Related
*** UPDATE *** Now available directly from Miccastore: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-port...c-player-special-bundles-available-p-118.html
This is a review of FiiO X5 digital audio player (DAP). http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000055517771&MenuID=105026016
I have shared with you a lot of different headphone reviews, especially of audiophile quality, because I consider headphones to be very important part of our lives. Many people's entertainment world evolves around their smartphone that we use to listen to music, to watch movies, to stream videos, to play video games, or to communicate with others. We have consolidated a lot of the other gadgets into this one universal device with headphones being a gateway to our entertainment world. That is why I put a high value on quality of the sound. Typically with high quality headphones you end up rediscovering sounds all over again and hearing new details for the very first time. To my very pleasant surprise, when I received FiiO X5 DAP - I actually ended up rediscovering my headphones, all over again!!!
It's great to have a portable entertainment system where you can do everything, but often NOT everything could be done at it's best because we are limited by the hardware. Sure, you can build a library with only lossless format files and you can get the best pair of audiophile grade headphones, but you are still limited by a path of digital files converted into analog sound to drive your headphones. You can get a quality audio app and even external amp, but the source of your audio will still come from a smartphone with every electronic component cramped in there, without any proper power filtering, and with low bit resolution and low sampling rate to deliver that sound. Yes, it's very convenient and you can significantly improve your sound quality by using, for example, Neutron MP app, external usb OTG DAC/amp like E18, and quality headphone cables and headphones (RC-SE1 cables with W40 IEMs in my current setup). This is a very adequate setup even for an audiophile, but there is still room for improvement. Nothing will match a dedicated Digital Audio Player (DAP) where from step one you will be processing your music source at the highest sampling rate with a highest bit depth resolution!!! There is a number of such DAP players available on the market, but often they cost north of $700 with a higher quality ones starting at $1000. That is why FiiO shook audiophile world when they introduced their next flagship X5 DAP priced at $350. This is my first experience using DAP, since I don't count my previous iPods or Sansa players as quality audio sources; and I can tell you with certainty that listening to X5 and Sansa Clip+ is like night and day. Let's take a closer look to find out more about X5.
There is no question you are dealing with a premium product the second you see their package box. You are greeted by a high res 1:1 scale picture of X5 on the front cover, and the back of the box has all the main function highlights. My review sample also had a sticker on the back mentioning that DSD playback and USB OTG support will be added in future firmware updates. Out of the package box, the actual X5 is stored inside of another "gift" box which is built out of sturdy carton with a nice foam padding inside to hold accessories as well. It's not exactly intended for traveling, but it definitely comes very handy to store X5 when not in use (the same with E18 and its storage box). Once you get a chance to hold X5 in your hand, you do realize it's not exactly lightweight at 210g (that's including 2 loaded micro-SD cards and silicone protection skin), although it's on par with typical smartphone weight. It was very clever for FiiO to include a high quality silicone protection form fitting sleeve. It enhances the grip, covers up aluminum CNC unibody to protect from scratches (although some might argue you would rather show it off!), and covers up volume and power buttons, as well as covering up Line out and Coax out ports leaving only headphone port exposed so there is no confusion which 3.5mm port to use. Furthermore, it comes already with pre-installed screen protector covering its gorgeous 400x360 res 2.4" IPS screen, and 2 more screen protectors for spare. Other accessories that come with X5 are high quality usb to micro-usb charging/data cable, 3 push plugs for each 3.5mm port, coaxial cable adapter, USB OTG cable, micro-SD card reader, and detailed easy to read manuals. I'm sure some will prefer to take X5 out of silicone protection sleeve to show off it's sexy aluminum brushed body, the same finish used in E18, but for others - you have an option to cover it.
Unboxing
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Accessories
Inside of silicone skin
Out of the skin
Of course, the biggest eye candy of this design is the mechanical control wheel. What looks like a miniature DJ spinning record is one cleverly designed control to scroll through the available menu options, song selection, and other controls. Some people mind find it resembles a classic iPod from a distance, but only by geometry of the circle. This is an actual mechanical wheel you can spin with your thumb and which provides a very tactile response and control of your selection. In the middle of the wheel you have a multifunction Ok/Play/Pause button, and at the corners of the wheel there are 4 other multifunction buttons to enable various controls and selections. In theory, you can use these 5 buttons without even a need for a wheel, but being able to scroll through selection or menu items or to adjust the volume with a wheel is just super cool! It gives an analog touch to the control and makes it feel more premium. At the same time, it's nice to know that function of analog wheel is duplicated with extra buttons which comes especially handy when you want to control your X5 without looking at the screen (skip, fast forward, pause, etc.).
X5 is not just an eye candy outside, its a power house inside. In order to handle every available lossless format (DSD, APE, FLAC, ALAC, WMA, WAV) and all MP3s without skipping a beat, X5 is equipped with a dual core 600MHz Ingenics CPU which supports 192k sampling rate with 24B resolution. It also has asynchronous USB DAC functionality where you can use it as an external DAC for your laptop or computer. The internal power distribution uses quad-balanced power supply architecture to avoid any coupling noise from capacitors. Remember, power supply reference is very important in order to process a clean signal without any distortion. Also, it uses a very advance DAC/pre-amp/amp audiophile grade path (from reading digital audio to analog headphone output) with some of the top electronic components available on the market. And this is not just a statement. FiiO actually provided a detailed diagram of that path with part number of every component used in their circuit to support their claim. They even have a detailed screen shot with a layout of their PCB. These guys are definitely proud of their achievement and have nothing to hide!
The storage for your music media is provided on two removable micro-SD cards. With a current firmware support, you can use 2x 64GB cards for a total of 128GB storage, and future fw upgrades promise a support of 256GB and 512GB. If you think about it, this is solid state storage, not a mechanical hard drive or internal memory that can never be upgraded or replaced. Here you have a total control of your storage with a smallest footprint media. You can either copy files using provided micro-SD adapter or connect X5 to your computer (select Storage instead of DAC mode), and copy files directly to your DAP. Once USB OTG connection will be available, most likely you will be able to connect an external usb storage, such as HDD or usb flash drive. Btw, when you are using X5 as external usb DAC or connected to copy files, it charges the device automatically. With a 3700 mAh internal battery, you get up to 15hr of interrupted play (which is going to be available with future fw update), while currently it works for approximately 11-12hr. Although charging from PC usb port is possible, I would recommend using external 2A wall charger for a faster speed.
Once the battery is fully charged and you are ready to go, turn the power on and enjoy what comes up next! The crisp high resolution IPS screen has fantastic colors and highly visible from wide angles. It bring up a great visual since X5 is capable of displaying the song artwork or using a default background when playing your tunes. Also, there is an extensive amount of customization with a lot of options of how you want your DAP to function, under System Settings, to how you want it to play your songs, under Play Settings. It felt almost like I'm using my smartphone, the level of customization was that detailed. It even included a full readable manual of how to use X5. There are a lot of ways how you can play the songs, browse by favorites, play by category, browse folders, by artist, by album, etc. There is also a fantastic 10-band graphic EQ to fine tune your sound with included presets or by customizing it on your own, but in my opinion leaving it at Normal is the beauty to enjoy it's pure sound. I was very pleased to hear neutral signature of this DAP without any coloring of enhanced bass or treble, at least to my ears. This becomes especially apparent when you start switching your favorite set of headphones between different audio sources. The sound really comes alive!!! I can even tell you that listening from my Note 2 w/E18 and comparing it to X5, I found X5 to have a bit wider sound, more sparkle in high, better extension and control of lows, and overall a little bit more details across the whole frequency spectrum. Without a doubt, headphones play a significant role in sound quality, but if you are not driving it with a clean source - you can't polish a turd lol!!! If you look at the spec of X5, it has some very serious power of [email protected] and 28mW even at 300ohm driving the most demanding high impedance audiophile headphones. It also has low/high gain setting to boost output by additional 6dB, and with Line out you can even drive an external amp, if you desire.
Overall, to say that I was impressed with FiiO X5 would be an understatement. Since the day I got it, I have been trying to find every possible excuse to use it. This brings me to one very important question, why would I want to set aside my current setup of Galaxy Note 2 and E18? What I discovered, my current smartphone total integration has its positive and negative sides. It's convenient, no doubt about it. But in order to enjoy your music to a full potential, you need to tune out the outside world. Doesn't matter if you are listening to EDM, Pop, Rock, Rap, R'n'B, or Jazz or Classical. If you are relaxing and want to enjoy listening to the sound, you don't want to be interrupted by another email or text message or social media update or reminder to update an app. Smartphone is a jack of all trades, while X5 is a master of one - the PURE SOUND QUALITY. Based on what I have seen and heard while using one, and read from other audiophiles on head-fi.org, FiiO X5 achieved and mastered that goal quite well at the price which is a fraction of competition. In my opinion, if you decided to invest into high quality audiophile equipment and spending hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to achieve your goal - this little DAP will be an excellent investment. Or, if you are saving money for $700-$1000 DAP, don't be cautious by $350 price tag of X5 and give it a serious consideration!
I just realized I forgot to mention that FiiO X5 will be available on Amazon US sometime in March. I will post an update with an exact date once I know for sure, but it's definitely should happen next month. X5 has been released in China already as part of a first batch to make sure everything is working OK. It's a very smart move because if they find an issue with a first production run, it's easier to recall and to service it locally versus dealing with this internationally. So far it looks like everything has been running smoothly, and the next batch of releases going to be in EU and then US.
How is the gapless playback quality (seeing the feature to turn it on or off)?
How long does the player take to build its internal database or can the player be used strictly as a file browser?
How is the noise level with sensitive IEM's? I have a set of Westone W4R that are pretty sensitive and do not want to hear any hiss.
TonyBigs said:
How is the gapless playback quality (seeing the feature to turn it on or off)?
How long does the player take to build its internal database or can the player be used strictly as a file browser?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest my audio collection is mostly EDM/dance tracks, and I noticed most of the songs in my library have a short blank space at the end, so gapless on/off won't be noticeable. But I'm paying very close attention to head-fi posts and I remember some mentioned that it wasn't as smooth yet, but the next firmware update will take care of that.
With building of internal database - it was super fast (dual core processor!), though I don't have as many songs loaded; and you get an option of auto or manual, where in manual you can use it as a file browser. That's how I have it set by default, and use a wheel to scroll through the songs.
Goodtill said:
How is the noise level with sensitive IEM's? I have a set of Westone W4R that are pretty sensitive and do not want to hear any hiss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your audio source when listening with W4R? A lot of the hiss and other artifacts of noise floor come from noisy electronic components in your your phone or laptop (not a proper isolation and filtering of power supply). But regardless of that, I can reassure that I'm using X5 with W40 and there is not even a hint of hiss.
W40 cable
vectron said:
What is your audio source when listening with W4R? A lot of the hiss and other artifacts of noise floor come from noisy electronic components in your your phone or laptop (not a proper isolation and filtering of power supply). But regardless of that, I can reassure that I'm using X5 with W40 and there is not even a hint of hiss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Everybody,
it's my first post here.
I already ordered the Westone W40 and it seems that we have in future the same setting of mobile hifi.
The X5 should be also fit perfect for my use case. Need a DAC for work to avoiding crappy motherboard sound chip and also need a very good DAP for fair price.
My question now, because this looks for me very elegant, where did you get the alternate cable for the W40?
guerilla666 said:
Hi Everybody,
it's my first post here.
I already ordered the Westone W40 and it seems that we have in future the same setting of mobile hifi.
The X5 should be also fit perfect for my use case. Need a DAC for work to avoiding crappy motherboard sound chip and also need a very good DAP for fair price.
My question now, because this looks for me very elegant, where did you get the alternate cable for the W40?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using FiiO's RC-SE1 replacement cable: http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-RC-SE1-Shure-Replacement-Cable/dp/B00DB41AOW/ - the mini coax plug is universal with all Shure SE series headphones, UE900, and all the new Westone headphones. The sound difference is noticeable (http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000042227825&MenuID=105026014).
I've been using X5 a lot lately. Don't even touch my Note 2 for music playing. It's really cool how you can tag a bunch of songs to add to your Fav list and it only plays that list (select from the menu of Fav songs) where you can use a scroll wheel to cycle through it. Or you can play by file browsing where once you select a directory (either artist album or your own custom list directory) and it only plays files from there with a same wheel song scrolling exclusive to that list. Now, with Sandisk introduction of 128GB card and FiiO soon to be firmware update to support it, you will be able to have 256GB of storage, and with a same firmware update will be able to support OTG to connect external thumb drive or external hard drive.
Also, for initial release, the stability of this firmware and UI is very impressive. I heard/read a lot of horror stories about iBasso D50 initial release and how long it took them to fix the firmware. Here, FiiO started from scratch and delivered and solid release.
Ok that sounds and looks very great for that low price for a cable.
Thanks for the information, that will increase my anticipation for the DAP/DAC and this will underline my opinion about the collected informations i have found through searching in the internet.
A couple more things I learned about X5 as I'm playing more with it. Gapless playback definitely works. I had a few Ministry of Sound FLAC albums where songs mixed in, though split in tracks, and gapless playback worked flawlessly. Furthermore, I really like how you can fast forward through a track, and when you do that the track continues to play at normal speed while the time marker moves to a new position and starts playing as soon as you release fast-forward. Also, when you playing and push'n'hold the middle button, it brings up a volume control which you can adjust with a wheel. So there is no need to use side volume up/down buttons. This is extremely convenient for one hand operation where you can control everything with a thumb. Last but not least, I'm really enjoying physical buttons instead of touch screen controls; feels more precise and you get full visibility of the screen.
For those who are interested, X5 is officially released and shipping worldwide!!!
For US, you can check now: http://miccastore.com/ and also soon to be available on Amazon.
Review of Pelican Case for FiiO X5
I don't have to tell you how much I love my X5. I stopped listening to music from my laptop or my Note 2 or other mp3 players, and it's all good when I'm using X5 at home. But when I want to take it to work or somewhere else on a go, I get paranoid how to pack it. The good news is that soon FiiO will be releasing a series of new X5 accessories, including different cases, but those are not available yet.
