HiBy FC4 Headphone Amplifier Portable DAC with 4.4mm and 3.5mm Headphones Outputs Support MQA16X PCM768K DSD256 High Driving Power for Android/iOS/Mac/Windows

This has quickly become one of my favorite pieces of audio technology. Whether I'm on the go with my android phone or on my laptop with this plugged into a USB-C port, it does a fantastic job of enhancing my audio experience. I've got an original pair of V-Moda M100's and I wanted something for my phone and laptop that would drive these cans effectively, and the HiBy FC4 absolutely delivers, providing a noticeable bump in fidelity that laptop and phone DACs just can't match. Bonus: the adjustable volume rocker on the side is super convenient and I use it way more than I thought I would. If I was going to nit-pick, it would have been nice if the Amp also had microphone pass-through so I could use this with my work laptop, but it's not enough to knock off a star. Considering it's small size and overall effectiveness, this little amp was well worth the price.

The HiBy FC4 Headphone Amplifier has some impressive features. This amp delivers great sound quality, significantly better than my old model. It's lightweight and doesn’t need an external power source—just plug it into your device. The sound is clear and distortion-free, enhancing the performance of various headphones. However, there are a few drawbacks. While it works well with my phone and laptop, it drains the battery quite fast, especially on an iPhone. Some users might find the sound a bit too technical and would prefer something warmer. Also, it may not adequately drive more demanding headphones. Overall, it’s a solid choice for those looking for an affordable, portable DAC, but it’s not without its limitations.

The FC4 is a solid budget Dongle DAC that does exactly what most people want, quality plug and play HiRes sound with no frills or gimmicks. The aluminum construction of the housing is very durable, and both the 3.5mm and 4.4mm jacks engage with a comforting click. The volume rocker is fit snugly in the case, and provides positive feedback when pressed. There is a small LED at the top of the unit indicating power, and the bit rate of the content being played. Included accessories are a functional, yet mediocre quality, rubber sleeved USB 3.0 Type-C to Type-C cable, and that's about it. The DAC is a plug and play affair, and requires no software or utilities to work. Just make sure you select the higher UHD quality in your favorite streaming service, to get the most out of it. The tonality of the FC4 is neutral, leaning bright, with the Classic ESS filtering style giving things that little bit of extra sparkle and detail up top. The so called "ESS Sabre Glare" that gives a tinge of edginess to the treble response. Some brighter IEM users may what to be aware that the FC4 will potentially be a tab bit harsh or sibilant on some tracks because of its brighter nature. Especially when a compared to some of the the CS43131 based DACs out there, which might not have that extra spice up top. But this brighter tonality works great for more mellow or dark IEM's, like the Hidiz MP145, or the AFUL Explorer, or the Tangzu FuDu Verse1, where the FC4 will reward you with a little more detail and technicalities up top, where a more neutral or warm DAC might leave you wanting more. In terms of output quality, the 3.5mm and 4.4mm output sound indistinguishable. Obviously, the 4.4mm output pushes more power behind it, and some IEM's benefit from that, but out of all of my <$100 DACS with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, the FC4's 3.5mm output is second only to the iFi Go-Link MAX in terms of quality. And of course the 4.4mm is perfectly composed, and handles harder to drive sets, like Planars, with ease. Musicality is solid on the FC4, and it feels natural and full, and plays well with all genres thrown at it. When used with the appropriate Lightening OTG Cable, the FC4 also works very well with iOS Devices. And integrates nicely with the interface. It does however lose the independent volume control on the DAC itself. And it does control the iOS primary device volume control instead. Which may be problematic for some, but probably a welcomed feature to an iPhone or iPad users point of view. It is worth mentioning that this unit DOES need FIrmware Updates right out of the box. And I discovered that there is something about AMD Ryzen CPU's, and the way they handle USB, that the HiBy Flash Utility does NOT like. I had to fire up an older Intel based system to get it to work properly, and then the firmware upgrade happened without issue. I imagine it is related to the old x86 compiler used to create the firmware update software, but I digress. I also had one incident where I came back from my laptop after an extended 2 hour long meeting, where I had left this Dongle DAC connected with nothing playing in the background, and it was SUPER HOT! As in Hot Potato, to hot to hold, hot. I have no idea what happened or why, it has never done it again, or since. I thought that maybe it was an issue with the Planars I was using at the time (MP145), but i have used them since with no repeat issue??? Now, if I am stepping away from my phone or laptop or PC for more than 10-15 minutes, I am sure to unplug the FC4. The only other issue I have experienced is slightly higher than average power draw when compared to other similar basic Dongle DAC's, like the Fosi DS2, or Moondrop Dawn Pro. I dont know if this is down to Firmware Logic, or the DAC itself. But it is interesting that the FC4 seems to have a slightly higher battery drain. But it is not obnoxiously high as to be a nuisance. But it is something to at least be aware of. Overall, as long as you understand that this is a basic unit that does exactly what it says it does, and nothing more or less, then it will work perfect for 99% of the people out there looking for that. If you want more features and a control app, look elsewhere, this is a basic Dongle DAC with clean output, and great power handling, that is plug, play, and enjoy, without complications or needless fiddling. It would be an easy 5 star if not for the Firmware Update struggles.

After a FiiO KA11 came in and lasted only 2 minutes before it broke, I doubled the budget, lossless Spotify meant I needed a DAC to go back to my UE Triplefi 10 wired IEMs. Many choices in this price range, but I narrowed it down to the Fosi DS1 or DS2 and this one by HiBy. All three are going to be good choices I think. Very happy with my purchase, just incredibly clear throughout the range, I would say completely neutral. Chose it because of the dual ES9219 chips because I knew I would like that. I am hearing things in songs that I never noticed before. Just a very good unit so far, and very portable. Plenty of power too, I accidentally started a song from my PC without adjusting the volume and almost broke my skull with sound from the Ultimate Ears monitors. New Meze 99 Classics headphones are on their way, can't wait to drive them with this little DAC. Highly recommended, but remember to look at the Fosi units too. Price on the FC4 is down from the original $79 though, making it a great buy.

