The R2R legend returns - Hiby RS8 MKII

Just before Christmas 2025, it finally arrived: The new Hiby RS8 MKII.

Its predecessor from 2022 basically made R2R mainstream in DAPs. The RS8 impressed me immediately because it brought a "new naturalness" to mobile Head-Fi back then. Here is our blog from that time:

The new naturalness - Hiby RS8 Flagship DAP

The RS8 quickly became a customer favorite, not only because of its incredibly "analog" sound signature but also because it was pretty much the only DAP at the time that could drive demanding large headphones - and do it really well!

Rightly so, it received an extremely high rating of 9.5 points from headfonics.com!

So it was clear to me that the RS8 MKII would be one of my most anticipated devices of 2025, and my expectations and hopes for the successor were accordingly high.

But before I want to address whether these expectations were met, here are a few pictures of the new RS8 MKII...

The packaging is compact and simple, yet still looks very elegant. 

When opening, the user is greeted with the Owners-Card, and a clever mechanism brings our new gem into an angled position when the lid is opened - similar to the presentation of high-quality watches or jewelry. - A very nice and amusing effect. 

Under the Owners-Card hides the new RS8 MKII, and I believe it’s already clear from the photos that Hiby is fully committed to quality with their new flagship!

The workmanship is flawless, and the industrial design looks modern and extremely elegant even in the gold or champagne-colored variant.

As is usual with Hiby, a very high-quality leather case is included.

The right side of the RS8 MKII houses the main controls and a concealed SD card slot.

A "Designed by Hiby" logo proudly adorns the back...

The bottom offers connections for headphones (4.4 and 3.5mm), Balanced Line-Out (4.4mm), a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, and newly an I2S output to integrate the RS8 MKII into top-quality hi-fi systems (for example as a streamer).

The "Crown": The volume control evokes associations with the crown of high-quality analog watches for me, and it’s a pleasure to operate!

The 5.5-inch screen of the RS8 MKII offers HD resolution and is of excellent quality. Thanks to Hiby’s perfectly optimized Android 13 system, operation is extremely smooth and intuitive. 

The necessary power is provided by an absolute flagship mobile processor: For the first time, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen2 is used in a DAP, and it feels like operating a modern smartphone. A generous 16GB RAM and a large 512GB internal storage do their part to set the RS8 MKII apart from the competition.

Sound Check

Once you have had your fill of the exterior of the new Hiby flagship (which for me still hasn't happened), you become all the more curious about the inner values - in other words: the sound. Because as beautiful as the device is to look at, we want to listen to music with it!

Playing partner

For testing, I used two of the latest flagship IEMs, which are also currently my favorite in-ear monitors:

1) The VOLK Audio Etoile
2) The Noble Audio Kronos
3) RAAL Immanis

Comparison devices

1) Lotoo Mjölnir
2) Cayin N30LE

Both IEMs are characterized by a very balanced sound profile towards a reference tuning and come as close to a perfect tuning here as hardly any other product. 

Both share these similarities but still differ in some points, which complement each other: While the Etoile is tuned a bit more neutrally, the Kronos perhaps has a touch more warmth and a bit more bass in the midrange. Both are sonically and technically on the same (very high) level.

And both scale with the connected source: The higher the quality, the better.

First impressions

After the first few seconds, one thing is clear: The new RS8 MKII is very different from the old RS8, and yet there are similarities: 

The most important commonality is the naturalness of the music presentation. This has also been preserved in Hiby’s new R2R flagship and, thanks to the new tuning, plays on a new level!

While the old RS8 sounded very sonorous and warm – as one would generally expect from R2R devices – the new RS8 MKII plays much more neutrally. It offers significantly more detail and overtones than the old one, without ever becoming "sharp" or unpleasant. 

Like in the cinema

But the most impressive thing is its spatiality: In combination with the IEMs or headphones I tested, the Hiby develops an almost three-dimensional sound image: With the Halo 2 Anniversary Soundtrack, the instruments wander/float around my head as if I were sitting in the middle of a large surround system with many speakers. Simply uncanny!

In addition, the RS8 MKII offers a power and attack that comes close to that of large hi-fi components and even makes my favorite, the Lotoo Mjölnir, sweat considerably.

The direct comparison with the (limited and no longer available) N30LE from Cayin then brings certainty: This is mobile hi-fi on a whole new level. The Cayin N30LE was considered by many (including myself) as the best mobile DAP in the world so far, and although the RS8 MKII is tonally tuned differently, it plays at the same sound level.

2 customers who own the N30LE as well as the N30LE Amber Pearl Edition and compared it with the RS8 MKII confirmed my impressions and were deeply impressed:

The N30LE cost nearly 5000,- CHF back then, is almost twice as heavy and significantly larger than the new Hiby. A technical masterpiece!

Oh yes, the following photo prompted a customer to write me a disbelieving email:

He wanted to know if you could actually operate the RAAL Immanis with the RS8 MKII. I told him I took the photo because the two devices look good together, but his question wouldn't let me rest.

Actually, the RAAL Immanis requires at least about 2.0 W per channel (with interface) and the RS8 MKII delivers only 0.812 W according to the manufacturer. 

The shock

Whatever - I still connected the Hiby and was shocked: The RS8 MKII can drive the RAAL Immanis without any problems - and not just somehow, but really well! Sure, you need the high-gain mode and I had to turn the volume up to almost 80%, but it sounded great and was definitely loud enough to really rock it! 

A customer who tested in our showroom even liked the combo better than with the Lotoo Mjölnir. Wow! 😱😍

Oh yes: There was also feedback on the comparison with Astell&Kern's new SP4000 from another customer. I am reproducing it here 1:1: 

"Holy sh** the Hiby is brutal 😎. I should actually be working but I'm still listening to music 😂. 10x better than the AK SP4000."

Conclusion

Three and a half years after the popular RS8, Hiby brings its latest flagship, the RS8 MKII, and once again manages to set new standards for DAPs. Standards in design, operation, speed, and of course especially in sound.

The new Hiby RS8 MKII is once again a milestone in the development of mobile hi-fi devices and especially in combination with really good IEMs and headphones shows that you can enjoy music on the go without compromises - just like on a very good large stereo system! 

For me, the RS8 MKII is currently the best DAP on the market.

Test at home and in the showroom

You can test the Hiby RS8 MKII with us in the showroom or at home without obligation and convince yourself of its qualities. 

Schedule a demo appointment with us (tel: +41 77 403 35 26 | email: info@audioessence.ch)

More exciting blogs on the topic

Volk Audio Étoile Review by Josh Chang

A Star is born - Volk Audio ÉTOILE Part 2

Force of nature for the senses - Lotoo Mjölnir

On Olympus - Satin Audio Zeus II Eternal