For the last month I have been searching high and low to find a storage/transportation case for X5 and couldn't find anything until I came across a series of Micro Cases from Pelican. I'm sure a lot of your are familiar with Pelican cases, but for those who are don't, check out their website: http://www.pelicancases.com/ - they are worldwide known for tough rugged protector cases and shipping containers. Prior to this find, I wasn't aware they make such small cases, down to Micro series. Though I knew the dimensions of X5 and their Micro Series 1020 model (http://www.pelicancases.com/1020-p/1020.htm) to be a perfect fitment, I also got for review 1010 model (http://www.pelicancases.com/1010-p/1010.htm) just to be sure, and as it turned out it was a bit too small but still great for other gear storage (like headphones).
What sets these Pelican cases apart is their extremely durable construction and IP67 rating. These cases are water resistant, dustproof, crushproof, and come with lifetime guarantee. They have an easy open latch, stainless steel hardware, removable rubber lining (which also works as o-ring), and one way air valve. As a bonus it comes with a carabiner, and there are two slots for lanyard attachment. One thing to keep in mind, X5 will be a little loose inside of 1020 case. This allows to add a few of your favorite IEMs and some cables, thus preventing it from moving around. Otherwise, you can add another piece of foam inside, or place X5 facing down toward the rubber lining to protect the screen and the scrolling wheel. Either way for about $15 (for 1020) and $13 (for 1010), it's a fantastic storage/carry option for X5 and your other small music accessories.
Here are the pictures.
Pelican is exactly what I've been using for a long time with my E11+clip+SE215 combo. I even have room for a usb card reader in there. Great cases in all sizes.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
jRi0T68 said:
Pelican is exactly what I've been using for a long time with my E11+clip+SE215 combo. I even have room for a usb card reader in there. Great cases in all sizes.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which size do you use? I been told on Head-fi, where I also posted about it, to get Pick'n'Pluck foam kit for a better fitment of X5 to make a custom foam insert. Will have to try it out as well.
Btw, FiiO's next release is X1 which is going to be a slim/cut down version of X5 supporting only 1 microSD card (still fine if you use 128GB) and supporting less formats, like no need for DSD. The most important, it will be around $100 !!!!
More info about it HERE
X1
vectron said:
Which size do you use? I been told on Head-fi, where I also posted about it, to get Pick'n'Pluck foam kit for a better fitment of X5 to make a custom foam insert. Will have to try it out as well.
Btw, FiiO's next release is X1 which is going to be a slim/cut down version of X5 supporting only 1 microSD card (still fine if you use 128GB) and supporting less formats, like no need for DSD. The most important, it will be around $100 !!!!
More info about it HERE
X1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using a 1020. That X1 looks promising, just need to do more research on how good that dac is.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
After doing a little mini-review of Pelican 1020 case for X5, I was suggested to get Pick'n'Pluck kit. I also got another case with a different color liner, so figured to post a few more pics. Basically, pick'n'pluck kit is perforated sponge material that you can shape for any opening. Since I'm using 1020 with X5, I didn't have to pluck anything and instead using it as a spacer to hold X5 firmly inside. Only $5 : http://www.pelicancases.com/1022-p/1020-400-000.htm
A quick update I got from TekFX/Miccastore.
X5 is finally back in stock and now they updated their order Page with Bundle options: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-port...c-player-special-bundles-available-p-118.html
where you can add HS stacking kit (for E12) for only $8, or add/purchase E12 in a bundle for $100, as well as adding HS8 silicone skin (red, blue, or yellow) for $3. They also have an option for 64GB Sandisk microSD for $36.
FiiO X5 official accessories
This is a review of FiiO X5 official accessories. http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000056988354&MenuID=105026009 - coming in a few days to http://www.miccastore.com/
X5 is one amazing Digital Audio Player, and FiiO was generous enough to include a few basic accessories together with a player. Though a few screen protectors and basic gray silicone case was a good start, now FiiO released an official line of accessories to dress up your X5 in style!
HS8 Silicone rubber case has the same design and quality of material as the included case, but now you have a selection of 4 additional colors, with blue one shown below
HS11 Back Cover is a minimalistic protection for those who don't want to hide a beauty of brushed metal finish and just want to protect the back and the sides of X5 from scratches. It wraps securely around the player, has clear light tinted sides, matte back finish, and a perfect cutout for volume up/down buttons. This back cover leaves top and bottom of X5 open for a full access to all the ports and power button.
HS9 Leather case has a synthetic smooth finish leather on outside and soft micro-fiber material on inside which protects X5 screen, wheel, and top buttons from scratches. Actually it looks like X5 holder inside of this leather case is a Back Cover securely attached to the case. It has a darker tint than stand alone back cover to match the darker color of the "leather". The cover of the leather case wraps around and closes securely with a magnetic strip. One unique feature of this case is an elongated bump inside the case which aligns with a volume buttons opening of the holder. So while being closed, you can push on outside of the case to change the volume or perform functions assigned to volume buttons.
HS7 Carry case is a dual-layer hard protective case with a double zipper and attached carabiner. The hard shell of the case feels secure enough to be placed in a backpack or carry bag or luggage when you are traveling. Also, it will protect your X5 if you want to clip the case to your backpack. Each inner side of the case has a net-woven pocket, and one additional smaller pocket for your SD cards on the right side. The pockets are generous enough to store X5 with a case, and even has a little bit of room for a short cable. This case makes a perfect companion to carry X5 together with a portable AMP like E12.
Hi @vectron, I have a HTC One but I am looking for an affordable DAP for use mainly while commuting and while I am at my desk.
Just wondering a few things, since I have read your reviews on them
1. have you tried fiio x3 and if so how does that compare to x5?
2. is the sound quality on the E18+note2 THAT much better than x3/x5?
3. have you tried any of the competitors in the same price bracket?
Also.. @geko95gek has recommended me the x3 and I read that a new one is due soon.. do you happen to have any info on that? I saw today the x1 is about ready for a september release
my budget is ~$250. Cheers
Sorry for my noobness. I am a bit new to this DAP stuff. Thanks for the excellent review and pictures
I haven't tried X3, but from everything I read it will be inferior to X5. It's probably on par with iBasso DX50, the same $200 price bracket. E18+Note2 is not that significantly better. Personally, I prefer a dedicated DAP for more convenience.
Based on your budget, I assume you are not a hard core audiophile with thousands of Flac files My advice is to wait another month when more X1 details will be available before September release. I probably will get a review unit and will do a comparison to X5 and my other DAPs (AP100 and HM700). The target price of X1 is $100 and you can use the remaining $150 to buy two pairs of decent dynamic IEMs.
This is a review of FiiO X1 digital audio player (DAP). http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-portable-high-resolution-audio-and-lossless-music-player-p-127.html
Until my first experience with X5, a little over half a year ago, I used to refer to all dedicated audio players as "mp3" players. It wasn't my ignorance but rather a misunderstanding where I thought that I should focus more on higher bit rate songs and better headphones, and any "mp3" player or smartphone will play audio files just fine. Introduction to X5 changed all that and opened up my eyes to a world of music without being interrupted by emails, txt, or app updates, a world where audio player is not a cheap clip on gadget on my armband, a world where I ended up "rediscovering my headphones, all over again". X5 is great as a portable DAP, but in some cases I found it to be a little too bulky/heavy. In search for other quality audio players, I acquired some other DAPs, but nothing was able to replace the ease of navigation with a scrolling wheel. Now with introduction of X1, I can rejoice with a new pocket friendly super portable DAP that sounds as good as it looks, retains its scrolling wheel design, and cost a fraction of its big brother's price tag. But don't make a mistake thinking X1 is a cheaper replacement of X5. They can both coexist in a perfect harmony with their trade-offs in size versus sound quality. Others can think of X1 as a stepping stone for when you are ready to graduate from a basic mp3 player and want to get a taste of audiophile world - a taste that will whet your appetite for the next future upgrade when you are ready. Whatever your journey is, I think a lot of the people going to enjoy this little new gem from FiiO. Without further due, here is what I found while testing this fine little DAP.
My review unit arrived in a package similar to the latest E10k/E11k boxes resembling a size of double CD case. Inside, X1 was dressed in all black silicon skin with one screen protector already applied and two additional ones available for backup. USB to micro-usb cable also was included as part of accessory package. Since this is a review unit, I'm sure the final production package will probably going to have more accessories included. Silicon skin is definitely great for a basic scratch and minimal drop protection, but I wish it would have been gray like the one that comes with X5 since you can't see X1 charging light underneath of solid black. I'm sure with soon to be available bonus accessories, you will be able to get another skin color. But in a meantime, I took it out of the skin to enjoy a beauty of its brushed aluminum finish which I'm sure a lot of you will do to show off it's sexy curves!
Weighting only 108g with a measured dimensions of about 96mm x 56mm x 13mm, it gives a new definition to ultra-portable considering a very solid build and all metal front/sides with a silver finish hard plastic back. Having a size comparable to a deck of cards, the fitment in my hand was very comfortable with a great ergonomics of being able to reach every button/wheel control with a thumb. The aluminum finish and round buttons, especially power and volume on the side, makes it resemble a bit of an iPhone look. Buttons have a very nice tactile click response. At the top you have a single 3.5mm port, used as either HO or LO, selectable in Setting menu. On a right side at the bottom there is a slot for a single microSD card, keeping in mind that X1 by itself doesn't have any internal memory. MicroSD card is easy to access which is an improvement over X5 where it was a bit recessed. On a left side at the top you have a volume up/down buttons with an etched "+" and "-", a reset pinhole, and a power button. The volume buttons are slightly raised which makes it easy to distinguish them from power button by sliding your finger, and when you have silicone skin on - volume up has a raised dot bump on its cover. At the bottom you have a micro-usb port positioned in the center with two tiny hex screws symmetrically closer to the edges. This port is used for data transfer (no USB DAC support like X5) as well as charging up it's massive 1700 mAh battery which provides over 12hrs of playback time.
Top of the front panel is occupied by a display (2", 320x240 TFT), similar but not as bright as X5, which is a first indicator where they had to cut some corners stepping down from 2.4" IPS display in X5. Single microSD on X1 versus double in X5 is another change, though 128GB capacity still supported. For those familiar with X5, you will feel right at home with its scrolling wheel control and 5 control buttons with main Play/Pause/Select in the middle of the wheel, Return/Back in the upper right corner, Menu in the upper left corner, and Skip/Select next/prev buttons at the bottom. Otherwise, the wheel control is very intuitive and easy to get used to. Though the wheel looks and functions the same, it's updated from X5. When you turn it with a thumb - you can feel/hear micro-click action, and overall scrolling feels more solid and under a better control. I'm very pleased with this update, though would have been nice for a scrolling wheel to have a better texture, something I'm sure could be upgraded in the future with a textured sticker.
Once X1 is powered up, you are presented with a new updated interface. You still have icons arranged around the semi-circle but now at the top, and the scrolling logistics has changed from X5. Instead of 7 icons in X5, you now have 5 equally spaced icons with EQ and Favorite selections combined in other sub-menus in comparison to X5. Icons are placed at the top from left to right and instead of scrolling icons wheel, you have a scrolling glow pointer with a corresponding icon description text in the notification bar. Most of the Setting and Play Setting controls remained similar to X5 with one noticeable change being an option for Theme Color which helps to improve a contrast and to customize your DAP. I didn't notice any lag while scrolling through menu options or songs. The movement is fluid and as fast as with X5. Also, it really felt like a mature firmware release, and I'm sure FiiO team will fine tune it even further. Selecting to play a song displayed a name and ID tag info (if available), cover art (if available), and song format/encoding. Similarly to X5, at the top in notification bar you have volume with corresponding value, headphone/line out selection icon, EQ setting name (either built in highly usable presets or 7-band customizable one with a precise narrow band tuning), microSD card presence, and battery status.
So how would I describe the sound signature of X1? I found it to be warm and neutral. In comparison to X5, to me it sounded as neutral without any noticeable peaks or dips, just like you would expect a good source to be. Also in comparison to X5, X1 sounded a bit thicker and less detailed with narrower soundstage. That was expected and acceptable considering we are talking about scaled down version of X5 designed for a mainstream rather than audiophile audience. But don't get discouraged by this comment. Listening to X1, without driving yourself crazy with comparison to other DAPs, is actually very satisfying. You get plenty of details across entire frequency range, and X1 built-in amp was powerful enough to drive even some of my demanding headphones that typically require external amping. For example, I was able to drive B3 Pro I without a problem at 50% volume setting. It paired up well with anything I threw at it, either portable IEMs or full size cans, and even high sensitivity IEMs didn't exhibit too much background hissing. It looks like X1 has a single gain setting, and I noticed that it required volume level on average 10 ticks lower than with X5 in its default low gain setting.
Regarding HO sound quality in a comparison to X5, you can rest assure that X1 is not X5 killer. But at the same time, the difference is not really night'n'day. While X5 sound is more detailed and with a wider soundstage, X1 is not lagging behind by too much. This difference becomes even less apparent when you switch to LO with external amp. For example, while using E11k with X1 the sound gets more detailed, with a wider soundstage, and with a deeper and more detailed low end. The ability to switch between HO and LO, where internal amp is disabled, really sets X1 above other entry level DAPs with HO only output. Also, FiiO already announced a future accessory kit for X1 to stack up with other amps (similar to HS6 kit for X5). Plus, there was other mentioning about future accessories, such as armband holder, different cases, car mount, and even audio over micro-usb LO cable since X1 connector will accommodate a new docking amp in a near future.
