Preamble:

Hi guys, I'm a budding audio-appreciator since starting on this journey about a year and a half ago. I just have average ears that like to listen to slightly above average music and so don't consider myself an 'audiophile' by any stretch. Please forgive any wrong use of terminology and lack of vocabulary yea. (I seriously cannot tell how 'extension' and 'warmth' are supposed to sound like..) 

 
Disclaimer: The T20 I received is the demo unit for the Asia arm of the T20 tour. I did not receive any benefits, monetary or otherwise from RHA, and I am in no way affiliated to to them. I wasn't aware of this tour initially but many thanks to RHA for conducting this demo tour and @Tobias89 for the invitation and heads up!
 
Prior to this tour, I've not had any experience with iems from RHA (or Reid Heath Acoustics for long) so I'm unfortunately unable to compare the T20s to their previous offerings. I can however, try to give a fresh perspective from what experience I have so far.
 

Tech Specs:

First up, the T20 boasts steel shells made by a metal injection molding process and incorporates RHA's proprietary DualCoil™ technology whereby the inner and outer edges of the driver are separately driven, generating an effect that sounds something like having 1.5 drivers while avoid the phasing issues.
 
Drivers: DualCoil™
Frequency Range: 16Hz - 40kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sensitivity: 90dB
Cable: 1.35m Multicore OFC
Jack: Gold plated 3.5mm
 

Package:

T20 in-ear headphone
Tuning filters with steel storage plate
Hybrid (different core material) ear tips - S, M, L x2 pairs each
Double flange silicon ear tips - S, L x1 pair each
Memory foam ear tips - x2 pairs each
Stainless steel ear tip storage plate
Zipper carry case
Clothing clip
 

 
 

Build Quality: 4.5/5

Right off the bat I was blown away by the sheer quality of build.

 
The driver shells are beautiful (how the heck do you even injection mold stainless steel anyway) and cable is beefy, smooth and untangly.
 

 
There’s also an insane spring strain relief on the plug.
The Y- split is a heavy duty metal cylinder about the same diameter but slightly shorter than the headphone jack. Strain reliefs aren't very long but in combination with the beefy cable, they look like they'll last a long time.
It’s my first time using an iem with memory cable, the cable is quite pleasant, pliable but still holds its shape.
There’s some minor microphonics from the slightly stiff cable, but managed to mitigate it by using the chin slider to touch the cable to my neck.
 

Accessories: 5/5

 

 
3x the filters, 3x the sound, 3x the review, ⅓ the buyer’s remorse though.
The filters are solidly engineered, the knurled bit makes it easy to grip and twist, while the o ring ensures that it won't dislodge so easily.
It was fairly difficult to get the eartips off and on to swap filters so I believe that they'll be quite secure.
Also included is quite an impressive assortment of tips.
I feel that the included pouch, while nice, has a small design flaw : as the iems and eartip holder are made of stainless steel, carrying them together in the pouch will cause them to scratch each other in the long run
 

Comfort: 3.5/5

Iem sits very comfortably in my ears, even though it's steel, I can't feel it there
They  to worked their way out of my ears initially, but didn’t any more after some use.
The issue disappeared entirely with spinfits, so I will be doing more of the latter part of the review using the spinfits to get a better feel of the sound.
After using the T20 for a while, the memory cable has a tendency to make my ear a little sore at the place where it hangs over.
 

Isolation: 4/5

Isolation is above average, in spite of the rather large vent facing the outside.
 
I did the listening via the Fiio X3 direct using high gain.
Songs are mainly FLAC and MP3, with the occasional YouTube rip (lol).
 
The T20s are fairly easy to drive, a volume level of 25/120 was enough, on the loud side even. In contrast, my Havi B3 requires 38/120 to reach decent volume.
 

Test Songs:

DragonForce - Through the Fire and the Flames (Bass speed)
Chiaki Ishikawa - Ruisen (Soundstage)
Nana Mizuki - Gimmick Game (Vocals)
Wagakki Band - Nijiiro Chouchou (Imaging and attack)
Wagakki Band - Akatsuki no Ito (Soundstage and imaging)
 

 

Filter system

This is probably the main selling point of the T20.
 

Neutral filter

 

Soundstage

A little narrower than I’m used to, coming from the Havi B3, so about average width but above average depth.
 

Imaging

Imaging is pretty good, Wagakki Band has a lot of acoustic instruments and the instrument placement is fairly defined, though a little close together due to the relative narrowness of the soundstage.
 