Update: Returned it. 😱 I liked this unit a lot, as my original review indicated, until it started skipping and cutting out after about 2 weeks. I tried various IEMs and cables with the FC4 and had same problem with all. Meanwhile, the $9 Apple dongle works perfectly. Disappointing, but Hiby QA seems to be lacking. I really like this little DAC. The all aluminum form factor is simple and clean, with quality fit and finish. The sound is great - clear and neutral and there is plenty of of power to drive my IEMs. It’s also fairly light on the battery of my iPhone 15 Pro. I’ve had no connectivity issues at all on IOS; it just works, and works very well. I can’t say a single negative thing about it, and the price is modest to boot. I highly recommend it.

Excellent amp/DAC for the price. Solid construction and 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced output. Waited until I got my Fiio JT7 planar headphones to review. Sound is excellent and no problem driving them. Good value 👍

Build and sound quality are great. And they play almost as loud as my Apollo Twin interface. I wish I could adjust volume via Mac OS as well. Overall, I am happy with this small headphone amp. It does what it promises very well.

Clean Audio. Lots of power. But it's lacks BASS. It's too clean and neutral to me that it's a bit boring for when I need lots of Bass/Sub Bass. Funny enough, I ended up going back to my $10 Ugreen Dongle that sounds more fun to listen to / blends into my IEM Cable without the heft and added weight. I was expecting to have a cheap dongle's level of bass and much more, but sometimes less is more. Subjective to my particular ears and IEMs, but this is my honest experience with the HiBy FC4 DAC. I do apprecite the quality of the dac. Materials feel high quality, the buttons are nice and tactile. Will be returning. IEM Tested: Supermix 4 (Driver Config: 1 DD, 1 BA, 1 PLANAR, 1PZT)

Un producto muy bien acabado y de los pocos DACs + amplificador que realmente cumple los estándares HiFi sin trampas (tanto la frecuencia de muestreo como la de respuesta son de 20Hz-40KHz). Probado con todo tipo de calidades, las reconoce perfectamente. Una maravilla escuchar muestras en DSD512. Además es capaz de mover auriculares muy demandantes. Un gran acierto y en mi opinión muy por encima de sus competidores en este rango de precio.

Very good sound quality. Also the Hiby app is quite good although 2 things I don't like are: 1. When I give Exclusive USB Access each time I plug the dac dongle into my phone or tablet the volume is at 100%. If I forget to turn it down before playing, it is so loud it could actually damage my eardrums. Happened a few times. Just awful. 2. I bought this because I use Tidal to stream my music. Tidal can be accessed directly from the Hiby App but everything is in random order. Playlists, songs etc. Nothing can be sorted a-z. This is basically barely a functional integration. Please Hiby, you have to improve this....

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Per chi cerca un buon DAC per il proprio smartphone, questo HiBy FC4 è consigliatissimo. Piccolo come una penna USB (o poco più), costruito completamente in metallo, solido, e con doppia uscita per gli auricolari, sbilanciata da 3,5mm e bilanciata da 4,4mm. Collegandolo allo smartphone va utilizzata un'applicazione che permette ad Android di bypassare il DAC interno dello smartphone in modo da utilizzare quello di questo dongle, come per esempio USB Audio Player PRO oppure PowerAMP, entrambe a pagamento, o direttamente l'applicazione gratuita HiBy Music, che è stata una bella scoperta perché a discapito di una grafica non proprio accattivante e modernissima è ben fatta, ricca di funzioni, alcune davvero interessanti come per esempio l'equalizzazione MSEB o l'aggiunta di plugin per migliorare l'audio. E' davvero un buon player musicale. Quando utilizzo il dongle uso praticamente sempre HiBy Music, e l'accoppiata è ottima, mentre in auto o senza dongle rimango fedele a Blackplayer EX che è fenomenale sia per grafica che utilizzo, peccato solo non abbia la possibilità di utilizzare un DAC esterno altrimenti sarebbe perfetta. Come file, questo dongle permette di leggere praticamente qualsiasi tipo di formato, dagli mp3 ai flac ai file DSD e MQA. Ad ogni tipologia è associato un colore nel led del dongle, e nei file ad alta risoluzione la qualità è davvero ottima. Io lo utilizzo degli auricolari IEM abbastanza economici (KZ ZS10PRO) ma si sente comunque una meraviglia. Come DAC portatile da smartphone penso abbia un buon rapporto qualità/prezzo. Quelli economici spesso e volentieri sono molto scadenti, mentre quelli con altre funzionalità, ad esempio connettività bluetooth, costano almeno il doppio. Questo è solo cablato, plug&play, e non scarica troppo la batteria del telefono. Nel complesso mi ritengo soddisfatto, quindi 5 stelle piene per questo prodotto.

iPhone XR(Kaiser tone／Amazon)で使用。スマホの機種が古いので、出力等の懸念があったが、TYPE-CからLightningの変換のみでOK。DAC側の出力は決して低いないに、これは非常に有り難い。 音質も鮮明で、イヤホンでも寝室のスピーカーでも、マラカス、トライアングル、ハンドクラッカーといった細かな音も程よく聴こえる。 只、唯一の難点は、接続後にボリュームがiPhone側で操作出来ない事。 DAC側の物理ボタンだと微調整し難い。まあ、私の場合、Kaiser toneのgainで対応出来るので、問題ないのだが。 それ以外は本当に文句なしです。