[bruce1967]

The 4db bass switch is not too much to be overpowering. X2 pairs well with them. Go for it Bruce, get the X2. I have yet to try my new stack with my 325e, but hope to do so soon.

I think I might do it. I'd use it more at home rather than on the go...the headphones and amp I mean. I like to take the X3ii with me with IEMs for at work but I think for my purposes the X2 and the E12a would make for a great at home listening set up...for those times when I get a chance to just sit and listen to music. I don't think alot of people just sit and listen anymore..

 

[ngs428]

I think I might do it. I'd use it more at home rather than on the go...the headphones and amp I mean. I like to take the X3ii with me with IEMs for at work but I think for my purposes the X2 and the E12a would make for a great at home listening set up...for those times when I get a chance to just sit and listen to music. I don't think alot of people just sit and listen anymore..

That is the only way I do it. Just sit and listen. My stack with the X2 would not work very well for me any other way. X2 is far too large for anything on the go.

 

[bruce1967]

That is the only way I do it. Just sit and listen. My stack with the X2 would not work very well for me any other way. X2 is far too large for anything on the go.

Yeah, I figured the X2 would be too large on the go plus I wouldn't want to have to carry them to and from work everyday.
 
I remember when I was a kid my parents used to always put on records and we would all sit around and listen and later my older bothers would do the same and I loved to sit with them and listen to the music too. I guess it's more of a solitary activity now but we didn't really talk much when the music was on. Plus I don't bother my wife and kids this way

 

[Moleman X]

Hi folks,
 
Amazon had the SanDisk 200GB micro sd card on sale last week for $100, and I grabbed one without realizing it wasn't officially supported by Fiio yet.  I thought I would share how it's working in my X3 II with 1.4 firmware.
 
I formatted it in the DAP.  My computer showed pretty close to the expected capacity - a few GB less than expected (181 instead of 186), probably due to using Fat32.  I loaded it up almost to capacity (about 5 GB left free).
 
Back in the X3, I updated the library.  Took quite a while (not unexpected), and seems to max out at 19883 songs (a little over 21500 actually stored - can't remember exactly how many).  However, when viewed in music folder mode, everything seems to be present and accessible.  Unless some folders are empty, I think I would have noticed one of about 2000 missing files, so I'm pretty sure it's all there.
 
The sheer number of files and folders slows down operation - again, not unexpected, as the same thing happened when I went from a 64 to 128 GB card.  Going to the SD card in music folder mode takes about 7 seconds (8 if playing), and about the same to back out of an album folder to the sd root directory.  The "About X3" screen takes about 15 seconds to load.
 
It's not the fastest card, but I haven't noticed any glitches or hiccups while playing music.  I haven't tried anything more challenging than 16/44 flac files, though.  All in all, I'm willing to live with these compromises in order to have the larger capacity - YMMV.  I do hope Fiio eventually adds 200GB support officially so I can shuffle through all the songs on the card.

 

[RamblerBoy]

i am totally done with fiio and their products. my fiio x3ii is only around 4 months old. recently started noticing a slight imbalance in the sound output between the left and right channels with the fiio favoring the left channel more than the right. it seemed like the vocals are coming ever so slightly from the left side. i forced myself to listen to them thinking it's the actual center of the stereo and even thought that i have a hearing imbalance. but with each day that passed by this kept getting worse and it eventually reached a point where only the left earphone works. i then figured out that the headphone out jack is loose. i have to keep holding the earphone's plug pulling it towards me so as to get equal outputs on either sides. now this is with the headphone out while the line out was working just fine until today when it started showing signs of the same.
 
this is not the first time i'm facing this issue with their products. i have had the same exact problem with the fiio e11 amp before i threw it out ( i literally threw it in the dustbin). these two are the only fiio products i have used till date and will remain that way. never again will i buy any of their products.
 
they don't even have a proper UI (not even a search function!) and i hear them justifying that by telling that they don't have enough funds for research unlike firms like apple, samsung, etc.. but i don't care, i am a consumer! i spend money for what i feel is worth it. i need to be satisfied for the money i spend. they are now busy updating the x7.
this was a real big mistake! i was wary of buying the fiio x3ii because of my experience with the fiio e11 amp but went ahead with the purchase because of all the hype. a big mistake!
 
