The HiBy R3 is an MP3 player for audiophile Tidal subscribers

In the age of do-it-all-and-more smartphones, it’s not looking good for the very few dedicated portable music players still kicking around, despite Baby Driver‘s best efforts. But wait! HiBy has managed to corner an incredibly niche market. The R3 (from $189) is a pocket-sized Hi-Fi for people signed up to Tidal, the high-end streaming service owned by Jay-Z and fellow chart toppers. There’s no onboard storage, but once connected to the Tidal store you’ll be able to store offline music on a Micro-SD up to 2TB in size. Spec-wise, the R3 features an ESS ES9028Q2M DAC, as well as Bluetooth 4.1, apt-X and support for most hi-res lossless formats. Essentially, it’ll make sure Kendrick Lamar sounds really good. Add to that a 3.2in touchscreen and 11-hour battery life, and there’s plenty of reasons for on-the-go audiophiles to be tempted.

Matt Tate Contributor

About

I'm fascinated by all things tech, but if you were going to leave me on a desert island, I'd probably ask for my Nintendo Switch, a drone, and a pair of noise-cancelling cans to block out the relentless seagull racket. When I'm not on Stuff duty you'll probably find me subscribing to too many podcasts, playing too many video games, or telling anyone who will listen that Spurs are going to win a trophy this season.

Areas of expertise

Video games, VR, smartwatches, headphones, smart speakers, bizarre Kickstarter campaigns