[Joe Bloggs]

Mimouille has received the X7 preview unit! Impressions coming soon!<--Click me



It's here, folks! This needs no introduction but here goes:
Firstly, see the original X7 thread to see what the fuss is all about if you need to:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/713735/x7-the-flagship-dap-from-fiio-updated-on-15-12-2014

Now, on behalf of FiiO, I'm finally proud to announce that the X7 is going on its preview world tour; several head-fiers have been given the chance to play with our first ever Android-based Digital Audio Player, running the Sabre ES9018 (the original and best) DAC! For free! (including reimbursement for any import duties, but excluding costs for shipping to the next reviewer / back to FiiO).

Please note that the preview X7's will ship with the "IEM" amp modules only. That doesn't stop you from trying the X7 with other types of earphones, but listening impressions should thus mainly be based around IEMs and earbuds.

Keep your eyes on this thread as the preview units are shipped out and preview impressions start appearing!

Shipping info:
Depending on the geographical distribution of selected reviewers, FiiO will ship out several X7's, one or more to reviewers in each region, e.g. USA, Europe, SE Asia, Pacific region, etc. so that shipping costs from one reviewer to the next is kept low. FiiO will pay for shipping to the first reviewer and any customs taxes / import duties that may result from the X7 crossing countries.

•Please note that the review X7's will not ship with micro SD cards. Please prepare your own micro SD cards and music files for review.

Review regulations (subject to change before the tour commences):
•Reviewers should keep the X7 for at most 10 days before shipping to the next reviewer.
•Reviewers should ship the X7 to the next reviewer by registered post requiring signature in the padded box provided.
•Reviewers will not be held responsible for any damage to the X7 sustained during shipping or normal usage.
•Reviewers should do the preview fairly and objectively, and related product photos are required. (Alternatively, video reviews are welcome )
•Reviewers need not overstate the advantages of the products.
•Reviewers should indicate that the review X7's are free loan units, in order to avoid any misunderstandings.
•Reviewers are prohibited from using or disseminating pirated music on the X7.
•Reviewers are reminded to listen responsibly and safely to the X7, to not use it when operating machinery or driving, and not to drive headphones to excessive volume with the X7.
•Reviewers should post the completed preview content to this thread and the FiiO X7 review page: http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-x7 please also provide Joe Bloggs with the links to your review, for me to come and admire your work
•Please contact Joe Bloggs in advance if you have any difficulties with the X7 in the course of your preview, so I may help you resolve it if possible

Ready, steady, GO!

 

[Joe Bloggs]

2016-01-31
X7 firmware version 1.8
Download link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xsk5a8w9srjk2vl/X7_v5_20160131-ota-update-FW1.8.zip?dl=0

The following changes and improvements were made to X7 FW1.8 over FW1.5:

1. Added USB DAC function (DAC driver required for windows; driver-free for Mac);
2. Added support for AM2 (medium-power) headphone amplifier module;
3. Increased sound quality of third party apps when playing hi-res music of higher than 44.1kHz sample rate;
4. Increased volume of third party apps;
5. Increased bluetooth volume;
6. Fixed some UI display issues.

The following changes and improvements were made to the FiiO Music music player app:
1. Added DLNA function;
2. Fixed issue where albums under the Artists listing could not be opened for browsing;
3. Fixed issue where a library scan may fail on occasion;
4. "Prev track" button now goes back to beginning to present track if it has been playing for more than 10s;
5. Fixed issue where the app registers as "not responding" while scanning the X7 for media; added "scanning" notification to UI;
6. Whole-album music files are now hidden when they are split by a CUE sheet (the split tracks are shown);
7. Volume can now be adjusted by sliding finger up and down the screen after volume interface is shown by pressing volume buttons;
8. Fixed issue where adjusting lyrics' position offset on one song affected offset on all songs;
9. Fixed issue where Bluetooth devices could not control play and pause actions;
10. Fixed issue where the song listings do not update after an automatic media library update;
11. Fixed issue where Next and Prev track do not take effect after adjusting an EQ setting;
12. Playback position within Favorites can now also be memorized on exiting.

Note: if Google Play does not function correctly after an update from before FW1.5, it may be necessary to boot into recovery mode (hold volume and power buttons) and wipe the system cache and perform a factory reset. Please back up all data on your X7 before attempting this.

Note 2: Firmware version 1.3 and above will get push notifications for updates automatically over-the-air, so you can update it via OTA after connecting to WiFi. If there is no push notifications for FW1.4, please kindly re-connect to WiFi or restart the X7. Or if your X7's current firmware is older than version 1.3, you may still need to download the firmware file to update.

Note 3: after an update from before FW1.5, ES File Explorer icon does not appear on the homescreen automatically. You may add it from the app drawer manually.

