Fiio X5iii Custom Kernel and Scripts | 2016MHz CPU | 20% RAM increase | Undervolting | New DAC drivers | and much more

[DrJustice]

I'm in the process of installing the custom kernel - very exciting

Big thanks to @jkbuha and @prispewnic for undertaking such an ambitious project and sharing it!

I'm unsure which kernel version to install though - my main concern is battery life... Is there an significant difference in battery life for the various 1416MHz, 1704MHz and 2016MHz kernels? Anyway, I'm starting with the 1704 one, hoping that throttling keeps the power usage low most of the time. It's quick to swap kernels later anyyway, thanks to the nice installer.

There's one thing I'm curious about though. I hear people talking about sound differences in the various audioflinger versions (and also for Fidelizer). Does the audio transport (file > player > OS > DAC) of Android apply any hidden/forced filtering, dynamic processing or similar behind the scenes, apart from number (sample) format conversion and volume scaling, that varies between versions as well? For only a single sound source, sample rate conversion shouldn't be needed for rates supported for the hardware. If so, is that to force some kind of "sound signature" on the users by the manufacturer modifying OS components to do just that?

BTW, my player came with 1.2.4 pre installed, a version not available from the FiiO site(!), and it has an RK3188 (not the T version).

Edit: One more Q:
After installing TWRP and attempting to upgrade the firmware with the Technical support app using local "X5-ota-1.2.5.zip" [1], the player boots into TWRP and selecting install and picking the ota archive ends in an error. This means I had to use the "X5III firmware upgrade tool FW1.2.3.zip" and then install the local "X5-ota-1.2.5.zip" afterwards (I can't find a 1.2.5. "update.img" file anywhere...). Is there a way of still installing a local ota file with TWRP installed, or simply keeping the browser?

[1] The reason for reinstalling 1.2.5 after the 3.41 kernel was installed was because i chose the "average" app removal which got rid of the browser, and I didn't find an obvious way of getting it back. So it was faster & simpler to just install a fresh 1.2.5 (1.2.3 first...) and then the 3.41 kernel again. Yeah probably very clumsy - this is my first Android device so I'm kinda clueless

Oh, and one thing that surprised me, was that on the install of 1.2.3 there was a lot of apps there. On the original 1.2.5 install, there was only half a screen full of apps, and with 1.2.3 there was one full screen and a few more, most of which seemed useless. After the second 1.2.5 install all the apps from 1.2.3 and 1.2.5 seem to have accumulated. Oh well, I'll just do a round of disable/uninstall for most of it.

 

[WitzyZed]

As for the CPU, I thought the same, but using the console command referred to here you should get this result.

Firmwares 1.2.3, 1.2.4, & 1.2.5 are pretty superfluous, only changes were specific to the FiiO Music app baked into each update. As the latest update.img for use is 1.2.3 I keep that version.

This article does put audioflinger into context.

The update.img's, as part of the firmware upgrade tools, all have the many diagnostic apps, just performing a factory data reset after a fresh install will remove them.

If you need a lightweight browser for your player I recommend Via.

 

[DrJustice]

Thank you @WitzyZed - that's a lot of good info!

The 3.41 kernel @ 1416MHz is what i ended up with, and it all seems to run smoothly here. The only niggle with the OS so far is the drop in USB transfer speed when entering display sleep mode, and also the loss of ability to get the USB mass storage working when coming out of sleep mode (I'm on on Windows 10, need to reconnect the USB cable to get it back it seems). I don't know if these are known issues, or if fixes are relevant kernel feature requests(?).

As for the specifics of what happens, or not, to the the audio stream from decoded sample to DAC, I'll browse the sources to satisfy my curiosity when I have some time to kill.

 

[maxcaovn]

Firstly, Thanks to all the developers who actually spent the time trying to give X5iii some more juice.

I am having:
- Kernel 3.0.101+ #34
Build: 1.2.5 fidelizer

Playing through Onkyo HF player.
But the speed is not very impressive. Crash alot.

Any recommendations? Which combinations are you guys using atm?

 

[WitzyZed]

Firstly, Thanks to all the developers who actually spent the time trying to give X5iii some more juice.

I am having:
- Kernel 3.0.101+ #34
Build: 1.2.5 fidelizer

Playing through Onkyo HF player.
But the speed is not very impressive. Crash alot.

Any recommendations? Which combinations are you guys using atm?

Haven't used OnkyoHF Player before, so I can't attest to its stability one way or another.

Neutron Music Player, USB Audio Player Pro, & Poweramp are the only three players I bounce between, depending on my mood.

Neutron is the utilitarian Swiss army knife, UAPP is pretty zero-frills but dependable, & Poweramp is the fun one night stand.

