[VGoghs earfrmsc]

Hi folks, Ive read hundreds of pages re x3, x5 and dx90.  I'm knackered looking for a definitive answer to these questions, so I'd appreciate it, if someone could say what the official policy is of fiio, anyway i'd like to know
1) Approxiamately how many recharges/recycles, can the x5 battery take?
2) How much will a replacement battery cost, including postage and packaging (to USA or UK say) , and from where do we get them?
3) Can fiio guarantee the provision of these batteries around the world, given the restrictions and banning by airlines on transporting batteries?
4)How will the battery be replaced, and by whom?
I have not been satisfied by rumours of other people apparently getting replacements for other models, hence my questions here.
Oh and i guess this could apply to to x5ii, as well.
I'm sure a lot of people have these questions as well.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Hi folks, Ive read hundreds of pages re x3, x5 and dx90.  I'm knackered looking for a definitive answer to these questions, so I'd appreciate it, if someone could say what the official policy is of fiio, anyway i'd like to know
1) Approxiamately how many recharges/recycles, can the x5 battery take?
2) How much will a replacement battery cost, including postage and packaging (to USA or UK say) , and from where do we get them?
3) Can fiio guarantee the provision of these batteries around the world, given the restrictions and banning by airlines on transporting batteries?
4)How will the battery be replaced, and by whom?
I have not been satisfied by rumours of other people apparently getting replacements for other models, hence my questions here.
Oh and i guess this could apply to to x5ii, as well.
I'm sure a lot of people have these questions as well.

1. about 500 cicles before it degrades... more than 2 years of mid-heavy usage.
2.Battery is pretty cheap actually, it is a general battery
3. Fiio replaces the batteries themselves if you want them too, I do not know how much it costs, until now nobody needed the battery replaced. you only need to pay transport fees.
4.It can be replaced by anyone who knows how to use an instrument for this (i have no ideea what it's name in english is), if you are out of the warranty.

 

[DrKC]

   Yes that is the one... $150 or so.
 
Now, not to be a pest or belabor the point, but I am really trying to "get it". With the ability to store a couple of thousand...even high bit songs, and the ability to keep as many mSD cards as you want in your pocket... and the ability to delete and add music at will... what makes it a deal killer. I am definitely not saying you are wrong about it.  I don't think there is any right and wrong on this question. It is a matter of preference... as is so much in this hobby!
 
BTW, I do have an external 1 TB USB 3 drive that I take with me on longer trips with 80% of my collection on it. Just in case.

No, no problem - I understand what you're saying.  Trying to keep up with those tiny cards though is just not something I want to do.  You lose one and it's a $100 gone.  I don't carry a man purse so it would go in a pocket.  At least a $100 bill has a little size to it and less likely to get lost when I fumble around in my pocket for my keys, change, etc.   And as I said, it can't cost that much, even space on the player, to prohibit a second slot, especially on the higher dollar players.  If they can do it on the X5, why not on all the players in that price range and higher?  It just seems like a no-brainer to me.  But then again, nobody really ask me I guess.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  No, no problem - I understand what you're saying.  Trying to keep up with those tiny cards though is just not something I want to do.  You lose one and it's a $100 gone.  I don't carry a man purse so it would go in a pocket.  At least a $100 bill has a little size to it and less likely to get lost when I fumble around in my pocket for my keys, change, etc.   And as I said, it can't cost that much, even space on the player, to prohibit a second slot, especially on the higher dollar players.  If they can do it on the X5, why not on all the players in that price range and higher?  It just seems like a no-brainer to me.  But then again, nobody really ask me I guess.

Adding a second microsdslot adds a lot to cost because you need to assign a better CPU to be able to read it. Implement two microsd slots is hard in the software phase too... These things should be taken into account, Fiio has a done a marvelous job by implementing two microsd slots and doing so at such a right price!...

 

[DrKC]

  Adding a second microsdslot adds a lot to cost because you need to assign a better CPU to be able to read it. Implement two microsd slots is hard in the software phase too... These things should be taken into account, Fiio has a done a marvelous job by implementing two microsd slots and doing so at such a right price!...

Well, perhaps I'm confused as to how the cards are being accessed.  Having been in the semiconductor industry for 20 years, it seems that a simple mux could be used to select the second card.  The X5 allows sequential or serial access to each card - not parallel.  The same set of address and data lines are used for the 2 cards and the OTG option.  Since the flash cards are a form of static memory, no refresh or maintenance load is required of the processor.  Maybe I'm missing something - wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Well, perhaps I'm confused as to how the cards are being accessed.  Having been in the semiconductor industry for 20 years, it seems that a simple mux could be used to select the second card.  The X5 allows sequential or serial access to each card - not parallel.  The same set of address and data lines are used for the 2 cards and the OTG option.  Since the flash cards are a form of static memory, no refresh or maintenance load is required of the processor.  Maybe I'm missing something - wouldn't be the first time.

