So I participated in a HiBy tour of a new (and very nice sounding) DAP that also came with the Zeta.

I spent the first few days of the review spending time with the R6 Pro II. Finally I got around to plugging in the Zeta.

Now please understand that in general I don't really spend time with ultra high end TOTL IEMs. Most sound exceedingly neutral and are often on the boring side. I usually say to myself "I can get this sound with units that cost 1/4 the price".

This is not a boring unit.




I fed the unit a mix of Rock, Jazz, and Classical. Most of the reviewers seem to focus on the Rock and Jazz. But I was impressed with how well it resolved orchestral music. Even when the music surged to a crescendo, on well recorded SACD material I was still able to pick out individual instruments, just like at a real concert hall.

If you like Rock and Jazz, the bass is terrific. I have a subwoofer on my main stereo that allows room EQ. This unit sounds like my Paradigm 12 inch sub. But perhaps the dial is turned up from midnight (neutral) to +4; which can be a bit much.


I put on a favorite jazz piece, Joe Henderson's Lush Life. On a lesser system, the sax can sound very reedy. With these, the Sax sounded like it was in the room but the reed sounds seemed just right.


A nice feature was the inclusion of tips for a variety of ear types. Not just size but also insertion depth. They did confirm what I already knew, I am suited best with medium depth tips (no big surprise, that is the average depth after all). I also confirmed that deep insertion for me is a bad idea. It is not cool to have to pull out tweezers to remove tips from one's ears. But I have been through that before so I didn't freak when that happened.



These units definitely wanted power. The HiBy R6 Pro II drove them well. They sounded downright anemic with my FIIO Q3-MQA dongle; which also has AKM chips and THX amplification. The class A feature on the HIBy suited these much better.


Would I buy these? If my ship came in and I had disposable income like your basic oligarch, well yes.

I have only purchased two IEMs in the $300 class let alone $1300 class.





The technicals for this unit seemed just right to my point of view. The sound stage was good but not ginormous. Frankly when I hear something described as holographic it sounds to me a bit like somebody went crazy with the DSP. I just want my IEMs to sound like live music or the studio where things were recorded. And these did that. One might want to EQ the bass down a few db, just sayin.

But these are worth a listen. Maybe even a purchase.

I was part of a review tour of the HiBy R6 Pro II. I was attracted to the unit for a few reasons. First, I have owned quite a few HiBy units and am confortable with the interface. Actually I first discovered the HiBy interface with my Cayin N5II. Second, I have developed an aversion to ESS chip designs which are all the rage. So finding a modern design with AKM chipsets was intriguing.

When I first received the unit, it had been factory reset by the previous reviewer. I set it first for Class A/B amplification, and experimented with some filter choices. The fourth one down on the list sounded good to me, and it was off to the races.

In general, I like neutral sound signatures, but not a cold, clinical signature. That is why AKM chipsets appeal to me. AKM was in my HiBy R5 and I loved that machine for playback of files on the SD card. I didn't love that unit when it came to Android Apps like Amazon Music; it tended to run very slow if I downloaded a fair amount of music. The R6 Pro II solved that with a modern snapdragon chipset. Full disclosure, I have not heard any R2R units; though I did have an extended loan of the Chord Mojo (the first one) which did have a custom FPGA design which I sense had a similar sound signature to R2R. The Mojo did not have a balanced output option however. So I can't really compare that unit to a R2R design. But within the realm of off the shelf chipsets this is a very nice unit.

For a while, I had another HiBy unit with Class A options for amplification which was good, but that unit was ESS and after a while I decided I didn't like the ESS sound. I know that is a bit off, given that the only other DAP I still own uses ESS chips also. Clearly it is some combination of chip designs and system designs but I can share that for now I won't buy any more ESS based devices. Two of my three dongles are ESS; and my Topping PC DAC is ESS, and that is where I intend to leave my ESS footprint. I am willing to try cirrus logic, AKM, and R2R and that is why the R6 Pro II was of interest.





The unit is fairly large, and has an unconventional shape and color. I guess I am a bit too conventional, I like smaller and less stylist devices.

Most functions are button driven and sometimes the buttons are also replicated by screen actions. The one thing I wish the unit had was a wheel for the volume control. That could be supplemented by buttons of course, but I like the wheel for night usage or reaching into my pocket. There were any number of buttons on the unit and it was confusing sometimes whether I was addressing volume control or track selection functions.

After a bit of use with Class A/B, I switched to Class A. As you might guess, I never went back to Class A/B. Class A just picked up the overall sound signature especially the bass response.


I tried the unit with a few IEMs. First, I started with the LZ A7. I was using the gold filters, which roll off the high end just a tad. I suspect the unit would also sound great with the black filters, which are more of an audiophile tuning. No surprises here, it sounded great. I was have never heard the LZ A7 sound quite this good though the A7 does sound good on my FIIO M3-MQA dongle (also AKM based) and the Cayin N5II.

Second, I tried the LetsHuoer S12. Again, everything sounded very nice. Then I pulled out FLC 8D; which has a similar sound to the 8S and 8N. Again, it sounded great.

But the fourth unit was superb. HiBy also sent out a review copy of the Zeta as part of the tour. Now I must admit I have only heard a few ultra high end IEMs and most left me wondering what was so darn special. The Zeta with the R6Pro II was in fact special. The bass when paired with the R6 Pro II was outstanding. Detailed and engaging are the first words I might use. Now it is true that the bass is a bit elevated; if that is a concern EQ can solve the issue. I was happy with the approach and went with it. What I found amazing was the detail the Zeta had with the R6 Pro II. I played a SACD rip of Beethoven's Ninth and was amazed at how well I could hear the full orchestral majesty. It's rare that am IEM can provide the sense of being in a concert hall where you can hear the full wall of sound yet pick out individual instruments very well also.

I did compare the unit with the Cayin N5II. Now that unit is much less powerful than R6 Pro II; and didn't really lend justice to the Zeta. And even though the Q3 has AKM and a THX amplification system, it was much less successful in driving the Zeta. My conclusion on that is that if one wants a super IEM one should also have a DAP that an do the unit justice.

So the question I would ask at this point is: why not buy the R6 Pro II? For me it came down to a few design issues. First, I like a simple and smaller design, not a fashion statement. Second, I would want to have a legacy 2.5mm jack included also (the Q3 has 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4 jacks). Third, I would want the unit to also function as a dongle when needed. I did try it with my iphone and had no joy. That wasn't supposed to be a feature of this unit so that is not a surprise. Next on my list, I like volume wheels.

And finally, I don't think this unit was billed as Android Auto capable and that matters to me. My current car does not have a 3.5mm jack, so its CarPlay or Android Auto for me. Or (this is what I do) just put FLAC files on a memory stick and play it through the car that way. Of course that takes DAP units out of the equation entirely.

But if you want great sound and some of the issues listed above sound like meaningless whining to you (and for many these comments are just that) then this unit should be considered. And if your ship comes in take a serious look at the Zeta. If I were at a CanJam event I would want to hear these as part of the mix. They are that good.

By now you have seen any number of reviews of the R5 Gen 2. There are lots of pictures of the units, charts of the power output, explanations of Class A amplification, etc. So this review will get into items that aren't really discussed in those reviews.

