jdog
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
- Posts
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Specifications for IHiFi800:
Useful tips that Xuelin has printed on their website, but not in the user manual (as translated from Chinese to English):
1 . Volume Adjustment: To prevent this, if you need to adjust the volume, you need to switch the interface to playback.
2 . Line Out, Line Out when opened, the system volume is displayed as LO , this time line output 2vp-p standard line output level, volume will be locked, the user can from line out to get the standard level to drive other amps to achieve different play.
3 . Volume model, the standard state 60, the next state 120 fine, fine state for applications that require precise control of the situation on the volume.
4. The power limit, the standard power output of 1vp-p for general-ear headphones, high power output for 3Vp-P , for headset. Selection criteria to avoid misuse of power has led to burn headphones.
5. Under normal left and right channel balance setting is balanced, with a left and right channel correction. This function can be used when headphones or unbalanced hearing itself. Amplitude correction 1db
6. music singer, album, genre, song itself needs id3 information support, may also need to edit the track id3 realize song classification information.
7 sound adjustment: general state lossless sound regulation will only increase the distortion, and therefore only mp3 sound regulation and effective state.
8 . Favorites: In the " Local Disk " in click " "button, pop-up menus collection, again click on the" "button, then select the songs added to my collection.
9 . Delete files: Delete the player, the player's Explorer or "all files", select the song you want to delete, press " " 2 seconds, it will delete the file dialog box pops up, click again " "Song is deleted.
10 high-capacity tf card support: If you are 64g or 128g large capacity TF card, need after formatting tools can be used: http://www.i-hifi.com/hd/guiformat(www.greenxf.com) .zip
Personal introduction:
Just so you all know, I now have 5 Xuelin players (960 modified, 960 dual-core, 770, 770C and 800), so it is clear I have been a fan of their products for a while. As a disclosure, I did purchase this IHiFi 800 with my own funds, so I do not feel any conflict of interest in this review. I do not have any vested interest in the company and I have a terrible time trying to communicate with Xuelin by e-mail. I have submitted some questions regarding the IHiFi 800, but most have not been answered, so from this standpoint, I have no real information beyond what can be found on the internet.
What do you get with the iHiFi 800?
You get the 800 player, a USB cord, and a small Mofi-type case. There is a VIP card that is used for warranty purposes (1 yr warranty) and a user manual. There is also a postcard with the 800 on it. The beta testers of the 800 received a "10th Anniversary" ink pen with their prototypes, but this has not been included with the retail model. The player comes in 2 colors, silver and black. I got the black one (my other Xuelin players are also black).
Build:
The 800 is solidly built and is quite a bit smaller/lighter than the 960s. The 800 weighs about the same as the 770s (120 g vs 106 gm), but due to size dimensions, the 800 feels more sturdy than the 770. The casing for the 800 is aluminum and and it has the same texture as the 960s. The 800 has a scratch-proof glass cover over the screen; the screen measures
50 x 40 mm.
UI:
The UI of the 800 is relatively simple, like the rest of the Xuelin players. Primary navigation is through 7 buttons on the front of the player. The red button is used for on/off, pause and select/advance functions. There is a select button; this button and the red button share many of the same functions, but when a song is playing the red button is used for pause, and the select button reveals the selections for repeat mode, play mode (in order vs shuffle), MSEQ, EQ selection (presets), and background setup (display). There are 2 buttons that serve as fast forward/next and reverse/back. There are 2 buttons for volume control, one to increase volume, the other to decrease volume. There is also a return button that helps you move back through the menu. The volume control on the 800 can be locked by moving back through the menu screens while a song is playing until you can select "current play". Volume control is then unlocked by pressing the red button or select button again. As in the other Xuelin players, the 800 does not have an option for individual user equalization settings, outside of the presets offered (normal, rock, pop, jazz, etc).
There are also 3 buttons on the right side of the player: the top one controls on/off and pause/select functions, and the other 2 perform fast forward/next and reverse/back functions. These are intended for "in-pocket use" of the player.
