[x RELIC x]

To expand on the playlist info here is the full instructions from FiiO:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/761295/how-to-create-m3u-playlists-for-use-on-the-x1-x3-and-x5-from-your-computer

 

[hucifer]

@JamesFiiO & @Joe Bloggs

Any news on the fix for the screwy back button behaviour that the X5 recieved back in January?
 

3. Pressing the Back button from the Now Playing screen will now always take you to the folder / album / etc. from which the current song is selected. This is true even after navigating to the main menu or powering the X5 off and back on.

 
The X1 and the X3ii badly need this too.

 

[joelk2]

  You can do that too.
 
First - make sure your folder structure is organised properly.  At a minimum \Artist\Album.  If you want more control \alpha id\Artist\Album
EG
\A-C\Adele\21
Makes for nice easy browsing - and saves excessive wheel use with large collections (mine is currently around 400 albums I think)
 
Once folder structure in place, simply open notepad, or similar editor, and make sure Explorer (or other file manager) open with X1 window
 
Then simply copy and paste into a list.  Tip - if you're file browser of choice has the option - you can usually display full path to each folder - just copy that path
 
Eg
 
E:\A-C\A Fine Frenzy\Bomb in a Birdcage\01 What I Wouldn't Do.m4a
 
Once you have all your tracks in a list - prune the drive info off, so the above line becomes:
\A-C\A Fine Frenzy\Bomb in a Birdcage\01 What I Wouldn't Do.m4a
 
An example of a full list might look like this (this is my current review test track list)
 
The #entries are just comments so I can organise them better - and are ignored.
 
Save as a *.m3u8 file into your root directory (mine is simply called "test tracks.m3u8"), and then to activate - go into folder browser mode, find and select.
 
Easy.

 
can i ask a question if i may?
 
i notice all your music is m4a format? isnt the whole point of something like the Fiio that it can play FLAC files which are lossless or am i missing something?

 

[x RELIC x]

can i ask a question if i may?

i notice all your music is m4a format? isnt the whole point of something like the Fiio that it can play FLAC files which are lossless or am i missing something?

m4a is an extention for both lossy AAC and lossless ALAC.

Brooko has also done extensive abx tests and finds very little if any difference between 256kbps lossy and lossless formats. I'll let him chime in on his thoughts but felt I might give you a primer.

 

[Brooko]

   
can i ask a question if i may?
 
i notice all your music is m4a format? isnt the whole point of something like the Fiio that it can play FLAC files which are lossless or am i missing something?

 
Sure - if you're game ...... 

 
Try this link - and test yourself : http://www.head-fi.org/t/655879/setting-up-an-abx-test-simple-guide-to-ripping-tagging-transcoding
All it takes is an open mind - and time.  The software is free.
 
My (fully tested) transparency level is aac256.  I know I can't distinguish (if taken from the same master file and transcoded to different formats) DSD from hi-res, from redbook, from aac256.  And the good thing is - that I'm not actually supposed to - it just means I'm human.
 
So - my music at home is all FLAC (lossless at 16/44.1 - ie redbook).  I have DSD files, high-res files etc - but when I purchase them - I keep an archive copy, transcode everything to FLAC - and keep all of my music as redbook.  That is what I use when listening at home, and on my Fiio X5.  Why?  Because I want to keep a lossless archive copy - and I have enough space on both the X5 and my PC so its not an issue.
 
For my X1 and X3ii - I can carry my entire collection (400+ paid for albums) on a single micro SDXC card in aac256 - and because I know its transparent to me - I'm not missing anything.
 
The secret to good music is in the mastering - not in the format (beyond a certain point).  Sure you'll get countless people who claim to be able to tell the difference.  Put those same people in a controlled volume matched blind abx test (if they would submit to one) and I think most would change their view.
 
So why do I use the likes of the X3ii or X5 - simply because they are high quality players with the feature set I want.  And they sound pretty good 

 
YMMV with above.  And for anyone who wants to debate what I just wrote - save it.  Test yourself.  if you claim to be able to tell the difference - congrats.  I don't particularly care either way.  i just encourage people to test themselves, find their own personal limits - and maybe discover something in the process.
 
Or - maybe I just have tin-ears 

 

 

[x RELIC x]

Right on cue!

Agree that the secret to quality is in the mastering. The FiiO X players do a great job of presenting nuances and details in well recorded/produced/mastered music, especially at their price point. Typically you find better recordings in high resolution music but the resolution isn't necessarily the determining factor in the tracks quality. You can have very poor sounding high resolution music because it was recorded/produced/mastered poorly.

The better DAPs show a lot of music files for what they are, good or bad, where as a mainstream smartphone may mask these qualities.