To start off, it is worth asking: Why even purchase a dedicated DAP nowadays? There are tons of dongles now that work with both Android and IOS phones. Music apps with the dongles can provide redbook HD and hi res. Many can output DSD signals natively.

The reason is partially related to the convenience of having a single unit to work with. Why carry two devices to listen to music? The other reason is in the category of "Duh". The dedicated devices have more power. HiBy has never been a power shy brand and the new R5 has plenty of power on reserve, especially in class A mode.

Now I listen to my R5 mainly in my car, which is old school and still has a 3.5mm audio jack. Fortunately my 8 year old Jaguar (a depreciation monster if there ever was one) has a Meridian sound system which is basically Harman neutral and sounds terrific with good sources. I leave the EQ off (both on the DAP and the car), and use the regular circuitry not the class A. Class A is immaterial in this use case. And....it sounds great. At first I thought the ESS chipset would bug me, but in fact the treble glare that people complain about really isn't there on this machine.

And yes, the unit sounds good with regular amplification and super good with Class A. None of my IEMs (all three of them) are particularly power hungry. All are fairly neutral. The only power monster is perhaps my latest splurge, the LetShuoer S12 planar. And they sound very natural, especially when Class A is engaged. The LZ A7 (I use the black filters the most, which are the most reference style) sound terrific also. And of course my trusty FLC8D sound good with this unit also.

So I am a bit of a digital nerd, and did try the unit directly attached to the iphone. As promised, direct attachment does not work. HiBy leaves that to dongles. You can use the Apple CCK (camera connecting kit), but that requires an additional battery and lots of wires. Also, the unit reports on 24 bit 88khz with the iphone even with DSD. Is that an error? Who knows, but it did sound good. But if you want the DSD lights to come on its dongle time.

I did not test the unit with my notebook, but I have no reason to doubt it works well. Nor did I test the bluetooth outputs. Frankly, I don't see the point of sending a hi res signal over bluetooth. LDAC and HiBy's proprietary codecs get close to bit perfect but don't reach that and its not of interest to me. I have a pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones with LDAC, but realistically I use that pair for airplane movie listening (and typically use a 3.5 jack).

How does the unit sound compared to other units? My Cayin N5II has a slightly laid back sound compared to the R5, and I find both enjoyable. My original R5 (the first one, not the Saber) has a slightly warm sound, and over time I came to appreciate the neutral sound of the R5 Gen 2.

Yes, this is the most refined unit I have owned. But realistically I find that I get used to almost every unit after about 15 minutes of listening, so a unit has to be really harsh before I complain I borrowed a Lootoo (spelling?) once that I though was harsh, but that is the exception rather than the rule. But the Class A punch is noticeable, and does add a nice dimension. And no, using Class A in the car adds nothing so one is better off using the regular power sipping mode.

The unit is quite large but can be pocketed. I presume the space is largely occupied by the battery. Which makes sense as I had to ship both the Cayin and the original R5 to China for battery replacements. Which is an $80 fix; of which $20 is parts and $60 is shipping.

What would make me give this unit a perfect rating? I would add native iphone compatibility. Why not be the ultimate phone dongle? I would also kick up support for Amazon HD a notch.

I listened a bit to Tidal (my two month trial is ending soon but I put it to good use) and Apple music. Both sounded good. MQA in my mind does sound good,. Like many on Head-Fi I do object to all the hype about folding (I fold my origami tighter than you and blah blah blah) and what have you. Don't get me wrong, MQA is a very good, mildly lossy algorithm. But with bandwidth and memory card storage getting cheaper all the time I do wonder what the point is. Oh, yes, MQA is from the same Meridan company that makes the stereo in my car. Not that this particulalry matters....

To Tidal's credit, they have some unique hi res titles. I found a number of jazz albums in "Master" quality that otherwise are only out in Redbook, and quite a few rock titles too. Some highlights were Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus, Procol Harum Grand Hotel, Miles Davis Milestones (stereo version), Return to Forever Romantic Warrior, Jackson Browne first album (Saturate Before Using), and Mahavishnu Orchestra Apocalypse.

Note: As a repeat customer, and to entice a review, HiBy provided a discount on the purchase of the unit (but no discount on the accessories). I purchased a red case at full retail but it turns out the Blue case it came with is just fine.

I'm not too sure how many more dedicated DAP units are in my future. But this one is a keeper.

Cayin is running a US tour of the N3Pro. I was lucky to be on that tour I haven't been on a US tour since the i3 unit, which had a mellow warm sound and I liked it.

So a little about use cases is in order to provide a review. It used to be I purchased hi res units in order to get better sound than the ipod or iphone. Full stop. Then units started adding support for streaming music, and the game changed. So in today's market there is a large class of units that can bypass Android audio limits and stream Tidal, Amazon HD, etc. Most of these kinds of units can also store music to the memory cards for offline playback.

So there are two classes of units now; Android and what is probably Linux with a custom UI. Some Linux machines stream Tidal but no other services; and since I don't use Tidal that feature is of little interest to me. But those machines have to add something special to stand out since they don't have Android. In the case of the N3Pro, that something special is the integration of tubes into the unit. Now this is a hybrid tube - solid state design; but when tube mode operation is selected, one does get the warmth of pleasant sound and attendant extremely mild nuances of a tube. Now I actually started out my audio life with a tube amp so I can appreciate tube sound.

There really is only one interesting playback mode on this unit. Tube / Triode. Full stop. End of story. The other ultralinear tube mode sounds somewhat disengaged. At least compared with the close in intimate soundstage of the Tube / Triode made. And hey folks don't bother with your balanced connection headphone jack; tube mode is single ended 3.5mm. I did check out the solid state mode and it sounded fine but so does every other unit at this price point.

What is the downside to Tube mode? It takes a while to warm up. There is a mild ringing noise of some kind in the right channnel at first also. But most importantly, this unit gets really hot. Like you don't want this in your hand or pocket hot. Don't say I didn't warn you. But on the other hand it does sound sweet and warm and lots of fun.

So if you are into Tube sound and can take the heat this unit is worth a look. If you tend to put your DAP down on a table when listening your will be fine. I liked it but not enough to get past the heat issue and inability to access Amazon HD downloads.

It seems like apples and oranges to compare it to my Cayin N5II as that is an early Android unit. But since I can only use the n5II in single ended right now it seemed like a fair comparison. The balanced output has gone to Cancun with Ted Cruz until I send the unit to the factory for repairs. The N3Pro wins in tube triode mode; and its a push when it comes to solid state.

Its also a push in solid state with the HiBy R5. Frankly, I did not spend much time on solid state mode because ladies and gentlemen Tube Triode is what you want and what you need.

Summary:
 
I wanted to love this unit.  Really I did.   I was looking forward to a sound signature in line with or even better than thebit Opus #1; Cayiin i5, and other Android app capable devices.  And at first I thought I was going to absolutely love it.  With less complicated, semi-acoustic albums it sounded very good.   Miles Davis Kind of Blue (MFSL-SACD DSD rips) sounded clean and articulate. Beck's Sea Change--sounded nice.  But then I started trying out heavier rock; and my opinion became muddier.  Or should I say the sound became muddier.
 
