First off, let me just say – this little guy punches WAY above its weight class. The HiBy M300 feels like someone shrunk a high-end audio setup into something that fits in my jeans pocket. That CS43131 DAC chip? It’s no joke. I threw everything at it – from DSD256 classical tracks to gritty 90s hip-hop FLAC files – and it handled them all with this ridiculously smooth, warm sound that made my AirPods Pro feel like dollar store earbuds.

Here’s the real magic trick though: Bluetooth actually sounds GOOD on this thing. I tested it with my car stereo (because let’s be real, who still has AUX ports?) and nearly drove off the road when Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ hit – the bass wasn’t just loud, you could FEEL the texture of every note. Same with wired listening through my KZ IEMs – instruments suddenly had actual space between them instead of mushing together like a Spotify stream on my iPhone.

The Android 13 OS is shockingly snappy for a $200 device. I downloaded Tidal, Qobuz, and even messed around with USB Audio Player Pro – zero lag. Though fair warning: try running Instagram on this and it chugs like an old laptop (but honestly, if you’re buying this to scroll TikTok, we need to have a different conversation).

Now for the quirks: Yes, it gets warm during long sessions. No, the buttons aren’t perfectly intuitive (why can’t I skip backward?). And that MSEB EQ system? It’s like audio witchcraft – tweaking ‘Female Overtones’ or ‘Bass Extension’ sliders actually does noticeable things to the soundstage in ways normal EQs can’t touch.

Final verdict? If you catch yourself thinking ‘my phone sounds fine,’ this isn’t for you yet. But if you’ve ever winced at compressed streaming audio or wanted to actually hear that $500 pair of headphones at their full potential without selling a kidney? The M300 is your gateway drug into proper hi-fi.