FiiO X7 | DXD | DSD | 384K/64B | ESS9018+ Android | WiFi | Bluetooth | 4 AMP modules | Balanced Out |

[originalsnuffy]

The point of having a ton of storage is multifold. My moods change and passengers in the car may opt for different playlists.

Also hi red files.can really hew up space especially 24bit 192khz files.

 

[Mython]

24-192 .flac takes up approximately 0.66mb per second, which is about 200mb per 5 minute song. So you're looking at 2-3gb for just one album!
 
.DSD is only marginally smaller in size.
 
 
 
Contrast that with an average medium-bitrate .mp3, which is (give-or-take) around 1mb per minute.
 
 
Just talking dismissively about Hi-Res filesizes is easy, but it is not until someone has actually owned a few albums of 24/192 (or even 24/96), that the sheer size of these files really sinks in, and reality hits home. This isn't aimed specifically at the X7, but at the DAP industry in general - it is just silly to be engineering DAPs for HI-Res playback, with TOTL components, and expecting people to pay audiophile prices, but without the capacity to support a decent selection of Hi-Res music files.

 

[headwhacker]

24/192 size = unnecessary problem imho.

 

[olddude]

I got a new (well, old but remastered) 24/192 album today and it's 1.62gb.  Most of my DSDs come in at 1.5-1.8gb.  I've got 30 DSD albums on a 64gb card and they take up 55.7gb. so room for another 4-5 albums.  That's on a 64gb card.  That's (at an average of 10 songs per album- a conservative number, more like 12-14) 300 songs with room for another 50 or so.  On a 64gb card.  
 
My other card (also a 64) has a 2/3 to 1/3 mix of 16/44 and 24/x albums.  73 artist folders.  Without pulling them apart to count, the last time I looked, I had about 174 albums in there.  
 
So, a good mix of hi-res and 16/44, a bit more than 200 albums, figuring 10 cuts per album at 4 minutes each (very conservative numbers) and as we speak I can listen for about 133 hours of music.  That means if I listen every day for the next 33 days for 4 hours each day I'll never hear the same song twice.  If I knock off the conservative numbers (13 cuts per album, say) it's more like 43 days @ 4 hours each.
 
Any way you cut it, that's a lot of music on a couple of 64gb cards.  If I went and spent a couple of hundred bucks for 2-128gb cards those numbers would swell dramatically to about half a year of never playing the same song twice.  And a good portion of it would be in hi-res.
 
I understand you folks who have 20K of mp3s on your devices, but for me it's not what I want.  I like my hi-res and 16/44.  I have a lot of music on my teeny cards and all of it is in CD quality or better.  
 
I want audiophile sound quality, and everything else comes in second.  Without starting a war (again) I don't like mp3.  I can hear (whether anyone believes it is not my concern) the higher quality in my files, especially some of the DSDs.  I don't want or need a device that can hold 20K worth of songs.  If I want to expand my library I can double it at this point simply by buying a couple of cards.  Or, god forbid, taking a few albums off and replacing them with others.  I have albums I put on my cards months ago I still haven't listened to.  
 
Not to say you have to do what I do (I sure don't want to do what others do), but when someone (no offense) says that the hi-res files are so big the device can't handle them in bulk, well, it can.  It does.  I went out walking today and listened to my new (old) 24/192 album and had a big old smile on my face.  And isn't that the point of all of this?

 

[waynes world]

Sure olddude, it can be done. And it's fine that you are happy dealing with it that way. But on the flip side, there is absolutely nothing wrong with other people (aka me) wishing for more available space because they don't enjoy dealing with multiple expensive cards, or dealing with with transferring files back and forth to their cards, and there is nothing wrong with people wishing that they could have as much as possible of their music collection on the device. I think we've beaten this debate to death lol.

 

[olddude]

I'm not debating it.  I was just responding to someone else's post about size and storage.  And I said several times that my way is not the best way or the worst way, just my way.  
 
As to the discussion of sound, what I find interesting is that people here spend incredible amounts of money on DAPs and IEMs and earphones and amps to get the "perfect" sound, but then there is this ongoing argument about sound files.  To me, if I'm going to spend over $1K on an iem like a Roxanne or a 1+2 or now a Layla for over $2K, and I'm going to spend $700 or $1K or $ 2K on a DAP, WHY wouldn't I want the "best" soundfiles I can find to go along with them?  I keep reading here about getting the best iems or cans  you can so that you can hear all of the nuances in the music, and  then I read about people putting mp3 files (again, no offense, just an opinion, I don't hate you or deny your existence or make fun of your family or lifestyle choices when I say it) in their high-end player with their high-end iems or cans. To me, it's a disconnect.
 
A bad analogy but why would I buy a Ferrari and then put regular tires on it and run it on regular gas?  For my investment I'd want to wring every bit of performance I could out of it. 
 
Maybe I'm just too old school, but I was brought up believing quality begets quality.  

 

[waynes world]

  I'm not debating it.  I was just responding to someone else's post about size and storage.  And I said several times that my way is not the best way or the worst way, just my way.  
 
