Hiby Digital Xeno Review
Intro
Hello, today I have with me the latest from the audio brand Hiby Digital named the Hiby Digital Xeno (early bird price=$99). The Xeno came to me awhile back and so I’ve had ample time to play around and chill with them in my ears and folks I’m not going to beat around the bush on this because it is really a special sounding set. The Xeno is a dual driver iem consisting of one 10mm dynamic driver and one MEMS driver along with some great tech involved including two special dac chips (Cirrus Logic CS43131 & ES9018C2M), inventive DSP chip and a lot of functionality to tune the sound to your liking. I’ll definitely explain later.
Hiby
Friends, with all of Hiby’s experience it’s no wonder they’d come out with something so advanced in tech. They’ve had years working with all different types of audio devices, from daps, dac/amps, Bluetooth devices to earphones etc. They have been around for a long time! Something tells me they aren’t going anywhere. Now, Hiby Digital is actually a sister brand to the parent company Hiby Audio, and they are truly brand new within the market coming out with only one other device. That is the Hiby Digital M300. The M300 was and is a huge success and so I wonder how well the Xeno will do at attracting potential suitors. After all, the Xeno is a crowd funded iem. At any rate, Hiby has been at this audio thing for a long-time folks and it’s good to see the culmination of their knowledge and expertise put into a set which only costs a mere $99 which can serve so many people very well. Also, know that Hiby has been at this audio game a very long time. I’ve reviewed a few of their sets and audio devices as well. Devices like the Hiby R3 II (R3 II Review) and the Hiby R6 Pro ii (R6 Pro 2 Review). I’ve also reviewed a few of their iems in the Hiby Yvain (Yvain Review), and the Hiby Zeta (Zeta Review). I know it isn’t some huge catalog of sets and devices, but each has been really nice with what’s out there.
One-of-a-kind
I find it hard to place a set like this to be honest with you. I have no real bearings on its competitors or where I place it amongst the pantheon of audio products. It’s DSP, has features, and isn’t the same as a regular iem in its use case. Not entirely anyways. I’ll try my best, but I wouldn’t expect one of my usual reviews here. Usually this is the point in the intro that I state how many amazing sets range within its price point. However, after careful examination and my own due diligence I can assuredly say that the Xeno is sort of… one-of-a-kind. Or at least one of a small number of earphones which is presented in this manner. Again, hard to place, and I think that’s where a crowd funded effort helps a new brand like Hiby Digital to find their crowd, find their market, find their demographic, and it’s a solid way to find out where this tech fits in the grand Audioverse. Like, who is it for? Is the price reasonable and are there alternatives which could be a better fit? I have to admit that I have many more questions. Lucky for me I get to do what I enjoy while figuring it out. With that, I think this intro is about finished and I’m ready to try my shot at explaining the Hiby Digital Xeno. So, without further ado, the Hiby Digital Xeno everyone…
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Disclaimer:
I received the Hiby Digital Xeno from Hiby as a review sample, and in exchange I will conduct a full review and feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. I have not received any payment or any other form of compensation for this review. Also, Hiby has not requested to pre-read any review and doesn’t have any control over “what” or “when” anything gets published to mobileaudiophile.com. All thoughts within this review are my own, though please take note that I will always have my own biases. This is impossible to get around. I try to be as objective as my subjective self can be, but this is an opinion piece folks. Thank you to the very kind people of Hiby, and thanks for reading.
Xeno Pros
-Very light, ergonomic, great for long sessions
-Two popular and highly regarded dac chips (CS43131 / ES9018C2M)
-Highly customizable PEQ settings
-Super for phone calls
-Almost no latency for gaming, videos (<15ms)
-Use of Cowell xMEMS drivers (really a nice driver tech)
-Sound is very clean, precise, neutral when EQ’d
-Great energy across the mix
-Fast punchy bass or deep guttural bass (your choice)
-Detailed and vibrant midrange
-Clinical, airy, detailed, and well extended highs
-Detail Retrieval
-Separation of instruments
-Imaging is fantastic, fantastic for gaming (says my son “expert”)
Xeno Cons
-Made of plastic
-Look may not be for everyone
-Non-removable cable and cable is springy
-Stock tuning isn’t the best (for me)
-Need to know (or learn) how to use a parametric equalizer
-Fit may not be perfect for everyone too
Packaging / Accessories
Unboxing
Well, this will be wildly short lived. I say that because I didn’t get a package with this set. I suppose because I was an early reciever of the Xeno and maybe the packaging has yet to be crafted. Anyways, all I got was the carrying case and inside was the earphones and some eartips. I’m quite positive that Hiby Digital will provide an actual box for you, but I cannot explain that here today.