And for me; sound is factor #1, #2, and #3.  Simply put, I can't rave about the sound.  Now with some FIIO products sound signatures move around with various firmwares, and we are only on version 1.13.  So I would watch how the reviews evolve over time. I remember that the sound on the original X3 went from muddy to very pleasing over time.  I hope that happens here.
 
Then there is the issue of the apps.  They do not all seem to hang together right now.   
 
Right now I would rather own a single purpose machine with great sound (Opus #1 is a stand out at this price point, but there are others).  Or perhaps feed the Chord Mojo (yes it is that good) with your device of choice.   I hope the firmware evolves and that my initial thoughts will prove to be out-dated.
 
Sound
 
It might be because of impedance issues; but I have two observations when using this with the FLC8S.  First, there can be almost too much bass with this machine.   I found that taking the FLC8S to a reference tuning was a good choice (gray - gray - gunmetal).  Otherwise sometimes there is simply too much bass.  I think some would describe the sound as congested or bloomy. in the low and mid-bass area. 
 
Second, for some reason, when music is not playing, I experienced a fair amount of hiss with the FLC8S. 
 
I did try two other IEMs; the venerable Carbo Tenore and my LZ-A2.   The LZ also sounded a bit muddy.  The Carbo Tenore is a bit bass light compared to the other two IEM units, and did not have the same bloom issues.
 
On the positive side, the treble was clear and open and I thought the soundstage was likeable.  But unlike other electronics, I found myself listening too much to the unit and not enough listening to the msuic.
 
User Interface
 
OK, I will admit it.  There is much to be said for old school digital audio players.  Scroll wheel, buttons, volume knobs.   With this unit, you very much know you are using an Android device.  I like to listen to music in folder mode.  Bad choice for this machine.  There is no easy way to traverse folder structure.  You need to close down the FIIO app to get back to the SD card file level.  Otherwise you will be presented with a  somewhat random list of albums created from scans.  With some errors to boot.
 
I was able to put in some network passwords and look at FLAC files on my NAS units.  But the unit does not seem to associate those files with the FIIO music app and you get an error message when you click on the files.  Well, one it actually started playing music with firmware 1.11; but I could not repeat that happy situation.   Once it started to download the files from the NAS to the unit; but I cancelled that.
 
I did play some tunes via JRiver's Gizmo APK app.  Unfortunately, Gizmo transcodes music to 320kbps MP3 (at best).  I suppose I could have fiddled with some APKs from Synology.  I put in DS Audio but that just wanted to download files not play them.  As you might guess, I dropped that idea.  If I was the owner of the unit I probably would have doggedly looked for another, better workaround but since I was just testing the unit I decided to punt on that effort.
 
There is an advanced audio equalizer available, but it seemed to require a separate license and I was not interested in that.  So sorry, not comments about VIPER from me.  The primary equializer works with files at least up to 24 - 96 (that was all I tested).  It does not work with DSD files (not a criticism; DSD files are not designed for EQ).   Actually, I almost never use EQ so testing that was not a priority for me either.
 
I did not test Tidal or other streaming apps
 
Features:
 
I like the dual microSDXC slots.  I did not test the bluetooth, or the USB outputs to an external DAC.  Nor did i use it as a DAC from the PC or iphone.
 
 
Summary:
 
I really wanted to love this machine and came away on the positive side of neutral but not enthralled.  My $200 DAP is not as detailed as the X5III, but it is not muddy with heavy rock tracks.
 
I hope that future firmware releases will address some of the issues discussed here.  I thank FIIO for allowing me to evaluate this unit
 
Disclaimer:   I was loaned this unit by FIIO as part of a North American Tour.  No renumeration was received for this review.
 
 
.

When you ask most Head-Fi readers about purchasing a USB stick like device for computer audio; they will generally talk about the Dragonfly family.   Bracketed in between the two key Dragonfly unit prices comes the Shanling UP.  Priced at $150, it offers a smooth sound and easy to set up PCM playback.   If you want to turn your smartphone into a DAP you can add this unit and be off to the races.
 
For Apple users, you do not need to purchase the Apple CCK device ($40 for the latest version).  The device has Mfi built in.   
 
So let's explore both use cases; computers and smart phone.
 
Computer:   The generic Shanling USB driver is easy to install on Windows 10 as it is digitally signed.  The download for the USB driver seems to be corrupted for the UP; but you can download any of the Shanling USB drivers and they all work with this device.     With the MAC no drivers are needed.   How does it sound?  With PCM, I found it smooth and powerful enough for my IEMs.  But then again I no longer have any inefficient IEMs so that is not much of a test.  It sounded good with the FLC8S and the Carbo Tenore.  I did not test my LZ-A2 with this but that is fairly efficient also.
 
What about DSD?   I was finally able to get this to work properly with FOOBAR and JRiver.  It required quite a bit of fiddling with ASIO drivers to get this work properly.  At first with JRiver the volume controls were inoperative.    I switched from WASAPI to ASIO and then it started to work well.  I got the idea for using ASIO from the FOOBAR support sites.  I was also able to get FOOBAR to work witht the device after installing the needed ASIO and DSD plugins.
 
iPhone:  I played back PCM and DSD files using my favorite swiss army knife media apps; NPlayer.   I also used Nplayer to play a home converted video of  live Rolling Stones (Marquee club to be precise).   Yes, Handbrake can be your friend for those conversions.   Everything sounded clean and correct; and better than the native iphone sound.  Now the iphone has okay sound; but i don't think it is particularly smooth and certainly lacks in bass punch.  The Shanling UP solved those problems.
 
The downside?  Plugging right into the phone, the UP can suck power from the phone at a rapid rate.  I would bet that phone power time is cut by more than 50% when using this device.  I also had to reboot the phone once to get the device to work.
 
Using with M1:  For gins and giggles I tried hooking up the USB C to USB C connector to the M1 and the UP.  The idea was that many people are using the M1 as a transport; so why not a transport to the UP?  Anyway, I did not get this working.  Granted, I spent more time trying to get DSD working o the PC and did not have the patience to troubleshoot this very hard.  I really do not know why it did not work.
 
Conclusion:
 
So why buy this thing?  I think it would appeal to the road warrior that wants to minimize the number of devices used when travelling.  For that context, it is great.  If you don't mind multiple devices; a dedicated DAP may be the ticket.   For example, my Shanling M2 can also be used as a DAC/AMP with the Apple Camera Connecting kit.  So that is a much bigger setup.  The effective cost is $90 higher; $50 more for the M2 vs the UP plus $40 for the Apple CCK.  And the CCK needs to be powered to work (power connections are built into the new version of the CCK).
 
For its purpose, this is a good device and worth considering.  It has a similar sound to the Shanling M1.  Not as transparent as the M2 or, for that matter, higher end units, but still a nice step up from the built in DACs for most smart phones and computers.  
 
If the "UP" was  $50 or even $75 it would be  a "no brainer" purchase for the audio gadget buyer.  At $150 I think the buyer should carefully think through the merits of a USB stick vs a full on DAP in DAC mode.
 

I had the pleasure of listening to the Cayin i5 as part of the midwest USA tour.  Other than being responsible for passing the item along, I did not receive any compensation or expense from the vendor and my comments are my personal observation.
 
