[issachar1943]

I got my X5 today, yay~~~
 
The build is excellent, except...  I do worry about the lifetime of the wheel... it looks and feel better than previous version, but it still feel kinda loose.
 
The UI and buttoms... hm... u need a while to get used to it, but it's not that bad. The OS response time is acceptable, but I expected faster. Let's just say we are all spoiled by touchscreen now. 

 
with fw 1.20, I also have the 2 secs delay problem during playback, occasionally. It does feels bad when the beginning of the song is skipped, this is a MUST FIX problem in future fw!!! 

 
 
The delay problem seems to be more obvious for MP3 files. FLAC files response better. I also have APE Images, X5 take about 2 secs to read the track before playback. I'm not sure if this is normal, my last player was Cowon D2, so I cannot compare.

 But of coz I expect faster response. (my microSD is SanDisk 64GB Class 10) 
 
For sound quality, however, X5 alone couldn't satisfy my ears. This is a huge disappoint. 

 And I blame e17.
 
However, after connecting my e17, the sound quality is amazingly boosted! Now we are talking. 

I'm not an expert in reviewing with technical terms... so the music sounds to be more wide with more detail.
Despite of those little problems, X5 is the best player I got so far, in sound quality. 
 
BTW, if u want to prepare a microSD in advance, remember to format it in FAT32 format, some cards come with exFAT which X5 do not support, like my SanDisk. 

 

[PsiCore]

   
However, after connecting my e17, the sound quality is amazingly boosted! Now we are talking. 

I'm not an expert in reviewing with technical terms... so the music sounds to be more wide with more detail.

 
I also tried on Friday the X5 with E17 and I was really surprised, how good it boosts the bass - the player itself lacks a bit on bass for me, but with the amp, that's totally different. However I wasn't convinced with the sound overall - I thought it was a bit too much colored. On the other hand, it was only a short test, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But for the bass itself maybe I'll give it another try.

 

[viet1357911]

   
I also tried on Friday the X5 with E17 and I was really surprised, how good it boosts the bass - the player itself lacks a bit on bass for me, but with the amp, that's totally different. However I wasn't convinced with the sound overall - I thought it was a bit too much colored. On the other hand, it was only a short test, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But for the bass itself maybe I'll give it another try.

Ya i think X5 dun need Amp to shine 

 

[issachar1943]

   
I also tried on Friday the X5 with E17 and I was really surprised, how good it boosts the bass - the player itself lacks a bit on bass for me, but with the amp, that's totally different. However I wasn't convinced with the sound overall - I thought it was a bit too much colored. On the other hand, it was only a short test, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But for the bass itself maybe I'll give it another try.

 
I have been listening to X5 for about 3 hours and I agree with you.
 
The bass of X5 is weak, tried the equalizer in X5, doesnt help much.
 
BTW, my IEM is UM3X.

 

[issachar1943]

  Ya i think X5 dun need Amp to shine 

 
I probably am spoiled by e17 already, cant live without it. 

 

[issachar1943]

Can someone tell me if the X5 can be used whilst charging? Also what sort of real life play time are owners getting with non DSD and DSD files?

 
I just tried and yes, it can be used when charge. If you connected it to computer, you can disconnect mass storage to keep playing. Very good design! 

 

[Cannikin]

I have an E11.
 
I'm curious why many people choose the E17 over the E12 Mont Blanc. What am I missing here? Is there a viable reason to choose either the E12 or E17 over the E11 I already own?
 
Thanks.

 

[krayziehustler]

I guess my Thinksound On1's are not that sensitive. They are only 50ohms but only sound good when I have the High Gain, which is something I didn't expect. On high gain and no EQ it has the same quality as my Cowon J3 with Jet Effect.
 
Anyone else notice something similar with their phones?

 

[BrokenStevie]

  I have an E11.
 
I'm curious why many people choose the E17 over the E12 Mont Blanc. What am I missing here? Is there a viable reason to choose either the E12 or E17 over the E11 I already own?
 
Thanks.

