Disclaimer: I am taking part in the Fiio X5 preview world tour. I have not bought the actual unit, and I’m not affiliated with Fiio. Impressions are just on the 6th day of the 10 days allowed for me, so my words (especially about sound) need to be taken with a grain of salt. Firmware version is 1.10, functional improvements are expected later on, and sound quality of the product may be subject to change in future updates.
About myself: I’m an audiophile, but to be exact I would call myself an “Audio Otaku”. The word Otaku is a term used to describe Japanese geeks for basically any hobby, and can also mean fans of Japanese sub culture (Anime, Manga etc).
My Japanese ears tend to be so fussy about the sound I like. Over the past decade, as a typical Audio Otaku I’ve used several universal IEMs, and then a few mid-range headphones, but now only own JH13 custom IEMs and the Beyerdynamic T1 headphones – both which are highly regarded and quite popular among the Otakus in Japan.
Back in 2005 I started to carry around MP3, WMA, FLAC and WAV with old Cowon DAPs (previous brand name iAudio). Then I bought a Sansa Fuze V2. Next I done the “diymod” on the iPod Video 5G (bypassing DAC output of the mainboard achieving a clean line out signal) which was then also Rockbox’d. Now I use a Galaxy S3, USB output to an Apex Glacier, which I will compare with the X5 later on.
The X5 review:
1. Box and contents:
The X5 is well packaged and basically includes almost everything you need to start using it, from the day arrived. I say almost, because you also need a microSD. It’s not really a problem since with this type of DAP, the user should select his/her own microSD brand and size. There are two slots, which mean a maximum expansion to 128gb (two 64gb cards). With my review I’m just using one Kingston 32gb class 10 card. Letting it scan and building a library first only took 2 minutes or so, which was much faster than I thought, considering there’s over 2000 songs in my card.
It’s nice that the X5 comes with a screen protector already applied, together with two extra protectors. Inside the bottom half paper box there’s the USB charge/data transfer cable, coaxial output adapter, a small USB microSD reader and warranty card. The X5 comes with a grey silicon skin, and the quality of this skin is again much better than I expected. The geometry and fit is perfect – no wavy surface, no extra air space or floppiness, which you may experience with other items like cheap smartphone cases.
2. Build quality:
Simply, I felt the X5 chassis is built and finished with high quality. The aluminium, solid body certainly gives that “high class” feeling. The smooth rubber of the wheel is good, but it has a very slight play. It may be just this particular review unit or it’s just something that needs improvement in future. One thing I personally felt cheap was the rubber covers of the microSD slots, which require a bit of force with your finger nail to pop them out. This is probably not a big issue once you have your microSDs inside and start playing.
3. UI and experience:
The graphical UI of the X5 is fast, responsive to the wheel and buttons, and is user-friendly. Personally I didn’t need to read the manual to figure out the general way to use. I felt the UI experience is like a hybrid of Sansa Fuze wheel navigation and menu options of Cowon (minus the extra effects).
The X5 supports most of the popular file formats, so I would imagine there’s mostly no trouble making a move from another DAP. It may not be a breeze if you have all music only on iTunes, but I actually never used iTunes to manage music so I cannot advise or comment on that type of situation. The main reason I started off from old Cowon DAPs, then moved on to a Rockbox’d Sansa Fuze and diymod 5G, is that they all allowed file management by drag and drop, directly from the PC. For the X5, it’s great that you can transfer files this way too.
I tested the gapless playback (you can enable/disable in the playback settings), and it works good, both for gapless mp3 and flac, but at this stage not perfect. There’s either a tiny gap or the transition is not totally smooth, but still, acceptable.
One thing, that breaks my heart and puts me into tears, is that the X5 doesn’t support m3u playlists. This is actually a very important feature to me, so hopefully it will be supported later. Since you can drag and drop files to the X5 (or the microSD inside), making m3u lists is easy with the PC using Foobar2000, Winamp, WMP etc.
Currently with the X5, playing by genre or artist just sorts the files by file name (tagged with same artist or genre). To get those files or albums in the order you want, you will need to rename all of them so that the X5 sorts them in the desirable order. I’m sure m3u support will improve user experience, as you will not need to go through that process. It will also definitely make it easier for current Cowon or Rockbox’d DAP users to migrate to the X5.
4. Sound
This is where the X5 truly shines, and I suppose it’s where Head-Fiers have the most interest in. I believe people already read many impressions from others by now so I’ll try to keep it simple. I feel the X5 headphone output is "very powerful, neutral, with a touch of warmth". …Ok you expected that so I’ll expand things by comparing to other gear.
When I first heard the X5, the sound was reminiscent of desktop Audio-gd gear I used to have, particularly the units with the Wolfson WM8741 DAC chip (the NFB-12 and bigger NFB-10.2). I know it's different from the PCM1792 that the X5 utilizes, and, I normally don’t compare portable gear to desktop, as power advantages are obvious for desktop gear, but in this case I think I should. The sound signature, tonal balance is that similar, and the X5 feels similarly powerful. With high gain, it can even drive my Beyer T1 well too – just not up to the power and refinement of a dedicated balanced amp like my Violectric V181, but the X5 certainly takes total control of JH13. Simply, I never experienced a DAP powerful as the X5 up to now. With IEMs you’re expected to get all the body, slam and impact you will need.
