[EinTheVariance]

It hasn't hit the retail market yet but multiple headfiers have received their aluminum R6s but there aren't many sonic impressions yet, stainless steel units won't ship until march. I'm looking at the X5iii the cayin n5ii and r6 to possibly replace my X3ii so i can use spotify offline and try a balanced output . I would like to have the speed and os smoothness that the hiby r6 should have with it's faster processor and 3gb of ram but I have a note 4 for app and video playback duties on the go so I just need my next DAP to sound great and be able to play spotify offline without hiccups. Can any of you who have owned and liked the sound of the X3ii share your thoughts on how the X5iii sounds in comparison and on how the X5iii experience is after all of its firmware updates compared to the earlier reviews that mentioned bugs and such. thanks

Can't comment on spotify but I actually came from the X3 2nd gen and still have both actually, although I'll probably be getting rid of it soon unless something changed with the X5. To me, the X5 3rd gen is way more detailed and musical. The X3 2nd gen felt too bright when I first came to it from the X1 1st gen, but has considerably tamed although I think the treble area is still a bit rough. That said, the X3 2nd gen isn't really a big improvement if you have a recent phone sound quality wise, but the X5 is considerably better on that front. Again, operation has been smooth and I haven't encountered any major issues or lags/crashes but I also have really only installed poweramp and neutron on it and have spent most of my listening on the pure music mode. As you may have saw, the last update released recently had a little bug but I think Fiio did a good job in patching it out in a short period of time. I had the same worries as you in regards to the stability of this DAP especially as the X3 2nd gen had also been shaky at the start but I think both DAPs have reached a point where it is stable and most issues that can be taken care of has already been taken care of. I would not say that the X5 3rd gen is inferior to the X3 2nd gen in usability/performance either aside from maybe the lack of hibernate/low power sleep mode, but battery consumption thus far has been much better than what I was expecting.

 

[G_T_J]

It's my 2nd day with my X5. Still haven't done any comparisons (mainly with the i5) but so far I'm very satisfied.
Very good sound and have not experienced any glitches or bugs with regards to UI. Perhaps I'm lucky as I only jumped into the X5iii bandwagon by the time 1.2.0 firmware had already been released and most problems have now been smoothed out.

Can't wait to start A-B testing

I have to say the hype around this DAP is well-deserved. Kudos also to FiiO for monitoring closely the forum and users' feedback.

 

[Voxata]

How does one use this as a USB DAC? I've installed the software 4.11 I believe. Storage mode works - just doesn't seem to think it is USB dac capable. On 1.2.

 

[TjPhysicist]

How does one use this as a USB DAC? I've installed the software 4.11 I believe. Storage mode works - just doesn't seem to think it is USB dac capable. On 1.2.

did you flip the setting for it? It's in the pull down menu should say "Storage" but pressing it (before connecting) will switch it to "USB DAC". Switch back if you want storage again.

 

[FiiO]

How does one use this as a USB DAC? I've installed the software 4.11 I believe. Storage mode works - just doesn't seem to think it is USB dac capable. On 1.2.

Dear friend,

What's the operation system of your computer? For Win7, you may need to install the patch(https://www.dropbox.com/s/f7m4a60g5ir8mq1/Windows6.1-KB3033929-x64.msu?dl=0) or disable the signature first(https://www.dropbox.com/s/1eh4605im...eric USB DAC driver for FiiO players.pdf?dl=0)
And you have switched to DAC mode, right?

Best regards

 

[seanwee]

I'm looking at the X5iii the cayin n5ii and r6 to possibly replace my X3ii so i can use spotify offline and try a balanced output .

While looking for a player to replace my Xduoo X10(sound degradation due to battery), I mainly considered the FiiO X5iii, Cayin N5ii and Hidizs AP 200.

I would place the 3 DAPs as such when it comes to sound. N5ii > AP 200> X5iii.

The X5iii was really underwhelming to me as I had always thought highly of the X5 series. Comparing the N5ii and the X5iii I would even say that the N5ii is an upgrade from the X5iii. The N5ii has is noticeably cleaner sounding and has much better layering and instrument separation compared to the X5iii. Transients on the N5ii are also much better than the X5iii.
When it comes to soundstage the N5ii is impressive but the X5iii just comes across as normal.

Yes, there may be some people who appreciate the dark and organic sound of the X5iii but not me.

And from what I have read from numerous sites many reviewers also say that the N5ii is superior to the FiiO X5iii.

I have not tried out the X3ii but I did try out the newer X3iii. The X3iii is relatively more neutral compared to the X5iii and this actually makes it sound cleaner and detailed. However, the soundstage is lacking depth when compared to the above 2 players and simply sounds 2D

Edit: I forgot to add that the N5ii also has a much smoother UI compared to the X5iii. In addition, the N5ii manages to scan all of my 10.8k songs in under a minute but the X5iii only managed to scan 6-7k songs in about 20 minutes(I gave up and opted for folder browser instead)

 

[seanwee]

A comparison - https://www.headphonezone.in/blogs/buying-guide/cayin-n5ii-vs-fiio-x5iii

 

[G_T_J]

Have you by any chance heard the i5 side by side with the N5ii. Haven't heard the N5ii myself but I doubt it is better than the i5, judging by reviews and the general consensus, plus Cayin themselves don't sell it as an upgrade to i5 anyway.
That said, I still haven't decided which I like the most, i5 or X5iii.
The point is that it all comes down to personal preference after all.

 

[seanwee]

Have you by any chance heard the i5 side by side with the N5ii. Haven't heard the N5ii myself but I doubt it is better than the i5, judging by reviews and the general consensus, plus Cayin themselves don't sell it as an upgrade to i5 anyway.
That said, I still haven't decided which I like the most, i5 or X5iii.
The point is that it all comes down to personal preference after

I didn't try out the i5 last Saturday so I can't say. Maybe I'll go over again tomorrow, have a listen, then let you know?

 

[G_T_J]

I didn't try out the i5 last Saturday so I can't say. Maybe I'll go over again tomorrow, have a listen then let you know?

Absolutely. That would be very interesting. Thanks.

 

[Voxata]

Dear friend,

What's the operation system of your computer? For Win7, you may need to install the patch(https://www.dropbox.com/s/f7m4a60g5ir8mq1/Windows6.1-KB3033929-x64.msu?dl=0) or disable the signature first(https://www.dropbox.com/s/1eh4605im0r3afv/Installation and usage guide of the new generic USB DAC driver for FiiO players.pdf?dl=0)
And you have switched to DAC mode, right?

Best regards

Maybe I'm missing something? How do I enable DAC mode? When I plug it in that option is not given.

 

[seanwee]

.

 

[WitzyZed]

Maybe I'm missing something? How do I enable DAC mode? When I plug it in that option is not given.

It should be two swipes down from the top of the screen, one to open the notification drawer, and another swipe down to access quick settings. Where you see storage and an SD card logo you should click to swap it to USB DAC.

 

[Voxata]

Thanks, didn't know it was a double swipe. I like this player it's fast enough and sounds decent. It's awesome IEMs and efficient cans. Sadly mine are not so.. I'll end up letting it go but, I really like how clear it is yet still is nice and warm. I've spent time with the X7ii and liked this better due to the sounds signature though.

 

[jetpacksam]

Is it just me or is a flat balance Pure Music mode louder than PowerAmp on the android side? I checked all the settings and they are at stock no tweaked level. Its easily 10 points lower on PA tham on PM.