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

[castleofargh]

 any chip able to handle flac or hires can handle mp3. it's just software decoding. you're pretty much saying, I want less choice for the same components. it really makes no practical sense.
you don't want mp3? don't use any.
you don't want wifi? turn it off.
 
you guys have a strange mindset. but at least now I know why some people bought stuff that did only wave, like tera, hm801 and a few other horrible to use DAPs.

 

[Oldandcurious]

JamesFiio @ 

"In our plan, X7 will base on Android 5.0 , but people can't install APP which have not certification by us."
 
The above makes perfect sense. As I see it (anyone can or may disagree), my idea of an ultimate Fiio DAP is for it to offer the best music, with simple controls, pleasant and snappy UI, with the bonus of great battery life. Why not make touch screen control optional in the settings? Those who wish longer battery life or "better user experience" can then be both happy?
 
The only wish-list I have for my X3 and my X1 is a "play next folder?" option in the settings. My other wish list for X7 is perhaps a stacking kit, but instead of a portable amp, a portable battery pack. The back of the X7 may include a recessed docking port for this battery. Or, for those who wish to add a Fiio balanced amp 

 
The X7 is meant to be "Fiio's best DAP for xxx amount of money,"  not "the DAP with most features for $xxx.xx" 

 

[olddude]

Actually, I suggested it as a way to perhaps rebrand the player as hi-res (lossless) only.  As well as because there is this divide between 20,000 MP3 tracks and 5800 "tracks."  Take away MP3s and rebrand it as hi-res and it positions the player in a different category.  I (as I stated) can't see Fiio actually doing it, as I'm sure a lot of the Chinese market falls into the 20,000 MP3 category.  And I knew it would start a "conversation" between lossy and lossless proponents.   I personally don't care what anyone listens to, be it lossy or lossless.  But if Fiio is looking to position the X7, it's a worthwhile conversation to have.  
 
I would no more put MP3s on my player than I would use an after-market lens on my Nikon.  My training puts me in a place where I want the best quality because I want the best result.  Some people say lossy is just as good as lossless.  Even if it is (and I'm certainly not convinced of that), I want lossless because I figure starting off from a position of higher-quality is better.  
 
As to the argument that a well-mastered lossy song will sound better than a poorly mastered DSD song, that's not a logical argument.  The question is, does a well-mastered song sound better in lossy form or lossless?  I don't even want to get into the whole 16 vs 24 vs DSD argument.  I've seen plenty of arguments here, with people "proving" it one way or the other.
 
At the least, people are certainly talking now about something other than streaming.  

 

[headwhacker]

   any chip able to handle flac or hires can handle mp3. it's just software decoding. you're pretty much saying, I want less choice for the same components. it really makes no practical sense.
you don't want mp3? don't use any.
you don't want wifi? turn it off.
 
you guys have a strange mindset. but at least now I know why some people bought stuff that did only wave, like tera, hm801 and a few other horrible to use DAPs.

 
Marketing a WAV only player and hype it up as better device than anything else that plays all music format is just a lame excuse for not being able to come up with a better software/firmware or just plain laziness. Like you said It's just software. You don't have to build one from scratch nor invest tons of money to write one. Open-source codecs are free and very good. Unfortunately, people buy into hype.

 

[Retrias]

Actually, I suggested it as a way to perhaps rebrand the player as hi-res (lossless) only.  As well as because there is this divide between 20,000 MP3 tracks and 5800 "tracks."  Take away MP3s and rebrand it as hi-res and it positions the player in a different category.  I (as I stated) can't see Fiio actually doing it, as I'm sure a lot of the Chinese market falls into the 20,000 MP3 category.  And I knew it would start a "conversation" between lossy and lossless proponents.   I personally don't care what anyone listens to, be it lossy or lossless.  But if Fiio is looking to position the X7, it's a worthwhile conversation to have.  

I would no more put MP3s on my player than I would use an after-market lens on my Nikon.  My training puts me in a place where I want the best quality because I want the best result.  Some people say lossy is just as good as lossless.  Even if it is (and I'm certainly not convinced of that), I want lossless because I figure starting off from a position of higher-quality is better.  

As to the argument that a well-mastered lossy song will sound better than a poorly mastered DSD song, that's not a logical argument.  The question is, does a well-mastered song sound better in lossy form or lossless?  I don't even want to get into the whole 16 vs 24 vs DSD argument.  I've seen plenty of arguments here, with people "proving" it one way or the other.

At the least, people are certainly talking now about something other than streaming.  

Putting no mp3 is less than like putting an aftermarket lens on a nikon , its refusing to use say the digital viewfinder and thinking they should be abolished. You can market the player as hi res player but still keep the codec anyway

 

[doublea71]

If 5 is true, then it looks like a bad idea. Not having had battery issues streaming off ipad, this would not have occurred to me. But then again, seeing as how my x5 is already straining with a usb stick, it makes sense. Maybe I'll have to go back to using an Itouch for streaming/portable purposes. If there is no advantage to having a high end player for streaming, with a high end dac, in that it cannot sound any better than an itouch that streams, then there is no point to having a fiio that streams.

