[bruce1967]

  I used a 120GB ipod for several years and when I bought my X1 it was better in almost any aspect. Sound is better IMO, power, compatibility, etc. The only thing i miss from my ipod is the touch wheel. The software used to be better in the ipod but now with FW 2.0 the X1 is pretty good. Also storage, 120GB was difficult to achieve some years ago, but now you can get a 128GB card for a reasonable price, also you can buy more than one and swap them on the go. Line out is a plus, the X1 uses the same output for both headphones and LO, other Fiio DAPs use a separate output. For the ipod I had to buy a separate accessory (from Fiio also). The X1 is not tied to iTunes, you can just copy-paste your music in the card and you're ready to rock. Finally charging, micro USB is pretty convenient, having to have a separate charger for my ipod and for my other devices at home/car/office was annoying for me.

Yes it's too bad apple has a patent on the touch wheel technology. The touch wheel would make the X series players amazing.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

I have no problem with the "Click Wheel" on my X1.......ofc, the Apple Devices have a superior touch and feel....but the SQ from the X1 trumps it by far IMHO.
 
Price point, size, ease of loading music and a great sound make it a no brainer......all IMHO ofc

 

[GregDunn]

  Hi--I have an X1 that I bought in 2015 with the original firmware FW1.3. In contemplating upgrading to the FW2.0, I'm mainly concerned about any negative changes in the sound quality. Using either stand alone or hooked up to a Cayen C5, this thing sounds about as good as you're going to get at its price point. Did you notice any differences in sound quality, good or bad, changes in bass or treble, or any other glitchy noises when you upgraded to the latest FW?

 
I'm probably the wrong person to ask about this. 

  I've done a huge amount of ABX testing with audio samples as well as electronic gear in the last 40 years, and I remain convinced that any well-designed piece of electronics in this day and age is pretty much indistinguishable.  The ear's threshold for distortions is far far higher than it is for frequency response or level deviations; a mismatch between device impedances is much more likely to be the cause of any perceived differences in audio quality than any other source.  Confirmation bias and delf-deception are the driving forces behind most "audiophile" equipment today.  I very much doubt that a firmware change would have any impact on the quality of the X1, that being determined mainly by the codec package (unchanged as far as I can determine) and the hardware (unchanged of course).  The only possible impact a software change might have is that the UI code seems to run faster and any real-time functions involved in decoding/processing the audio (which all share the processor) would be less affected by CPU loading after the upgrade; e.g., the equalizer might be more responsive or have reduced processing delay.  The "gapless" function still hiccoughs when transitioning between tracks, as it does with most DAPs except the iPod.  That's a choice of algorithms, I'm pretty sure, and has been the same with every version of software I've used on the X1.
 
That said, I find the quality of the X1 to be transparent when matched with a good transducer; I've used mine with several different headphones as well as my car stereo line input and it does the job as well as I expect.  I just used it on a long trip after the upgrade, and nothing seemed to have changed except the major improvement in UI functionality/speed.  Going from 1.3 to 2.0, you'll enjoy the support for increased file database size and some possibly handy user features.  Knowing what I know now, I'd say there is no reason not to upgrade.

 

[Indigo Bob]

  Considering to get the FiiO X1. Currently using the 5th gen iPod Video. How would you rate the players on sound quality on a scale of 10? Is a DAC+iPod setup on par with the X1?

id get an x3ii if you can afford it

 

[oldmate]

  Considering to get the FiiO X1. Currently using the 5th gen iPod Video. How would you rate the players on sound quality on a scale of 10? Is a DAC+iPod setup on par with the X1?

I would comfortably say that iPod 5th Gen + good DAC/AMP  would eat the X1 by itself for breakfast. I used my 5th gen with the iBasso D6 and it was good. A lot of Headfier's still using the 5th gen as a source. In addition the wheel on the iPod is far superior to the FIIO scroll wheels on all their models that feature it. Fair to say the GUI is also superior plus you can rockbox the iPod. It would be a stack however and you might not want that but having said that I found my rockboxed iPod sounded quite good on it's own with the right IEM/Headphones.
 
