[DSebastiao]

Can anyone confirm if this is a Fiio's official store? https://fiio-shop.de/


Thanks,

 

[TheoS53]

   
Regarding FiiO, as much as I love to give them praises which i have over the last 3+ years while testing and reviewing their products, I think their product portfolio is too diversified and expanding too fast where it would be hard to keep the focus on every single product.  It's starting to feel like their goal is to meet the release date and to make sure the product is hardware ready (to avoid costly recalls) while the fw is something that could catch up down the road.  Honestly, it's no different than a number of other companies, just that FiiO has way too many products!!!  I wish they would just trim down their DAP line to only three models with entry level (something between M3 and X1), mid-fi (something between X3 and X5), and summit-fi (updated X7).
 

Seriously, get out of my head! You took the words right out of my head as I was about to type them. I think it's time Fiio just says "ok, let's slow our roll...let's fix things up before we spend more money on R&D for new products".

It really does seem to have become a run away problem.

Something I STRONGLY disagree with is when someone argues "it's no different than a number of other companies". I get what you're saying...but just because something is true, doesn't make it OK.  

Which would be better? Making affordable, very well spec'd devices (in which case they are pretty much the same as a few other companies), or to set themselves apart from the pack by showing customers that they truely care about their products...that they take pride in their work and will make things to the best of their abilities? Taking pride in your work doesn't cost a dime

 

[Intensecure]

I'm not that familiar with the Sony DAPs. The last one I owned was a 16gb model before the Hi Rez players were around. all I know about the Sonys is that they are way overpriced.

A friend has the A25 Sony DAP which cost the same (admittedly after discount but rrp is still close especially to the new X1) and is very feature rich. Radio, flawless Bluetooth, 16GB + mSD to 128, all sorts of fancy"Hi-res" sound processing tricks etc etc. Sounds great, maybe not quite as nice as the Fiio but hard for the average listener to tell the difference. I'm not beating drums here, but the point is the average consumer can go into any store and buy an excellent certified Hi-res player that they don't have to be members of a forum to understand and enjoy fully. It just works. How can a product that comes across as half-baked, even to enthusiasts willing to overlook a "few" flaws, survive in a competitive marketplace?

 

[DSebastiao]

Guys, can you confirm me if fiio-shop,de is an official fiio store?
 
 
Thanks,

 

[bruce1967]

A friend has the A25 Sony DAP which cost the same (admittedly after discount but rrp is still close especially to the new X1) and is very feature rich. Radio, flawless Bluetooth, 16GB + mSD to 128, all sorts of fancy"Hi-res" sound processing tricks etc etc. Sounds great, maybe not quite as nice as the Fiio but hard for the average listener to tell the difference. I'm not beating drums here, but the point is the average consumer can go into any store and buy an excellent certified Hi-res player that they don't have to be members of a forum to understand and enjoy fully. It just works. How can a product that comes across as half-baked, even to enthusiasts willing to overlook a "few" flaws, survive in a competitive marketplace?

The A25 costs around $350 here and has a plastic shell whereas the X1 II is $150 here and has a much better build. I'll stick with the X1 despite the flaws.

 

[Intensecure]

The A25 costs around $350 here and has a plastic shell whereas the X1 II is $150 here and has a much better build. I'll stick with the X1 despite the flaws.

I was only using it as an example of an alternative that exists for many people, I can buy one for only a few bucks more than the X1 and it would be a solid alternative for the average consumer, which you are not.
If Fiio want more market penetration they need more polished products, plain and simple. I love my M3 irrationally, buggy but great sound.
I want a new X1 but I don't want to spend the first 3 months constantly upgrading firmware (Fuji cameras come to mind, Kaizen is all very well, but.) to achieve decent functionality. Just sayin'. I wanted to buy one of these *now* but I don't feel confident.

 

[bruce1967]

I was only using it as an example of an alternative that exists for many people, I can buy one for only a few bucks more than the X1 and it would be a solid alternative for the average consumer, which you are not.
If Fiio want more market penetration they need more polished products, plain and simple. I love my M3 irrationally, buggy but great sound.
I want a new X1 but I don't want to spend the first 3 months constantly upgrading firmware (Fuji cameras come to mind, Kaizen is all very well, but.

) to achieve decent functionality. Just sayin'. I wanted to buy one of these *now* but I don't feel confident.

Well for $100 USD this is not a lot to pay then for the average consumer especially on a product that will get better with a few fw upgrades. If the average consumer will pay double for an overpriced DAP why not half for one that's just as good and will only get better?

