Official X5 2nd gen beta firmware download and discussion thread--version 1.27: library search function, replaygain, filter options

Feb 4, 2016 at 4:20 AM Post #76 of 231
Pretty good to know how that filter works. 
 
I actually was hoping that gentle slope would start cutting off after 20khz, instead of before. 
 
If someone has the needed devices, should measure the differences, and let us know how it looks on paper (FR mainly)
 
Feb 4, 2016 at 11:48 AM Post #79 of 231
The player seems a lot snappier now with this firmware (and that's with 15,000 files already; it's really gotten better), but I still have weird tags showing up in my Genre categories that I can't get rid of.  I've checked the files--the genres are not the same as what Fiio keeps telling me, and is in fact long changed--and I've tried wiping the database a few times and they still show up.  I'll be trying the manual wipe to see if it works, but otherwise, I'm kind of stumped as to why I can't get rid of these "ghost" genres.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 8:42 PM Post #80 of 231
Well, I added ReplayGain to a collection of songs I made and the results wasn't what I had hoped for.
Songs that have been brick walled are still insanely loud while a few others were as though the volume was set to 3
I'm wondering if I did it wrong and was suppose to "scan selection as a single album" and not "scan per track file".
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 8:54 PM Post #81 of 231
Have you got replay gain per track enabled in the actual settings?
 
Feb 6, 2016 at 11:08 AM Post #82 of 231
  Nice new features, although I haven't tried them yet.
 
But I have one issue since firmware 1.21 (the introduction of the alphabetic search function): The Resume function doesn't work anymore. I only get it working again with firmware 1.20 or older. Does nobody else experience that? It would be less of a problem if deep sleep mode would also work with attached charger.

 
Sadly nobody has responded, but apparently it's an individual problem of my unit.
 
Some news from the Resume front. I had the idea of reformatting the SD cards. This also in view of the fact that they haven't been formatted by the X5 II itself, but by a Windows tool called HPUSBDisk. Until firmware1.21 I didn't experience any problem from that. But I thought: who knows! So I took the cards out and began to copy the content on the computer HDD for recopying it later, after formatting. In the meantime I used an identical Samsung card with 128 GB and with the same formatting method, but different content, for slot 1 (slot 2 empty). To my surprise the Resume function was working. With one exception: In the mode «last position» it only worked when the song wasn't paused at its beginning; 1 s was sufficient to make it work.
 
Then I inserted two SanDisk cards (from the X5 [1]) – also with 128 GB and formatted with HPUSBDisk – with virtually identical content as the problematic ones, and they showed the same behavior; all I had to do was to avoid pausing the song at its beginning or to chose the «last song» mode. So far, so good. After the copying of the SD card intended for reformatting was finished, out of curiosity I inserted both problematic Samsung cards again. What was that?! The Resume function was working now! With said restriction. I haven't changed anything on them. And the player used the same (refreshed) database as ever. (BTW, clearing and refreshing the database were things I tried before without success).
 
Now I wonder what the cause of this mysterious behavior is/was. And can aynone test if your own X5 II shows the same malfunction with the song paused at its begining when set to «last position»?
 
 
Some thoughts to the new filter choice. I don't agree that the ringing of a conventional steep antialiasing («reconstruction») filter be inaudible. Since it has a frequency of 20 or 21 kHz, it may appear logical. But this filter resonance only is limited to the filter's cut-off frequency if the filter has a Q factor of ∞. Everything below will result in a spreading of the resonance around the center frequency – the lower the Q factor, the wider the spreading. At least that's my understanding.
 
It gets confirmed by the fact that different ringing characteristics sound different. On the Corda Symphony (DAC/amp combo) you have the choice between various low-pass filter characteristics. Two of them with virtually the same frequency response. One of them shows symmetrical ringing, the other manages to largely avoid pre-ringing, in exchange post-ringing is slightly increased. It's not even a matter of better or worse, but they do sound significantly different. (It's not night and day, but clear enough.)
 
So there's nothing wrong with the «slow down» filter except for the early high-frequency roll-off – which is definitely audible as such to my ears. In turn the «steep drop» filter offers more extended high-frequency response, but also a colder sounding treble (as I hear it). To my ears the «slow down» filter also offers better texturing and a more natural sound. Actually I was never a fan of «slow down» filters on earlier occasions – so I preferred the Theta Pro basic II treble to the Wadia X30 treble and the two sharper filters on the Symphony to the softer versions. But with the X5 II's headphone out and the Shure SE846 I seem to prefer it now. This although you wouldn't think the SE846 benefit from an early treble roll-off.
 
