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

[Mild Milder]

   
I'm not going to doubt your impressions, but one thing that strikes me is your HD 25-1 II (correct?): It's long ago that I listened to it, and I remember it as a not very refined and resolving headphone. There seem to be two version around: one with lack of low bass and one with relatively high harmonic-distortion level. Which is yours? I just suspect that there may be some synergy issue in your case(s).

Tyll Hertsens (InnerFidelity) about HD 25-1 II: "The sound of these cans is excellent, giving a slightly forward but overall very well balanced sound for a headphone of this type---probably the best I've heard."
I agree with him.

 

[JaZZ]

  Tyll Hertsens (InnerFidelity) about HD 25-1 II: "The sound of these cans is excellent, giving a slightly forward but overall very well balanced sound for a headphone of this type---probably the best I've heard."
I agree with him.

 
If so, I apologize for my wrong assumption that it's the headphone's fault. The pair I auditioned was certainly an older production version, as it was 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[Jnjy]

Just found out you can have EQ on line out with FW1.1
Just connect something on headphone out, set the EQ you like, disconnect headphone out then connect to line out.

 

[Mild Milder]

Correct woking mode of EQ in X3-2 is... "EQ:OFF" (imho)

 

[JaZZ]

  Correct woking mode of EQ in X3-2 is... "EQ:OFF" (imho)

 
Yes, if you have a perfectly linear headphone. Which is it? I'm interested!

 

[Mild Milder]

 

   
Yes, if you have a perfectly linear headphone.

With аny headphones. Equalizer X3-2 more spoils the sound, rather than making it better. 

 

[JaZZ]

  With аny headphones. Equalizer X3-2 more spoils the sound, rather than making it better. 

 
So I'm the lucky exception with mine...

 

[interpolate]

What do you people consider to be linear sound? Studio quality balanced across the board with little or need to equalise.
 
Or do you mean a complete phase linear approach to the sound which is basically going to be as is and with very little phase shift, if any?

 

[JaZZ]

  What do you people consider to be linear sound? Studio quality balanced across the board with little or need to equalise.
 
Or do you mean a complete phase linear approach to the sound which is basically going to be as is and with very little phase shift, if any?

 
Is this question addressed to me? I want my headphones to output a signal as neutral as possible to my ears, so what I care for is the result from the whole chain, not a linear signal from the DAP. The weakest point will always be the sound transducers; equalizing their obligatory nonlinearities is a must to me. I rely on the fact that a linear (over-all) frequency response equates to a linear phase response – although of course just a raw approximation is possible, you'll always have to live with residual imperfections, the more so as an octave equalizer can only do so much. That said, the X3 II's EQ is very good, despite just being a graphical equalizer.

 

[interpolate]

Right. I just wanted to get it clear in my head what you meant.  

 

[interpolate]

I tend not to use the equaliser as I listen to so any genres of music.

 

[JaZZ]

  I tend not to use the equaliser as I listen to so any genres of music.

 
I don't adapt the EQ curve to genres or recordings if that's your interpretation. I have assigned fixed EQ curves to specific headphones/earphones meant to provide an over-all flat frequency response to my ears. I'm glad that the FiiO players allow that.

 

[interpolate]

Well that makes sense...

 

[yoyorast10]

What is the cheapest website to import this from?

 

[Jnjy]

[COLOR=222222]With аny headphones.[/COLOR] Equalizer X3-2 more spoils the sound, rather than making it better. 

Not with DT1350