Edit 1:
I am not including this to answer the trolls, the ones who have preconceptions / are judgemental or the ones who get easily offended / try to defend the product they own just because they like it / spent money on it. But for those who might find this post useful. Others might find fiio worthy but I don't. It's my personal opinion and if you don't find it acceptable, deal with it!

I bought the fiio e11 about 4 years ago. I stopped using it after 6-7 months because I heard no discernible difference with the headphones I had then and I also found stacking cumbersome. I stored it safely in a cupboard since then only to start using it again after about 1.5-2 years with an iem. But then using it for a week or two I discovered that it started developing the above mentioned channel imbalance and since warranty was not an option I opted for a work around. I used a duct tape to keep the plug firmly within the jack in a way that both channels work properly. I had to keep adjusting the duct tape and the plug to get equal outputs on either sides for around 3-5 months before it failed completely and as a result of frustration, threw it in dustbin.

Did not raise complaints anywhere then because i used to feel that storing the amp in a cupboard not using it for years together could be the reason that it happened. but then fiio x3ii's failure coupled with others' posts on the same issue with other fiio products proved me that the fault is with fiio.
 
Edit 2:
Having said all this, i love the sq that comes out of these two devices though i hear marginal/no difference in the sq between one of the new ipods and fiio x3ii. fiio x3ii has additional features like usb dac, external memory support, etc... while ipod, according to me, has an extremely better ui, streaming support, a never ending list of external apps (i always find a solution / alternative), etc...

 

[fourrobert13]

  i am totally done with fiio and their products. my fiio x3ii is only around 4 months old. recently started noticing a slight imbalance in the sound output between the left and right channels with the fiio favoring the left channel more than the right. it seemed like the vocals are coming ever so slightly from the left side. i forced myself to listen to them thinking it's the actual center of the stereo and even thought that i have a hearing imbalance. but with each day that passed by this kept getting worse and it eventually reached a point where only the left earphone works. i then figured out that the headphone out jack is loose. i have to keep holding the earphone's plug pulling it towards me so as to get equal outputs on either sides. now this is with the headphone out while the line out was working just fine until today when it started showing signs of the same.
 
this is not the first time i'm facing this issue with their products. i have had the same exact problem with the fiio e11 amp before i threw it out ( i literally threw it in the dustbin). these two are the only fiio products i have used till date and will remain that way. never again will i buy any of their products.
 
they don't even have a proper UI (not even a search function!) and i hear them justifying that by telling that they don't have enough funds for research unlike firms like apple, samsung, etc.. but i don't care, i am a consumer! i spend money for what i feel is worth it. i need to be satisfied for the money i spend. they are now busy updating the x7.
this was a real big mistake! i was wary of buying the fiio x3ii because of my experience with the fiio e11 amp but went ahead with the purchase because of all the hype. a big mistake!

Have you contacted them?  It's still under warranty and I would say they will take care of it for you.  However, I do know how you feel (been there, done that).  Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Brooko]

If your X3ii is only four months old - use the warranty. That is what it is for.

 

[RamblerBoy]

If your X3ii is only four months old - use the warranty. That is what it is for.

Will be using the warranty before trying to sell it off. not able to defend this player's UI and lack of support from its software developers anymore.

 

[JWolf]

  i am totally done with fiio and their products. my fiio x3ii is only around 4 months old. recently started noticing a slight imbalance in the sound output between the left and right channels with the fiio favoring the left channel more than the right. it seemed like the vocals are coming ever so slightly from the left side. i forced myself to listen to them thinking it's the actual center of the stereo and even thought that i have a hearing imbalance. but with each day that passed by this kept getting worse and it eventually reached a point where only the left earphone works. i then figured out that the headphone out jack is loose. i have to keep holding the earphone's plug pulling it towards me so as to get equal outputs on either sides. now this is with the headphone out while the line out was working just fine until today when it started showing signs of the same.
 
this is not the first time i'm facing this issue with their products. i have had the same exact problem with the fiio e11 amp before i threw it out ( i literally threw it in the dustbin). these two are the only fiio products i have used till date and will remain that way. never again will i buy any of their products.
 
they don't even have a proper UI (not even a search function!) and i hear them justifying that by telling that they don't have enough funds for research unlike firms like apple, samsung, etc.. but i don't care, i am a consumer! i spend money for what i feel is worth it. i need to be satisfied for the money i spend. they are now busy updating the x7.
this was a real big mistake! i was wary of buying the fiio x3ii because of my experience with the fiio e11 amp but went ahead with the purchase because of all the hype. a big mistake!