The X5 is the first DAP that makes me think it doesn’t need an external portable amp (unless you're going to drive full sized orthos). The line out and coaxial out sound and work very well, but if I were to own an X5, probably those outputs will be used only for car audio or speaker systems.
Then for the past few days, I’ve done A/B tests (volume matched, and playing the same flac albums, by Hikaru Utada) to compare the X5 with my current portable rig, the Galaxy S3 USB to Apex Glacier. For this rig the GS3 digitally outputs audio via USB to the Glacier’s DAC input, so technically the X5 DAC/amp sound is compared to the Glacier’s DAC/amp section.
I was quite shocked, as the overall sound of both is similar. Only very few advantages are heard with the Glacier, such as slightly better control in bass and mid-bass. It seems the Glacier also has slightly more smoothness between notes. However I must point out that, the differences are minor and only noticed in this critical A/B test conditions, with JH13 customs that can be very analytical about the gear. I wouldn’t notice them outside, on the go.
On a side note, here’s just comparing the thickness of the X5 and my current rig. Only a few mms difference, but the X5 feels more compact in the pocket (though, I don’t consider my rig as a brick. It’s just a slim phone and slim DAC/amp).
5. Conclusion and decisions
The X5 has an outstanding price/performance ratio. It covers many of the basic features expected from a good working DAP and takes it further, with two microSD slots, Hi-res support, great line out and coaxial outputs, and you can also use it as a USB DAC to carry around. The sound quality comes very close to an Apex Glacier that alone retails at $499 (you will also need a DAP with line out or Android phone with USB out), while the X5 is $350 and can work on it’s own.
Now the question is, will I buy an X5? I’m actually very tempted to. The X5, in my opinion, sets a new standard of portable hi-fi. Probably Fiio is the first one that managed this level of sound for a reasonable price. I only have a few things that I still prefer with my current portable rig – the GS3 touchscreen control (I only prefer touchscreen if it’s fast enough), the GS3 supporting m3u playlists, and slight sonic advantages of the Glacier, although it’s difficult to justify the price difference. The battery life of the GS3 and X5 is similar, or slightly longer with the GS3 (that can go over 16 hours).
As I post this, the X5 has already been sent out to the next person in the tour. It was sad to see it go as the X5 sound and experience gave me a big smile. The pairing with JH13 was quite addictive. It’s a great creation by Fiio considering the X5 is still their second DAP. Thumbs up from an Audio Otaku.
6. Thanks
To Fiio and Joe for organizing this tour, and giving us this wonderful opportunity.
About myself: I’m an audiophile, but to be exact I would call myself an “Audio Otaku”. The word Otaku is a term used to describe Japanese geeks for basically any hobby, and can also mean fans of Japanese sub culture (Anime, Manga etc).
My Japanese ears tend to be so fussy about the sound I like. Over the past decade, as a typical Audio Otaku I’ve used several universal IEMs, and then a few mid-range headphones, but now only own JH13 custom IEMs and the Beyerdynamic T1 headphones – both which are highly regarded and quite popular among the Otakus in Japan.
Back in 2005 I started to carry around MP3, WMA, FLAC and WAV with old Cowon DAPs (previous brand name iAudio). Then I bought a Sansa Fuze V2. Next I done the “diymod” on the iPod Video 5G (bypassing DAC output of the mainboard achieving a clean line out signal) which was then also Rockbox’d. Now I use a Galaxy S3, USB output to an Apex Glacier, which I will compare with the X5 later on.
The X5 review:
1. Box and contents:
The X5 is well packaged and basically includes almost everything you need to start using it, from the day arrived. I say almost, because you also need a microSD. It’s not really a problem since with this type of DAP, the user should select his/her own microSD brand and size. There are two slots, which mean a maximum expansion to 128gb (two 64gb cards). With my review I’m just using one Kingston 32gb class 10 card. Letting it scan and building a library first only took 2 minutes or so, which was much faster than I thought, considering there’s over 2000 songs in my card.
It’s nice that the X5 comes with a screen protector already applied, together with two extra protectors. Inside the bottom half paper box there’s the USB charge/data transfer cable, coaxial output adapter, a small USB microSD reader and warranty card. The X5 comes with a grey silicon skin, and the quality of this skin is again much better than I expected. The geometry and fit is perfect – no wavy surface, no extra air space or floppiness, which you may experience with other items like cheap smartphone cases.
2. Build quality:
Simply, I felt the X5 chassis is built and finished with high quality. The aluminium, solid body certainly gives that “high class” feeling. The smooth rubber of the wheel is good, but it has a very slight play. It may be just this particular review unit or it’s just something that needs improvement in future. One thing I personally felt cheap was the rubber covers of the microSD slots, which require a bit of force with your finger nail to pop them out. This is probably not a big issue once you have your microSDs inside and start playing.