Overall, testing X1 left me with a very positive impression about this new FiiO DAP. It feels very solid, it performs like a mature product, and it has a great sound quality for its price range. I liked all the improvements (over X5) with a new scrolling wheel mechanism, round physical buttons, and updated scrolling menu control. Sound quality is not equivalent to X5, but that is expected at a fraction of a price. At the same time, it's not too far off and when using external amp connected to LO, you are getting even closer to X5 or other quality DAPs. For $99 this DAP has an amazing value with a hard to beat price/performance ratio especially if you take into consideration everything from its build, design, sound, and firmware. The upcoming add on accessories will add more versatility to take this DAP anywhere with you on the go while keeping its bigger brother (X5) at home for a more serious listening. With such an impressive DAP line up (X3, X5, X1) one can only imagine what FiiO is going to come up with next to blow our mind with X7 release!
Here are the pictures.
Design Details.
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Interface.
Next to its big brother X5
Paired up with E11k
Next to its "brother from another mother"
Sickkkkkkk! Is it possible to get a pic next to a phone or something so I can see how big/thick it is?
Thanks, been waiting for this
edit: you= twister6?
poondog said:
Sickkkkkkk! Is it possible to get a pic next to a phone or something so I can see how big/thick it is?
Thanks, been waiting for this
edit: you= twister6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, twister6 from Head-fi and AndroidForums
Will take and post some comparison pics later tonight!
Here you go, X1 next to Note 2 and S5
Nice review :good:
But I have one question for you, does thi DAP support .cue files/.cue sheet?
Because currently I'm using Poweramp on Android and it will display .cue sheet as tracks
Thanks.
Metalworks said:
Nice review :good:
But I have one question for you, does thi DAP support .cue files/.cue sheet?
Because currently I'm using Poweramp on Android and it will display .cue sheet as tracks
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[email protected] already replied to this (your) question on Head-fi with confirmation I personally don't use cue files, but probably should look into that.
vectron said:
[email protected] already replied to this (your) question on Head-fi with confirmation I personally don't use cue files, but probably should look into that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, he'd confirmed that X1 support .cue sheet, thanks
nice review!
I have a akg k267, do you think x1 could drive akg k267 fully(or how percent)?
hungerwolf said:
nice review!
I have a akg k267, do you think x1 could drive akg k267 fully(or how percent)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K267 is only 32 ohm, it will be a piece of cake for x1 to drive it with extra power to spare. I'm using x1 to drive a few IEMs that usually require an external amp, but with X1 I can drive it with 50% volume level dial setting.
vectron said:
K267 is only 32 ohm, it will be a piece of cake for x1 to drive it with extra power to spare. I'm using x1 to drive a few IEMs that usually require an external amp, but with X1 I can drive it with 50% volume level dial setting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot!!
X1 is officially out today in Guangzhou. Well, now without hesitation to buy one!
Oh, one more question: with X1 on hand, is an amplifier like E11K still needed?
thanks in advance.
hungerwolf said:
Thanks a lot!!
X1 is officially out today in Guangzhou. Well, now without hesitation to buy one!
Oh, one more question: with X1 on hand, is an amplifier like E11K still needed?
thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amp is always a nice addition to enhance the sound, but to be honest it will not be necessary to enjoy X1. I wouldn't recommend it for now. Just get X1 and enjoy it. If you want to upgrade, you can do it in the future.
vectron said:
amp is always a nice addition to enhance the sound, but to be honest it will not be necessary to enjoy X1. I wouldn't recommend it for now. Just get X1 and enjoy it. If you want to upgrade, you can do it in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So much appreciation!!
best wishes~
Now available from Miccastore: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-portable-high-resolution-audio-and-lossless-music-player-p-127.html
Hi,
is it possible to use it as external DAC, Computer->USB->X1->headset?
I understood it was possible in latest X3 firmware.
[EDIT]
Seems not
http://www.head-fi.org/t/691332/fii...res-dap-with-individual-dac-and-headphone-amp
[/EDIT]
Thanks
Yep, you can't use it as an external usb DAC. They had to cut corners somewhere to bring the cost down
BUT, a great news is (and I already posted it all over head-fi), you can use ANY headphones with in-line remote to control playback of X1. YES, single click to Play/Pause, double click to skip next, and triple click to skip prev song. That is AMAZING!!! Only works with X1, not X3 or X5. Pretty much put X1 in your pocket, and control playback remotely from headset! No volume control, obviously, but playback - YES!
How x1 stands in SQ department compared to Colorfly C3? Have anyone tried both?
Nevermind, tried with LO + cmoy amps. Superb for it's price
lesp4ul said:
Nevermind, tried with LO + cmoy amps. Superb for it's price
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got enough amps in there? I just recently started to explore portable amps, and absolutely love FiiO E11k and Cayin C5. C5 has an insane 3D sound imaging performance. E11k is a nice budget workhorse. I also just got Topping NX1 ($35, over 100hr of playback on a single charge), but haven't tested it yet.
vectron said:
Got enough amps in there? I just recently started to explore portable amps, and absolutely love FiiO E11k and Cayin C5. C5 has an insane 3D sound imaging performance. E11k is a nice budget workhorse. I also just got Topping NX1 ($35, over 100hr of playback on a single charge), but haven't tested it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap, E11K has better SQ than E07K, I recommended this to my friend who likes bass but still prefers clarity and he seems happy tho. I also have NX1 paired with Colorfly C3 but same, haven't tried with X1 yet hahaha.
Just got NX1 from dx.com (under $35, but they out of stock as of now). It's a great little portable amp, but E11k is a step above. Also, I'm not too crazy how in NX1 power switch is separate from volume pot. If you forget to turn the volume down and flip that switch while using a different pair of sensitive IEMs or forgot and left a gain switch on High - that would be a painful experience lol!!! Btw, I would HIGHLY recommend you to get Cayin C5 amp - this is a top portable amp at the current moment for under $200 price range.
Also, if you get a chance, can you please write a short comparison between X1 and Colorfly C3? I see a lot of questions about it on Head-fi and been asked so many times in PMs about it. I know, they both have a warmer/darker sound sig, but don't know much about details.
This is a Review of Cayin N6 Hi-Res digital audio player (DAP). http://penonaudio.com/Cayin-N6
A lot of people think that upgrading headphones to a more expensive/multi-driver version can improve a sound quality without realizing how much impact a hardware source "plays" in order to take their sound experience to the next level. As some make a leap from using their smartphones or budget audio players to a dedicated quality DAP (digital audio player), you re-discover your headphones all over again and realize what you have been missing. Things can get quickly out of control when we are in search of perfection, don't have access to audition and to compare audio gear, and make assumptions that high quality audio hardware has to come at a premium price. Today I would like to share with you about a new flagship N6 DAP from Cayin that shatters these typical stereotypes while delivering a true high definition audio which sets itself above all mid-fi contenders and aims to challenge a more expensive hi-fi competition. Here is what I found.
I have reviewed Cayin C5 portable amplifier in the past and stayed in touch with Cayin team to quickly realize how much they are obsessed with sound quality and design details as well as customer support. Even when N6 was ready for prime time closer to the end of the last year, they still took their time to perfect everything, including a first test run limited to a small group of local pro-audio users just to get more feedback. All this hard work really paid off, and when N6 was ready for an official release and I finally received my production quality review sample - it already felt like a mature product with a polished hardware and a stable firmware. But everything starts with unboxing.
There is definitely a WOW! factor once you hold N6 box in your hands. They made it very clear you are dealing with a premium product in a premium box. You are not going to find any high res pictures on the outer sleeve, only a hand sketch of the product with some hints of its sexy curves. There is also a very minimum description of main functions and features, mostly referencing types of devices and supported formats with no further description, I guess trying to keep user in suspense. With outer sleeve off and the main box out and open, you are presented with premium "jewelry" box display setting of N6. Out of the box underneath a form fitted tray with N6, you'll find all the included accessories in another partitioned tray.
To be honest, for such a fancy box and premium flagship product, I expected to see more accessories. Don’t get me wrong, it’s on par with other DAPs I have reviewed in the past, but would have been nice to see something like a leather holster or a travel case or maybe to include 2A wall adapter. Still, there were plenty of goodies to go around. You have a quality usb to micro-usb cable, coax adapter, micro-usb to usb card reader, and two sets of round screen protectors with one already being applied to N6. One bonus that I actually found impressive was a keychain with the same carbon fiber finish as featured on the back of N6 – fancy! Also included was a silicone protection skin, but it wasn’t in the box but rather in the packaging envelope. I know it’s a shame to hide N6 curves under the “skin”, but it’s a smart way to protect it from scratches.
Unboxing and Accessories pictures.
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Looking at N6 DAP, the first thing you notice is a rather unique round display - a centerpiece of the design. Just like with their C5 portable amp that stood out from a crowd, N6 makes a very bold statement even before you turn it on and plug in your headphones. Even though display looks round, the active part of it is 2.4" IPS square screen with a high contrast and excellent visibility under any condition. With display off, it's hard even to distinguish the square part of the screen, thus you have an illusion of a round display. On the left side of the display like a watch crown you have a thumb control navigation wheel to assist in scrolling and also with a spring-loaded push action to click/select/enter. I found this scrolling wheel to have an excellent tactile response and to be of a great assistance when scrolling through either a long playlist or adjusting volume or just going through menus. It's not really necessary for navigation of N6 since all these functionalities could be done with other buttons, but still comes in very handy and blends in well with a round screen display.
Below the display, you have 4 control buttons in a very unique shape. When it comes to N6 DAP, it looks like Cayin wasn't just creating a functional audio player with a great sound, but also making a piece of art. In theory, these are your typical multifunctional 4 directional buttons with up and down list scrolling or track skip or fast forward/back, and left and right buttons for going back in navigation or selection or play/pause. It takes a little bit to get used to controls, but after a while using these becomes a second nature. I also think a custom shape of these buttons plays a very important role in a flow of navigation and controls as your finger slides across them.
You will also find a more traditional buttons, such as volume up/down in the upper right corner on the side, and a power button on the top. With a screen off, volume buttons do control volume with a single click and skip track with a long press. Also, scrolling wheel controls play/pause with a push when screen is off - a very intuitive control you can access without even looking at the player. At the top, you also have three 3.5mm ports for Line Out (LO), Headphone Out (HO), and Coaxial cable Out (CO). To eliminate confusion, I did cut off HO cover flap in silicone case so I knew right away where to plug in headphones. At the bottom you have micro SD card slot, a reset pinhole, a tiny led light pinhole, and micro-usb port. The body of the case is made out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and feels very solid in your hand. The back of N6 has a real carbon fiber finish.
Design detail pictures.
As impressive as it looks outside, inside of N6 you will find a true audio powerhouse. Everything from dual core processor, powerful enough to support native DSD hardware decoding as well as other formats up to 24bit/192kHz resolution with MP3/WAV/FLAC/OGG/APE/ALAC/AAC/WMA/M4A and even CUE, to 8GB of internal memory and microSD card supporting up to 128GB size. You also have a very impressive array of internal chips with top performance dual PCM1792A DACs arranged to process left and right channel separately to control high definition of a sound and a width of soundstage separation. There is also a dedicated high performance PGA2311 volume control chip, and even 3 different TCXO crystal oscillators to meet low jitter clock requirements. Power is provided by a high capacity 5600 mAh lithium battery which does a great job of supplying enough juice for up to 7-8 hours of continuous playback. For a piece of audio equipment with so many power hungry ICs, this is actually not a bad performance. Also, Cayin is constantly working on battery life optimization, especially in standby mode, so perhaps with some future firmware upgrades they might even be able to improve a total playback time.
Another important spec worth mentioning is the HO and LO output performance where HO is rated at 220mW+220mW w/32ohm load and super low output impedance of 0.26ohm, and LO rated at 1.7V of output power. I had no issues driving any of my IEMs or open/closed back full size headphones, and even in low gain setting had a volume at only 30%. Even with low sensitivity headphones I never exceeded 50% of volume level. With high sensitivity headphones, I didn't hear any hissing and found background to be solid black. But in general, if you need to drive power hungry high impedance full size headphones, you can always pair up N6 with another member of Cayin family - C5 portable amp.
Furthermore, besides being a standalone digital audio player, N6 also functions as an asynchronous USB DAC which you can connect to your laptop or computer to turn N6 into an external sound card. One thing you need to know, the internal memory of N6 has a zip file with all the necessary drivers to setup the connection. Once installation is complete, moving forward it’s a simple plug'n'play operation as long as you have DAC mode enabled in your System setting of N6.
Even with so much electronics and a large battery, N6 still feels pocket friendly and not that heavy. For a comparison, I put N6 next to X5, both wearing a silicone case, and found N6 to be 248g with 128mm x 70mm x 20mm dimensions, and X5 to be 218g with 118mm x 70mm x 16mm dimensions.
Pictures of N6 next to C5 and X5.
It is a little bit taller and thicker in comparison to X5, but overall weight felt the same and inside of the pocket N6 was actually a lot easier to operate "blind" with fast access to play/pause, skip, and volume controls.
Before I get into a sound of Cayin N6, the next topic I would like to discuss is GUI interface. Of course the sound characteristic is the most important factor, but a poorly designed controls and user interface can ruin your experience of enjoying the music even if it sounds great. I already mentioned about how much I like buttons/wheel controls of N6, and the same positive experience extended to graphic user interface as well. When you hold the power button to turn it on, you are greeted with a round vinyl-disc main interface resembling a turn table. In there, you have 5 main menu choices of Playing Now (which goes to your current playing song), Music Library (where you have an option to update the library, to view Local memory content, and removable card content), Music Category (were everything is sorted by My Favorite, Recent Played Songs, Albums, Artists, Genre, and a list of All Songs), System Setting, and Music Setting. Playing Now and Music Library is self explanatory, while in Music Category you have My Favorite based on a quick playlist you can create by tagging songs as Favorite, and the rest of the menu choices with songs sorted based on the ID tags of your music files.
