[PL4Y3R 0N3]

So I purchased a Fiio x5ii from amazon and received it 7 days ago, and already it has broken on me. I don't blame Fiio, as these things happen sometimes, but I now have the chance to really take another look at all of the DAPs in the price range. I have a few requirements:
 
1) Speedy and intuitive UI (something I felt Fiio could have done better)
2) Great sound quality
3) future proofing
4) solid build quality
 
The Fiio is still an option as the only thing I didn't really like about it is how slow the UI could be at times. The layout was good, but it just felt like it could use a bit of refinement (granted I didn't update the hardware when I got it as I wanted to use it for a while first). 
I am also looking at the Astell&Kern AK Jr. I like the sleek looking form factor, but I want to know how it stacks up against the Fiio. 
 
Space isn't a problem as I actually have a pretty small music library. My biggest concern is that I want this to be my last DAP for a long while. I have a Fiio x1 that I will be using as a backup until I get my new player, so it isn't urgent that I get one right away, but I would like to get one soon.
 
As always, I am open to more suggestions of course.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Some more info:
 
Mainly going to be used with the Meze 99 Classics, does anyone know if these pair well with the AK Jr? I've heard the the AK Jr is on the warm side.
Also will use the Trinity Audio Phantom Master 6 (whenever that comes out 

 )
Main source for music is iTunes because I'm lazy and don't want to switch to something else. Some of it is ALAC rips, most just normal AAC.
also looking at the Ibasso DX80, but it seems a bit bulky.
 
Any in my price range that I've missed? Those are the three I've seen, but I'm not very knowledgeable about DAPs.

 

[NoteEater]

I was in the same boat as you just a few weeks ago. I bought the original X5 which I love and still think for straight music playing is a great DAP. The X5II would just accentuate that with some additional upgrades to the original. I don't think you can go wrong with the X5II.

I wanted to try something different so I bought an X7 for the nice screen, great DAC with decent implementation and the touch screen aspects that I found to not be so responsive at times. Strange. Also their firmware has been in beta for so many iterations. I had to let it go. Got frustrated with firmware that would somehow cause just normal music playback functions to not work correctly.

It is a higher price DAP and in my opinion not ready for prime time yet. Consider the new FiiO X5 gen 3 that should hit the states really soon. Looks like it is gonna be a killer DAP. MSRP $399. Cannot speak to the launch firmware however based on my X7 experience.

There is a Cayin N5 I believe in Massdrop at a very good price that just launched recently. I have heard good things about them but have no personal experience.

I settled for now on the DX80. The latest 1.5.8 firmware has been very stable for me and I am really enjoying the DAP. Touch screen is just like most of the old school mediocre touch screens we should be done with by now. It's not horrible just wish it was a bit more responsive and the scrolling to not be so quick. Sometimes hard to slow down the scroll to exactly which track or album you want.

The sound quality from the DX80 is very good IMO and certainly different to the FiiOs I have owned and tried out . It is certainly warmer than the FiiOs. I would not say bassy but forward in its presentation of all frequencies. A warm dynamic character that I am really enjoying. Listening to the more neutral FiiO X5 for the last two years makes me appreciate the difference a source player can make.

The DX80 is not that big really and has a pretty powerful headphone amp in it already so potentially no need for an add on portable amp depending upon which cans you use. I would compare the size to the X5. A bit taller but less wide and a tad bit thicker. The X5II is definitely smaller still.

I looked at the AK jr especially at the prices recently as well as the Onkyo and Pioneer. I decided I wanted two micro SD card slots and went the DX80 route. I am sure they are great DAPs, but a little pricier.

I think you should give the DX80 another consideration and don't rule out the X5II especially if you are looking for a less bassy DAP. If you can handle a warmer signature with controlled bass, look towards the DX80.

If it is too big, consider a FiiO X1II. Very small and has Bluetooth. I bought one to slip in my pocket to listen to BT headphones while doing work around the house. Best of both worlds really.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

I was in the same boat as you just a few weeks ago. I bought the original X5 which I love and still think for straight music playing is a great DAP. The X5II would just accentuate that with some additional upgrades to the original. I don't think you can go wrong with the X5II.

I wanted to try something different so I bought an X7 for the nice screen, great DAC with decent implementation and the touch screen aspects that I found to not be so responsive at times. Strange. Also their firmware has been in beta for so many iterations. I had to let it go. Got frustrated with firmware that would somehow cause just normal music playback functions to not work correctly.

