[gerelmx1986]

 

  Clip+ gotta be an undisputed king of portables

 
Fun fact.  The $40 Clip+ plays FLAC and the $300 Zune HD doesn't.   Not so HD I guess 

 

   

I always wondered waht did the "HD" stood in zune... i kow HD radio is Hybrid Digital... not HD quality.
 
shocking about that $300 zune can't play lossless other than WMA Lossless and wave, the $300 walkman A10 can play flac, alac, wave, aiff in both 16 and 24 bits, but eh fiio x3II can do DSD, but honestly i can't hear a difference between DSD and 24/96

 

[jamor]

 
I always wondered waht did the "HD" stood in zune... i kow HD radio is Hybrid Digital... not HD quality.
 
shocking about that $300 zune can't play lossless other than WMA Lossless and wave, the $300 walkman A10 can play flac, alac, wave, aiff in both 16 and 24 bits, but eh fiio x3II can do DSD, but honestly i can't hear a difference between DSD and 24/96

 
It plays 720p video.  But it's pretty disgusting a $300 player is so restricted in format and requires special software for syncing to boot.

 

[Brooko]

I would also suggest a comparison of x3 vs x3 v2

 
Guys like Bowie and Cleg should be able to supply the comparisons of the two X3's.  I have the X1, X3ii and X5 only  - sorry.
 

  Why seems to be so much secrecy about X3 II amp section?... Is there any possibilty that it's changed from test units to the final release (similar to what Xuelin has made with their Ihifi 800)?

 
No intended secrecy.  Info not up on Fiio's website yet - it will be disclosed when its posted. I'll ask Joe in the meantime - and see if he has the info on both amp chips used,and actual power output. 
 

  Is the X3 ii warmer/smoother or are they the same?   I wouldn't want my headphones to get any brighter.

 
Form the couple of hours direct comparison I had last night - I found them very much similar sounding.  Not warmer or brighter.
 

  Do you think it's too small? Maybe not big enough to be comfortable in the hand.

 
I'll try and get photos "in hand" when I get home.  Personally - I find the size ideal for portable use.
 

  The eq is good?
The bass is strong/punchy?,i want to really feel the bass on my ath ws99 and ie 800 on the go!

 
EQ is more versatile with the 10 band rather than 7 band of the X1.  As long as you are comfortable EQ'ing, you can make your bass as punchy as you need it to be 

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
Guys like Bowie and Cleg should be able to supply the comparisons of the two X3's.  I have the X1, X3ii and X5 only  - sorry.
 
 
No intended secrecy.  Info not up on Fiio's website yet - it will be disclosed when its posted. I'll ask Joe in the meantime - and see if he has the info on both amp chips used,and actual power output. 
 
 
Form the couple of hours direct comparison I had last night - I found them very much similar sounding.  Not warmer or brighter.
 
 
I'll try and get photos "in hand" when I get home.  Personally - I find the size ideal for portable use.
 
 
EQ is more versatile with the 10 band rather than 7 band of the X1.  As long as you are comfortable EQ'ing, you can make your bass as punchy as you need it to be 

do you consider that x5 has more details, and microdetails?

 

[Brooko]

I'll sit down and do a brief X5 v X3ii comparison tonight (it's 9am here at the moment).

 

[Dobrescu George]

  I'll sit down and do a brief X5 v X3ii comparison tonight (it's 9am here at the moment).

okay!
 
i'm looking forward to it.

 

[Hi 5]

 

The Sansa Clips are near perfect "On the go" "high movement" Portability Shuffle players. But lack so much in the UI.
And of course Fiio Stomps it in the UI & sound department.  not really fair to compare =)
 
 

 
When using the Fiio for moderated Physical/portable activities a stacked fiio is a bit to much lug around (for my interests)
 
And I think that is where the Fiio II will come in nicely!
 
