Got my fiio x3 yesterday ...with shure SE535 it is very warm
very analog sound...... now i think i heard the colored sound ... it is very enjoyable
... powerful smooth bass ...smooth treble .....and adds the extra bass heft that i was looking for BUT LACKS A BIT OF RESOLUTION !! ....or that what i guess
i think with other headphone other than the 535 i would not detect that .... but sometimes i think i miss the neutral and transparent sound of the ipod .....both are great with shure se535 .....
if you are aiming to the linear sound stick with the ipod (but i guess you would need amp ) .....for analog sound the x3 is a good option ... so i think my next station would be the c5 but i have a question for c5 users here .... the ipod sound is a little dry ,,,,does the c5 adds some smoothness to the sound ?