[EagleWings]

  I just needed more room for storage.  The DX80 had 2 card slots and OTG, but it seemed very buggy from everything I read about it and I'm just not a fan of bugs...lol.  Now I'll have the X1, X3II, and the X5II so I should be good for a while.

 
Cough Cough X7 Cough Cough..

 

[fourrobert13]

   
Cough Cough X7 Cough Cough..

Lol...I looked at it, but $300 was my budget.  Probably had I not bought the X1 a couple months ago I might have been able to pull it off.  I'm happy with the X5II.  It'll be here Thursday and should keep me happy until something new comes along.

 

[bruce1967]

  Lol...I looked at it, but $300 was my budget.  Probably had I not bought the X1 a couple months ago I might have been able to pull it off.  I'm happy with the X5II.  It'll be here Thursday and should keep me happy until something new comes along.

If the X3II cast $300 here in Canada I'd have one by now but they go for about $450 here. Damn our weak dollar!

 

[fourrobert13]

 
Yeah that's a good collection of DAPs. I have X1 and X3II. I think you will enjoy the sound of it as well as getting more storage space. Even if you have a couple 200gb cards that's alot of storage space! I just have a 128gb card for my X3II and one for my X1 but a good portion of my collection is downloaded from iTunes so it doesn't take much room. The rest is CDs ripped in ALAC.

Currently my music collection is 430 gigs.  It's a mix of flac and 320 mp3s.  I'm not buying any new stuff unless it'sa band I really like.  I admit I can't listen to it all, but like to have it there for when I do.

 

[bruce1967]

  Currently my music collection is 430 gigs.  It's a mix of flac and 320 mp3s.  I'm not buying any new stuff unless it'sa band I really like.  I admit I can't listen to it all, but like to have it there for when I do.

Over the last couple years I've really paired down my collection because there is just too much stuff to listen to. I still have everything but I only keep my absolute favorites on my DAP...stuff that I know I want to listen to and never get tired of. I have about 80 on my X3II right now and it seems like a good amount.

 

[fourrobert13]

 
Over the last couple years I've really paired down my collection because there is just too much stuff to listen to. I still have everything but I only keep my absolute favorites on my DAP...stuff that I know I want to listen to and never get tired of. I have about 80 on my X3II right now and it seems like a good amount.

That's what I need to do.  

 

[bruce1967]

  That's what I need to do.  

Yeah it makes listening more pleasurable for me because I can just forget about the superfluous stuff I've collected over the years and listen to the good stuff and it makes selecting something to listen too a lot faster. I have deleted or thrown out alot of CDs and digital music and I wondered what the heck I was thinking when I bought that stuff.

Some shameful guilty pleasure music I guess..that's what you tube is for

 

[dissembled]

I own the X1. Can someone compare the sonical qualities of both players? Is the X3 II good enough to warrant the upgrade?

 

[bruce1967]

I own the X1. Can someone compare the sonical qualities of both players? Is the X3 II good enough to warrant the upgrade?

I think they are very similar sounding to me. The X1 is lighter, both have the same scroll wheel. The X3II has a 10 band equalizer and instant on which the X1 doesn't have. The X1 doesn't have a DAC. I guess it come down to features but sonically I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart.

 

[BETEP 9]

bruce1967
Quote:

 The X1 doesn't have a DAC.

The X1 does have a DAC. It uses PCM 5142

 

[bruce1967]

  The X1 does have a DAC. It uses PCM 5142

I stand corrected.

Another good reason to buy the X1.

 

[EinTheVariance]

  The X1 does have a DAC. It uses PCM 5142

I think bruce was referring to using the DAP as a DAC for a PC.  The X1 cannot do this IIRC whereas the X3 II can.
 

I own the X1. Can someone compare the sonical qualities of both players? Is the X3 II good enough to warrant the upgrade?

To me, the X1 is a warmer sounding DAP.  It felt like Fiio engineered the X1 more for the "masses" if you will whereas the X3 II is more audiophile sounding, more inclined towards to the treble with a flatter sound signature.  It does resolve some details in the upper area better from what I can tell, but whether it's worth the upgrade in terms of sonical qualities depends on what kind of sound you prefer.
 
With that said, there are other reasons to consider when deciding whether it is worth to upgrade or not.  The X3 II can function as a DAC for your PC.  It also has a dedicated line out port so if you constantly switch between the headphone out to line out with the X1 (for instance, if you use it both with headphones and also as a source for your car speakers or something), it will save you a lot of headache from having to change the setting every single time.  The X3 II also has a better middle button that is more tactile vs the X1 and the scroll wheel is actually somewhat coarse vs the completely smooth wheel of the X1 (that is, it feels like you are scrolling as you spin the wheel as there are tactile steps as the wheel turns rather than just spinning rubber...it feels better to me).  Also, the biggest feature/advantage I feel that the X3 II has over the X1 is the idle poweroff feature.  With the X1, this feature doesn't exist so you are left with the turn off after x minutes feature.  The problem with this is that startup/boot times are slow.  There is also that bug where sometimes the DAP doesn't turn on and you have to use a pin on the reset hole to turn it on.  The X3 II's idle poweroff feature basically eliminates both of these issues.  It is a low power sleep mode that drains very little battery on standby and instantly (and I do mean instantly) brings you back with the touch of the power button, unlike booting from a turned off player.  Since the player never needs to be turned off in this case, it greatly eliminates the chances of encountering the reset hole bug too.  This one feature alone may be worth upgrading for.

 

[bruce1967]

  I think bruce was referring to using the DAP as a DAC for a PC.  The X1 cannot do this IIRC whereas the X3 II can.
 
 

I was.

 

[bruce1967]

The X3 II's idle poweroff feature basically eliminates both of these issues.  It is a low power sleep mode that drains very little battery on standby and instantly (and I do mean instantly) brings you back with the touch of the power button, unlike booting from a turned off player.  Since the player never needs to be turned off in this case, it greatly eliminates the chances of encountering the reset hole bug too.  This one feature alone may be worth upgrading for.

Good point. I agree it is an excellent feature.

 

[Indigo Bob]

The sound of the x3ii is not substantially better than the x1, but i do have to say it is a significant difference.  For me the sound was more neutral, but not flat, but being more natural.  It isn't as warm as the x1, but this seems to coincide with a more open and clear sound that seems to surpass a significant threshold of immersion for myself.  It has a "cleaner" sound that adds a subtle airiness that wasn't present on the x1, and adds an underlying layer of extra detail for my listening experience.  I did feel this significant difference.
 
As stated above, the fact that it has a DAC to allow you to listen to you computer is a big plus for me that has added a whole new dimension to my listening options and I don't have to buy a separate DAC/amp.
 
For the quality sound and the added DAC, the price is hard to beat.