Guys ..use this free program to sort the drive ..each time you add album or songs ..open up this program to sort the album folder...Me do by alphabet ..cheers
 
http://www.anerty.net/software/file/DriveSort/?lang=en

@JamesFiiO
 
Quick question.  Is there anyway to get a simplified background when playing music, instead of seeing the record playing animation?
 
I'd love to see a simple only text theme display if possible.   
 
 
Thanks,

Justin
 
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bloodypenguin said:

  @JamesFiiO
 
Quick question.  Is there anyway to get a simplified background when playing music, instead of seeing the record playing animation?
 
I'd love to see a simple only text theme display if possible.   
 
 
Thanks,

Justin
 
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Click to expand...

 
There are only two themes and neither appears to have this facility. The only way I could see you doing this would be to add a custom album/track art image which would display but that seems to be a bit of a hassle.

west0ne said:

   
There are only two themes and neither appears to have this facility. The only way I could see you doing this would be to add a custom album/track art image which would display but that seems to be a bit of a hassle.

Click to expand...

Correct.  I was hoping for a future updated release that there could be a simplified theme available.
 
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west0ne said:

  Mine seems to simply order folders by the date added to the SD card no matter how I try to sort them. The only Windows machine I have access to is running Windows 10 and FolderSort doesn't appear to work.
 
If I format the SD Card and then add everything back in using MediaMonkey they end up in alphabetical order again but that would be down to the date/time order that MediaMonkey uses to copy them across.
 
I use the same file/folder structure ARTIST>>ALBUM>>TRACK. It just seems to be the way the M3 works.

Click to expand...

If I could find a Windows solution to this, I would dust off Windows computer to dedicate to putting my FiiO M3 library in alphabetical order. A bit more info., on the Mac, I'm using freeware SyncFolders so that only music newly added to my Mac gets transferred to my FiiO M3 (good, except that still does not remove the problem of alphabetical order not being followed by the M3). I'm wondering if the problem is because the M3 is more popular in China than overseas (in terms of sheer numbers of sales, I mean), and the Chinese customers use Chinese character titles, as is perfectly normal, for their music.

@Geordiepete - Drivesort mentioned by Wokei sorts the drive alphabetically. Very quick and easy to use. It's not ideal having to use a third party application but it solves the issue for now. It works on Windows 10.
 
Thanks to Wokei for the link; I'm no longer having OCD issues about folder sorting. I find it far more annoying than I probably should.
 
Previously I had tried a shell script to 'touch' the folders in alphabetical order but the results were hit and miss.

FiiO M3 vs Onn X5
 

 
I’ve spent a fair amount of time with these budget DAPs, here are my thoughts:
 
UI – I’ve heard a bit from other members about how the M3’s UI is not exactly perfect.  For me, I never really had any trouble navigating the little FiiO DAP.  It was quick learning curve to master use of the M3, but the X5 is entirely different.  With the Onn DAP, I just get plain lost and frustrated.  What the heck did the do to this poor X5?  Why is it set up like that?  I will say this, the Onn made me appreciate FiiO’s UI even more than I already did.  The M3 has a plethora of options that make customizing the FiiO DAP best to your needs; while the Onn X5 does have a slightly better EQ it is VERY limited in all other options/settings.  On top of all of this, the Onn X5 repeatedly freezes up on me and I have to turn it off. 

Updating Firmware – Right after I received the M3, I went to FiiO’s website and did a quick update.  I never used it stock, so I could not tell you the difference; I just know it was super easy to do.  Upon receiving the X5, I did the same thing.   I went to Onn’s website, found firmware and then spent the next two hours, NOT updating the X5, as nothing seemed to work and I am decently techy.  So I gave up. 
 
Build Quality – The Metal X5 / The Plastic M3.  At quick glance, the Onn does seem to have an edge as it looks nice and shiny.  The FiiO is a strange mix of multi hues of off-white (yes I know they come in other colors).  Once you have them in the hand, the M3, even though plastic feels a little better.  The X5, feels light and “tinny”.  Even the buttons on the Onn DAP feel of lower precision than the FiiO and that is even after some say that the M3 is not known for its great clicking either.  I also noticed that the X5 came to me with blemishes already on the body and it seems to pick up more with ease.  The FiiO, while not the toughest DAP, still shows some reliance to scratches.   

Display – I think FiiO did a good (not great) job setting up the theme on the M3.  Screens are pleasant to look at and seem to follow a common design.  The X5 on the other hand, is a complete mess.  Onn does not seem to have any centralized direction when they were putting together the various screens.  They are a Hodgepodge of designs slapped together.  I think Onn would have been better off just putting a simple, screen like on the Sandisk Clip.  Though I will admit, I wish the little FiiO had a similar option for a simple text layout as well to choose from, I could do without any animations. Also, I will never get why Onn has that big screen on the X5, but the album art is so tiny up in the top right corner. 