Eartips
The Xeno comes equipped with three sets of eartips (S, M, L). Or at least my early set came with three. I’m assuming your will too. Anyways, the Xeno’s eartips are almost identical to KBear 07 eartips. However, they are all white/opaque colored and they too have a semi-wide bore. Actually, very good tips. That said, I didn’t use the included tips when using the Xeno. I actually went through a slew of tips as most of them broke the seal for me. What I ended up using was Final Audio E-Tips. I found that they helped the Xeno to fit perfectly in my ears and also helped the Xeno out sonically. Obviously, you may be entirely different from me and have a completely different experience. You may get a good and comfortable fit with most any set of tips, how is one to know? Still, the eartips which come included are very nice and very serviceable for a collection.
Carrying case
I was glad to see that Hiby Digital provided a carrying case with this set as you do need a place to store the Xeno. Otherwise, you will be wadding them up into your pockets which is never a promising thing. That’s if you don’t want them to break. Nevertheless, Hiby did add in a nice leather case. This case is black in color and has a narrow shape, rectangular, with a flap that closes over two pins. Inside simply feels like leather. Soft enough, protective. What I like about this case first is its size. I can fit this one in my front jeans pocket with no issues whatsoever. No weird bulge. Next, I like that the case is sturdy without being made of plastic or some other more rigid material. This case really will protect your earphones while feeling soft. I guess I have no real good reason for liking this other than it’s different. Lastly, it’s cool looking.
Cable
Like I said, the cable is a non-removable style with fixed earphones attached. I know I know, we don’t generally like this. However, it really isn’t a bad cable. You can tell it’s made to last as it has some toughness to it. The fittings attached to the cable feel robust enough for daily use as well. The cable is all black like the earphones and covered in fabric. The cable is a silver-plated copper cable (SPC). At the end of the cable is a type-c connector and in the middle of the cable is the control panel which features four buttons in total. It has a volume down, volume up, play/pause/answer/hang up, and a multi-function button. It’s really not a terribly bad fixed cable folks. It certainly doesn’t feel ultra cheap or anything. You shouldn’t expect some fat braided cable for a situation like the Xeno. This is something that needs to be hardy, durable, and should be used more for its purpose rather than its design. That said, the design isn’t bad at all, and the control panel is pretty neat with all that it houses inside.
Downsides of the cable
Again, it is non-removable and so that is a huge problem for people that have grown accustomed to being able to swap out earphones or swap cables. That’s the first thing. Next, it is hard to gather together and wrap up in that, the second I put that freshly hand-wrapped cable down, it just springs open. I don’t really like that. So, what I’ve had to do is place it immediately into the carrying case while still wound up in my hand. Again, not a bad cable and this is the 1st iteration of this product and so there will be minor growing pains. I suppose as long as you know what you are getting it’s great.
Controller (Control Panel)
Like I already stated the controller has four buttons; volume down, volume up, play/pause/answer/hang up, and a multi-function button. Three of the buttons are pretty cut n’ dry and obvious. However, the multi-function button gives the user the ability to switch between different sound filters on the fly. Those being “Gaming Mode/Cinema Mode” (Purple Flash), “Hi-Fi Mode” (Yellow Flash), and “Bass Boost” (Orange Flash). I’m sure Hiby will add some functionality moving forward and hopefully I have listed off all the uses for this button correctly. In truth I haven’t been given much info on this set and so my reporting may not be perfectly reflective of what the Xeno is capable of in this regard. So, the button layout is very easy to feel and extremely intuitive. So much so that after a few minutes I can quite easily blindly choose the button I’d like. I mean, look at this control panel, it’s pretty large and the buttons are also pretty large which helps tremendously.
