[Shauntell47]

 
Glad you asked, to me it has been one of the most difficult things to get right, that is because of motion, sweat, etc.. All the IEMs I used failed, either the plug or one side of the earphones broke rendering them useless. You need something that is well built cable wise and that you could possibly exchange the cable if it goes wrong. Having said that, my best pair at an affordable price is the SHURE SE215, roughly about a 100 us dollars. The cables are built like a tank, I'd be very surprise you will break them but what's nice is if you do, you can buy a cable and you will be back in business. They offer couple of models; the standard one and the bass tune one. I actually got both and depending on the source I switch. I tried it with the X5 and because the player is iems friendly, I had not issues with both models. I have also the SE535 which are more expensive but they pair quite well with the X5, it my best IEM pairing. I am reluctant to bring them to the gym because of the costs, I don't mind as much with the cheaper, it is in the gym and it is rather noisy so I feel I would not beneficiate that much with a better pair. I have to say this but I never had any hissing issues with my SE535 which with other players I had, that is quite a statement in terms of how clean the HO is.

Another option are the Aurisonics Rockets which can be had for 150$ until Sunday on Kickstarter. 5 year warranty on them too, although no replaceable cable...

 

[goldendarko]

Musicheaven, thanks for the response. I am also hesitant about bringing a $500 pair of IEM's to the gym due to the abuse they take, but as long as the cable is replaceable I think I would be willing to do it. What kind of differences are there between the SE215 & SE 535 w/ the X5. May also consider the SE846's as well, but need to do more research on them, especially at that price.

 

[musicheaven]

Musicheaven, thanks for the response. I am also hesitant about bringing a $500 pair of IEM's to the gym due to the abuse they take, but as long as the cable is replaceable I think I would be willing to do it. What kind of differences are there between the SE215 & SE 535 w/ the X5. May also consider the SE846's as well, but need to do more research on them, especially at that price.

There is quite a difference and it is associated with the number of micro drivers it has, the 215 has one, the 535 has three and the 846 has 4 but it is also equipped with the latest technology called true subwoofer which extends the bass. It's all about how much you can afford to pay to increase the sound quality. If I could afford the SE846 I would get those.

Search the site for reviews of each and make a selection. The bottom line is they are truly well made and sound great and the cable being interchangeable is a true life saver and bonus.

 

[goldendarko]

Musicheaven, thanks again for the info, I'm reading reviews on the 535 & 846 now actually, both seem to be pretty well reviewed.

 

[zeppu08]

There is quite a difference and it is associated with the number of micro drivers it has, the 215 has one, the 535 has three and the 846 has 4 but it is also equipped with the latest technology called true subwoofer which extends the bass. It's all about how much you can afford to pay to increase the sound quality. If I could afford the SE846 I would get those.

Search the site for reviews of each and make a selection. The bottom line is they are truly well made and sound great and the cable being interchangeable is a true life saver and bonus.

Just an OT: does the se 215 black and the clear (for stage use) has difference from one another? And have you also tried the se215 special ed? Any comparison you can make?

 

[Dixter]

I though this was the X5 thread not the  " Can the Shure IEM take my acid sweat " thread...  come on guys get a room...

 

[ClieOS]

whats your impressions on dx50 to AK,HFM daps(SQ,SS etc just pertains to sound)? Just a reply of a line or two is fair enough to hear.....im sorry if its been replied here or on ur iem site.

 
So far I'll rank them as follow: HM901 > X5 > HM700 >= DX50 = mod'ed X3 = AK100. AK100 is extremely clean but disappointingly weak in power and control. X3 has great texture and power, but not enough clarity. DX50 is somewhat in between but closer to AK100. It has good clarity and power over AK100, but still somewhat lacking the authority. I put a ">=" on HM700 because HM700 really outdoes the other three (AK100, DX50, and X3) only when all of them are driver RE400 (with balanced RE400 for HM700). On other IEM, it doesn't quite have the advantage.