There are 3 basic menu selections that appear on the start up screen: Music, Explorer and Settings. Under the Music menu, you can select "Resume Play" if you have just turned on the player, or "Current Play" if a song is playing. Again by selecting "current play", you can lock the volume control. The next selection is "All Music" which lists all songs in the internal memory by alphabetical order; this selection does not list the songs on the microsd card. The "All music" option is common to all the Xuelin players I have. The next 3 options are currently unique to the 800 in the Xuelin line-up, and they are listed as "Artist", "Album" and "Genre". Again, if one of these is selected (and your files have the proper id3 tags), then you will see the Artists, Albums or Genres that all included in your internal memory (but not your microsd card). These options can be used to build a "My Favorite" list (again unique to the 800) which is a way to build a play list on your 800. You cannot add individual songs from a file to you favorite list, but songs that you do not want from a file are very easily deleted. The songs added to the "My Favorite" list are arranged in alphabetical order, Beneath the "My Favorite" selection is the "Dir List". Selection of this option opens the screen that offers you "Flash" (internal memory) or "SD card". By selecting either of these options, you will find the files you have in your player. Again the Rockchip processor lists the files according to the time you placed them in the internal memory or the sdcard. To arrange my files in alphabetical order by artist, I use the Drivesort program and this helps tremendously in the search for desired files. The files you select under either "Flash" or "SDcard" have the songs listed in their original track list order (and not in alphabetical order).
The Explorer menu gets you directly to the "Flash" and "SDcard" options. The 800 will support a 128 gb microsd card. The internal memory of the 800 is 8 gb.
The Settings menu brings you to some other features currently also unique to the 800 in the Xuelin collection. There is a "Line out", which is either off/on. There is a "Volume Mode" to allow volume control (settings 0-60) or a finer-tuned volume control (settings 0-120). The maximum volume for the 2 modes is the same. There is a "Power Limit" selection that allows 1V or 3V output. I am using the 3V output mode to drive my earphones, but I tend to listen to music a bit on the loud side... There is a "Volume Balance" selection that allows for balance between the R and L channels (increase of 1 db), if needed (I personally can't tell much difference between the settings though..). Next we get the "Display setting" which allows you to set light time for the screen (from 5 seconds to 30 seconds to always on). Next selection is "System Setting" which I do not fool with. The next selection is "Language" of which there are 17 options. Next selection is "AutoShut Time" with options for 3 mins to 180 mins, or no auto shutoff. The final selection is "System Information" which lists firmware version and internal/sdcard capacities.
The button control of the UI is virtually seamless, whether moving through songs in the same file or moving to another file; there are no pops or clicks. This is also true when the player is powered off and on, no pops or clicks. Very nice...
File Support:
This is listed above under specifications. All I need to say here is that the 800, just like the other Xuelin models I have, does not support AAC, ALAC or high resolution FLAC files (24bit/192k). From personal communication with the folks at Xuelin, the lack of AAC/ALAC files has to do with Apple copyright issues as best I can tell... I am still baffled by the lack of higher resolution FLAC file support. Perhaps someone smarter than me can help out here; I don't know if the lack of high resolution FLAC file support is due to the Rockchip processor they use (RK27XX) or if this can be remedied by firmware upgrades. The folks at Xuelin must be aware of the growing demand for better file support, and I hope they can attempt to remedy this, because some folks may completely overlook the 800 because of these short comings...
Sound Quality (finally):
I will attempt my best here to give honest impressions of the 800 sound. Let me say, I really enjoy all the Xuelin players I have when it comes to sound quality. Given the 960 dual-core, the 800, and the 770s, I would honestly say I prefer the 960 dual core player overall. The soundstage of the 800 is very similar to that of the 960, but the 960 is able to dig a bit deeper on the lower end. The sound of the 800 is more neutral and presents highs better than the 960. Both the 800 and 960 present mids (vocals) very, very nicely and this is the strength of these players. The 800 does well with bass, but it does not go as deep as the 960. The bass on the 800, however, is cleaner and punchier than on the 960; but both have very good resolution and detail at all levels. The sound of the 800 is not "colored" like the sound on the 770s (through the HO B). Compared to the HO A on the 770s, the 800 has a wider soundstage and has a cleaner, more detailed sound. In my opinion. the 800 out performs the 770s when it comes to sound quality. I realize that some (or many) may disagree with this, as the sound quality out of the HO B on the 770s is fun and musical, but the sound quality from the 800, although more neutral, is not flat or analytical. I feel the sound quality of the 800 is very good; and may offer a truer reproduction of the music when compared to the 770s. I do however prefer the warmer sound signature of the 960 a little more, if I have to choose between the 800 and the 960. In addition, the 960's sound field appears to increase as the volume is increased and this does not appear to happen with the 770s or the 800. As in all the Xuelin players I own, the 800 has a very black background, no noise or hiss...