 

[Meder Bakirov]

 
The A25 costs around $350 here and has a plastic shell whereas the X1 II is $150 here and has a much better build. I'll stick with the X1 despite the flaws.

New A35 is going to be around ~200$, and it seems it is not plastic anymore (from photos).

 

[TheoS53]

The thing is, when you tell people "hey, this is our product...it can do this and this" etc.....they're assuming that you're being honest about it. That what you say they're paying for is exactly what they're gonna get. It doesn't matter about the cost...what matters is your word.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't seen any fine print for any of Fiio's products that said "oh by the way, this is only what the device can theoretically do....it may or may not have these features in the future".

 

[bruce1967]

  New A35 is going to be around ~200$, and it seems it is not plastic anymore (from photos).

I haven't seen anything on this one. when I google Sony A35 all I get is sony camera...

 

[Meder Bakirov]

 
I haven't seen anything on this one. when I google Sony A35 all I get is sony camera...

There is another thread on this forum.

 

[bruce1967]

  There is another thread on this forum.

Yes it is a good looking player for sure. I think sony could sell alot of these if they keep the price around $200.

 

[MPNow]

 
I agree with everything you say but again there just isn't anything as good as the X1 for the same price as far as I know so I still bought one knowing it isn't a finished product.

 
I agree with you on your last point. I am going to be getting one soon just for the larger capacity and bluetooth feature alone. I'm not worried about the issues with bluetooth right now. As long as its not as laggy as my bluegate RXT can be at times I'm happy.
 

  Wow, the thread quickly turned into FiiO bashing, uh?

 
First of all, there are different options.  Not sure if it was mentioned already, FiiO X1ii is finally available on Amazon and it's still $99, unlike other daps like Shanling M1 that was originally promised to be closer to $100 but instead released for $150-$160.  Also, as an alternative there is Hidizs AP60 available for $89.  In my personal opinion, FiiO X3ii is still an excellent DAP, right now on Amazon for $169 which is a bargain.  You can also move up to PAW5000 which is $199, and it's feature packed but sound quality is just ok.  Oh, and xDuoo x3 shouldn't be discounted for $106, it sounds really good.
 
Regarding FiiO, as much as I love to give them praises which i have over the last 3+ years while testing and reviewing their products, I think their product portfolio is too diversified and expanding too fast where it would be hard to keep the focus on every single product.  It's starting to feel like their goal is to meet the release date and to make sure the product is hardware ready (to avoid costly recalls) while the fw is something that could catch up down the road.  Honestly, it's no different than a number of other companies, just that FiiO has way too many products!!!  I wish they would just trim down their DAP line to only three models with entry level (something between M3 and X1), mid-fi (something between X3 and X5), and summit-fi (updated X7).
 
Now, with all this said, we are still talking about $99 DAP, not $600/$1000/$3000 where expectations are a lot higher.  I'm sure gapless will be fixed and GUI optimized in the next fw release, and they will revisit QC (this is the first time I got fiio dap with imbalance HO issue, but their customer service it always top notch), and with Bluetooth maybe they need to tweak the power output of wireless radio or something (btw, AK120ii bt connection is as lousy).

 
For what its worth, I'm happy with my original X1 for the year I've had it. I can say its nearly a replacement to my Ipod Classic with the exception of not being able to auto resume any podcast episode that I've played recently (it only auto plays the last saved song). Also, I  wasn't a fan of not having a dedicated audio manager to sync my songs to at first, but learning about some of the open source ones that are supported have defused that for me. I'm satisfied with the UI interface, its simple and easy to navigate which is all I've wanted. The only other issue I have with it is the lack of a screen protector included with the product that is break proof. Even though it is completely my fault that mine broke, having one as good as my smart phone would be nice.
 
I do agree with you on the diversity issue of products that Fiio has been releasing recently and the lack of QC / QA on their part, as the user above mentioned. It would be nice if they focused on improving their current products. Like I mentioned earlier, I would like to see better accessories included with the product.  

 

[andiB]

Can anyone confirm if this is a Fiio's official store? https://fiio-shop.de/



Thanks,

Yes, it is a Fiio's official store. I have already ordered several times there.

 

[fourrobert13]

  There is another thread on this forum.

Interesting product, but no info on a US release of it.  It's cost puts it up against the X3II/X5II at $220 for the 16 gig model.  Hardly a direct competitor to the X1 or X1II at $99.
 
Just to be clear, I'm not bashing FiiO's products.  I own several of them and enjoy them and I'm very happy with them.  Merely venting about their business practices relating to how they release products.