Inside the controller
Something that I find pretty impressive is that Hiby Digital stuffed a lot of techs inside of that square controller panel. Inside you have a few mics (which are very good by the way) as well as two well-known dac chips (CS43131 & ES9018C2M) used in tandem with each other (I’ll get into that in a bit), and dual amplifiers. I don’t have info on any of the other particulars but folks, this is impressive. Now, it may not be the prettiest thing hanging on your chest (or maybe you think it looks rad), but the fact that Hiby Digital had the presence of mind to centralize everything inside the controller is nice to see. Again, every usable function besides the PEQ is able to be changed right at the panel. The Independent volume rockers are one of the best additions I’ve seen too. I absolutely love this! It’s features like that which make the Xeno a solid buy and one which has many use cases.
Build / Design / Internals / Fit / Other
Build Quality
Looking at the build, at the outset, you may feel the Xeno seems a hair cheap. Plastic is a good indicator of that. However, I feel that Hiby Digital knew exactly what they were doing when devising an earphone with all of this functionality to keep the price below $100. Having said that, I don’t feel this set is cheap. No sir. I feel the Xeno is meant to feel like nothing on the ear and has to be light so that it doesn’t weigh down after long periods. The cable isn’t light, and the controller is sort of hefty and if you add it all up, I think that Hiby Digital came to a conclusion that plastic was the best material to go with. For a multitude of reasons too. That’s what I would think anyways. Despite that, the plastic feels very light and the earphones themselves are very small, ergonomic, everything is smooth and nothing rough or pointed. No edges that will chafe. Also, this is a 3D printed housing which also keeps costs down. Anyways, I wouldn’t call the build amazing and world changing but it is good for what the Xeno is, for what it does, and for who it probably is for.
Design
This is another area where you can probably go one way or another. I would think that the Xeno is made for a more youthful person. I think they fit a youthful lifestyle a hair better too, but that is most certainly not a required demographic. The Xeno has plenty of uses from people of all ages if you ask me. Anyways, the design is all black from the type-c connector to the earphones. The faceplate area (if you want to call it that) has what appears to be the button layout of the controller imprinted onto them. Now, the Xeno doesn’t come in any colors other than black. At least that I am aware of. However, I also wouldn’t necessarily call that a bad thing. In fact, I think the Xeno look just fine, kinda stylish in a “look at my new toy that you don’t have” kind of way. Wires are back in folks. Well, at least as much as they can be. I guess when we see the Kardashians rockin’ wired earbuds, we may have just crossed the trending lines. Or I suppose this could be wishful thinking. In any case, the Xeno is a stylish device in that it’s slick, black, and has this hidden talent playing out to an audience of one every time you listen. I guess I could’ve just said that it’s… cool.
Internals
Hiby Digital could’ve gotten any ole’ dac chip, couldn’t they? Shoot, we see it constantly with every brand releasing their version of a type-c DSP earphone. They could’ve saved a ton of money and released this device with any chip at all, but what they did was get two chipsets that are well known, well regarded and well able to bring true hi-res quality to a budget earphone. That’s right, Hiby Digital decided upon one of the most popular chipsets in recent years in the Cirrus Logic CS43131 as well as a good variation of another great ESS chipset in the ES9018C2M. Both offer fantastic sound quality. Truly a cool addition to the Xeno. Each dac chip handles a different portion of the mix tailored to their capabilities. More-so, each dac chip is used solely with one of the two drivers. Meaning, the CS43131 has one driver and the ES9018C2M has the other driver. Um, that’s wild folks, and pretty dope thinking on Hiby’s part.
