Introducing ONIX Waltz XM10 Ltd - First Standalone Portable Android Player by ONIX

[warrenpchi]

thanks. using it as a dac/amp with iphone how would you compare the sound signature to the mojo2?
i have a mono2/poly combo which is kinda nice as you don’t have wires though if the quality is better (more resolving) i am definitely interested.
the dc elite is definitely a strain on the battery and adding magsafe it makes it bulky indeed. though in my collection it is incredibly resolving which is what i am seeking in a less cumbersome device.

I've not gotten mine yet. I had a few questions for Shanling before I do, and that was right before they shut down for CNY. We're to reconnect after they return from their break.

I will say that the ONIX has a huge usability challenge ahead of it as, like you, I run a Mojo2Poly wirelessly (either AirPlay or DLNA depending on what I'm doing) and almost never interact with it (other than to switch IEMs, power it on/off, and charge it). Every meaningful interaction is done using my phone (mostly native apps) which offers me a better UI than any DAP.

 

[jjazzy]

thanks. using it as a dac/amp with iphone how would you compare the sound signature to the mojo2?
i have a mono2/poly combo which is kinda nice as you don’t have wires though if the quality is better (more resolving) i am definitely interested.
the dc elite is definitely a strain on the battery and adding magsafe it makes it bulky indeed. though in my collection it is incredibly resolving which is what i am seeking in a less cumbersome device.

I know the astell & kern sp3000, and hugo2 and compared them in long sessions and to be honest the mojo2+poly if you play from sd card that is, plays on that level, well very close. (Depending on which headphone ofcourse, not a susvara)

I can’t say how the onyx sounds, just saying the mojo2+poly is actually a bargain for how it sounds

 

[AlekhyaD666]

Not a fan of the size. I do not want another device the size of my phone in my pocket. I'll take smaller size with better battery over this everyday.

 

[wirewiggler]

Yep this was an impulse buy, I was hoping for something with as high quality sound as my Cayin unit but smaller and more portable. I think I will look in a different direction, a dac/ amp combo that I can plug Into my phone. My Roon home system uses inexpensive computer modules combined with a good dac amp combo. To bad they don’t put better sound into phones, maybe in the future they will have more memory and support for audio an mix media for AR glassed.

 

[Shanling]

I am quite surprised the size and weight, I know if I had just read the specs. I wanted something a little more portable them my Cayin N7/C9. I does sound good, I have a Hiby with this dac chip set and like it just don’t like it’s buttons. While it is made by Shanling under the ONIX name it is supported by ONIX, mine refuses to connect to Google servers so I can’t load any applications and ONIX does not have a dedicated support contact info. I am a little bummed a product this expensive has such poor support. You would have thought at this price they would have included the protective cover. At this point I am a little disappointed in the purchase.
Bill

For Google Service connection, we are checking on it. So far we haven't seen any other reports of this from other users.

For ONIX support email, it's listed on ONIX website, at world@onixhiend.com

I really like the sound, however it is a bit heavy (physically), not sure why they went with stainless steel it will fall out of you pocket if not careful, size is a bit large as well can’t really carry it in your front pockets.

It's about the same size as modern smartphone. So while it might be a bit heavier due to its steel construction, it fits front pockets just as good as any smartphone.

Not a fan of the size. I do not want another device the size of my phone in my pocket. I'll take smaller size with better battery over this everyday.

You can check on Shanling M3 Ultra if you looking for smaller Android or ONIX XM5, Shanling M5 Ultra and Shanling M1 Plus if you looking for smaller Linux based DAPs

 

[wirewiggler]

Support got back to me, the say the first batch had wrong firmware loaded on it. I am going to se if Hifigo will let me return it, as they don’t seem to have a way to load the firmware remotely. I will look into the smaller Shanling unit as I am looking for something just to drive IEMs.
Bill

 

[warrenpchi]

Support got back to me, the say the first batch had wrong firmware loaded on it. I am going to se if Hifigo will let me return it, as they don’t seem to have a way to load the firmware remotely. I will look into the smaller Shanling unit as I am looking for something just to drive IEMs.
Bill

OTA firmware updates don't work?

 

[babarrun]

would you describe it as holographic?
how does it compare to other dac’s under 1500 in neutrality and depth

 

[Shanling]

OTA firmware updates don't work?

Our software team is checking on a possible fix. As we are not sure when it might come, ONIX team recommended that Bill request a replacement from their Chinese seller.

We can say this issue was only on a few certain units from the very first run, to our knowledge it should only affect some units at Chinese sellers, not the units released to international market.

 

[clastorder]

I remember getting excited when I heard there'd be a new Onix player at HK Canjam and then getting so depressed when I saw it. The build quality is stellar and the sound is great, but guys, that's a phone. I have a phone. It doesn't sound as good as this, but why would I want to carry another phone?

If I wanted something with this functionality, I'd just... buy another phone, or hunt around for a LG V-series in good condition. That comparison's even worse because the LG v20 wouldn't have a 4.4 either.

As someone who loves the XM5, this ain't it, chief. People who buy daps are already dinosaurs kicking and screaming at the future clinging desperately to superior audio quality as they drown in an ocean of people who prefer convenience. They're not after this. Fiio has somehow managed to get this and play to dinosaur nostalgia by making players that look like tape Walkmans.

 

[Tabikinoya Cephas]

I remember getting excited when I heard there'd be a new Onix player at HK Canjam and then getting so depressed when I saw it. The build quality is stellar and the sound is great, but guys, that's a phone. I have a phone. It doesn't sound as good as this, but why would I want to carry another phone?

