[EMPORIUS]

Does anyone know the experiences of people who have bought refurbished branded DAPs from Aliexpress for much lower prices than brand new ones? By the way, I bought a F.Audio FA4 a few days ago and when it arrives I will give you my impressions.

 

[InvisibleInk]

I'm looking for a DAP that can work well with my playback controls on my 3.mm cables, and also works well with my Bluetooth transceivers like the FiiO UTWS5.

I have one that does, a HiBy R3 Pro. Unfortunately the HiBy's 3.5mm port can no longer be used; the unit is permanently stuck on balanced 2.5mm. It was never that great at Bluetooth, anyway.

TIA!

 

[Headcasey MD]

Does anyone know the experiences of people who have bought refurbished branded DAPs from Aliexpress for much lower prices than brand new ones? By the way, I bought a F.Audio FA4 a few days ago and when it arrives I will give you my impressions.

I've seen some of those listings, and from the reviews it seems that it would be luck of the draw. Some recount like new with full accessories, and others report fairly beat-up with little to no accessories, this being for the same items. I passed. I did receive the XS04. The sound is excellent. Very clean and clear, lighter note weight and lots of shimmer. Great for French orchestral, etc. Plenty of power. Drives PT-2022 365 ohms at about 82 (of 100) on low gain. I would expect FA4 will sound pretty much the same. No trouble with firmware so far. Not gapless, and cues show/register, but don't split, at least for me. I'll be interested to know if FA4 has SPDIF, has gapless, and if cue actually works on it. The sound should please you.

 

[RedHarlow]

Has anyone here found a case for the Ruizu A55???

Can't find crap even on AliExpress.

 

[EMPORIUS]

Has anyone here found a case for the Ruizu A55???

Can't find crap even on AliExpress.

I tried to find it for you and I don't think it's on offer at all, and I'm very good at searching.

 

[EMPORIUS]

Yesterday I received my expected F.Audio FA4. After the initial settings, I started to get to know the device better. It will certainly last a few days, and these are some first impressions from my perspective. Cards larger than 64Gb need to be formatted in exFat format for DAP to recognize them. I need to find out if it is possible to turn off the scanning of files in search of newly added songs every time it is turned on, but it takes a very short time. The first thing that is immediately noticed is the clarity and detail of the sound. The amplifiers are very strong and more than 60 is not necessary for most. The EQ is excellent and detailed. The software works well and without lags. The cans I use are KZ ZS10 Pro with a replacement cable. The display is clear enough and the brightness can be adjusted.DAP gives off quality workmanship. The leather case fits perfectly and does not interfere with handling the controls. Some may say that there is not much bass, but there is an EQ for adjustment. For me, there is quite enough and the bass is solid and shaped and does not affect the midrange. Vocals are heard very well , the sound stage is above average. The files I have are mostly FLAC, APE and WAV. I don't use DSD, not because of the size, but because compared to normal FLAC files, the treble is noticeably reduced, which no one mentions, and I have very sharp hearing and I deal with music.I know I wrote a lot but I wanted to help in the choice of those who are thinking of buying this small tank. Update to follow. Thanks

 

[deltecdpa]

Yesterday I received my expected F.Audio FA4. After the initial settings, I started to get to know the device better. It will certainly last a few days, and these are some first impressions from my perspective. Cards larger than 64Gb need to be formatted in exFat format for DAP to recognize them. I need to find out if it is possible to turn off the scanning of files in search of newly added songs every time it is turned on, but it takes a very short time. The first thing that is immediately noticed is the clarity and detail of the sound. The amplifiers are very strong and more than 60 is not necessary for most. The EQ is excellent and detailed. The software works well and without lags. The cans I use are KZ ZS10 Pro with a replacement cable. The display is clear enough and the brightness can be adjusted.DAP gives off quality workmanship. The leather case fits perfectly and does not interfere with handling the controls. Some may say that there is not much bass, but there is an EQ for adjustment. For me, there is quite enough and the bass is solid and shaped and does not affect the midrange. Vocals are heard very well , the sound stage is above average. The files I have are mostly FLAC, APE and WAV. I don't use DSD, not because of the size, but because compared to normal FLAC files, the treble is noticeably reduced, which no one mentions, and I have very sharp hearing and I deal with music.I know I wrote a lot but I wanted to help in the choice of those who are thinking of buying this small tank. Update to follow. Thanks

Hope that F.Audio improved and you will enjoy the FA4. I switch to HiBy after quite a lot of F.Audio daps: S1, the cheapeast and still working good (I think discontinued), Xs-01 (lot of issues) Xs-03 (two units, one bought by mistake, both defective!) Fa3 (some bugs, still working) and Fa3s (did not last long, then suddenly dead... overall F.Audio was an half disaster for me! I care of them except the S1 I use for workout, sometimes it fall down, get wet... but it seem strong)
They all sound nice and clear, yes bass roll-off but bassy cans can compensate. EQ excellent? On all my F.Audio daps is bad because level down ok, but level up distorts the sound a lot expecially when bass up. So, finally, F.Audio improved the quality of EQ.
I hope is easier now to get firmware updates, there was little support (no official website, there is an F.Audio but is another company that makes IEMs) unlike HiBy.

