Nearly one week since i received my Xplay 5S.
And I must admit that it sounds equally to my Xplay 6 , it's amazing.
Soundstage, level of detail, vocals … they are hard to distinguish at first, but after some time, one thing comes forward: treble.
They are so clean and clear on Xplay 5S that details are even easier to hear.
It was obvious with the Focal Elegia and even more with the Listen Pro.
With the Listen Pro, you can hear anything effortlessly, and with Xplay 5S, it’s even clearer than Xplay 6.
You hear literally
everything, without any concentration and the treble are not too bright or harsh.
I'm kind of surprised that i still discover new details that i didn't notice with the 6 !
The string of beat in Pharrel's Caught Out There instrumental change the perception of the song , like , before i wasn't a huge fan of that track , but now , i like to hear it more often !
There are also vocals of Missy Elliott when she's whispering in somes of her songs , hidden behind other vocals or instruments , themselves hidden behind something else , that are difficult to notice with 6 without knowing they exists !
Just to be clear , those details are present but less easy to hear with 6.
This point makes me prefer the 5S over the 6 as i find the 5S more neutral than the 6.
Xplay 6 is a little more powerful than Xplay 5S.
I need to set volume in iMusic to 75 – 80 % for a comfortable listening (5S) , while with Xplay 6, i set it to 60 % and volume is already loud.
Also , no hardware DSD support for Xplay 5S :
Really not a big deal to me.
Xplay 6 & Xplay 5S are equal to me, and in the end, it’s a question of preference between a more neutral presentation and a little warm one.
Xplay 6 is a perfect match for Focal Elegia , so is the Listen Pro with Xplay 5S.