So the dilemma now arises as to which player to suggest. I think if you are looking for a fun, musical player that is stylish in appearance and readily portable, I would suggest the 770s. If you are looking for more of a home-based player with line out/optical out, coaxial out, and very nice (but mildly warm) sound quality and excellent soundstage, then you need to look into the 960 dual core. On the other hand is you want a really nice portable player with a neutral sound signature and very nice soundstage, I would have to recommend the 800. To be honest, all the Xuelin players have some obvious deficiencies, and if Xuelin hopes to stay competitive in the DAP market, they will need to remedy as may of these issues as they can with firmware updates.... But I must admit the sound quality in all of these players is very good/excellent, and for this, Xuelin should be proud....
There is more I can share about the 800, if anyone is interested, but right now, it is getting late, so I think I'll stop here...
- AMP : Max 9722
- Decoding: ES9018K2M
- I/V: LME49726 * 2
- Power: LME49726
- LPF: OPA1662
- USB date interface/charge jack
- TF card expansion interface
- Earphone output power: 105mw+105mw/32ohm
- Player output: 1V, 3V
- SNR：Greater than or equal to 105dB (A weighting)
- Channel unbalance≤ 0.5dB (1 KHz)
- Channel separation ：More than 95dB (1 KHz)
- Frequency response ：20Hz ~ 20 KHz (+0/-2.5dB)
- Total harmonic distortion plus noise≤ 0.006% (1 KHz)
- Life time ：Continuously playing WAV files with standard bit rate for about 13 hours
- (Screen turn off) high bit rate for about 12 hours
- Support audio format ：WAV (8-192k) APE (8-48k) FLAC (8-48k) AAC OGG MP3 (8-320k) WMA (8-48k)
- Storage capacity: built-in 8GB, expandable to 128GB
- Battery type ：Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery
- Size and shape ： 100*49*16mm
- Net Weight ：120g
Useful tips that Xuelin has printed on their website, but not in the user manual (as translated from Chinese to English):
1 . Volume Adjustment: To prevent this, if you need to adjust the volume, you need to switch the interface to playback.
2 . Line Out, Line Out when opened, the system volume is displayed as LO , this time line output 2vp-p standard line output level, volume will be locked, the user can from line out to get the standard level to drive other amps to achieve different play.
3 . Volume model, the standard state 60, the next state 120 fine, fine state for applications that require precise control of the situation on the volume.
4. The power limit, the standard power output of 1vp-p for general-ear headphones, high power output for 3Vp-P , for headset. Selection criteria to avoid misuse of power has led to burn headphones.
5. Under normal left and right channel balance setting is balanced, with a left and right channel correction. This function can be used when headphones or unbalanced hearing itself. Amplitude correction 1db
6. music singer, album, genre, song itself needs id3 information support, may also need to edit the track id3 realize song classification information.
7 sound adjustment: general state lossless sound regulation will only increase the distortion, and therefore only mp3 sound regulation and effective state.
8 . Favorites: In the " Local Disk " in click " "button, pop-up menus collection, again click on the" "button, then select the songs added to my collection.
9 . Delete files: Delete the player, the player's Explorer or "all files", select the song you want to delete, press " " 2 seconds, it will delete the file dialog box pops up, click again " "Song is deleted.