First of all, as a summary, I would like to say that I enjoyed listening to this device very much.   It had a clear and open sound that I think is in the same ballpark as the FIIO X7 and even the Chord Mojo when paired wtih a digital source.   Yes, I think the Mojo provides a slightly better listening experience, but at the expense of mucking about with two items to play music.  Compare that with just using one integrated device.
 
For sound alone, I would compare the overall sound signature to the Shanling M2.  That unit has a relatively unique, open and clear sound with a slight warmth.  Midrange and treble to my ear is slighlty accentuated on that device, and I think the same applies to the Cayin.  Where that can be glorious is vocal driven music, jazz, and classical.  I think we are looking at less than a decible of emphasis, and it might be an artifact of the open sound signature.   An example of a stunning rendition was the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Apocalypse.   That is a jazz fusion work produced by the legendary George Martin (think Beatles).   You could really get immersed in the music or pick out individual instruments if wanted.  That quality is something that is shared with the the Mojo by the way.  Say, in my book if a reviewer can compare a unit to the Mojo the manufacturer is doing something very right.  I did have a recent "re-listen" to the Mojo as Howdy brought it along when he personally handed over the unit (thanks pal!).
 
I mainly listened on my new FLC8S pair (ok I am bragging but what the heck); and also on the Tennmak Pro.  In my book , by the way, the Tennmak is quite the bargain.
 
So of the DAP units in my possession, the FIIO X3II, Shanling M1, and Shanling M2, this unit did stand on top of the heap.  But then again, that is to be expected.   But then again the Shanling M2 has what I think is a similar sound signature so I will be OK now that the unit has been shipped back to the US distributor.
 
Now I will move on to the unit itself.  It is a very solid piece, with solid engineering.  It plays a wide variety of sources, and does have native DSD which I apprecaite.  It also was able to act as a DAC for my iphone (using a trick USB splitter that I have that in some instances can overcome the iphone and its notorious message about DAC devices requiring too much power).  I was unable to get the OTG function to work with my PNY USB stick.  That stick works just fine in my FIIO X3II with firmware 1.4.   I just ordered a new OTG cable for USB type C by it did not arrive to be tested with this unit.
 
I also did not test the streaming function from Spotify or Tiday or from my NAS.  Why?  Well that gets to the "beta" status of the firmware in my mind.  The unit skipped on various tracks and sometimes needed to be reset when playing music.  My sense is that the firmware is not truly stable yet.
 
When I received the unit there was a crash.  I then reinstalled the firmware.   It is possible that I lost the default menu options at that point.   I found it hard to go directly to music menus when rebooting (which did take a bit longer than I would prefer).   It would appear that there are methods to go easily to the music menus or music folders.  ; I just never found them.  For me, the unit came up in more of a generic Android style menu and it took a few swipes to get to the folders or music menus.
 
I did not check out the battery life carefully but did run the unit down by accident.  Perhaps I did not set up the automatic power down mode properly.  User error is one of my specialties.
 
So would I purchase the unit?   Well, I would hold off on making a final decision until I knew the firmware was stable.  Plus, FIIO just released the X5III which seems fairly similar in feature sets and I would want to check that out.  There is also the question of the general desirability of Android as a music interface system.  If one does not mind Android, then this unit is a contender.  Of course if steaming is your bag; then one must consider is the streaming going to be done on the road?  In that case this unit would have to be tethered to a phone.   More toys to contend with in that scenario.  Perhaps an audiophile phone like the LG might be a direction to  consider if that is a need.
 
Overall, I think Cayin has built a very nice unit.  I am fairly confident that the various bugs will be resolved.  They certainly have a nice positive presence on Head Fi forums and that is a good sign of their market commitment.

I had an opportunity to spend some time with the Shanling M2.  I had some sense this was a popular machine from a less well known brand whose first product, the M3, was also well regarded.  What I was not expecting was how much I would enjoy this machine.
 
First, a few thoughts on how I use portable players.  I typically listen to FLAC files, either redbook 16-44 or higher res.   I typically play music by folders, usually complete albums.  On my iphone I create playlists as that is pretty much the main way to get music onto the unit.  With hi res players, I tend to drag music into folders, and sometimes  number tracks to create a poor mans playlist.  So I did not check out playlist support on this unit.
 
My reference points for this unit was ipods, iphones, modified ipods, and hi res players.  The hi res players that I have tested include the FIIO range (X1, X3 I and II, X5 I and II, and X7), and the Lotoo PAW5000.  Also recently tested was the Mojo DAC/AMP.  Until the Shanling, my favorite units were the FIIO X7 (for sound quality not user experience) and the Chord Mojo. My go to units are the FIIO X3 gen II and Gen I, which I do think are bargains for what they offer.
 
But I was not expecting that very good things can come in small packages.  In my view, the Shanling M2 punched way above its weight.  I think its sound was in the hunt with the FIIO X7 and the Chord Mojo, which was completely not my expectation going into the test.  Now none of my IEM units really push a portable DAC/AMP very hard.  My most inefficient units are the Phonak PFE-022, and those went well with this unit in general, especially with classical music.  My regular IEM units, the relatively popular LZ-A2 unit, went well with this machine for rock and jazz.  I preferred the Phonak for classical. 
 
What was truly sublime was using this unit with the FLC8S.   Together these sounded great, for all types of music.  Classical, rock, jazz, it was all there.  Now the FLC8S is a wonderful unit, and does sound good with the FIIO X3 Gen II.  But I kept marveling at the sound with the Shanling.   What an amazing $600 experience, the Shanling M2 and the FLC8S.
 
I tried this unit in DAC mode.  It worked nicely with few hiccups as a computer DAC.  The Windows driver is unsigned, and appears to be the same source as the FIIO windows driver.  However, the FIIO driver does not work with the Shanling, and must be uninstalled.
 
It was also tested as a DAC with the iphone using the camera connecting kit.  It worked, but in general I find the iphone a glitch ridden DAC source.  I get dropouts all the time with various TED podcasts no matter what DAC I am using, and that was true here.  No better, no worse than using the Chord Mojo.  I think the FIIO units are slightly more reliable as iphone DACs but in general I have diminished expectations for iphone DAC usage.
 
I did test some DSD files.  I had on demo file that was part of a Meridien test suit for MQA, and it sounded great.   However, most of my DSD files are extracted from SACD ISO files using JRiver and other utilities.  For some unknown reason all my extractions have various pops and clicks in the files.  That is an issue with some of my extractions, not the Shanling.  Now the latest version of ISO2DSD is much better, so I need to go back and redo some of my extractions. 
 
With the FIIO X3 Gen II I can play SACD iso files directly, and those sound great.  Unfortunately Shanling has indicated that this is not an option with this unit at a hardware level.   The unit did work as a DSD DAC, but again my source material is really the issue. 
 

 
I understand an M5 is coming from Shanling.   Nevertheless, a small, amazing sounding and well priced unit ($250) has a place.  I highly enjoyed the experience and I ended up selling my original X3 as partial payment for this unit.
 
Update:  Now that I have had the unit a while I would note that the upper end is stronger than on many other units.  So I found myself turning the treble down in my car a tad when using the line out.
 