The sound signature is different for all of those amps. I have the E11, E17, & E12DIY. IMO the sound is E12DIY> E17>E11. I was really disappointed with the E11's sound. But that's just my opinion. The different amps have different combinations of opamps and buffers in them which contribute to a different sound. The E17 also offers a slight EQ function. But the E12DIY allows you to switch out the opamps & buffers to get the sound that you like best. I really like it. Really, the only way you'll know what amp sounds best is to actually listen to it. Plus, IMO, you need to give the amps time to "burn-in" before evaluating the sound.

 

[BrokenStevie]

   
I have been listening to X5 for about 3 hours and I agree with you.
 
The bass of X5 is weak, tried the equalizer in X5, doesnt help much.
 
BTW, my IEM is UM3X.

For the people commenting on the X5's sound after only a few hours of listening, is it possible that you just need to let the player burn-in? I've experienced this most recently with the DX50. The DX50 sounded really 'thin' at first but the sound improved after several day's of play. It still sounded better when I used the lineout through the FIIO E12DIY. If anyone has had the X5 for several days, perhaps they could comment on whether or not the player's sound improves over time.
 
BTW, has anyone checked out the X5's OTG function? Can you hook up a flash drive like with the DX50? FIIO's site says it has OTG but nobody has commented on this use, so I'm wondering if something got lost in translation. Or I'll just have to wait a few more days for my X5 to get here through the mail & figure it out myself. Still, I am curious.

 

[issachar1943]

  For the people commenting on the X5's sound after only a few hours of listening, is it possible that you just need to let the player burn-in? I've experienced this most recently with the DX50. The DX50 sounded really 'thin' at first but the sound improved after several day's of play. It still sounded better when I used the lineout through the FIIO E12DIY. If anyone has had the X5 for several days, perhaps they could comment on whether or not the player's sound improves over time.
 
BTW, has anyone checked out the X5's OTG function? Can you hook up a flash drive like with the DX50? FIIO's site says it has OTG but nobody has commented on this use, so I'm wondering if something got lost in translation. Or I'll just have to wait a few more days for my X5 to get here through the mail & figure it out myself. Still, I am curious.

 
I just tried the OTG, but cant make it work. 
 
The X5 showed message box external storage inserted but I cant figure how to browse the file on flash drive. 

 

[issachar1943]

  I have an E11.
 
I'm curious why many people choose the E17 over the E12 Mont Blanc. What am I missing here? Is there a viable reason to choose either the E12 or E17 over the E11 I already own?
 
Thanks.

 
As a tech geek, e17 gives me "settings" to play with, which most of amp don't. 
 
I know what you guys think, but that's what tech geek do. 

 
 
It's my first amp, give me a break. HAHA.

 

[puerrican85]

   
I also tried on Friday the X5 with E17 and I was really surprised, how good it boosts the bass - the player itself lacks a bit on bass for me, but with the amp, that's totally different. However I wasn't convinced with the sound overall - I thought it was a bit too much colored. On the other hand, it was only a short test, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But for the bass itself maybe I'll give it another try.

I would really like to know what your impressions are on it later. Thinking of plotting down to grab a fiio e12 (regrettably sold earlier in the year) to use for the bass boost, or maybe even just getting hold of a x3 for the heavy track listening.

 

[alwass89]

All my music is ALAC, when I play it on the X5, the screen would show the songs as "AAC 96.0KHZ/24Bits" not "ALAC 96.0KHZ/24Bits." Is it supposed to be like that, or did I do something wrong converting the songs from FLAC in XLD? Otherwise, I LOVE The X5. The sound is just so smooth and the detail is pretty amazing.

 

[nmatheis]

All my music is ALAC, when I play it on the X5, the screen would show the songs as "AAC 96.0KHZ/24Bits" not "ALAC 96.0KHZ/24Bits." Is it supposed to be like that, or did I do something wrong converting the songs from FLAC in XLD? Otherwise, I LOVE The X5. The sound is just so smooth and the detail is pretty amazing.

Pretty sure that's normal. XLD gives the ALAC file the .m4a extension, and they show up as very high bit rate AAC files if you look at the file properties in Finder. But irregardless, they are indeed ALAC.