[RAFA]

Quote:

Well I guess someone already let the cat out - I already know the for a few months now, but nevertheless was told not to let anyone know until they are ready. I think I can let some less important detail out at this point: First, it won't be the same X3 we discussed before. It is a brand new project under the old name so the hardware will be different. 2nd, FiiO will go for a more common platform (relative to the Chinese market). So hopefully no more dreadful SoC supplier that halts up the R&D.

 
This "common platform" sounds like a Rockchip-solution to me. Could this be an Android device?

 

[singh]

android will be great.

 

[putente]

Subscribed, and wishes of better luck this time for the X3 project... 

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

android will be great.

Android would be great only if implemented properly. If it's going to be buggy slow and causing the player to lock up like on the DX100 it'll be far from great. If given the choice I'd gladly trade off Android for an inhouse OS that's simple looking but works well enough for a player.

 

[RAFA]

Quote:

Android would be great only if implemented properly. If it's going to be buggy slow and causing the player to lock up like on the DX100 it'll be far from great. If given the choice I'd gladly trade off Android for an inhouse OS that's simple looking but works well enough for a player.

 
Indeed. Android needs at least 1.2 Ghz to work fast. Do not want another D3 controversy.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

 
Indeed. Android needs at least 1.2 Ghz to work fast. Do not want another D3 controversy.

1GHz is decent if it is dual-core....but not single-core. 

 

[stozzer123]

Honestly i would be over the moon if it wasn't an android interface (or any touchscreen one for that matter)  I like me some physical buttons and to be honest what i would like to see is something with studio V sq (wishful thinking due to also wanting under $150 pp), large battery (20-30hrs id be willing for extra bulk).  But most importantly a sturdy firmware (I actually like the simple layout of hisound players and the cube c30 although a bigger screen with around 8-10 lines of text to ease scrolling through lots of files).  Also just making 4-32gb with good micro sdhc support versions would keep the community reasonably happy for me 4 or 8gb with a 32 card is enough.  So in summary cost (low-medium) sound quality (high- s:flo territory) interface stable and size roughly ipod classic  although willing to put up with greater thickness if it improves the sq and battery.
 
As always whatever comes out (if it ever does) will not be everyones cup of tea but we can always dream of the day we log on to the pictures thread and see 100 pages of the same source.
 

 

[tds101]

I'm in for a FiiO X3 then,...I know the pricing won't be absurd, and it'll sound fantastic!!! WooT!!! It's ON!!!

 

[DigitalFreak]

I'm thinking take a page from Apple and just go with a nice responsive click wheel like layout. As for everything else I couldn't care less if it has huge onboard storage or not as long as it has SD card support why care is my motto. Heck smaller onboard storage would maybe even keep the price point down and free up some internal real estate for electronics that could put this thing up there into the great sounding department. Screen size, go with a screen roughly around the size a iPod Classic uses and it wouldn't even have to have color. Not using a color screen would help keep costs down. Other features that should be a must, playlists of coarse, as well as display music by artist genre or album. A shuffle feature for playlists would also be nice and maybe even a ranking option so we could 5 star our best songs and sort them into a playlist by ranking. Battery life, 15 to 20 hours would be quite acceptable in my opinion just don't give us something silly like 8 and under. File support, ALAC, FLAC, MP3,WAVE, you know the major ones everyone uses.
 
As an added bonus maybe include a high gain switch so it could drive slightly more demanding gear. Oh and make sure the audio output jack has an impedance of 1 ohm or less so nobody has to worry about impedance mismatch messing with the frequencies. Considering a lot of people will be using this for IEM's make absolutely sure this thing can be mated to sensitive IEM's so there's no background hiss. If making this MP3 player sounding great means it has to be the size of a small brick like the DX100 well then so be it it's a tradeoff I'm comfortable with. Everything else who cares I want a great sounding MP3 player not something to watch movies or play games or surf.
 
Make the guts of this thing sound great not be a jack of all trades that does everything mediocre at best and gets bogged down with bugs. Price point, make it sound out of this world and I'll gladly pay between 400 and 500 bones just as long as it sounds out of this world and has expandable storage I'm fine with it.

