[Stuff Jones]

Thanks for the comparison. Sounds like my decision to go for the X3 at least wasn't the wrong one.
 
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the X3's build quality. Maybe its just a case of reduced expectations after some negative reviews, but it feels really solid in my hand with no flex anywhere I can tell.
 
I agree on the bloated base and consequentially muddied sound out of the box. I keep my bass at -2 and treble at +2 and it opens up the sound and makes it a lot more neutral for me. It still retains that great tonality though which to me is the best feature of the X3. Guitars, pianos and bass especially all sound so real and vivid.

 

[princekali]

Thanks for the comparison, its really interesting..

 

[bogus1]

Yea!  I concur.  I have the X3 and the DX50 3rd batch.  What a wonderful step forward with high-end audio!
 
I enjoy both and recommend each.  I use the X3 for travel (yes, I know, it is plastic) with the UE Capital IEMs.   I've put the DX50 next to my bed with the Shure SE535 IEMs.
 
I'll give my opinion on a few items that may have been mentioned before:
- The X3 buttons are configured in a very clumsy way.
- The rubber sleeve for the X3 is UGLEY but protects it from scratches (but probably not drops).
- The X3 sounds very nice through the digital co-ax with an outboard DA and through the headphone jack for each of my UE Capital and Shure SE535 IEMs.
- The DX50 has a beautiful touch display.  I like it and find it almost as intuitive as the big buttons on the front.
- I would take the DX50 with me for travel if it had a sleeve or a case.  I don't want to scrape up the beautiful brushed aluminum finish so I keep it in the bedroom.
- The DX50 also sounds very nice through the digital co-ax with an outboard DA and through the headphone jack for each of my IEMs.
 
I experimented with lower quality headphones and reaffirmed for myself that a good coupling of the X3 or DX50 with a quality IEM is a must!
 
Since the X3 and the DX50 each use the WM8740 DAC, it makes sense that they sound similar.  The bass bump on the X3 is not a show stopper for me.  Some music sounds better on the X3 and some sounds better on the DX50.  It is a great time to invest in audio again.

 

[bellor]

I really don't get why people keep saying the X3 is plastic. It clearly is not. I know the differently textured front and back may seem like they are glued on, but looking at the edges really carefully shows that those panels could not be glued on. The back at least is seamless with the sides. Plus the fact that now, when the temperatures have started to drop in my city, the X3 gets really cold. Metal cold. My plastic S3 does not get cold.
The front side does have a plastic bezel, but that was done to make it simpler to put together. Not pretty, but simpler to accomplish.
Look at your X3s again and you will see they are made of metal.

 

[tienbasse]

  I really don't get why people keep saying the X3 is plastic. It clearly is not.

No you're right, it's made of aluminium. Only downside is that it is not very resistant to scratches, (well, exactly like an iPhone), and the rubber case is ugly.
The button placement in diagonal is non-intuitive, even though it is very aesthetic.
 
The 3 big rubber buttons of the DX50 look awful in my opinion, although the rest of the player is very nice.
 
I like classsical stuff, so I feel more attracted to simple design like the Astell&Kern players.

 

[bellor]

  No you're right, it's made of aluminium. Only downside is that it is not very resistant to scratches, (well, exactly like an iPhone), and the rubber case is ugly.
The button placement in diagonal is non-intuitive, even though it is very aesthetic.
 
The 3 big rubber buttons of the DX50 look awful in my opinion, although the rest of the player is very nice.
 
I like classsical stuff, so I feel more attracted to simple design like the Astell&Kern players.

I agree with the scratch sensitivity. I got the leather case for that reason. Kind of an expensive accessory, but I am in that kind of mood these days
 
The button placement is confounding sometimes, but i found it is really useful when the player is in the pocket. With the buttons towards the exterior, i can just feel for the grooves and find the buttons easily.

 

[egosumlux]

Did the September 18th DX50 1.1.6 firmware update solved any of the abovementioned issues?

 

[Makaan]

I live in Turkey and ibasso costs me 246 USD (w shipping) while X3 will be 199 USD (w shipping) . Actually it is very smillar price, the difference is just 47 USD. Is it worth it to pay ?
What is your oppinion ?

 

[jj69]

  I really don't get why people keep saying the X3 is plastic. It clearly is not.

 
Guys, the X3's enclsoure is DEFINITELY plastic.  Yes, there are very thin aluminum panels on the top and bottom, and yes, they are seamlessly integrated into the plastic enclosure to give the appearance of one seamless aluminum shape.  It is formed with a special manufacturing process designed to make it look like it's a single piece of aluminum.  That's the whole point of the process. 
 
If you don't believe me, open up the enclosure and look inside - or just ask the CEO of FiiO himself. 

 

[jj69]

  Did the September 18th DX50 1.1.6 firmware update solved any of the abovementioned issues?

 
They're on firmware 1.2.0 now.  Many issues have been corrected and it's a lot more useable now.  There are still some issues to be fixed, especially if you use the file browser rather than the Album or Artist menus. 

 

[bellor]

As I said previously, plastic does not get cold like metal does. The X3 is stone cold now when left in the open, since the weather got really cold in my city. Therefore, it's made of metal. At least the bottom and sides.

 

[Makaan]

I'm just the edge of decision to buy Fiio X3 or iBasso DX50. I've lost on forums of both topics. Many says DX50 soundstage and clarity, detail is better but it is suffering with firmware issues, many bugs, freeze etc... on the other hand X3 is more stable. But u know firmware issues can be solved although SQ won't. 
The price difference is jus 47 USD. 
 
What you think ? Especially SQ side.

 

[Levanter]

It's plastic with metal sheets stuck on it. Just get over with it, mine was the 1st batch released in China and the build quality wasn't that impressive. There are gaps at the sides btw the metal and plastic sides which allows dusts to go through. And some dusts went into my screen s well. They might have improved in build quality but it'll definitely still be metal sheets stuck onto plastic.

Besides the build quality, the SQ and features you get for the price is still worth it. Another competitive one would be DX50. For an extra bit of $ you get a much better build quality and construction than X3 with equally if not better SQ.
buggy firmware aside since that's fixable with updates.

 

[purk]

  Did the September 18th DX50 1.1.6 firmware update solved any of the abovementioned issues?

Not quite.  My DX50 still struggles with library scanning.  Songs are not played in sequential order.  Now the touchscreen is overly sensitive.  I give it a 9 out of 10 on sound quality but 4 out of 10 on UI & firmware.  It is a frustrating player to deal with.  Those who think it is acceptable as is simply have not tried better players.  Think Sony Walkman F & Z.

 

[bellor]

It's plastic with metal sheets stuck on it. Just get over with it, mine was the 1st batch released in China and the build quality wasn't that impressive. There are gaps at the sides btw the metal and plastic sides which allows dusts to go through. And some dusts went into my screen s well. They might have improved in build quality but it'll definitely still be metal sheets stuck onto plastic.

Besides the build quality, the SQ and features you get for the price is still worth it. Another competitive one would be DX50. For an extra bit of $ you get a much better build quality and construction than X3 with equally if not better SQ.
buggy firmware aside since that's fixable with updates.

I am so sorry about the fact that you got a plastic cased X3. However, this image posted by ClieOS
 
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k240/ofey_s/FiiO/X3m-03.jpg
 
shows quite clearly that the bottom part (which holds the huge battery) is metal. It sparkles in the unfinished edge just like metal and is very thin. like an aluminium shell would be.
 
Plus the factthat my X3 does not bend and creak like I read in some early reviews. Maybe they changed the case materials after buyer feedback.