Treble

Attack of plucked strings is fast, crisp, and had nice texture. Generally however, the treble is quite smooth and a little veiled sounding. However because of this it's not fatiguing. Female vocals can go up pretty high without becoming piercing.
Not sure if it’s to do with the treble response or the DAP, but i feel that the sound is just a little lacking in transparency, as if there was a curtain behind the band playing, or in between the band and me..
 

Mids

Female vocals are sweet and articulate, fairly intimate.
T20 is wonderful for acoustic tracks and live performances.
Soundstage is of more than average depth and width, more than height
Separation is above average, though slightly closer in for the left and right side as a result.
T20 handles strings exceedingly well
With spinfits on, it seems to even out the treble and bass, taming resulting in a very pleasant and balanced sound.
 

Bass

Bass is fast and punchy, can feel the thump in my ears, and I can differentiate between the taiko and bass guitar too. Quantity-wise, it strikes me as being more than natural, but not excessive. Decay is still fairly natural however, never felt like I was getting the short end of the ‘boom’
Man the T20 is FAST! Even on Through the Fire and the Flames, the T20 easily kept up with the rapid guitar shredding and double pedal drum kicks. Seems like RHA’s DualCoil technology really does have substance. Is this really a dynamic driver??! (Comparing it amped and unamped though, the bass, while fast, does lose abit of punch at that speed, so it does take a bit more power to maintain the punch after all.)
The bass does go down pretty low though, quite a lot of sub bass.
Quantity of bass is rather more than I'm used to, even for the neutral filter but it doesn't bleed into the mids
 
I did discover some subtle drums that I hadn’t noticed in tracks before though.
Using Spiral dots, bass extension seems to increase, and I get that head-vibrating sub bass again, and the mids seem to recess abit. Wide-bore tips seem to open up the treble and soundstage width more as well. Of note is that the nozzle sits halfway up the bore of the Spiral Dots due to the thickness of the retaining ring.
 
 

Treble filter

 
All of a sudden the sound becomes airy and more transparent
The soundstage widens
The sound becomes considerably brighter and a little thinner
Female vocals become more intimate as do stringed instruments, male vocals become slightly veiled.
There's still plenty of punchy sub bass; just that it doesn't thump as hard.
Never thought I'd say this, treble sensitive as I am, but I rather like this filter. Don't think I could listen to it for too long a stretch though, it's more fatiguing.
With spinfits, the combination is quite nice, taming the treble slightly and boosting the bass a little by virtue of the better seal
After putting some hours on it, I feel that for all its clarity and crispness, it lacks a bit of body (to me) as compared to the reference filters. Ear fatigue also begins to set in, but I must say that I'm a little treble sensitive. (I find the Noble 4 too hot up top so go figure )
 

Bass filter

 
When I first heard about the bass filter, the first thing that crossed my head was that it wasn’t going to be my thing. I do get bass induced headaches from boomy phones. After putting them on with the spinfits however.. They’re not all that bad actually. It’s like a subtle filling in of the lowest end of the spectrum, giving that extra ‘oomph’. The overall tonality of the sound becomes darker and warmer. The added boominess doesn’t affect the layering and there is impressively NO bleed into the mids whatsoever. The speed and punch is definitely still there, just with more power.
Listening to Through the Fire and the Flames actually made me want to headbang in office.
Treble is accordingly reduced, though I can still hear the occasional distant cymbals and triangles.
Male vocals stand out a bit more.
Transparency is reduced however, and to me it sounds a little closed in.
Strangely enough, the sound of the bass filters with spinfits reminds me of the reference filters with the stock tips
 

Some notes after extended burn in:

I was 2nd in line to demo the T20 and at that time, it was probably not fully burnt in yet, hence leading to to feeling that while this is a nice iem, the sound was abit rough around the edges and didn’t sound particularly impressive. IMO, not exactly worth it’s price tag.
 
After going full circle though, it arrived back in Singapore and I gave it a listen again (using balanced filters and stock tips) to see if there had been any changes to the sound. Interestingly enough it felt like the soundstage had opened up considerably, going from average to slightly above. The rough wooly wall defining the edges of the soundstage had become a silk curtain. The bass also seemed to have tightened up abit and didn’t pound my brain into a dull ache anymore (or maybe I had just gotten used to bassier iems than the Havi). The most marked improvement IMO however would be the transparency, that veil in between band and listener being lifted. So is it worth it’s price now? Hm.. I’ll say that the worth has increased significantly. It’s now a solid mid range performer in my book.

Preamble:
I'm a budding audio-appreciator since starting on this journey a year ago. I just have average ears that like to listens to slightly above average sounds and so don't consider myself an 'audiophile' by any stretch. Please forgive any wrong use of terminology and lack of vocabulary yea. (I seriously cannot tell how 'extension' and 'texture' are supposed to sound like..) 
 
