[XP_98]

Hello
Now I'm a happy owner of a winning team : FilO X5 and E12 (would have liked to test the DIY, but it's not sold in France)
I'd like to compare the E12 with my Micromega Myzik headphone amp. It has a RCA input.
How should I connect the X5 :
- line out, jack to RCA ?
- is there a way to use the coaxial out ?

 

[darkarn]

Hello
Now I'm a happy owner of a winning team : FilO X5 and E12 (would have liked to test the DIY, but it's not sold in France)

I'd like to compare the E12 with my Micromega Myzik headphone amp. It has a RCA input.
How should I connect the X5 :
- line out, jack to RCA ?
- is there a way to use the coaxial out ?

 
1. Use a 3.5mm to RCA adapter
2. Coaxial out of the X5 goes to the coaxial in of the other device; use the adapter provided in the packaging and any other cable needed. It will be good to tell us which device are you using. (Your Micromega Myzic does not allow coaxial in; devices that allow that usually have something like a DAC to convert all that digital signals that the coaxial gives out)

 

[FlatListener]

  FlatListener
 
So you are saying you would never listen to your X5 with a PC as your server? I do it regularly in bed because it gives me better SQ. Not in the office because fidelizer 6 cuts out the internet when I am trying to work. Nevertheless, the SQ from the X5 using CD quality material is really excellent for the price.
 
As mentioned elsewhere, you could easily use hi-res music files up to 192 kHz, but you would probably need to carry a number of extra miniSD cards filled with music to have a big enough portable library available. So you could use hi-res files, however, I cannot comment on SQ from higher-resolution than CD quality files, as I don't own any.
 
Not heard the X3, but those who have compared seem to genuinely prefer the X5 for SQ.
 
The DT-1350's are good for true portable use (walking around). Certainly no separate amp necessary. Most of my "private" listening at home though (office/bed) is through AKG K701 cans, which give surprising good sound using Fiio X5 and E18 - better than with the likes of the DT-1350. Etymotic ER4P's when I don't want to annoy anybody else, or when I want to keep the outside world out.
 
I have tried Audeze, HiFi Man, and other cans with the X5 and E18 and found each of them to be only slightly better than the K701. But I think the X5/E18 was being stretched and not getting the absolute best out of the harder-to-drive headphones. So while waiting for the likes of the Fiio X7 I will stay with the K701's and then trial better headphones again.
 
Frank

Hi Frank,
Yes that is correct I hardly ever listen to my headphones from a computer source. But when I did occasionally, I noticed that the sound quality coming from my Macbook is better than from my bare iPod Classic or iPhone4s. So that is why I got the E12 Mont Blanc to use with my iPod Classic. But the E12 is a lot of size and weight to carry around while on a train or walking around. I like the player to be in my chest pocket for quick access. Not comfortable with the E12 tied to the iPod (too heavy). That is why I like the idea of having a single device with excellent sound quality.
I bought the 1350s mostly for their isolation capabilities. On commuter trains, there is a lot of noise from other people talking and of course the train itself produces noise. The 1350s offer a combination of good isolation and reasonable sound quality. I would have liked to have some better SQ but at that time I didn't find any. I have some slight hearing damage, not from music listening, so I want to control my listening volume in a way that I can enjoy the music, but avoid further damage. It's pretty difficult because I really like music and when I hear something I like I'm tempted to turn the volume up. That is why I'm interested in having a player that can satisfy musically without the need to play loud. Along with the "single device" requirement, this is the reason I'm looking into other-than-iPod players. It appears as though the X5 and X3 may deliver on both.

 

[uzi2]

  Hi Frank,
Yes that is correct I hardly ever listen to my headphones from a computer source. But when I did occasionally, I noticed that the sound quality coming from my Macbook is better than from my bare iPod Classic or iPhone4s. So that is why I got the E12 Mont Blanc to use with my iPod Classic. But the E12 is a lot of size and weight to carry around while on a train or walking around. I like the player to be in my chest pocket for quick access. Not comfortable with the E12 tied to the iPod (too heavy). That is why I like the idea of having a single device with excellent sound quality.
I bought the 1350s mostly for their isolation capabilities. On commuter trains, there is a lot of noise from other people talking and of course the train itself produces noise. The 1350s offer a combination of good isolation and reasonable sound quality. I would have liked to have some better SQ but at that time I didn't find any. I have some slight hearing damage, not from music listening, so I want to control my listening volume in a way that I can enjoy the music, but avoid further damage. It's pretty difficult because I really like music and when I hear something I like I'm tempted to turn the volume up. That is why I'm interested in having a player that can satisfy musically without the need to play loud. Along with the "single device" requirement, this is the reason I'm looking into other-than-iPod players. It appears as though the X5 and X3 may deliver on both.

