:O! You opened up your tour X5 DAP!? Nice review BTW! Funny about your comment in the Bass section where you say it tilts towards a neutral clean player. I'm probably too used to my ZX1 where I found that the X5 a little warmer. I should probably update my impressions to say "relative to the ZX1".

Nope, that pictures comes from FiiO X5's official page. FiiO doesn't hide any details, they are quite transparent compared to some other brands

Thanks guys, yeah Sean, I actually compared it to the DX50 and my left over iPod Classic and the bass on those is thunderous compared to the X5. I did not open the X5 case, it is their website picture they posted.
 
@AmberOzLquite transparent indeed, love those guys you can have a one on one conversation and learn a great deal from them, I don't think they feel they have to hide anything because one will find a way to break the case and get in.

This sure doesn't sound like a 3.5/5 star review....

@doublea71 Thanks for pointing it out, I was off by one star, I corrected it.

Do you know how long the battery life is on a single charge for the X5? 

Good review, musicheaven. You might even go a step further than me in describing it as "airy, light, delicate, open". I feel that the sound is a bit thick and bold. It is an excellent sound signature and highly enjoyable with the right IEMs. But I would not describe it as the airiest and most delicate of sounds. I also feel that much of this is attributable to the amp section - which is excellent and one of the strengths of the X5. The amp nonetheless has a sound signature in my view. From the line out to the Pico Power, I can gain more air and space. To be clear, theX5 sounds great on its own. The amp is powerful and drives IEMs with authority.

Love the review. I have to agree with Cooper though on the airiness of the player. I don't think that really is a strength of this player. It is a more meaty/thicker sound. You'd really have to hear Hisound players to grasp what I am saying though. Even the DX100 doesn't compare in airiness to hisound players.

Nice write up John.  I really like how each of us has touched on something the others have missed as well.  Good work on testing the different file formats.

Thanks guys truly appreciated your comments. Cooper and Lee, when I mentioned the player airyness, the mids and highs were so predominant when I first listen to the player. I have to admit that your comments are really spot on after my initial 40 hours of burn-in. I did not change my comment as it was my very first impression.

@Niyologist we cannot fully rely on the battery life for this tour player as it draws more current than the final version at rest, Joe has mentioned it in the thread. Mine never went beyond 11 hours. The battery is certainly of a high rating so if they tune the player properly, it is hoped that it might be able to last up to 15 hours.

Nice review! 
Hmm, X5 shouldn`t be first choice for bass lover? 

Excellent review Jon!
So will you be purchasing one of these come March?

@xpok my answer after spending so much time is yes the bass has thickened up and is marveleous, that is an amazing piece of electronics FiiO has created, I heartedly suggest any serious audiophile to pick one if they can, it's worth every penny and some!