First up, many thanks to Fiio for once again organising this demo tour so that the common folk like us get to try out these wonderful players. Also many thanks Eng Siang and Jeremy of AV One (http://www.av1group.com.sg/) for graciously allowing me to loan not only the X5 Second Generation (X5ii) but the X5 Classic (X5C) as well.
These units were loaned to us on the local arm of the X5ii world tour to give a fair and unbiased review. We were neither paid nor given any benefits in return for this review.
I am also not affliated to Fiio , Eng Siang or AV one in any way.
 
 
As I only had 3 days to spend with the X5ii, I wasn't able to gather much in-depth feedback. As such, a major part of this review will be in the format of comparisons between the X5 2nd Gen (X5ii) and it's predecessor the X5 Classic (X5C).
 
And now on to the review proper!
 
When I went down to AVOne to collect the unit, I was given a choice to loan the entire box, or just the unit alone. I opted for the latter and received the just X5ii and its protective silicon case. I was assured however, that the box contained all the usual things:
1) Coaxial Wire
2) Charging/ data cable
3) 2 spare screen protectors (one already applied)
4) 3 types of masking stickers (wood, carbon and USA)
 
 
Upon popping the X5ii out from it's protective case to insert my microsd card, I saw the beautiful gunmetal finish (yes, I'm an unabashed fan).
Button layout is identical to the X1 and the X3ii, except that the ports have been reversed. Just briefly handling both DAPs, I decidedly like the X5ii more for it's form factor.
Not only is it smaller, lighter and prettier, the buttons on the front have been made flush with the body.
The effect was immediately apparent during my fumbling around as I managed to accidentally go to the next song on the X5C by simply holding them together.
The flushed buttons are much less prone to getting accidentally pressed, and the 1-click deep sleep/ lockscreen mode is exceeding helpful in this aspect.
Functionality of the buttons during deep sleep can be selected as well, whether to disable all the front buttons or enable just the play/pause or fwd/rev as well.
 
The X5ii was running the preproduction beta firmware FW0.05Beta. Understandably, it had a couple of teething problems but I'm pretty sure they'll get ironed out in the production version:
 
Scroll wheel is a little glitchy and EXTREMELY sensitive. Just pressing close to the side of the play/pause button will trigger the scroll. Even waggling the play/pause button will make it scroll.
As such, it was slightly difficult to do the pause and switch test as I kept going into the song selection screen.
For some reason the X5ii doesn’t support a few of the 8kHz/ 8-16 bit wav test tones that work with the X5C.

The unit spontaneously hung on the 3rd day; I was still able to connect and disconnect usb and it was on but the buttons were all unresponsive. Managed to shut down and restart the X5ii by holding down the power button for more than 10s.
 
Round 1: First impressions
 
It's smaller and cuter than its predecessor, but the screen is much sharper, brighter and more vibrant. It looks more refined as well.
Volume was about 5db less than the X5C for the same volume level (roughly measured using spl app and holding the iem up to the phone's mic).
Both X5s sound significantly cleaner and slightly more open than my X3 Classic. I could hear smaller details that would have otherwise faded into the background.
Functionality-wise I really like that a long press on the volume buttons will change track.
Battery life felt rather short however. I didn't get to time it but it seemed like it'd run out of juice at the end of the day. Or I was just listening a lot.
 
Round 2: Comparisons
 
This was the test  method I employed:
1) Listened to X5C for a day to acclimatise to the sound, then the X5ii.
2) Simultaneously playing the same song on both players, pausing and switching.
3) Headphone Out on high gain for better dynamics.
4) Tried to volume match with the SPL app on the phone.
 
Test Apparatus
a) Havi B3 Pro 1 (Stock Tips)
b) ATH-M40X
 
Test Songs
Wagakki Band
I love to use their songs as they're recorded with great imaging, due to all the traditional instruments being used.
Nadeshiko zakura - Soundstage width by the shamisen off to the left
Nijiiro chouchou - Favourite test song, most familiar and listening for plucking transients.
Tsuki Kage Mai Hana - Drum placement and imaging. Also for the softer instruments in the background during the bridge.
 
Hanafugetsu
Kazaguruma - Female vocals, as the singer Yuko has an incredibly beautiful, sweet and flowing voice.
 
Fiction Junction Yuuka
Kouya Ruten
Akatsuki no Kuruma
FictionJunction songs always have a lot going on in the background, so I listen for those. The composer, Yuki Kajiura, is exemplary at harmonising background vocals with the lead singer.
 
