Not happy with the Fiio X5iii and need help with choosing an upgrade

[debontehond]

I am looking to upgrade my mobile and bedroom listening experience. Currently I use my iPhone 6s with B&W P7 at home and Audioquest Dragonfly v1.2 with RHA T10i at work. I am looking for a nice DAP for quite some time and bought the Fiio X5iii in Kuala Lumpur since it was 100 euro cheaper than back home in Amsterdam. I got myself an 256 GB micro SD and stuffed it full of FLAC’s. Unfortunately I am not satisfied since I find the quality increase vs my iPhone 6S too little. It sounds better yes, but not a whole lot better. Now I am €350 down and find myself suddenly willing to spend a lot more as long as it sound a lot better.

So what am I looking for? Good sound is the most important but I also think a device should have nice design and needs to be portable. I would like to use full-size headphones at home and IEM’s at work, while travelling and maybe even at the gym. The latter only if the DAP is very portable.

Some time ago I found that the P7 seems to be a limiting factor. They sound great for mobile use but do not seem to sound much better with an improved source. So I went to one of the few show that sell DAPs and I listened to the A&K AK70 MKii and Kann and really liked the sound! I listened with my P7 and also tried with the Mr. Speaker Aeon Closed. What a great headphone! I am sold on the Aeon. Now thje DAP still….The Kann sounded better than the AK70 MK2 to my ears with more weight, authority and control over the Aeon’s. So I wanted to get the Kann but I am put off by design, weight and the lack of Spotify. The A&K OS is nice to use but limited since it is not full Android. Even the Tidal implementation is limited without offline playing.

Now what to do? I want to get something that is a significant improvement over the X5iii. I am now considering the DX200 since Fiio disappointed me. I know the X7 is a contender but I dare not buy another Fiio. Since I cannot listen to the DX200 it I am not sure if it will be the jump in SQ I expect from such an investment. Others options are:

· Opus Audio Nr2 – but that is really stretching what I am willing to spend

· Onkyo DPX1A or Pioneer DP-300R – full Android on both but reviews are hit miss so I do not dare buy it without hearing it

· Acoustic Research AR-M20 – I really like the design but it is not often cited as a good choice

· Or settle for A&K SQ and live with the lack of Spotify?

Since I am unable to find the sweetspot of design, SQ, Spotify and weight maybe I will skip the a new DAP altogether and live with the X5iii. Then I would just get the Aeon and see how that sounds with the X5. But I feel that the Aeon needs more….. Maybe a desktop DAC/Amp? Please advise.

 

[Signal2Noise]

... I want to get something that is a significant improvement over the X5iii. I am now considering the DX200 ...

· Acoustic Research AR-M20 – I really like the design but it is not often cited as a good choice

....

DX200 is definitely several steps above the X5iii. Amp selection will increase your expenditure since default Amp 1 is adequate but you'll likely get curious about the add-on amps at some point.

I don't know much about the AR-M20 but I do know about the AR-M2 and it is my favourite DAP I have in my collection. The AR-M2 while being older still has better specs overall than the M20 I believe.

The Onkyo/Pioneer units are good too if you can get at a good price. Their OS/GUIs are very stable and audio based on the older XDP-100R I own is capable plus supports MQA (of which I have zero tracks in that format).

Heck, just buy them all.

 

[artpiggo]

DX200 is a good option.

Or you could try lg v30 as an audiophile smartphone (better than fiio x5iii of course)

 

[gazzington]

I did not like fiio x5iii either, as I don’t think it’s sound was for me. I sold mine and now use a Sony zx300 which sounds tons better.
Would a LG v20 sound better than the x5iii as they can be bought for quite cheap?

 

[debontehond]

@gazzington the Sony ZX300 looks great imho, is reasonably priced but got 'only' 4 stars from WhatHifi (instead of 5) and does not have streaming support I think. Have you heard the AK70 MKii and can you compare to the ZX300?

I forgot to mention that I am also looking to increase storage since I like to have a big collection of lossless music and the iPhone is useless for that purpose. The LG could be a solution but I think a dedicated DAP will sound better. Maybe I will change my iPhone for the V30 regardless of my DAP choice since I prefer Android over iOS anyway.

@artpiggo how come you are so confident the V30 will sound better than the X5iii?

 

[alan_g]

Im heading towards the dx200 as my upgrade from an ak100ii.. Advanced mp3 have open box ones for a bit cheaper ..

 

[artpiggo]

@gazzington the Sony ZX300 looks great imho, is reasonably priced but got 'only' 4 stars from WhatHifi (instead of 5) and does not have streaming support I think. Have you heard the AK70 MKii and can you compare to the ZX300?

I forgot to mention that I am also looking to increase storage since I like to have a big collection of lossless music and the iPhone is useless for that purpose. The LG could be a solution but I think a dedicated DAP will sound better. Maybe I will change my iPhone for the V30 regardless of my DAP choice since I prefer Android over iOS anyway.

@artpiggo how come you are so confident the V30 will sound better than the X5iii?

Cuz I tried both. I think.

 

[debontehond]

@artpiggo ok that makes sense Would you say the LG V30 is especially good or the X5iii mediocre enough to be beaten by a smartphone?

 

[artpiggo]

@artpiggo ok that makes sense Would you say the LG V30 is especially good or the X5iii mediocre enough to be beaten by a smartphone?

I think fiio x5iii is just too smooth while I find LG V30 has more resolution and clear separation between each instrument.

 

[tienbasse]

I think fiio x5iii is just too smooth while I find LG V30 has more resolution and clear separation between each instrument.

I would also apply this to V20.

X5iii has no redeeming quality that makes it shine in any area, it sounds smooth and not too colored, but nothing stands out (and I won't even mention the awful UI and autonomy).

V10 sounds more dynamic by far (with nice bass), although details aren't really better than X5iii.
V20 sounds more dynamic and detailed (still the nice V10 bass but with more detailed and forward upper mids and treble, cymbals sound natural on V20, and I can't say this for many DAPs).

 

[Signal2Noise]

I would also apply this to V20.

...

And V20 is 1/3 of the price of a V30. Sound *should* be similar since the quad DAC are somewhat the same (I think tweaked differently on V30?) in both devices. That was the decider for me when I bought the V20 a few weeks ago to use if I can only bring a single device in my travels that does everything.

 

[debontehond]

My inlaws are coming to visit from the US and now I can have a better price than in the shops here in NL (1 USD = 0,8 Euro).

I want to get the DX200 but at $900 (€720) it’s the most expensive option I am considering. While I dismissed the Fiio X7ii it is often cited as competitor for the DX200 and is now $650 (€520). If X7 is close in SQ to the DX290 it is a steal now in Euro. Others:
A&K AK70 MK2 $700 (€560) - no Spotify though.....
Onkyo DPX1A $590 (472)
Pioneer XDP300R $442 (€353)

Since I am looking for a significant improvement over the X5 I think the X7 or DX200 offer best SQ. The difference in price is big at €200 and that is not counting a new amp module for either device. Is the DX200 worth the price?

I want to get the DX200 with the Mr Speakers Aeon Closed. Both are reviewed as 'light bass' or 'reference'. I like some good deep bass though. Is this a good match?

Any thoughts? Am I missing an option?`

 

[artpiggo]

DX200 does really worth the price. With amp1, it is already at opus2 level.

With amp4, it makes it near sq at wm1z.

 

[debontehond]

Ok! I bought the combo! Cant wait until the inlaws arrive now.... Hehe.