I tend to transfer files into the unit using usb from the primary pc.   Disconnections can go awry.  I have had to conduct a paper clip reset more than a few times.  So now I always check if the unit will boot after transferring files and taking the unit for portable use. 
 
Also, the unit runs a bit hot.  I found the leather case (about $20)  helps out.

I had the pleasure of listening to the FLC8S for about 10 days. 
 
I listened to these on a FIIO X3 Gen II, a Shanling M2, and the venerable iphone 6S.   My comparison is to LZ-A2 using Comply foam tips, Phonak Audeo PFE-022 with black filters and Comply foam tips, and Carbo Tenore using stock tips. 
 
I listened to a wide variety of music, including Rock, Jazz, and Classical.  Something that surprised me was that I could listen to all varieties of music with these and get a pleasurable experience.  Normally I reserve the Phonaks for classical, where bass is not as important and musical accuracy is important.  But with these I was very happy no matter the source material.
 
They sounded very good with all players, but were especially terrific with the Shanling M2.  The Shanling is a very neutral and clear sounding unit, and really brought out the best in these earphones.
 
I found myself noticing the clarity of instruments, yet easy shifted to simply enjoying hi res music.  There is a reason these IEM units have developed a buzz; it is simply not just hype. The detachable cables can come loose fairly easily, so I would be careful with the units when used in public areas.  I stuck mainly to the blue cables though I did try the other two cables that were in box.  Somehow I preferred the blue cable comfort and stuck with those.
 
My overall conclusion is that these provides an exception level of audio quality with a high degree of customization.   I mainly fiddled with the low bass, as I was very happy with the stock tunings. The effect was subtle but helpful to add sub bass.
 
It is interesting to me that most other reviewers of this headphone also seem to go with the stock tunings, with the possible exception of adding more sub bass.  That is because these IEM units have an essential “rightness” to them right out of the box.  
 
Customizing these IEM units is not super easy.  As other have mentioned, the small rubbery plastic inserts are difficult to manipulate and go flying about.  I would suggest working on a clear table and not over carpet.  Pieces can and will go missing.  I ended up using the tweezers to remove the tuning devices but put them in by finger. 
 
My overall suggestion is that the manufacturer consider offering a cost reduced version of these with the base neutral tunings with the exception of somewhat tweaked sub bass.   I think a more basic version with this sound signature at the right place could become a monster product.  I realize the tunability put the manufacturer on the map, but now that they have a name I would readily purchase a cheaper, less tunable version. 
 
I would also suggest studying the fit of the Carbo Tenore, which somehow gets the sound right in a very comfortable to wear format.
 
These are exceptional IEM units and my sense is that improvements on these will ultimately be about fit, comfort, and price and not about sound quality.

I had the opportunity to spend almost three weeks with the Chord Mojo.  When it locked on to a signal with my FIIO X3 units (Gen I and Gen II) I experienced a smooth, glitch free audio experience.  Both through headphones and "line out usage" it was non fatiguing and quite musical.  It did not matter what musical material was utilized, Jazz, Classical, Rock....it all sounded great.  With the X3II, I streamed both FLAC and DSD files quite nicely.
 
With this unit, I quickly moved beyond the "analytical approach" of listening to various instruments to see how well they were defined.  And stopped worrying about the size of the image.  Instead, I was captivated by listening to music.
 
When locked on to music on the PC using WASAPI outputs (that and ASIO are the preferred settings in JRiver, my primary audio app), the sound was also very good. It worked equally well with FLAC and DSD files with JRiver.   With videos, for some files I had to drop down to direct sound or other windows drivers to maintain an uninterrupted audio stream.  For movies that really did not matter as much.  I think the issue is that some of my video conversions are fairly old and not particularly well done. I made some of the conversions when one had to worry about the sync between audio and video (yes I date mysellf).  I mainly listened to my dub of  "Let it Be" on an airplane flight.  That particular video was dubbed from my old Laserdisc.   I was happy to have the file in the first place.
 
With the iphone, I used the Apple branded Camera Connecting Kit.  This was reliable for FLAC and DSD files using the nPlayer app.  The signal was easily interrupted when playing Podcasts, both through the Apple podcast app and through nPlayer.  So I would caution potential buyers that if the primary target is the iphone that one should not necessarily expect a glitch free experience.
 
The unit seemed to sail through various IEM impedances with no worries.
 
I was happy to have tested this unit and would seriously consider purchasing one.  My only reservation is that the Oppo HA-2 seems to be designed specfically for iphone usage and for me that would be a potential competitive consideration.
 
DIsclosure:  When this review was written I was affiliated with JRiver.  I no longer am affiliated with JRiver,; but I still think JRiver is a good choice for connecting to external DAC units.
 
I was a JRiver user before I became affiliated with JRiver.    JRiver  happens to be a good piece of software for feeding DSD over USB on a PC.  SInce one of my targets was to test DSD on the unit from a PC, it made sense to use that product.  But it is fair to note the potential bias at that point in time.

Introductory Thoughts
 
I received a test unit of the FIIO X7 as part of the US tour.  I believe this unit is a pre-final production run.  
 
Because there are a few very detailed reviews already posted, I will focus on what I think the key issues in most users minds in terms of evaluating the unit.
 
On the plus side, if one were to look past some of the hardware design choices that I do not fully agree with and some of the firmware quirks of the unit, the audio quality of the unit is quite nice.  Even superior.  I used the line out in my car (which has a very fine system) and the open sound compared with the X3 surprised me.  I suspect that one could spend three times as much as this machine and not improve on the built in DAC very much.  I also think the stock internal headphone amp will please most users even though upgrades will eventually be available.
 
I tested the EQ with some 24-196 files and it did function, which is a real plus compared with other FIIO units that I have tested.   Even thought I tested the EQ, I tend to listen to music "flat" and it came through well with all styles of music tested; rock, jazz, and classical.  Polka music and rap continued to elude me on this unit, but those genres have eluded me on every other unit I have used so I suspect there is no hardware solution to that problem.  The unit was tested the LZ-A2; Carbo Tenore, Shure E2C; Yuin PK3, and Phonak Audeo PFE-022.  It worked well with all of these; and the Phonak is fairly inefficient and the unit sounded good even on low gain.
 
I did update the firmware during the test visit.   Unfortunately, some glitches that were experienced continued to persist even after the firmware upgrade.  The unit has two modes; pure audio and Android.  I had to use the unit exclusive in android mode as the pure audio mode crashed repeatedly.  Actually, I was only able to get the unit to move from one song the next automatically about half the time in Android mode; not sure what was behind that and it could well be user error.  However, if it is user error then I think part of the issue is the non intuitive user interface of the unit.
 
As one user noted, it is possible to get into an Android mode where two apps play music simultaneously.  That is easy to fix; just swipe one app away and sanity reappears.
 
The advantage of being Android based is that one can access streamed music from Tidal, etc.  I did test a DLNA server capability using JRiver's Gizmo, and that worked well at hi resolution on wifi.   For full disclosure, I do consulting work for JRiver but on the other hand since many apps are white listed and the APK from JRiver for Gizmo is easily located and has no charge it was a reasonable thing to use for testing.  I presume over time the Whitelist will increse in size.  I am really not quite sure whether the unit will be open to the entire Google Play ecosystem over time or remain on a whitelist basis.
 