Music setting has an extensive selection of options with Gain setting (low and high), Digital Filter (added in fw1.1 where you have SHARP and SLOW with a subtle change of sound attack, my personal preference being SHARP), DSD gain compensation, EQ setting (10 band EQ with 8 presets and a separate Customizable option). Play mode (to cover different repeat modes), Breakpoint resume, Gapless playback (after fw1.1 it's nearly perfect!!!), Max Volume limit setting, Startup Volume, Startup volume value, Balance control (L/R), Album art (display on/off), and Lyrics (display on/off). In a System setting you have Language selection, USB Mode (usb connection to read and to transfer files or USB DAC setting as external soundcard), Backlight time, Brightness setting, Schedule Power off (enable/disable), Schedule Power off time (this will turn off N6 after a preset time; Sleep time option is coming in the next firmware update), Reset (to factory setting), About the Player (which has model and firmware number, as well as local and microSD card total and remaining free memory capacity). Also, within "About the Player", you can skip pages from the main screen to see a very comprehensive electronic manual of the N6 with all the controls and functionality description.
GUI and Setting pictures.
Uh, so here comes a sound, and the first word out of my mouth was: WOW!!! To be honest, I personally don’t care about what DAC or volume IC or processor is being used in the design. It’s irrelevant because you can pick’n’choose the best available audio components and still mess up the signal flow, the circuit design, the layout of the board, etc. I look at every DAP as a black box, evaluating it on a sound quality, control usability, and GUI. In my opinion, Cayin N6 delivered a nearly perfect score in every single of these categories.
Reviewing sound quality of a DAP is not an easy task. What you hearing is not a direct “sound” of the audio player but rather a sound delivered by headphones according to their sound signature. So a better evaluation of a DAP is by referencing it to other sources for comparison. I have a number of DAPs in my collection, such as FiiO X1 and X5, HiFiMAN HM700, Hidizs AP100, and more budget oriented audio players from xDuoo, Sandisk, Ruizu, and also my Galaxy Note 4. If I pick the best source out of this bunch, which happens to be X5, and even after pairing it up with either of my favorite portable amps, C5 and E12A, I still can’t get anything closer to a near perfection reference sound I get from HO of N6. Yes, that good!!!
N6 sound is very detailed, transparent, and musical, with an organic tonality, close to reference quality without being cold or analytical. It has an excellent separation and layering of instruments with a wide and deep airy soundstage. Relative to headphones in my collection, there is no hissing or background noise (though I don’t have SE846 to confirm which always comes up as being over-sensitive), and I found it to have a black background. In comparison, the level of detail retrieval from N6 is on a much higher scale than X5, and the soundstage presentation is significantly better as well. As a matter of fact, the soundstage directly from N6 will remind you a lot of C5 paired up with X5. And that is a beauty of N6 where you don’t need to pair it up with any external portable amps to improve the sound quality or staging unless you want to experiment with coloring of your sound by introducing other amps. I paired up N6 with E12A, but found it handicapping the soundstage width and depth. Pair up of N6 with C5 is great if you really need to drive a demanding high impedance cans, but comparing N6 HO in low gain to N6+C5 (in low gain as well) – sound tonality was almost identical to my ears, and the only benefit was a slight improvement in width and depth of soundstage.
This brings me to how well N6 pairs up with different headphones. In this analysis, I found it more beneficial to compare every pair of headphones to see how it sounds on N6 vs X5. Also, please keep in mind, X5 is one fantastic DAP and it costs $270 less than N6. This is like a relative comparison. But my point is that value of N6 is highly justifiable considering sound quality improvement without a need to use external amps and special LO cables.
UM Pro 50:
N6 - richer bass texture, better 3D positioning/imaging, better dynamics, sound is more organic/analog, a little smoother/musical.
X5 - sound is flatter, a little more digital in comparison.
CRK10:
N6 - sound is more airy, staging a bit deeper, improved bass texture, sound has more body.
X5 – sound has less sparkle, a bit narrower staging.
A83:
N6 - amazing bass texture, super wide/airy sound, smoother upper mids/treble.
X5 - reduced soundstage, less sparkle in upper frequencies.
DITA Answer:
N6 - higher level of detail retrieval, sound is more airy, improved soundstage.
X5 - sound is a bit flatter and not as organic.
IM03
N6 - sound has richer texture, more natural, smoother, improved staging.
X5 - sound is a bit flatter, not as dynamic.
Titan 1
N6 - sound has more sparkle, wider soundstage.
X5 - sound is smoother and warmer, a bit narrower.
VSD3
N6 - bass texture is richer and more detailed, wider staging, more airy sound.
X5 - sound is flatter, less dynamic, and a bit harsher.
In conclusion, next to my other audio players and amps Cayin N6 DAP is without a doubt TOTL audio equipment. Of course a question begs to be asked how it compares to AK120 II or AK240 II, and perhaps in a near future I might be able to answer this. But N6 is still 1/2 the price of the cheaper AK120 II, and that needs to be factored in. Do I think N6 represents an absolute perfection? Well, it has a sound signature which is near a sound perfection to my ears, and I got used to and enjoying its controls very much. But based on the size and the weight, it’s not exactly super portable or a pocket friendly for everyone’s taste. Plus, I wish battery life would be a few more hours longer. I know Cayin is working hard on firmware optimization, and they have done an amazing job delivering a very stable FW1.0 followed by FW1.1 only a month later with a lot of improvements. So I hope they can do some magic to squeeze even more out of their battery life. But even as it stands, this digital audio player represents an amazing value with a true hi-def sound performance. I never really listened to DSD audio files until I got N6 where it plays these without skipping a beat with a sound quality that took my breath away. I no longer need an external amp to improve my soundstage presentation or to add that extra juice to make my bass sizzle with layers of texture – N6 internal DAC/amp is top class! I no longer have to reach out for a dedicated USB DAC to enjoy listening to hi-def audio from my laptop – flexibility of N6 design covers that. There are too many benefits to list and I can go on, but the bottom line is that Cayin delivered a remarkable hi-def audio player and set a new price bar which is quite affordable considering spending the same amount of money on mid-fi DAPs, LO cables, and external amps without even reaching 100% level of N6. Very impressive considering this is Cayin’s very first portable DAP release! Can’t wait to see what they’re going to come up with next!
Nice review ! ??
Excellent review, thanks
Hello everybody,
Where can I find Tools for the subj for Win 7? I'd like to change the fonts for 4.3 FW.
Hi there,
Does anybody know how to delete all the songs on Favorites with one click but not one by one?
alex5908 said:
Hi there,
Does anybody know how to delete all the songs on Favorites with one click but not one by one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better post this queston on head-fi in corresponding thread. I used to mirror my audio reviews here on XDA and also AF, but eventually moved to HF where audio gear reviews belong And since I haven't used N6 in a long time, it will take me awhile just to charge it up before I can answer it, but I'm sure - if it's not obvious, it can't be done, probably.
Btw, their N8 flagship is just around the corner, using Korg nano-tubes
Plus, they released N5iiS stainless steel limited edition, which I just reviewed on my blog.
Cayin been doing pretty good with all these DAP release and desktop gear (their tube amplifiers are top notch), and actually today (on August 8th) is their 25th anniversary as a company.
I did that awhile ago. The thread is dead and nobody posts anything.
alex5908 said:
I did that awhile ago. The thread is dead and nobody posts anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe send a PM to "'AndyKong" in there. He will be able to help you, man.
Hi vecton, would you like to review our product?
avatarcontrols said:
Hi vecton, would you like to review our product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please, PM me.
This is a Review of FiiO X3 II (2nd gen) DAP. http://www.fiio.net/en/products/39 and also available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Resolution-Player-Titanium-NEWEST/dp/B00VR5JHVK/
As a diehard fan of FiiO audio products, I feel a little embarrassed how the original X3 II announcement flew under my radar. Can't believe I almost missed it considering I used to count days before X5 and X1 releases, knowing in depth specs of those new gen FiiO DAPs that followed up their popular X3 – the original FiiO DAP that started it all. I guess it’s very easy to get overwhelmed in today’s “DAP” market with so many new releases and announcements where unfortunately some companies pay more attention to sound quality rather than design ergonomics or the other way around with fancy looks to compensate for performance shortcomings. Also, a trend of using popular brand name chipsets for marketing hype can stir you the wrong way if you don’t consider a fact that without experience of a proper architecture design, schematic capture, and layout tricks – not even the best and the most popular DAC going to make your DAP sound good.
I became a fan of FiiO not because I get a chance to review a lot of their products, but because I see they really know what they are doing, they have a clear plan of how to do it, they deliver on their promises, and they have a great support. But going back to my "confession" intro, perhaps I was under an impression that FiiO already covered entry level DAP market with their budget X1 ($99) and upper mid-fi market with X5 ($349), while the upcoming X7 ($TBD) should make a serious dent in TOTL hi-fi market. So where would X3 II fit in? For starters, it can still fit in very comfortably in a pocket of your pants (lol!!!), and it got a few tricks under its supercharged X1-hood to go head-to-head with some of the more expensive DAPs. So let’s take a closer look at what I found after testing this new release from FiiO and comparing it against their other DAPs.
Starting with packaging, I do appreciate FiiOs attention to details with a sturdy carton "gift" box inside of a packaging sleeve which comes handy for storage of DAP and accessories. It definitely enhances your unboxing experience and adds to a premium feel of the product versus cheap plastic throwaway packaging. I do have to note that considering this is an early review unit, it still has X3K label on the cover though moving forward it will be changed to either X3 or X3 2nd gen. X3K was an early reference, similar to updated designs of E10k and E11k where "k" suffix was added to distinguish a new model. Moving forward, the model number should stay the name, only new generation reference will be used to indicate updated version. Also, on the back of the packaging sleeve/box you still have a comprehensive listing of main functionality and spec summary.
Unboxing.
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With a cover off, sitting in a protective foam cutout you will find X3 with a very familiar “face” of X1 DAP dressed in a silicone black skin. In addition to this skin and already attached screen protector, as part of the included accessories you will also find additional replacement screen protectors, a charging power/data usb to micro usb cable (quality thick cable to handle 2A charging), Coax digital patch cable, personalized skin stickers (3 sets with wood finish, carbon fiber, and USA flag?!?), warranty card, a quick start guide, and X3 II quick reference card. Obviously, personalized stickers are for scratch protection, though I would prefer to carry X3 II naked without any stickers covering its slick titanium finish aluminum alloy body (front to back). As a matter of fact, in comparison to X1 where the back was plastic, X3 II is all metal including a thicker metal back cover where thickness of the unit is the main physical exterior difference between X1 and X3 II. Another interesting detail I noticed was a transparent film used on the back of the DAP - comes handy to protect back of X3 II from scratches without covering its smooth back, just wish they would include a spare set.
At the same time, for a piece of mind, silicone skin does a good job protecting from both scratches and minor drops, not to mention of being an excellent lint magnet lol!!! Also, I was pleased to see FiiO guys finally added a small pinhole in silicone skin at the front bottom of the case to show power led. Other open ports in this silicone case are micro-usb at the bottom, and 3.5mm HO at the top, with LO/Coax port cover with a rubber flap to keep dust away. Obviously there is a cutout for navigation wheel, while 4 control buttons and volume up/down and power are covered/sealed with a raised shape imprint. As a bonus, X3 II will have add on accessories with HS12 stack up kit (the same as X1), LC-FX3221 leather case (crafted to access all the buttons without flipping a cover), and C03 clear plastic cover case - all to be purchased separately. If I get a hold of these accessories, I will update my review with additional pictures.
Accessories.
For anybody familiar with X1 footprint, physical exterior design of X3 II will be nearly identical with an exception of a slightly thicker body – only 2mm difference. Other than that, you will be greeted with a familiar layout of 2” TFT screen (with a decent contrast and 320x240 resolution) and a mechanical scroll wheel with a large round button in the middle and 4 small round buttons in the corners. Furthermore, you have 3 buttons on the left side where a Power button is leveled with a body of the housing (to prevent accidental power up/down) and a slightly raised volume up/down with a small dimple on volume up which you can id just by sliding a finger across it. Buttons have a nice tactile response, and there is no rattling or shaking. Right above the volume/up, there is a Reset pinhole, something fortunately I didn't have to use during my testing. Micro-usb port is at the bottom, along with a pair of pentalobe screws located toward the corners. MicroSD card (X3 II supports up to 128GB) is at the bottom corner of the right size, and at the top you have a dedicated Headphone Out (HO) 3.5mm port and a shared Line Out (LO) and Digital Coax Out port.
I have been enjoying FiiO’s mechanical scrolling wheel since the day I got X5. After awhile of using it, I did find some little issues, but to this day it’s still my favorite navigation control. I’m sure FiiO got a lot of feedback from their users, and with every new release I see the wheel being updated with further improvements. Keeping in mind my X5 was the original production unit and X1/X3 were early preproduction review samples, here is how I would rate evolution of this navigation wheel:
X5 - mushy, a bit loose, no feedback, and feels plastic to the touch.
X1 - a little tighter control, some click-feedback, and still feels plastic and slippery to the touch (a wheel "friction" sticker would definitely benefit in here).
X3 - rubbery finish with a nice grip, wheel feedback with a noticeable click, a better scrolling control.
Design details.
After turning X3 II on, you are greeted with a fast boot up sequence. I'm always pleased to see how with every new release FiiO firmware feels more stable and polished. This is definitely not your typical beta software release, and actually feels mature and solid. Obviously, FiiO didn't start it from scratch but rather found a way to port X1 firmware and GUI as a basis for X3 II. But still, X3 II boot up and shut down time was faster than X1 and X5. Another really cool and very useful feature FiiO added in X3 II is a new power management referred to as "deep hibernation". Even so X3 II comes with a very capable 2600 mAh battery which I was able to verity lasting anywhere from 10hrs to 11+ hrs (depending on audio source files and listening volume level), you still get a deep sleep mode with idling to conserve battery drain down to less than 5mA of current draw. And with a click of a Power button it wakes up instantaneously "on" again!