Price – As I wright this, the FiiO M3 comes in at $55 and the Onn X5 is about $40 (a 28% savings).  But which price is right?  Answer to come in my final thoughts.
 
Sound Quality – Here we have the most important (IMO) category.  With this class of DAPs, I did not expect a lot, I was just looking for a decent overall sound.  With the X5, I must say I was caught off guard on how good they truly sound.  It seems Onn spent time and money avoiding EVERY other category and instead focused on an accurate sound playback.  When I can avoid the Onn from freezing and actually get to a song I want to hear, I am rewarded by a crispy, detailed playback.  With the FiiO, quality is good as well, but a touch smoother and warmer.  The X5 does have a small advantage when put head to head for a quality sound, but it is not by much.  I would call the FiiO M3 the better DAP for extended, relaxing listening, while the Onn X5 is great for analytical playback.   
 
Final Thoughts – I LOVE how the X5 sounds, even excluding price.  I just can NOT get passed all the other offensive flaws the Onn DAP has.  Frustration should not be part of any listening experience.  The M3 barley misses the level of playback of the X5, yet is still quite good for its price point. FiiO does a fantastic job putting together a quality dap from design to functionality.  If you wanted to see, the best, detailed and accurate sound you can get for $40, the Onn X5 is a clear winner.  For audiophiles, this is what many of us seek.  Though for me, when I go to reach out for one of my budget DAPs, I notice that 90% of the time, I end up with the FiiO M3 in my hand.  I want to enjoy music, not have to fight for it. 
 
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bloodypenguin said:

  @JamesFiiO
 
Quick question.  Is there anyway to get a simplified background when playing music, instead of seeing the record playing animation?
 
I'd love to see a simple only text theme display if possible.   
 
 
Thanks,

Justin
 
--

Click to expand...

Justin,  we are so sorry for this problem, but we will report your suggestion to our engineer.

@JamesFiiO
 
Hi James,
 
Could the next firmware fix the problem of having to reset the sleep timer setting each time the FiiO M3 is turned on?
 
Many users would like the sleep timer to remain at a set value without having to reset it each day. The volume setting, for example, can be set once and remain there without needing to be reset, so it would seem that it could be done for the sleep timer too.
 
 谢谢
 
Pete

was going through this thread and noticed quite a few people pairing the M3 with a portable amp.  Since the M3 doesn't have a line out, isn't this double amping?  Are people not noticing any distortions?  I'd love to get a bit more power for the M3, but I'm not seeing any real options.

I've paired the M3 with a lower end amp like the Fiio E6 or Brainwavz AP001, as well as a nicer one like the RSA Shadow, and never felt I was hindering the experience.  I haven't tried anything large in size like the Cayin C5 because I feel that kind of defeats the purpose given the size increase.

Gotcha.  Definitely not considering any big or expensive amp as that would defeat the purpose of the cheap M3.  For now, I've jumped on a Xduoo XQ-10 as I saw someone pairing it with one in this thread.  Looks to be better than the Fiio E6 at the same price, so I figure can't really go wrong (with almost matching the M3's battery too).

einthevariance said:

  was going through this thread and noticed quite a few people pairing the M3 with a portable amp.  Since the M3 doesn't have a line out, isn't this double amping?  Are people not noticing any distortions?  I'd love to get a bit more power for the M3, but I'm not seeing any real options.

Click to expand...

If you are willing to spend a little more I would go for the Q1.  I am using it with my Sony A17 and it makes a big difference.  The Q1 has a very quiet background which makes it great for double amping.  The Q1 has 30 hour battery life so it would pair nicely battery life wise with the M3 at 24 hours.
 
The E11K would be a good choice to depending on how much power you need and it is nice and small to pair with the M3

geordiepete said:

  If I could find a Windows solution to this, I would dust off Windows computer to dedicate to putting my FiiO M3 library in alphabetical order. A bit more info., on the Mac, I'm using freeware SyncFolders so that only music newly added to my Mac gets transferred to my FiiO M3 (good, except that still does not remove the problem of alphabetical order not being followed by the M3). I'm wondering if the problem is because the M3 is more popular in China than overseas (in terms of sheer numbers of sales, I mean), and the Chinese customers use Chinese character titles, as is perfectly normal, for their music.

Click to expand...

Windows solution is to use Windows Media Player to sync you music onto the M3.  WMP will sync it alphabetically.  I can confirm this works because it's what I used when I owned the M3.  Unless things have changed since I returned my M3, WMP should do the trick for you.

fish1050 said:

 
If you are willing to spend a little more I would go for the Q1.  I am using it with my Sony A17 and it makes a big difference.  The Q1 has a very quiet background which makes it great for double amping.  The Q1 has 30 hour battery life so it would pair nicely battery life wise with the M3 at 24 hours.
 
The E11K would be a good choice to depending on how much power you need and it is nice and small to pair with the M3

Click to expand...

I considered it, but at a higher price point than M3 itself plus the added bulk isn't worth it to me.  I don't think I'll be needing that much more power for what I'm using the M3 for anyway.