If my current HiBy R6 III (Gen 3, ESS) is compared to driving a BMW, the R6Pro MAX is a Rolls Royce.
It is easy, smooth, and suave. It doesn’t make a big deal of representing a soundstage that’s exactly studio-like. Natural, not heavy on any particular frequency (do not expect heart thumping bass) and extremely coherent. It’s like you’re sitting in front of the artists themselves, in a studio, with a performance made just for you alone. Each frequency - the lows, mids, highs and everything else in between - are effortlessly detailed and precise.
All IEMs I have tried with it, i.e. the 64 Audio Volür, Symphonium Meteor, Penon Quattro and Kiwi Ears Quintet are driven best at Low or Middle Gain, with me personally finding that High Gain makes it all muddy. I am yet to try it with my HiFiMan Ananda Planar headphones, and will update this review as the journey with this masterpiece of a device continues. Rarely do I find myself being fondly attached to any device so quickly. It may be safe to say the R6Pro MAX does have something special. Only time will tell.
Lastly, the design is phenomenal and classy. The weight of the unit is evenly balanced and not top-heavy, making it very easy to handle in spite of its 500 gramme weight.
My only gripe, because I just HAVE to find one is that the case provided is quite impractical as the device tends to slide out from the top opening, and it interferes with the UI gestures. On the flip side, the quality of the case is top-notch making the device feel extremely premium with its carbon fiber-like finish.
Kudos to HiBy. Clearly a lot of effort and thought has been put into introducing something like this. We may be looking at a potential market game-changer.
(All IEMs have been tested with the OE 2DualCPS Silver Upgrade Cable)