The FiiO X3 2nd gen (ex X3K, X3II) Thread : 192K/24B, CS4398,Native DSD, USB DAC with LO and inline remote

[dbdynsty25]

 
I do not think you will regret it.
In my opinion X3ii is the best value for money DAP/DAC on the market right now.
The only real advantage of X5ii is the 2 micro SD card slots and more power for 'hungry' headphones. (Just a slightly better sound than X3ii.)

Spend those saved dollars for other enjoyment.

 
The screen is WAY better and no 5800 limit.  So there are a few reasons to go X5II.  I've got both and they both have their purpose...but you're right about the SQ...that definitely doesn't justify the cost increase...they sound very similar.

 

[mosshorn]

   
Good call on the Dignis...

 
I've heard nothing but good things about them! I almost ended up going with the Hidizs over both options, but I'm currently living in a hiss filled life, and got scared off from it for now. That's the only bad part about these CIEMs, they will hiss on so little 

 
 
I'm primarily an IEM or portable headphone guy. If I need more power, I'll either use my Magni or one of my vintage receivers. If I need more than 128gb of music, I have my laptop and a 2TB external drive that will take care of my needs with either the Fiio or another DAC/Amp.
 
For a split second I also looked at a HM-650. But being in the FL summer makes it very, VERY questionable to carry a pocket heater.

 

[charleski]

  I never understood why people need more than 5800 tracks on a portable device...

 

LOL

That is easy.
 
I'm not going to brag about how many tracks are in my music library (because I'm sure there are plenty whose libraries are even larger), but it's a lot more than that, a result of collecting records for over 25 years. There's a huge amount in there that I haven't listened to for a long time, but if it's not on my player I'll never listen to it. There've been plenty of times when I've been scrolling through my DAP and thought, 'Hey, I haven't listened to Thingy and the Doojums for several years,' so I give them another play. Music that has any real value will be stuff you'll still enjoy ten years from now.
 
And, of course, classical music adds a whole extra dimension. I don't need 3 different Ring cycles, but they're all different, and picking just one is a tough call.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I fill up my 64GB easy. And that's with down-converting a few of those high res records.

I listen to full albums at a time. I never shuffle, or create playlists. I used to. But I've really gotten into experiencing an artist's vision. It's made my music-listening richer, I think.

 

[betula]

  LOL

That is easy.
 
I'm not going to brag about how many tracks are in my music library (because I'm sure there are plenty whose libraries are even larger), but it's a lot more than that, a result of collecting records for over 25 years. There's a huge amount in there that I haven't listened to for a long time, but if it's not on my player I'll never listen to it. There've been plenty of times when I've been scrolling through my DAP and thought, 'Hey, I haven't listened to Thingy and the Doojums for several years,' so I give them another play. Music that has any real value will be stuff you'll still enjoy ten years from now.
 
And, of course, classical music adds a whole extra dimension. I don't need 3 different Ring cycles, but they're all different, and picking just one is a tough call.

Currently I have got around 12.000 tracks on my SSD. But 3000 tracks are more than enough on my X3ii. Time to time I browse my collection, and copy to my micro SD if I am in nostalgic mood, or download something new. But to keep the shuffle mode listening to things I really like, 3000 is enough for me...

 

[drteming]

Hi!  I've been lurking at Head-Fi for a while now.  Got a X3ii a while back and have been enjoying it quite a bit.  Took the player in to the office today and hooked the coaxial output to a pair of Behinger MS20 near field speakers.  The speakers have a 24/192 DAC, and as far as I know, does not support DSD.  I played a DSD64 file, fully expecting not to hear anything, but lo and behold, there's Mike Oldfield coming out of the speakers.  What's coming out of the digital output?

 

[dogmusic]

  Hi!  I've been lurking at Head-Fi for a while now.  Got a X3ii a while back and have been enjoying it quite a bit.  Took the player in to the office today and hooked the coaxial output to a pair of Behinger MS20 near field speakers.  The speakers have a 24/192 DAC, and as far as I know, does not support DSD.  I played a DSD64 file, fully expecting not to hear anything, but lo and behold, there's Mike Oldfield coming out of the speakers.  What's coming out of the digital output?