Besides a fast boot up, you also will be happy to know that FiiO continued with a same new GUI introduced in X1 - a cleaner interface in comparison to X5. Staying consistent with their original interface, you have a status-notification bar at the top with a volume level, gain setting, menu selection, flash card presence, and battery status. The only thing that would have been good to see in there is EQ indicator to know if it's off or on with a preset. In the main screen section, you are presented with 5 menu choices, scrolled in a circular motion. With a help of a scrolling wheel it's a simple operation which is comfortable for either left or right hand navigation with turning a wheel to simulate scrolling, pressing middle button for Enter/Select/Play/Pause/OK, upper left for Shortcuts key, upper right for Back/Main Menu with hold down, lower left for up/prev/rewind, and lower right for down/next/fast forward. Also, holding down the middle button gets you into Volume change so you don't even need to push dedicated volume up/down buttons. Another fantastic feature is a support of headphones with in-line remote to Play/Pause and double/triple click to skip tracks - a fantastic feature to remotely control X3 II (the same as X1) hidden in your pocket or while exercising.
So, back to the GUI and menu selection. Starting with Now Playing you will see a list with all of your songs, displayed by what appears just a file name. Category sorts songs in a more organized sub-categories of All Songs, Albums, Artists, Genres, Favorites (which you can tag individually), and Playlists. Browse Files gets you to select MicoSD card folder or OTG folder (confirmed to be working like a charm, reading files from usb otg microSD card reader and usb otg thumbstick). Also, I like a folder view since I have albums in separate folders while misc songs are below it in a separate list. Moving on to Play Setting, you get a nearly identical to X1 menu selection with Play Mode (with different repeat and playback mode options), Resume Mode, Gapless Playback, Max Volume and Default Volume, Fixed Volume, Gain (L/H), 10-band EQ with a number of quality presets and custom setting option, Balance (L/R), and Play Through Folders option. The last Main Menu selection is System Setting, also with a similar selection of choices like you can find in X1 and X5. Those include Media Library Update (Manual/Auto), Key-lock setting (key function setting when screen is off), Screen timeout, Brightness setting, Idle poweroff, Idle poweroff time, Sleep mode, Sleep timer, Multifunctional output (Line Out vs Coax Out), USB mode (storage vs DAC), Theme selection (among 6 color choices), Support in-line headphone control (enable/disable), File Name display (by file name or title), About X3 (with info about microSD card capacity, number of songs, and firmware version, as well as full Quick Start Guide), Language selection, Storage formatting (helps to format Fat32), and Factory reset.
Graphic User Interface (GUI)
I personally think that ergonomics of hardware interface and layout of GUI is very important in DAP design. You can have the best sounding DAP in the world, but if its operation is awkward and uncomfortable - it will take away from the enjoyment of the product. At the same time, sound performance is still very important. When I reviewed X1 and compared it to X5, I was impressed with a scaled down design for under $100, and always commented “for the price, it sounds great” where the sound improvement came when paired up with an external amp. But there was always a big gap with a clear separation in sound quality and features/functionality between X1 and X5. With introduction of X3 II, FiiO is bringing this gap closer.
X1/X3/X5
First of all, starting with fundamentals, FiiO used a better DAC and amplification stage similar to X5. Before anybody calls me a hypocrite considering I always preach about treating a DAP like a black box where I don’t care about its chipset, I’m only bringing this up for a relative comparison of improvement and considering I have other DAPs that use the same Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC. As a matter of fact, Hidizs AP100 uses the same DAC and it was an interesting comparison to find X3 II vs AP100 having a similar sound sig tonality where X3 sound was a little tighter and punchier while AP100 was a little more airy and wider and slightly more transparent, perhaps due to a different amplifier section. As a step up to utilize quality of this new DAC, X3 II also added USB DAC functionality similar to X5, where you have a simple plug’n’play connection to your laptop/PC to turn X3 II into an external audio card. As a bonus, due to a native DSD support/decoding, you can play high res DSD files after you install corresponding drivers and plug for your audio player (Windows).
And speaking of audio formats, X3 II is a true hi-res DAP supporting everything under the sun, from lossy compression MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG to lossless formats of DSD (DSD64 and DSD128), APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, and Apple up to 192kHz/24bit. I was especially impressed with native handling of DSD files decoded in hardware, something X5 supports through internal conversion to PCM only. But ironically, you do need a considerable amount of space for DSD files where X3 II only supports a single 128GB microSD card, while X5 supports 2 cards. Still, not a show stopper considering X3 II was upgraded with USB OTG support where you can attach external drive to expand your storage capacity – very convenient using some of the latest usb otg mini thumb drivers or usb otg microSD card readers.
USB DAC and USB OTG.
So how does it actually sound? Figuring out sound signature of DAP is a bit tricky since you’re judging it through a sound signature of headphones, and as a result need to reference the sound to other sources or be very intimately familiar with a sound sig of your headphones from a flat source. To my ears X3 II has a full body balanced sound with a touch of warmth and a bit of enhancement toward the low end. The sound is detailed and smooth, background is relatively black, and soundstage is above average. I don’t have any high impedance cans or super sensitive IEMs, but I can reassure you that level of hiss with some of the sensitive IEMs in my collection was on the same level as X5. In comparison to X3 II, X1 is warmer and darker and bassier, clear but not with the same level of detail retrieval, and with a sound being a bit more congested and not as wide. Looking at X5, in comparison it’s thinner and brighter, more revealing and open/airy, and with a wider soundstage.
Some might consider X3 II sound to fit right in the middle of X1 and X5 sound sigs. I personally do consider X3 II to be a noticeable improvement over X1, but with X5 it almost felt like a sidegrade, though still being a notch below. It is not on the same revealing level as X5, but at the same time I found it to have a much better synergy with some of my brighter/analytical headphones to smooth out the harsh top. As an opposite, my darker/bassier headphones sound better with X5 to “clean up” a sound. So for example, A83 was a better pair up with X3 II while UM Pro 50 was a better match for X5. But you are not limited to being tied up to HO output, and with added flexibility of LO, you always have an option to try different external amps. For the purpose of this test, I used E11k and E12A amps, keeping it all in FiiO family! Here are some of the observations I found comparing X3 II against X1 and X5 with different combinations of amps. To keep the write up cleaner, I will refer to X3 II as “X3”, and obviously I’m referring to HO output of DAP when used without an external amp. Also, testing was done using ATH-MSR7 headphones.
X3 vs X3+E11k - I prefer HO of X3 vs X3+E11k since E11k affects soundstage a bit and makes sound a little bit darker.
X3 vs X3+E12A - adding E12A improves soundstage a bit, makes sound wider, slightly better retrieval of details, a little better separation/layering, definitely an improvement.
X3 vs X1+E11k - X1/E11k combo is brighter and more transparent in comparison to X1 by itself, but still sound is a little warmer and with more sub-bass rumble comparing to X3. The tonality of X1 gets cleaned up, but its warm characteristics is still amplified. In comparison, X3 still sounds more neutral, transparent, and more detailed, not by a huge margin, but noticeable enough.
X3 vs X1+E12A - X1/E12A combo takes it to a whole new level with improved detailed sound, closer to a neutral level with just a little bit of low end boost inherited from original X1 sig. With an exception of that "bass boost", X1+E12A pair up closed a gap with X3, bringing it almost to the same level.
X5 vs X3+E12A - X5 sound is more neutral and transparent in comparison to X3/E12A, also it's a little thinner with less body, while X3/E12A is a touch warmer, with a faster mid-bass attack, and overall having a more energetic sound.
While test and comparison between X1/X3/X5 and different amp combinations is valuable, my next test round was using three different pairs of IEMs directly from HO of X1/X3/X5 to compare the sound. For this test I choose to use Fidue A83 3-way hybrid since it has a great low end reproduction and bright top end, UM Pro 50 5-way BA with silver litz cable since it’s my darkest signature IEMs with a smooth sound and excellent bass, and Havi B3 Pro 1 which is neutral warm dual-driver known to be power hungry.
A83 testing (stock silver/plated cable).
X1: warm and smooth sound, not as much low-end definition, upper mids/treble are less revealing, soundstage is just average.
X3: brighter sound with better layering/separation, punchier bass with more details, more clarity and details in mids/treble which still remains smooth, wider staging.
X5: more revealing, vivid/open/airy sound, punchy detailed bass, upper mids/treble are more analytical/revealing, pushing it to a borderline harsh. Treble is crispier, with a little better extension. Soundstage is a bit more 3D.
UM Pro 50 (w/Pure Silver Whiplash Litz cable).
X1: warm dull sound, bass is too rounded (slow attack), lower mids are a bit thick, upper mids are too warm and overly smooth, treble doesn't sound too extended. Soundstage is narrow.
X3: still warm sound, but more detailed. More definition and punch in the bass, better separation with lower mids, upper mids brighter and clearer. Better treble extension, but not as much sparkle, still smooth. Soundstage has more depth.
X5: still warm sound but improved transparency and retrieval of details. Bass punch is slightly improved, separation with lower mids is still good, upper mids are still clear and brighter, treble has more sparkle and improved extension. Soundstage is wider and deeper.
B3 Pro 1 (v# signifies volume where X1 doesn’t have Gain selection, so volume dial is lower).
X1: (v55) warm and bassy, bass is textured and with a slower attack, good separate from lower mids, clear upper mids, nice smooth treble with a good extension, soundstage has an average width.
X3: (v77) warm and bassy, bass has more crunch and a faster punch, more transparency and better layering and separation, mids are more detailed and brighter, treble has a better extension and more crunch. Soundstage is wider.
X5: (v75) more neutral with enhanced bass, bass has a deeper texture and more details, better separation from lower mids. Mids are smooth and detailed, not too bright. Treble is brighter and has more extension. Soundstage is open, and with more width and depth.
Overall, I think X3 II was definitely a big surprise for me. I know that FiiOs product line is partitioned with X1<X3<X5<X7 in order of design and sound improvement, and I was expecting X3 II to fit right in the middle between X1 and X5, but in reality found it to be closer to X5. With some bright/revealing headphones I felt a synergy with X3 II to be even better than with X5. Without a single doubt in my mind, I would say that X3 II is easily worth a double of X1 pricing due to an additional improvements of a new DAC and amp section, USB DAC support, native DSD playback, dedicated LO port, USB OTG support, 10 band EQ (vs 7 band in X1), selectable L/H gain, and very useful Deep Sleep mode. X1 is still a great DAP if you are on a budget of $100 or planning to pair it up with a good external portable amp. But in my honest opinion if you are deciding between X1 and X3 II or thinking about upgrading X1, I would strongly recommend looking into X3 II. Sure, X5 is another step up, but if you are looking for a truly portable high quality DAP with an innovative scroll wheel control, great battery life, support of every audio file format under the sun (including native DSD decoding), possibility to use it as USB DAC, and being able to control it with in-line remote of your headphones – X3 II will be hard to beat in $200 price range.
How would you compare the sound with Hidizs AP100?
MUG3NHC said:
How would you compare the sound with Hidizs AP100?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just purely on a sound quality (neutral revealing sig with a more open soundstage), AP100 edges out even X5. But as an overall user experience - I favor scroll wheel controls, layout of buttons, and GUI of FiiO products where X3 2nd is clearly a superior product.
Sound quality is important, but lately I have been looking at the whole package. As a matter of fact, I'm reviewing right now AK120ii (yeah, $1.7k DAP) and it blows everything else out of the water in terms of build quality and touch screen user interface. But the sound quality is just unique/different and not necessary the best.
vectron said:
Just purely on a sound quality (neutral revealing sig with a more open soundstage), AP100 edges out even X5. But as an overall user experience - I favor scroll wheel controls, layout of buttons, and GUI of FiiO products where X3 2nd is clearly a superior product.
Sound quality is important, but lately I have been looking at the whole package. As a matter of fact, I'm reviewing right now AK120ii (yeah, $1.7k DAP) and it blows everything else out of the water in terms of build quality and touch screen user interface. But the sound quality is just unique/different and not necessary the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for the answer. I was tempted to get X3II cos of the scroll wheel, but on the end i purchased AP100. I read tons of really good things about it.
Yeah, AK120II looks like its from the future, although i don't have that kind of money
Nice review ! ?
Nice review! How about comparing AP100 vs X3+e12? you said (or most reviewers said) that AP100 tops X3 or even X5.. i like the scroll wheel to like the ipod classic.
rickets208 said:
Nice review! How about comparing AP100 vs X3+e12? you said (or most reviewers said) that AP100 tops X3 or even X5.. i like the scroll wheel to like the ipod classic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In terms of sound quality, AP100 tops even original X5, and it will give X3ii + E12 run for its money. But, AP100 is a dinosaur, outdated design, rather large in size, outdated interface, frustrating clicking through the song list and menu choices. I use AP100 and FiiO X1 now only for headphone burn in...
Old thread but I'm hoping someone is still paying attention to it. I'm running version 1.4 and for some reason when my X3ii goes into sleep mode it will not come back on with a quick tap of the power button. It requires me to hold it for two seconds and then goes through the initial start screens. But it does resume with the last song that was playing. Any ideas?
Edit: Please disregard. My X3 is still very new and I was apparently not pressing the button firmly enough. It works correctly when I do.
Best one! I want one
Hello everybody,
I am expecting X3-II and wanted to buy headphones for them.
I am a bass head to listen to Pop Rock and Techno. What is the best option for me to choose from
Yamaha PRO 500, Audio Technica ATH-M50x or BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm?
If anybody uses one of those with X3-II please share your opinion about the combination.
alex5908 said:
Hello everybody,
I am expecting X3-II and wanted to buy headphones for them.
I am a bass head to listen to Pop Rock and Techno. What is the best option for me to choose from
Yamaha PRO 500, Audio Technica ATH-M50x or BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm?
If anybody uses one of those with X3-II please share your opinion about the combination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have M50x, great pair up with X3ii, but those are not basshead headphones They do have a great bass impact, but not a heavy slam.
This is a review of Android based FiiO X7 Digital Audio Player (DAP). http://www.fiio.net/en/products/45.
