[Riley Beale]

 
Thank you for the kind words. As for the Opus, it is a dedicated music player (as of right now, a future iteration MIGHT be "fuller" Android. The sound from it was just luscious. Thicker (not the best terminology...), with a better reach down low; I was impressed with the overall note of the #1. As for sound stage, the x5iii was slightly wider. I do not consider that a downfall of the #1. It provides a slightly better quality of sound (for my tastes, which are on the warm side of the equator), with a better bass reach.
 
It's hard to put into words, but the overall sound of the Opus appealed to me more. That said, I do have my own x5iii on the way. The appeal of the x5iii to me is that I can get onto the internet, and do other things. Yes, not as smooth as my Smartphone, but a nice option. If I can find an M5 or #1 used at a reasonable price, I will purchase those, too. If nothing else, but for comparisons sake.
 
All four are stunning units, approached markedly dipolar...simple DAPs vs DAP-surfers. You cannot go wrong with any (in my opinion only).

Thanks for the detailed information.  It is very helpful.  I prefer less warmth than I used to.  Slightly warmer than neutral is about where I like it now  I think the Opus 1 is probably a bit too warm for me as I gain more audio experience.  I like that the bass goes a little lower on the 1, but the overall tonality is probably not for me at this point.  I probably would like the X5 3 and the DPX1A soundwise the best.  I do not want real forward mids, but prefer them not too be v or u shaped really either.  A slight recession of the mids is okay, but nothing more.  I have the Shure SE846 and find the mids are too forward and the treble is just way too rolled off and smooth for my current tastes. My tastes have changed a bit since I got into this hobby.  I like bass extension, but overall clarity and balance just as well now with a slightly warmer than neutral sound with crisp airy highs.
 
Thank you

Riley

 

[boris65]

dear fiio guys - when x5 iii will be in israel?

 

[good sound]

Guessing you couldn't volume match - except if it was by ear?  Most people when doing a comparison don't think of volume matching properly.  They end up having the externally amped signal slightly louder.  And thats where the perceived improvements often are.

Get it to within 0.1 dB for your comparison, do it blind, and many people would be surprised I think.

No, of course in that situation precise volume matching was not feasible. I am fully aware of the phenomenon where humans have a tendancy to judge sound at a higher volume to be superior. I was thorough enough to ensure that I listened to each of the combinations at various volume levels and the improvements I heard were consistent at all levels. I am more than reasonably sure that the improvements I heard could not have been explained soley by volume differential. In all three instances the improvements I heard came down to more than simply deeper or more tuneful bass, improved soundstage, more extended highs or the like. It was more a sense of improved overall naturalness, and tonal accuracy, and dynamic realism that seperated the DAP on its own compared to the DAP paired with the outboard amp. These improvements were not huge but they were definitely significant and consistently discernible.

I have read a considerable number of your posts and reviews on Head-fi and I am fully aware of your position on these issues.

I have a ton of respect for the amount of experience you possess and the professionalism you display in what you post and I admire the sense of responsibility you take in making sure your evaluations are extremely measured, accurate and never overblown or over-stated.

However, I don't subscribe to the opinion that only scientifically veritable conclusions have value when it comes to evaluating electronic music re-production equipment. I truly feel one can still report responsibly and accurately the differences between two similar pieces of equipment using only the two instruments on the side of our heads and the big organ in-between them.

 

[Gezzaman]

Thankyou so much for the replies

 

[PinkyPowers]

Thanks for the detailed information.  It is very helpful.  I prefer less warmth than I used to.  Slightly warmer than neutral is about where I like it now  I think the Opus 1 is probably a bit too warm for me as I gain more audio experience.  I like that the bass goes a little lower on the 1, but the overall tonality is probably not for me at this point.  I probably would like the X5 3 and the DPX1A soundwise the best.  I do not want real forward mids, but prefer them not too be v or u shaped really either.  A slight recession of the mids is okay, but nothing more.  I have the Shure SE846 and find the mids are too forward and the treble is just way too rolled off and smooth for my current tastes. My tastes have changed a bit since I got into this hobby.  I like bass extension, but overall clarity and balance just as well now with a slightly warmer than neutral sound with crisp airy highs.

Thank you


Riley

The Opus#1 is FAR more neutral than warm. As a reference, see bellow.

(Warm) i5--Ak120ii--Opus#1 (Neutral) -- (Bright)

The Opus is just ever-so-slightly on the warm side. The AK, just a touch more. The i5, even more so.

The amazing thing about the Opus is that it has such powerful dynamics, including profound bass slam. That could be interpreted as warm, but inaccurately, as it neglects the impressive treble presence.

 

[FiiO]

Lately I have been noticing that Tidal offline playback is a little unstable @FiiO some tracks will stutter after about 10-15 minutes into playing. To remedy, I need to force close Tidal and reopen the app again. Seems to be more prone after I listened using bluetooth headset (aptx enabled).

heuricite,
 
Did you turn on the WiFi as well ? 

