[musicheaven]

Deleted
 
Sorry about that too much quote action

 

[Jess70]

The world tour seems to be working out well for Fiio. Anyone else notice that the X5 is now listed as the #1 rated DAP on head-fi... and it hasn't been released worldwide yet.

I will add that the reviews and promised UI upgrade sold me.

 

[Rico613]

Hi All,
 
I'm curious, is the digital out on the X5 better than the X3?
 
Has anyone compared the X5 audio out to headphones to the JH Audio 16 pro w/ A3 using digital input?
 
Also, does the EQ apply to digital out, or just line/headphones out?
 
Thanks . . .

 

[noobandroid]

whoever is next in line for review from me onwards do take note. i have updated the firmware to the official 1.10 from 1.00, that's all for info, bye~

 

[Makiah S]

I know Joe will flog my many times over, but here's my Review of the X5 
 
I'm working on the comparisons to the HM 801 now
 

I would like to first send tanks to Fiio and Head Fi member Joe Blogs for giving me the opportunity to preview the Fiio X5, I am not affiliated with Fiio in any way.
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For the purpose of this review I demo'd the X5 with my Balanced Modded Denon AH MD 2000 Headphones and my iBasso PB2 Balanced Amplifier, equipped with quad LME 49990 OP amps and dummy buffers. In addition also compared the X5 again'st my Hifiman HM801, using the same music and amplification.
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Price for the X5 is said to be $350. 
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Here's the X5 sitting atop my PB2 in it's silicon case.​

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What's in the Box​

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The X5 comes with some brief paper work in addition to the charger cable, the player it self is encased in a semi hard foam shell within the box, underneath is the paperwork and accessories. It features a usb mirco SD Card reader and high quality usb to micro-usb charging/data cable, 3 push plugs for each 3.5mm port, coaxial cable adapter, USB OTG cable,

 

The Player​

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The Top of the player features 3 ports, the headphone out, line out and coaxial out ports, next to that is the power button. Volume is controlled by the two side buttons to the right of the headphone out going down the side face of the unit. ​

 

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On the bottom are two ports for mirco SD Cards, the unit that I have did not feature any internal memory, so all music is loaded from the external Mirco SD cards. Seeing as there are two slots, the player has a very large external memory capacity! I usually prefer to use 64gb Cards for compatibility, but it's possible to have 128 or higher mirco SD Cards, non the less 128gbs of Flash Memory is an impressive feature. Unlike the iPod classic, the X5 does not use an internal hard drive, which means there's very minimal risk of data loss due to very few moving parts. 
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The player is controlled by the mechanical spinning wheel, and 5 buttons feature on the face of the player. There's a nice feel to the wheel, in addition volume is controlled by two side buttons. Controls are intuitive and menus are easy to maneuver through. ​

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The player is fairly dense, I enjoy the heavy in the hand feel that it has. I do not feel that it's overly heavy either, it is also smaller in size than the HM801. ​

User Interface​

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The main menu is composed of simple icons that are switched by scrolling on the wheel.​

 

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The player does feature an EQ Utility as do most. ​

 

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The gain is adjustable as well via the options menu, in addition to other options such as gap-less support and play mode. ​

 
 

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The player does support 24/bit decoding and features album art during play back, in addition in the left hand corner of the screen you'll notice small icons. The X5 features an on the fly option adjustment as well, you can favorite songs in addition to adjusting the play back methods without leaving the now playing screen, If I'm really diggin a song, I can set the player to repeat that song without having to go into the main menu! ​

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In addition the player does lock it self, during play back. So if you shove it in your pocket there's no worry that you might accidentally change the song, a useful feature that my Hm801 does not have [and trust me pockets and the HM 801 don't get along.]​

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As far as hang ups go, I've only had an issue with the X5 automatically filling it's library via the media update feature. The unit I have is a demo so perfection is not expected. ​

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The Sound​

I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, I figured a shot of my ears wouldn't be too appealing. 

 

Again, I'm using the X5 line out into my iBasso PB2. The PB2 is a fully balanced amp, meaning it splits the SE input into 4 separate channels, each channel is then sent individually to my balanced D2k. In addition, my PB2 is out fitted with LME 49990 OP amps and Dummy buffers, my point in all this is the PB2 is a very powerful and neutral amp. It adds bit of small bit "oomph" or "kick" to the bass as well as enhancing the sound stage depth, width and presentation by a small margin. 

 

I'll say that in it's own right the X5 is a nice sounding player, it's fairly neutral I don't hear any major dips or peaks in the sound. It does a nice job of keeping my modded D2k slightly boosted bass in check. Paired with the Pb2 it is in it's own right a very nice sounding player. Fairly neutral and enjoyable. 

 

It's not what I would call a Sterile player, but a very clean and balanced DAP.  The bass, mids and treble are all in equal standing. Really there's little to no deficiency with the sound of the X5.
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How ever, compared to my Hifiman HM801 the X5 rather obviously falls short.​

Conclusion​

I would highly recommend the X5 for any one looking for a mid level DAP. The combination of it's size, sound and features make it very appealing.  It's certainly a grab an go friendly player! And I my self prefer the un sleeved case, as I'm a big fan of that lovely metal shell! But the silicon case does a nice job of protecting the player, and will certainly help it stay where ever you put it.
 
 
 
Want more pics MUHAHAHA, go to my blog suckers [or wait like 2 mins for me to post the full review here on head fi] 

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[bowei006]

I wouldn't recommend sending any tanks to FiiO or Joe Bloggs 

 

[Carlsan]

Nice review, thanks.
 

 I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, I figured a shot of my ears wouldn't be too appealing. 

 
Yeah, you better skip it. 

 

[batteraziiz]

 
 
Yeah, you better skip it. 

GAH!!

 

[Makiah S]

  GAH!!

I know right such pretty hair and skin!
 
HEY I'm KEEPING the X5 for my last 2 days! I just had a EPIC idea, I'm going to use the X5's Coaxial out to feed my HM801s COAXIAL IN... YEA
 
It should be brillant, I like the hm801s dac MUCH better than the X5
 
and I like the X5's UI MUCH better than the Hm801s . Should be a fun review... lawl

 

[mld218]

Hello,
 
Just wondering if a JDS Labs C5D will be a good choice to use with the FIIO X5.
 
Thanks
Mike

 

[markale]

Hi,
is it possible to hear our music when the X5 is on the charger?

 

[miceblue]

Hello,

Just wondering if a JDS Labs C5D will be a good choice to use with the FIIO X5.

Thanks
Mike

Yup, I liked the combo. The C5D had a cleaner sound compared to the X5 and the soundstage was more rounded rather than the X5's more depth-based soundstage (using the linout option; I didn't try a digital out connection since I wasn't sure how to connect them).

 

[mld218]

So you used a standard cable like this correct?
 
http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000036648437&MenuID=105026015
 
Thanks
Mike

 

[miceblue]

So you used a standard cable like this correct?

http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000036648437&MenuID=105026015

Thanks
Mike

Yup, something like that. I was use the L2 myself.

 

[mld218]

Thanks for the information, just wanted to make sure I understood correctly.   I use the L2 as well.
 
Thanks
Mike