That does bring up my biggest question for the unit, which is where does it fit in to the music ecosystem?  It is not usable on a cell network as it has no cell capability.  Of course the unit can be tethered but that would be annoying.  In my case I would rather use my favorite streaming apps from my phone and send the music to my favorite DAC/AMP.  Right now I do that with my X3 units (both gen one and two) from time to time. If that mattered more to me I think I would pick up an Oppo HA-2 which also sounds incredible like the X7 but has Apple compatibility built right in.  But I think there is a niche of people who want to stream music from the house or office and not in a portable environment and the X7 will fill that bill well.
 
The unit is quite solid and if you do not mind a bigger machine, it is attractive in a muscular fashion  The X7 does have a blue glow while in operation that does not seem to shut off.  This can be an issue for night listening.
 
When the firmware become more stable the unit would move to four stars for me.  I really can't rate a unit five stars when I think the ergonomics are not ideal; the apps situation is highly limited, and at the price point the unit really should be something that one would want to keep for years to come.  I kept thinking that this is a transitional unit.
 
Photo:  The unit showing cover art.  The unit is brighter in daylight than other FIIO units which is  real plus.
 

I have tested the FIIO EX1 as part of the North American Tour.  No compensation was received for this review.
 
By now you have seen multiple reviews that reviewed the accessories that come with this unit, its Dunu heritage, etc.  So I will focus on sound signature, fit, and sound leakage.
 
In summary, I think that if you are looking for a headphone with a bright sound and is not bass shy, these are worth considering.
 
I did find it took larger tips than I am used to in order to get a proper sound signature.  I had to place the units a bit further in to my canal than I found comfortable to get the proper levels of bass.
 
When properly fit, the sound signature presented a good level of bass but not bass head worthy, which I think is a good thing.  The midrange is pleasant.  I found the treble a bit overdone, but then again I tend to favor IEM units with a slightly tailed off high end and the EX1 has heightened treble. I did find these to have a nice open soundstage, and instrument clarity was gratifying.
 
I was unable to get a good fit with my usual comply tips.  I had pulled them out on the theory that maybe I would not have to insert these units too far in to the ear canal to get full bass, and that they might tamp down the high end a bit.  Unfortunately, that did not work out.
 
I enjoy my IEM listening in public places such as airplanes and before going to bed.   These IEM units may not be the best choice for those locations.  The open design does lead to sound bleed.
 
These did help out my old FIIO X3 first generation running firmware 3.34b, which tended to be more midrange driven and needed some high end help.  With firmware 3.4 the benefit was reduced, as that sound signature is more balanced. On the oriignal X3, I fiddled with the hardware level eq  and had some success.  I turned the bass up one or two notches and treble down three notches and achieved a somewhat better sound profile to my taste.  On the X3 second gen unit that is no hardware level eq so that did not work.  Note:  I play quite  a bit of hi res material, jazz and classic rock, and so hardware eq is needed in the FIIO line.   And as you may know, the X3 gen two can't provide eq to hi res material.
 
I was hoping that the EX1 units would knock the ball out of the park for me based on some early reviews.   Instead, I am looking in to more tunable IEM units and did order one unit on 11-11 called the LZ-A2 which by most accounts is more like the Carbo - Tenores which are my current "go to" units.  The Carbo -Tenore's a comfortable in a sleeping configuration, and do not have leekage.  If your taste
runs a bit more to the treble forward side you will be rewarded with these units.
 
I should mention that I took these to a Minneapolis head-fi gathering.  I would say that more than half of the group was favoring over the ear headphones not in-ear.  But for those who were willing to try out headphones, only one person particularly enhused about the EX1.  This person also noted that they had hearing problems in the high end from a scuba diving accident, so I suspect the sound signature was perfect for their needs.  But it also reinforced my feeling that the sound signature it not going to find universal acclaim, but will find favor with those that favor elevated high end sound profiles.
 
 
 
.
 

This will be an extremely brief review.  I had these headphones for about 4 days.  The timing was not optimal for me; I was about to head out on vacation when these arrived.  The question was whether I should request an few days of extended listening or just send these alone to the next reviewer.  I opted for speeding the review process along.
 
Testing apparatus:  I used a FIIO X3 Gen II for most of the listening, and then a X3 Gen I to see what happened when I used hardware tone controls to tame the bass and treble.  I played rock and traditional jazz (Mingus, Miles Davis) on the units.
 
These headphones are great if you want  a "V-Shaped" sound profile from your IEM units.  That would mean a very strong, almost boomy bass and a very powerful high end response.
 
I would have preferred that T-Peos make some kind of changeable filters available.  I did not care for the V-sound signature. The bass was simply too much for me. 
 
A benefit of a bass heavy design is that the ear pieces do not have to be jammed into one's ear to get good bass response.  Even though the headphones are fairly large, I found them surprisingly comfortable to wear.
 
I also found the high end signature too strong on more than 40% of the audio selections I chose.  
 
I did try using the hardware EQ on the first generation FIIO X3. With both bass and treble turned down, I enjoyed these units somewhat more.  However, my primary player (FIIO X3 Gen II)  does not have hardware Q and the software based EQ is not functional on hi res files.   So while adjusting tone controls was helpful, in my case that can only work a small portion of the time.
 
I think some people enjoy a V-shaped sound signature and they should consider these units.  I would look carefully at what other headphones are used by those who write positive reviews of these units. 
 
.
 
I suspect those will also be V-Shared in the sound profile.
 
Build quality seemed good.  The cable had some microphonics; but that is relatively common to all IEM units so I would not hold that against these.
 
In short, by design, these headphone are not designed for my listening tastes.  They may appeal to others.  I think T-Peos should often replaceable tunable filters.  I would use the "boring old person" if it was available for these.  With all that bass on tap, a neutral sound signature could be interesting.

X5 Generation II review
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Introduction:
 
I was fortunate enough to be in the first wave of the review tour of the X5 Generation II hi fidelity, hi power personal audio playback device.  I did not receive any compensation from FIIO for providing a review other than the loan of the machine for 10 days, and I was responsible for shipping the unit to the next reviewer in line.
 
The design goal of the X5 was to provide a slightly livelier sound than the original X5, which had a flattish sound according to information provided by FIIO. 
 
Most listeners will be very happy with the high degree of instrument articulation that the unit provides.  Combined with more than ample power amplification, for many users this will be a dream portable music player.  However, I think the "lively" sound signature implies a playback that provides some upper midrange emphasis, at least with current beta firmware.  This is a fairly subtle effect that only was audible with some male vocal driven recordings. 
 
About the Technology:
 
The unit is designed to provide native DSD playback and has dual crystal ocscillator circuitry to provide optimal playback for all currently used PCM  and DSD sampling rates using multiples of 44 and 48 khz.  Compared with the X3 series (I have both the first and second generations) it also has stronger independent amplification circuitry with analog volume control to increase audio resolution.  It has been enhanced to use power efficiently using different system voltages for hi and low gain amplification.   The auto standby mode also provide power management enhancements.  I never had the unit away from a power source to run it to zero power so I cannot verify battery life but many listeners are reporting ten to eleven hours between charges.
 


 
 
As the photos demonstrate, it is a slightly longer unit than the X3 Gen II.  The unit can also handle two TF (micro SDXC) memory cards, whereas the X3 family only handles one TF memory card. 
 