I think this capability is not at the top of the list of priorities when designing a flagship DAP that is supposed to compete with the AK240s of the world. Sound comes first.

 

[Dobrescu George]

i just wnt to sleep, and this thread gone in a very bad way...
 
First, dude with streaming, don't buy x5 or x7, you are clearly not enough happy with it.... Second, Fiio has already build something, just for you. It is a DAC/Amp that you can connect to [i don't know if it has to be android] devices. Fiio e18. It will not take any of your devie away, and add a nice DAC, and a nice amp. Now, you can get that device and add it to your phone or other devices, and keep a nice battery life, and everything you already love. You are at fault for missing the right thing you needed.  I don't have access to free wifi, not even 1% of the day, and internet taxes, being it 3g or 4g or whatever are too high to even consider. I hate streaming, tried it, i have narrow tastes. But audiophiles are rich people usually, and 700$ price point is a competition to ak240, cowon p1, etc. You don't understand that being an audiophile is itself a hobby, collecting music, labeling it, mp3tag, searching for music, transferring it, listening to it in perfect conditions. no offense mate, but you can consider other options besides having a DAP.
 
 
I need a 5tb drive to keep my music and anime collection with me. 3tb was not enough. If i will ever go streaming, i will no longer enjoy music nor anime anymore. Just because.
 
no offense, the curved edges are a very very bad ideea. I have a phone with curved edges, ZTE Blade VEC 4g... It is awfull, and i installed a case that makes the eges edgy. the phone slips out of hand, loos bad and feels bad in hand without edgy edges, the buldge on the side is a pretty bad ideea as it will be a weak point.the volume can be pure buttins. ak240 design made the volume much less prone to damage, but stealing a design is not nice nor productive.
 
 
Again, i don't think that 8 hours of music will do, so fiio, please install a bigger battery... just please do this, it is a good ideea to have more battery. Also, wifi would seem nice but pointless, unless you can add a feature to add files from pc to player by wifi, something like total control of player by wifi, and even DAC function from pc to player by wifi. These seem interesting, and pushing the envelope, this is what head-fi is all about. want to push deeper, there are other things you can do , even at this price point without having to sacrifice anything. like the circuits to be able to charge without damaging the battery, while it plays, and streams wifi. Even better, i would pretty much like to be able to DAC thorught wifi, while i transfer files through wifi to microsdcards. I don;t want more microsdslots, as it will become pointless at some point, but i would love more space. SSD slot?... or anything like internal memory?... OR at least more battery?... please?..
 
Also, fiio, i know who your market segment are, but please consider that there are players that are thicker/bigger and are still bought because they have more battery/more space, even through they are bigger.

 

[Caruryn]

  i just wnt to sleep, and this thread gone in a very bad way...
 
First, dude with streaming, don't buy x5 or x7, you are clearly not enough happy with it.... Second, Fiio has already build something, just for you. It is a DAC/Amp that you can connect to [i don't know if it has to be android] devices. Fiio e18. It will not take any of your devie away, and add a nice DAC, and a nice amp. Now, you can get that device and add it to your phone or other devices, and keep a nice battery life, and everything you already love. You are at fault for missing the right thing you needed.  I don't have access to free wifi, not even 1% of the day, and internet taxes, being it 3g or 4g or whatever are too high to even consider. I hate streaming, tried it, i have narrow tastes. But audiophiles are rich people usually, and 700$ price point is a competition to ak240, cowon p1, etc. You don't understand that being an audiophile is itself a hobby, collecting music, labeling it, mp3tag, searching for music, transferring it, listening to it in perfect conditions. no offense mate, but you can consider other options besides having a DAP.
 
 
I need a 5tb drive to keep my music and anime collection with me. 3tb was not enough. If i will ever go streaming, i will no longer enjoy music nor anime anymore. Just because.
 
no offense, the curved edges are a very very bad ideea. I have a phone with curved edges, ZTE Blade VEC 4g... It is awfull, and i installed a case that makes the eges edgy. the phone slips out of hand, loos bad and feels bad in hand without edgy edges, the buldge on the side is a pretty bad ideea as it will be a weak point.the volume can be pure buttins. ak240 design made the volume much less prone to damage, but stealing a design is not nice nor productive.
 
