[ma_t14]

  I have done the new firmware upgrade. I can figure that out now. First time didn't unzip the file first, duh.
 
Unrelated but I still cannot access any files from the SD card through Categories/Album. Files on the internal memory no problem. I know this has to do with the number of levels in the folders and that I need to reduce the number of levels in the folders to fix this, but i don't really have any idea how to do this. I am running a PC with Windows 7 home premium. Is there a member who would be willing, perhaps via PM, to guide me through this procedure. I'm sure it's not difficult and I've read some of the descriptions from members on this thread but I'm still lost as to what exactly to do. I need simple thorough step by step instructions. |f someone would be willing to tutor me on how to do this i would really appreciate it. I know, I'm such a noob. Thanks.

 
As long as your tags are all in place (the very basic ones at least like Album Artist, Album, Title) it should be an easy thing to do with a program that includes a file organizer component such as MediaMonkey, MusicBee or even Mp3tag.

This video tutorial for Mp3tag is old but still relevant: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqsI3sWsSM4
 
 

 

[good sound]

 

  I have done the new firmware upgrade. I can figure that out now. First time didn't unzip the file first, duh.
 
Unrelated but I still cannot access any files from the SD card through Categories/Album. Files on the internal memory no problem. I know this has to do with the number of levels in the folders and that I need to reduce the number of levels in the folders to fix this, but i don't really have any idea how to do this. I am running a PC with Windows 7 home premium. Is there a member who would be willing, perhaps via PM, to guide me through this procedure. I'm sure it's not difficult and I've read some of the descriptions from members on this thread but I'm still lost as to what exactly to do. I need simple thorough step by step instructions. |f someone would be willing to tutor me on how to do this i would really appreciate it. I know, I'm such a noob. Thanks.

 
I think I saw you mention somewhere that you rip a CD to a single file. If you're doing that, you probably aren't using folders at all. I don't know what type of file you are using, but that may be the problem. You may need to give a bit more detail on how you are ripping before anyone can help. If you aren't ripping to a single file then giving some detail about how you have organised the files on the SD card might help.

 
Here is exactly what I do. I either rip a CD, using EAC, allowing an outboard converter to convert the WAV file to flac within EAC, or a DVD-Audio disc using DVD-Audio Extractor to flac. In both cases when it asks me where I want the files I choose my music in Windows Explorer. I create a new folder and rip the files directly into the titled new folder in Explorer. To transfer the album files onto the SD card  I go into JRiver Merdia Center 18 and right click on the album thumbnail and click on "send to", "external drives and devices", FiiO X3 external removeable disc which is designated by a letter of the alphabet. That's it. It was the simplest way i could figure out how to do it on my own. I don't really organize the files at all on the SD card. I have no idea how to do that. If there is a better way i would sure like to know it.

 

[tjw321]

   
Here is exactly what I do. I either rip a CD, using EAC, allowing an outboard converter to convert the WAV file to flac within EAC, or a DVD-Audio disc using DVD-Audio Extractor to flac. In both cases when it asks me where I want the files I choose my music in Windows Explorer. I create a new folder and rip the files directly into the titled new folder in Explorer. To transfer the album files onto the SD card  I go into JRiver Merdia Center 18 and right click on the album thumbnail and click on "send to", "external drives and devices", FiiO X3 external removeable disc which is designated by a letter of the alphabet. That's it. It was the simplest way i could figure out how to do it on my own. I don't really organize the files at all on the SD card. I have no idea how to do that. If there is a better way i would sure like to know it.

 
I'm not a Windows user, but it sounds to me like you're not really using folders to any depth and that something else is the problem. You may need a separate cue file to get the category section to work, but I don't really know as I always rip my tracks to separate files. James will know, or maybe someone else who uses flacs can help. Sorry, you've reached the limits of my knowledge....

 

[good sound]

 

   
Here is exactly what I do. I either rip a CD, using EAC, allowing an outboard converter to convert the WAV file to flac within EAC, or a DVD-Audio disc using DVD-Audio Extractor to flac. In both cases when it asks me where I want the files I choose my music in Windows Explorer. I create a new folder and rip the files directly into the titled new folder in Explorer. To transfer the album files onto the SD card  I go into JRiver Merdia Center 18 and right click on the album thumbnail and click on "send to", "external drives and devices", FiiO X3 external removeable disc which is designated by a letter of the alphabet. That's it. It was the simplest way i could figure out how to do it on my own. I don't really organize the files at all on the SD card. I have no idea how to do that. If there is a better way i would sure like to know it.

 
I'm not a Windows user, but it sounds to me like you're not really using folders to any depth and that something else is the problem. You may need a separate cue file to get the category section to work, but I don't really know as I always rip my tracks to separate files. James will know, or maybe someone else who uses flacs can help. Sorry, you've reached the limits of my knowledge....

