[AtmaJnana]

Hello head-fi

 
Earlier today i ordered an X5ii and i'm curious as to whether i should update the firmware straight away or wait a while... i'd also love to know if it works well with JRiver (MC20), with syncing the playlists, using the tags, album art work etc? I ask as i see a few of you use JRiver aswell
 
I also wonder about connecting it up to a car stereo, is a 3.5mm aux the only way? or can the USB connection be used instead of a USB stick? My stereo supports USB charging if that helps...
 
After making the purchase my iPod finally died tonight which was a strange coincidence, i'm really looking forward to having quality sounds when i'm out and about
 
I'll be sure to stick around as the forum looks great

 

[x RELIC x]

Logical, but confusing to me discussion. Bottom line, as I understand it, if I start out with a CD that I am going to rip into my library there is no SQ benefit to ripping it at anything greater than 44.1K/16 bit since that is what it was produced at. Is that what is being said?

Specifically 16/44.1 lossless format like AIFF, WAV, FLAC, or ALAC - MP3 and AAC and other lossy formats are also 16/44.1. That is the basics of it. That way when you rip from a cd you have a format that is the same as the what's on the physical media. Any future formats have an original baseline to convert to with no monkey business done to the file.

 

[x RELIC x]

Hello head-fi

Earlier today i ordered an X5ii and i'm curious as to whether i should update the firmware straight away or wait a while... i'd also love to know if it works well with JRiver (MC20), with syncing the playlists, using the tags, album art work etc? I ask as i see a few of you use JRiver aswell

I also wonder about connecting it up to a car stereo, is a 3.5mm aux the only way? or can the USB connection be used instaed of a USB stick? (my stereo also supports USB charging)

Just as i bought this my iPod finally died tonight, i'm really looking forward to having quality sounds when i'm out and about

I'll be sure to stick around as the forum looks great

You can upgrade straight away and if you find any issues the same procedure can be used to go back to a previous firmware. FiiO units are so easy to change FW and I really haven't heard of anyone bricking their unit from doing so.

As for the car stereo you can use 3.5mm line out but if you hear clipping it means your car stereo can't handle the voltage output. The car stereo in my 370z has a 'premium' Bose (Buy Other Stereo Equipment) and it clips like mad with a line level output. If this happens just use the headphone output and adjust the volume as necessary. If it can read the files from USB is dependent on the stereo as the X5 does not output any music signal from USB but your car may read the X5ii as a storage device and access the tracks that way. No guarantees until you try it.

 

[x RELIC x]

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, but it's interesting that I've also converted to double DSD, and played this through my Sony Walkman, and this displays, 176/24.
Purely on listening, I know the difference between the DSD conversion & the double DSD conversion. Same as I would the flac. 

I suggest you do yourself a favour and actually do a blind test to see if you really can hear the difference. :wink_face:

PCM and DSD are very different ways of providing a signal to the DAC to decode the music. The worst case scenario with up-sampling music is the higher resolution amplifies noise and distortion already existing in the track. Take a flaw in a track and sample it 4x what the original source is. No thank you. the best case scenario is you simply added time and file size to convert a perfectly good lossless track.

But hey, if it makes you happy

I understand Andrew......I just hope I will be happy with my X5ii ! ? I really wanted a Sony ZX2, but I've decided to compromise on price.

I've heard the ZX2 and I really think it's overpriced for the audio quality it outputs. Not knocking it as a device but it's VERY weak amplifier output was a no go for me and I didn't like the presentation over all.

 

[Rob49]

I suggest you do yourself a favour and actually do a blind test to see if you really can hear the difference.

PCM and DSD are very different ways of providing a signal to the DAC to decode the music. The worst case scenario with up-sampling music is the higher resolution amplifies noise and distortion already existing in the track. Take a flaw in a track and sample it 4x what the original source is. No thank you. the best case scenario is you simply added time and file size to convert a perfectly good lossless track.

But hey, if it makes you happy
I've heard the ZX2 and I really think it's overpriced for the audio quality it outputs. Not knocking it as a device but it's VERY weak amplifier output was a no go for me and I didn't like the presentation over all.

I will.....but I already know the answer !

 Seriously, I do hear a difference. I tried a converted double DSD track earlier today & I'm sure it played back at a slower speed, if that's the best way I could describe it !
 
The price of the ZX2, was too much of a risk to take, to be disappointed in any way.