Microphones
Hiby also utilizes special microphones within the housing of the controller because they figured that the demographic they are advertising and selling to also happens to have a penchant for gaming, sometimes. Okay, a lot of teenagers, twenty-somethings, thirty and over folks, heck even those in their 40’s game. Hiby knows that to game online you also need good microphones that don’t make your voice sound like you’re speaking inside of a Styrofoam cup. I am pleased to announce that the sound of voices through the Xeno are flat out awesome. This set is so good for gaming with friends. Not just that, this set is also so very good for online meetings in a professional setting too. No, they don’t look stupid either. If you use these for work purposes, you will look cooler than everyone else. That’s a promise. Who wants one-eared headphones and a boom mic?! Get something slick looking that sounds great. By the way, when I say “great” I actually mean “better than a $99 wired earphone should sound”. So, the mics are good and produce a somewhat natural sound which is far more than I can say for “professional” work related headphones that cost under $200. Please trust me I have used a ton of them and frequently am involved in meetings such as this.
Drivers
Hiby Digital went the extra mile on this one folks. Once more, the Xeno is a dual driver hybrid earphone consisting of both a dynamic driver and a piezoelectric silicone MEMS driver as well. To start, they went with a 10mm Graphene diaphragm dynamic driver which is said to be one of the stronger materials. The Hiby Graphene driver is a new generation which is touted as being 1,000 times stronger than steel yet extremely thin. The next driver is an all-silicone solid state Cowell MEMS piezoelectric driver, which is promoted as being 150 times faster than regular drivers. In all reality, MEMS drivers really are a great driver tech which is just now gaining some traction and beginning to be implemented well. On the Xeno I believe the MEMS driver is used primarily for the highs which do come across nicely energetic and very speedy. So far, I’ve only seen MEMS drivers paired with another driver in a hybrid form. However, the sound has been great in each of those instances. I think we are only scratching the surface as to what brands can achieve sound wise with them. Hiby also implemented an LSW aluminum acoustic cavity for the MEMS driver as well as the dynamic driver, so to reduce stationary waves etc. Basically, they didn’t just slap some drivers in a plastic shell. The rest was 3D printed.
Hiby Music App
The Hiby Digital Xeno is tightly tied to the Hiby Music App which should go without saying. I’m not going to do a whole piece on the app here, but I felt it should be mentioned that Hiby does in fact have an app and it is a very solid one. Through the app in USB exclusive mode, you can get 100% bit-perfect audio. Beyond that, it also makes use of its MSEB Equalizer which is very useful to many folks.
Firmware updates
It should also be noted that Hiby Digital does provide firmware upgrades of the Xeno. So, you know. I suppose this is a good thing and something to look out for if you decide to purchase.
Sound Impressions
Drivability / Volume level
In most iem reviews I’ll have a “Drivability / Pairings” section to help readers know exactly how sensitive an iem may be (in my opinion) and what sources I think pair best with those iems. Of course, the Xeno doesn’t need that section because the sound is all fed from the DSP chip held inside of the controller. So, no need to speak on best pairing. However, one thing that is worth mentioning is the volume levels the Xeno can get to. I can tell you straight away that the Xeno can get to deafening volume. Obviously, the amplifiers held inside of the controller are able to really add some headroom of volume. It doesn’t appear that Hiby Digital put a cap on volume. That said, I also didn’t try to take it up super high. Still, I never had to go over 55%-%65 during my listening using my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and using UAPP as my app. It gets plenty loud, which is great. I should probably mention now that it’s a good idea to try to keep volume levels in a safe place. However, it’s nice to see that Hiby gives us the option to turn the volume down as needed rather than putting a restriction on the unit. Again, I haven’t tried to take it to 100% and I don’t think I ever will.
Parametric EQ
This wouldn’t be an informative review if I didn’t mention one of the biggest selling points of the Xeno. That is, the ability to change up the sound with Hiby Digital’s very own parametric EQ. Folks, this thing is loaded and there are a ton of options to play around with to get the sound where you want it. Truly. I have been able to switch up the sound and play around and I’ve been very happy with the results. Take note that all critical listening was done in stock form. Anyways, the parametric EQ has it all. You can add or take away Db’s at any frequency point that you’d like, add or take away Q values, low shelf, high shelf, and basically tailor the sound as intricately as you’d like. Now the parametric EQ is simply just an easy download onto the computer, it’s simple to use as well if you’ve ever taken time to figure out PEQ’s. One more thing, every time you make your own PEQ values, you can save those to the Xeno. Meaning, you can literally use your PEQ changes on anything you plug the Xeno into. Of course, tws earbuds have been able to do this for years. However, how nice is it to be able to do so on bona-fide dual driver hybrid earphones with actual “good” drivers?! I’ll answer that for you… It’s pretty awesome. Anyways, the PEQ downloadable app can share your PEQ profile settings, you can save multiple PEQ profiles, you can also firmware upgrade in the app too. So, there’s some cool functionality with this set when it comes to finding your preferred sound.
