[ClieOS]

Quote:

The general consensus amongst those with ears that I trust is that the amp section is poor. A mod is available to fix that. Or, you can do the line out solution. I'm personally going to try a line out solution. 

 
It is kind of funny that the guy who did the mod doesn't saying the amp section is poor, yet other are drawing all kind of conclusion.

 

[rawrster]

I think I'm going to get a portable amp anyway even though I like the amp. I don't like that I have to turn the screen back on to change to volume and also I liked the Fiio E11 when I had it and it would be nice to see what Fiio considers their top amp.

 

[sandalaudio]

Quote:

The general consensus amongst those with ears that I trust is that the amp section is poor. A mod is available to fix that. Or, you can do the line out solution. I'm personally going to try a line out solution. 

 
I think Fiio has done a good job at this low price point, and the line out is pretty good. I think it is a better idea than opamp rolling, because you alway gain something but lose something by swapping out the opamps (unless you want to dedicate the X3 to one particular model of headphones).
 
X3 might be a good device for line and SPDIF out, since it feels a bit silly spending $500+ on a DAP simply for line output sake. Personally  I am interested in how X3 compares to the line output of modern iPods, especially the ones through the lightning adaptor that have WM8533 DAC built in.

 

[serious7]

Quote:

 
It is kind of funny that the guy who did the mod doesn't saying the amp section is poor, yet other are drawing all kind of conclusion.

I was not referring to you when I said "those with ears that I trust say the amp section is poor" unfortunately.  Sorry for any confusion I made in my original post. I only mentioned the mod because that seems like a possible thing to try. 
 
 

 
I think Fiio has done a good job at this low price point, and the line out is pretty good. I think it is a better idea than opamp rolling, because you alway gain something but lose something by swapping out the opamps (unless you want to dedicate the X3 to one particular model of headphones).
 
X3 might be a good device for line and SPDIF out, since it feels a bit silly spending $500+ on a DAP simply for line output sake. Personally  I am interested in how X3 compares to the line output of modern iPods, especially the ones through the lightning adaptor that have WM8533 DAC built in.
 

 
I agree. That was the main reason why I bought the X3. But the DX50 looks very interesting as well since it is competitively priced. 

 

[Tehol]

I don't think I would describe the amp as poor but it definitely improves with a line out to a higher quality one.  I also think it is an improvement over the iPod video by itself but not so much that I would have spent $200 for it.

 

[dbdynsty25]

I sure didn't mean to bash the X3 but it appears I opened the proverbial can of worms. I'm definitely not saying the x3 is bad...far from it. I just don't think it pairs well with my M100s. The GR07s are absolutely fantastic with it. So it definitely depends what you're going to be connecting to it.

 

[sykoakustic]

Got my X3 a few days ago and just joined Head Fi today.  I never thought of using an external amp to extend the battery life.  I am trying the X3 with a Headroom Total Bithead and a Fiio E17 even though the consensus was that it doesn't need an amp.  And I agree it doesn't.  However, in addition to the battery life (haven't checked that out yet) adding an amp certainly changes the flavor of the sound (obviously!) and makes for some interesting variety especially with different headphones.  Is this "amp rolling?"  Having tried these two amps, I have to say that the X3 on its own is my preference.
 
I guess if you are willing to strap something onto the X3 for longer battery life, how about one of those portable usb rechargeable batteries people use to charge their cell phones?  Just a thought...

 

[sandalaudio]

Quote:

I sure didn't mean to bash the X3 but it appears I opened the proverbial can of worms. I'm definitely not saying the x3 is bad...far from it. I just don't think it pairs well with my M100s. The GR07s are absolutely fantastic with it. So it definitely depends what you're going to be connecting to it.

 
There are many reasons why you may prefer the sound of one player over another, irrespective of the price. It was your honest opinion on the M100, so people will appreciate it. The sound quality will depend on what headphones it is paired with so each review counts, rather than generalising. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality of the X3, and Fiio took the approach of being able to drive all kinds of difficult loads like my T1, which is great.
 
 
Just as an example, the L/R crosstalk of the X3 is somewhere around 4dB better than my iPhone 4S, and some people might prefer the sound of the iPhone because it makes everything feel more focused and energetic due to the poorer separation (what people might call "crossfeed"). This is one of many ways why something that has better technical specs may not necessarily sound better to some people.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

...in addition to the battery life (haven't checked that out yet) adding an amp certainly changes the flavor of the sound (obviously!)...

 
That implies that, far from one being better or worse at driving headphones given sensitivity and impedance, the amps are actually altering the sound, instead of just amplifying the signal source - in this case the X3 - for driving a headphone.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

 
I think Fiio has done a good job at this low price point, and the line out is pretty good. I think it is a better idea than opamp rolling, because you alway gain something but lose something by swapping out the opamps (unless you want to dedicate the X3 to one particular model of headphones).
 
