[Brooko]

Connected X7 to my phone hoping to enjoy that X7s masterrace sq while still using my phone... Split second pauses and crackles all over. Quite a letdown, especially when my trusty E17 works perfect under the same conditions.

 
Curious - the X7 is a DAP and pretty much TOTL with the DAC set-up.  So it's designed to play music.  Why on earth would you want to pair it with your phone?  Or am I missing something here?

 

[x RELIC x]

maybe future X7s or X7pro will be equipped with Android 5,0, 2G memory and dual ESS chip.

Dual ESS is not neccessary in the X7 because of the desktop chip they've implemented (very well I might add). When using the mobile 2 channel variation of the chip you need a dual configuration for balanced output, not so with the 8 channel ESS9018S FiiO has chosen for the X7.

 

[frifox]

   
Curious - the X7 is a DAP and pretty much TOTL with the DAC set-up.  So it's designed to play music.  Why on earth would you want to pair it with your phone?  Or am I missing something here?

 
I watch TV shows on my phone. Phone's DAC is so crap that at low volumes the artifacts and the high noise floor are too much to ignore. Also, the EMI noise in the right channel on my X7 are also an issue, so much that I would rather use my phone to stream and use X7 as the DAC, for a noise-free experience.

 

[Brooko]

  I watch TV shows on my phone. Phone's DAC is so crap that at low volumes the artifacts and the high noise floor are too much to ignore. Also, the EMI noise in the right channel on my X7 are also an issue, so much that I would rather use my phone to stream and use X7 as the DAC, for a noise-free experience.

 
Oh - OK - makes sense.  Personally I'd stick with the E17 to pair with your phone, and use the X7 purely for your music.

 

[Brooko]

Got the DAC working in X7 tonight > PC > K5 + X7 (docked) > Headphones
 
Had to disable driver enforcement in Win 10 first - after that everything was smooth. Resolution available up to 24/192.  Sounds very good. Nice implementation.  Brilliant with the K5 - the two were made for each other. 

 

[ph58]

  Got the DAC working in X7 tonight > PC > K5 + X7 (docked) > Headphones
 
Had to disable driver enforcement in Win 10 first - after that everything was smooth. Resolution available up to 24/192.  Sounds very good. Nice implementation.  Brilliant with the K5 - the two were made for each other. 

Hi , can you show exactly how to do please , for using the X7 (docked) with the K5 on Windows 10 , are there somethings to do on the X7 , K5 ? Thanks in advance .

 

[junz415]

Dual ESS is not neccessary in the X7 because of the desktop chip they've implemented (very well I might add). When using the mobile 2 channel variation of the chip you need a dual configuration for balanced output, not so with the 8 channel ESS9018S FiiO has chosen for the X7.

 
that make sense to me, but the Hifiman HM901s has dual ESS9018 tho

 

[ClassicGOD]

 
how can u choose other modes beside 24/192? I am trying to find it in the options. 

If you want to change sample rate in OSX you have to use Audio MIDI Setup (it is a system app, just use spotlight to find it)
 

Mac OSX seems to automatically upsample to 24/192. My X5 is like this too. Not sure why it does that. I have Windows 10 on a separate partition so I tried out the drivers on it. The sample rate is normal, but I noticed both OSs have latency when first loading a song.

I'm not talking about the delay when first starting an audio stream - that is normal for some DACs. I'm talking about the constant latency you get when the audio is running. For example: if the X7 is set to 24/96 when I'm in game (I've noticed it while playing) and I shot, the audio is played with a noticeable latency. If i'm in 24/192 the latency is not there. This could point to some kind of software upsampling in X7 and I would like FiiO to make a statement about this.

 

[Brooko]

  Hi , can you show exactly how to do please , for using the X7 (docked) with the K5 on Windows 10 , are there somethings to do on the X7 , K5 ? Thanks in advance .

 
 
First head over to here (right hand side of the page) - and download the driver, and unzip it.
 
Next, you'll need to disable driver checking in Win10.
 
Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > on right hand side click Advanced Start-Up "Restart Now"
 
Basically you'll get the option to reboot and change start-up settings.  When that happens choose option 7 - "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement"
 
Boot should be as per usual.
 
Next, turn the X7 on, pull down on the right hand side of the screen (assuming you are in Android mode) and tap the box that says storage so that it changes to "USB DAC"
 
Plug the X7 into the K5 and and turn the K5 on. You should get a screen on the X7 with a big musical note emblem and the sampel rate at the bottom.
 
Now go to where you put the DAC driver, run set-up, and work your way through the install.
 