With Havi B3 Pro 1
The Havi is famous for its budget king clarity and soundstage so I'll be mainly comparing those.
 
X5C sounds cooler and more 'clinical'.
X5ii is warmer sounding somewhat (I can't really describe but it sounds less clinical than the X5C.). Soundstage is a little smaller in width however.
X5ii sounds smoother and more alive.
I could get excited listening to X5ii, and start tapping my feet along with the songs. Vocals are sweet, and for acoustic tracks, I could hear the crisp plucking of stringed instruments.
X5C lends itself to a more analytical experience where I end up trying to listen for small details.
X5C is marginally darker and bassier
 
With ATH-M40X
Closed back and reputed for being neutral with a bassy tilt.
 
X5ii has slightly punchier bass and more engaging mids, is more lively.
X5ii feels MARGINALLY more resolving than the X5C.
X5ii is brighter and has slightly better defined bass.
X5C has greater bass quantity, and goes deeper as well; bass is more ‘felt’ as compared to X5ii where it is more 'heard'.
X5C has wider soundstage, songs sound more ‘airy’.
X5ii has an subtly but audibly blacker background.
 
Conclusion:
After going through all that, I must say that the differences are VERY slight. It was often quite easy to forget which X5 my iems were plugged into. With the M40x I could hardly tell the difference unless I was looking for it. Both DAPs have great levels of detail, so much that it was quite difficult to compare. If you have an X3C and the X3ii didn't feel like a big enough step up, I daresay you'll find in the X5ii a player worthy of your cash.
 
Once again many thanks to Fiio for organising this world tour. It was pretty fun while it lasted, and perhaps I'll swing by AV One to play with the X5ii again.
 
 
 

Ok, so this will be my first review ever, and I don't consider myself as 'audiophile' by any stretch so please forgive any wrong use of terminology and lack of vocab yea. =P

Firstly, many thanks to Joe Bloggs and Fiio for giving me this opportunity to try out the Fiio X1. This was a loaned unit and we were neither paid nor received any benefits to do this review.
I am also not affliated to Fiio in any way. Due to the arrangement, I happened to be the last guy on the list so when I received the demo unit, many others before me have reviewed it already. 
Therefore, I decided to make this review a bit of a comparison between the X1 and the X3 (which I own and love) under various parameters, including the X1 and E11K combo.
 
Now on to the review proper!
 
First up, tech specs:
Size: 96.7mm*56.7mm*14.1mm
Weight: 106g
Playable formats: APE, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, OGG, MP3, MP2
Memory: No onboard memory, MicroSD up to 128Gb
Line Out: Yes, selectable in UI
 
Box contents: 
1) 1m MicroUSB cable
2) 3PC screen protector, (1 already applied)
3) User Manual, Quick start Guide
4) Warranty Card
The black silicon case that should have come with the X1 wasn't in the box when I received it.
 

 

First thing that struck me when I opened the plain white cardboard box was that it's really shiny, coming from the black X3.
The size and weight feel just right for me; it just sits nicely in my palm. The aluminium body was a real winner for me. The back, while plastic, feels pretty strong and rigid.
The buttons at the corners feel solid and I like how the X1 can scroll really fast with the wheel. However I feel that the wheel is a little too sensitive, quite often when trying to play or pause I would move it a little and the X1 would go to the folder view. Might have been better if the wheel has more resistance or if it was slightly recessed. (Right before posting this review I heard from Joe Bloggs that the scroll wheel issue has been addressed in the final production model. It has now been rubberised and the resistance has been adjusted.)
 

 

I had initially thought that the X1 would be shorter and broader than the X3 but it was actually the same width, but shorter and slimmer.
The X1 starts up a few seconds slower than the X3 and the buttons react just a little slower as well, however, it starts playing music faster than the X3.
Comparing the screens, the X1 seems to have a higher definition screen and the colours are warmer. (I just realised I didn't take and side by side comparisons for cover art..)
Screen could have been bigger though as the words are pretty small.
The UI I must say is quite intuitive and I managed to pick it up within minutes without reading the manuals.
I really like how the volume buttons are still active even when the other buttons are locked.

When I first plugged in the headphones and fired up the player, my first thought was "Wow the sound is shockingly good!!"
To be perfectly honest, I was expecting a bigger disparity from the X3 due to the X1 costing almost half of the former. The vocals and acoustic instruments all really stood out. The bass was more rolled off than I was used to but all in all it was an extremely pleasant listening experience.
 
I did a back to back comparison when I first received the unit and again right before returning it, after listening to the X3 only for a couple of days as a control.
This was done by first trying to match the volume, then repeatedly playing the same track on both DAPs, pausing both and then plugging my headphones to the other unit. 
As it turned out, my observations/ opinions were quite consistent in both comparisons.
 