It is a higher price DAP and in my opinion not ready for prime time yet. Consider the new FiiO X5 gen 3 that should hit the states really soon. Looks like it is gonna be a killer DAP. MSRP $399. Cannot speak to the launch firmware however based on my X7 experience.

There is a Cayin N5 I believe in Massdrop at a very good price that just launched recently. I have heard good things about them but have no personal experience.

I settled for now on the DX80. The latest 1.5.8 firmware has been very stable for me and I am really enjoying the DAP. Touch screen is just like most of the old school mediocre touch screens we should be done with by now. It's not horrible just wish it was a bit more responsive and the scrolling to not be so quick. Sometimes hard to slow down the scroll to exactly which track or album you want.

The sound quality from the DX80 is very good IMO and certainly different to the FiiOs I have owned and tried out . It is certainly warmer than the FiiOs. I would not say bassy but forward in its presentation of all frequencies. A warm dynamic character that I am really enjoying. Listening to the more neutral FiiO X5 for the last two years makes me appreciate the difference a source player can make.

The DX80 is not that big really and has a pretty powerful headphone amp in it already so potentially no need for an add on portable amp depending upon which cans you use. I would compare the size to the X5. A bit taller but less wide and a tad bit thicker. The X5II is definitely smaller still.

I looked at the AK jr especially at the prices recently as well as the Onkyo and Pioneer. I decided I wanted two micro SD card slots and went the DX80 route. I am sure they are great DAPs, but a little pricier.

I think you should give the DX80 another consideration and don't rule out the X5II especially if you are looking for a less bassy DAP. If you can handle a warmer signature with controlled bass, look towards the DX80.

If it is too big, consider a FiiO X1II. Very small and has Bluetooth. I bought one to slip in my pocket to listen to BT headphones while doing work around the house. Best of both worlds really.

Thanks for your response.
 
So... Funny thing happened. Suddenly my x5ii came back to life. Now, I know i wasn't dreaming, and that what happened was not a normal function, but I'm just not going to question it. I'm about 90% ready to just send it back, not because I dont like it, but because if that happened once it will almost certainly happen again. I may re-buy it, but for now I feel the safest bet is to just send it back and go back over my options.
 
I'll give the Ibasso some more thought. The Ibasso and x5ii are the two I see compared most often, so I'm sure it is a very capable DAP. ATM I don't need a ton of power, so the sleeker AK Jr is quickly growing on me. The only problem I could see happening is finding out that any one of them Doesn't pair well with the Meze 99 Classics, but I don't think that will be a problem with any of those players.
 
Also, I kind of want to stay under $300. I don't see any point in having a DAP that is more expensive than my headphones, although I'm sure those are all great DAPs. 
 
The size isn't really a huge problem unless it's some gigantic monster DAP. The x5ii is a very good size to me, and my pockets are roomy enough for something slightly bigger if need be, but i would rather not carry around a hulking, massive brick of a DAP no matter how good it sounds. That is one of the main reasons I got a DAP instead of a portable DAC/amp combo to stack with my phone or x1. 

 

[NoteEater]

Totally understand. It's addictive though and you most likely will end up with more than one source player down the road.

The FiiOs do have atendancy to periodically lockup. My X5 would do it 2-3 x per year. This is why hey give you those small pins so you can do a hard reset. After the hard resets my X5 went back to business flawlessly for many months. I am sure other FiiO owners here would back that up as well. Definitely update your firmware if you have not already. They are notoriously sold with firmware 2-3 iterations prior. If you check the FiiO website you will see the latest firmware and what is in each iteration.

If you are caught between the two DAPs and you still have the FiiO, why. It order a DX80 and test them both against each other and keep the one you prefer?

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Totally understand. It's addictive though and you most likely will end up with more than one source player down the road.

The FiiOs do have atendancy to periodically lockup. My X5 would do it 2-3 x per year. This is why hey give you those small pins so you can do a hard reset. After the hard resets my X5 went back to business flawlessly for many months. I am sure other FiiO owners here would back that up as well. Definitely update your firmware if you have not already. They are notoriously sold with firmware 2-3 iterations prior. If you check the FiiO website you will see the latest firmware and what is in each iteration.