Looking back at the last few years and the amount of audio players I have reviewed and compared, ranging from $20 to $2k, I still hold the original X5 in high regard because it was my stepping stone into the world of DAPs. Though I skipped their original X3, there was no turning back afterwards with X5, X1, X3ii, and X5ii - all of which I had a privilege to test and to review. While DAP market got saturated with a lot of new releases, I still consider FiiO to be one of the trendsetters pushing the envelope of price/performance ratio, regardless if they are outperforming the competition or being outperformed by the competition.
Going back to the original X5, in my review I compared its performance to a smartphone stack w/E18, and in conclusion mentioned that "... when you are relaxing and enjoying the music, you don't want to be interrupted by email or text message or social media update... smartphone is a jack of all trades, while X5 is a master of one - the music..." The touch screen interface of a smartphone offered a great convenience, but the baggage of everything else it comes with loaded and running in the background was a turn off, not to mention a sub-par sound quality (back when I had my Note 2).
Realizing challenges and benefits of Android based audio player, and considering that FiiO was overdue for flagship summit-fi level DAP, they shifted their design focus to a touchscreen based DAP supercharged with special audio enhancement features to set it apart from a typical smartphone and/or other android based DAPs. The discussion about this DAP has been circulating for a year, with a lot of people waiting in anticipation the release. Now with X7 out in the open, the big question is if it lived up to expectations? Let’s find out!
Unboxing and Accessories.
The unboxing experience of X7 is nothing short of a typical smartphone. You start with a cover picture of the DAP on the packaging sleeve which looks exactly like a smartphone without even a hint of being a dedicated audio player and a display shot of a typical Android screen with audio widget of FiiO Music app. On the back of the box you will find a spec which could also be easily mistaken for a smartphone, except when you come across a support of 384kHz/32bit decoding. Not everybody aware of this, but in Android OS you are facing a Sample Rate Conversion (SRC) limitation which keeps audio downsampled to a common denominator in order to ensure compatibility with different apps. FiiO was able to overcome this limitation which I'm going to discuss later in my review.
With a sleeve cover off, you will be greeted with a sturdy gift box construction and X7 sitting securely inside of a form fitted foam cutout. If you find the cover sleeve picture to be deceiving, looking at X7 in person and holding this 220g touch screen gadget in your hand still won't convince you this is not a smartphone.
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With my X7 being a review unit, I'm not sure if I received all the accessories that going to be bundled with a retail version. Included were 2 sets of screen protectors where the 3rd one was already applied to the display. Keep in mind, screen protector will give you just a minimum protection from scratches. Considering X7 design has a display which is not flush mounted, until you get a proper "smartphone" case with a corner protection and the front lip to keep the screen off the surface - you have to exercise extreme caution handling this DAP.
Also included is a short coaxial cable with 3.5mm TRRS style connector due to a shared LO/Coax port. Furthermore, you will find a quality usb to micro-usb cable for charging/power and data transfer, a quick start guide, and a torx screwdriver w/4 extra torx screws. If you paid close attention to the spec on the back of the packaging box, screwdriver will explain a reference to a swappable headphone amplifier module which is located right below the glowing led light underneath of the display.
Design.
X7 design is camouflaged to look exactly like a smartphone, with only a few DAP hints when you take a closer look. Just like with any smartphone, the focal point of the design is a touchscreen display, 3.97" IPS (178deg viewing angle) TFT supporting 16.7mil colors with resolution of 480x800 and pixel density of 233 PPI. Is this the highest resolution or the best pixel density or the most accurate color reproduction? Absolutely not, which is quite ok considering the intent of X7 is not for playing video games or watching hi-res movies and videos. 4" touch screen is convenient for one handed operation, the experience I forgot all about after 3+ years of using various Galaxy Note smartphones. I found touchscreen to be adequate for audio application, use of other audio apps, and some occasional browsing. The screen is responsive, though not exactly on the same level as I'm used to with my Galaxy phones.
With dimensions of 130mm (H) x 64mm (W) x 16mm (D), the screen occupies close to edge-to-edge space and about 105mm in height, which leaves 25mm below it for removable amp module. There are 2 torx screws on each side of the module, holding it securely in place with absolutely no wiggle once properly connected. One unique feature of this DAP is a glowing soft blue light, radiating from led in the middle under the screen through a light pipe which dims the glow toward the edges. The light is always on, can't be disabled. I personally like it because it gives me a visual indicator of power being on, but I think it would have been a good idea to provide an option to disable it in order to save battery or if you don’t want a “nightlight”. Also, I would have loved to see it being customized to change colors to indicate low power or when charging.
The bottom of the DAP, where amp module is located, has HO 3.5mm port and a standard micro-usb connector – by default X7 comes with IEM low power module. These ports will vary between different amp modules, depending on functionality. For example, one of the upcoming replacement amp modules should have 2.5mm TRRS balanced port and 4-pin kobiconn balanced connector. With Line Out being common to X7 main frame as part of DAC output, this 3.5mm port (shared with Coax) is accessible from the top of the unit. Left side at the bottom of the frame also hosts micro-SD card slot which supports 128GB card and most likely the latest 200GB. The only other controls you will find on X7 are 6 buttons, placed symmetrically in groups of three on each side.
By default, on the right side you have transport control with a separate Play/Pause button and double buttons for Skip/Next/Fwd and Skip/Prev/Rev functionality. In the opposite spot symmetrically on the left side with an exactly the same look and feel, you have Power on/off button and double buttons for Volume up/down. The whole idea of such design was to be able to accommodate left/right handed operation where you can map Power/Volume and Play/Skip functionality to either side. I do appreciate the thought behind it and find it quite clever, but personally after a month of playing with X7 I still find it a bit inconvenient. Perhaps I got spoiled by DAPs with dedicated analog volume knob, or used to other DAPs where volume/power is on one side and transport controls are part of multi-function front/side buttons, but I'm not too crazy about this symmetrical button arrangement. Part of the problem is that X7 is a bit on a heavy side, and without a protective case I feel like its slick body, CNC machined out of a solid block of 6061 aluminum (polished, sandblasted, brushed, and color anodized), will slip out of my hand. As a result, my grip usually tighter around the sides, and when pushing the volume sometime I press a track skip button on the opposite side of X7, or turning the screen on with a power button sometime triggers me pressing play/pause on the opposite side. Is this a showstopper? Not really if you get a quality case with buttons that take a little more effort to press (even recessed cutout for buttons should work).
Overall, exterior design is smartphone vanilla-plain which I find polarizing. Without any extra knobs and a uniform bar shape this is a very slick and comfortable unit to handle, to pocket, and to operate with one hand. But it loses personality of a flagship status by looking plain and "boring". I don't mind a bulge on the back (extra space for the battery), and the resulting slimmer part toward the top which makes a nice resting spot for my index finger. It also enhances the grip and helps to id front/back of X7 when in my pocket. But the screen sitting on top of the X7 body exposes the edges of the glass, making it vulnerable to break/chip if you drop it. The protective case is definitely a must for X7, and creating one could be a challenge to keep the design slim while still providing an adequate protection.
Under the hood.
If this would have been a smartphone, a processor would be the crown of the design to go against the competition. But since we are dealing with an audio DAP, all eyes are on the DAC selection. Here FiiO decided to pull out all the stops and go for a knock out with TOTL desktop quality ESS 9018 8-channel DAC with channels bridged 4-a-side for the highest dynamic range. Also, a "classic" OPA1612 buffer was used. I don't know exactly the guts of IEM amp module, but it's speced at >100mW (32 ohm load) with output impedance of less than 0.5 ohm. Don't jump into conclusion about the power and max headphone impedance it can drive until you read my sound analysis further in the review.
When it comes to the actual processor, FiiO selected Rockchip RK3188T SoC with quad-core Cortex A9 and 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM (w/1.4GHz clock speed, reduced from the original RK3188 w/1.6GHz), and also 32GB of internal memory in addition to microSD expansion. This SoC is not sufficient enough for playing cpu intense games or watching high def videos (as a matter of fact, I noticed on YT sometime colors get messed up). It’s typically used in a budget tablets and Android TV boxes where you don't need to support integrated cellular radio basebands. It ensures a low power consumption to maximize battery life. And speaking of that, the battery is non-replaceable and with a capacity of 3500 mAh, which I have tested to provide about 8-8.5hrs of playback time with screen off. For a standby time, it all depends on which mode you are in. In a regular Android mode you can last a day due to all system processes running in the background. When booting up X7 in a Pure Music mode, I found X7 to idle for over 2 days.
Also, typical for Android based system, you have a support of 802.11 b/g/n wireless connection and Bluetooth v4.0. WiFi support is a huge plus enabling wireless internet connection so you can stream audio from on-line services in addition to being able to access the internet. But I'm not too happy that aptX codec support is not available. With some of the advanced wireless speakers that utilize its own decoding and DSP/DAC processing this is irrelevant, like in case of B&W Zeppelin Wireless I recently tested. But with a number of other wireless headphones supporting aptX codec, there was a level of improvement comparing my Note 4 (BT4.0 w/aptX) vs X7 (BT4.0 w/o aptX). But nevertheless, I was more than happy to use X7 as a source to drive my BT wireless devices without a need to drain my smartphone battery. Also, X7 BT wireless performance is much better than AK120ii where signal strength is rather poor.
With so much electronics under the hood and a support of WiFi/BT, naturally you might be wondering if X7 is prone to EMI or any other related interference. I tested it sandwiched between our smartphones and next to the tablet - no interference causing problems with audio was detected.
Amp modules.
To wrap up hardware overview, next I would like to talk about replaceable amp modules. The design architecture of X7 allows you to replace the amp module based on your power requirements and wiring needs. By default it comes with IEM module, a single 3.5mm TRS connection with low power output designed to drive efficient headphones and sensitive IEMs, though in my pair up test I found X7 to be capable of driving some higher impedance and planar magnetic headphones without a problem. Amp module plugs into the main frame of the DAP and gets secured by two torx screws on the sides. Attached together it feels like one solid unit. Also, apparently this module should be plug'n'play where I was able to power up X7 without amp module being attached. I wouldn't recommend doing that because it will expose the connector and you can short contacts.
Other optional amp modules will be available to buy separately, and FiiO promises they will be reasonably priced. In addition to IEM module, FiiO going to make available Standard, High-Power, and Balanced (2.5mm TRRS and 4-pin kobiccon) modules. There is also a talk about releasing connector spec and making housing available for 3rd party amp modules. In my opinion, this is a much better idea than the one implemented in HiFiMAN HM901 with replacement amp cards. At the same time, it becomes inconvenient where you have to physically swap modules when you are switching between different headphones. It makes sense with efficient vs demanding (high impedance, low sensitivity) headphones, but for many who use IEMs/CIEMs with either standard or balanced cables - this will be a headache. Personally, I would have loved to see a universal amp module based on the currently planned balanced module with an addition of 3.5mm TRS connection and maybe a hardware high/low gain switch.
Dual-mode operation.
I already mentioned that FiiO found a way to overcome Sample Rate Conversion (SRC) enforced by Android OS. As a result, their Music app utilizes its own driver to communicate with ESS9018 DAC without SRC handicap. But you still have to deal with a burden of Android OS system running in the background and all the corresponding processes and apps, some of which are not easy to disable manually. This will contribute to excessive battery drain and taking away CPU resources, especially when dealing with decoding of hi-res lossless audio formats.
To mitigate this problem, FiiO came up with a dual mode operation where you can boot up X7 into a regular Android Mode with everything loaded at the startup or a Pure Music mode where FiiO Music app is loaded as a default Launcher and you can't exit into a regular Android interface. This Pure Music mode is highly optimized to load only specific drivers/processes required to run their native music app and nothing else besides it. This dual boot switch could be accessed from notification bar or in a setting menu, just keep in mind after making a selection - you will need to reboot X7. Also, if you want to upgrade firmware, you need to boot up into Android Mode. In summary, Pure Music mode turns X7 into a touch screen DAP running one specific FiiO Music app without access to internet, streaming, or anything else associated with it, though you can still enable BT for wireless listening.
Android mode is you typical full mode where you can install and run different apps and widgets. But, there is a limitation to that as well. X7 doesn't support Google Play store and as a result you will have to side load apps (apk files) except for those which do require Google Play for registration. To make things a little easier, FiiO included a folder with "whitelisted" apps to download directly to X7. The list is limited, so you better off Googling for some of your favorite apk install files. One thing to keep in mind, the performance of X7 is optimized in Pure Music mode with their native Music app. In Android mode this optimization is out of the window. It's convenient to run your streaming apps, like Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, etc., but battery drain is rather noticeable. One thing for sure, I wouldn't recommend putting FiiO Music audio widget on the screen because it drains battery like crazy.
I think implementation of Pure Music mode was a great idea, though FiiO music app is still work in progress. In Android mode – you’re faced with a typical Android "smartphone" performance where battery drain will be a quick reminder that you are no longer dealing with a dedicated DAP. But now you can run streaming services or load another audio player app. Luckily, you can gain back the performance by switching to Pure Music mode where I was able to keep X7 in idle for 2 days and 3 hours.
With Spotify / HibyMusic
FiiO Music app.
I'm sure by now you realized the importance of FiiO Music player app - it's your gateway to an optimized X7 performance and to get the best of ESS9018 DAC. Yes, you can boot up in Android mode and use any of your favorite music app and I guarantee it will sound great with your 320kbps mp3 or FLACs, but for a true audio purist who demands the best - FiiO native Music player app is the way to go.
Unlike a number of other people, I don't have a huge library of hi-res music with numerous albums collected over the years. I'm still a certified EDM-head who listens to a lot of separate tracks. Also, I have a collection of carefully selected tracks from various genres I use to analyze performance of audio equipment I review. That is a reason I usually don't lose my sleep over improperly tagged files which is a must for those who rely on a proper sorting of the songs/albums. As a result of my listening habit, I have a lot of loose songs and often organize them by partitioning into folders. Thus, I usually focus on the usability of the app in terms of a general song/folder navigation and playback.
