Short answer
Both are portable players, $1999 against $1599.
On raw power they are level: each reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 non-electrostatic models here.
| Specification | HiBy R8 II | iBasso DX320 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 225 mW | 380 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 48 mW | 81 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 24 mW | 40 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 12 mW | 20 mW |
| Output impedance | 1 Ω | 0.34 Ω |
| Output noise | 3.2 µV | not published |
| Price | $1999 | $1599 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 565 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | HiBy R8 II | iBasso DX320 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | 710 mW | 1.2 W |
| Power into 300Ω | 76 mW derived | 168 mW |
| Output impedance | 1 Ω | 0.38 Ω |
| Output noise | 5.4 µV | not published |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
Through the balanced sockets the iBasso DX320 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here and the HiBy R8 II on 566. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | HiBy R8 II | iBasso DX320 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Published |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. HiBy R8 II publishes at 32 Ω; iBasso DX320 at 32 Ω and at 300 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 300 Ω only the iBasso DX320 figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.
On power they are interchangeable across this whole database: there is no headphone here that one reaches 100 dB on and the other does not.
15 headphones are left alone by the iBasso DX320 under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the HiBy R8 II (64 Audio Nio, 64 Audio Volur, Campfire Audio Andromeda 2023, 12 more).
565 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Shure SE846: iBasso DX320 has +34 dB of headroom there against +32 dB. 2 dB is about 1.7 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for iBasso DX320 because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | HiBy R8 II headroom | iBasso DX320 headroom | HiBy R8 II hiss | iBasso DX320 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB | +34 dB | 25 dB | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB | +14 dB | 5 dB | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +23 dB | 3 dB | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +19 dB | -2 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +13 dB | +16 dB | -3 dB | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | +12 dB | -9 dB | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | +8 dB | -13 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | +6 dB | -15 dB | not published |
The HiBy R8 II costs $400 more than the iBasso DX320, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the HiBy R8 II handles and the iBasso DX320 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper iBasso DX320 leaves 15 models alone under the one-eighth rule that the HiBy R8 II does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: HiBy R8 II and iBasso DX320.