[headoncollision]

+ For the X3's ability to drive everything (even the Q701's, the Q701's still have that full warmth and soundstage depth, but it lacks width compared to fully being driven with an ODAC/O2) 
X3's better shuffle
For the hunky clunky metal feel and raised buttons

I`m sold on these points, imagine dust, humidity got under x5 wheel and stopped working!! 

 in my situation there is no where I can replace it under warrenty in the UAE, and won`t ship it to USA or 100$ and 50$ shipping back and forth. 

 

[Smugsie]

  I`m sold on these points, imagine dust, humidity got under x5 wheel and stopped working!! 

 in my situation there is no where I can replace it under warrenty in the UAE, and won`t ship it to USA or 100$ and 50$ shipping back and forth. 

Just get more opinions on the x5 vs x3 before being sold just yet

I don't know much about portable mp3 players because I've only used sony walkmans all my life.

 

[headoncollision]

  I've only used sony walkmans all my life.

me to! and I still think that my 2007 sony walkman 8gb sounds better than any smartphone I owned till now. don`t know about getting more opinion the x5 went up in price from 400$ to 420$ in amazon today!

 

[Smugsie]

Well in regards to your concern about outdated UI, you are definitely correct.

The sony walkman's UI is ultimately better than the X3's UI (except the completely customizable UI that I'm working on at the moment) in terms of speed, organization, and accessibility.
I went for the X3 solely for the purpose of a stronger amplifier and sound quality, I was actually quite a bit disappointed with the UI in the X3. Although I was quite impressed with the sound quality for the X3 over the sony walkman.

You'll notice a small roll-off in the treble region, better bass and thinner mids.

 

[dirihf]

Please let me step into this thread too ..
 
I own a X3 and pair it with my CIEM JH13Pro (pre freqphase)  and JH5Pro (only for running and indoor-cycling sessions). Allthough I´m loving the gear I´m thinking of upgrading the DAP to X5 in the coming weeks.
 
But, some thoughts prevent me from ordering X5 right now:
 
I wonder if it would be an improvement in sound quality similar to X5 by amping the X3 with a Fiio E12.
 
What do you think? Would the sound of X3/E12 get close to the sound of X5?

 

[headoncollision]

I don`t think u will be improving the x3 with the e12 cuz your just amplifying the signal, x5 seems to have a superior DACs so it produces better quality all together, what would be an improvement is if you pair the x3 with Fiio E18 DAC/AMP since it has the same components as the x5 and u will be using your x3 as a source only, although I am not sure if it work with the x3 or not since its not a android phone or a i phone. I my self thought about going this route since the e18 is a cheaper solution but having to carry around my phone attached to the e18 with all the connections is not a very practical solution in comparison to a standalone player.

 

[headoncollision]

guys I finally went a head and pulled the trigger on the x3, it`s on its way and gonna be here in the next few days, I really couldn`t get over the physical wheel and the size difference between it, I am not very demanding on accuracy and I prefer warm signatures with bass, I can`t wait to see how it sounds when it gets here . I have also ordered of vsonic GR07 and probably westone adventure series alpha for doing sport, but I am a little hesitant cuz of the mixed reviews

 

[kiwitraveller]

Hi all - Just picked my x5 today after owning an x3 for the last year. The x3 is now in a box to be sold as the x5 is clearly superior with bags of detail and plays all my varied formats with finese. I am yet to hear something in my collection of 750gb of high rez to itunes that doesn't sound fantastic through the x5. 

 

[headoncollision]

glad your liking your new x5, I have been using my x3 for more than 2 weeks now and I am loving it, I cannot go for a run without it and my westone alpha series and Gr07. Fiio really did a good job with those players just need a bit work on the software side. 

 

[kiwitraveller]

Your x3 will likely  improve again when the Fiio folks release the 2.14FW upgrade as it apparently is using some of the audio engine tech developed for the x5.Being able to use both these players as DAC's is a huge benefit also.

 

[headoncollision]

yeah I didn`t bother to install the beta since there have been plenty of freezing with it the software update would really add icing to the cake, since there is nothing major to complain about,  and I wonder why is all the fuss about so called "upcoming audiophile portable player" promoting on tech news like it`s a new thing while the Fiio and other companies have been pushing audio player for more than 3 years now.
I mainly got the x3 cuz of the physical bottoms during sports, it`s really durable I have even dropped it a few times while it was in it`s silicone protector. of course it sound way better on the gr07 but even on the alpha series u can hear plenty of difference and details with loveless tracks.

 

[brahmsky]

X3 with grado = perfect match.. Rock n roll..!!!

 

[JoeDoe]

The X5 finally arrived yesterday and I've spent the better part of the evening A/Bing him and his younger brother.
 
Synopsis of impressions:
 
X3: Overall the sig (FW 3.0) is more consumer-friendly: thick bass and decent treble, albeit a little rolled off. Mids, esp female vocals are more forward compared to the X5. Newest FW is a nice improvement over the last official release. Very good SQ that few outside of the audiophile community could find issue with. SS is slightly closer to the listener than the X5.
 
X5: More details and blacker background with more space. Mids and vocals are more in line with the extremes of the spectrum. Depending on your genre of choice, this may be good or bad. There's not a night and day difference from the X3, obviously they're from the same family, although the X5 is noticeably more capable. 

 

[weissshay]

I had the honor to hear both X3 and X5 on my b&w p7 :

X3 turns the p7 into an open headphones very good sound but the UI is Terrible

X5 have a very very black back ground turn the p7 into a close headphones UI is Ok only sometimes makes me confuzed
Both of the players have a very clean sound!
But I prefer sony z's walkman bcoz the sound of sony falls between both players for me.
Only when it pluged to Fiio's e11 amp

 

[Insatiable One]

  About the sound quality, X5 is a big step from X3. But i think it based on ur taste cause X5 sound more neutral and detail with a big soundstage but X3 give u a lot of bass less detail and narrow soundstage. Somebody will like the bass on X3 over the X5. It's better if u can try both before u get one. But i think u should give X3 a try it cheaper and u can upgrade later.

I've heard that the X5 is more neutral with more detail than the X3 while the X3 is 'warmer' with more bass. I don't know if they mean that there is more bass quantity or the quality of the bass is better on the X3? I am guessing that when people say that in reviews, they mean that the quantity/amount of the bass in the X3 is greater, but not necessarily better. Also, can't this be remedied in the X5 by customizing the 10 band EQ? Seems like you can fix the problem of the X5 not having as much bass as the X3 by changing the 10 band EQ settings?