[gerelmx1986]

  it was probably discussed before, but i am gonna ask away..
 
i got a 64gb Samsung EVO micro sd. After formatting in X3ii, when i connect it to my Win 8.1 laptop, it doesn't open the drive.
 
Is it because X3ii formats the card it FAT32 and so Win8.1 can't read FAT32? How do i  get around this?

seems you got a a bad card, my win 8.1 lappy reads FAT32

 

[EagleWings]

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/784481/fiio-releases-x1-blue-black-to-the-market#post_11997818
 
 
@JamesFiiO, Fiio has confirmed that the new X1s will have a better scroll wheel. Can we expect any improvements on the X3's scroll wheel too?

 

[Zojokkeli]

To be fair, X1's scroll wheel was quite bad. I think the wheel on X3II is fine.

 

[imackler]

I'm trying to find some impressions of this to the E17K or E10K but the search function doesn't work on queries of such small words. Does anyone have any thoughts how it compares sonically as dac/amp? (Obviously, the X3ii is a DAP.)

 

[EagleWings]

  I'm trying to find some impressions of this to the E17K or E10K but the search function doesn't work on queries of such small words. Does anyone have any thoughts how it compares sonically as dac/amp? (Obviously, the X3ii is a DAP.)

 
Check this out:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/743704/the-fiio-x3-2nd-gen-ex-x3k-x3ii-thread-192k-24b-cs4398-native-dsd-usb-dac-with-lo-and-inline-remote/5955#post_11952161

 

[Headphone4Life]

After not really enjoying the X3II as much as other players I have I almost decided to sale it but I'm glad I didn't. I didn't like just the headphone out and I didn't like it much from line out into my Vali or my SMSL desktop amp. Then I tried my little C&C BH portable amp and bingo it sounds really nice. It took away a lot of the dry somewhat analytic sound and gave it some warmth with a little added soundstage. The bass sound great now with good authority and sub-bass sound very clean. Mids now have some added warmth they were missing and the treble sounds about the same which is fine because I had no problem with them in the first place.
 
I bought the X3II because I thought it would pair well with my new Sony Z7 seeing as its a warm and somewhat of a darker headphone but I found the pairing to be a little dull. My HD600 sound pretty nice when just using the headphone out but I use my Z7 about 90% of the time. In the end it all worked out and I'm glad I kept it and now I'm looking at getting a DAC/Amp combo so I hope I don't run into the same thing. 

 

[JWolf]

Where does one get DSD to use with the X3II?

 

[goodyfresh]

  Where does one get DSD to use with the X3II?

Don't bother, DSD takes up MASSIVE amounts of storage space, is expensive, and doesn't actually sound any better unless you listen to it believing it will, and then that's just the placebo-effect/expectation bias.  The only reason it ever does sound better is because often DSD and Hi-Res recordings use better masters, but that has nothing to do with them being Hi-Res or DSD and everything to do with the companies selling them trying to trick people.  You could then proceed to downsample them to 16/44.1 FLAC, or even 320Kbs Mp3 or 256Kbs AAC files, and I guarantee you, 100% guarantee you, that you would not be able to hear an actual difference in A/B blind testing.

 

[ASpencer]

  The only reason it ever does sound better is because often DSD and Hi-Res recordings use better masters, but that has nothing to do with them being Hi-Res or DSD and everything to do with the companies selling them trying to trick people. 

 
I've heard the new SACD & DSD of John Williams' "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and my skepticism was dashed as it truly sounds phenomenal.  Your stance about better masters factors in, but the mix and separations are just superb.

 

[EagleWings]

   
I've heard the new SACD & DSD of John Williams' "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and my skepticism was dashed as it truly sounds phenomenal.  Your stance about better masters factors in, but the mix and separations are just superb.

 
Is it safe to say that such differences are perceivable through hi-fi headphones (something like HD800) and not so perceivable with mid-fi headphones?

 

[ASpencer]

   
Is it safe to say that such differences are perceivable through hi-fi headphones (something like HD800) and not so perceivable with mid-fi headphones?