Side Note - I really appreciate that Fiio has not yet jumped onto the (Bluetooth-WiFi-Bandwagon)
 
 

 

[jamor]

   
 

The Sansa Clips are near perfect "On the go" "high movement" Portability Shuffle players. But lack so much in the UI.
And of course Fiio Stomps it in the UI & sound department.  not really fair to compare =)
 
 
 
 
When using the Fiio for moderated Physical/portable activities a stacked fiio is a bit to much lug around (for my interests)
 
And I think that is where the Fiio II will come in nicely!
 
Side Note - I really appreciate that Fiio has not yet jumped onto the (Bluetooth-WiFi-Bandwagon)
 
 
 

 
Right. They are for different uses in my mind. fitness/gym/activities/beach/pool/skiing player (sandisk) and a leisurely portable use player for serious listening at home and on the go (x1/x3).  

 

[Brooko]

  Do you think it's too small? Maybe not big enough to be comfortable in the hand.

 
Bruce - hope this helps.  I find the size ideal ....
 

 

 

[Brooko]

​

 
X3ii quick comparison to X5 - and for anyone commenting - this is not a review.
 
Once again I’ve tried to be as objective as I can be – but ultimately my subjective opinion comes into play.  For a description of my known biases – please read the intro on any of my real reviews.
 
For the purposes of this quick comparison – I’ve used the X5 vs the X3 gen 2 (I’m going to call it the X3ii for the rest of this post to make it easier – ok) with FLAC files – exactly the same files in both devices.  I’m only using the headphone out in each case. I’m also using low gain on both devices.  For headphones, I’m using the HM5’s once again – but for interest, I’ll switch to the HD600 and T1 before I finish.
 
Again – first the known specs …..
 

	Fiio X5	Fiio X3
Approx cost	USD 350 (Amazon)	~ USD200 (unconfirmed)
Dimensions	~114 x 68 x 16mm	~96 x 57 x 16mm
Weight	195g	135g
Lossless file formats supported	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, DSF, DFF	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, DSF, DFF
Lossy file formats supported	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis
Use as external DAC?	Yes	Yes
Battery	3700 mAh	2600 mAh
Play time	10 hours+	12 hours+
DAC chip used	PCM1792A	CS4398
Main amp chip	4 x OPA1612 + 2 x LMH6643	??
S/N (H/O)	115 dB (A-Weight)	110 dB (A-Weight)
THD+N (H/O)	<0.003% (1 kHz)	<0.003% (1 kHz)
Output into 16 ohm	>460 mW	~ 400 mW (unconfirmed)
Output into 32 ohm	>255 mW	~ 200 mW (unconfirmed)
Output into 300 ohm	>28 mW	?
Highest resolution lossless	192 kHz, 24 bits	192 kHz, 24 bits
DSD/DSF/DFF support	Yes – converted to PCM	Yes - Native
Output impedance (H/O)	0.26 ohm	??
Line Out	Yes – separate port	Yes / Separate (shared with digital out)
Digital Out	Per – separate port, 3.5mm to Coax (cable supplied)	Yes – 3.5mm to Coax (cable supplied)
External storage	2 x Micro sdxc up to 256Gb (currently)	Micro sdxc up to 128Gb (currently)
Screen	IPS 400 x 360	2in colour TFT, 320x240 px
Shell / Casing	Plastic shell over aluminium body	Aluminium (gun-metal)

 
The 5 is both larger and heavier.  Both are built really well – and feel like serious audio devices to me.  The screen on the X5, despite being bigger, is also a lot clearer and crisper. Tactile buttons on both units are very solid and feel firm.
 
The wheel on the X3ii is noticeably firmer, and it is easier to feel the mechanical ‘clicks’ when turning it. But the X5 wheel (at least mine is like this) is still reasonably solid and is quite easy to scroll with.  Both wheels have the same issue – where a felt ‘click turn’ does not necessarily convert to a single menu movement.  But I have no issues personally navigating with both devices.
 
On the GUI side, I won’t go much into detail as the X3ii will be discussed at length in the reviews – it basically shares most features of the X1 gui – but has (like the X5) an adjustable gain, and a 10 band graphic equaliser. 
 
