Hello guys,
After a few days listening to the X7 with my SE5 Ultimate and Jays Q Jays, I will provide my first impressions. This same post will be updated with the rest of my review.
Overall Interaction with Fiio
As first words, I have never owned Fiio products, but I think it is a great brand, in terms of philosophy and attitude. How they involved the potential clients to create the X7 with the best positive price and features. The results are clearly in line with their objectives. Afterwards, the organisation of the tour, and the simplicity of communication with them during this tour make me want to give them money. Like really. I will certainly buy a X7 in the future even if I don't neep a DAP.
Box and accessories
This should be taken with a pinch of salt as it is a preproduction package, but I think if the X7 is to be positionned along high end DAPs, despite its price (which it should based on SQ and features), the package and accessories, which are fine, should have a more high end feel. The Jays Q Jays are a perfect exemple of this. Let me illustrate my example:
X7 box and accessories:
Jays box and accessories (paid 300$):
This is no biggy, but first impressions are important, especially if you want to enter the high end segment.
Player design and build
The player is too me quite perfect in terms of size. Of course it is heavy, but if you want power and quality components, it is hard to ask for lightweight DAPs. I personnaly don't care about weight anyways.
I am not a huge fan of the screen not being integrated into the main structure, but I guess there is a reason. Otherwise the build and finish are excellent, especially at this price. Not quite at AK level but still excellent. I think the metal could have a more beautiful finish, but it will apparently be the case on the final production version.
Overall ergonomics
As I said the size is good for me. I could tolerate a shorter player with a smaller screen, I don't think DAPs need big screens, but overall the feel in hand is good. I think the side buttons are a bit confusion in a sense that they are placed and sized completely symetrically, so I often mix up play and on/off, or volume and track skip. The forward screen feels a bit exposed, so a nice case would come in handy. I am sure Fiio has plans for this.
I think the presence of the line out on top can lead to accidents. I plugged my iems into the line out quite naturally without paying attention and hit play....boom...RIP my ears at 7:30 in the morning. Maybe the line out should be deactivated unless you put the player in line out mode.
UI and usage
The UI is android based, and contrarily to many new DAPs, quite stable. I never had any bugs or crashes. The startup is fast, there is no automatic scan unless you set it this way. When you scan for new files, it is very fast, maybe 30 seconds at most for a large SD card (didn't count, but it was not long for my 128g SD).
My review on this aspect will be brief, as I use my DAP to...listen to music. I do not stream as I find it complicated in China with the more than crappy internet connection so I will not bother trying sorry, many other reviewers are doing it already. As I read, the apps you can install are limited, but once again I need none appart from the music app.
The Fiio music app works perfectly. There are some niggles, for instance, the playlist menu is separated from the local music menu, and that seems weird. Otherwise, after a couple of days, navigation is easy. The only anoyance is that sometimes, upon pressing play, playback is not instant. This slight delay makes you question whether you pressed well.
Strictly all my tags and covers are recognized perfectly, but my files are SQUEAKY clean, as I went through 10 DAPs with different systems. I advise to use MP3 tag in any case and erase all non relevant tags polluting your files.
The option menu seems to have everything I need, including gapless, manual scan, etc.
All in all, not quite as good as the Sony ZX1 (my reference for UI), but really a good UI leaving iBasso and Hifiman biting the dust. More or less on par with AK in a different style.
Sound quality
These first impressions concern the SQ with my files (all redbook or highres FLAC) driving my SE5 Ultimate on the IEM amp module (the only one provided to reviewers). Keep in mind this CIEM benefits from power (sound better on the 901 with Minibox than with iem amp card), so it can be even better with other module amps.
I will not make this overly technical or complicated, as I am not able to. This player sounds like some the top DAPs I have had. The sound is full and smooth yet detailed, it is very spacious and 3D (that is a key standout). The soundstage is very wide and enveloping, quite deep. The bass has authority, not the best layering I have heard but still good, and remains well controlled. Mids are smooth yet with good clarity, and high are also well extended yet non aggressive. The overall tonality would be neutral/warm to me (only very slightly). I will confirm this when giving impressions with the Jays which are brighter.