 

[EMPORIUS]

I definitely like the device, although it still has a bit of a cold sound, but I haven't spent many hours listening to music, so maybe that will change. However, I can't describe how angry I am with myself. Just because I was irritated by the card scanning after every start, I started messing around even though it's only been in my hands for a few days. I started looking for a newer firmware than the one in the device, which is version 7.80. Because I read somewhere that version 8.10 solves the problem of constant scanning of the card. After a lot of effort and google translator I found the link for downloading firmware 8.10 via the mediafire server.
but I didn't notice that it is for the Hong Kong version of the device and not for the mainland version and when I installed it the background on the display is gray and I can't change it at all in blue as it was with the firmware that came with the device 7.80.

And on that version 8.10, which is for Hong Kong, Bluetooth did not want to work at all.On the gray background, the name of the song and other data are almost not visible at all.And only then did I find out that the DAP for HK differs from the standard version, for example, in that the gain on the balanced output is 510mw, for example.And then in a crazy search I came across a Facebook group from the Thailand and with the help of google translate I found a lower version of the firmware which is for the mainland version of the device 7.62 which is lower than the original 7.80 that the device came with.Even with that mainland version of the firmware, the background remained gray without the possibility to change it to blue. When going through the menus, it's ok, but when the song starts, the info is almost unreadable.

On the gray background, the name of the song and other data are almost not visible at all. Since I'm from Europe, I can't download anything from the Baidu site. It's a special FA4 version for Hong Kong and the brand is Limetecc and the firmware for it doesn't quite match the mainland version that's why the Bluetooth didn't work. To cut the whining short I need help because it's really hard to find any firmware anywhere that isn't on Badiu, except for this Mediafire, which was the wrong firmware. If there is someone who is from China, please send me to demijurg@gmail.com an .ekf file that is for the mainland and that it is at least the 7.80 version, so that I can somehow restore the blue color of the background, because this gray it makes everything very difficult and BT definitely doesn't work on the HK version. Or some link other than Baidu and China so I can download those few megabytes that I need. I would be very grateful to everyone and sorry if I was boring because I'm very angry with myself for did that and the advice to everyone is that if everything works, do not change the firmware at all. It means that there is no support for someone outside of China for FA4. Thank you very much in advance to everyone.

 

[EMPORIUS]

Here's an update about my problem with the firmware for the F-Audio FA4. After a lot of tiresome searching, I found a Thai group on Facebook that deals exclusively with ChiFi equipment, and after joining the group, I wrote a post about the problem I'm having, for which I'm the only one to blame. And very quickly people started contacting me that they had different firmware versions and my Gmail inbox started to fill up and I received about 10 firmware versions.
I also wrote to the seller on Ali from whom I bought my DAP and he said he would send it to me .I also wrote to Penon Audio even though I didn't buy anything from them but I just have an open account there about the problem I'm having.And very quickly he sent me several emails with several firmware versions and the version for mainland China 8.1 works and restored the DAP to its original state and the display is blue again and everything is clearly visible while music is playing and bluetooth is working.

So I'm delighted that there are people who want to help when someone has a problem and I can't be grateful enough to everyone who offered to help. When I talk about the sound, it's a warmer sound and it's not so sharp, which means that it takes some time for everything to come into its own.Thanks for your patience in reading this.

 

[andypeab]

Hi all. First post, looooong-time lurker.

My FiiO X1 II is a trooper but it's showing its age. I've been researching replacements but it's hard to really get a feel for daily living with some of the models in my preferred ~$100 USD range so I figured I'd ask for opinions.

My use case: leisurely walks, hiking, shooting hoops and walking/jogging the track at the gym, travel (airports/planes/rental cars), and at a desk. My main phones are a modded JVC HA-RX900, pre-revision QKZ VK4s, QKZ x HBBs, and the Salnotes Zero, so I'm not pushing anything difficult. All my other IEMs have been put out to pasture, but I'm not rough with my equipment.

My non-negotiables: compatability with 256GB (minimum) cards for my FLACs; a UI no slower than my ancient FiiO; control over when the library updates; ability to navigate the folder structure (unless albums can be organized by artist->album year->album title), at least one save slot for a custom EQ; and I'd like no problems plugging it into a car infotainment system via USB & charging at the same time.

In a perfect world I'd also have physical buttons and also volume control even when the screen is off.