 
Again, i don't think that 8 hours of music will do, so fiio, please install a bigger battery... just please do this, it is a good ideea to have more battery. Also, wifi would seem nice but pointless, unless you can add a feature to add files from pc to player by wifi, something like total control of player by wifi, and even DAC function from pc to player by wifi. These seem interesting, and pushing the envelope, this is what head-fi is all about. want to push deeper, there are other things you can do , even at this price point without having to sacrifice anything. like the circuits to be able to charge without damaging the battery, while it plays, and streams wifi. Even better, i would pretty much like to be able to DAC thorught wifi, while i transfer files through wifi to microsdcards. I don;t want more microsdslots, as it will become pointless at some point, but i would love more space. SSD slot?... or anything like internal memory?... OR at least more battery?... please?..
 
Also, fiio, i know who your market segment are, but please consider that there are players that are thicker/bigger and are still bought because they have more battery/more space, even through they are bigger.

+1
 
As i said before battery is important.All the other streaming features,wifi is useless for a high end audiophile dap.Look at Calyx M for example.Sq that competes with ak240(almost) but what was that high definition OLED display for?Ah,yes sucking out battery life to 5 hours with high res files.They lost a lot of potential buyers with that,myself included.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Also, an interesting thought would be to firmware make x5 and x7 to see the two microsds to look like one spsace, combine everything in folder view mode. this would be very helpful. if you do this, you can even add up to 4 microsd slots... this would make it be so much better...

 

[Ookazi]

Probably a bit late but these would be my personal wishes that come to my mind as an X5 owner:
 
- If it helps to approach the SQ of a desktop rig, don't hesitate to make it a little bigger (than what's already on the market)
- Male USB connector that snaps into the device as found on some USB sticks. This means you can plug it into your notebook without using a cable.
- Optional (means it can be disabled) good old vertical volume wheel at the side in addition to the volume knobs
- If the wheel-input-design (for navigation etc) is kept, I want to be able to press the wheel itself (not having to move my finger to the middle each time just to confirm my choices)
- No removal of speedy navigation buttons/interface in favor of touchscreens
- More flexible gain settings/ability to disable the amp; eventually a parametric EQ that's also usable via the PC driver

 

[headwhacker]

  Probably a bit late but these would be my personal wishes that come to my mind as an X5 owner:
 
- Male USB connector that snaps into the device as found on some USB sticks. This means you can plug it into your notebook without using a cable.

 
Bad idea, That means it will block adjacent ports in your laptop. rendering them useless.

 

[quimbo]

People are moving to a rental model. It's a fact. Maybe you aren't, but you are the minority. You only have to look at the increase of revenue from streaming services and membership to see this is where it's going, and has been steamrolling since 2008. Sure, there are always hanger ons who refuse to change, because change is hard. My dad still uses a CD player. He's a dinosaur. He loves music. I can no longer help him get access to music he loves because he can't access spotify. If he had it, i could quickly send him a playlist and he would have instant access. He refused to embrace even the internet. He's beyond dinosaur, more like crustacean.

Vinyl is also very niche. Practically non existent. Who goes to a store and pays $20 for an album? 1 out of 1000? I am talking about where Fiio needs to go if they want to stay alive in the music business, and sticking ONLY to sd cards, usb drives, internal memory, and relying on a consumer base audience of ONE who has 6000 obscure live recordings is not going to help them drive sales.

Why talk about hypothetical spotify price increases? I can also say what happens if your sd card blows, a much more likely scenario. Where is your music then? What if you also lost your backup. Your music is GONE. You spent how much on your fiio player? If we have money to blow on high end products like this who cares about a dollar increase if it happens to occur in 2020? I don't care if spotify raises it's rates. Even if it doubles the price today, it's still a good deal. Everything goes up eventually. You can say the same about the x7. What is that? $700. Everyone is ready to jump on it. That's enough money to stream for almost seven years. Now many places have no internet? For most, lack of wifi or 3G is a non issue. Amd I am not saying the x7 has to do away with sd cards, only make that a slice, an option, not the entire cake.

You are not giving up control to a company, you are gaining control. Instant access to a lot of music. Is it because it's a corporation, and we can't trust a corporation? They don't pick your playlists. You don't get ads. I have easier control now with spotify than with my x5. Ipad music control through the spotify app is easier than using my x5. It also boots quicker and doesn't continuously revert to my root directory once it shuts off. I also streamed to my home stereo today and that is something my x5 cannot do.

Has youtube gone down? Facebook? Once spotify does go down it's because it's been supplanted by something even better. The music isn't going anywhere. What I am saying is fiio becomes even more of a niche product if it doesn't adapt to new technology. Trying to keep dinosaurs happy is not a good business model. We all have little bits and pieces we can't find online but the majority of music is online, and will only expand. If fiio refuses to include streaming, someone else will make a high end player with it and that's the one I buy next.

I 'know' 1000's of people who are into collecting live music and many have larger collections than I do.  There is a world beyond your world.

 

[JamesFiiO]

 

[olddude]

Ooooooh.   Circuit board porn.  

 

[mochill]

Sexy circuit board