If you are caught between the two DAPs and you still have the FiiO, why. It order a DX80 and test them both against each other and keep the one you prefer?

Oh I definitely plan on collecting, but that is for down the road.
Sadly the x5ii does not have a hard reset button. The hard reset apparently was to hold down the power button for 15 seconds, but that didn't work for me.
And as nice as buying two and comparing and then sending back one sounds, because of my hectic schedule it would end up being more of a hassle than it normally would be for most people (trips back and forth to Florida, college, working on houses, etc...). That is why I just got the x5ii. It was readily available on Amazon and I had a x1 at the time (still do actually). I wish now I had waited and researched more DAPs as I am now strongly considering just getting the AK Jr. mostly I am looking for others that would be better in the price range, but I don't know if I will find any considering that the AK Jr is $500 msrp and seemed like a solid DAP at that price.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Best bang for buck DAP still IMO, is a used iBasso DX90.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

  Best bang for buck DAP still IMO, is a used iBasso DX90.

I considered the DX90, but as you can see by my track record with electronics, I really shouldn't be getting anything without a warranty.
 
Speaking of track record with electronics, my x5ii isn't turning on.... again....
Working or not come tomorrow this thing is going back. It's obviously defective. I just can't figure out what could cause it to act like this. 

 

[H20Fidelity]

  I considered the DX90, but as you can see by my track record with electronics, I really shouldn't be getting anything without a warranty.
 
Speaking of track record with electronics, my x5ii isn't turning on.... again....
Working or not come tomorrow this thing is going back. It's obviously defective. I just can't figure out what could cause it to act like this. 

 
DX90 = worth it.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

DX90 = worth it.

It definitely has impressive hardware specs, but I really want to buy new at this point, and a new DX90 is much more expensive than a DX80. Thank you for that suggestion though. If my budget goes up, it will definitely be a top contender.

 

[daulagiri]

If you feel FiiO's UI is slow, don't get AKjr, you'll hate it in no time. Super sluggish .

Cayin N5 is on Massdrop now and fit your budget. Check it out!

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

If you feel FiiO's UI is slow, don't get AKjr, you'll hate it in no time. Super sluggish

.

Cayin N5 is on Massdrop now and fit your budget. Check it out!

Well that is disappointing. I was hoping that the AK Jr would have a better UI than the Fiio, but if that isn't the case then I am not sure what to do. 
Thanks for the recommendation of the Cayin player, but I was hoping to get it on amazon as it would be quicker and easier in my case to just do that. Although I do enjoy browsing Massdrop from time to time, I don't want to have to wait 7 days for my refund and then wait even longer to receive my product from Massdrop. However, the N5 isn't that far over my budget on amazon, so I will definitely consider it, but I still have not made a decision.
So the current options are:
 
Another Fiio x5ii
The AK Jr (still kinda wanting to try it)
The Ibasso DX80
The Cayin N5
 
Any that I missed?

 

[Dulalala]

  Well that is disappointing. I was hoping that the AK Jr would have a better UI than the Fiio, but if that isn't the case then I am not sure what to do. 

No it does have a much better UI but the processing power on the AK Jr is so slow that I can't use it without getting frustrated from the lag.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

  No it does have a much better UI but the processing power on the AK Jr is so slow that I can't use it without getting frustrated from the lag.

Ahhhhhhhh....... Now that makes sense. That is a killer for me, one that even overcomes its sleek profile and good looks. I guess that when you have limited space something has to be effected. 
 
Now the Ibasso is the frontrunner. 
 
Any recommendations @Dulalala?

 

[H20Fidelity]

  Well that is disappointing. I was hoping that the AK Jr would have a better UI than the Fiio, but if that isn't the case then I am not sure what to do. 
Thanks for the recommendation of the Cayin player, but I was hoping to get it on amazon as it would be quicker and easier in my case to just do that. Although I do enjoy browsing Massdrop from time to time, I don't want to have to wait 7 days for my refund and then wait even longer to receive my product from Massdrop. However, the N5 isn't that far over my budget on amazon, so I will definitely consider it, but I still have not made a decision.
So the current options are:
 
Another Fiio x5ii
The AK Jr (still kinda wanting to try it)
The Ibasso DX80
The Cayin N5
 
Any that I missed?

 
Take the iBasso DX80.
 
While you're at it check my profile at the sources I've own/owned for reassurance.