If I was in your situation I would buy the appropriate DAC/AMP and that way not only could not only use your iPod with it but your smart phone, tablet/PC or notebook could be utilized as well. I would look at the oppo HA-2 or iBasso D14.
 
I'm a notorious tight ass when it comes to spending dollars and I'm just saying what i would do but as ever with this hobby it's just my personal opinion.

 

[castleofargh]

all you need to do is think in terms of what is your sound system. in this case it's a source providing the PCM streaming of music + a DAC converting that digital streaming to analog signal + the amp section making sure we get enough power and stability into a given range of loads and voltages + headphone/IEM(the load).
for each element you may find a replacement that has superior specs or that is closer to your personal taste. here all you can do is change the amp section, but with some DAPs it's a sound system lego where you switch whatever brick with whatever device that has the same brick function. if you replace the amp section of the X1 by a crappy amp that doesn't deal well with your IEM/headphone, you'll get a crappier result. but if you replace the amp of the X1 or the ipod by an amp section more fitting to your own use, then yes you can expect at least measurable improvement and perhaps audible improvement. it comes down to which amp section does the best job for your DAC and headphone.
 
 
the X1's output impedance is 2ohm so some multi BA IEMs may have a slight change in signature that a low impedance amp won't create. some users might not like that with a few of their IEMs.
also the max output voltage won't drive all the low sensitivity headphones at loud volume levels(all portable stuff yes, but not everything else). so it makes sense if we have such needs, to get an external amp. or simply to get one if we believe better specs will mean better sound despite having to carry an extra brick. personally I don't mind stacking bricks in my pocket in winter, but I never do it in when it's hot outside and I don't even have a jacket to carry those bricks. sorry if it's not an audiophile reason ^_^.

 

[zanox]

FiiO X1 + Dunu Titan 3( black orange tips) = awesome.
Them mids send shivers down my spine. Euphoric.
Try this combo. you won't regret it if you are a vocal lover.

 

[Eric321]

If I use a different micro USB to charge the FiiO X1, would that cause any technical issues?

 

[pbeg7]

I havent had any issues with different cables for charging, but I have for transfering files though.

 

[surikan12]

I'm trying to decide between FIIO X1 and Cowon IAudio 9+....
 
which is better sounding(on EQ)?

 

[pedronet]

  If I use a different micro USB to charge the FiiO X1, would that cause any technical issues?

 
 

I havent had any issues with different cables for charging, but I have for transfering files though.

 
@Eric321 You shouldn't have problems with charging or file transfers. I use more than one different cable than the supplied for both those operations (although usually i do the transfers directly on the card) and i can do both fine.
 
@pbeg7 i had an mp3 player that had that issue (charging fine with a different cable but not transfer files) and it turned out to be the length of the plug. The original cable had a longer plug and other cables didn't plug all the way, which made the data pins on the cable unreachable. Still i doubt that's your case since the plug doesn't have anything to stop being inserted 

 i'm confused

 

[FiiO]

  If I use a different micro USB to charge the FiiO X1, would that cause any technical issues?

Dear Eric,
The X1 can be connected to chargers via other micro USB cables. But it is recommended to use the USB cable comes with X1 which is specially constructed with thick power line conductors to minimize power loss while charging. Using other micro USB cables may lead to slower charging; very poor quality USB cables may cause so much power loss through the cable as to fail to charge the X1 altogether.

 

[FiiO]

I havent had any issues with different cables for charging, but I have for transfering files though.

Dear pbeg7,
May I ask whether the USB cable you used is the one comes with X1? Please make sure the USB cable you used have the data transfer function. And you can change another USB ports in your computer for try.

 

[Dyaems]

Anyone knows how to disassemble X1? I think the battery got bloated because I noticed that the back cover where the battery is, is not "snapped in place" anymore. Pushing it back does not do anything. 
 
The dap is already out of warranty so.. yeah. I love the X1 and its kind of hard for it to let go D:

 

[big45-70]

I just received my X1 and I'm really digging the sound and the UI which I'm pleasantly surprised with.  The wheel is different then I was expecting and I like the functions but the durability does concern me a bit.  Has there been issues with it wearing out or not working over time?