[superuser1]

To my ears (and measuring rig), they're very, very small. All seven filter options here:



A couple of possible explanations:

1) The filters somehow have zero effect when the X7ii is used as a USB DAC (see the mains glitch in the above!). I had some communications with Paul (from iBasso) about this and there was some suggestion this might be the case. Not sure why USB DAC mode would disable the effect of these filters, but that's a possibility I heard from a DAP manufacturer that uses the same DAC chip as the X7ii.
2) These filters aren't supposed to have much/any effect on FR, but rather on the pre-/post-ringing from an impulse response.

In either case, the differences are just a bit too subtle for my ears.

Just as one would expect. Thank you very much for the FR curve.

 

[Dobrescu George]

The filters are definitely a function of the DAC chip - and they are extremely minor in variation. I can't hear a difference, and often wondered why other people supposedly could. Csglinux's graph shows why really.

The main differences are in how mcuh each musical note tails, and in the very high cymbal hits.

Those differences are fairly small in reality , still nice to have

 

[Paulo Abreu]

The main differences are in how mcuh each musical note tails, and in the very high cymbal hits.

Those differences are fairly small in reality , still nice to have

I've been curious also about those filters. I confess I can't distinguish a bit - As far as I've read those effects happen on +20K , far away from my audible range ...
Maybe in very high end implementations of the DAC (with TOTL speakers, etc) and in very controlled environments its possible to hear a difference? Funny however some published articles referred as "our beta testers preferred apodizing", or others. This seems like more of marketing material, consumers like specs, complex specs, even if they don't fully understand them... he he.

Btw, didn't mention before but very happy you finally got X7 ii (I did an instant like). Keep coming your impressions so that we can feel better with our purchase - LOL


Regards

 

[damex]

i found short 3.5mm optical to toslink cable from Furutech. is there any other options to use with Fiio x7mk2?
completely digital cable that cost 70$~...? oh well

 

[mrmoto050]

If my understanding is correct, fast roll-offs and brick walls don't give treble roll-off at all.



Well

The sonic part of X7mkii is really good

Comparing it to DX200 is going to be complicated - I keep saying this, but DX200 is something I'd get for headphones regardless of the price implied, it really stacks up to 5000$+ setups when it comes to its resolving abilities. It will be fun to see how X7mkii feels compared to it.

My impressions so far have been about X7mkii alone, not comparing it to anything else. Whether it compares well to the competition is another story and requires further testing aside from whether it sounds good on its own, but man, it sounds really good on its own

@twister6 has posted a review comparing the DX200 AMP3 with the X7mkii AM03A in Bal Mode.

 

[mrmoto050]

Don't go for an iBasso DAP. I've had three DX200. The first one I sold to fund something else. The second developed a screen fault after two weeks and the third arrived with the Wi-Fi not working. That's 66% failure rate.

You failed to mention you purchase open box items.

 

[397324]

Only the third one was an "open box" purchase. Thanks for the opportunity to put the record straight.

 

[mrmoto050]

Only the third one was an "open box" purchase. Thanks for the opportunity to put the record straight.

Apologies then

 

[Dobrescu George]

@twister6 has posted a review comparing the DX200 AMP3 with the X7mkii AM03A in Bal Mode.

Oh yes, Alex is doing a great job in comparing them as well!

Only the third one was an "open box" purchase. Thanks for the opportunity to put the record straight.

I haven't had any problem with DX200 yet, works smooth as butter, so I wouldn't generalize based on two-three issues some people had. iBasso is very practical with their warranty and will help customers - same can be said about FiiO. Both are great companies.

 

[mottykytu]

@twister6 has posted a review comparing the DX200 AMP3 with the X7mkii AM03A in Bal Mode.

Can you please give me the link?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Can you please give me the link?

I think this might be the link https://twister6.com/2017/09/11/fiio-x7ii-wam3a-vs-ibasso-dx200-wamp3/

 

[CarstenF]

Nope the tool is the only way.

On the positive side at least there is way to downgrade - with Apple products

The filter is applied at the DAC firmware level and applies to all digital-to-analog conversion on the player, regardless of app or type of file. So you would get the issue on all players if it was broken. However, as others have said the distinction between the filters is so minimal it's likely you're just not noticing the difference.

Yes, I know that the filter is applied at the dac level
And I also know that the audible differences are small.
But I used to be able to hear the filter differences with the FiiO X7 II whereas Itoday I cannot

I am wondering whether this is due to the firmware upgrade to 1.0.3 - perhaps something was broken so that you can no longer switch between filters in audio settings while music is playing.

But I don"t want to blame the firmware version because it could be some other factor such as my hearing today.

Could someone who could hear filter differences with the X7 II before please tell me if he can still hear these while switching filters on firmware 1.0.3 (while music is playing)?

 

[CarstenF]

To my ears (and measuring rig), they're very, very small. All seven filter options here:



A couple of possible explanations:

1) The filters somehow have zero effect when the X7ii is used as a USB DAC (see the mains glitch in the above!). I had some communications with Paul (from iBasso) about this and there was some suggestion this might be the case. Not sure why USB DAC mode would disable the effect of these filters, but that's a possibility I heard from a DAP manufacturer that uses the same DAC chip as the X7ii.
2) These filters aren't supposed to have much/any effect on FR, but rather on the pre-/post-ringing from an impulse response.

In either case, the differences are just a bit too subtle for my ears.

What firmware version of the X7 II did you use for the test?
I would expect a slightly more pronounced high treble effect with the slow roll-off filters for CD quality audio.

 

[Battlefier]

On the positive side at least there is way to downgrade - with Apple products


Yes, I know that the filter is applied at the dac level
And I also know that the audible differences are small.
But I used to be able to hear the filter differences with the FiiO X7 II whereas Itoday I cannot

I am wondering whether this is due to the firmware upgrade to 1.0.3 - perhaps something was broken so that you can no longer switch between filters in audio settings while music is playing.

But I don"t want to blame the firmware version because it could be some other factor such as my hearing today.

Could someone who could hear filter differences with the X7 II before please tell me if he can still hear these while switching filters on firmware 1.0.3 (while music is playing)?

Personally I didn't notice any difference while comparing the filters, neither on 1.0.2 nor on 1.0.3

 

[csglinux]

What firmware version of the X7 II did you use for the test?
I would expect a slightly more pronounced high treble effect with the slow roll-off filters for CD quality audio.

FW 1.0.0. I would also have expected differences. I can't tell you why I couldn't measure any. But FWIW, I had the same experience with the iBasso DX200 and there was/is a possibility that the filters on the ESS 9028Pro DAC chip are somehow disabled when using the DAP in USB DAC mode (which was how I made the measurements).