X3 might be a good device for line and SPDIF out, since it feels a bit silly spending $500+ on a DAP simply for line output sake. Personally  I am interested in how X3 compares to the line output of modern iPods, especially the ones through the lightning adaptor that have WM8533 DAC built in.

 
Agree as well. I won't say using a TOTL portable amp will make X3 equal to a DX100 or HM900, but it does get mighty close for a setup that costs about half.
 
Lightning adapter's SQ isn't particularly great (or bad for the matter). It is about on par with Nano 7G's internal headphone amp section when set to the around the same loudness.
 
Quote:

Got my X3 a few days ago and just joined Head Fi today.  I never thought of using an external amp to extend the battery life.  I am trying the X3 with a Headroom Total Bithead and a Fiio E17 even though the consensus was that it doesn't need an amp.  And I agree it doesn't.  However, in addition to the battery life (haven't checked that out yet) adding an amp certainly changes the flavor of the sound (obviously!) and makes for some interesting variety especially with different headphones.  Is this "amp rolling?"  Having tried these two amps, I have to say that the X3 on its own is my preference.
 
I guess if you are willing to strap something onto the X3 for longer battery life, how about one of those portable usb rechargeable batteries people use to charge their cell phones?  Just a thought...

 
Given E17 has similar amp section to X3 and Total BitHead just simply not as good on the amp section, I am also believe that neither makes sense with X3. You really do need to go with a really good portable amp to start to see them shine together, or else it will be easier just to use X3 as it is.
 
Yes, USB power bank will work...

 

[sykoakustic]

Quote:

 
 
Given E17 has similar amp section to X3 and Total BitHead just simply not as good on the amp section, I am also believe that neither makes sense with X3. You really do need to go with a really good portable amp to start to see them shine together, or else it will be easier just to use X3 as it is.
 
Yes, USB power bank will work...

Since I already have the Total Bithead and E17, it was an interesting experiment.  My first amp purchase was the Bithead which sounded muddy, lacked clarity/resolution and had a hum/buzz when strapped to my iPod.  I bought the E17 based on the posts on Head Fi and quite enjoyed it with an iPod Video 30gb with an LOD by Sendstation. I think the X3 ups the sq another notch again, a slightly more warm/richer sound with better midrange qualities for vocals.  The warmer sound makes my Grado SR80's sound much better with the eq rounding out the bottom end nicely without bloat.
 
Maybe a nicer amp may be in the cards in the future but I am truly enjoying the X3 on its own immensely. I was considering the iPod Classic at one time but I didn't like what I heard on the demo unit at the Apple Store. Looking forward to what the members might post about amp and headphone pairings with the X3 in the future.  My only quibble is the gapless issue.  It is not a deal breaker, I love the X3.  Would love a fix to gapless in browser mode as members have already discussed.  Obviously the Orient does not have an equivalent to Pink Floyd?  

 

[boombobby289]

Quote:

 
Agree as well. I won't say using a TOTL portable amp will make X3 equal to a DX100 or HM900, but it does get mighty close for a setup that costs about half.
 
Lightning adapter's SQ isn't particularly great (or bad for the matter). It is about on par with Nano 7G's internal headphone amp section when set to the around the same loudness.
 
 
Given E17 has similar amp section to X3 and Total BitHead just simply not as good on the amp section, I am also believe that neither makes sense with X3. You really do need to go with a really good portable amp to start to see them shine together, or else it will be easier just to use X3 as it is.
 
Yes, USB power bank will work...

Personally I had listened to X3 (demo unit from a seller)  but I don't really like its signature sound but in other hand I was very impressed with the audio playable formats including 24bit FLAC/APE and ALAC. 
 
Let's say if I make X3 as a storage and use its Coaxial Output to line out the digital signal (0 & 1) into an portable DAC/AMP such as iBasso D12 or Lecketon UHA6S-MKII which support S/P DIF digital input. In your opinion & past experience, do you think the sound quality will be improved further especially the clarity, detail, separation, sound stage, bass & treble?

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Obviously the Orient does not have an equivalent to Pink Floyd?  

 
Actually I don't know any gapless album from the East (okay, maybe there are some Classical).
 
Quote:

Let's say if I make X3 as a storage and use its Coaxial Output to line out the digital signal (0 & 1) into an portable DAC/AMP such as iBasso D12 or Lecketon UHA6S-MKII which support S/P DIF digital input. In your opinion & past experience, do you think the sound quality will be improved further especially the clarity, detail, separation, sound stage, bass & treble?

If you are using X3 as a digital transport, then the sound quality will be mostly determined by the amp/DAC you are going to use. Generally speaking, the DAC section of a portable amp/DAC will likely be weaker on performance when compared to the amp section (*as most portable amp/DAC are designed as amp first and DAC second), so you might just as well using the line-out on X3 to feed a pure amp. However, this is just a generalization.

 

[w357]

Please add to System Settings:
 - one press action +/-
I dont want to press twice for choose next track - one click activate backlight, second nex track((((

 

[placebo-fi]

Hey James, any plans to include support for playlist files like m3u in future firmware upgrades?