Am I better off waiting to find a used FiiO or HiBy, or would I basically get what I need out of something like the Shanling M0 Pro or Hifi Walker H2?

Thanks for the help!

 

[InvisibleInk]

I'd like no problems plugging it into a car infotainment system via USB & charging at the same time.

My guess is you'd need two USB ports, one dedicated to charging, the other as digital out to your car's DAC. If you could use line out analog to your car stereo, then you could get by with charging-only.

 

[andypeab]

My guess is you'd need two USB ports, one dedicated to charging, the other as digital out to your car's DAC. If you could use line out analog to your car stereo, then you could get by with charging-only.

My FiiO's janky micro-USB port pulls double-duty, at least in the newer cars that have middle console media-in ports. I just wasn't sure if some of today's budget players were known to have issues switching over to "mobile-hard-drive" mode.

 

[Elegiac]

The H2/Surfans F20 charge and do file stuff OTG at the same time. No volume control when the screen is dark though.
I guess you could make the screen stay on all the time in the settings, and then switch the screen off/lock the buttons with a short press of the power button when you wanted.

 

[crabdog]

Hi all. First post, looooong-time lurker.

My FiiO X1 II is a trooper but it's showing its age. I've been researching replacements but it's hard to really get a feel for daily living with some of the models in my preferred ~$100 USD range so I figured I'd ask for opinions.

My use case: leisurely walks, hiking, shooting hoops and walking/jogging the track at the gym, travel (airports/planes/rental cars), and at a desk. My main phones are a modded JVC HA-RX900, pre-revision QKZ VK4s, QKZ x HBBs, and the Salnotes Zero, so I'm not pushing anything difficult. All my other IEMs have been put out to pasture, but I'm not rough with my equipment.

My non-negotiables: compatability with 256GB (minimum) cards for my FLACs; a UI no slower than my ancient FiiO; control over when the library updates; ability to navigate the folder structure (unless albums can be organized by artist->album year->album title), at least one save slot for a custom EQ; and I'd like no problems plugging it into a car infotainment system via USB & charging at the same time.

In a perfect world I'd also have physical buttons and also volume control even when the screen is off.

Am I better off waiting to find a used FiiO or HiBy, or would I basically get what I need out of something like the Shanling M0 Pro or Hifi Walker H2?

Thanks for the help!

I'd rec the Shanling M0 or Hiby R2 MKII.

 

[ilmothedude]

Looks like Xuelin is planning on releasing a new DAP. I'll share some info here I found from Xuelin's baidu site.

学林clear播放器是学林用3年时间精心打造的升频版高端纯音播放器。
clear中文音译为：可丽，寓意为清澈的，甘甜的声音。
ID采用颠覆性的多屏显示，由4块0.96 OLED屏幕分别显示曲目、FFT、 实时码率 、进度。
达到类似航空仪表般令人眼前一亮的视觉冲击感。
DAC:ES9038Q2M*2
时钟：cs8421为全码率升频，极大的降低带外噪声，27mhz tcox晶体对系统时钟重整，降低jfftrer 一个数量级以上。
主控：RKnanoD-G。

模拟部分我们不惜成本重料打造：
采用ti旗舰运放opa1612 3颗组成lpf滤波器，opa1637两颗作为差分转换，opa1622两颗作为功率输出。
电源部分更是采用旗舰级ldo-tps7a47和tps7a30作为音频供电，14颗高分子476电容为每一颗op独立滤波。
顶级用料和学林20余年的调音经验，相信clear 播放器，能为您带来一听难忘的hifi体验。

【学林clear播放器是学林用3年时间精心打造的升频版高端纯音播放器-哔哩哔哩】

(Google translation)
Xuelin clear player is an up-converted high-end pure audio player that Xuelin spent 3 years meticulously building.
The Chinese transliteration of clear is: Keli, which means clear and sweet sound.
ID adopts subversive multi-screen display, with four 0.96 OLED screens to display the track, FFT, real-time bit rate and progress respectively.
It achieves a dazzling visual impact similar to aviation instruments.
DAC:ES9038Q2M*2
Clock: cs8421 up-converts at full code rate, which greatly reduces out-of-band noise. The 27mhz tcox crystal restructures the system clock, reducing jfftrer by more than an order of magnitude.
Master control: RKnanoD-G.

We spare no expense on the simulation part:
Three TI flagship opa1612s are used to form an lpf filter, two opa1637s are used for differential conversion, and two opa1622s are used for power output.
The power supply part uses the flagship ldo-tps7a47 and tps7a30 as the audio power supply, and 14 polymer 476 capacitors filter each op independently.
Top materials and Xuelin's more than 20 years of tuning experience, I believe that the clear player can bring you an unforgettable hifi experience.

[Xuelin clear player is an upscaled version of the high-end pure audio player carefully crafted by Xuelin for 3 years