[jmills8]

This is a very interesting subject (quality of the dac and amp part in a dap) imo.

I still have a (1st gen) X5 over here, which I mainly use with a Headstage Arrow 5P amp. The X5 stand alone doesn't come close (in sq) to my P1 or LPG, but the combination with 5P does (at least to my ears). So I guess this means that the X5 classic also has a pretty good dac inside. Would be interesting to know how much the dac of the X5 iii can improve on that :rolleyes:  

Another thing is that X5 stand alone hisses pretty badly with my Zeus, adding the 5P amp gives it an almost black background as well. So, the X5 hiss must be due to the amp part? :blink:

Btw, @jmills8
I know you have the Arrow amp as well. Have you tested it with your X5 iii from line out? Did sq improve in your opinion with that amp?

x5III alone sounds a lot better than the X5. If it didnt I would not have spent money on the X5III after demoing it. I didnt ecperience hiss with the X5III but I use hybrid iems. With the Arrow the X5III scales and Im using this combo right now.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Hiss is always in the amp stage , the DAC will never hiss with another amp. I'm glad to hear that people like the new DAC in x5-3 more, I actually loved x7 + am3 .

(Still haven't heard x5-3 myself...)

 

[Kerouac]

Hiss is always in the amp stage , the DAC will never hiss with another amp. I'm glad to hear that people like the new DAC in x5-3 more, I actually loved x7 + am3 .

(Still haven't heard x5-3 myself...)

 
Unless that other amp creates hiss too

 
I didn't know that hiss could never arise from the dac part => thanks for that info!

 

[HondoMUC]

Will this be able to be mounted onto the fiio K5? Does this make any sense as a dock? There is a massdrop for the K5 running.

 

[chowmein83]

Will this be able to be mounted onto the fiio K5? Does this make any sense as a dock? There is a massdrop for the K5 running.

 
Yes, this works perfectly fine with the Fiio K5.

 

[TLBS5]

  Karender where are you in Canada?
 
I live in Toronto and there are several stores here that carry Fiio products.  Two fairly big retailers in Canada that carry Fiio products are Canada Computers and shop.ca.
 
If you can wait until in launches in Canada you should have no problem finding it at a good price.

 
I'm in Toronto, live by the UofT campus. Care to recommend a few places to check out?

 

[Karendar]

I'm in Toronto, live by the UofT campus. Care to recommend a few places to check out?

Canada Computers is gonna carry it, as well as Headphone Bar... They seem to have decent prices too. B&H said they'd carry it in the short term too, but that's on order from the US only.

Drafting a list of ship + non ship sites would be cool for future ordering

@Fiio - News on Canadian/US release?

 

[fish1050]

   
I'm in Toronto, live by the UofT campus. Care to recommend a few places to check out?

I bought my Q1 from http://www.altronicsstereo2000.com/ (in business since 1955) by the Royal York subway station.  Super nice guy, at the time it was selling for $109.00 on amazon.ca and $99.00 on ebay.  He beat the ebay price and give it to me for $97.00.  He said he would take care of any repair service needs even out of warranty.
 
Canada Computers has good prices but they are not great with returns.  I have bought alot of computer parts from them and they charge a restocking fee if you return a product.  I have also bought fiio products from headfoneshop.com on Yonge north of Lawrence. It is a very small store but they carry alot of quality brands.  You can usually negotiate with the guy as well.
 
Headphonebar is good to for prices and they ship quickly but I prefer to buy in person if possible.  I like to haggle with the seller and you can't do that online.   One of the nice things about having so many Fiio dealers in Toronto is you can play them against each other to get the best price. 

 

[sylr]

@FiiO Is there a soundcloud app ? Thanks

 

[fish1050]

Canada Computers is gonna carry it, as well as Headphone Bar... They seem to have decent prices too. B&H said they'd carry it in the short term too, but that's on order from the US only.

Drafting a list of ship + non ship sites would be cool for future ordering

@Fiio - News on Canadian/US release?

I have looked at bhphotovideo for items I can't get in Canada.  They are a good site to import from as they offer free shipping to Canada on orders over $99.00.  You can choose to have the site display prices in Canadian dollars and if you choose the option to let them handle the customs process they will include all the fees and taxes in the final price before you order.  This is very helpful because sometimes it is a good deal and sometimes it isn't.
 
For example you can get the E12A from them for around $185.00 CAN including customs clearance and free shipping.  Amazon.ca has it for $212.34 with free shipping and most Canadian retailers are still selling it for $229.00

 

[JWolf]

  @FiiO Is there a soundcloud app ? Thanks

 
It runs Android. Have a look and see if there is an Android app.

 

[LordHiler]

Any word on how soon this might be available for purchase in the US? I would buy it immediately if it were available.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Any word on how soon this might be available for purchase in the US? I would buy it immediately if it were available.

Unbelievable. Every few days.

I have a feeling FiiO will sell a lot of these. The mania is real.

 

[Richsvt]

how about now? Is it on sale now?
(sorry, I couldn't resist...)

 

[jeffhawke]

   
Yes, this works perfectly fine with the Fiio K5.

That is very good news, meaning that a truly audiophile quality system could be put together for under $1'500, like: X5 iii+k5+Rupert Neve RNHP precision balanced headphone amp+HE-400i or similar.
The only item missing from the above chain is the balanced cable from the K5 to the RNHP XLR inputs. The balanced Pono player cable from Surf Cables should work, but that adds at least another $95 to the above. I wish Fiio would sell these cables as an accessory instead of referring customers to made-to-measure solutions.