I'd drifted away from the Fidelizer ROM as it doesn't like making system partition backups in TWRP.

Once any license checks are stored permanently on the device, using Titanium Backup or another app suspension utility, Google Play Services, Play Store, Account Manager, & Services Framework can be 'frozen' and I notice a marked uptick in UI responsiveness.

Having your SD cards formatted in exfat is a good idea, too.

 

[maxcaovn]

Haven't used OnkyoHF Player before, so I can't attest to its stability one way or another.

Neutron Music Player, USB Audio Player Pro, & Poweramp are the only three players I bounce between, depending on my mood.

Neutron is the utilitarian Swiss army knife, UAPP is pretty zero-frills but dependable, & Poweramp is the fun one night stand.

I'd drifted away from the Fidelizer ROM as it doesn't like making system partition backups in TWRP.

Once any license checks are stored permanently on the device, using Titanium Backup or another app suspension utility, Google Play Services, Play Store, Account Manager, & Services Framework can be 'frozen' and I notice a marked uptick in UI responsiveness.

Having your SD cards formatted in exfat is a good idea, too.

Thanks WitzyZed.
I might try to switch back to original ROM. The UI responsiveness is definitely an issue. I just want it to run as smooth as possible, no need for streaming. Right now, it much slower than my Iphone 4 connect to a DAC.

 

[jkbuha]

Thanks WitzyZed.
I might try to switch back to original ROM. The UI responsiveness is definitely an issue. I just want it to run as smooth as possible, no need for streaming. Right now, it much slower than my Iphone 4 connect to a DAC.

Never used OnkyoHF before, but keen to understand how it works with my kernel. If you could check how it runs on the original ROM, then compare it with 1416/1704 speeds on my kernel I'd appreciate it.

 

[Silent Xaxal]

How do I install this? Is it just like installing a firmware update for the player?

 

[DrJustice]

How do I install this? Is it just like installing a firmware update for the player?

Almost. There's a few more steps. I used this guide. Just follow every step, and it'll work out fine.

 

[maurizioalessandro]

Buongiorno a tutti. ho un fiio x5iii stock con cuffie tin hifi p1. no root no twrp. fidelizzatore non installato.
per migliorare la velocità, e un pò la qualità della musica, cosa mi consiglia?
ed eventualmente un istruzione passo passo? grazie e buona giornata a tutti.

 

[WitzyZed]

Buongiorno a tutti. ho un fiio x5iii stock con cuffie tin hifi p1. no root no twrp. fidelizzatore non installato.
per migliorare la velocità, e un pò la qualità della musica, cosa mi consiglia?
ed eventualmente un istruzione passo passo? grazie e buona giornata a tutti.

Link to a step by step guide was just posted directly above your query.

 

[DrJustice]

Edit: silly user error (can't find a delete post function)

 

[Tal00]

I hope one of the moderators can help me as I'm totally new at using Android devices. I have been a windows user for 25 years and an iOS user for 11 years so I'm not totally clueless about technology...
I am finding the FiiO 5Xiii to be very slow, apps are not responsive and freeze often. I have uninstalled almost everything. I only have the following apps installed:
Amazon Music, Clock, Email, ES File Explorer, FiiO Market, FiiO Music (the latest version, it actually works pretty well), Gallery, Google Settings, Greenify (no root access), Onkyo HF Player (free), Opera Mini browser, Play Store, Settings, SoundCloud, Technical Support, Tidal (latest version), USB Audio player.
I currently cannot use my external USB with Tidal (to decode MQA), only the USB Audio Player allows me to use my DAC iFi iDSD nano BL but it often crashes and cannot play downloaded files from Tidal.
I purchased the FiiO only recently to be able to stream and play downloaded Tidal Hi-Fi titles without having to use my iPhone and the iFi iDSD as it is too cumbersome to use. But now I'm starting to regret my purchase. The sound quality is great but the glitching is ruining my experience.
Do you think flashing to this costume Kernel will solve my problems???
I have never done this on an Android before (I jailbroke a few iPhones many years ago). So I have a few questions.
1. Will I be able to install the latest version of the Tidal App, one that supports MQA at least?
2. Will I be able to reinstall USB Audio Player from the Play Store and use it to play MQA files?
3. How do I make sure not to brick my FiiO

I would really appreciate some guidance.

Thanks a lot and Happy Easter/Passover,

Tal

 

[Tal00]

I don't have a Fiio X5iii but tempted to get one just because of this. Great work guys

Don't you should not have to work this hard to get a new device to run properly.

 

[Brooko]

Don't you should not have to work this hard to get a new device to run properly.

It was released more than 3 years ago. So might be a new item purchased but its a very old model. The good news is that with the kernel upgrade, you can squeeze better performance out of it. And it still sounds pretty great.