[ObjectVoice]

That's kind, thank you. I'd very much like to give the the X5ii a spin but at the moment it's the X5 that's on its way to me and I'm pleased to be getting a chance to hear that with the latest firmware. The X3ii has given me a great deal of pleasure and I actually can't imagine how a DAP could sound better than that, since I'm a newbie Hifi audio fan with fairly shallow pockets and I've so far heard only a couple of the better quality devices. Possibly the post will deliver the X5 today, so I'm happy about that. Music and happy, even!

 

[ObjectVoice]

OK,the post arrived.
Out of the box, running (I think it was) 2.2 the X5 is almost totally useless, impossible to navigate using the scroll wheel and volume won't turn up beyond 50 percent.
Upgraded to 2.7 and - phew - that's better, it's still a bit flaky and over sensitive but it's usable.
A quick A/B of the SQ between the X5 and the X3ii reveals that actually - and wow! - there is a pretty significant and easily discernable improvement in terms of spatial articulation, detail, clarity and blackness of background. Pretty astonishing given that this morning I couldn't imagine better SQ than the X3ii. Crazy.

 

[Dobrescu George]

OK,the post arrived.
Out of the box, running (I think it was) 2.2 the X5 is almost totally useless, impossible to navigate using the scroll wheel and volume won't turn up beyond 50 percent.
Upgraded to 2.7 and - phew - that's better, it's still a bit flaky and over sensitive but it's usable.
A quick A/B of the SQ between the X5 and the X3ii reveals that actually - and wow! - there is a pretty significant and easily discernable improvement in terms of spatial articulation, detail, clarity and blackness of background. Pretty astonishing given that this morning I couldn't imagine better SQ than the X3ii. Crazy.

Aaand X5ii is even better 

 
I've no DAP right now and I'm really torn between getting X5ii out of a deal or something or waiting for X5III which is supposed to come sometime soon since it's almost time. 
 
Having no DAP is painful, but there wasn't a deal that good out there yet. 

 

[Kerouac]

  Aaand X5ii is even better 

 
There's (almost) always something better out there...that's the curse of Head-Fi

 
Btw, I have the X5 classic (stacked up with a small Arrow 5P amp) for some time now and still use it on a regular basis. When I listen with my 2 hybrid universal iems (1plus2 and IT03) I prefer this stack over my other (more expensive) stuff 

 
Imo the X5 has a very good (X5ii maybe even better) dac inside!

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
There's (almost) always something better out there...that's the curse of Head-Fi

 
Btw, I have the X5 classic (stacked up with a small Arrow 5P amp) for some time now and still use it on a regular basis. When I listen with my 2 hybrid universal iems (1plus2 and IT03) I prefer this stack over my other (more expensive) stuff 

 
Imo the X5 has a very good (X5ii maybe even better) dac inside!

 
They have the same DAC, you're not missing on the sound! 

 
X5ii has a arguably better amp stage, with more treble, better soundstage, better separation, tighter and preciser bass and really good mids. 
 
But if you're using X5 with Arrow P5, you're probably not going to see a single difference, you already have a golden setup! 

 

[Riley Beale]

What format is best for micro sd cards for the original X5?  Ex-Fat or Fat32?  I messed up when I formatted them.  I was using 3rd party formatting software because I could n't get my X5 to format them where they would work problem free.  I only have 1 sd slot in my computer and I did them one at a time.  Thanks
 
Riley Beale

 

[FiiO]

  What format is best for micro sd cards for the original X5?  Ex-Fat or Fat32?  I messed up when I formatted them.  I was using 3rd party formatting software because I could n't get my X5 to format them where they would work problem free.  I only have 1 sd slot in my computer and I did them one at a time.  Thanks
 
Riley Beale

Dear Riley Beale
It is recommended to format the cards in FAT32 format.

 

[Riley Beale]

  Dear Riley Beale
It is recommended to format the cards in FAT32 format.

My micro sd cards are 128 gb/  What format is best?  Also, I have some music that I changed only the genre tag of.  Do I need to recreate the playlist it is in?

 

[FiiO]

My micro sd cards are 128 gb/  What format is best?  Also, I have some music that I changed only the genre tag of.  Do I need to recreate the playlist it is in?

Dear Riley Beale
FAT32 format is recommended. You don't need to recreate the playlist if you didn't change the file name.

 

[Riley Beale]

  Dear Riley Beale
FAT32 format is recommended. You don't need to recreate the playlist if you didn't change the file name.

Okay.  I am reformatting to Fat32..  Filenames are not changed in the playlist,  Only the genre tag in the ID3 tags.
 
Thank you
 
Riley Beale

 

[melody50]

Can X5 owners can give some opinion on the line out connected to amplifiers, how to do they sound when compared to standalone CD players?

 

[Jess70]

Can X5 owners can give some opinion on the line out connected to amplifiers, how to do they sound when compared to standalone CD players?

Tried it. Even with lossless and hi-res files, my crappy CD player from 20 years ago sounds better through my home amp/speakers than the X5 through line out.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Tried it. Even with lossless and hi-res files, my crappy CD player from 20 years ago sounds better through my home amp/speakers than the X5 through line out.

Two likelihoods: the mastering is better on those CDs than the crappy remasters we often see today, or you simply prefer the sound signature of that old CD Player. In which case, I guarantee you can find a DAP you'll like more than the X5.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Tried it. Even with lossless and hi-res files, my crappy CD player from 20 years ago sounds better through my home amp/speakers than the X5 through line out.

 
You need to define better. 
 
You want a smoother sound? X5 is a very resolving DAP, if the music is bad, X5 will help bring forward those details, so you might have not heard how that music sounded before now disliking it... 
 
Another idea is that maybe there is a problem with the line in of the amp / speakers where they add too much gain and it distorts the sound. Had this happen with certain setups, especially the cheaper ones. 

 

[AndrewH13]

Tried it. Even with lossless and hi-res files, my crappy CD player from 20 years ago sounds better through my home amp/speakers than the X5 through line out.

What is the crappy CD player you are comparing against? Why are you using a crappy one?