If I wanted something with this functionality, I'd just... buy another phone, or hunt around for a LG V-series in good condition. That comparison's even worse because the LG v20 wouldn't have a 4.4 either.

As someone who loves the XM5, this ain't it, chief. People who buy daps are already dinosaurs kicking and screaming at the future clinging desperately to superior audio quality as they drown in an ocean of people who prefer convenience. They're not after this. Fiio has somehow managed to get this and play to dinosaur nostalgia by making players that look like tape Walkmans.

but the XM10 ltd does sound really good. I tried many iems and earbuds with it (works well), it can even drive my 600 ohms totem and makes it sing.

I mean objectively when I compared to all my DAPS, past DAPS and dongles. I have no regret buying it.

If it's about a missing 4.4 mm, you must understand that they are working on a cableless adapter.

If you compare this with Fiio, the sound quality from this is much higher, like way higher. Or do you mean people now goes for looks instead of sound quality? If thats the case i think it does offer a very classy look as compared to the trendy Fiio looks.

 

[wirewiggler]

I am not really sure if they did any market research on this. I think the dap market may be a little saturated with dedicated devices that are a bit large to be convenient. My most used playback device is a pair of bone conduction headphones that have some internal storage and Blue tooth connectivity. They are far from the better sounding units but the convenience out weights the sonics. I use them for biking, swimming, the gym, and walking the dog.

 

[warrenpchi]

People who buy daps are already dinosaurs kicking and screaming at the future clinging desperately to superior audio quality as they drown in an ocean of people who prefer convenience. They're not after this.

I am not really sure if they did any market research on this. I think the dap market may be a little saturated with dedicated devices that are a bit large to be convenient.

I'm pretty sure they're not trying to target the mass market with this, especially when you consider this unit's origin story:

 

[Tabikinoya Cephas]

I am not really sure if they did any market research on this. I think the dap market may be a little saturated with dedicated devices that are a bit large to be convenient. My most used playback device is a pair of bone conduction headphones that have some internal storage and Blue tooth connectivity. They are far from the better sounding units but the convenience out weights the sonics. I use them for biking, swimming, the gym, and walking the dog.

I am getting a vibe that this dap is pretty experimental, the sound quality is above average- slight warmth to it. Cos its a quite a risk to do a dap with only 3.5 mm, and seeing the response from facebook, many hated this design. The adapter even causes abit of stupid argument as it has a cable sticking out. The cable rolling gang will see it as a negative if they want to use their few thousand dollars cable just to stick to another adapter with cable. Thus the cableless adapter for 3.5 mm balance (no timeline) becomes quite crucial for people who believe in cable rolling. They should have done the cableless adapter as part of the package before pushing the product out.

There are so much more they can do with the UI, especially volume control. I cannot find a bloody button in the UI for volume control.

The website also does not have a downloadable user manual (yes i know the manual is in the DAP). There is no info on the current firmware version (i cannot find it in the software).

Plus @Shanling gives half-baked answers, based on the replies. Not knowing when fixes will come is simply quite devastating. If i am the boss, i will fire the software engineer that don't give me the timeline. This gives the impression that they don't care about this product.

Beside my ranting, i do like the sound quality of the XM10 ltd. I am disappointed as they could have done much more and perhaps provides a timeline of what to expect.

 

[Shanling]

I remember getting excited when I heard there'd be a new Onix player at HK Canjam and then getting so depressed when I saw it. The build quality is stellar and the sound is great, but guys, that's a phone. I have a phone. It doesn't sound as good as this, but why would I want to carry another phone?

If I wanted something with this functionality, I'd just... buy another phone, or hunt around for a LG V-series in good condition. That comparison's even worse because the LG v20 wouldn't have a 4.4 either.

As someone who loves the XM5, this ain't it, chief. People who buy daps are already dinosaurs kicking and screaming at the future clinging desperately to superior audio quality as they drown in an ocean of people who prefer convenience. They're not after this. Fiio has somehow managed to get this and play to dinosaur nostalgia by making players that look like tape Walkmans.

ONIX XM10 aims at the High-end Android DAP market. That section is filled with devices sharing the same screen size, but with significantly thicker bodies.
For that market XM10 is actually one of the most compact devices and significantly more pocket friendly.

If your demands are smaller and simpler DAPs like XM5, the XM10 was never aiming at that market. It's more for users demanding Android on a big screen.

I am not really sure if they did any market research on this. I think the dap market may be a little saturated with dedicated devices that are a bit large to be convenient. My most used playback device is a pair of bone conduction headphones that have some internal storage and Blue tooth connectivity. They are far from the better sounding units but the convenience out weights the sonics. I use them for biking, swimming, the gym, and walking the dog.

Sounds like you would like our Shanling M0 Pro, that's tiny and basic player.

There are so much more they can do with the UI, especially volume control. I cannot find a bloody button in the UI for volume control.

The website also does not have a downloadable user manual (yes i know the manual is in the DAP). There is no info on the current firmware version (i cannot find it in the software).

Plus @Shanling gives half-baked answers, based on the replies. Not knowing when fixes will come is simply quite devastating. If i am the boss, i will fire the software engineer that don't give me the timeline. This gives the impression that they don't care about this product.

Beside my ranting, i do like the sound quality of the XM10 ltd. I am disappointed as they could have done much more and perhaps provides a timeline of what to expect.

Our system has no software element for volume.

Will ask IT to update the Manual link.

There has been so far no firmware update for XM10 Waltz.
Check About section on your XM10 to see current firmware (build version item).

Unfortunately our software team do not provide any timelines on firmware updates.