[seanwee]

Just realise that different reviewers have different views on what sounds good. When I tested the X5iii I did it with the HD800S (also 300 ohm)

Here's what I wrote at the time -

{SNIP}
Final test – and this time lets step beyond the likely and try something a lot will consider slightly ridiculous (I don't). The HD800S is 300 ohm and 108 dB/mW. Its my real test as I sometimes like to move around the house with these headphones so for me it is a realistic test. This time 75-80/120 was hitting my ideal listening level with this headphone (again low gain). More importantly, fidelity was really good.

OK Paul – but how do you know you were getting an acceptable level of fidelity from each earphone? Well that is the simple part. I also have FiiO's A5 headphone amp here. It is quite neutral, and can output 150 mW into a 300 ohm load. I've used it before with the HD800S and it has very much impressed me as a portable device. So once I'd found my ideal listening level with each transducer, I simply used test tones to replicate the same volume with the A5, then switched between the two. None of the combos sounded superior with the A5, except perhaps the HD800S where the bass was very slightly different with the A5 included (and this could have been expectation bias). What I will suggest is that the X5iii's power output is actually pretty decent for most portable loads. Just don't expect to drive really power hungry cans – and if you might be, consider the A5 as a very worthy partner.
{SNIP}

Now I'm possibly a little less picky than Micah - and thats Ok. We test on different things. He's a lot younger than I am too, and I have no doubt his hearing is better. I'm listening to the HD600 as I type (with the X5iii) and the combo sounds pretty good to me - but he's right, the bass seems just a little on the light side compared to what i'm used to - and I suspect that might be a slight lack of power.

Micah also didn't get to test the balanced with Turbo mode because it wasn't enabled by FiiO at the time. I know the HD800S in turbo balanced mode sounds pretty darn good - and have little doubt the HD600 would also.

But I personally think the X5iii sounds pretty good with the HD600 in SE - just perhaps not as good as it can do.

So it is able to drive it but not in its full glory.

Is it because it doesn't have enough headroom?

 

[Brooko]

Depends on your listening level and the recording. For most modern recordings and my listening level of ~ 70-75dB I only need around 70-80/120 on the pot (low gain), so I have plenty of headroom.

 

[HaPeKa]

As an option you could take the HD 660 S (150 Ohms) ...

 

[seanwee]

Depends on your listening level and the recording. For most modern recordings and my listening level of ~ 70-75dB I only need around 70-80/120 on the pot (low gain), so I have plenty of headroom.

I listen quite loudly then

Anyways, I was asking about what exactly holds a headphone back from sounding its best. Is it more like the pairing between say, a warm sounding source and a bright sounding headphone?

 

[Brooko]

The HD600 is pretty easy to drive - but it is relatively high impedance. It benefits from higher voltage rather than higher current. If its slightly underpowered, I tend to find it starts sounding a little peaky - doesn't have the depth of mid-bass it usually has with an amp thats driving it well.

FWIW though - the HD600 still sounds good even out of my iPhone. Its just that sort of headphone

 

[jetpacksam]

In terms of looks and features yes.

In terms of sound....... not so much.

Wrong. Imo the the x5III is the superior audio device. I will keep the x5II, just in case, but pound for pound the x5III is the champion, even more now that the price right now is 329.00 for the black edition.

The red was worth the extra money for me.

 

[G_T_J]

Wrong. Imo the the x5III is the superior audio device. I will keep the x5II, just in case, but pound for pound the x5III is the champion, even more now that the price right now is 329.00 for the black edition.

The red was worth the extra money for me.

Wish I got the red one as well. It looks awesome through the transparent gel case.

 

[seanwee]

Wrong. Imo the the x5III is the superior audio device. I will keep the x5II, just in case, but pound for pound the x5III is the champion, even more now that the price right now is 329.00 for the black edition.

The red was worth the extra money for me.

There is no right or wrong, only "I like this more or that more".