With all that in mind, my personal opinion about FiiO Music app is actually not that bad, though it's not as intuitive and requires some learning curve. Upon start up you have the first screen with a last played track in the upper 1/3rd of the partitioned screen - you can flicker to skip the song or use hardware transport control to hit play button to start playback. Underneath, you have a selection to access Favorite playlist, Folders, or DLNA streaming. Right below it you can access either Recently Played or Most Played songs. Clicking on artwork of the track thumbnail at the top will bring up the main Playback screen.
Going into Folders link brings up another screen with Local Music list where you have more choices to scroll through All the songs, sort by Artist, sort by Album, sort by Genre, and access Local folders. While making a selection through these choices, you have a narrow playback bar at the bottom with a thumbnail artwork of the currently playing song, scrolling name, and Play/Pause and Skip buttons. Clicking on that playback bar opens up the main Playback screen as well. I found going through All the songs and Folders to be more useful for my style of song browsing. But it gets a little confusing now between the first start up screen and this second navigation screen, where in my opinion they have to be combined - list of Favorite songs should be part of the sorting choices. Also, in the Folder view, I don't want to see every single Android OS folder, but would prefer to select and to display only the folder where I store my music locally and on micro-SD card.
The main Playback screen is where things start to shape up to my liking! In top half of the screen you have area to view artwork of the song or a default image if artwork is not available. Tapping it once shows embedded lyrics (if available, and a new setup icon where you can scroll or change the font size), tapping second time brings up info about the song. This part of the screen also has in the upper left corner an icon to bring you back to the first original screen of the app (why?) and in the upper right corner a search icon. In the middle you have a playback progress bar with a scrolling song name and at the left edge of it index number of a song and a total number of songs in the current playback folder. Swiping screen left-to-right brings out a list of all the songs in the currently playing folder, and swiping playback progress bar will fast forward through the song.
Lower part of the screen has Playback and other Control buttons. In the middle you have Play/Pause with a current playback time above it. To the left of it you have icon to access Graphic EQ, turn BT on/off, change playback loop mode, and Skip back. To the right of it you have Heart icon to tag song as Favorite, an icon to access more option to provide a detailed info about the song or to delete the song, icon to add the song to your Playlist, and Skip forward button. By holding a finger along the right edge of the screen brings up a volume slider menu to adjust the volume. In EQ screen, you have access to 10-band equalizer, actually with a very nice graphic representation in the upper part of the screen. Lower part of the screen has access to 5 band sliders with +/- 12dB adjustment, but there is no frequency label to indicate which band you are adjusting - this has to be fixed because it gets confusing when you flip to the next 5-bands and don't know which band you are adjusting. You can see the graphical representation of the adjustment, but you doing it blindly because sliders don't have a frequency indicator. Sliding finger up brings up 8 EQ presents (genre related) and 1 custom preset. All 8 pre-defined presets could be adjusted further. Also, on the main playback screen there is no indicator of EQ selection, something I would like to see being implemented in future updates.
In my opinion, FiiO Music app has a lot of potentials and considering it's still a work in progress - I will continue to look forward to more updates. Flexibility of Android interface opens up a door to shape this music app to perfection where sky is the limit. Yes, it is still work in progress, but I have a hope that progress will pick up soon, the way how I have seen it with sound tuning improvement.
Sound Analysis.
Often people get a dedicated DAP because they are not happy with audio performance of their smartphones, and then they realize they miss streaming capability and touch control of their phone and decide to look for usb DAC stack. With X7 you have a chance for a dedicated DAP with touch controls and streaming capability and different amp modules – all integrated in one compact design. FiiO is known for their budget oriented products where their DAPs usually considered having mid-fi performance. X7 is a big step up, nearly doubling the price of their previous X5ii flagship with high expectations to determine if FiiO was able to finally cross the threshold of summit-fi performance.
When I received X7 with its initial beta FW release, I was a little bit disappointed. Not necessary because it sounded so bad, but rather because I set my expectations very high. I didn't feel that sound was on a level of summit-fi performance. I quickly attributed that to a beta firmware and a default IEM module, assuming that fw is still work in progress and amp module will be updated with different versions. Following that, a few more fw updates were released and I started to notice an improvement. But not until the last FW 1.1 update I realized that FiiO means serious business and finally started to unlock a true potential of the ESS9018 DAC paired up with their IEM amp module.
Based on the latest FW 1.1, I'm hearing X7 to have a neutral and slightly warmish signature with a very clear and detailed sound. It doesn't necessary strike you with analytical micro-detailing, but it definitely leans more toward a more revealing sound signature. The layering and separation is pretty good (improvement over the initial fw release), sound never gets congested, but the transparency is not at the highest reference level and I actually hear a little thickness in a sound, thus my reference to a slightly warmish signature contributed by a fuller body of lower mids and some noticeable impact of lower end. Soundstage width/depth/height is slightly above the average where sound has a more intimate feeling, yet placement of instruments is still very convincing.
Based on what I hear across different headphones, I find X7 to have an excellent impact and speed at the lower end and a decent extension. Bass is well controlled and that is one of the reasons why I hear such a high level of clarity and details because bass is confined without spilling into mids. Lower mids give some nice thickness to a body of the sound, but they are not too thick. Upper mids are full of details, but not too analytical, treble is clear and has a nice definition without contributing to sibilance.
Describing a DAP by itself is not always helpful, thus I prefer to include a relative comparison to some of my other DAPs to give an idea how it stacks up against the competition.
X7 vs PAW Gold - LPG is more neutral, soundstage wider/deeper, I hear more transparency in the sound, while layering and separation is similar.
X7 vs L5Pro - similar neutral-warmish sig, L5P soundstage is a little wider, other than that sound is very similar in layering/separation, even matching the dynamics. But overall L5P sound is tighter and a little faster.
X7 vs AK120ii – AK has a very similar neutral-warmish sig, soundstage is a little wider, bass has a touch more impact, but everything else is very close in performance.
X7 vs QA360 - 360 is slightly brighter (leaner lower mids), soundstage is wider/deeper, mid-bass has slightly more impact; overall sound of 360 is a little smoother.
X7 vs LP5 Gold – similar sound signature, LP5G has a little wider/deeper soundstage, more transparency and faster speed, and slightly better layering and separation, but the gap is not that wide.
X7 vs N6 - N6 is a little brighter (neutral-bright), soundstage is a little wider, very similar dynamic sound and separation/layering. The bigger difference is that N6 sounds a little leaner in comparison. X7 has more body and sounds more musical.
X7 vs X5ii - X7 has a fuller sound with more body, also more natural tonality. Soundstage is rather similar. X7 sound is a little more dynamic, and has a slightly better separation/layering of a sound.
To test the DAC output of X7, I connected LO to different external amps.
w/E12A - a great pair up where the sound is very close to HO of X7, but w/E12A you get a little more transparency. Makes me wish FiiO would have used MUSE02 amp in their IEM module.
w/VE Runabout - excellent pair up, improves dynamics, improves width/depth, sound becomes more transparent, layering/separation is also improved.
w/HA-2 - nice pair up, improves soundstage depth, also makes sound a little bit warmer (adds more body to lower mids).
w/C5 - nice pair up, improves soundstage width/depth, also makes sound a little bit warmer.
For those who are wondering if they should get X7 or external USB DAC to pair up with their smartphone, I tested N4 with HA-2 to find:
X7 vs Note 4 w/HA-2 - X7 sound has a little more transparency and sounds a little tighter, otherwise a very similar performance.
Pair up with different headphones.
Though you have option to select high/low gain, I found the sound in high gain to have more energy and to be more dynamic. Thus all my headphone testing was done with X7 set in high gain, and I also indicated a volume level for each. Not every pair up turned out as I expected.
ES60 (35/120) - some hissing, nice clean detailed sound, good low end expansion, good transparency.
ZEN (83/120) - high gain is the way to go with these 320 ohm earbuds, though X7 doesn't drive them to a full potential, especially when it comes to bass which lost a little bit of weight/body and sound is a little mellow (not as fast or tight).
Savant (49/120) - very clear detailed smooth sound, modest sub-bass quantity (sub-bass rumble is there), excellent soundstage expansion, nice transparency.
W60 (45/120) - smooth warm detailed sound, a bit more on a laidback side, missing a little bit of speed.
UM Pro 50 (42/120) - deep bass impact, nice smooth detailed sound, good dynamics, missing a bit of sparkle at the top.
DN2kJ (52/120) – not the best pair up with these 8 ohm IEMs; bass missing some sub-bass texture and upper mids/treble a bit too revealing/harsh.
MSR7 (56/120) - excellent pair up, clear detailed sound, good soundstage expansion, nice transparency and great retrieval of details.
PM-3 (70/120) – excellent pair up, drives them with authority! nice punchy bass, good soundstage depth, clear detailed sound.
EL-8C (80/120) - doesn't drive it to full potential, bass is not as tight and missing sub-bass texture and treble has a little bit of metallic sheen, sound is a bit thin.
R70x (95/120) - excellent pair up with these open back 470 ohm cans, clear detailed sound, excellent transparency, but pushing it closer to X7 max driving limit.
Conclusion.
It’s hard to evaluate X7 as a finished product because I didn’t get a chance to test different amp modules and the firmware is still work in progress, but so far it shows a lot of potential. As a matter of fact I was very impressed with the progress of sound improvement from the day I received X7 to the latest FW1.1 update. At $650 it still represents a great value considering high performance desktop quality DAC, wireless connection with access to streaming services, modular amp design, and touch screen interface. More work needs to be done to finish their Music app and probably to optimize DAC performance with new amp modules, as well as a desperate need for a good case. But if you take into consideration this is their first Android-based release, I think it turned out pretty good! Just like with a classic X5 and their mechanical wheel introduced and later improved throughout X1/X3ii/X5ii releases, FiiO is breaking their own new grounds with X7 release which I’m sure will get only better moving forward toward their ultimate goal of setting the World on FiiO-R!
Bravo! Wonderful review. Know FiiO, actually owend E5 sound amplifier myself. Couple'd it with Grado SR-80, and had a catholic wedding
May I ask where did you get your's?
Rampage14 said:
Bravo! Wonderful review. Know FiiO, actually owend E5 sound amplifier myself. Couple'd it with Grado SR-80, and had a catholic wedding
May I ask where did you get your's?
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Different companies send me their products for review, this one came directly from FiiO. It's already available for pre-order in US and for sale outside of US.
vectron said:
Different companies send me their products for review, this one came directly from FiiO. It's already available for pre-order in US and for sale outside of US.
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Where can i pre-order it in the US?
RMXO said:
Where can i pre-order it in the US?
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I know B&H Photo/video has it listed on pre-order, but as soon as it available in US you will see it on Amazon as well. I think they are putting finishing touches on the next firmware update before making release available worldwide. Right now updates are manual by downloading zip file and running it from within. The next fw update will enable a true OTA support. I will definitely post an update in this thread as soon as it officially released in US. But for now it looks like B&H is the only place where you can pre-order it.
vectron said:
I know B&H Photo/video has it listed on pre-order, but as soon as it available in US you will see it on Amazon as well. I think they are putting finishing touches on the next firmware update before making release available worldwide. Right now updates are manual by downloading zip file and running it from within. The next fw update will enable a true OTA support. I will definitely post an update in this thread as soon as it officially released in US. But for now it looks like B&H is the only place where you can pre-order it.
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B&H Photo has it on "notify once its in" and not pre-order since I'm on the notification list, unless there is another link I don't know about.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1192104-REG/fiio_fx7121_x7_portable_high_resolution_audio.html
Sweet, please do keep us in the loop.
RMXO said:
B&H Photo has it on "notify once its in" and not pre-order since I'm on the notification list, unless there is another link I don't know about.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1192104-REG/fiio_fx7121_x7_portable_high_resolution_audio.html
Sweet, please do keep us in the loop.
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Ready, Set, Go!!! $650 w/free shipping, limited available stock: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-andr...s-music-player-early-release-units-p-148.html
vectron said:
Ready, Set, Go!!! $650 w/free shipping, limited available stock: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-andr...s-music-player-early-release-units-p-148.html
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Thanks but reading their rep has me scared. I just recently lost an ipod classic i bought for $170ish to mod due to package not being where USPS said it was delivered. Not going to risk with their poor rep.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Micca_Store
RMXO said:
Thanks but reading their rep has me scared. I just recently lost an ipod classic i bought for $170ish to mod due to package not being where USPS said it was delivered. Not going to risk with their poor rep.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Micca_Store
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MICCA Store is a front end of TekFX - the Official FiiO US distributor. MICCA Store is where BH Photo/Video and every other US retailer gets their FiiO products, that is a reason why they got it first. If any of your FiiO product break and you buy them from BH or other places, they send it to MICCA/TekFX to get replaced, repaired, returned. This is the most legit place to buy because they are FiiO distributor
Regarding resellerrating - it's a paid service, which is very misleading. They charge retailers a fee to be a part of their program and actively solicit reviews from customer after they make a purchase, and also hide/discourage some of the bad reviews. As long as you pay them, they will "manage" your rating. I talk to TekFX about it, and MICCA store had almost a perfect rating when they were paying their dues, as soon as they stop that nonsense, their rating dropped to force them to continue paying.
Amazon is cracking down on 5-star one-line reviews as well; there are companies specializing in boosting star rating when you pay them. Now, amazon checks to make sure its a detailed/comprehensive review or if it's a short one - to make sure it was from a verified buyer. A lot of shady business, hard to determine whom to trust...
Finally, available on Amazon.
vectron said:
Finally, available on Amazon.
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No seller when I checked and had to come back a few times before a seller showed up. I initially placed an order but cancelled it. Probably going to stick with my iPod Classic I plan to mod soon.
Since this device running on Android, can it be rooted or its already pre-rooted? So you can install V4A..
darkmantra said:
Since this device running on Android, can it be rooted or its already pre-rooted? So you can install V4A..