10 high-capacity tf card support: If you are 64g or 128g large capacity TF card, need after formatting tools can be used: http://www.i-hifi.com/hd/guiformat(www.greenxf.com) .zip
Personal introduction:
Just so you all know, I now have 5 Xuelin players (960 modified, 960 dual-core, 770, 770C and 800), so it is clear I have been a fan of their products for a while. As a disclosure, I did purchase this IHiFi 800 with my own funds, so I do not feel any conflict of interest in this review. I do not have any vested interest in the company and I have a terrible time trying to communicate with Xuelin by e-mail. I have submitted some questions regarding the IHiFi 800, but most have not been answered, so from this standpoint, I have no real information beyond what can be found on the internet.
What do you get with the iHiFi 800?
You get the 800 player, a USB cord, and a small Mofi-type case. There is a VIP card that is used for warranty purposes (1 yr warranty) and a user manual. There is also a postcard with the 800 on it. The beta testers of the 800 received a "10th Anniversary" ink pen with their prototypes, but this has not been included with the retail model. The player comes in 2 colors, silver and black. I got the black one (my other Xuelin players are also black).
Build:
The 800 is solidly built and is quite a bit smaller/lighter than the 960s. The 800 weighs about the same as the 770s (120 g vs 106 gm), but due to size dimensions, the 800 feels more sturdy than the 770. The casing for the 800 is aluminum and and it has the same texture as the 960s. The 800 has a scratch-proof glass cover over the screen; the screen measures
50 x 40 mm.
UI:
The UI of the 800 is relatively simple, like the rest of the Xuelin players. Primary navigation is through 7 buttons on the front of the player. The red button is used for on/off, pause and select/advance functions. There is a select button; this button and the red button share many of the same functions, but when a song is playing the red button is used for pause, and the select button reveals the selections for repeat mode, play mode (in order vs shuffle), MSEQ, EQ selection (presets), and background setup (display). There are 2 buttons that serve as fast forward/next and reverse/back. There are 2 buttons for volume control, one to increase volume, the other to decrease volume. There is also a return button that helps you move back through the menu. The volume control on the 800 can be locked by moving back through the menu screens while a song is playing until you can select "current play". Volume control is then unlocked by pressing the red button or select button again. As in the other Xuelin players, the 800 does not have an option for individual user equalization settings, outside of the presets offered (normal, rock, pop, jazz, etc).
There are also 3 buttons on the right side of the player: the top one controls on/off and pause/select functions, and the other 2 perform fast forward/next and reverse/back functions. These are intended for "in-pocket use" of the player.
There are 3 basic menu selections that appear on the start up screen: Music, Explorer and Settings. Under the Music menu, you can select "Resume Play" if you have just turned on the player, or "Current Play" if a song is playing. Again by selecting "current play", you can lock the volume control. The next selection is "All Music" which lists all songs in the internal memory by alphabetical order; this selection does not list the songs on the microsd card. The "All music" option is common to all the Xuelin players I have. The next 3 options are currently unique to the 800 in the Xuelin line-up, and they are listed as "Artist", "Album" and "Genre". Again, if one of these is selected (and your files have the proper id3 tags), then you will see the Artists, Albums or Genres that all included in your internal memory (but not your microsd card). These options can be used to build a "My Favorite" list (again unique to the 800) which is a way to build a play list on your 800. You cannot add individual songs from a file to you favorite list, but songs that you do not want from a file are very easily deleted. The songs added to the "My Favorite" list are arranged in alphabetical order, Beneath the "My Favorite" selection is the "Dir List". Selection of this option opens the screen that offers you "Flash" (internal memory) or "SD card". By selecting either of these options, you will find the files you have in your player. Again the Rockchip processor lists the files according to the time you placed them in the internal memory or the sdcard. To arrange my files in alphabetical order by artist, I use the Drivesort program and this helps tremendously in the search for desired files. The files you select under either "Flash" or "SDcard" have the songs listed in their original track list order (and not in alphabetical order).
The Explorer menu gets you directly to the "Flash" and "SDcard" options. The 800 will support a 128 gb microsd card. The internal memory of the 800 is 8 gb.
