XDuoo X3 DSD 24Bit / 192KHz CS4398 Chip Lossless Music Player
Jul 15, 2017 at 7:57 PM Post #4,516 of 5,194
It's a bit too early to say much, but the thing that immediately jumped out at me is that when I boot into Rockbox the sound is warmer than in the stock firmware. I checked all the Rockbox settings, but everything is set at default. I have no explanation for this. I prefer the stock firmware, which makes no sense because, well, Rockbox! Rockbox rules! I'm normally rather sceptical of differences between amps, DACs, cables etc, but I hear what I hear and the difference is obvious to me. I'm fairly certain I could distinguish between the firmwares if someone did a blind test on me. Weird.

Another thing that kinda bugs me is that it's actually pretty hard to get the microSD's into the unit. They "click" in place a bit too deep inside the housing, and the only way I can get a card to stick is by using a tool to press down on the microSD when it's in the slot.

SQ is good though. Soundstage is noticeably wider and more immersive than on, say, a Sansa Clip+. I'm happy with the Xduoo X3 and for the price I paid ($55) I feel like I got a nice and noticeable upgrade over my current daps.

There are some sound tweaks from the default you should do with Rockbox on the X3. I'll post back in a little bit with the settings.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 1:16 AM Post #4,517 of 5,194
New member here...-Hallo from a Swede living in Thailand :)!!

Just Rockbox:ed my X3 use my Fiio GenII IEM's and so far very impressed by the sound on both.Just ordered another X3 from TOMTOP..51 bucks..i like when i can make a deal like that :wink:..payed true PayPal..Time will tell if i get the X3 from the Cinese Warehouse..free shipping too..nearly to good to be true..hehe.

"There are some sound tweaks from the default you should do with Rockbox on the X3. I'll post back in a little bit with the settings."
..looking forward to see what you find my friend in music :wink:..Have a blessed day everyone.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 8:06 AM Post #4,518 of 5,194
There are some sound tweaks from the default you should do with Rockbox on the X3. I'll post back in a little bit with the settings.
I'm also interested to know your sound settings for RB. To be fair, I am a bit bothered by some people here at Head-Fi saying that they prefer the SQ of the stock FW over Rockbox. Having the ability to install Rockbox is what compelled me to buy an X3 in the first place; I dig DAPs that can be installed with RB.

Another thing that kinda bugs me is that it's actually pretty hard to get the microSD's into the unit. They "click" in place a bit too deep inside the housing, and the only way I can get a card to stick is by using a tool to press down on the microSD when it's in the slot.
I've noticed that, too. It's quite difficult to insert and/or eject the microSD card; it'll take a bit of time just for the card to click, as it seems deep, like you've said. One has to be careful or else the card might pop out, and, heaven forbid, get lost.
 
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Jul 16, 2017 at 8:41 AM Post #4,519 of 5,194
I'm also interested to know your sound settings for RB. To be fair, I am a bit bothered by some people here at Head-Fi saying that they prefer the SQ of the stock FW over Rockbox. Having the ability to install Rockbox is what compelled me to buy an X3 in the first place; I dig DAPs that can be installed with RB.

I've noticed that, too. It's quite difficult to insert and/or eject the microSD card; it'll take a bit of time just for the card to click, as it seems deep, like you've said. One has to be careful or else the card might pop out, and, heaven forbid, get lost.

For me, this would be unusable without Rockbox. The lack of gapless play renders it useless for me. So grateful for XVortex's hard work in bringing Rockbox to the xDuoo x3.

I too had a bit of difficulty with inserting or ejecting the card until someone posted a handy little tip... use the corner of a credit card (or any similar card) to help poke it all the way in and later to get in there to release it. Perfect. However, I rarely eject mine now... only if I wanted to put in different cards or if I was going to do a lot of file maintenance. Usually I just attach the player to my computer if I just need to add a few albums. Saves wear and tear on that card slot spring. I am a little worried it could fail one day...
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 9:01 AM Post #4,520 of 5,194
For me, this would be unusable without Rockbox. The lack of gapless play renders it useless for me. So grateful for XVortex's hard work in bringing Rockbox to the xDuoo x3.