What’s it sound like?
Okay, this is a slightly sideways answer because I believe that the Xeno is meant to be used with EQ. Crafted and created to switch it up. Yes, it sounds okay out of the box, but I guarantee that the second you begin playing with the EQ, you won’t go back. Again, not great out of the box but really nice when you begin toying with EQ settings. Hence why this isn’t the easiest thing to write about. Well, unless you love the out of box sound, and you may. To be honest, for me, I want a hair less low-end output, and I want my bass shelf to flatten before it reaches 300hz. I want a lazy pinna glide up into the lower treble followed by a nice slight spike in the presence region and some extra lift in the upper highs. As linear and lifted in the highs as I can get it without sibilance and shrillness. I want some zing, but I also want that lean lush note weight, organic timbre, fun yet it can replay most every genre well. I like a good balance. This is what I was able to do for myself using the PEQ and the Hiby Digital Xeno. I guess when you have a fully functional PEQ which save those values to your earphones, the world is your oyster. Oh, one more thing, I listened primarily using the orange Bass-Boost sound filter.
All about the PEQ
Having said that, this review is not about my settings. I hardly think any of you care at all about that. So, how does the Xeno actually sound? Again, these are out-of-the-box Impressions folks. I’d say that the Xeno comes across warm/neutral, slightly bulbous vibrance in the low-end, slightly bloated. I’d say it’s a U-shaped sound signature with a big mid-bass emphasis, a forward midrange and highs which don’t offend while still keeping to some brilliance up top, If you enjoy such a thing then you’ll like the stock tuning. I honestly didn’t jive with it too well. Oh, one more thing, I do hear a good stage presence though. Meaning, the sound field isn’t just a flat plane of sound in front of me. These MEMS drivers are really a cool driver technology. Similar in speed to a good planar I’d say, and the DD presents well defined lows. Also, the coherence between drivers is better than I would have thought. Folks, it’s difficult to fill you in on what this set sounds like in stock. I honestly don’t think it sounds amazing in this form. It’s all about the PEQ and I can tell you with absolute assurance that with PEQ I can get this set to sound flat-out awesome!
A little bit different
Real quick, I know most of my reviews are crazy long dissecting the sound, but this is not going to be that. It’s almost a waste of time to explain the stock tuning as I really believe the whole point is to use the PEQ. I will be extremely brief in each 3rd of the mix (Bass, Midrange, Treble). Maybe let you know what the Xeno “can” sound like. At any rate below is my attempt to explain something… lol… I hope it helps.
Bass Region
The low-end has a convex and pregnant mid-bass with the bass shelf capping out in this region. Now, this is definitely a heavy stock bass. In fact, not a lot of balance across the mix in stock form when the Xeno is in my ears. One thing you can do is lower that mid-bass a touch and increase the highs to your preferences and what comes out of that is some spectacular low-end listening. One key point worth mentioning is the fact that this bass is very well defined, not even close to one-noted, very snappy, and the bass does rise to the occasion when needed when you use some PEQ maneuvers. If you go stock, it is slightly one-noted, sort-of muddy and simply not as defined as I’d like. So again, this set is made for EQ. There’s not a ton I can add to this as it almost doesn’t make sense to speak on the stock tuning. Having said that, I’m sure that some really enjoy stock sound on the Xeno and I dont want to rain on their parade. Not that what I say makes much of a difference. Basically, it wasn’t really for me. I like the low-end a whole lot more when I had a chance to get into PEQ and switch it up.
Sub-bass
The sub-bass can get very guttural and deep. You can add up to 9dbs of gain using the PEQ as well as play around with other areas of the mix to emphasize the sub-bass even more. However, stock tuning the sub-bass isn’t very strong, kinetic, or vibrational. You don’t have that meaty rumble. Again, with some EQ this set can be a monster, a meathead. Basically, this Graphene driver is something else folks. I put a hair more emphasis than stock in this region for my personal PEQ settings.
