[iancraig10]

Hi guys. I´ve been happy living with my Fiio X5, but as I basically use it to enjoy my music at home , I´ve been thinking about an SQ upgrade Now, this is where you,more experienced guys, come in. I know, reading through this thread occasionally, some of you have been using the Fiio with desktop gear, like e.g. Shiit Asgaard 2 ( + Shiit Bitfrost) and other.
I´ve been browsing the net for weks now to learn about headphones and DACs,or the combo of both. My current headphones are ATH M50X and Sennheiser HD595. Should I just go for a dedicated, more powerful headphone amp ? Or would it be worth upgrading both the DAC and amp on the Fiio ? Is the Fiio internal DAC good enough?
As I feel  kind of stuck at the moment, I would appreciate any  advice or info based on your personal experince using the Fiio as a part of your home rig, rather than just portable device.
Thanks a lot for any feedback,
Ivan

Hi,

Some of us are fortunate to have different set ups, so I'll say what I use with mine ....

In the front room, I feed from the line out into a Garage Polaris amp or an Ember.

Sometimes, I use digital out, straight into an Ifi Micro. The Micro is great for taking into the garden as well. I also use the Micro from TV via optical which is really good because it doubles up.

Upstairs, I often use an MF v8 amp, again, from the line out.

Mowing the lawn, straight from the headphone out into some closed headphones.

Walking around outside, straight into some iem's.

I use files ranging from MP3 to dsd and tend to change headphones to suit amp/quality of file/ genre of music.

Lots of variables from the x5 ranging from ok quality to really good, depending on where I am. Certainly, a high quality file into the Ifi Micro using a headphone like AKG K712 or Fostex TH900 for a bigger bass gives excellent results.

 

[nmatheis]

muzikT: First of all, let me congratulate you on your impeccable taste in music, my friend.

UP THE IRONS!!! \m: \m/

Okay, with that out of the way...

Download WineBottler and install MP3Tag for massaging audio file metadata. It rocks!

If it were me, I'd use one of two strategies.

1. Get rid of all the pre-pending CD# garbage!

2. Consider it two albums. Split the files between TBOS CD1 and TBOS CD2 folders. Each folder can have the songs start numbering with track 1 now. Leave CD# metadata in. This is what I did with the 44/24 files I purchased.

3. Consider it one album. Put all files in one folder and make sure the file names are numbered sequentially without the pre-pending CD #. BUT leave the CD1, CD2 metadata in there. Hey, we're in the digital age, so why not?

Leaving the CD# metadata in doesn't help with your X5 but does with iTunes and iPhone.

Hope that helps. TBOS is pretty rad, eh

 

[x RELIC x]

Or, use the Browse Folders and turn on the Play Through Folders function.

 

[nmatheis]

Or, use the Browse Folders and turn on the Play Through Folders function.

Did you look at the filenames he's got x RELIC x? They're totally fubar. Track 1 on the album is called 1-02 for some reason. XLD's getting these from metadata, so I'm pretty sure no matter whether he plays via Categories or Folders, it's going to be messed up. Seems like manual intervention is needed!

 

[x RELIC x]

Did you look at the filenames he's got x RELIC x? They're totally fubar. Track 1 on the album is called 1-02 for some reason. XLD's getting these from metadata, so I'm pretty sure no matter whether he plays via Categories or Folders, it's going to be messed up. Seems like manual intervention is needed!

Yup, I did. Though the tags aren't ideal the Browse Folders category will play all 1-01, 1-02, 1-03...... files in order within the folder. Just throwing out another option which is dirt easy and quick, though better tagging would be optimal for the best of both worlds.

Edit: Oh, duh, track one is 1-02? Man alive! Yeah, get the names in order first. Apologies! Where's my coffee?

 

[iancraig10]

With my X5, I get soft 'ticks' between dsd files. It would be nice if an update could eliminate this, but I guess it's going to be some time, if at all.

 

[nmatheis]

Don't know how it happened, but it's severely messed up...

 

[x RELIC x]

With my X5, I get soft 'ticks' between dsd files. It would be nice if an update could eliminate this, but I guess it's going to be some time, if at all.

I get soft ticks between songs as well from my MacBook Pro using Audirvana+ 2.0 playing DSD to the HA-1, just like on the X5 and even on the 'native DSD decoding' X5ii.

Yet one more nail in the coffin for the DSD format for me. When converted to PCM I hear no audible difference from DSD so that's what I do if I pick up a better mastered track in DSD format.

 

[x RELIC x]

Don't know how it happened, but it's severely messed up...

Yeah, I was looking through a morning fog when I posted earlier. Those names are boggled.

 

[iancraig10]

I get soft ticks between songs as well from my MacBook Pro using Audirvana+ 2.0 playing DSD to the HA-1, just like on the X5 and even on the 'native DSD decoding' X5ii.

Yet one more nail in the coffin for the DSD format for me. When converted to PCM I hear no audible difference from DSD so that's what I do if I pick up a better mastered track in DSD format.

I get soft ticks between songs as well from my MacBook Pro using Audirvana+ 2.0 playing DSD to the HA-1, just like on the X5 and even on the 'native DSD decoding' X5ii.

Yet one more nail in the coffin for the DSD format for me. When converted to PCM I hear no audible difference from DSD so that's what I do if I pick up a better mastered track in DSD format.

Ok. At least it's not some kind of fault on the x5. So the answer is to convert it. Many thanks.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Ok. At least it's not some kind of fault on the x5. So the answer is to convert it. Many thanks.

And a million DSD zealots scream out in pain.

 

[mandrake50]

What do they say? Reality bites!
 

 

[iancraig10]

Now, now. No need to be a dsd hater!!

The technology will catch up one day........

The Ifi Micro is supposed to have fixed it with v5, I think. I'll try it from the X5 to see if the X5 still ticks away.

 

[nmatheis]

Doesn't X5 convert DSD to PCM anyways? I thought there was no real benefit for DSD unless you bought X5ii, which plays DSD natively. Am I wrong on that?

 

[x RELIC x]

Doesn't X5 convert DSD to PCM anyways? I thought there was no real benefit for DSD unless you bought X5ii, which plays DSD natively. Am I wrong on that?

You are correct, the X5 converts DSD to PCM on the SoC, but there is still a blip between songs. As for a benefit playing DSD natively on the X5ii I simply can't hear it.