Compared to the AK240SS, performance is comparable IMO. The X7 sounds more powerful and fuller, with a wider stage. The AK240SS has a more focused stage, thinner and brighter tonality, tighter and more detailed bass, but less airy soundstage. The AK240SS may sound more detailed, but it is more that the detailed are more forward than with the X7. Overall if you are a clarity and detail freak, maybe you will find the overall tonality a bit smoothed over with already smooth headphones such as the SE5. But you can be competly satisfied with brighter / sharper headphones.
In terms of pure emotion, the AK240SS is more analytical and less engaging to me, the X7 is quite engaging, but a bit laid back, so not pulling you in as much as the Lotoo Paw Gold, which is IMO the champion on this (but has a narrower and less airy stage, but more depth)
Well that's it for now, I will provide more impressions when testing on my Jays and Shure SE846, and comparing again if I have time with the AK240SS.
Updated impression from the 04/11/2015
I don't have many additional comments regarding use and ergonomics. Only a few things:
- There is clearly an issue with the battery level indicator I think. It stays close to full and then becomes quickly empy, but this has been said repeatedly
- When you turn the player off, this closes the music program, so when you turn it back on, you have to reopen the music program, and the music you were playing does not show. If you hit play, it will resume the track, but you cannot go back up to the playlist from which you played the track
- I am not too clear about the volume dial, I cannot identify anything wrong with it, but I sometimes feel it is not sensitive enough? It takes a lot of pressing to affect volume sometimes.
- The screen is very good. The 240SS might have crisper colors, but it could be due to the anti-reflection screen protector I put on it
Now for more impressions soundwise, I stick to the fact that this player is a the level of the best out there.
I have been comparing the following:
- Vs. the AK240SS with the new Jays Q-Jays
This is a very nice pairing, and the X7 wins over the AK240SS in this instance. Indeed, the Jays are a sharp sounding and brightish iem, and the AK240SS makes this even more obvious and thus quite fatiguing on certain tracks. The X7 tames the peaks and makes the overal sound smoother without losing any detail and clarity. Once again, the qualities of this player are obvious : authority, musicality, space and air, etc.
- Vs. the Lotoo Paw Gold with the SE846
I just bought the Lotoo, which I fell in love with in terms of form factor and sound. Yes I love the small size and spartan UI. It is just for music, no hassle, no bug. And the sound is the most engaging I heard from a DAP.
I have comparing them with my test tracks on the 846, with the Lotoo on low gain.
These two players have a completely different form factor, one is short and thick with minimal UI, the other is long and fairly thin with Android. These things alone will lead people to chose one or the other. And of course there is price: the Lotoo comes at 1500$ AT THE CHEAPEST, more often 2k$, i.e. four times the price of the X7. Is it worth it when compared to the X7? Of course not. But people don't necessarily think like that. I just wanted to have the Lotoo.
Soundwise they have quite a different character, but they are less different than the AK240SS vs. the Lotoo. The X7. The X7 might have a slightly wider and more airy soundstage, but the Lotoo has more better depth and a more refined and layered sound. These are really subtle differences, but which are important at this level. The key difference is that the Lotoo has more power and authority. The bass goes deeper and is more sustained. This could certainly be different with a different amp card on the X7.
All in all, I have a preference for the Lotoo, but is small, and the price gap is huge. Of course for people who value a flexible UI, the X7 will blow the Lotoo out of the water.
- Listening to the Rhapsodio Solar on the X7
Another great combo. Both have the same character : smooth yet detailed, refined, understated and elegant, open and airy, with a nice balance between frequencies. I loved it. Did not have time to try with another DAP.
Conclusion:
The Fiio X7 is a great DAP. Ergonomics and UI are near excellent, and all niggles may be corrected with FW update. The sound quality is very very close to the top guys, tickling the toes of 2k$ players. Besided, the SQ might get even better with future amp cards.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great alrounder with no compromise to SQ. Thanks to Fiio for this opportunity, this players will be a hit.