I’m also not going to cover the line-out or use as DAC – as the DAC driver for the X3ii is due an upgrade, and my line-out testing still needs to be done (this coming weekend)
 
Once again, a feature that the X3ii has that the X5 doesn’t, is the deep sleep mode. Basically it goes into this mode when not being used, but rather than turning itself off, it simply sleeps, without the normal battery drain.  End result – when you click the power button – “instant on”.  Both have the same volume steps (120).  With the HM5 the X5 is at 50/120 and the X3ii on 53/120 to match. I used a 1kHz test tone and SPL meter to do the volume matching.
 
Direct A/Bing (sighted), and once again the two DAPs sound very similar to me – and I’d have difficulty (initially) telling them apart in a blind test.  However, over time, the difference that manifests itself reasonably consistently is that the X5 sounds slightly more refined – has a softer smoother edge to notes, where the X3ii on the same tracks is very slightly sharper.  It’s only noticeable when A/Bing rapidly (same track, same volume – so I can switch quickly – plus I also have both DAPs playing same portion of the song). The difference I’m talking here is subtle though, and unless you’re doing a quick switching A/B, I don’t think you’ll notice the difference. The X3ii by itself doesn't sound the slightest bit harsh or grainy (to me anyway).
 
Tonally – they are very, very similar (good thing).
 
I couldn’t spot any differences in sound stage, and the bass weight sounds the same to me. The main difference is in the mid-range and lower treble – and again it’s just the X5 sounding very slightly smoother, more refined, cleaner.
 
I also tried both DAPs with a couple of DSF files I own (Quiles and Cloud).  So the X5 playing converted to PCM, the X3ii playing natively.  I personally didn’t notice a difference in playback – they both sound pretty incredible (they are Blue Coast Records recordings – recommended!).
 
OK – time for some fun stuff …..
 
HD600 – this time I had to crank the X3ii up to 75/120, and the X5 to 72/120 to volume match. Interestingly now, it was much harder to tell the two apart. Perhaps the HD600’s own tonality and laid back nature taking some of the edge of the X3ii? Anyway – the HD600 sounds excellent on both DAPs – I could listen to either one for hours.
 
T1 – I had to add another 5 notches to both DAPs.  Again – both sound pretty good at first with the T1 (600 ohm be damned!).  Again the added refinement of the X5 has become evident though. The other noticeable thing is that while both sound pretty good – they’re both missing some of the bass impact that’s usually evident with the T1 from my desktop amps.  Interestingly – even adding the little E11K to the mix, and some of the dynamics return – more so with the subtle bas boost it also has.  Still not as good as the NFB-12 or LD MKIV – but definitely enjoyable.
 

Oh and the stacker kit from the X1 fits the X3ii as well – bonus!
 
Obligatory pics ……
 

		[size=inherit][/size]
Side by side​	Bottom view - USB only vs USB and 2 x SDXC​	Right side view - X3ii's SDXC slot ​
		[size=inherit][/size]
Top view​	Left side view​	Standing together - both approx same thickness​

 

[x RELIC x]

Brooko thanks for the quick comparison!

FYI, the X5 has 'Play Through Folders' functionality on FW 2.4 if you didn't know, and it works great. I presume this is what you mean when you said it doesn't have folder play.

I actually prefer the size of the X5 and your pics are great for seeing the differences.

 

[Brooko]

Thanks Relic. Funny thing is that I'm using 2.4 and didn't even realise it was there. Must have turned it off when I was reflashing fw at some stage. Thanks for the heads up. I'll change my notes.

 

[DJScope]

You're too good, sir!

 

[x RELIC x]

Thanks Relic. Funny thing is that I'm using 2.4 and didn't even realise it was there. Must have turned it off when I was reflashing fw at some stage. Thanks for the heads up. I'll change my notes.

Actually I think it's off by default, not sure why!

 

[bruce1967]

   
Bruce - hope this helps.  I find the size ideal ....
 

 

Yes that does help. Thanks very much! It does look to be the perfect size.