Zelda
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2012
- Posts
- 2,022
- Likes
- 1,499
REVIEW – Nintaus X10
For full specifications check the product page: LINK
Price: $69, from Penonaudio
Accessories:
Build & Design:
Build quality is very good on the X10. The whole outer shell is made of strong aluminum material, which is both sturdy and lightweight. The finish is quite smooth, and while not totally rounded there are no sharp ends. The connection layout is simple; at the top there're the headphone and lineout outputs, and micro-usb and micro-sd card slots at the bottom. The navigation and control buttons are all placed at the front panel.
UI, Navigation, Firmware:
There's no manual included in the box, and there's no website either to check for more details on the player. Thus, it's up to the user to figure out the whole navigation and controls; nothing difficult to understand, just requires some time. The back and forward buttons can be also used as up and down for navigation in menus or volume adjusting screen, or as right and left at the main screen. 'Menu' works as 'enter/accept' and 'back' for returning to the previous menu or screen. The wheel can be used for faster scrolling through menus or volume adjusting as well.
Using the X10 is not too complex, however it's very annoying. First of all, there're no dedicated volume controls; it's needed to use the 'volume' button to enter the volume screen and then adjust it with either the wheel or back/next. The wheel itself lacks accuracy and results pretty much useless already having the left/right control. There's no 'home' option, so navigating to the main screen is made by clicking the 'back' button as many times as needed, and then there's no direct option to return to the playing screen unless rotating to the 'Music' option at the main wheel. Also, the whole navigation through the menus is a bit slow and delayed.
While there is a 'firmware update' option, it's looks like a joke as there is no way to install a newer version on the player.
Looking at the screen options, it's too obvious that the X10 is just copying the current Fiio X series (1, 3ii, 5ii) design. The color theme may differ a bit, but the icons and menu order is just identical. Definitely, not a smart thing to do (even more considering Fiio's daps are not the most logical to use).
The playing screen is colorful and shows some artwork whenever the file is supported. Image is placed at the left part while the track info at the right half.
The X10 only has two languages, English and Russian. That's right, not even Chinese or other Asian languages.
The power button also works as lock/unlock.
PC connection and file transferring:
Connecting the X10 is pretty easy. As long as the micro SD card is installed, the computer will simply recognize it as any external storage device. Transmission speed is standard as a 2.0 usb port. Worth noting that the files and folders won't be shown in alphabetical order, rather by the date/time they were added to the card memory.
Battery, Hiss:
Despite not being very logical in its operation, the X10 has its own merits. The battery life is excellent. It rates around ~60hrs of playback and from the tests that's quite accurate. The DAP can be used for long hours and still show no drain in the battery display. No hiss or background noise were noticed even with most sensitive CIEMs.
Volume, Power, LineOut:
Volume steps go up to 100, although there're barely noticed differences within ~5 steps. The X10 has more than enough driving power for most gears that are reasonable easy to drive. With sensitive sets like in-ear types with typical 16~32ohm impedance and 100~110db sensitivity, the player is already loud enough at just 10/100 steps and getting more than that makes it really loud (though, lower than 9 is too quiet). Things are more positive for sets with ~64ohm (like Monk+ or SoundMagic E80), as the sound is more leveled and less prone to distortion. The X10 DAP can still drive even 150ohm earbuds (VE Asura or PK1) without reaching the 30/100 steps. More demanding gears (300ohm earbuds, VE Zen and TO300 and larger cans, SM HP200 and Fidelio X1) will ask for a higher volume, and still won't get to the half 50/100 level; however, in terms of resolution the X10 won't handle those to their best, and lack in dynamics, speed and overall balance.
The Lineout output can be set to 3 levels:
Sonic impressions
The overall sound signature of the X10 is slightly warm with very good balance. From lows to highs the sound is full, detailed and well controlled.
Bass is very solid in body and texture with good dynamics and layering. Tonality is north of neutral and may add some extra mid-bass emphasis with bass dominant ear sets, however the control and balance between low to upper bass is good giving enough room for a fairly clean yet powerful, less obtrusive, bass response.
The midrange is a bit towards the warm side, well leveled and presents a fuller and smooth sound but not overly forward. The extra clarity and accuracy are well noticed, though it comes with some more emphasis at the upper mids. Note thickness is impressive as well and so are the instruments weight and vocals texture.
The top end feels more extended and more prominent. The X10 works well limiting some harshness and sibilance, however, it can get overly energetic or too splashy with brighter sets. In fact, the DAP doesn't show a good synergy with sensitive sets (i.e. IEMs) as the treble can lose in control and accuracy, that along with the bass result in a v-shaped sound.
Soundstage, while not too impressive in width or height dimensions it is presented with better and more immersive depth. The sense of space and separation is very good. The X10 shows more air and better positioning and the presentation is well-rounded, with better layering and more dynamics for something priced below the $100 tag.
EQ:
Nothing worth mentioning just the typical presets found in cheaper players. It lacks the user Custom EQ option, which is a bit disappointing, seeing all the freq. bands that could have been used.
Summary
Pros:
Powerful and very good SQ for the price; Strong build quality; lightweight; Line Out output; endless battery! (well, almost)
Cons:
UI; Navigation; no manual; no firmware update; not suited for sensitive gear; EQ is a joke and there's no Custom EQ option; a bit slow system response; no gapless playback?; copying other companies' design is not smart
For full specifications check the product page: LINK
Price: $69, from Penonaudio
Accessories:
- Earphone
- USB cable
- Silicone case
- Micro SD 16GB card
Build & Design:
Build quality is very good on the X10. The whole outer shell is made of strong aluminum material, which is both sturdy and lightweight. The finish is quite smooth, and while not totally rounded there are no sharp ends. The connection layout is simple; at the top there're the headphone and lineout outputs, and micro-usb and micro-sd card slots at the bottom. The navigation and control buttons are all placed at the front panel.