 

[mosshorn]

Quote:

I'm thinking take a page from Apple and just go with a nice responsive click wheel like layout. As for everything else I couldn't care less if it has huge onboard storage or not as long as it has SD card support why care is my motto. Heck smaller onboard storage would maybe even keep the price point down and free up some internal real estate for electronics that could put this thing up there into the great sounding department. Screen size, go with a screen roughly around the size a iPod Classic uses and it wouldn't even have to have color. Not using a color screen would help keep costs down. Other features that should be a must, playlists of coarse, as well as display music by artist genre or album. A shuffle feature for playlists would also be nice and maybe even a ranking option so we could 5 star our best songs and sort them into a playlist by ranking. Battery life, 15 to 20 hours would be quite acceptable in my opinion just don't give us something silly like 8 and under. File support, ALAC, FLAC, MP3,WAVE, you know the major ones everyone uses. As an added bonus maybe include a high gain switch so it could drive slightly more demanding gear. Oh and make sure the audio output jack has an impedance of 1 ohm or less so nobody has to worry about impedance mismatch messing with the frequencies. Considering a lot of people will be using this for IEM's make absolutely sure this thing can be mated to sensitive IEM's so there's no background hiss. If making this MP3 player sounding great means it has to be the size of a small brick like the DX100 well then so be it it's a tradeoff I'm comfortable with. Everything else who cares I want a great sounding MP3 player not something to watch movies or play games or surf. Make the guts of this thing sound great not be a jack of all trades that does everything mediocre at best and gets bogged down with bugs. Price point, make it sound out of this world and I'll gladly pay between 400 and 500 bones just as long as it sounds out if this world and has expandable storage I'm fine with it.

 
 
Wall of text, but I pretty much agree with everything. I would love a simple firmware on this, maybe even a super simple android interface if need be. I would love to see a player face off against the current kings. Heck, I'd love to see a HDD based player that wasn't an Ipod and worth a S%^&

 Also in the same dimensions I should add lol

 

[DigitalFreak]

Sorry about the wall of text, reedited for better readability.

 

[neato]

Yay! I'm so glad that I've been too broke to replace my 5th gen iPod.

 

[jgray91]

Quote:

I'm thinking take a page from Apple and just go with a nice responsive click wheel like layout. As for everything else I couldn't care less if it has huge onboard storage or not as long as it has SD card support why care is my motto. Heck smaller onboard storage would maybe even keep the price point down and free up some internal real estate for electronics that could put this thing up there into the great sounding department. Screen size, go with a screen roughly around the size a iPod Classic uses and it wouldn't even have to have color. Not using a color screen would help keep costs down. Other features that should be a must, playlists of coarse, as well as display music by artist genre or album. A shuffle feature for playlists would also be nice and maybe even a ranking option so we could 5 star our best songs and sort them into a playlist by ranking. Battery life, 15 to 20 hours would be quite acceptable in my opinion just don't give us something silly like 8 and under. File support, ALAC, FLAC, MP3,WAVE, you know the major ones everyone uses.
 
As an added bonus maybe include a high gain switch so it could drive slightly more demanding gear. Oh and make sure the audio output jack has an impedance of 1 ohm or less so nobody has to worry about impedance mismatch messing with the frequencies. Considering a lot of people will be using this for IEM's make absolutely sure this thing can be mated to sensitive IEM's so there's no background hiss. If making this MP3 player sounding great means it has to be the size of a small brick like the DX100 well then so be it it's a tradeoff I'm comfortable with. Everything else who cares I want a great sounding MP3 player not something to watch movies or play games or surf.
 
Make the guts of this thing sound great not be a jack of all trades that does everything mediocre at best and gets bogged down with bugs. Price point, make it sound out of this world and I'll gladly pay between 400 and 500 bones just as long as it sounds out of this world and has expandable storage I'm fine with it.

Agreed with all this. As a bonus though if they can add a LOD, regardless of how, that would be icing on the cake. As more bonus though, if they are doing a very pocketable DAP, they should add some "pocket buttons" a la Sony's X-series players of yore.

 

[ClieOS]

This "common platform" sounds like a Rockchip-solution to me. Could this be an Android device?

Neither, as far as I know.

It will be a simple music player, maybe some basic video capability but that will be all. Android is on the table as a future R&D project for what I know, which seems to be the trend of the current market, but X3 isn't that project. I think FiiO still consider X3 as, first and foremost, a DAP and not a 'smart' device. Even if FiiO does make an Android based device in near future, it probably won't going to be a Galaxy SIII killer either. It will have enough power to run Angry Bird but Mass Effect Infiltrator or Max Payne Mobile are likely very long short.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Neither, as far as I know.
It will be a simple music player, maybe some basic video capability but that will be all. Android is on the table as a future R&D project for what I know, which seems to be the trend of the current market, but X3 isn't that project. I think FiiO still consider X3 as, first and foremost, a DAP and not a 'smart' device. Even if FiiO does make an Android based device in near future, it probably won't going to be a Galaxy SIII killer either. It will have enough power to run Angry Bird but Mass Effect Infiltrator or Max Payne Mobile are likely very long short.

No offense ClieOS, with this crowd Angry Birds and Mass Effect isn't a selling point. All we want is a DAP that doesn't run a clunky bug ridden OS and sounds far better then the average mass market smart device. If this thing can come close match or maybe surpass the DX100 in sound quality Head-Fi will explode and Fiio will sell a million of them.