At the end (you'll be prompted along the way that things aren't signed - but just click install anyway) once driver loads, you should see the X7 appear as an option (when you right click the volume control in Win 10 and choose playback devices.
 
Make the X7 default.
 
Plug headphones into K5
 
Enjoy.

 

[ph58]

   
 
First head over to here (right hand side of the page) - and download the driver, and unzip it.
 
Next, you'll need to disable driver checking in Win10.
 
Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > on right hand side click Advanced Start-Up "Restart Now"
 
Basically you'll get the option to reboot and change start-up settings.  When that happens choose option 7 - "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement"
 
Boot should be as per usual.
 
Next, turn the X7 on, pull down on the right hand side of the screen (assuming you are in Android mode) and tap the box that says storage so that it changes to "USB DAC"
 
Plug the X7 into the K5 and and turn the K5 on. You should get a screen on the X7 with a big musical note emblem and the sampel rate at the bottom.
 
Now go to where you put the DAC driver, run set-up, and work your way through the install.
 
At the end (you'll be prompted along the way that things aren't signed - but just click install anyway) once driver loads, you should see the X7 appear as an option (when you right click the volume control in Win 10 and choose playback devices.
 
Make the X7 default.
 
Plug headphones into K5
 
Enjoy.

OK , that is very clear ! And easy to understand .  Thanks a lot to you

 

[x RELIC x]

that make sense to me, but the Hifiman HM901s has dual ESS9018 tho

Yes, I'm aware. :wink_face:

 

[OSiRiSsk]

Hey all,
 
the default settings of the USB DAC function is 192 KHz / 24 bits
 
in OS X it is possible to change this via "Audio Midi Setup" to different values - i.e. 96 KHz or  44 KHz.
 
Should I meddle with these default settings? If so, how, why, and what will it change in practice?
 
Typically my music coming out from my PC has various settings from 16bit/44KHz FLAC to youtube videos.
 
Thanks.

 

[chowmein83]

  If you want to change sample rate in OSX you have to use Audio MIDI Setup (it is a system app, just use spotlight to find it)
 
I'm not talking about the delay when first starting an audio stream - that is normal for some DACs. I'm talking about the constant latency you get when the audio is running. For example: if the X7 is set to 24/96 when I'm in game (I've noticed it while playing) and I shot, the audio is played with a noticeable latency. If i'm in 24/192 the latency is not there. This could point to some kind of software upsampling in X7 and I would like FiiO to make a statement about this.

 
Are you running Windows or Mac OSX?
 
I'm actually finding lots of lag myself on Windows, but I think I've been able to pinpoint the cause - the X7 has problems when you switch between different sampling rates. For example, if I play a regular CD track at 44.1 kHz, and then I switch to a movie clip with 48 kHz sound, the audio on the movie will start lagging behind the picture. However, if I let the movie play for a moment, stop it (and leave it for like 5 seconds), and then play the 48 kHz sound movie clip again, I've found that the lag disappears. I've switched between multiple sample rates doing this, and I've been able to replicate this behavior consistently.

 

[ClassicGOD]

   
Are you running Windows or Mac OSX?
 
I'm actually finding lots of lag myself on Windows, but I think I've been able to pinpoint the cause - the X7 has problems when you switch between different sampling rates. For example, if I play a regular CD track at 44.1 kHz, and then I switch to a movie clip with 48 kHz sound, the audio on the movie will start lagging behind the picture. However, if I let the movie play for a moment, stop it (and leave it for like 5 seconds), and then play the 48 kHz sound movie clip again, I've found that the lag disappears. I've switched between multiple sample rates doing this, and I've been able to replicate this behavior consistently.

I'm running both but the latency I observed was on Windows (I've not looked for it on Mac). Try running at 24/192, you'll probably find that there is no lag there. I think X7 is doing some upsampling in software for lower sampling rates.

 

[chowmein83]

  I'm running both but the latency I observed was on Windows (I've not looked for it on Mac). Try running at 24/192, you'll probably find that there is no lag there. I think X7 is doing some upsampling in software for lower sampling rates.

 
I just tried this, and you're right the lag immediately goes away once you set it to 24/192. But the weird things is (maybe it's just my computer) I've found that after setting it to 24/192, I can set it to 24/96 with still no lag.
 
Also, I presume you've set it to Low Latency in the TUSB control panel?
 
EDIT: Ok, scratch part of what I said. I can still make the lag come back if I set it to 24/96 after initially setting it to 24/192. It's odd, there are times the X7 works fine in USB DAC mode, but then under certain conditions (haven't exactly nailed it down yet) the sound will start to lag.