[audioxxx]

It's most probably running on Android; now fiio don't want to interfer with the fiio e18 /dac sales (and hardware limitations) so don't see it working without a glitch,
maybe try a 2 port usb hub to stop the x5 charging, and usb audio pro from the app store (check it on the trial first).

It would be nice if a future firmware update could stop the power input to the x5 via a software toggle.
But that's for a future model.

 

[Audio Reiner]

a little bit of topic ...
 
Last weekend I've learned, it is always a good idea to start at the beginning, here with ripping the CD into FLAC-files.
In the past I normally ripped my music CDs with foobar2000 and was always happy with the result and I don't thought about the quality of ripping results anytime.
 
But last weekend I used another program on the laptop of my wife. The program was Media Go from Sony. A easy to use tool. Unfortunately is the output of this program terrible quality.
 
Now I became aware of a problem and I searched other programs for ripping. And I found a really nice and small program with extraordinary sound quality. 
 
The program runs on Windows and must not be installed, only unzipped. It runs by clicking the exe-file. Normally the program is for generate CUE-files but in the unzipped folder is another exe-file, the CUERipper and this is the best ripping tool I've ever seen and heard.
I think it is a very important information and so I put it in here. 
 
Here are more informations and probably in better english than my simple try.
http://www.cuetools.net/wiki/CUERipper
 
At the and of the day, I've to ripp all my CDs again. But the results are so impressive that I'll do it in the next month.

 

[Chris J]

a little bit of topic ...

Last weekend I've learned, it is always a good idea to start at the beginning, here with ripping the CD into FLAC-files.

In the past I normally ripped my music CDs with foobar2000 and was always happy with the result and I don't thought about the quality of ripping results anytime.

But last weekend I used another program on the laptop of my wife. The program was Media Go from Sony. A easy to use tool. Unfortunately is the output of this program terrible quality.

Now I became aware of a problem and I searched other programs for ripping. And I found a really nice and small program with extraordinary sound quality. 

The program runs on Windows and must not be installed, only unzipped. It runs by clicking the exe-file. Normally the program is for generate CUE-files but in the unzipped folder is another exe-file, the CUERipper and this is the best ripping tool I've ever seen and heard.
I think it is a very important information and so I put it in here. 

Here are more informations and probably in better english than my simple try.
http://www.cuetools.net/wiki/CUERipper

At the and of the day, I've to ripp all my CDs again. But the results are so impressive that I'll do it in the next month.

I will say this:
Foobar does a very nice rip!

 

[Audio Reiner]

I would say, give it a try. No less no more.

 

[CH23]

See if someone has a serial above 2000?

I bought my silver unit about 6 months after release, and i had #0190, so it seems they weren't sold in order of pre-order...

 

[Dobrescu George]

so... this is more of a question.... you soler yuour removable parts?.... or they are fully removable by design?....

 

[jeffhmason]

  I think the word is "hope."  The world was changing, even with the war going on, and we thought it was going to get better.  Well, it really didn't, but the next generations got lots of personal liberties we had to fight for (hair as you like it, clothes as you like it, jobs of your choice, more open sexuality of your choice, no Draft, etc.).  So I guess it was worth it.  

 
Well I'm from the next generation (my dad was born in '47 and I was born in '69), so my hat's off to you!  I would've loved to have seen San Francisco in it's heyday first hand.  I did meet a guy who was the house electrician at The Avalon back in '66 recently; nice fellow.

 

[olddude]

Hah, I'm your dad's age.  And I used to go to the Avalon all the time.  

 

[x RELIC x]

olddude I think it's really cool that you embrace the newer technology instead of just saying things were better in your day. I'm a very early 70's baby and I remember vinyl and 8track and cassettes and the dawn of the CD. I can only imagine your views on the very large wave of change that has happened in the audio world, and yet we all seek the same things as back then.

My hats off to you for using devices like the X5.

 

[olddude]

Hey, I was an early adopter of jailbreaking and modding phones.  Had custom firmware in my old Motorola and all of my iPads/iPhones have been jailbroken (except my new 6).  Technology is fun.  Gotta adapt to the new stuff.  Besides, the first portable device I had was a transistor radio (AM) in 1964 or 65.  Cost about 10 bucks, all plastic, sounded like, I don't know, AM with a tiny speaker housed in plastic.  But it WAS portable!

 

[CH23]

so... this is more of a question.... you soler yuour removable parts?.... or they are fully removable by design?....

The opamp and buffers are socketed, so removable by design.

 

[Kerouac]

At the moment I'm on the fence for a 2^nd hand (couple of months old) E12 to use with the X5. It's the ''normal'' Mont Blanc, not the DIY.
Will the SQ benefit from using this amp or is the difference so small that it isn't worth buying?

 

[sardar17]

subguy812

+100

There is no comparison between a mainstream consumption device like ipod/touch with a hardcore player made for one thing only ie music.

Had apple made it ,it would have been priced at 600-700$ at least.And that too with itunes and without micro sd card.

But to each his own,people have diff tastes.

 

[uzi2]

  At the moment I'm on the fence for a 2^nd hand (couple of months old) E12 to use with the X5. It's the ''normal'' Mont Blanc, not the DIY.
Will the SQ benefit from using this amp or is the difference so small that it isn't worth buying?

I find the difference to be small when using IEMs, but much greater with the AKG 702s. My IEMs actually have a higher impedance than the 702s, but they require a lot less current to be driven well and are way more efficient.
It's going to depend on the headphones you plan to use for the combination, but my advice would be to go for it if you can get a good deal. It will be very easy to resell if you decide it's not right for you.

 

[aural bliss]

I love my X5 / E12, can listen for hours.  The only negative would be battery life.  I put the screen brightness and screen time at minimum to maximize the life.