 
You’re offering an axiom in the sense you get what you pay for, but I knew the material intrinsically well and that made an appreciable difference upon listening.  I literally was discerning new instruments in the mix and a much wider, more expansive soundstage.  The opening orchestra prelude with its gradual fade in and climatic seismic hit could be discerned approaching from lower levels than previous recordings.

 

[EagleWings]

   
You’re offering an axiom in the sense you get what you pay for, but I knew the material intrinsically well and that made an appreciable difference upon listening.  I literally was discerning new instruments in the mix and a much wider, more expansive soundstage.  The opening orchestra prelude with its gradual fade in and climatic seismic hit could be discerned approaching from lower levels than previous recordings.

 
Actually, not much of an axiom but an honest curiosity based on what I have experienced. For example, my Sennheiser IE80 reveals a lot more details and instruments in the music compared to my ~$50 earbuds. That leaves me to imagine that Hi-Fi headphones would be much more capable of handling those finer details in the DSD files, which the mid-fi headphones would not even pickup. So may be, the people who did not notice the benefits of DSD were not using the right equipment?? The reason I quoted HD800 was, I've read that it has one of the best imaging capabilities.

 

[ASpencer]

  So may be, the people who did not notice the benefits of DSD were not using the right equipment??

 
That makes perfect sense; hence my invoking of an axiom, but the integral part of my experience was the fact I knew the original source material so innately that I was able to discern every variance and augmentation.  There was much more information packed into the recording and it was discernible in a “before and after” sense.
 
Hearing playback on an actual soundstage illustrated it indisputably during many passages.

 

[Brooko]

Was it definitely the same master file?  Could you take the DSD file, dither and resample to redbook, and compare side-by-side (volume matched and blind)?  Not crusading here - just asking.
 

  Actually, not much of an axiom but an honest curiosity based on what I have experienced. For example, my Sennheiser IE80 reveals a lot more details and instruments in the music compared to my ~$50 earbuds. That leaves me to imagine that Hi-Fi headphones would be much more capable of handling those finer details in the DSD files, which the mid-fi headphones would not even pickup. So may be, the people who did not notice the benefits of DSD were not using the right equipment?? The reason I quoted HD800 was, I've read that it has one of the best imaging capabilities.

 
Well I have the T1 and Micro iDSD as source - and using same master file, then transcoding (from DSD to redbook), volume matching, and blind testing using Foobar 2000's abx - I can't tell a difference. The secret is that is has to come from the same master though, and it has to be volume matched before comparison. YMMV - and all I'm relating is my own experience. I'd suggest testing yourself if you can - as only you can tell your own thresholds. All I will suggest is that on a portable device - personally I wouldn't go out actively searching for DSD quality - unless you know for sure it is a better master copy.

 

[goodyfresh]

  Was it definitely the same master file?  Could you take the DSD file, dither and resample to redbook, and compare side-by-side (volume matched and blind)?  Not crusading here - just asking.
 
 
Well I have the T1 and Micro iDSD as source - and using same master file, then transcoding (from DSD to redbook), volume matching, and blind testing using Foobar 2000's abx - I can't tell a difference. The secret is that is has to come from the same master though, and it has to be volume matched before comparison. YMMV - and all I'm relating is my own experience. I'd suggest testing yourself if you can - as only you can tell your own thresholds. All I will suggest is that on a portable device - personally I wouldn't go out actively searching for DSD quality - unless you know for sure it is a better master copy.

Yeah exactly what I was thinking.  Probably just a better master.

   
I've heard the new SACD & DSD of John Williams' "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and my skepticism was dashed as it truly sounds phenomenal.  Your stance about better masters factors in, but the mix and separations are just superb.

The better soundstage part indicates to me that it is almost certainly due to it simply being a better master.  Try taking the DSD and converting down to 16/44.1 with dithering, and see if you can actually hear a difference in blind A/B testing then
 
Basically, the mix and separation improvement you hear could EASILY be due ENTIRELY to the use of a better master, and have nothing whatsoever to do with file format, sampling rate, etc.