X3 or X5 should both suit your needs. The X5 is better in terms of usability and SQ, but the X3 is smaller lighter and cheaper.
By far the most important link in the chain is your choice of headphones. For your commute and pretty much anywhere on the go these days, isolation is the top requirement, so that you can listen to your music at comfortable levels and enjoy the quiet passages.
Have you cosidered IEMs?
xp9433 spoke of his Etymotic ER4Ps, which offer superb isolation for a universal IEM, but for the ultimate comfort and isolation, nothing beats a good pair of silicone custom fit IEMs.

 

[FlatListener]

 
X3 or X5 should both suit your needs. The X5 is better in terms of usability and SQ, but the X3 is smaller lighter and cheaper.
By far the most important link in the chain is your choice of headphones. For your commute and pretty much anywhere on the go these days, isolation is the top requirement, so that you can listen to your music at comfortable levels and enjoy the quiet passages.
Have you cosidered IEMs?
xp9433 spoke of his Etymotic ER4Ps, which offer superb isolation for a universal IEM, but for the ultimate comfort and isolation, nothing beats a good pair of silicone custom fit IEMs.

Thank you! Actually I never tried IEMs because I figured no good sound could come from something that small. Also, it scares me a bit for my hearing damage. But these may well be nonsense arguments coming from ignorance. If you say I should look into it, I will do so.

 

[uzi2]

  Thank you! Actually I never tried IEMs because I figured no good sound could come from something that small. Also, it scares me a bit for my hearing damage. But these may well be nonsense arguments coming from ignorance. If you say I should look into it, I will do so.

When you consider that many IEMs have been developed from hearing protection companies (Etymotic Research again being a good example) it should help allay those fears.They are basically hearing defenders with drivers built in and you are helping to protect your hearing by listening at lower levels without the need to turn up the volume to block out the outside world.
As for no "good sound coming from something that small" - be prepared to be completely blown away...

 

[ptravel]

Just for the sake of completeness, several months ago, after first receiving my X5, I reported a click that seemed to happen between gapless tracks, and only on the X5.  Several iterations of the firmware later, that click disappeared, except on one single track -- the click was prominent on the X5 but wasn't on the CD.  This is music that I mastered at 96k/32-bit and had downsampled to 96k/24-bit for the X5.  The CD, of course, was 44.1K/16-bit.  I was afraid I might have had a defective X5, but I'd been too busy to do anything more than mention it here, and in some PMs with Joe.  Well, tonight I couldn't sleep so I finally pulled up the session from which the master was made and saw a spike to max volume on one track right where I'd hear the click (the selection has 120 tracks, so I might be excused for not having caught it sooner).  Adjusting the level on the master didn't change it -- apparently I had tracked the original recording that way (it was a drum track so, perhaps, not surprising, but it could also have been a power spike or EMF).  I edited out the single cycle that had the spike and, now, the master plays perfectly on the X5 -- no click.
 
Not news of any kind but, as I said, I wanted to be complete and don't want anyone to think there is any problem with the X5 in this regard.  However, it's worth emphasizing that a hi-res audio file will only be as good as the master; poorly mastered audio may actually sound worse in hi-res as in this instance -- the extra 8-bits of dynamic range for hi-res resulted in the music masking the click on the CD, whereas the click stood out quite clearly on the X5.

 

[TonyVier]

Thank you! Actually I never tried IEMs because I figured no good sound could come from something that small. Also, it scares me a bit for my hearing damage. But these may well be nonsense arguments coming from ignorance. If you say I should look into it, I will do so.

Hmmm. Since I use IEM's with some quality, my Grado 325's are not used anymore. I like the absence of outside noise and IEM's have a sort of intimacy, "closeness" the Grado's have not.