I too had a bit of difficulty with inserting or ejecting the card until someone posted a handy little tip... use the corner of a credit card (or any similar card) to help poke it all the way in and later to get in there to release it. Perfect. However, I rarely eject mine now... only if I wanted to put in different cards or if I was going to do a lot of file maintenance. Usually I just attach the player to my computer if I just need to add a few albums. Saves wear and tear on that card slot spring. I am a little worried it could fail one day...
Same here. XVortex really did a great job, and I look forward for him to further improve Rockbox for the xDuoo X3, as it still have some kinks (more on that below). Also hoping that the xDuoo X10 could be installed with Rockbox someday...

Speaking of the player connecting to the PC, the only problem of the X3 is the slow data transfer, in which xDuoo themselves acknowledge (IIRC, I read that somewhere here at a Head-Fi thread); they themselves suggested that we use a card reader instead for faster transferring.:laughing: Also, when you connect the X3 on PC while booted on Rockbox, only the 1st microSD slot is recognized; the 2nd slot is ignored (this is the "kink" I mentioned above). You have to boot on the stock firmware just so that both slots are recognized on Windows. Here's hoping that XVortex could fix that on a future update.

EDIT: Yes, that credit card trick is definitely handy. Just tried that right now. Thanks, mate!
 
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Jul 16, 2017 at 10:03 AM Post #4,521 of 5,194
Same here. XVortex really did a great job, and I look forward for him to further improve Rockbox for the xDuoo X3, as it still have some kinks (more on that below). Also hoping that the xDuoo X10 could be installed with Rockbox someday...

Speaking of the player connecting to the PC, the only problem of the X3 is the slow data transfer, in which xDuoo themselves acknowledge (IIRC, I read that somewhere here at a Head-Fi thread); they themselves suggested that we use a card reader instead for faster transferring.:laughing: Also, when you connect the X3 on PC while booted on Rockbox, only the 1st microSD slot is recognized; the 2nd slot is ignored (this is the "kink" I mentioned above). You have to boot on the stock firmware just so that both slots are recognized on Windows. Here's hoping that XVortex could fix that on a future update.

EDIT: Yes, that credit card trick is definitely handy. Just tried that right now. Thanks, mate!

I had originally looked forward to getting the x10 but when it was reported to not have gapless play I splurged and got an Opus #1. It is bigger (and more expensive) than I would want to take on the go so of course I would use my x3 for that. I have my biggest cards in it and use it in the living room connected to my tube amp when I want to relax. I also plug certain headphones directly into it (and of course into the x3 as well. I have also used the x3 as a source for the amp. Meanwhile I am waiting for a new little "toy"...a Ruizu A50 mini player...about half the size of the x3 (color screen one card slot £45). I wanted something really tiny to put in my pocket because, as a woman, I don't usually have big enough pockets for even the x3 to be comfortable. Only in the winter if I am wearing a coat but not so much with shorts and a tshirt. Have to wait now for it to come from China. It shipped this morning.

I was under the impression that this time xDuoo did not give XVortex the code he would need to Rockbox the x10. Maybe I am wrong.