Let me correct myself, I liked the X5ii sound better than the X5iii. The X5iii went with warmer sound at the cost of clarity and neutrality which I didn't "like" as much.

 

[Tential]

Will I still get the full benefit of the FiiO X5iii with other Android Music Players? I'd like to use MediaMonkey. From my research of the LGV30, it would resample high qualitly audio files. What types of issues would I have using another Android Music Player with a FiiO X5iii other than the stock app(/popular apps)?

 

[jetpacksam]

There is no right or wrong, only "I like this more or that more".
Let me correct myself, I liked the X5ii sound better than the X5iii. The X5iii went with warmer sound at the cost of clarity and neutrality which I didn't "like" as much.

IMO think it's just as clear though I do agree it isn't as neutral as the x5ii.

Will I still get the full benefit of the FiiO X5iii with other Android Music Players? I'd like to use MediaMonkey. From my research of the LGV30, it would resample high qualitly audio files. What types of issues would I have using another Android Music Player with a FiiO X5iii other than the stock app(/popular apps)?

MediaMonkey was always too buggy for me, even gold was bad. I use PowerAmp Pro and thus far its been great. IMO it has the most bang for the buck, obviously YMMV.

 

[seanwee]

Doesn't android mode resample High resolution files and only pure music mode bypasses it?

 

[Tential]

I wasn't sure what to search before hand to get the answer to my question. Now I understand the FiiO units have system wide bypass of the Android system for audio.
I'll have to test MediaMonkey, I've heard the same things about it being buggy which is a shame. Itunes has introduced autorating of your music, so I HAVE to leave that library, it also just doesn't support high res music well in general, which I want to start experiencing.
Hopefully I'm lucky with MediaMonkey, but from reading their forums it's not promising.
I'm not impressed from what I've seen, especially given I'll probably have to pay for it.

Well, I originally had planned on the LGV30, but it looks like this bypass feature of the FiiO is key for my needs. Not that I mind having a separate player, I like the looks of the DAP. Little Space Age Boxes that play music is just too cute to me.

Doesn't android mode resample High resolution files and only pure music mode bypasses it?

From the review of the HibyR6 I was reading, FiiO and the R6 bypass Android's build in Resampler thingy to allow their DAC to be used throughout the android system.

"hough immensely flexible with a huge variety of apps and deep customization, running Android does introduce several issues for dedicated audio payers. One notable example is Androids inbuilt sample rate conversion which processes music files and degrades audio quality. While some apps are able to bypass this, Hiby are the first to provide system-wide bit-perfect audio through the use of DTA, or direct transfer audio.
And, similar to Fiio, Hiby have baked audio settings into the native Android settings app providing greater convenience than DAPs that place the settings within a proprietary app." https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hiby-r6.22844/reviews#review-19899

If I'm wrong about this please let me know It's the main reason I'd be getting this over the LGV30. I read that statement to mean the HiBy and the FiiO Both bypass android with DTA, and in the LGV30 thread, they told me the FiiO did this as well. So to me, the FiiO/R6 look perfect for a person who wants to be flexible with Android.

 

[Peter Puget]

I think the Neutron app avoids the android processing. It’s also a bit snappier In performance than the FIIO app but its UI took me a bit of time to get use to. Of course the FIIO music app also avoids android processing.

 

[G_T_J]

My only experience with a 3rd party app is UAPP (awesome BTW). Running it on X5iii, It forces me to select to downsample to 16-bit sample audio, otherwise there is no music but awful noise and distortion what I get... Strangely, I don't have to select that option on my i5 despite it being overall slower as a device and running Android 4.2 as opposed to 5.1.

As far as I'm concerned only the newly launched Hiby R6 from all Android DAPs advertises that it's able to play pure High-Res -not downsampled- audio through 3rd party Android apps.

 

[EinTheVariance]

In my tests, UAPP downsamples, poweramp, neutron, and music mode doesn't. I personally just stick with pure music mode nowadays, but I also don't experience any sort of lag, so ymmv.