So thanks to FiiO for this fascinating feature!
beerchug.gif
 
 
Feb 6, 2016 at 11:51 AM Post #84 of 231
 
*snip*
 
Some thoughts to the new filter choice. I don't agree that the ringing of a conventional steep antialiasing («reconstruction») filter be inaudible. Since it has a frequency of 20 or 21 kHz, it may appear logical. But this filter resonance only is limited to the filter's cut-off frequency if the filter has a Q factor of ∞. Everything below will result in a spreading of the resonance around the center frequency – the lower the Q factor, the wider the spreading. At least that's my understanding.
 
It gets confirmed by the fact that different ringing characteristics sound different. On the Corda Symphony (DAC/amp combo) you have the choice between various low-pass filter characteristics. Two of them with virtually the same frequency response. One of them shows symmetrical ringing, the other manages to largely avoid pre-ringing, in exchange post-ringing is slightly increased. It's not even a matter of better or worse, but they do sound significantly different. (It's not night and day, but clear enough.)
 
So there's nothing wrong with the «slow down» filter except for the early high-frequency roll-off – which is definitely audible as such to my ears. In turn the «steep drop» filter offers more extended high-frequency response, but also a colder sounding treble (as I hear it). To my ears the «slow down» filter also offers better texturing and a more natural sound. Actually I was never a fan of «slow down» filters on earlier occasions – so I preferred the Theta Pro basic II treble to the Wadia X30 treble and the two sharper filters on the Symphony to the softer versions. But with the X5 II's headphone out and the Shure SE846 I seem to prefer it now. This although you wouldn't think the SE846 benefit from an early treble roll-off.
 
So thanks to FiiO for this fascinating feature!
beerchug.gif
 

Personally, I think the Dunu DN-2000J could benefit from the "slow down" setting.  If it reduces sibilance in some iems/headphones, that would be good.
Just IMHO and YMMV...
Cheers!
beerchug.gif

-HK sends
 
Feb 10, 2016 at 2:26 AM Post #87 of 231
  Unsure if this is related to the new firmware or not, but I have to agree with some commenters in the main thread; I'm seeing a lot of repetition in my shuffle.  And it's hard to ignore when the genre I'm playing is well over 5,000 songs, so there's clearly more than enough variation for me not to see the same album within a ten minute span, but it's happening.  On the other hand, it seems as if it only really starts doing it if I've been in the same genre for a while, simply resuming from where I left off.  If I back out and select a new song that hasn't been hit yet, the random songs start to actually get random again.  It's honestly as if the shuffle function begins to curve in on itself; for a while there, I was literally seeing the same four albums coming up one after the other.  So far the playlist I made in Foobar2000 hasn't done the same thing, but it's a shorter amount of songs, so I really haven't noticed anything unusual yet.
 
Feb 10, 2016 at 7:07 AM Post #88 of 231
  Unsure if this is related to the new firmware or not, but I have to agree with some commenters in the main thread; I'm seeing a lot of repetition in my shuffle.  And it's hard to ignore when the genre I'm playing is well over 5,000 songs, so there's clearly more than enough variation for me not to see the same album within a ten minute span, but it's happening.  On the other hand, it seems as if it only really starts doing it if I've been in the same genre for a while, simply resuming from where I left off.  If I back out and select a new song that hasn't been hit yet, the random songs start to actually get random again.  It's honestly as if the shuffle function begins to curve in on itself; for a while there, I was literally seeing the same four albums coming up one after the other.  So far the playlist I made in Foobar2000 hasn't done the same thing, but it's a shorter amount of songs, so I really haven't noticed anything unusual yet.


I've been having the same but it's been this way for quite a while now so it's not been introduced with this beta. But yeah it's something that needs sorting out.
 
Feb 10, 2016 at 1:08 PM Post #89 of 231
I'm a bit concerned about the DAC capabilities.
What concerns me is I can't use it as a DAC with my PC without the device recharging at the same time.
Won't this wear out the battery faster?
 
Feb 10, 2016 at 3:44 PM Post #90 of 231
  I'm a bit concerned about the DAC capabilities.
What concerns me is I can't use it as a DAC with my PC without the device recharging at the same time.
Won't this wear out the battery faster?

If I understand correctly, modern batteries stop charging after they are full of charge, so leaving the Fiio X5II connected to a power source should not affect its battery life.
 

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