Mid-bass
Now, the mid-bass in its stock form is flat out gargantuan and takes the focal point of this set. Bloated, bulbous, and bullish. It’s meaty as can be and colors the midrange without restraint. Now, I got an early version of this set and so maybe yours is stock tuned different. So please don’t throw me to the lions if your’s doesn’t sound like this. Can you please remember that? I’ve seen countless times my early renditions of things sound completely different from what others had. Anyways, yes, the mid-bass is a bull. However, even in its stock form I can see the quality of the low-end. Yes, it can be bloated and even slightly muddy. However, once I EQ down the mid-bass a hair, pull up some treble emphasis, add some sub-bass and about 10 other moves the mid-bass sounds well defined, meaty but transient tight. It slams hard and dense yet doesn’t truly overtake the mix. I set the 250 HZ as the low-shelf, and I flatten my bass before 300hz. To me that sound incredible. Clean mids, just a touch of warmth, but also the mid-bass is so clean folks. Truly this set can sound flat-out fantastic.
Midrange
The midrange in its stock form is exactly as I’ve told you all. It’s too colored, it’s very warm, almost boxy, and it is not very articulate. I almost feel that Hiby Digital does this to “force” you to use the PEQ. The mids don’t sound good in stock folks. Yet once again the PEQ comes to save the day. I was able to get this set to have just a hint of warmth, clean as a whistle, unsullied, unblemished and squeeky clean. Details emerge with ease. Instrument separation is really great as well. In stock form you will not hear that. I was also able to make this set more musical too. I was able to bring the bass into the midrange a hair more and thicken up the note weight, less details but more emotional. So, the sound is really at your whim folks.
Low-mids
The low mids are generally more forward than most. To the point that adding a ton of mid-bass bleed almost makes them boxy sounding. Kind of like the stock tuning. However, males can sound very nicely manicured, authoritative, lean lush in note weight (how I like it) and still come across forward and highlighted. Most of the time there is a slight edge to each note. Not metallic, but harder surfaced. This is a good thing. You don’t have any grain floating around the sound field. I’m telling you it’s a clean sound. Males can sound fantastic and furthermore, they can sound exactly as you’d like. Do you want beefy male voices, smooth inflections, less precise but more melodic? You can do that. Do you want slim, streamlined vocals with crystal clear dictation to male voices and spik-and-span instruments. You also can do that.
Upper-Midrange
Females come across much more vibrant, more on a pedastal, more open sounding too. I find coherence between drivers to be really good no matter how I change EQ settings. Again, I can tailor the sound how I want. What I did was make a slightly less forward pinna gain, raised it sooner but made it more of a gradual climb. I liked this a lot. Females sounded articulate, feathery soft or resounding. They sound totally in control, as well as instrumentation, just wonderful. All with the PEQ. Folks I cannot stress this enough, it isn’t the stock tuning which sells this set. It’s the PEQ and how well the Xeno reacts to it. You never get that strain that most tws take from too much EQ and the drivers do not distort in this set. Females pay off so much from this. Really, they can sound very nice.
I was able to get the midrange exactly where I wanted I and I saved those settings. I also saved another setting profile with more forward female vocals, more pinna rise. That’s the beauty of this set. You can change to whatever profile you want by simply plugging in the Xeno and hitting a button. Once you have the values where you want them and save that profile.
Treble Region
I will be very quick on treble. In its stock form the treble region was very low-profile, almost dark (remember, I have a early version of this set). I did bump up the presence region and left a slight dip at 4k while extending the upper treble by giving it a slight boost. What this did was add some snap to percussion, some edge to strings, and some wonderful abrasive qualities to violin etc. The nice thing is that I can dial it back if I want. When the frequency is cleaned up, I find the treble to be very crisp, very crunchy, with great bite. Friends, this MEMS Cowell driver is something special. Just have fun and playa round and I promise you can dial in the sound to your exact preferences for that day, for that hour if need be. I have five settings profiles, and each is for a different mood. The awesome thing is the intangibles are there. Like control, cleanliness, technical abilities. Instrument separation is very nice, details are easy to pick out, transient attack through release is tight and extension can be great. It’s all up to you.