 

[heuricite]

heuricite,

Did you turn on the WiFi as well ? 

FiiO Yes I did. I am now doing tests with wifi off. So far I am unable to reproduce the same bug with wifi off. If the problem persists with wifi off, I will uninstall Tidal, get a new microSD (probably SanDisk as I am using Samsung Evo now), install Tidal, download offline music again and repeat the test.

 

[FiiO]

Thanks. How is the interactions while playing the music? Can you tap on the artist / album info when playing a track to jump to that artist or album directly? (using the default Fiio music player)

Hi Master619,
 
You can tap on the artist/album info when playing a track to jump to the first song of that artist or album directly, and then slide the screen towards the right , you will find the whole list of that album /album, then you can choose any song that you like.

1.  

 

[FiiO]

@FiiO Yes I did. I am now doing tests with wifi off. So far I am unable to reproduce the same bug with wifi off. If the problem persists with wifi off, I will uninstall Tidal, get a new microSD (probably SanDisk as I am using Samsung Evo now), install Tidal, download offline music again and repeat the test.

Heuricite,
 
If you have still same problem in the future , please feel free to tell us , could you kindly make wifi on , and then turn off the Bluetooth to the problem persists or not ?

 

[rr12267]

Not sure if this is allowed but in the cayin i5 thread there is a similar issue with an supposed explanation.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/802382/cayin-i5-lossless-android-dap-with-akm4490-dac-supporting-32-384-pcm-64-128-dsd/2820#post_13278947

Don't want to really cross reference another thread here but think it's relevant.


rr12267

 

[heuricite]

Not sure if this is allowed but in the cayin i5 thread there is a similar issue with an supposed explanation.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/802382/cayin-i5-lossless-android-dap-with-akm4490-dac-supporting-32-384-pcm-64-128-dsd/2820#post_13278947

Don't want to really cross reference another thread here but think it's relevant.


rr12267

Wow thanks a lot for the link! It really clears things up, at least for a similar problem over at the other forum. I hope FiiO will be able to do the same. From what I gather, the X5III has a relatively better processor but it is still not enough to consistently decode Tidal's HiFi files properly.

 

[FiiO]

  dear fiio guys - when x5 iii will be in israel?

boris65, 
 
Our sales agent in Israel just place an order for us , it will take 2-3 weeks for him to sell it, please kindly contact with our local sale agent to order it at that time.

 

[FiiO]

Is it possible on future updates to pay for viper using a google account? I am kinda restricted to that method of payment and I want to try the tube option.

andrew06, we will report it to the viper, any other friends has such requirement ,please PM us or send email to support@fiio.net.

 

[Riley Beale]

Has anybody tried the Opus 1 and X5 3?  I have been told different things about the bass on both.  Ears do vary some I realize that.  Which has better bass and is more neutral with good treble extension.  I have the Shure SE846 iems and am getting tired of the overly forward mids and sub bass and even mid bass and lack of treble extension.  I am going to be slowly getting more neutral gear in general and would like to know if I would prefer the X53 or the Opus 1?  I will only be listening to music and do not have much need if any at all for app and streaming and internet and such.   I don't want forward mids, but also don't want the mids sucked out really either.  I would like them either flat with a little warmth or I don't mind a slight recess in the mids if it is not to a substantial degree.  Which DAP would I like better of these 2?  I also need at least 10 hours of battery life and a smooth and responsive UI that doesn't lag or have many bugs to annoy me.  I am OCD and constant glitches annoy me.  I am easily frustrated by computer and electronics problems in general if that helps.
 
Thank you
 
Riley

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Has anybody tried the Opus 1 and X5 3?  I have been told different things about the bass on both.  Ears do vary some I realize that.  Which has better bass and is more neutral with good treble extension.  I have the Shure SE846 iems and am getting tired of the overly forward mids and sub bass and even mid bass and lack of treble extension.  I am going to be slowly getting more neutral gear in general and would like to know if I would prefer the X53 or the Opus 1?  I will only be listening to music and do not have much need if any at all for app and streaming and internet and such.   I don't want forward mids, but also don't want the mids sucked out really either.  I would like them either flat with a little warmth or I don't mind a slight recess in the mids if it is not to a substantial degree.  Which DAP would I like better of these 2?  I also need at least 10 hours of battery life and a smooth and responsive UI that doesn't lag or have many bugs to annoy me.  I am OCD and constant glitches annoy me.  I am easily frustrated by computer and electronics problems in general if that helps.
 
Thank you
 
Riley

 
I feel sorry to say this, but you probably won't get better treble extension with SE846 regardless of source. Ie800 was the one with the better treble out of the two. 
 
For alleviating the mismatches in the signature, you should EQ things out. 
 
For example, this sounds heavenly on x5ii + 99C
 

 
 
I will do one for x5-3 and 99C when I have the chance.