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I'm sure you can root it, but it will defeat the purpose of custom drivers FiiO implemented to bypass Sample Rate Conversion (SRC), used by android to downsample the audio files. Thus, you won't be using ESS DAC to its full potential.
This is a review of FiiO X7 accessories. http://fiio.net/en/products/49, leatherette and leather cases available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2D1336/?tag=vectron00-20 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2DHQIM/?tag=vectron00-20
Just like with smartphones, many people enjoy personalizing their DAPs and search for accessories to make their gadget stand out from the crowd. Some accessories are not just about the visual enhancement, but also the improvement of usability and safety. Here are a few essential ones released by FiiO for their latest X7 flagship.
FiiO X7 Stickers (ST-X7) – available from FiiO Aliexpress store http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Sticker-for-FiiO-X7/1473108_32563966868.html for $6.90
Here you will find 5 sticker kits, each one with 10 self-adhesive textured pieces that feel like a vinyl sticker to the touch. Each of these kits correspond to a specific theme with Carbon fiber, Light wood, Dark wood, Shield (resembling Captain America), and Spider (resembling Spider-man). With a material being textured, they actually enhance the grip, making X7 slick metal body not as slippery, and can also enhance the fitment into the case. I personally didn’t apply one yet and not sure if I will since I prefer using the case, but I can probably see myself using a set with carbon fiber finish. One thing to keep in mind, X7 amp modules are removable/replaceable and different modules will have different port opening at the bottom (between 3.5mm and additional balanced port). Thus, if you want to keep your X7 covered head-to-toe in stickers, take your time to decide which amp modules going to get it!
FiiO X7 Tempered glass screen protector (PF-X7) – Available from FiiO Aliexpress store http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ass-screen-protector/1473108_32566963466.html for $10
While using a sticker is a matter of personal preference, I highly recommend the tempered glass as a must have accessory. X7 comes with a regular film screen protector which only protects display glass from scratches. If you drop your X7 face down or drop something on top of it – the glass can easily crack or chip. Tempered glass absorbs some of the impact and if/when it breaks – your display glass stays intact. This is Japanese brand Asahi glass with a typical 9H hardness rating and anti-scratch finish. I also have a feeling it has an oleophobic coating since it kept fingerprints off.
Application of this tempered glass screen protector was very easy, just have to remember to remove default film screen protector from X7 first, clean the glass with a provided alcohol wipe, remove the sticker off the glass, align and press it down squeezing all the bubbles from the center outwards. Right after application there was a few “wet” spots but they disappear within hours. Also, this screen protector works great with FiiO protective case. I did test sliding X7 in and out at least a dozen of times and glass stayed securely attached.
FiiO X7 leatherette (LC-X7A) and full leather (LC-X7B) cases. Both cases are available from FiiO Aliexpress store: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/leatherette-case-for-FiiO-X7-LC-X7A/1473108_32584272247.html (leatherette for $14.99) and http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...e-for-FiiO-X7-LC-X7B/1473108_32584288008.html (real leather for $18.99). If you don’t have account on Aliexpress, you can try Penon (http://penonaudio.com/FiiO-X7-Slide-in-Case) or on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2D1336/?tag=vectron00-20 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2DHQIM/?tag=vectron00-20), though you will end up paying a slight premium.
I only received leatherette case which is a synthetic leather case (PU material), but found it to have a very convincing leather finish with a fake stitching and overall nice build quality. While having synthetic leather outside, inside it has a soft felt material protecting X7 shell from scratches and extra padding at the top to even out the battery hump. At the top of the case you have a generous cutout around LO port, and Left/Right sides have a symmetrical oval opening/cutout for the control buttons. For me personally that was the biggest advantage of using this case since now I was able to get a good grip around X7 without worrying of pushing buttons on the opposite side of X7 shell. As a matter of fact, the cutout made these buttons recessed, protecting from accidental pressing – perfect to carry in your pocket.
The bottom of the case was completely open to allow X7 slide in and out with ease. For a basic everyday use X7 stays securely in, but if I throw my arm down with some force – X7 did slide out by about an inch. It didn’t fly out, which is good, and was convenient for removing the DAP. The same with connected headphones, if I pull on the cable at the bottom – I was able to slide X7 out. I’m sure if I would have applied stickers, the fitment would be tighter. Overall it stays secure inside of the case, but it’s not 100% secure as if you would have with a fully enclosed case.
I also really liked the fact that now my display was recessed and I was able to place X7 face down on the surface. As I mentioned before, there was no interference with tempered glass screen protector. The only thing I wasn’t too happy about was the case covering the glowing blue light underneath of the display. Coincidentally, I read another impression where this wasn’t a problem and light was exposed. This suggests a marginal variation between builds. I know that some people don’t even care about this light and permanently turn it off. But for those who find it useful, just be aware that you might end up with a case covering it, unless if you can get a piece of sandpaper and expand the screen opening at the bottom.
Overall, in conjunction with a tempered glass this case does a great job protecting X7 DAP and enhancing its functionality. For under $30 (case and glass), this is a smart way to protect your $650 investment.
This is a Review of FiiO K5 Docking Amp. http://fiio.net/en/products/46, available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BBX1NNM/?tag=vectron00-20
Can you refer to a docking desktop amp as “jack of all trades”? You certainly can when you start playing with FiiO’s latest K5. Prior to receiving it, I was expecting K5 to be a desktop accessory for X7 only. But was I wrong! In addition to being compatible with FiiO’s latest X-series DAPs (X1/X3ii/X5ii/X7) and their E17k DAC/amp, it can also work with other audio sources connected to RCA Input, and even take advantage of DAC processing inside of a docked DAP while feeding audio from your laptop. After spending over a month with it, here is what I found.
Unboxing & Accessories.
Arrived in a sturdy cardboard packaging box, I like how FiiO choose to have an all black background with a glossy image of K5 and a docked X7 popping out in “3D” from the front cover. All the promotional pictures of K5 I’ve seen featured X7, but make no mistake – it’s intended to work with other FiiO X-series DAPs. The back of the box has a detailed spec, including a very impressive output power rating for such a compact desktop amp.
Before opening the box, I did take a notice of the weight since we are dealing with an amp, though later turned out that part of it was contributed by external power converter. Once taken out, you can feel that the actual amp is not that heavy at 450g, packed into 120mm x 130mm x 55mm compact enclosure. The power supply converter is external, a typical AC/DC supply with 15V/1.5A output you can find with a number of laptops. As a matter of fact, my review unit arrived with non-US plug and FiiO kindly included an adapter which got temporary misplaced, so I ended up using power converter from my old Thinkpad.
Other included accessories were 4 rubber bumps/feet, 2 insert adapters for different DAPs, usb cable (full size usb-B to usb), 1/4” headphone adapter, and a user guide. Considering a number of all the inputs and outputs, it would have been nice to see other cables included with accessories, for example a pair of RCA to 3.5mm cables or 11pin micro usb connector, and maybe balanced 3.5mm cables. Of course, these extra cables are not a showstopper to get you going, but still would have been great to see at least FiiO’s proprietary 11pin micro-usb interconnect cable. The docking can only accommodate X-series DAPs without a case/skin, and you need to use this extension cable connected to “dock in” micro-usb port on the back of K5 if you want to keep your DAP dressed.
Accessories.
Design.
Since I’m into portable audio gear, I rely mostly on standalone DAP use, though have one desktop amp and a handful of portable amps. In my opinion, K5 design fits somewhere in the middle. It’s obviously a docking amp designed for a desktop use, but it doesn’t weight a ton especially since power supply is external to the case. It’s lightweight, but still has a solid build with a nice titanium color aluminum shell. It has a relatively small footprint that not going to occupy too much space, and yet it is sturdy enough on a flat surface. As a matter of fact, I dragged it next to me on a couch and had no problem using it even so the surface wasn’t perfectly flat. Ergonomics of the design and tight fitment and placement of the micro-usb connector contributes to a nice weight distribution without anything tipping over, even with X7 docked.
With K5 being a “docking” amp, the key feature of this amp is micro-usb docking port on the top under the flip panel. When not in use or using external ports, the panel is flush with a top surface with an exception of a small tab to open it up. The flip panel mechanism is smooth and the panel turns into a solid back support of a docked device when flipped open. Inside you can see a pocket to cover micro-usb connector when it’s closed and another elongated pocket for a rubber adapter to accommodate different DAPs, depending on thickness variation.
The main focus of the front panel is a large rotary volume knob that also functions as a power switch once you turn it clockwise, greeting you with a brief red backlight glow while it initializing and then turning blue. I absolutely love this detail which matches X7 blue light for a visual feedback when power is on. Turning the power on will also turn the power on X1, X3ii, X5ii, X7, and E17k, and the same when you turn it off, though you can dismiss power-off from the DAP screen. And with power on, your DAPs will also be charging. The knob is big, yet easy to grip, has a perfect potentiometer resistance for a better control of the adjustment, and a clear white marker indicating rotary position which goes from -90 dB to 0 dB.
The front panel (the same as a back panel) is slightly recessed with a nice bezel trim design, and you can find to the left of the knob Input switch for Dock vs Line selection and Gain switch for Low (0 dB), Mid (6 dB), and High (12 dB) gain setting. Input switch will correspond to a source selection of either DAP from the dock (or micro-usb “dock in” port) or the Line input. In High Gain you can drive your HO output with a VERY impressive 1.5W (32 ohm load) power which scales down to 150mW (300 ohm load), and most likely with enough juice to drive your 600 ohm cans. I found these flip switches have a nice click action. To the right of the knob you will find 1/4" headphone output, keeping in mind that 3.5mm adapter was included with accessories. I was happy to see FiiO didn’t clutter the area around HO with switches, keeping it clean.
The back panel of K5 reveals a Power in connector jack for 15V supply, all the way to the right, and a number of additional connection ports. You have usb-B USB IN connector for digital input from your computer while processing a signal through X3ii, X5ii, X7, or E17K internal DAC, DOCK In input for 11pin usb interconnect cable if you can’t dock your DAP (due to case/skin), a pair of RCA Line In and Line Out connectors for external input connection from any audio source and to other audio source inputs, and Balanced Line Output. This dual 3.5mm Balanced Line Out output can be used only in conjunction with X5ii or X7 to connect to another external amplifier stage.
Sound Analysis.
While testing K5, I focused on 3 main pair up scenarios with docked DAPs, external connection from LO of the DAP, and digital input from my laptop. In every case I found K5 as an amp to be rather neutral, transparent, and contributing to a noticeable soundstage expansion (especially in width).
Of course, pair up with X7 was at the top of my list. By default, this flagship DAP from FiiO comes with IEM amp module which does a good job with in-ears and other efficient headphones, though I have to keep it in high gain. K5 pair up really stepped up X7 performance with a deeper sub-bass, more organic mids, and additional sparkle in treble - a very consistent improvement I found across R70x (470 ohm) and both planar magnetic PM-3 and EL-8C. Another change was in soundstage expansion, in all three dimensions of width/depth/height where width was the most noticeable. I can't judge yet how other X7 amp modules going to compare, so keep in mind this is relative to IEM module.
Docked with FiiO other DAPs, I found X3ii + K5 pair up to make sound more transparent, with a slightly improved dynamics and expanded soundstage, and with X5ii + K5 a found more body in lower mids giving sound a little smoother organic tone, and also the improvement in soundstage expansion.
Docked with X5ii
Docked with X3ii
The docking convenience of FiiO DAPs is great, but K5 is not limited to only that and can be paired up with other DAPs. Using a common RCA to 3.5mm cable you can feed Line Out of any DAP into Line In of K5. I went straight to the top using PAW Gold as my guinea pig for this test, as well as AudioQuest Evergreen RCA to 3.5mm cable, and ended up with a big surprise. Using Beyer's T5p 2nd gen, I found PAW Gold HO to sound nearly identical to PAW Gold LO + K5. Sure, there could be a few subtle differences, but overall it sounded very close where K5 combo even had a slightly wider soundstage.
Last but not least, I put to the test my ThinkPad T430s driving USB In through DACs of the docked X3ii and X7 while monitoring through T5p 2nd gen. This was really a proof of concept just to verify that both of the DAPs will be recognized by my laptop while docked, function as expected in USB DAC mode, and able to play FLAC files from Foobar2k on my computer. Everything worked flawlessly, with a loud and clear sound improvement. Pretty much anything would be a sound improvement over my laptop's HO from integrated motherboard sound chip. But it also fared very well against a number of my other USB DACs, especially in conjunction with X7 DAC where sound became more dynamic, more detailed, and with a consistent improvement in soundstage width.
Conclusion.
For sure you can call K5 a docking "jack of all trades" and "master of expanded dynamic sound". This latest FiiO docking amp is quite versatile in boosting the performance of portable FiiO DAPs as well as any other DAP, and you can also use it connected to a computer/laptop as USB DAC powerhouse. But among all of this it really shines with X7, replacing its IEM amp module with a more powerful alternative to take full advantage of ES9018S DAC performance. In my opinion, K5 bridges the gap between X7 portable and desktop use where on the go you can enjoy your IEMs and efficient headphones, while at home you can supercharge X7 not only by "charging" it up when docked but also by giving it an extra jolt of output power.
Any hack for this device? Can we install vipermod?
ranjitotski said:
Any hack for this device? Can we install vipermod?
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Probably better ask on Head-fi Btw, FiiO X5iii is just around the corner (already released in Asia). I got a review ample and it's full android with Playstore and apparently has V4A too. Also, X7ii should be released soon.
Holy crap, that's insane!
And now I'm thinking what am I doing with cheap xiaomi headphones. Someday I will have the money to buy some of this stuff.
applesauceChris said:
Holy crap, that's insane!
And now I'm thinking what am I doing with cheap xiaomi headphones. Someday I will have the money to buy some of this stuff.
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X7 is old news, now they have X5iii, full Android, even comes with VIPER effects I should have review soon!