You are also right! This can be done, but not entirely for a DAP.
 
The reason is quite simple, you have to build the library of artists, generas, etc. For this to happen, you have to access both cards in parallel. 
 
If you would go the other way and have your setting, you could access each card and put as many readers as you want, but you would only be able to browse by folder...

 

[Laird]

You don't have to access both cards in parallel to scan and build the library. Just scan one card and then the other. Don't zero out the library data in-between. Make sure that the indexing in the library for each song/file encountered includes a complete path (including the volume name/ID).
 
That being said, there are specs and industry best-practices for using multiple flash cards in a device...and there is a little more hardware needed than just a simple mux. Then there is the additional power needed. (Then there is the joy for end-users of dealing with playlists that include songs from both cards.)
 
The point is - it is certainly not horrifically difficult - but it is not trivial either.
 
I love having both cards - and will happily put 200gb in each slot when the price is reasonable and when I know that the firmware can actually handle that many files. (given the history of arbitrary file-count limits with this product line, I would not be surprised of the firmware lagged just a bit. I have faith that it WOULD get fixed in time and the fix for overcoming the old 5800 file count limit might be general enough that the 200gb cards maxed out will just work...but I will wait and see. "Zero-one-infinity" does not appear to have been a top-priority software design principal on these units)

 

[thecrow]

Hi everyone.

Seeking out a few opinions tonight.

I'm considering combining my x5 and my beloved cayin c5 amp with a pair of er4s IEMs I'm considering to buy. I'm concerned the cayin c5 and the er4s's might be too harsh/bright together.

Any views.

Other opinions tell me that the x5 will drive the er4s's fine so I guess the amp suitability is not too crucial.

Or should I just go for the etymotic h5?

Cheers
Peter

 

[nmatheis]

Why Etys?

 

[thecrow]

Why Etys?

Looking for something fairly neutral with good detail, not heavy in the bass, somewhat durable and bang for buck at under $200AUD I found myself looking at the h5s.

That's where this all started.

Your views on that idea? Any other idea you would recommend?

Cheers
Peter

 

[nmatheis]

I was just curious. I tried Ety ER4 a long, long time ago - back in the days of minidisc :wink_face:

I'd think the X5 could handle them just fine and might be better than the C5, although this might be a case where the C5's bass boost can help out with music that requires some boom-boom since the Etys are on the lean side.

 

[uzi2]

I was just curious. I tried Ety ER4 a long, long time ago - back in the days of minidisc

I'd think the X5 could handle them just fine and might be better than the C5, although this might be a case where the C5's bass boost can help out with music that requires some boom-boom since the Etys are on the lean side.

The X5 will drive the Etys just fine.
Contrary to popular belief, the Etys are not lacking in bass (unless your minidisc player could not drive them properly). They do have a rolled off sub bass, but the bass is fast, accurate and detailed.

 

[Kokomo O]

Are you looking at the ER-4S or ER-4P? I always wonder why people get the ER-4S when they can get the ER-4P, with lower impedance and greater efficiency, and slightly flatter bass to my eyes, and to my ears more neutral sound overall, although I don't think that's Etymotic's claim. And with a simple and reasonably priced attachment they can be turned into the ER-4S.
 
I've had the ER-4P forever--paid US$109 for them, which tells you something about how long. I use them all the time, and love them. They work great straight out of my X5, whereas they sound far better with an amp out of a phone or an iPod.

 

[nmatheis]

The X5 will drive the Etys just fine.
Contrary to popular belief, the Etys are not lacking in bass (unless your minidisc player could not drive them properly). They do have a rolled off sub bass, but the bass is fast, accurate and detailed.

Hmm..."not lacking" but "rolled off" sounds a wee bit contradictory to me. Certainly not what I'm looking for anyway. Different strokes for different folks :wink_face:

As long as you're happy, that's what counts!

 

[uzi2]

Hmm..."not lacking" but "rolled off" sounds a wee bit contradictory to me. Certainly not what I'm looking for anyway. Different strokes for different folks

As long as you're happy, that's what counts!

No contradiction. If you read more carefully, it is the sub-bass that is rolled off, just as it is in many full size reference headphones. Generally speaking these frequencies are felt rather than heard. I'm talking about cannon in 1812 and huge pipe organs - rare in acoustic music.