[danmlr]

   
Ah, yes, we can agree on that.

But actually there's no need for a consensus. This is a discussion forum. And the sonic ideals are quite individual.

 
True. I purchased the X5 first and found the sound with my modded KSC75's and E6, to have a bit of coloration, a bit of bass punch, warm upper midrange and a bit of treble sparkle. Very enjoyable, detailed, punchy, but not neutral. 
 
I thought the X3II might offer the portability I wanted with SQ that was very close, based upon head fi reviews. 
 
I didn't volume match, but I had to set the X3II volume about 10 clicks higher to get similar volume. Even then, the treble seemed rolled off. 
 
I started looking for reviews, and I tend to agree with the commentary from the headfonia review; the assessment is soft treble, but rather nice DAC:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/fiio-x3-second-generation-it-just-got-better-again/2/
 
Treble is good as well even if it is on the softer side. It isn’t the most extended or detailed treble and it won’t shock anyone when you’re listening to your favorite tunes. Some people will of course prefer more crispy highs.

As you can see I quite like how it sounds as a complete unit, especially with IEMs and easy to drive headphones. I however have found myself using the X3 SG more as a DAC only at the office. While the amplification part certainly has its merits, I personally do think the DAC part is of a higher quality. The amp part positively surprised me power wise but when using the Line Out to in example the Picollo, E12A or Beyerdynamic A20 amplifier, my head- and earphones all sounded so much better. Like with the X1, I find the Line Out of the new X3 to be pretty darn good and I really enjoyed using it. Is it as good as the double DX90 DAC or Herus DAC? Honestly no, it is not, but it’s the cheapest and price/quality wise it’s on top of the list. An extra problem I have is the hiss the headphone out is producing with my sensitive monitors, but more on that in a bit.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Drinking coffee and listening to Cowboy Junkies this fine afternoon.

 

[PinkyPowers]

It's funny how much your perspective can affect experience. Mine seems ass-backwards to the majority.
 
I started with the X3ii, moving "up" to the X5 Classic. Lo and behold, I prefer the wheel on the X5.
 
It's not "loose" as it's been described, only extremely smooth, and shamefully pleasant. Both units are equally imprecise. Sometimes when you turn the wheel, nothing happens, other times it might jump a few places, overshooting. Very slight annoyances, as overall, both wheels function splendidly. I just prefer the fluidity of the X5 over the cog-like workings of the 2nd Gen X3.
 
I'm not ignorant to the history here. I know the wheel on the 2nd Gen models is a response to criticism over the one on the X5. Nonetheless, I like that one best.
 
Coming down the same path from the opposite direction rewards me with unique scenery. 
 
Now, in terms of extreme idealness, I love the high-quality touch screen of my Galaxy S4. This, of course, is a flagship smartphone from monster-corp Samsung. I don't expect this level of luxury from a fairly inexpensive music player. The wheel concept is perfectly adequate and functional.

 

[Mr.Tom]

The X5's we received seem to be from the last run of X5's, as my wheel feels great as well. My X5 from a year ago did not feel great.
 
This latest X5 also sounds better than my first(as memory serves). It has a smoother sound, but also seems to have less power.

 

[PinkyPowers]

The thought did occur to me this X5 is a product of refinement over subsequent batches. Do we know for sure FiiO altered the sound in these later releases?
 
I don't know how much power it used to have, but my HD600 sounds great at only 90/120. On the X3ii I had it set to 117, and it still didn't sound as good. And yes, they're both set to High Gain.

 

[Mr.Tom]

  The thought did occur to me this X5 is a product of refinement over subsequent batches. Do we know for sure FiiO altered the sound in these later releases?
 
I don't know how much power it used to have, but my HD600 sounds great at only 90/120. On the X3ii I had it set to 117, and it still didn't sound as good. And yes, they're both set to High Gain.

I don't think the design was changed, as that would be costly to have the board layout changed. But as time passes, the manufacturing process for the chips improves. Whether or not we can hear that? I don't know. As you can see, the X5's we got came with 2.5 firmware. My last one was way older, so that maybe whats going on.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Do we know what the difference is between Idle Off and Sleep?
 
@JamesFiiO said Sleep powers the unit off. Then what does Idle Off do? 

 

[x RELIC x]

Do we know what the difference is between Idle Off and Sleep?

@JamesFiiO
 said Sleep powers the unit off. Then what does Idle Off do? 

Sleep goes to sleep no matter what after the elapsed time. Idle power off turns the unit off after the selected time only when the is no interaction or music playing (idle).

 

[PinkyPowers]

Jesus! Who would want sleep to do that?

 

[nmatheis]

Jesus! Who would want sleep to do that?

Dude, it's a sleep timer. You set it for, say 30min. when you want to listen to some calming music while falling asleep but don't want that handy "play through folders" function to burn your battery out overnight.

That's it. That's all. It's a common function in music devices. All my DAPs have it. Hell, my Sonos even has it.

Disclaimer: Please disregard any snippiness. I just endured 2.5 hours at a kids b-day party. Outside. In 90F weather. Minimal shade. Mister blasting. Felt like 100% humidity. Whew, glad that's over and I'm in back in my nice cool basement!!!

 

[danmlr]

  The thought did occur to me this X5 is a product of refinement over subsequent batches. Do we know for sure FiiO altered the sound in these later releases?
 
I don't know how much power it used to have, but my HD600 sounds great at only 90/120. On the X3ii I had it set to 117, and it still didn't sound as good. And yes, they're both set to High Gain.

Wow, what's the dBA measurement when set to 90 or 117?

 

[PinkyPowers]

I imagine you wish you had a sleep timer for those kids.

Wow, what's the dBA measurement when set to 90 or 117?

We're talking about the HD600 here, not IEMs. The sound was not deafening.

 

[nmatheis]

I imagine you wish you had a sleep timer for those kids.
We're talking about the HD600 here, not IEMs. The sound was not deafening.

No, just the weather







Ok, maybe the kids, too :wink_face:

 

[mikaelmark]

   
All I can tell is that to my ears the line outputs of all three players sound virtually the same. I tried to compare the sound of low and high gain on the X5 II and didn't come to a final conclusion if there's a difference or not. If there's one, i'ts probably one I don't have to care for, as it seems.

Ok, thank´s JaZZ!
 
Do you know how may kHz your songs had that you listen to, for example: 44,2, 96 or 192 kHz?
 
Maybe some will play equally good with X5 as X5 II, while other´s may not? (due to better crystal oscillation with lower jitter/ no conversion for X5 II)

 

[JaZZ]

  Ok, thank´s JaZZ!
 
Do you know how may kHz your songs had that you listen to, for example: 44,2, 96 or 192 kHz?
 
Maybe some will play equally good with X5 as X5 II, while other´s may not? (due to better crystal oscillation with lower jitter/ no conversion for X5 II)

 
I have just a few hi-res tracks, but have converted them to 16 bit/44 kHz (some 48 kHz) now for all FiiO players, because the EQ can't handle higher sample rates. And the option to equalize the music according to the headphones used is more important to me than higher sample rates (although I actually do appreciate them).