 

[Luvdac]

I will.....but I already know the answer ! :wink_face:  Seriously, I do hear a difference. I tried a converted double DSD track earlier today & I'm sure it played back at a slower speed, if that's the best way I could describe it !

The price of the ZX2, was too much of a risk to take, to be disappointed in any way.

I too hear a difference with upsampled to DSD files. Yes, logically it shouldn't be so, but my ears tell me differently.

 

[Rob49]

I too hear a difference with upsampled to DSD files. Yes, logically it shouldn't be so, but my ears tell me differently.

It's nice to know I'm not imagining it ! It's quite obvious to me.

 

[AtmaJnana]

You can upgrade straight away and if you find any issues the same procedure can be used to go back to a previous firmware. FiiO units are so easy to change FW and I really haven't heard of anyone bricking their unit from doing so.

As for the car stereo you can use 3.5mm line out but if you hear clipping it means your car stereo can't handle the voltage output. The car stereo in my 370z has a 'premium' Bose (Buy Other Stereo Equipment) and it clips like mad with a line level output. If this happens just use the headphone output and adjust the volume as necessary. If it can read the files from USB is dependent on the stereo as the X5 does not output any music signal from USB but your car may read the X5ii as a storage device and access the tracks that way. No guarantees until you try it.

 
Thanks for the tips, i didn't even think of using the line level output but that's a great idea, the cable is actually a modified 3.5mm to CD changer socket (alpine) rather than a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, so it may work using the line level output. Will also be interesting to see if it picks up the X5ii as a storage device, although if my USB sticks are anything to go by FLAC, ALAC, AIFF won't be supported anyway... so will keep the X5ii for general use and leave a USB stick with MP3s in the car

 
Can't wait for it to arrive then go hiking this weekend and have all my FLACs with me!

 

[Currawong]

I have a review unit of the X5II and E12A in the house. Definitely an improvement over the original. I'll be putting it through it's paces in the next couple of weeks. So far, it passed the "Layla" test. 
 
About DSD: It's not the file that makes the difference, it is the decoding done by the DA converter that causes the difference in the sound.

 

[KC33]

Quick question, how much more powerful is the amp compared to the X3ii? A percentage would be nice, I haven't heard the X5ii and real familiar with the X3ii.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Hello KC33,

About 436 vs 224mW @16ohm, so 94% "more powerful" at that headphone impedance. At higher impedances they are voltage swing limited so the maximum power output is similar. The good news there is that with high-impedance cans, running high on the volume meter on an X player is not indication (electrically at least) that the player is having trouble coping with the load.

Best regards,
Joe

 

[rbalcom]

Specifically 16/44.1 lossless format like AIFF, WAV, FLAC, or ALAC - MP3 and AAC and other lossy formats are also 16/44.1. That is the basics of it. That way when you rip from a cd you have a format that is the same as the what's on the physical media. Any future formats have an original baseline to convert to with no monkey business done to the file.

Got it. Now what about buying a high resolution download. Can I reasonably assume that the download is created from a Studio Master at a higher resolution than a CD? While the sample rate may not make a difference (obvious debate these days), logically the bit depth could if it was mastered at 24 bit. Do you think they are worth the gamble that it came from a Studio Master? Thanks for taking the time to help me understand this stuff.

 

[rbalcom]

  I have a review unit of the X5II and E12A in the house. Definitely an improvement over the original. I'll be putting it through it's paces in the next couple of weeks. So far, it passed the "Layla" test. 
 
About DSD: It's not the file that makes the difference, it is the decoding done by the DA converter that causes the difference in the sound.

Interesting comment about the DSD SQ. I have the same setup and like the X5II a lot better through the E12A than direct. While that is a very subjective opinion, I was really surprised because one of the reasons I experimented with the X5II was its claim of more power (higher voltage output), but I found it lacking if I tried to drive the headset rather than the IEMs.

 

[KC33]

rbalcom, do you know the impedance of the headphones you found lacking through the X5ii?

 

[cehowardNote3]

My only debit with the X5 II appears to be battery life which isn’t as long as either advertised or comparable to other previous FiiO DAPs, including the X5 I.  Has anyone else experienced this?

I am liking everything about the X5ii and haven't got to the battery lag yet, simply because every time I get the chance I put the X5ii on a charger! Say I am out and about shopping or just plain strolling with headphones and X5ii, when I get in my vehicle and/or back home whether the X5ii needs charging or not, I put it on a charger. So most of time when I fire it up, it is on a full charge!