I just double checked. You do not have to boot into anything before connecting to your PC. Just have it off and in the lock position. It will show an icon that looks like a laptop connected to the device. It will be charging and each card will show up with a separate drive letter (and will display whatever name you have given them) in Windows Explorer. I then work with those as I do with any of my other hard drives. Yes it is slower than using the cards in a reader but, as I said, I only do this if I want to just add or remove a few albums. If I need to do gigs and gigs I will use the card reader. As far as I know, any DAP will transfer more slowly than a card reader will. The worst is if you try to move something from one card to the other... the player just has to do too much processing with its limited computing power. Just copying a couple of albums from your PC won't be that bad. Now that I have this plugged in I think I will do that. Not much room left on the cards but there is some.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 12:31 PM Post #4,522 of 5,194
I just double checked. You do not have to boot into anything before connecting to your PC. Just have it off and in the lock position. It will show an icon that looks like a laptop connected to the device. It will be charging and each card will show up with a separate drive letter (and will display whatever name you have given them) in Windows Explorer.
Um, what you've said is when the player is running through the stock firmware (since you've said "It will show an icon that looks like a laptop connected to the device". That only shows up in stock FW mode); that has no problems with the two slots showing up in Windows Explorer. What I am addressing is when the X3 is running under Rockbox, not in xDuoo stock FW, in which if you connect the device on PC while in Rockbox mode, only the first slot is showing on Explorer.
 
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Jul 16, 2017 at 1:44 PM Post #4,523 of 5,194
Um, what you've said is when the player is running through the stock firmware (since you've said "It will show an icon that looks like a laptop connected to the device". That only shows up in stock FW mode); that has no problems with the two slots showing up in Windows Explorer. What I am addressing is when the X3 is running under Rockbox, not in xDuoo stock FW, in which if you connect the device while in Rockbox mode, only the first slot is showing on Explorer.
I thought you meant that you were going to the trouble of actually booting up into the stock mode and then connecting to the pc. My point was simply that you do not have to boot up into anything. Just make sure the lock switch is on when you connect it as we were initially advised to do. That does not seem like a very big deal at all to me. For some reason if I forget and connect with the switch in the unlock position neither of my cards show up and the player just boots into rockbox. Of course we have to remember to unlock the player when we are ready to use it. I have had this for a year now so I am used to it.

Anyway... hope you are enjoying your music! It's great to have so much available storage. My first player was a 20 gb iRiver.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 3:41 PM Post #4,524 of 5,194
I thought you meant that you were going to the trouble of actually booting up into the stock mode and then connecting to the pc. My point was simply that you do not have to boot up into anything. Just make sure the lock switch is on when you connect it as we were initially advised to do. That does not seem like a very big deal at all to me. For some reason if I forget and connect with the switch in the unlock position neither of my cards show up and the player just boots into rockbox. Of course we have to remember to unlock the player when we are ready to use it. I have had this for a year now so I am used to it.

Anyway... hope you are enjoying your music! It's great to have so much available storage. My first player was a 20 gb iRiver.
To be fair, it's not actually a big deal to boot up into stock mode, since you only have to set the lock switch to "ON" position, then immediately turn it off when you see the "xDuoo Audio" boot-up screen. Well, I think it's up to XVortex to address that issue regarding the second microSD slot being ignored in Explorer while connected in Rockbox mode. I think I'm just used to my Rockboxed Sansa Clip Zip, in which both the internal storage and the micro SD slot show up on Explorer in when connected in Rockbox mode, not just in stock FW mode.

And yes, I am definitely enjoying my music on it. LOL my first DAP when I was younger were those generic cheap-ass Chinese-made "S1" mp3 players (something similiar to this image) :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

And oh, back to regular programming...
There are some sound tweaks from the default you should do with Rockbox on the X3. I'll post back in a little bit with the settings.
I still wanna know about your sound tweaks. I'm interested to try them out and see/hear the difference!
 
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Jul 16, 2017 at 4:07 PM Post #4,525 of 5,194
And yes, I am definitely enjoying my music on it. LOL my first DAP when I was younger were those generic cheap-ass Chinese-made "S1" mp3 players (something similiar to this image) :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I have something like that lying around somewhere. I wonder what is on it. I remember it being really hard to navigate.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 6:29 PM Post #4,526 of 5,194
I had originally looked forward to getting the x10 but when it was reported to not have gapless play...

Thanks, I was unaware of this. That's a deal breaker for me, so looks like you just made my decision easier between the xduoo X10 and the Cayin N3.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 6:46 PM Post #4,527 of 5,194
Thanks, I was unaware of this. That's a deal breaker for me, so looks like you just made my decision easier between the xduoo X10 and the Cayin N3.