 

[MikePortnoy]

   
So far I'll rank them as follow: HM901 > X5 > HM700 >= DX50 = mod'ed X3 = AK100. AK100 is extremely clean but disappointingly weak in power and control. X3 has great texture and power, but not enough clarity. DX50 is somewhat in between but closer to AK100. It has good clarity and power over AK100, but still somewhat lacking the authority. I put a ">=" on HM700 because HM700 really outdoes the other three (AK100, DX50, and X3) only when all of them are driver RE400 (with balanced RE400 for HM700). On other IEM, it doesn't quite have the advantage.

How about rwak100?

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Actually I have this question on why DX50 on paper has higher output power than X5 but X5 has more note weight and authority??? I am not reading the chart right

 

[ClieOS]

  How about rwak100?

 
Never heard of any of the mod'ed AK.
 

Actually I have this question on why DX50 on paper has higher output power than X5 but X5 has more note weight and authority??? I am not reading the chart right

Where did you see any published spec that would indicate DX50 having higher power? I just did a basic measurement (the same one I usually do on DAP and amp I reviewed), and on the face, X5 is about 0.45V higher on max volume compared to DX50 (2.55Vrms vs. 3Vrms) and with 3.5x more current output (85mA vs. 300mA), making X5 about 4 times more powerful than DX50. In fact, X5 has one of the highest current output I have ever seen on portable gears, beating most portable amps easily. I will however say the DX50 isn't bad at all, but X5 is just very far ahead in raw power.

 

[AmberOzL]

 
Where did you see any published spec that would indicate DX50 having higher power? I just did a basic measurement (the same one I usually do on DAP and amp I reviewed), and on the face, X5 is about 0.45V higher on max volume compared to DX50 (2.55Vrms vs. 3Vrms) and with 3.5x more current output (85mA vs. 300mA), making X5 about 4 times more powerful than DX50. In fact, X5 has one of the highest current output I have ever seen on portable gears, beating most portable amps easily.

Not like I don't have enough reasons to buy X5, you keep on adding more

 

[twister6]

I remember reading someone updated their X5 firmware to 1.10, while I only see 1.00 on FiiO Support/Download page.  Is 1.10 update available to a general public or only in beta testing?  Is there a link where I can download it?
 
Also, I installed and tested X5 USB DAC driver on my laptop with Win7 without any problem (the sound is fantastic, almost like listening directly from X5, cleaner and lower noise floor in comparison to E18 - I assume better filtering of power supply and ground).  Then, tried to install that driver on my other Win8.1 laptop, and it failed.  I'm not surprised, it's 8.1 after all, but wondering if anybody else was able to install it on Windows 8.1 or 8.0?

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Where did you see any published spec that would indicate DX50 having higher power? I just did a basic measurement (the same one I usually do on DAP and amp I reviewed), and on the face, X5 is about 0.45V higher on max volume compared to DX50 (2.55Vrms vs. 3Vrms) and with 3.5x more current output (85mA vs. 300mA), making X5 about 4 times more powerful than DX50. In fact, X5 has one of the highest current output I have ever seen on portable gears, beating most portable amps easily.

Thanks for clearing this up. I saw it in a local forum and I guess the info is not reliable....

 

[ClieOS]

Also use the same data to calculate the output impedance of both player - DX50: 2ohm; X5: 0.3ohm.
 

  I remember reading someone updated their X5 firmware to 1.10, while I only see 1.00 on FiiO Support/Download page.  Is 1.10 update available to a general public or only in beta testing?  Is there a link where I can download it?
 

 
V1.1 is official. FiiO just didn't update their website yet (it is Chinese New Year holidays now). I believe the link is posted in the thread already, a few pages ago.

 

[reihead]

  I remember reading someone updated their X5 firmware to 1.10, while I only see 1.00 on FiiO Support/Download page.  Is 1.10 update available to a general public or only in beta testing?  Is there a link where I can download it?
 
Also, I installed and tested X5 USB DAC driver on my laptop with Win7 without any problem (the sound is fantastic, almost like listening directly from X5, cleaner and lower noise floor in comparison to E18 - I assume better filtering of power supply and ground).  Then, tried to install that driver on my other Win8.1 laptop, and it failed.  I'm not surprised, it's 8.1 after all, but wondering if anybody else was able to install it on Windows 8.1 or 8.0?

 
 
In Windows 8.x is tricky to install, in one of the reviews there is a link with the steps to follow. Indeed sounds amazing as USB DAC.