According to some earlier posts, you're probably hearing 24/88 PCM.

 

[drteming]

Thanks.  I read through the entire thread a while back and must have missed. it.

 

[dogmusic]

  Thanks.  I read through the entire thread a while back and must have missed. it.

It's also possible that I read it in the X5ii thread and mixed them up! But I'm sure it applies to the X3ii as well.

 

[mosshorn]

 
Ugh.

 

[fourrobert13]

Well I finally decided this morning to buy the X3II.  I was going back and forth between it and the ne X5II and after reading all the reviews for the X5II and some of the reports of the first productions units, I feel I made the right choice.  Ordered it from Amazon this morning and opted for the 2 day shipping so I should have it in a couple days.  Nothing I read made the X5II really stand out over the X3II other than the extra micro slot and while that is nice, the X3II has pretty stable usb otg and that will assist me with my growing collection.  Thanks for all the input and advice...Now I'm waiting patiently...lol

 

[danmlr]

   
The screen is WAY better and no 5800 limit.  So there are a few reasons to go X5II.  I've got both and they both have their purpose...but you're right about the SQ...that definitely doesn't justify the cost increase...they sound very similar.

 
I bought both the X5 and X3II and IMO, the SQ differences are significant. 
 
Through the HO in particular, the X3II has soft, rolled off treble in comparison. I don't find the difference to be subtle. The X3II actually reminded me of the sansa clip, a far less expensive player. 
 
Treble response is much better with DAC and LO. However, I didn't find treble response as accurate: it was grainier and more artificial sounding. 
 
I returned the X3II, even though I really like the portability factor and overall design. 

 

[ngs428]

Ugh.

Better than out of stock!

 

[PinkyPowers]

Well I finally decided this morning to buy the X3II.  I was going back and forth between it and the ne X5II and after reading all the reviews for the X5II and some of the reports of the first productions units, I feel I made the right choice.  Ordered it from Amazon this morning and opted for the 2 day shipping so I should have it in a couple days.  Nothing I read made the X5II really stand out over the X3II other than the extra micro slot and while that is nice, the X3II has pretty stable usb otg and that will assist me with my growing collection.  Thanks for all the input and advice...Now I'm waiting patiently...lol

 


My X5 Classic will be delivered today. For the last two weeks now, I've been using the X3ii. I have to say, there has been quite a few times whilst listening to her I've asked myself why I thought I needed to upgrade. The X3ii is that good. When you're not directly comparing it to something better, it's terribly easy to forget it has any limitations to speak of.

You'll love it. It's impossible to go wrong with that unit.

I only paid $195 for the X5 Classic, so even if it's not a huge upgrade (which I still hope it is), it was a great buy.

 

[fourrobert13]

 

  Well I finally decided this morning to buy the X3II.  I was going back and forth between it and the ne X5II and after reading all the reviews for the X5II and some of the reports of the first productions units, I feel I made the right choice.  Ordered it from Amazon this morning and opted for the 2 day shipping so I should have it in a couple days.  Nothing I read made the X5II really stand out over the X3II other than the extra micro slot and while that is nice, the X3II has pretty stable usb otg and that will assist me with my growing collection.  Thanks for all the input and advice...Now I'm waiting patiently...lol

 


My X5 Classic will be delivered today. For the last two weeks now, I've been using the X3ii. I have to say, there has been quite a few times whilst listening to her I've asked myself why I thought I needed to upgrade. The X3ii is that good. When you're not directly comparing it to something better, it's terribly easy to forget it has any limitations to speak of.

You'll love it. It's impossible to go wrong with that unit.

I only paid $195 for the X5 Classic, so even if it's not a huge upgrade (which I still hope it is), it was a great buy.

I almost went with the OG X5 due to the cost coming down, but was worried about warranty and replacement since the release of the X5II.  Either way, for my needs, the X3II fit the requirements I was looking for in my new DAP.