 
Have you actually seen the UI for the current version of Apple's music player in iOS 9.2? It's a freaking mess. It's not intuitive and can be confusing. I actually had to look up online how to get it to stop shuffling and play in order as it defaults to shuffle. Plus the iPhones and iPods do not sound all that good. The X3II blows them away.

 

[RamblerBoy]

   
Have you actually seen the UI for the current version of Apple's music player in iOS 9.2? It's a freaking mess. It's not intuitive and can be confusing. I actually had to look up online how to get it to stop shuffling and play in order as it defaults to shuffle. Plus the iPhones and iPods do not sound all that good. The X3II blows them away.

you found a solution online, its that simple. i have been waiting for months to enjoy browsing through the fiio x3ii and no solution has been found so far. maybe because they don't receive enough funds. i agree that this player sounds better than an ipod (not by a huge margin to my ears) but i use them as a portable player and i expect them to be portable in terms of user interface too. at least to me they are not.

 

[Brooko]

  Will be using the warranty before trying to sell it off. not able to defend this player's UI and lack of support from its software developers anymore.

 
That's fine - doesn't work for you.  Works perfectly for me - use it every day, and is my reference for reviewing.  Different people, different expectations. Good luck with your search for an alternative with similar price / performance - I think you may find it difficult getting everything you want.

 

[JWolf]

  you found a solution online, its that simple. i have been waiting for months to enjoy browsing through the fiio x3ii and no solution has been found so far. maybe because they don't receive enough funds. i agree that this player sounds better than an ipod (not by a huge margin to my ears) but i use them as a portable player and i expect them to be portable in terms of user interface too. at least to me they are not.

 
What exactly is it that doesn't work for you with the X3II?

 

[EagleWings]

  you found a solution online, its that simple. i have been waiting for months to enjoy browsing through the fiio x3ii and no solution has been found so far. maybe because they don't receive enough funds. i agree that this player sounds better than an ipod (not by a huge margin to my ears) but i use them as a portable player and i expect them to be portable in terms of user interface too. at least to me they are not.

 
I seer your frustration. Out of 3 Fiio devices I have tried (2 x X3iis and 1 x X5ii), the one I currently own is the only one that hasn't got some kind of imperfection. And the one I own, has been perfect so far. I understand that not everyone has the option to return the device if it doesn't work out well. But your problem lies far beyond the time point at which you could return it to the seller. If going through the warranty process is going to be a hassle, then you could sell it and go these 3 ways:
 
1. Buy a reliable player such as a Sony NW-A25. I did see your post in the Sennheiser Shure SE846 thread the other day. Is it safe to assume that you currently own one? The audio quality of Sony A series players are almost comparable to X3's SQ. (Actually some have found Sony players to sound better than X3ii and YMMV) But SE846 being a low impedance IEM, there is going to be some noticeable hiss with the Sony players. Which you can get rid of with a good external amp like a Cayin C5. Else keep it simple and get the iPod touch. But I agree with JWolf. The  Apple Music is just a disaster. It is easy to fly a chopper.
 
2. If you want a stand alone device that does not hiss with your SE846, you could try the iBasso DX90. But that would be a just be another gamble like you took with the Fiio. If you are lucky, you are. Else you will be back to where you are right now.
 
3. Buy a Chord Mojo and pair it up with your smartphone or an ipod.

 

[RamblerBoy]

   
That's fine - doesn't work for you.  Works perfectly for me - use it every day, and is my reference for reviewing.  Different people, different expectations. Good luck with your search for an alternative with similar price / performance - I think you may find it difficult getting everything you want.

at this price point and taking my experience with fiio into consideration, i'd rather stick with an ipod. i don't hear a huge difference between them either. or i might revert back to my phone and get a mojo after saving a bit more.

 

[Brooko]

Like I said - different expectations.  I could never go back to an iPod - and I genuinely enjoyed my Touch when I had it.
 
I'll echo JWolf's question though - what didn't work for you with the X3ii (the UI).  Your post didn't really explain what your issues with it were.  Perhaps we could help?