As to the discussion of sound, what I find interesting is that people here spend incredible amounts of money on DAPs and IEMs and earphones and amps to get the "perfect" sound, but then there is this ongoing argument about sound files.  To me, if I'm going to spend over $1K on an iem like a Roxanne or a 1+2 or now a Layla for over $2K, and I'm going to spend $700 or $1K or $ 2K on a DAP, WHY wouldn't I want the "best" soundfiles I can find to go along with them?  I keep reading here about getting the best iems or cans  you can so that you can hear all of the nuances in the music, and  then I read about people putting mp3 files (again, no offense, just an opinion, I don't hate you or deny your existence or make fun of your family or lifestyle choices when I say it) in their high-end player with their high-end iems or cans. To me, it's a disconnect.
 
A bad analogy but why would I buy a Ferrari and then put regular tires on it and run it on regular gas?  For my investment I'd want to wring every bit of performance I could out of it. 
 
Maybe I'm just too old school, but I was brought up believing quality begets quality.  

 
Well, I can't speak for the people you are referring to... I don't have golden ears, and I don't really have any need or desire for the $1K, $2K, $10K iems, headphones or daps (except that this addiction seems to brainwash me into thinking I do lol!). Still, I still wouldn't mind getting all of my collection over to lossless and someday I will.. and hopefully the DAPs at that point will also have more onboard storage to better accommodate my new found gargantuan storage requirements!

 

[olddude]

See, we are having a reasoned discussion (not an argument) in which each of us sees the other's viewpoint.

 
I'd surely like a Roxanne or a 1+2.  I'm thinking about the UE Reference Monitors CIEM for about a grand (before ear impressions) as I like flat eq.  And I wouldn't mind an A&K 120ll, either.  It's an addiction, all right.  We'll see if the X7 has a SQ that puts it near the 120ll.  If so, it'll be a no-brainer for me.  If not, I'll eventually move up the ladder to something "better" than the X5.  And to think I started off with a C3 and a set of TF10s.  
 
The good news is that I bought a new TV on Black Friday (well, Saturday) so I'm busy enjoying it instead of scheming to buy more audio equipment.  

 

[Mython]

Yep; we're all having a reasoned discussion (isn't that refreshing?

).
 
 
FWIW, I do have an inclination, broadly-speaking, to downsample my 24/192 to 24/96, for portable listening purposes.
 
They're still decidedly chubby files, even then, though.
 
 
Regardless of what side of the discussion one finds oneself, however, it is rather 'strange' to design a flagship product costing twice as much as the X5 and offering only half as much storage.
 
I've always been put-off the DX90 because of its single card slot and I did call iBasso out for it, but it's a little more excusable, considering it's almost $300 cheaper than the X7 and much more compact.
 
It will be interesting to see how many people are willing to spend $699 on a single-slot device, but I suppose the 128gb NW-ZX1 has been quite successful, at a similar price-point, and it is not what I consider to be true audiophile SQ.

 

[olddude]

I think the tipping point will be, for some of us (including me), SQ.  For others, "gadgets" like wifi or bt.  Without those, I don't know that a double-priced X5 would make a lot of sense.  And, as you point out, with one less mSD slot.  So I assume that Fiio knows what it is doing and will drop something interesting on us.  It's a pretty canny company, and it knows what it is competing against and the price points they hit.  So I expect something "interesting."  
 
I think James and Joe will be dropping more hints soon, as their beta advances and they begin to finalize the design.  

 

[Duncan]

Okay, I've skipped some pages, but registered on fiio.net for hopeful early access

 

[JamesFiiO]

to everyone who interested in our X7, since we have decided the hardware and the software is based open system, which means a lots of features can be added by firmware update or the 3rd party Apps. 
 
so may I ask you guys to tell me what kind of amp module do you need? 
 
before the feedback from you guys, may I introduce some background information about the amp module of X7. 
 
1, the amp module is a individual part of X7,  not like the HiFiMan, it is not a amp card. 
 
2, the supply power for the amp module is decided by itself,  and the main power is from the build in battery of X7,
 
 
Now we are developing 3 kinds of amp module.
 
Balanced Amp module.
High Power output module ( 500mW/ch at 32ohms)
Standard output module for IEM.
 
Any suggestion about the amp module ?

 

[headwhacker]

Hi James, 
 
How anout amp for headphones with high output impedance with around +/- 9V swing.

 

[GregC]

I think Fiio makes great products.  I commend Fiio for their continued firmware support to improve the products they released.  I have no doubts the SQ will be incredible on the X7,  At the end of the day that is the most important feature in a high-end DAP.  
 
I own an X3 and at its price point it provides amazing sound quality and value.  
 
I have already commented on my disappointment regarding the lack of user replaceable battery.  Unfortunately that is an absolute deal breaker for me since I know of competitor's products like the Geek Wave that will have similar features and SQ as the X7; however, it will also offer a user replaceable battery.
 
James, please let me know if there is even a remote chance the X7 can use a standard cell phone battery before I make my final purchase decision.

 

[shakur1996]

James IMO each amp module should have the same SQ ie with my CIEMs I should get the same SQ level irrespective whether I will use balanced, high output or IEM module.
As for IEM module please do it in such a way so it is sufficient to drive multi-BA CIEMs.