Technicalities
Okay, I realize I’ve repeated myself a bunch in this review and I am sorry for that. However, the stock tuning won’t yield as good of results as when you play around and maximize the potential of these drivers. Without question you can turn this set into a detail monster. You can absolutely do that. Also, you can smoothen out the mix a bit and make it much more mellifluent, more musicality focused. So speaking on “Technicalities” isn’t the easiest thing to do. I don’t enjoy the stock tuning as much but with some playing around it is easy to make the Xeno whatever you want. If that’s a detail king, then so be it. You can do that.
Is it worth the asking price?
Oh man, what a tough question for me today. I think that there is no way this set isn’t worth the money “if”… it fits your listening preferences. Meaning, do you enjoy having a DSP type-c connection to your phone or source? Does this make sense for you. Now, for me it’s great. I like having this small case in my pocket with the Xeno draped over my ears, phone in my front pocket, jamming to my tunes while the whole world sits unaware of my jam session. I love it and I use it daily. Does it work for everyone? Probably not. Not everyone wants to put work into their preferred sound and this set takes some work. Even some education for some too. You have to understand parametric equalizers, and if you don’t know than you have to at least get a crash course. The one ultra redeeming thing this set has going for it is the amazingly good dac chips for the price, the amplifiers are great, and the drivers are very solid. With those pieces in place, you can totally dial in the sound. Again, I really honestly believe that the Xeno is not meant to use as stock. I could be wrong, but I simply didn’t thoroughly enjoy stock. Despite that fact, once again, I was able to make this set sound like it was top notch. So, what is that worth to you? For me it’s easy to simply take a minute or two and design an EQ profile that I like. The drivers reciprocate in accordance with what I tell them to do.
The Why…
I feel like I’ve answered this already about fifty times but… I can do it again. First off, Hiby Digital used some very well-known and very good dac chips. Far better than most any DSP set. That’s one. Next, they used some incredible drivers. No, it isn’t built like a tank, but the drivers used, and the skill involved with providing these drivers, (the Graphene DD is made by Hiby) and putting them in a place to succeed with a myriad of EQ profiles is quite impressive. Nice work Hiby Digital! Lastly, the sound can be downright phenomenal. I really mean that with every fiber of my being. Having said that, there’s no way that the Xeno replaces my iems, or my daps, or my good sources. No sir, it can’t do that. But for a quick mobile option that sounds great the Hiby Digital Xeno can and will surprise many people. Also, many of you will learn in the process. For a set that is perfect for taking on a run, office work, chores around the house, going to market, it is one of the best options I’ve ever used. Of course, this would take you not getting annoyed at having wires on. However, remember, wires are in now. Who needs true wireless anyways? Friends, if these things I’ve spoken of sound like they would make your life more enjoyable than I say the Hiby Digital Xeno is well worth the $99 that Hiby Digital is asking.
Conclusion
To conclude my full written review and feature of the Hiby Digital Xeno, I want to 1st thank the awesome people of Hiby. Thank you so very much for sending this set in exchange for a full feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. Thank you. I also want to thank you, the reader, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read these words. It means everything to us at Mobileaudiophile.com that you click the link and visit for a while. Also, we truly hope you get some questions answered. So, thank you very much!
A fun one
This was a fun review folks. I know I probably wasn’t as articulate as I would’ve wanted to be but it was a different type of product to feature. Most of its benefits come in the form of an EQ. However, make no mistake, the Hiby Digital Xeno can and will sound really fantastic.
Other perspectives
Now that you’ve read my words, go and watch, listen to, or read someone else’s thoughts about the Xeno. Take some time to read some other opinions. It’ll only benefit you in the long run to have many other perspectives to align with, or not. Basically, it is always a good thing to hear what others have to say. I may have a completely different opinion then the best reviewer. Always a good thing to check out other thoughts. Beyond all of that, I think I’m done. Please take good care. Stay as safe as possible, and always… God Bless!