Double check in the thread. Don't rely on my memory of something I read a few months ago. Maybe they fixed it? How something that important is ever overlooked, I will never understand.
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 8:03 PM Post #4,528 of 5,194
06.45 local Thai time and my first coffee on it's way down..ahhhh..nothing like the first cup..

Back on track,my first MP3 player was also a iRiver 140,Rockboxed and have served me until last week..DEAD..was actually think of buying a new battery Online and see if i could change it myself,but it seems like all the tut's are not Online anymoore..going to check moore later.If someone has any Tutorial regarding iRiver 140..batt chage,were and wich battery to buy..please show me the direction..thank you..:wink:This little player is something that has a special place in my heart..i want it ticking again even just for fun..

Back to my X3,yesterday was playing music,FLAC tracks,conected my X3 thrue my Lineout on my old but good Pioneer Amp..and i have a pair of KEF Q500 that usually sound good,but not this time,sounded muffeled (spelling??)and very..hmm..well muffeled :wink:On my Fiio X3 2nd gen sounds much "full"and the soundstage bigger and clearer..i have no EQ..nada on both..explain that please :wink:

Coffee getting cold,for information,i'm an old geek..60 years and my native language is Swedish,not English so i hope you will excuse my use of words,grammar and spelling errors..Have a blessed day..:)
 
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Jul 16, 2017 at 8:48 PM Post #4,529 of 5,194
06.45 local Thai time and my first coffee on it's way down..ahhhh..nothing like the first cup..

Back on track,my first MP3 player was also a iRiver 140,Rockboxed and have served me until last week..DEAD..was actually think of buying a new battery Online and see if i could change it myself,but it seems like all the tut's are not Online anymoore..going to check moore later.If someone has any Tutorial regarding iRiver 140..batt chage,were and wich battery to buy..please show me the direction..thank you..:wink:This little player is something has a special place in my heart..i want it ticking again even just for fun..

Back to my X3,yesterday was playing music,FLAC tracks,conected my X3 thrue my Lineout on my old but good Pioneer Amp..and i have a pair of KEF Q500 that usually sound good,but not this time,sounded muffeled (spelling??)and very..hmm..well muffeled :wink:On my Fiio X3 2nd gen sounds much "full"and the soundstage bigger and clearer..i have no EQ..nada on both..explain that please :wink:

Coffee getting cold,for information,i'm an old geek..60 years and my native language is Swedish,not English so i hope you will excuse my use of words,grammar and spelling errors..Have a blessed day..:)

1:30 UK time...have not slept yet. Is this correct? Line out from xDoo into the RCA inputs of a full size stereo amp connected to KEF speakers?

When using the line out you have to put the volume to 0db to get full output. I do not know why. You then have to be very careful to remember to lower it again before using headphone so you don't ruin your ears or your headphones. I wish that using the lineout would just automatically use full volume output while leaving the headphone volume as you had it set. I think mine is usually around -40 or -30 for headphone listening.

I hope I understood your question correctly. I am an American living in the UK.

60 is not old. You know that!
 
Jul 16, 2017 at 10:01 PM Post #4,530 of 5,194
Well i guess it's nighty nigthy for you when i write this :wink:

Thanks for you input..going to buy some new RCA cabels today..if the rain stop..Rainy season here in Thailand now..Actually i don't care about the rain,i'm all in to get some new cabels :wink:TODAY.

Have two of these Pioneer A-656 II Amps..just love them..think i bought them -86..getting old as me..the last one i bought thrue e-bay from UK..so not everything is bad in UK..:wink:..just joking okey.

Have to say that this little Gem,X3 for 51US..is kicking butt..cheap butt but a nice sounding and looking butt..Hmm,tryed my best to be funny but sure if i came thrue like funny..Enough ranting and rambling..Have a blessed music day all at this awsome and very informative Forum/members.
 
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