 
Yes, I don't rip tracks to separate files as i almost always listen to complete albums from start to finish. in fact i get frustrated when i download albums from some sites and when they get transferred to the X3 or my SD card they are all separate tracks and I have to click on each individual one in sequence after the last one is finished to hear them. That drives me nuts. I took a look at my SD card and it would appear that all of my album files are indeed in one large folder on the SD card. i don't know if that's the issue or not.

 

[MrScratch]

Downloading the stable firmware right now!
Thanks again, James!

 

[sandalaudio]

   
Yes, I don't rip tracks to separate files as i almost always listen to complete albums from start to finish. in fact i get frustrated when i download albums from some sites and when they get transferred to the X3 or my SD card they are all separate tracks and I have to click on each individual one in sequence after the last one is finished to hear them. That drives me nuts. I took a look at my SD card and it would appear that all of my album files are indeed in one large folder on the SD card. i don't know if that's the issue or not.

 
On the step-by-step procedures you wrote down, I didn't see any part where you embed the metadata tags (ID3 tags) onto your FLAC files. Are you sure your tags are correct and compliant with the version supported by the X3? (have you checked by ID3 tag editor like "mp3tag" etc?)
 
The individual songs will play automatically in sequence as long as the tags for "Album" and "Track Number" are correctly embedded. I don't quite follow what your problem is exactly.

 

[good sound]

 

   
Yes, I don't rip tracks to separate files as i almost always listen to complete albums from start to finish. in fact i get frustrated when i download albums from some sites and when they get transferred to the X3 or my SD card they are all separate tracks and I have to click on each individual one in sequence after the last one is finished to hear them. That drives me nuts. I took a look at my SD card and it would appear that all of my album files are indeed in one large folder on the SD card. i don't know if that's the issue or not.

 
On the step-by-step procedures you wrote down, I didn't see any part where you embed the metadata tags (ID3 tags) onto your FLAC files. Are you sure your tags are correct and compliant with the version supported by the X3? (have you checked by ID3 tag editor like "mp3tag" etc?)
 
The individual songs will play automatically in sequence as long as the tags for "Album" and "Track Number" are correctly embedded. I don't quite follow what your problem is exactly.

 
What my exact problem is this. From the UI of the X3 you can access your music files in two ways. One being by clicking on the Browse Files header in the menu, the other is by clicking on the Categories header in the UI. If I access my files from the Browse File header I can obviously choose between the internal memory and the SD card and i can access all of the files I have loaded  on the player from one or the other. If i go in through the categories header in the menu however, I can only access files that are in the internal built in memory of the X3.  I cannot access or see any of the files I have loaded on the micro SD card that is inserted into the player. Big deal you may say, just play back files from the Browse Files header. Well that would be fine and dandy but you cannot get gapless playback when accessing files from Browse Files, gapless playback is only possible  when accessing files from Categories/Album. I have a lot of music that requires gapless playback to sound proper, big gaps in between songs when there should be none annoys me disperportionatlly, please excuse my horrible spelling. There is only very limited space available on the internal memory of the X3 especially when like myself you are transferring hi-rez lossless files only. I know FiiO is working on a firmware fix for this but in the meantime any music i have on my SD card that requires gapless playback is basically for me, unlistenable. I have been told that I should be able to access all of the music on the X3 through the categories header whether it be located on the internal built in memory or on a SD card and that the most likely reason why I cannot is that i have too many levels in my files and the X3 can't get deep enough to see them when going through the Categoires header. hopefully this all makes sense because i cannot explain it any more thoroughly than that.
 
I am fairly certain all of my tags are correct. I have EAC set up to embed the metadata onto the original WAV file as EAC does not do flac directly I have to convert the files to flac. I have also ripped some files in Media Center 18 directly to flac with metadata and this makes no difference. When i right click on my music files in Windows explorer and click the properties banner it shows that all of my files have ID3 tags on them. I have flipped some of the files back and forth and as long as they are on the internal built in memory I can access them but if they are on the SD card I cannot, through the categories header only of course. Through Browse Files I can access all of my files no matter where they are. All of the correct info is shown on the screen when playing back including cover art.
 
The reference to downloaded tracks that appear as individual files only was from a couple of HD Tracks samplers I have. On media center they show up as an album file with all of the songs in one folder but when i transfer them to a portable device, any protable device not just the X3, they show up as individual files not in an album folder. All other albums i rip and transfer show up as albums in the player and play the tracks from the album sequentially.

 

[madmonkey]

will this player sound better then my cowon x9?

