The FiiO X3 Thread UPDATE: Project Back On! Read the First Post for Information. - Page 215  

Quote:

Originally Posted by H20Fidelity 

This player has some pretty high expectations to meet from what I see around, many people are counting on this, to be "the final DAP" then it better measure flat or it will be subjected to endless debates. I like FiiO's work, I think they're great and mean no harm or offence but their products are usually focused at entry to low mid tier level , I know the E11 is a decent sounding amp, but I know an amp for just $30 more than leaves it behind, I have the E10 and know a DAC/amp that leaves it behind for a little more.

It's very hard to word this without looking I'm trying to cause a stir, which I am not, I just need to hear this player before I can make further judgement. I have no doubt it's going to have every feature we want which is so awesome of FiiO for contributing with us to, but if it's just the sound of an E17 that plays music it won't be enough for me personally.

Please don't quote this post if you want to play "tit for tat" because I won't respond.

I think that's acceptable and I agree. The thing is, they are the right and best products for most folks, even if not best for you and me. My biggest concern with the x3 is what Fiio is noted for, amp. It will be similar to the charge pump amps used the e17 and e11. Perhaps they've found a few tweaks along the way of designing their e12 but I suspect X3 will benefit more from adding an actual E12 instead. I'm so anti brick. The price point is low enough and feature set high enough that it will be an huge success if as reliable as expected from Fiio. I also expect it to sound great for the price. Fiio builds for volume sales and this will bring HiDef to the masses. Hopefully it surprises everybody.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tds101 

I've owned a few different Cowon players, I even have a D2+ and  X7  X9 ATM. 

Fixed that for ya! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by H20Fidelity 


I kept the CK4 too, I've found using it's line out cures the bass-roll off, so I amp it full time. The HM-601 was an unexpected purchase but it seems capable.

Very different flavours between the two players.

Cool :).

This is very true. That TDA1543 DAC is great. Compared to the Cirrus DAC very dark sounding.

From the X3, I do not expect the mother of all sound, rather I expect less flaws, than other so called audiophile DAPs have... like UI problems, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Achmedisdead 

Fixed that for ya! 

LOL!!! I wish it was the X7 TBH,...

Quote:

Originally Posted by tds101 

LOL!!! I wish it was the X7 TBH,...

One 160GB HDD player isn't enough, you want two? lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Achmedisdead 

There are a lot of Cowon lovers that would disagree with you. As a former owner of a couple of Cowons, I have mixed feelings about them....but I expect that the X3 will be better.

Same. If not I'd be a bit disappointed and underwhelmed to say the least.... I mean Cowon, ipod, Sansa are ok as main-steam players. But that is where it ends in terms of audio quality. In comparison to the higher end gear they are simply put, mediocre at best. ;).

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee730 

Same. If not I'd be a bit disappointed and underwhelmed to say the least.... I mean Cowon, ipod, Sansa are ok as main-steam players. But that is where it ends in terms of audio quality. In comparison to the higher end gear they are simply put, mediocre at best. ;).

I'm guessing you would need some pretty special headphones (note:I can't use IEM's) to really hear the difference between them and one of the so-called "high-end" players, though.....I doubt the difference could be heard on any of my headphones. And frankly, I'm totally OK with that....out of my collection, I have 4 headphones that I can use and enjoy with any of my devices without needing EQ, and a couple of the others are entirely enjoyable with EQ engaged. So really, the X3 is the only DAP that really has my interest.....although it is interesting following the debates surrounding the TP, AK100/RWAK100, DX100, Colorfly XYZ (hey H20!), HifiMan etc., I have no desire to get any of them.

If that makes me not an audiophile, so be it...lol. Love to listen to the music, that's what counts...and I do.  

I don't expect it to be the endgame dap by any means, but I think it's going to be a pretty cool device with good features. I'm hoping it sounds slightly warm compared to my J3 as I'm not enjoying it as much as i used to (could be that I'm simply bored with the J3/GR07 combo)...I'm still waiting for impressions by whoever tried it out at CES...I think we all are at this point.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Achmedisdead 

 

I'm guessing you would need some pretty special headphones (note:I can't use IEM's) to really hear the difference between them and one of the so-called "high-end" players, though.....I doubt the difference could be heard on any of my headphones. And frankly, I'm totally OK with that....out of my collection, I have 4 headphones that I can use and enjoy with any of my devices without needing EQ, and a couple of the others are entirely enjoyable with EQ engaged. So really, the X3 is the only DAP that really has my interest.....although it is interesting following the debates surrounding the TP, AK100/RWAK100, DX100, Colorfly XYZ (hey H20!), HifiMan etc., I have no desire to get any of them.

 

If that makes me not an audiophile, so be it...lol. Love to listen to the music, that's what counts...and I do.  

Well I listen to music. I don't listen to find faults usually lol. Audiophiles analyze music to find faults. If the fault is there and it lies in the gear then I try to improve upon it. I listen to music for enjoyment & I try to maximize that enjoyment. If that means getting better gear to get better sound quality, then so be it ;). Although I'm finally at that point where I am quite happy with what I have as portable gear. Just waiting on the 8A and trying to decide if I'm to keep the RWA AK100 or not. So far its looking good so we'll see. :P.

Got to spend some time in the Fiio booth @ CES, which was really cool, chatting with the guys about the X3 as well as new amps (E17, Mont Blanc). 

X3 had a very nice form factor... a touch shorter than the F806, and about twice the thickness. Not bulky at all and very pocketable. I did some listening with my Fitears, and I got the impression it provided very smooth and detailed sound even though I was listening to music which was totally unfamiliar to me. It did hang up and crash a couple times... definitely still in engineering mode, but was simple to navigate around and menus were very intuitive. With the (hopefully) solid sound quality, highly transportable form, memory expansion, and decent battery life, seems it should still be a winner after the development time it has been through.

Kudos Fiio guys. I had a great time in the booth.

F806 paired with Mont Blanc amp:

(apologies for not wiping down all the fingerprints before snapping the images!)

The X3 looks quite thick when you put it side by side. But then again, A very thin device or a very thick one isn't really a con in any sense for me.

It's still months until release so its looking good at the very least.

Thanks for your impressions man.