This review will not review the user interface, which is almost exactly the same as the X3 Generation II.  It appears that the final scroll wheel will have improved tactile feedback compared to the beta unit under review.  In my view, the current wheel is quite nice so any improvements would probably be lost on me.  The display has much better color fidelity than the X3 Gen II and is somewhat easier to see in direct sunlight.  For future units, I would suggest that FIIO look into technologies that are even easier to read in direct sunlight.  At least for me, a portable unit by definition gets used in broad daylight and I find myself having to shade the screen in order to see what I am doing with my FIIO units including this unit.
 
Sound Quality and Amplification:
 
To me, the two most important things that I want to cover in this review are sound quality and amplification.    Unlike many head fi readers, none of my headphones are extremely demanding.  I used my most inefficient in ear headphones for much of my testing and comparison testing with the older units, the Phonak Audeo PFE-022.  These are balanced design headphones that sound relatively flat.  To achieve proper bass response with these headphones the tips must be inserted fairly deeply into one’s ears. I had aftermarket Comply foam tips that I use for this purpose.  In sort, I found that the X5 drove these IEM units well.  Whereas for typical listening on most of my headphones I set my X3 to about 60 on the low gain setting, I need to go to about 80 for the Phonak units.  On the X5, the setting was roughly 70.  So there seems to be more power available.  I tried high gain, and frankly could not hear much difference. On paper distortion and other artifacts are reduced using low gain, so that is how I did most of my listening.
 
Also tested were Carbo-Tenore in ear headphones, Sennheiser PX-100, and Sony folding sports headphones.  The Carbo Tenore IEM units sounded great; but those units are fairly efficient and did not tax the X5 Gen II at all.   The power of the X5 unit came through on the Sennheiser headphones; which could barely keep up with the accurate yet powerful bass signal provided.  Similarly, the Sony headphones came to life on the low end with this unit.  The low end response is very accurate; the improvement in the low end was a function of powerful and clean amplification and in no way reflected negatively on the X5.  There is a reflection on the aging headphones that were tested and on the owner of the headphones who is reluctant to invest too much in other the ear headphones due a preference for earbuds and IEM units for traveling.
 
In terms of sound quality, I did detect greater articulation of instruments with the X5 compared with both the X3 first and second generation units.  I did almost all the comparisons with the x3 Gen II unit.  The X3 Gen II is known as a flatter playback device than the original X3 which has some low and mid bass emphasis. 
 
On some musical sources featuring male vocalists I felt that the frequency range just above the vocals was somewhat emphasized.  In particular, this seems noticeable with Rod Stewart recordings.  At least one other reviewer noted a similar effect in a post on the X5 Gen 2 forum so I do not think I am alone in this observation.  I think that is what FIIO means by a slightly livelier sound in their reviewer notes. 
 
I did contact our regular information source at FIIO who stated that the unit is designed for flat frequency response.  I ended up creating a custom EQ for certain recordings, but that only had limited applicability as above 48 khz EQ is not active on either the X3 Gen II or the X5 Gen II.   I do not think the frequency emphasis was a show stopper but for me it was apparent on many recordings but not all.  An alternative reading is that I was noticing artifacts in the original recordings but I did detect different frequency response with the X3 Gen II set to flat and the X5 Gen II set to flat.
 
The greater articulation came to the fore when playing certain sources such as the recently released HD Tracks version of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung.  This release features the remastering of Steve Wilson without any manipulaton by other individuals.  It turns out that the DVD Audio release of this remastering had been altered before pressing by another engineer; but not the new HD Tracks version.  The clarity of this remaster rang true with the X5 Gen II, and the playback on the X3 Gen II was to my ears somewhat more congested.
 
Additional Features Tested:
 
I did not have a chance to test the DAC playback on this unit as I am in the process of beta testing Windows 10 on my notebook. 
 
I did test DSD files played back directly from the microSDXC card.  I was very impressed with the sound quality of native DSD playback on this unit.   Frankly, I felt like I may well have been in the control room of a well run studio.  Almost like I was sitting next to Steve Hoffman or Steve Wilson during a mastering session.  The files played included Dire Straits and Bob Dylan.  For more details on extracting DSD files from SACD ISO files I suggest heading over to ComputerAudiophle.com.  I also suggest SteveHoffman forums for great discussions of music and the quality of varous musical releases. 
 
One feature that did not live up to expectations was the use of OTG playback.  It would appear that FIIO engineers have made some modifications to their OTG circuitry, and the firmware has not quite caught up to the new designs.  Management is aware of the issues with OTG, and knowing FIIO this will eventually be addressed.  However, for now FIIO is not emphasizing this capability and purchasers should be aware that I can not in good faith recommend this unit for this feature at this time.
 
It is a Beta Unit, After All:
 
The unit that was tested is one of 200 early production models with beta firmware.  That gives test users a chance to get a handle on the new unit before general release. However, beta software and firmware can often be less than rock solid.  The unit had two fairly meaningful hard stops on my first day of testing, which required holding down the power button for an extended time to perform a reset.  I did experience one other crash later in testing, but generally the unit ran well.  The memory card involved and the music files that were under review had been formatted using a different FIIO unit and has caused no problems on either a first of second generation X3.    In fact, the same files played just fine once the unit was restarted so I attribute this to beta firmware.  I do not anticipate that production models will have these issues.
 
Conclusions:
 
This is, no doubt, a premier playback unit.  Personally, I would prefer a flatter frequency response in the upper midrange with the same articulation benefits of this unit.  This effect is subtle; I suspect it is no more than 3 db and many users will be fine with this.
 
In the future, I would suggest that FIIO consider adding either hardware equalization like the original X3; or extending the equalization circuitry to handle hi res PCM and DSD files.
 
If the reader has demanding headphones then this unit is a must consider purchase.  On the other hand, if one's headphones are generally non demanding, the X3 Generation II could also be considered. The sound is not quite as detailed, but is quite listenable and the unit is smaller and less expensive ($349 suggested US retail for the X5 Gen II vs. about $199 - $229 for the X3 Gen II).
 
I thank FIIO for the opportunity to test this high quality unit.
 


 

The X3 2^nd Generation is a worthy replacement for the original X3.  At a price point of roughly $200 U.S.; the X3 product line provides a wide range of product features along with a sound that provides a meaningful step up the portable players that most people use nowadays, their mobile phone.  The sound is somewhat more refined than the original X3, with less of the mid bass “bloom” or warmth that is the hallmark of the original X3. 
 

 
 
Instrumental articulation is noticeably more crisp; but not to the point of being so analytical that the unit is difficult to use for extended periods of time.  In in fact I would argue that a highlight of the X3 family is how listenable the units are when it comes to just sitting down and playing music.  I find it enjoyable to relax in bed at night and listen to the original X3 over IEM headphones (so as not to disturb my wife); and the 2^nd generation unit is just as enjoyable.  In particular, the high end is fully present but not harsh. 
 
I tested the unit with FLAC files using both the redbook standard and higher res files up to 24bit 192khz, and also  DSD files.  I did not listen to much MP3 or AAC files as I tend to use my iphone for that kind of source material.  The iphone supports Bluetooth and when I exercise sometimes I prefer to have my headphones untethered.  Sure the fidelity is reduced but you can’t have everything sometimes.
 
