HiBy FC5 2025 Review – Dual CS43198 Dongle DAC With Color OLED Display
HiBy welcomes the all-new FC5 2025 edition, which features a display and a high-resolution dongle DAC with a unique cyborg design theme. Equipped with dual CS43198 flagship-grade DAC chips and dual SGM8261-5 amp chips, the new FC5 promises an unmatched high-res audio experience. 
It has a stylish, cyborg-inspired design theme and a built-in 1.1” colorful display screen. HiBy features dedicated femtosecond-grade audio oscillators with separate 45.1584MHz and 49.152MHz clocks to minimize jitter.
Dazzling Cyborg Design
HiBy FC5 continues the cyborg-inspired design of the R4 with a premium aluminum chassis and a translucent polycarbonate mesh. The DAC/AMP looks classy with its multiple color options and a built-in display screen. It looks premium and weighs just 21 grams, ensuring full portability with a unique and appealing design.
Premium Dual Flagship DAC Arrangement
HiBy FC5 adopts a flagship Dual DAC arrangement for high-resolution audio signal processing. It features two units of Cirrus Logic’s flagship-grade CS43198 DAC chips. They ensure clean, high-res audio signal processing with high SNR and low power consumption.
Built-in OLED Display
HiBy FC5 features a colorful OLED display screen. It is a compact 1.1” display that clearly shows the operating conditions on the FC5. From active output to active file bitrate and current volume level, it shows you everything with its intuitive, colorful presentation.
Powerful Output With Dual Amp Chips
HiBy FC5 features an independently designed amp section with dual SGM8261-5 Headphones amplifier chips. The section is designed by a professional team of acoustic engineers who have extensive experience designing DACs and Amplifiers. The FC5 delivers a strong output, reaching 245mW per channel at a 32Ω impedance load. It can easily drive your IEMs and Headphones without breaking a sweat.
Clean Output, Minimal Jitter
With a dedicated femtosecond audio clock featuring dual independent femtosecond-grade oscillators(45.1584MHz and 49.152MHz), the FC5 ensures high accuracy, minimal jitter, and high-resolution audio signal processing. It results in cleaner output with minimal distortion while processing high-resolution audio signals.
Your Portable Hi-Res Audio Decoder
HiBy FC5 is a highly capable audio decoder that fits in your pocket. It processes high-resolution 32-bit/768kHz PCM and native DSD512 audio signals. The FC5 also has 8x MQA unfolding, bringing studio-grade audio performance in a compact form factor.
Features
- HiFi Portable DAC/AMP.
- Dual Flagship CS43198 DAC Chips.
- High-Power Amplification with Dual SGM8261-5 Amp chips.
- 1.1” OLED Colorful Display Screen.
- Supports 32-bit/768kHz PCM and Native DSD512 Audio Signals.
- 8x MQA Unfolding.
- Dual Independent Crystal Oscillators.
- 3.5 mm+4.4 mm Dual Headphone Outputs.
- Strong Output Thrust(Up to 245mW@32Ω).
- Multiple Color Options.
- Hardware Volume Control.
- UAC1.0 & 2.0 Dual Operating Modes.
- Hi-Res Certified.
I thank HiBy for providing me with the FC5 2025 review sample.
Unboxing
HiBy USB Master App (Windows)
With the HiBy USB Master App for Windows, you can access PEQ and some device-specific features, like turning on and off the MQA render function of the FC5.
For Android, you can use the HiBy Music App from the Play Store.
Sound
The first thing that struck me about the HiBy FC5’s overall sonic performance was the amount of detail produced. With an overall neutral sound.
The HiBy FC5 also has a smooth character that some might mistake for warmth. One of the most impressive aspects of the HiBy FC5 is its ability to maintain excellent timbre, not too warm, not too clinical, and excellent tonality for this kind of a dongle DAC.
Lows
The bass response on the HiBy FC5 is punchy and deep, with good extension into the sub-bass regions without overpowering the other frequencies. It retains control even in bass-heavy tracks, with no signs of muddiness. The slightly warm tuning gives the low-end a bit of extra body.
What I particularly enjoyed was that even in bass-heavy tracks, the instruments remained clean and well-separated, providing a solid foundation without interfering with vocal clarity or instrumental detail.
Mids
Mids are where the HiBy FC5 impresses even more, with a natural, fluid timbre that accurately reflects the nuances in vocals and instruments. Both male and female vocals have a realistic rendering, sitting comfortably in the mix without being pushed too far forward or recessed.
Instruments like guitars, pianos, and strings are rendered with a rich timbre. Instruments have a realistic body, which is another highlight of the FC5, IMO. There’s a sense of realism, and the slight warmth that the FC5 possesses does not make it sacrifice detail, making the HiBy FC5 an especially versatile device for any genre.
Highs
The treble on the HiBy FC5 is smooth and extended, providing plenty of detail without ever crossing into harshness or sibilance. It offers just the right amount of sparkle to add air and clarity to the mix while remaining easy on the ears during longer listening sessions.
The upper mid/lower treble sounds extended and clean, yet never sharp. Cymbals, hi-hats, and other lower treble-dependent instruments are rendered with a crisp but controlled edge, ensuring they never dominate the sound signature or introduce shoutiness.
Even with brighter recordings, the HiBy FC5 manages to keep everything balanced, providing a pleasant top-end that goes excellently with the rest of the frequency range.
Technicalities
The HiBy FC5 excels in technical performance, offering a fairly wide and enveloping soundstage for a dongle in this price range. The soundstage is expansive enough to give a sense of great space and separation, creating an accurate holographic stage image.
The instrument separation is especially excellent for the price. The HiBy FC5 allows each instrument to breathe, avoiding congestion even during complex passages.
Sum-Up
I lost count on dual CS43198-based dongle DACs. The HiBy FC5 2025 stands out with its big 1.1″ color OLED screen. Also, the design catches you from the first moment.
The overall sound presentation is fairly detailed, focusing on naturality across the frequency spectrum. From clean, crisp high-resolution audio signal processing to powerful output, the FC5 2025 does its all.
If you are in the market for your first dongle DAC to buy, you can put the HiBy FC5 2025 on top of your list.