[kharken]

I'm planning to buy a DAC/AMP for my PC and smartphone but I came across the update on the X3's firmware. Being able to be used as a DAC/AMP, how does it perform? Anyone tried using it with a PC?

 

[CH23]

  I'm planning to buy a DAC/AMP for my PC and smartphone but I came across the update on the X3's firmware. Being able to be used as a DAC/AMP, how does it perform? Anyone tried using it with a PC?

i like it, works great on windows 7,8, and i believe you can make it work on 8.1 as well now.

 

[kharken]

  i like it, works great on windows 7,8, and i believe you can make it work on 8.1 as well now.

thanks! just out of curiosity, how does it compare to the E17/E18? 

 

[buruma]

  I looked over their ebay listing, and if you flip through their feedback you'll see all they ever sold is volume cap covers for the ak100/ak120.  It makes the auction seem all the more suspicious, and with a minimum price of 740 bucks, who in their right mind would buy it, especially from a seller who may or may not have actually ever sold one (the jury is still out on that).  I'm sorry, but the price is hilariously high, I'm not really sure whats in this mod that would warrant a 540 dollar premium over a stock x3.  Just my two cents, however.

 
many head-fi users only interested in the price.
I hope you have more questions about that how to modify, how about the sound quality, etc..
Whatever the price, I don't want to hear sarcastic comments.
because, It's not my business. I'm not spokesperson of Bboricha (X3 Mod seller).
I'm just user!
Personally, the stuff is enough to worth is obvious.
It prove worth by the sound.
finally, eBay seller is consignment sale of X3 Mod from Bboricha (X3 Mod seller).
because, Bboricha does not has any experience of eBay selling.
I know him. He said many reason of price. but, I cannot fill it to english (because of
technical terms). I cannot english well.
 

 

[shrimants]

I dont get why you would take a player thats already using the latest/greatest chips and put old chips in it, just because of the name. I dont get why you'd show the inside of it is just a cheap hack of a soldering job that most people in the DIY section can manage if they really wanted to, and then charge an extra 540 USD for it. I understand the cost of materials and acquiring that breakout board and all that. I also understand the time and effort it takes to do the task. But charging 540 for it? Sounds to me like the guy needs a basic economics lesson. This is more ridiculous than the redwine mod for ipod and the 200 dollar LOD that comes with it. W/e though, a lot of people on here have magnitudes more money than sense.

 

[buruma]

I dont get why you would take a player thats already using the latest/greatest chips and put old chips in it, just because of the name. I dont get why you'd show the inside of it is just a cheap hack of a soldering job that most people in the DIY section can manage if they really wanted to, and then charge an extra 540 USD for it. I understand the cost of materials and acquiring that breakout board and all that. I also understand the time and effort it takes to do the task. But charging 540 for it? Sounds to me like the guy needs a basic economics lesson. This is more ridiculous than the redwine mod for ipod and the 200 dollar LOD that comes with it. W/e though, a lot of people on here have magnitudes more money than sense.

 
As you know, I don't know head-fi.org.
I'm just  newbie. Ok, I'll talk X3 Mod to on DIY section. sorry..
and, complaints about the price, you can not tell me. I'm not X3 Mod maker.. =)
thanks.

 

[Steve56]

   
If I may chime in: I had the same problems as you. And in my (short but considerable) experience I´ve collected using the X3 there are numerous, possible reasons for this.
 
The first you might want to look into is the SD card. I used a 32 GB Transcend card at first (Class 10, fast enough for everything). It appeared to work well, yet the FiiO kept crashing at playback. In the end the card was to fault as it was of spectacularly bad quality (it kept getting slower and slower until it was even slower than the internal memory). I subsequently bought a Samsung card which has been working splendidly so far (surprisingly so as I have had bad experiences with Samsung in the past).
 
Another reason might be the FLAC files themselves. What compression level were they compressed with? The default level is 5, I´d recommend 0 or 1. I´ve found that the FiiO does have problems with any lossless format compressed with settings out of the ordinary. LossyWAV: doesn´t work. Decreasing bit-depth of 24 bit files to 20 bit and then making use of FLAC's wasted-bit feature: doesn´t work.

Thanks, Marlene.  I have a 32GB SansDisk that was bundled with the X3.  The 96/24 tracks are from HDTracks, I'm not sure how they are encoded.  Since the X3 came with an HDTracks coupon, I'd assume whatever HDTracks sells would be supported.
 