I listened primarily to vocal driven rock (Alabama Shakes, George Exra, Decemberists, the National, Head and the Heart, Rolling Stones, Who), and more progressive rock (King Crimson, Yes).  I also listened to the 24-192 version of Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” from HD Tracks and Charles Mingus “Ah Um” sourced from SACD and converted to PCM via Foobar.  In addition, classical pieces included Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Gustav Holst “The Planets”; and various pieces of chamber music. 
 
I also tried some less well recorded rock to see whether the unit was overly revealing.  I have found that sometimes hi fi systems can make poorer recordings hard to hear because audio flaws can be highlighted more than is desirable.  But the recent releases of live Bruce Springsteen from 1975 sounded fine; and trust me the recording quality on that release is fine but nothing special.  
 
A good forum for music fans and especially hi res music fans that readers may want to check is are the Steve Hoffman forums:  www.stevehoffman.tv   
 
All sources, rock, jazz, and classical sounded very good both over the line out in my car and using various IEMs and earbuds and over the ear headphones.  Both efficient and inefficient headphones were driven just fine with the machine and no hiss was detectable.  But then again none of my headphones as of now are particularly demanding.   I would note that this new X3 made my older Yuin PK3 buds sound great. I have never heard particularly good bass from those earbuds before, and this unit brought those alive. 
 
Feature wise the new X3 overall keeps pace with the original unit.  The new unit still has a line out and digital coaxial output like the original X3, but now the line out and coax out use the same port which is switchable in software.   One thing I like in the old unit was that the line out was near the micro-USB port.  In my car that meant that both the line out cable and the power cable (I have it hooked up for power to a USB power plus) come in from the same side.  On the new unit the power port is on the bottom and the line out is on the top.  Okay, so that is a first world problem but this is my review and I’ll whine if I want to.  One thing I do like compared with the entry level X1 is that there is no annoying notification that I am using the unit in line out mode. 
 
The unit still can be used as a DAC, but I could not find a low power mode like in the original unit.  So I had to use a $10 USB port adapter that suppresses the power demand information and makes it much easier to run the unit with a iphone  or ipad using the Apple connecting kit.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJG5T4W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Not a big deal really, as I found that this adapter made the DAC mode on the original X3 more reliable.  The DAC mode was not tested with my notebook but I suspect it will remain the same somewhat tricky setup under windows as it was with the original X3.  It works, but not without some fiddling.  I suppose that is the nature of the beast.
 
I did test the OTG capability of the unit.  I was able to get a 32gb USB stick formatted in FAT32 to work using a micro-USB to USB OTG adapter.   After sending the review unit on its way, my new unit arrived and I was able to get a similar PNY USB 3.0 stick to work with 256GB formatted in FAT; so that was excellent in my view.  Please note:  one cannot simultaneously charge the FIIO and play music via a USB stick over OTG.  That is a limitation/design feature of OTG and USB.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4GGW5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JR532M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Unfortunately,  I could not get my higher capacity SDXC cards (128gb and 256gb) from PNY to work with a variety of OTG SD adapters that were tried.  Please note I am referring to the larger format SD cards, not the microSDXC.   I also could not get these cards to work via an extender that connects the internal micro SDXC to external (larger size) SD using a ribbon cable.  I did get a very low capacity card to work in some of these scenarios; so the issue may relate to design changes in the controllers as the SD format moved to SDXC for higher capacities.
 
I did try the unit with some DSD files.  The original X3 can play DSD files by converting them on the fly to PCM.   The new unit can natively play DSD files.  To get DSD music there are two main options.  One is to find websites that sell the files.  The second is to find an older PS3 with older firmware and some hacks that are explained in depth on ComputerAudiophile.com.  From there, the ISO files can be extracted with a variety of utilities to yield DSD files (actually there are  a variety of extensions but the music itself is in DSD format).   Well in my case I found a local genial soul that has a modded PS3 who was willing to convert a few of my SACD discs to ISO format.  Unfortunately they sold their PS3 so that was that for me.
 
I tried some classical music and the Rolling Stones Hot Rocks.  The files sounded great but keep in mind that for any given song DSD formatted files are 3 to 4 times larger than a 24-88 file.  But in particular I have never heard the older Rolling Stones material sound so excellent.  My classical files were more quartet driven as I wanted to hear individual instruments.  The sound was amazing but I suspect that due to file size issues I will listen to 24-88 files (or above) in PCM more often than not.
 
One area where the original unit has an advantage is that it has hardware bass and treble controls.  I do not know if this is a limit of the machine or just current firmware, but for higher res files (24-88 and above) the equalizer on the new machine is greyed out.  On the older machine there was some tone control capability on the headphone out that was always available; the new machine just has a software equalizer.
 
The new machine, as other reviewers have noted, has a smart approach to the pause mechanism and can restart quickly from pause without draining the power much.
There have been a great of discussions about the wheel approach like on the X1 and X5 versus buttons on the old X3.   Suffice it to say that at the end of the day they all get the job done and that is about all that is worth saying about that from my point of view.
 
A few summary observations.  If you have never purchased a high fidelity DAP before, the second generation X3 is a great place to start.  I suspect the unit will hold its value fairly well.  If you already have a X1; this unit is, in my mind, a step up.  I find it more listenable over extended periods of time particularly in the high end which I found to be smoother. 
 
The comparison with the original X3 is tricky.  This new unit has more articulation but once you really sit down and listen to either unit it is fairly easy to get immersed in the music and stop worrying about whether the bass guitar is quite as well defined.  So I suspect that the upgrade is more driven by the desire to have a wheel driven interface or some other features rather than the relatively small sound differences.  Please do not get me wrong; the new X3 is a step up but whether that step up is enough to drive your purchase is up to you.  And some features of the original unit (discussed at length in other reviews) may be enough to keep your wallet in your pocket.   Or you can be indulgent like me and decide you want to have two good X3 DAP units so that one can be left in the car and one is used in the house or some such. 
 
Please note:  FIIO allowed me to reserve a spot in the original upgrade discount program while I reviewed the unit.  So my price was part of a small group that received a discount and that price is no longer available.  Current US prices start at $199.

I purchased this on Amazon from a vendor that had a combined listing for the older model and newer E07 Andes.  So I received the new model at the old model price and saved about $20.   So that was nice.   But even at $90 this unit is great.  I can use it for getting more volume from the Asus T100 when watching movies on a plane (that was my original reason for buying the machine).  But then I discovered that I can turn my current generation Apple toys until audiophile delivery systems.  Sweet.
 
I found that a number of apps like nPlayer and VLC will allow internal streaming over the home network of hi res material.  One can also download 24 bit 96khz files (or lower rates but not higher) directly to the Apple products.
 
When the Fiio X1 comes out that may raise the bar yet again for portable audio; but in the meantime this unit is a nice performer at a reasonable price.  I suppose the next step up would be 192 khz or DSD streaming; but realistically Foobar is your friend and can convert just about everything to a format that works with the E07.  Plus even though I have SACD material, I am not convinced that it is a giant step above 24bit 96khz.  (Eggs and rotten vegetables to follow?).