 

[x RELIC x]

Just for the sake of completeness, several months ago, after first receiving my X5, I reported a click that seemed to happen between gapless tracks, and only on the X5.  Several iterations of the firmware later, that click disappeared, except on one single track -- the click was prominent on the X5 but wasn't on the CD.  This is music that I mastered at 96k/32-bit and had downsampled to 96k/24-bit for the X5.  The CD, of course, was 44.1K/16-bit.  I was afraid I might have had a defective X5, but I'd been too busy to do anything more than mention it here, and in some PMs with Joe.  Well, tonight I couldn't sleep so I finally pulled up the session from which the master was made and saw a spike to max volume on one track right where I'd hear the click (the selection has 120 tracks, so I might be excused for not having caught it sooner).  Adjusting the level on the master didn't change it -- apparently I had tracked the original recording that way (it was a drum track so, perhaps, not surprising, but it could also have been a power spike or EMF).  I edited out the single cycle that had the spike and, now, the master plays perfectly on the X5 -- no click.

Not news of any kind but, as I said, I wanted to be complete and don't want anyone to think there is any problem with the X5 in this regard.  However, it's worth emphasizing that a hi-res audio file will only be as good as the master; poorly mastered audio may actually sound worse in hi-res as in this instance -- the extra 8-bits of dynamic range for hi-res resulted in the music masking the click on the CD, whereas the click stood out quite clearly on the X5.

Good to hear you got it sorted. Thanks for the update!

 

[514077]

  Thanks for sharing that, I'll have 2 major operations in the next year so I'll be listening to music a lot in hospitals, meaning I want a small rig with a sound that is not fatiguing for the ears. After recovery, I want a small rig to play while on the commuter train.
You say you would buy the X5 again in a minute, because you get good sound without the need for an extra amp. But apparently the X3 offers that too. So why choose the X5 over the X3? There's a 200 Euro price difference, so there must be a good reason to get the X5.
 
To all of you, regarding the 365 day return policy I mentioned: it sounds ridiculous to me too, but it's true. They argue that they hardly get returns anyway (customers appear to be very happy with the FiiO products) and the occasional returns are sold as B-stock after.

I never actually heard of the X3 until I looked into the 5.  I figured that whatever problems the X3 had, the X5 would have most of them solved.  I also like the 2 sd card slots and the possibility of expanding storage room with future firmware updates.  (More hi-res capability with storage enlargement.)  Can't advise you on the 3,but pleased with the 5.

 

[FlatListener]

I never actually heard of the X3 until I looked into the 5.  I figured that whatever problems the X3 had, the X5 would have most of them solved.  I also like the 2 sd card slots and the possibility of expanding storage room with future firmware updates.  (More hi-res capability with storage enlargement.)  Can't advise you on the 3,but pleased with the 5.

Since you mentioned "problems" I started looking for reviews outside head-fi. Boy there is a sh#tload to find that puts down the X5, no mercy. On Amazon there is this guy "caveatcomprador" who reports major problems concerning software, operation, battery charging and more. Coming from 5 years of using an iPod Classic, i am used to a great user interface and zero problems, instant button response and still reasonable SQ, esp when amped. So I was thinking: Will the FiiO players disappoint me because of these supposed problems? Or does the sound quality make up for all of them?

 

[Saoshyant]

Here's the thing to remember about problems. Not that many of them present in 100% of devices. Also, some things people consider to be issues don't necessarily bother everyone. The interface isn't perfect, but it's still highly usable. And iPod most certainly has it's own issues as well. Nobody here can tell you if you'll enjoy the X5, so just try it for yourself and find out.

 

[koiloco]

Since you mentioned "problems" I started looking for reviews outside head-fi. Boy there is a sh#tload to find that puts down the X5, no mercy. On Amazon there is this guy "caveatcomprador" who reports major problems concerning software, operation, battery charging and more. Coming from 5 years of using an iPod Classic, i am used to a great user interface and zero problems, instant button response and still reasonable SQ, esp when amped. So I was thinking: Will the FiiO players disappoint me because of these supposed problems? Or does the sound quality make up for all of them?

I have owned the X5 for a few months and have never experienced any of the problems mentioned.  Maybe, I am just lucky?

 
Software/UI can of course be improved.

 

[ClieOS]

Well, anyone of you find a flawless DAP that no one ever complains about, do tell us.

 

[514077]

As some may know from my earlier whines, I like easy-to-use UIs.  For me, the button structure is easier for me than my Classics.  The interface is being improved generally from update to update.  Someone, I believe, pointed out that the IPod has a huge company behind it while FiiO is a smaller, newer company  building a rather good product with access to higher bit-rates, expandible storage space and (I think) much superior SQ for the money.
For all the positive and negatives I've read (including right here on this thread,) I stand behind my X5 choice.  HTH
Kevin