How to manually update X7's firmware
Before updating:
1. Make sure that the X7 is adequately charged (preferably fully charged).
2. Switch X7 from Pure Music mode to Android Mode and restart X7 (if not already in Android Mode) so that Android functions may be accessed: pull down settings menu from the right and click Mode button to change from Pure Music to Android and reboot

To update:
1. Connect the X7 to your computer via the provided USB cable
2. Pull down status menu from left, select USB Connected->Turn on USB storage
3. Copy the provided update zip file to an easily accessible location on the X7, preferably the root directory of the external SD card
4. Eject the X7's drives on the computer to cleanly unmount the X7 from the computer; disconnect the USB cable
5. Click on the Home button (middle soft button at the bottom) to go to the Android homescreen and click Support->Update
6. Browse to the update zip file loaded, click on it and click OK to confirm the update
7. X7 will reboot, enter update mode to apply the update, and reboot back into Android when the update is complete.

Spoiler: Info on older firmware

2015-12-25
X7 firmware version 1.5
Download link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ucyr69u5p0wt9t/X7_v5_20151225-ota-update-FW1.5.zip?dl=0
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware 1.5 compared to 1.4:
1. Added support for Google Play (now built into firmware)
2. ES File Explorer has been added to replace the built-in file browser.
3. New dialog prompting reboot added for when the Android / Pure Music mode switch button is pressed.
4. Reduced mechanical transient sound on reboot.
5. Corrected behavior of idle poweroff and sleep timer (fixed unintentional shutdown issue).
6. Added support for planned amp modules (being currently in pre-production).
7. Miscellaneous bug fixes.

2015-12-17
X7 firmware version 1.4
Download link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ipopduqygwqtije/X7_v5_20151217-ota-update-FW1.4.zip?dl=0
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware version 1.4:
compared to FW1.3:

1. Fixed the issue of possible auto pause after screen off.
2. Amended EQ to ±6dB.
3. Enabled adding any songs to Playlist/Favorite.
4. Added the function of reading files via OTG.
5. Added explanatory text below the icon of Scan all and scan Selected folder(s).
6. Optimized the loading rate of SD Card.
7. Broadened the volume adjustment area on screen.
8. Broadened the area sliding from the right for callout of current playlist.
9. Broadened the area for quick search.

2015-12-09
X7 firmware version 1.3
Download link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ofzp2yqmibkltwh/X7_v5_20151204-ota-update-FW1.3.zip?dl=0
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware version 1.3:
1. Implemented / fixed pulsar light on/off settings customization
2. Fixed issue where the X7 played music without sound / did not play
3. Implemented Over-the-air push notifications for future updates
4. Implemented idle poweroff option for X7 (not just FiiO Music)
5. Screen rotation set to off by default (please turn off screen rotation when downloading over-the-air updates to prevent interruption)
6. FiiO Music app version: 1.6

(firmware version 1.3 and above will obtain updates automatically over-the-air)


2015-11-25
X7 firmware version 1.1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ru5pho84qooxbw/X7FW1.1%20ota-update.ZIP?dl=0
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware version 1.1 compared to 1.0:
(to be added)

First release X7 firmware:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dujjy1x3wa8gih1/X7_v5__FW1.0-20151103-ota-update.zip?dl=0
X7 firmware 1.0 (2015-11-05)
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware 1.0 compared to beta firmware:
1. Removed non-functional google search bar;
2. Removed whitelist restriction (any user app can now be installed);
3. Amended battery meter parameters for more accurate battery readouts;
4. Bluetooth device name changed from "rk3188" to "FiiO X7"
5. Kernel version / build number revised to FW1.0
6. FiiO Music app version updated to v1.3

 

[jrazmar]

WOW! I still could remember the Fiio E5 that I had before and look at how far Fiio had come up to this point...just wow. Congrats Fiio for the X7! Such a pretty DAP. Not sure if I can qualify for the world tour but I'll give it a shot:
 
Headphone(s) you possess: VE Zen & Monk, Blox BE3 & BE7, Baldoor E100 & some Dasetn and Tingo earbuds
DAP(s) you possess: Studio V3 & Clip+
FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): hopefully one soon
Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: hopefully soon
Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: English, Filipino
 
Thanks & more power to Fiio!!!

 

[420204]

-Headphone(s) you possess: Final - Pandora Hope VI, AKG K240 Sextett (made in the 70's, 600ohm), Pro-Ject Hear it One, Sennheiser HD558
-DAP(s) you possess: X1, X3, X3ii, X5ii, AK240
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): X1, X3, X3ii, X5ii, E12, L16
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: http://www.head-fi.org/users/420204/reviews
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Graz, Austria
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: German, English, French

 

[Mordi]

-Headphone(s) you possess: SHURE SRH1540
-DAP(s) you possess: Fiio Mont Blanc-E12A
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): Fiio x5, Fiio x5 2nd edition
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted:
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Tel Aviv, Israel
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: German, English, Hebrew, French
 
Mordechai Blum

 

[Dan Bretherton]

-Headphone(s) you possess: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
-DAP(s) you possess: Fiio X5
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): Fiio X5, Fiio E17k, Fiio E10k
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: None but have a desire to get started
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Newcastle,Australia
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: English, Aussie Slang.