I'm convinced it's a memory/buffer problem due to large track size.  I'm talking 70's prog rock album side long songs here, not 5 minute songs.  I suppose it's possible it may be a problem with the album in question, though it has happened once on a shorter song on a different album.

 

[Coop]

I'm convinced it's a memory/buffer problem due to large track size.  I'm talking 70's prog rock album side long songs here, not 5 minute songs.  I suppose it's possible it may be a problem with the album in question, though it has happened once on a shorter song on a different album.

I doubt it is a memory/buffer issue. I got a voucher for music with my X3 as well, and purchased a 192/24 version of a Gustav Mahler symphony. That's over 3GB for a single symphony and one of the flac files is over 1GB. The X3 plays it without a problem.

 

[lime51]

First of all, since this is my first post, I have to thank all those that have been very helpful for me when I was looking for some informations !
Going back for a moment to the issue of sound changes with the new firmware I also noticed something. I'm pretty sure and I don't think to a placebo effect (rather my bad ears...) because I had no expectations considering only the new DAC function and in the previuos update I noticed no change.
After the 2.05 I feel the sound a little more open and may be with a little more extension in the range. More transparency and openness but the voices are less solid and round, almost as if there was more head and less body. Not great diferences but something is there.
The sound is more detailed but before I was simply concentrated to enjoy the music, now less....
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I listen with Shure Se425...

 

[CH23]

First of all, since this is my first post, I have to thank all those that have been very helpful for me when I was looking for some informations !
Going back for a moment to the issue of sound changes with the new firmware I also noticed something. I'm pretty sure and I don't think to a placebo effect (rather my bad ears...) because I had no expectations considering only the new DAC function and in the previuos update I noticed no change.
After the 2.05 I feel the sound a little more open and may be with a little more extension in the range. More transparency and openness but the voices are less solid and round, almost as if there was more head and less body. Not great diferences but something is there.
The sound is more detailed but before I was simply concentrated to enjoy the music, now less....
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I listen with Shure Se425...

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet!

Personally i can't really say if there is a difference, as i've been switching between headphones recently, but i don't think it's placebo, as it happened before, i believe with the update to 1.25...

 

[Marlene]

  Thanks, Marlene.  I have a 32GB SansDisk that was bundled with the X3.  The 96/24 tracks are from HDTracks, I'm not sure how they are encoded.  Since the X3 came with an HDTracks coupon, I'd assume whatever HDTracks sells would be supported.
 
I'm convinced it's a memory/buffer problem due to large track size.  I'm talking 70's prog rock album side long songs here, not 5 minute songs.  I suppose it's possible it may be a problem with the album in question, though it has happened once on a shorter song on a different album.

 
I´ve played some classical pieces well exceeding 25 minutes, the FiiO doesn´t have problems playing them. Maybe you could try out another card... something older perhaps? To find out if my card was producing problems I used a card three years old, initially bought for the Clip+. Worked flawless with the FiiO, even though it was technically too slow.

 

[bodewalla]

And I was thinking that everyting was perfect...
Another glich to add those in this thread: after updating to 2.05 I just can't use Categories anymore. None of them (Album, Artist or Genre). Has any of you had this one? Everythig is tagged as before, so I don't know what's going on.

 

[bowei006]

  And I was thinking that everyting was perfect...
Another glich to add those in this thread: after updating to 2.05 I just can't use Categories anymore. None of them (Album, Artist or Genre). Has any of you had this one? Everythig is tagged as before, so I don't know what's going on.

Re-update library

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

  And I was thinking that everyting was perfect...
Another glich to add those in this thread: after updating to 2.05 I just can't use Categories anymore. None of them (Album, Artist or Genre). Has any of you had this one? Everythig is tagged as before, so I don't know what's going on.

Have you tried this and update library again? http://www.head-fi.org/t/681416/how-to-delete-the-database-in-the-x3-disk

 

[bowei006]

My experience is to never delete database first. Always try multiple ways of reupdating library first is my way of doing it. 
 
If that doesn't work. Then I move folders around on the storage as the number of folders has had issues with X3 updating and being able to use 'Categories' properly.
 
If that and a few re-updates don't work. Then it's time to do the delettion of databases.