UI, Navigation, Firmware:
There's no manual included in the box, and there's no website either to check for more details on the player. Thus, it's up to the user to figure out the whole navigation and controls; nothing difficult to understand, just requires some time. The back and forward buttons can be also used as up and down for navigation in menus or volume adjusting screen, or as right and left at the main screen. 'Menu' works as 'enter/accept' and 'back' for returning to the previous menu or screen. The wheel can be used for faster scrolling through menus or volume adjusting as well.
Using the X10 is not too complex, however it's very annoying. First of all, there're no dedicated volume controls; it's needed to use the 'volume' button to enter the volume screen and then adjust it with either the wheel or back/next. The wheel itself lacks accuracy and results pretty much useless already having the left/right control. There's no 'home' option, so navigating to the main screen is made by clicking the 'back' button as many times as needed, and then there's no direct option to return to the playing screen unless rotating to the 'Music' option at the main wheel. Also, the whole navigation through the menus is a bit slow and delayed.
While there is a 'firmware update' option, it's looks like a joke as there is no way to install a newer version on the player.
Looking at the screen options, it's too obvious that the X10 is just copying the current Fiio X series (1, 3ii, 5ii) design. The color theme may differ a bit, but the icons and menu order is just identical. Definitely, not a smart thing to do (even more considering Fiio's daps are not the most logical to use).
The playing screen is colorful and shows some artwork whenever the file is supported. Image is placed at the left part while the track info at the right half.
The X10 only has two languages, English and Russian. That's right, not even Chinese or other Asian languages.
The power button also works as lock/unlock.
PC connection and file transferring:
Connecting the X10 is pretty easy. As long as the micro SD card is installed, the computer will simply recognize it as any external storage device. Transmission speed is standard as a 2.0 usb port. Worth noting that the files and folders won't be shown in alphabetical order, rather by the date/time they were added to the card memory.
Battery, Hiss:
Despite not being very logical in its operation, the X10 has its own merits. The battery life is excellent. It rates around ~60hrs of playback and from the tests that's quite accurate. The DAP can be used for long hours and still show no drain in the battery display. No hiss or background noise were noticed even with most sensitive CIEMs.
Volume, Power, LineOut:
Volume steps go up to 100, although there're barely noticed differences within ~5 steps. The X10 has more than enough driving power for most gears that are reasonable easy to drive. With sensitive sets like in-ear types with typical 16~32ohm impedance and 100~110db sensitivity, the player is already loud enough at just 10/100 steps and getting more than that makes it really loud (though, lower than 9 is too quiet). Things are more positive for sets with ~64ohm (like Monk+ or SoundMagic E80), as the sound is more leveled and less prone to distortion. The X10 DAP can still drive even 150ohm earbuds (VE Asura or PK1) without reaching the 30/100 steps. More demanding gears (300ohm earbuds, VE Zen and TO300 and larger cans, SM HP200 and Fidelio X1) will ask for a higher volume, and still won't get to the half 50/100 level; however, in terms of resolution the X10 won't handle those to their best, and lack in dynamics, speed and overall balance.
The Lineout output can be set to 3 levels:
- "volume sync.", used as an extra normal 3.5mm line with volume control - this option also allows to 2 sets to be used at the same time.
- '0db', for fixed full volume output.
- '-6db', with a fixed volume level as well, which starts at 6 decibels lower.
Sonic impressions
The overall sound signature of the X10 is slightly warm with very good balance. From lows to highs the sound is full, detailed and well controlled.
Bass is very solid in body and texture with good dynamics and layering. Tonality is north of neutral and may add some extra mid-bass emphasis with bass dominant ear sets, however the control and balance between low to upper bass is good giving enough room for a fairly clean yet powerful, less obtrusive, bass response.
The midrange is a bit towards the warm side, well leveled and presents a fuller and smooth sound but not overly forward. The extra clarity and accuracy are well noticed, though it comes with some more emphasis at the upper mids. Note thickness is impressive as well and so are the instruments weight and vocals texture.
The top end feels more extended and more prominent. The X10 works well limiting some harshness and sibilance, however, it can get overly energetic or too splashy with brighter sets. In fact, the DAP doesn't show a good synergy with sensitive sets (i.e. IEMs) as the treble can lose in control and accuracy, that along with the bass result in a v-shaped sound.
Soundstage, while not too impressive in width or height dimensions it is presented with better and more immersive depth. The sense of space and separation is very good. The X10 shows more air and better positioning and the presentation is well-rounded, with better layering and more dynamics for something priced below the $100 tag.
EQ:
Nothing worth mentioning just the typical presets found in cheaper players. It lacks the user Custom EQ option, which is a bit disappointing, seeing all the freq. bands that could have been used.
Summary
Pros:
Powerful and very good SQ for the price; Strong build quality; lightweight; Line Out output; endless battery! (well, almost)
Cons:
UI; Navigation; no manual; no firmware update; not suited for sensitive gear; EQ is a joke and there's no Custom EQ option; a bit slow system response; no gapless playback?; copying other companies' design is not smart