 

[joelk2]

   
Sure - if you're game ...... 

 
Try this link - and test yourself : http://www.head-fi.org/t/655879/setting-up-an-abx-test-simple-guide-to-ripping-tagging-transcoding
All it takes is an open mind - and time.  The software is free.
 
My (fully tested) transparency level is aac256.  I know I can't distinguish (if taken from the same master file and transcoded to different formats) DSD from hi-res, from redbook, from aac256.  And the good thing is - that I'm not actually supposed to - it just means I'm human.
 
So - my music at home is all FLAC (lossless at 16/44.1 - ie redbook).  I have DSD files, high-res files etc - but when I purchase them - I keep an archive copy, transcode everything to FLAC - and keep all of my music as redbook.  That is what I use when listening at home, and on my Fiio X5.  Why?  Because I want to keep a lossless archive copy - and I have enough space on both the X5 and my PC so its not an issue.
 
For my X1 and X3ii - I can carry my entire collection (400+ paid for albums) on a single micro SDXC card in aac256 - and because I know its transparent to me - I'm not missing anything.
 
The secret to good music is in the mastering - not in the format (beyond a certain point).  Sure you'll get countless people who claim to be able to tell the difference.  Put those same people in a controlled volume matched blind abx test (if they would submit to one) and I think most would change their view.
 
So why do I use the likes of the X3ii or X5 - simply because they are high quality players with the feature set I want.  And they sound pretty good 

 
YMMV with above.  And for anyone who wants to debate what I just wrote - save it.  Test yourself.  if you claim to be able to tell the difference - congrats.  I don't particularly care either way.  i just encourage people to test themselves, find their own personal limits - and maybe discover something in the process.
 
Or - maybe I just have tin-ears 

 

cheers, 
 
I will indeed try this. 
 
but all in all the Fiio X1 is a great DAP?
 
ive only ever had ipods in the past

 

[Brooko]

  cheers, 
 
I will indeed try this. 
 
but all in all the Fiio X1 is a great DAP?
 
ive only ever had ipods in the past

 
It's a really good entry point.

 

[SallymaeHogsby]

m4a is an extention for both lossy AAC and lossless ALAC.

...

 
I use ALAC all the time (lossless, as well as compatible with both iTunes software and FiiO).
 
My only (minor) frustration is that FiiO players don't seem to read the "genre" metadata on ALAC files.

 

[Skullbox]

I'm questioning here about Favory. When a tune i'l like playing, I pusch the top-left button to get that red earth. Couple hours or the next couples days, when the same tune come to play, I have see no more red earth, my favorite tune are look like removing from the dap internal memory!?! Weard! Is it happen to some one else ? Hope I have be clear enough in my comment!

 

[hogger129]

Does anyone know if gapless playback works with AAC and ALAC files on the X1?

 

[Brooko]

  Does anyone know if gapless playback works with AAC and ALAC files on the X1?

 
Just tested it with Pink Floyd's "the Wall".
 
Works perfectly with ALAC and FLAC.  With aac there is a micro gap - sounds like a stutter.  It's never bothered me - but if you're a little 'OCD" about perfect gapless, then you may find it annoying.

 

[iancraig10]

I'm not absolutely certain yet, but gapless works better or worse depending on what format you're listening to. FLAC seems pretty good but MP3 can be a bit clicky. It's not seamless but better than having a large gap.

If you have The Wall in MP3, the clicks can be annoying because some of the episodes are quite short.

 

[stilleh]

Got my vsonic VSD3 IEMs today and had a go. I'm new to the audiophile world but man, I had a friggin eargasm when I put on Swedish House Mafia - Calling (lose my mind) extended club mix! For me, listening to music has changed forever. I love love love my x1 and I absolutely hate every time I need to do things without it (like shower...)

 

[fourrobert13]

I'm not absolutely certain yet, but gapless works better or worse depending on what format you're listening to. FLAC seems pretty good but MP3 can be a bit clicky. It's not seamless but better than having a large gap.

If you have The Wall in MP3, the clicks can be annoying because some of the episodes are quite short.

I've not noticed any clicks between mp3 songs.  I've noticed the gaps aren't all the same.  I've got some mp3 albums that seem to play gapless, then I have others that do.  I'm not sure why this is.  I listened to Iron Maiden's Live After Death album (live performance) and it plays through without issue, yet I can listen the Amon Amarth Vs. The World live and do get gaps.  I experience this with non live albums as well and I wonder if it's just from the source I am buying from or if it's how the mp3 was produced?  I've been checking this a lot lately because I also have a lot of power metal albums that tell stories between the songs and have been trying to narrow it down to see if it's the mp3, or me that is noticing/not noticing the gap or no gap.