FiiO X1 Review
I've received the X1 as part of the X1 world tour, and have since passed the unit onto the next reviewer a long time ago... This review was mainly delayed by life events.
I've not bothered with pictures (there are so many of them with every review anyway) and tried to keep things succinct. Wall of texts is not the best way to convey messages, after all.
Physical
It's fairly compact and rather well built, although I still remain a fan of SanDisk's implementation of physically scrolling scroll wheels over FiiO's, but I digress. It has most hardware buttons you would ever want, with good tactility. I don't really understand the 'notch' in the chassis where the front panel curves back before meeting the sides, but this is negligible in the whole scheme of things.
The X1 package is fairly complete, containing
- FiiO X1 unit
- Silicone case
- 3pcs screen protector
- MicroUSB cable
- Documentation
The silicone case is fairly sticky and a lint-magnet, and not something I liked, but it works, although it does block the charging LED.
The controls are generally understandable - you don't need a manual to figure out how it works, although I'd call it usable rather than good. The UI however, can be a pain to work with in the sun with the combination of screen and colour palette chosen.
The battery itself lasts fairly long, about 10~11 hours with on-off usage across 3 days.
Sound
The raison d'etre of the player itself.
Set up goes as follows:
FiiO X1 -> FutureSonics MG6pro
The first thing I noticed was a rather severely rolled off bass, and a diminished soundstage. Trying to boost the bass with the EQ didn't make things any better, if anything the slight midbass bloat became even more prominent. There wasn't any real slam, and it was quite rather distressing (I am, if the CIEM didn't already expose me, somewhat demanding of bass performance [quality, not quantity!]).
This could admittedly work in favour with some of the cheaper IEMs out there with their rather uncontrollable bass, but two wrongs don't really make a right in my books.
The mids and highs don't have any glaring issues, and the intimate soundstage does work to make softer details a lot more clear.
Conclusion
Reading more words won't help you make up your mind, take an mSD card (formatted for FAT32) and head down to your local FiiO carrying shop and try it out. If it pleases you, treat my words as hogwash and buy it.
I've received the X1 as part of the X1 world tour, and have since passed the unit onto the next reviewer a long time ago... This review was mainly delayed by life events.
I've not bothered with pictures (there are so many of them with every review anyway) and tried to keep things succinct. Wall of texts is not the best way to convey messages, after all.
Physical
It's fairly compact and rather well built, although I still remain a fan of SanDisk's implementation of physically scrolling scroll wheels over FiiO's, but I digress. It has most hardware buttons you would ever want, with good tactility. I don't really understand the 'notch' in the chassis where the front panel curves back before meeting the sides, but this is negligible in the whole scheme of things.
The X1 package is fairly complete, containing
- FiiO X1 unit
- Silicone case
- 3pcs screen protector
- MicroUSB cable
- Documentation
The silicone case is fairly sticky and a lint-magnet, and not something I liked, but it works, although it does block the charging LED.
The controls are generally understandable - you don't need a manual to figure out how it works, although I'd call it usable rather than good. The UI however, can be a pain to work with in the sun with the combination of screen and colour palette chosen.
The battery itself lasts fairly long, about 10~11 hours with on-off usage across 3 days.
Sound
The raison d'etre of the player itself.
Set up goes as follows:
FiiO X1 -> FutureSonics MG6pro
The first thing I noticed was a rather severely rolled off bass, and a diminished soundstage. Trying to boost the bass with the EQ didn't make things any better, if anything the slight midbass bloat became even more prominent. There wasn't any real slam, and it was quite rather distressing (I am, if the CIEM didn't already expose me, somewhat demanding of bass performance [quality, not quantity!]).
This could admittedly work in favour with some of the cheaper IEMs out there with their rather uncontrollable bass, but two wrongs don't really make a right in my books.
The mids and highs don't have any glaring issues, and the intimate soundstage does work to make softer details a lot more clear.
Conclusion
Reading more words won't help you make up your mind, take an mSD card (formatted for FAT32) and head down to your local FiiO carrying shop and try it out. If it pleases you, treat my words as hogwash and buy it.