 

[d m41n man]

Nice! Thanks JamesFiio and to your team! Now downloading and updating to FW 1.31... Sadly though, still no inter-subfolder shuffle play (folder play contents of all subfolders under a main folder i.e. all tracks in 'CD1' CD2' etc folders under a genre/artist folder). I hope this will come in the next update. Thanks again and more power Fiio!
 

 

[JamesFiiO]

to all users, I can see almost every advice about the UI, and I am working in a list about the firmware issues. and in the past couple months, we have released at least 4 version. behind it , there are a team includes 7 software engineers and 10 QA to test the firmware.
 
to be honest, I don't see any other company improve the firmware as we did . and here is the situation:
 
1, we have to spent time in the development of X5. 
 
2, the most bugs and the advice already finished or fixed.
 
3, some advice is hard to be done in the coming soon, but we may redesign the whole UI/UE in 2014 depended on the UI of X5 which will be far more better than X3. hope you can understand, something need to solve from the beginning . the firmware updated is not magic.
 
so, we will take care every suggestion or bugs report and don't worry I am here listening and watching to you. and I promise we will try our best to make X3 perfect . but if we can't , it must be out of our ability, but I hope you can still support us . caz man are man caz we are not 
 
God!  

 

[gikigill]

Fiio,
You're better then 90% of the business out there when it comes to service and support. Rest assured you don't have to fear about poor service.

 

[shrimants]

James, you guys are doing great. Here are some personal thoughts. This is my opinion, not necessarily that of others.

I think you guys should have had most of these bugs ironed out before selling the X3. I'm talking about the ones fixed already, not the UI stuff. Gapless playback, 64 gig card support, etc. The device was simply not ready at launch. The reason you had to release at least 4 versions and provide this level of support is that your device was nowhere near ready enough for sales. Other companies dont provide this kind of support because other companies have released a product that works right, and only very minor bug fixes are required. Not the massive revamping of the firmware that you have done.

Dont get me wrong, it is an incredible feat to do this level of bugfixing. You have entirely changed the firmware into something pretty usable.

As far as the UI goes, I think it is not necessary for you to worry too much about it. There is a certain way people expect their tracks to show up:

• if I want all songs, I want to see all of my songs listed alphabetically. Not by track number, but my track TITLE.
• if I go into Artist, I either want "all songs" or a specific album by that artist. Artist/All should be alphabetical. Artist/Album should be listed in track order.
• If i go into genre, I want all songs alphabetical. I want to be able to see Genre/all songs, Genre/Artist/All songs, Genre/Artist/Album. In this case, everything should be alphabetical order because one album may have songs from multiple genres, or maybe the genre/artist/album should be listed in track order.
• All Songs should be another category, and it should be listed INSIDE of category view. It doesnt make sense to have it outside of category if it IS a category.

Other small changes and "nice-to-have" features would be changing the menu order, gapless playback determined by id3 tag, audiobook support (bookmarks location for audiobooks, doesnt list them in songs). That sort of thing.

Now, if you are doing an interface revamp in 2014 and outsourcing development work of the X5 firmware (and possibly X3 firmware), you would simply be wasting your time.

The way I see it: you have 2 methods of browsing. For the artist/album/track method, you can use "browse files". For the rest of the methods, you can KIND OF use the category view (if it didnt sort by track number).

Is this ideal? no. of course not. But as long as you have this working, it is fine. spend your dev efforts elsewhere but make sure that in this current stage, the X3 WORKS. By that, i mean that a 64 gig card that is completely packed to full with various formats of files, album art, etc should not pose any problems. There should definitely be no id3 tag library update issues, there should not be any browse issues. UI tweaks should be mostly secondary because the goal should be having functional usable hardware. After your hardware is fixed and your smaller bugs are fixed (the ones specifically related to sound quality rather than user experience), THEN you work on user experience.

This device is bought not because it works like an ipod, but because it is some of the highest affordable sound quality you can get. The ibasso devices are ludicrously priced, an ipod generally needs an amp/LOD and an itouch can only drive a limited set of hardware and doesnt have much file playback capability natively.

For the cost, your device is excellent by any measurement/hardware standard. I think you should concentrate on maintaining this hardware-oriented superiority and only when that is satisfactory should you place development effort into a UI revamp.

After all, its whats on the inside that really counts.

Keep up the good work.

 

[gikigill]

While the iBasso DAP are ridiculous in pricing, iBasso amps coupled with the X3 kick some real butt. I own the PB2 and tried the D42 and they are simply smashing.

 

[nihontoman]

Holy **** guys, when talking about this "ridiculously priced iBasso DAPs" did you check how much the DX50 costs? just curious

 
 
USB Dac function is too good to pass up on, especially when it is also a really good DAP. Might get this and switch between his and the DX50

 

[gikigill]

I am on the line for a DX50 but their previous efforts are expensive.