Equipment used:
i) Fiio X1 (of course)
ii) Fiio X3
iii) ATH-M40X Over-ear headphones
iv) Fiio E06 Amp
v) Fiio E11k Amp (borrowed)
vi) Car stereo
 
Album tested:
Wagakki Band - Vocalo Sanmai (FLAC format, 44.1 kHz)
Fusion of traditional Japanese instruments and rock music, with a couple of acoustic tracks.
 
Test Parameters:
1. X1 flat eq vs X3 flat eq, low gain
2. X1 flat eq vs X3 flat eq, high gain
3. LO to car stereo
4. X1 vs X3 SW Equaliser
5. X1+E06 vs x3
6. X1+E11k vs X3
 
1. X1 flat eq vs X3 flat eq, low gain
X1 sounds fuller and cleaner, vocals really stand out against the other instruments.
X3 seems to have more instrument depth but a narrower soundstage
Soundstage for the X1 is wider and imaging is good.
 
2. X1 flat eq vs X3 flat eq, high gain
X3 soundstage becomes quite a bit deeper, though the X1 still leads it in width and imaging.
The X1 sounds noticeably brighter than the X3 but feels a little 'muted', could be due to the lack of 'depth'
An observation here is that the gain of the X1 seems to be somewhere between the low and high gain of the X3
 
3. LO to car stereo
X1 sounds a bit more muted as compared to the x3.
Plucking of strings sounds far more crisp on the X3 (faster attack?). Bass is also more 'felt' as compared to 'heard'
X1 soundstage sounds a little wider but less deep, even with the car stereo.
On the rock tracks, the X3 has noticeably tighter and deeper bass, and can I could hear more of the reverberation of the diaphram of the Taiko drum after being struck.
With the X1, it is more like a bit of a duller thud.
The X1 sounds more closed than the X3, which is 'airier'.
Even with this though, the X1 still sounds like there is better serapation of vocals and instruments.
On bass heavy segments, the X3's bass seems to be slightly fatty and eats into the mids a bit. This is less evident in the X1.
 

 
 
4. X1 vs X3 SW Equaliser
I tried to apply similar EQ settings to bump up the lower mids where the M40x is slightly softer.
The X1's equaliser sounds far more natural and 'airier' compared to the X3's newly reenabled sw equaliser. 
The effect of the eq is also more obvious on X1, but this could be because the x3 drops the level when applying eq but x1 doesn't.
As far as implementation goes, I much prefer the X1's equaliser in this case.
 
5. X1+E06 vs x3
Only the 4th eq setting (-3db) can be used as the others all produce distortion.
E06 gives the x1 a warmer sound and more depth than by itself.
To my ears the combination sounds somewhat like the x3, but the 'depth' is less. Bass in x3 sounds more thumpy and 'felt'.
The x1+e06 has tighter bass but is more 'heard' than 'felt'
X3 soundstage a bit bigger than the X1+E06 combo.
And now the main event:
 
6. X1+E11k vs X3
 
6.1 Low Gain and BB off
X1 soundstage dramatically increases in width and depth, and gains even greater separation.
Imaging improves greatly, I can actually pick out where the string instruments are and the plucking sounds very crisp.
Clarity and lushness increases as well.
Sibilance from flutes etc become audible where on the x3 sounded almost like noise.
The X1 gains a warmer tone, warmer than x3. 
Bass is tight and controlled and sounds bigger than x3.
 
6.2 High Gain
To my untrained ears, this just seemed to make everything louder so I ended up not using it a lot, as my cans are pretty low impedance.
 
6.3 BB on
With bass boost on, I felt that the bass became overwhelming and excessive but I can't really describe the effect it had on the mids, maybe someone with more experience can supplement this bit?.
 
All in all, the X1+E11k and X3 sound extremely close, and the price differential is small, with the X1/E11k combination coming out just on top of the X3 alone.
For the guys deciding between these 2, the choice would really depend on what you're looking for, an overall slightly better SQ or the smaller form factor of the X3 alone for portability. I would have gone for the X1+E11K combo for the same price as the X3. The improvement from the A/B comparison is marginal at best but still discernable.
 
In conclusion, the Fiio X1 is truly a fantastic DAP for it's USD100 price, punching far above it's level with the battery of features and the very very clean and natural sound.
I actively recommend it to anyone who is in the market for an entry level DAP. Great job Fiio! This is really a winner right here. =D
 
Finally, I would like to express special thanks to Stereo and ConnectIT for letting me borrow the E11k to test. Thank you guys!!