The Settings menu brings you to some other features currently also unique to the 800 in the Xuelin collection. There is a "Line out", which is either off/on. There is a "Volume Mode" to allow volume control (settings 0-60) or a finer-tuned volume control (settings 0-120). The maximum volume for the 2 modes is the same. There is a "Power Limit" selection that allows 1V or 3V output. I am using the 3V output mode to drive my earphones, but I tend to listen to music a bit on the loud side... There is a "Volume Balance" selection that allows for balance between the R and L channels (increase of 1 db), if needed (I personally can't tell much difference between the settings though..). Next we get the "Display setting" which allows you to set light time for the screen (from 5 seconds to 30 seconds to always on). Next selection is "System Setting" which I do not fool with. The next selection is "Language" of which there are 17 options. Next selection is "AutoShut Time" with options for 3 mins to 180 mins, or no auto shutoff. The final selection is "System Information" which lists firmware version and internal/sdcard capacities.
The button control of the UI is virtually seamless, whether moving through songs in the same file or moving to another file; there are no pops or clicks. This is also true when the player is powered off and on, no pops or clicks. Very nice...
File Support:
This is listed above under specifications. All I need to say here is that the 800, just like the other Xuelin models I have, does not support AAC, ALAC or high resolution FLAC files (24bit/192k). From personal communication with the folks at Xuelin, the lack of AAC/ALAC files has to do with Apple copyright issues as best I can tell... I am still baffled by the lack of higher resolution FLAC file support. Perhaps someone smarter than me can help out here; I don't know if the lack of high resolution FLAC file support is due to the Rockchip processor they use (RK27XX) or if this can be remedied by firmware upgrades. The folks at Xuelin must be aware of the growing demand for better file support, and I hope they can attempt to remedy this, because some folks may completely overlook the 800 because of these short comings...
Sound Quality (finally):
I will attempt my best here to give honest impressions of the 800 sound. Let me say, I really enjoy all the Xuelin players I have when it comes to sound quality. Given the 960 dual-core, the 800, and the 770s, I would honestly say I prefer the 960 dual core player overall. The soundstage of the 800 is very similar to that of the 960, but the 960 is able to dig a bit deeper on the lower end. The sound of the 800 is more neutral and presents highs better than the 960. Both the 800 and 960 present mids (vocals) very, very nicely and this is the strength of these players. The 800 does well with bass, but it does not go as deep as the 960. The bass on the 800, however, is cleaner and punchier than on the 960; but both have very good resolution and detail at all levels. The sound of the 800 is not "colored" like the sound on the 770s (through the HO B). Compared to the HO A on the 770s, the 800 has a wider soundstage and has a cleaner, more detailed sound. In my opinion. the 800 out performs the 770s when it comes to sound quality. I realize that some (or many) may disagree with this, as the sound quality out of the HO B on the 770s is fun and musical, but the sound quality from the 800, although more neutral, is not flat or analytical. I feel the sound quality of the 800 is very good; and may offer a truer reproduction of the music when compared to the 770s. I do however prefer the warmer sound signature of the 960 a little more, if I have to choose between the 800 and the 960. In addition, the 960's sound field appears to increase as the volume is increased and this does not appear to happen with the 770s or the 800. As in all the Xuelin players I own, the 800 has a very black background, no noise or hiss...
So the dilemma now arises as to which player to suggest. I think if you are looking for a fun, musical player that is stylish in appearance and readily portable, I would suggest the 770s. If you are looking for more of a home-based player with line out/optical out, coaxial out, and very nice (but mildly warm) sound quality and excellent soundstage, then you need to look into the 960 dual core. On the other hand is you want a really nice portable player with a neutral sound signature and very nice soundstage, I would have to recommend the 800. To be honest, all the Xuelin players have some obvious deficiencies, and if Xuelin hopes to stay competitive in the DAP market, they will need to remedy as may of these issues as they can with firmware updates.... But I must admit the sound quality in all of these players is very good/excellent, and for this, Xuelin should be proud....
There is more I can share about the 800, if anyone is interested, but right now, it is getting late, so I think I'll stop here...