3. UI and experience:
The graphical UI of the X5 is fast, responsive to the wheel and buttons, and is user-friendly. Personally I didn’t need to read the manual to figure out the general way to use. I felt the UI experience is like a hybrid of Sansa Fuze wheel navigation and menu options of Cowon (minus the extra effects).
The X5 supports most of the popular file formats, so I would imagine there’s mostly no trouble making a move from another DAP. It may not be a breeze if you have all music only on iTunes, but I actually never used iTunes to manage music so I cannot advise or comment on that type of situation. The main reason I started off from old Cowon DAPs, then moved on to a Rockbox’d Sansa Fuze and diymod 5G, is that they all allowed file management by drag and drop, directly from the PC. For the X5, it’s great that you can transfer files this way too.
I tested the gapless playback (you can enable/disable in the playback settings), and it works good, both for gapless mp3 and flac, but at this stage not perfect. There’s either a tiny gap or the transition is not totally smooth, but still, acceptable.
One thing, that breaks my heart and puts me into tears, is that the X5 doesn’t support m3u playlists. This is actually a very important feature to me, so hopefully it will be supported later. Since you can drag and drop files to the X5 (or the microSD inside), making m3u lists is easy with the PC using Foobar2000, Winamp, WMP etc.
Currently with the X5, playing by genre or artist just sorts the files by file name (tagged with same artist or genre). To get those files or albums in the order you want, you will need to rename all of them so that the X5 sorts them in the desirable order. I’m sure m3u support will improve user experience, as you will not need to go through that process. It will also definitely make it easier for current Cowon or Rockbox’d DAP users to migrate to the X5.
4. Sound
This is where the X5 truly shines, and I suppose it’s where Head-Fiers have the most interest in. I believe people already read many impressions from others by now so I’ll try to keep it simple. I feel the X5 headphone output is "very powerful, neutral, with a touch of warmth". …Ok you expected that so I’ll expand things by comparing to other gear.
When I first heard the X5, the sound was reminiscent of desktop Audio-gd gear I used to have, particularly the units with the Wolfson WM8741 DAC chip (the NFB-12 and bigger NFB-10.2). I know it's different from the PCM1792 that the X5 utilizes, and, I normally don’t compare portable gear to desktop, as power advantages are obvious for desktop gear, but in this case I think I should. The sound signature, tonal balance is that similar, and the X5 feels similarly powerful. With high gain, it can even drive my Beyer T1 well too – just not up to the power and refinement of a dedicated balanced amp like my Violectric V181, but the X5 certainly takes total control of JH13. Simply, I never experienced a DAP powerful as the X5 up to now. With IEMs you’re expected to get all the body, slam and impact you will need.
The X5 is the first DAP that makes me think it doesn’t need an external portable amp (unless you're going to drive full sized orthos). The line out and coaxial out sound and work very well, but if I were to own an X5, probably those outputs will be used only for car audio or speaker systems.
Then for the past few days, I’ve done A/B tests (volume matched, and playing the same flac albums, by Hikaru Utada) to compare the X5 with my current portable rig, the Galaxy S3 USB to Apex Glacier. For this rig the GS3 digitally outputs audio via USB to the Glacier’s DAC input, so technically the X5 DAC/amp sound is compared to the Glacier’s DAC/amp section.
I was quite shocked, as the overall sound of both is similar. Only very few advantages are heard with the Glacier, such as slightly better control in bass and mid-bass. It seems the Glacier also has slightly more smoothness between notes. However I must point out that, the differences are minor and only noticed in this critical A/B test conditions, with JH13 customs that can be very analytical about the gear. I wouldn’t notice them outside, on the go.
On a side note, here’s just comparing the thickness of the X5 and my current rig. Only a few mms difference, but the X5 feels more compact in the pocket (though, I don’t consider my rig as a brick. It’s just a slim phone and slim DAC/amp).
5. Conclusion and decisions
The X5 has an outstanding price/performance ratio. It covers many of the basic features expected from a good working DAP and takes it further, with two microSD slots, Hi-res support, great line out and coaxial outputs, and you can also use it as a USB DAC to carry around. The sound quality comes very close to an Apex Glacier that alone retails at $499 (you will also need a DAP with line out or Android phone with USB out), while the X5 is $350 and can work on it’s own.
Now the question is, will I buy an X5? I’m actually very tempted to. The X5, in my opinion, sets a new standard of portable hi-fi. Probably Fiio is the first one that managed this level of sound for a reasonable price. I only have a few things that I still prefer with my current portable rig – the GS3 touchscreen control (I only prefer touchscreen if it’s fast enough), the GS3 supporting m3u playlists, and slight sonic advantages of the Glacier, although it’s difficult to justify the price difference. The battery life of the GS3 and X5 is similar, or slightly longer with the GS3 (that can go over 16 hours).
As I post this, the X5 has already been sent out to the next person in the tour. It was sad to see it go as the X5 sound and experience gave me a big smile. The pairing with JH13 was quite addictive. It’s a great creation by Fiio considering the X5 is still their second DAP. Thumbs up from an Audio Otaku.
6. Thanks
To Fiio and Joe for organizing this tour, and giving us this wonderful opportunity.
Sounds like a super value. Oh and I learned a new term today: otaku