I've listened to it for a couple of hours so far and here's my initial impressions:
1. It stacks well with my X3II. The fit together just right with only the volume knob extending out.
2. The mini interconnect is sweet, well done FiiO!
3. I haven't used the DAC function yet, but will get around to it at some point. I'm not a DAC user since my X3II is my primary listening device.
4. Now for the initial sound impressions. With the bass boost offf, the sound is meh. Not very lively, dry, narrow sound stage, and really bland. I did not enjoy the sound with the bass boost off at all and I think others will agree with me on this. Now with the boost on, the sound comes alive. It's fuller and the sound stage widens as well. The music has body and just comes to life with a flip of that switch.
5. My main reason for the amp was to extend the battery life of my X3II because I don't own any hard to drive headphones. I'm running the Q1 on low gain and found no difference in sound on high gain when volume was matched. I used my Grado SR60e headphones for this initial listening. I will try my Sennheisers when I have more time.
So far, I'm pleased with it and I'll give a more thorough review when I get some time.
I have some questions for you as I had an almost exact opposite experience, perhaps from the headphones used. So far I've tested my X1/Q1 stack with my SE-425's, a set of Beats Studios (original), and the Havit H91DJ's I'm currently reviewing. I will list my experiences in the same manner as you so people can see our comparison. Let me know how the Senn's go, as I'm very interested how the amp performs for you with a different set of cans.
1. No arguments here. Just like the X3II, the X1/Q1 Stack is perfectly sized, only the volume knob sticks out.
2. The mini interconnect just makes the combo look awesome. Although, personally I would've liked the jack/volume on the top. But I'm just getting picky.
3. DAC functions work great and was one of the simplest hardware setups I've done on a computer in a long time. Simply connect and listen. Foobar you may need to change your output to the DAC. Sounds are similar to those I would hear from my line out on X1 to the amp. More testing on this later.
4. For me and my test cans I could barely make out Bass boost difference regardless of Gain hi/lo, This may be because I was only pumping to volume 1.8-2 before it was satisfactory in volume. Regardless, sound was amazing. Full, larger sound stage. Even some more Bass out of the SE-425's. But regardless of bass boost/gain settings, it was an improvement, maybe because I'm comparing to direct listening with the X1 vs the X3II.
5. Gain hi vs. lo obviously makes the volume higher, but once volume was matched, I could hear a bit more sparkle in the highs for my SE-425's. On the Beats Studio the high gain allowed me to hear the very slight record scratches on my vinyl rip of Daft Punk's Give Life Back to Music, as well as give a more rich/full sound to the whole mix.
Obviously, as I come from an X1 rather than the X3II, I am giddy with joy over this purchase. But I am aware this may be due to the larger jump in quality in my portable setup vs. Fourrobert13's. Will complete a full review later on.
