, but it does sound much better than direct from phone, more texture and punch for sure.


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## Hal Rockwell

raykkho said:


> I cannot answer that question since if I'm correct, only a handful of DAP or device has UAT, such as Hiby's own R6. Using my OnePlus 6T and LDAC, I'm getting 24/96 max, but it does sound much better than direct from phone, more texture and punch for sure.



From what I understand, you can stream UAT using Hiby app, on any android device.


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## Joe Bloggs

Yes but the version of HiByMusic that does this is still being examined on the Play Store prior to release.


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## Pro-Jules (May 29, 2019)

I have an R6 Pro 

I just got an email that it's been mailed and will arrive in a few days


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## Zaphyre

I got mine today. While I'm happy with the sound quality, I do have some issues I can't seem to figure out. Firstly does anyone know where you get the "HiBy Blue" remote control app it mentions in the instruction manual? The QR code takes you to a page in Chinese which doesn't seem to contain any download links anyway. Second, in terms of the controls on the w5 device itself, how do you change volume? The instruction manual mentions many things you can do with the one button, but that doesn't seem to be one which is kind of weird.


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## Mitch_maio

Joe Bloggs said:


> Yes but the version of HiByMusic that does this is still being examined on the Play Store prior to release.


Hey Joe, could you please provide us with a link to HibyBlue while it is not in Play Store yet?
I guess we all do want to have it as our W5s are already received.
Thank you in advance!


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## Joe Bloggs

Zaphyre said:


> I got mine today. While I'm happy with the sound quality, I do have some issues I can't seem to figure out. Firstly does anyone know where you get the "HiBy Blue" remote control app it mentions in the instruction manual? The QR code takes you to a page in Chinese which doesn't seem to contain any download links anyway. Second, in terms of the controls on the w5 device itself, how do you change volume? The instruction manual mentions many things you can do with the one button, but that doesn't seem to be one which is kind of weird.





Mitch_maio said:


> Hey Joe, could you please provide us with a link to HibyBlue while it is not in Play Store yet?
> I guess we all do want to have it as our W5s are already received.
> Thank you in advance!



HiBy Blue has just made it to Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hiby.blue

Music volume is controlled via the Bluetooth signal (e.g. the smartphone volume controls).  If the smartphone fails to control the volume, separate volume controls are provided in HiBy Blue.

UAT would have to wait for the new version of HiByMusic being evaluated.


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## Zaphyre

Joe Bloggs said:


> HiBy Blue has just made it to Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hiby.blue
> 
> Music volume is controlled via the Bluetooth signal (e.g. the smartphone volume controls).  If the smartphone fails to control the volume, separate volume controls are provided in HiBy Blue.
> 
> UAT would have to wait for the new version of HiByMusic being evaluated.


Ok thanks.

Do settings changed in that app persist after disconnection or being powered off? Just wondering for my non-smartphone bluetooth devices.


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## Mitch_maio

Joe Bloggs said:


> Yes but the version of HiByMusic that does this is still being examined on the Play Store prior to release.


Just to clarify, today i updated w5 firmware but i can not select UAT in HibyBlue settings, what am i doing wrong, we should wait for new HibuMusic app release?
Thank you in advance!


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## Hal Rockwell

Mitch_maio said:


> Just to clarify, today i updated w5 firmware but i can not select UAT in HibyBlue settings, what am i doing wrong, we should wait for new HibuMusic app release?
> Thank you in advance!



Like Joe said, the Hiby Blue that supports UAT, is being evaluated, and is not yet released for download in the play store.


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## ClieOS

Just placed an order. Hope it arrives soon.


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## navydragon

I hate this device, very troublesome and sensitive touch controls, battery is so so, and it drains even when kept inside the charging case. The clip thing falls off most of the time. I barely use it, i very mich prefer my ES100.


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## revand

Mitch_maio said:


> Just to clarify, today i updated w5 firmware but i can not select UAT in HibyBlue settings, what am i doing wrong, we should wait for new HibuMusic app release?
> Thank you in advance!



I have the W5 one week now. 
On my W5 UAT is not working as expected! Hiby informed me that the Bluetooth receiver of the W5 can be 
found at the bottom (clip) side. I tried to play some songs using UAT. In Hiby Music Android app in the Settings I switched on the Hiby UAT function. If I faced the bottom (clip) part of the W5 toward my Xiaomi MI8 phone CD resolution music stored on my phone was played, and the level of SQ was fine. However if I tried to play a High-Res music file from my NAS the playback was stuttering all the time even if the W5 was hold 5 cm from the phone. 
Hiby Blue is now available on Play Store. In Hiby Blue someone can check the codec used (UAT for example).
TIDAL is not yet available on Hiby Music app. Hiby is trying to make an agreement with TIDAL.
I do hope that with a later firmware update these problems will be solved.
Otherwise the W5 is a fantastic device using LDAC!

I am using it with a Vorzüge Pure II+ portable amp, and they together sound like heaven!
So I am not worrying about UAT.


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## cleg

My take on subj


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## ClieOS

Seriously, this one might be more interesting: Hiby W3 (link)


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