 

[Mimouille]

-Headphone(s) you possess: Spiral Ear SE5 Ultimate, JH Roxannes Universal, Tralucent Ref1 Too, Fitear MH335DW, Shure SE846, Audio Technica ATH-ES10
-DAP(s) you possess: Astell & Kern AK240SS, Altmann Tera Player, Ipod Classic
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): None
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: http://www.head-fi.org/t/763752/astell-kern-ak380/1275#post_11756414 (just my latest impressions, I haven't done reviews in a while)
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Beijing, China
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in : French, English

 

[vaibhavp]

Headphone(s) you possess: Sennheiser HD700, AKG K550, Sony XBA A1 AP
DAP(s) you possess: Fiio X5 Classic
FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): Fiio X5 Classic, E12 Mont Blanc
Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/akg-k-550/reviews/11128
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fidue-a73-hybrid-monitor-earphones-with-universal-single-button-remote-and-microphone/reviews/13480

Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Gurgaon, India
Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: English, Hindi

 

[Brooko]

Pretty sure you already have this info 

 
Please apply by replying to this thread and including the following information in your reply:

-Headphone(s) you possess: - main = T1, HD600, AKG K553 // Adel U6, DN-2000J, q-Jays, Curve2, A83, Trinity Delta
In reality - too many to list - so http://www.head-fi.org/u/170914/brooko
 
-DAP(s) you possess: - X1, X3ii, X5, X5ii, L&P LP5, LP5 Pro (should be here in time), iPhone5S
 
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): - X1, X3ii, X5, X5ii, E11K, E17K
 
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: http://www.head-fi.org/t/762394/brookos-reviews-past-future
 
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): New Zealand
 
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in English
 
As per usual, I can organise NZ and Australian tours.  This one will be popular - so you may want to split it.

 

[x RELIC x]

-Headphone(s) you possess:
MrSpeakers ETHER C, JH Angie IEM, Audeze LCD-XC, LCD-2.2 (non-Fazor), AKG-K550, Vmoda M-100

-DAP(s) you possess:
FiiO X5, FiiO X5ii, iPod Classic, iPhone 5s

-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any):
FiiO X5, FiiO X5ii, FiiO e12, (had FiiO e17, FiiO X3)

-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted:
Cayin N6 review:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/cayin-n6-pcm1792a-chip-dsd-lossless-music-player/reviews/13317

FiiO X5ii review:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-x5-2nd-gen-premium-hi-res-dap/reviews/14119

-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in):
Lower Mainland, BC, Canada

-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in:
English

 

[yellowbirdfly]

I doubt I will get chosen but it doesn't hurt to try:
 
-Headphone(s) you possess:
Dunu DN-2000, JVC FX850, Audio Technica ATH-IM03, ATH-CKR9LTD, ATH-AD2000, HiFiMAN HE-500, Sennheiser HD650
 
-DAP(s) you possess:
HiFiMAN HM-650, Sony NW-A16, xDuoo X2 (Had: All FiiO DAPs ever released, Cayin N6, iBasso DX90, HDP-R10, Sony Z1070, F805)
 
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any):
E12DIY (Had: All FiiO DAPs, E11K, E12, E7)
 
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted:
None but always wanted to start
 
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in):
Singapore
 
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in:
English, Chinese
 
Thanks to FiiO for organizing this tour!

 

[skalkman]

-Headphone(s) you possess:

InEar stagediver SD-2
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (250Ω)
Pioneer HDJ-1000

-DAP(s) you possess:

FiiO x3

-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any):

FiiO X3
FiiO E10
FiiO E12
FiiO E5

-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted:

http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-x5-high-res-portable-music-player/reviews/10910

-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in):

Bromölla, Skåne, Sweden.

-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: Swedish, English.

 

[rajibranjan]

-Headphone(s) you possess: Hifiman-RE400, Fiio EX1, SoundMagic-E10
-DAP(s) you possess: Fiio X5
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): Fiio X5, E06, EX1 (Ordered and waiting for delivery!)
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: 
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Bangalore, India
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: Native Language: Assamese, Can write the review in: English

 

[RedTwilight]

-Headphone(s) you possess: ATH-M40X, Trinity Delta, Havi B3 Pro 1, KZ ANV, ATE, ED9, ED10, VE Monk
-DAP(s) you possess: Fiio X3, Xperia Z3
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): Fiio X3, E12DIY, (does the stacking kit count?)
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: In my sig! + 2 more upcoming
-Geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Singapore
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: English

Fiio has really come a long way! Good luck everyone!

 

[Tobias89]

I'd like to join!!!!

-Headphone(s) you possess: Shure SE846, 1964/64audio A12, Hidition NT6, AAW W300, VE Monk
-DAP(s) you possess: AK100ii, Chord Hugo, Creative E5
-FiiO product(s) you possess (if any): None ATM
-Descriptions and links to review(s) you have posted: review for RHA T20 (http://www.head-fi.org/products/rha-t20/reviews/14071). Review for creative E5 and Fiio's Ex1 (tour unit) soon!
-Your geographical region (e.g. the city and country you live in): Singapore
-Your native language, followed by any other languages you can write in: English