[BlackDiamond]

Dual full size SD cards would be excellent - I have X1, X3II & M3 and love them all but miss the 'look' and feel of the iPod Touch and Classic. This sounds like it would be a perfect combination of the two, without the apps to distract from music playback.

 

[Vartan]

two USB socket one for USB digital out and one for power. 
That's good, but for digital out use micro USB.
 
and please remove LO/HO and make it pure digital!

 

[d1sturb3d]

 and please remove LO/HO and make it pure digital!

 
^ but why? *insert ryan Reynolds meme here hehe

 

[MarkGL]

Forgive me for my stupidity but I am pretty new to the audiophile game and I am trying to understand the concept of a transport device. What would be the difference lets say between the T3 and the X7?

 

[Torq]

  Forgive me for my stupidity but I am pretty new to the audiophile game and I am trying to understand the concept of a transport device. What would be the difference lets say between the T3 and the X7?

A pure "transport" would not be able to drive headphones directly and would, instead, need you to have a DAC as well ... be it one of FiiO's units or something like the Chord Mojo.  In other words, it's merely a way of accessing music and providing a DIGITAL output to a separate DAC/amp.
 
The current projection of the T3 has a DAC and headphone amplifier built-in, so it's technically a DAP (Digital Audio Player vs. Digital Audio Transport) rather than a pure transport.  Contrasted with the X7, the T3 would have more capacity, but the X7 would be much more capable when it comes to driving headphones properly (and at a higher quality), since the T3 is using a simpler, chip/integrated DAC/headphone amp implementation than the X7.
 
If you don't need the capacity and don't want to carry/use a separate DAC/amp, then you want the X7 (or X5 etc.).  If you need the capacity and want to use an external DAC/amp, or are less worried about quality vs. capacity, then you want the T3 and some external DAC/amp.

 

[masterpfa]

  Forgive me for my stupidity but I am pretty new to the audiophile game and I am trying to understand the concept of a transport device. What would be the difference lets say between the T3 and the X7?

In addition to @Torq post above, the T3 is designed primarily for those wanting a large capacity unit that will allow playback and to add to an existing DAC.
With the output options proposed, this will work with the likes of the Oppo HA-2, iFi Micro/Nano IDSD,  "Little Bundles of joy" and others.
 

 

 

[ph0n6]

Wondering if It can works with USB powered DAC?

 

[masterpfa]

Wondering if It can works with USB powered DAC?

If you mean via OTG yes I think this is the plan.
If you mean something like the AudioQuest DragonFly I am not too sure
 

 

 

[jeffhawke]

  Forgive me for my stupidity but I am pretty new to the audiophile game and I am trying to understand the concept of a transport device. What would be the difference lets say between the T3 and the X7?

Don't feel stupid, the learning process never ends... If I may add something to Torq's already exhaustive answer to your question, a "pure" transport is a device conceived to transfer a "bit perfect" digital signal to a DAC/Amp from a hi-res/high quality digital source. In a purist conception, it should only do that. It's not just a matter of capacity but also of optimizing the overall quality of your audio chain. And remember, and audio chain, just as any other chain, is as good as its worst link...
Adding an internal DAC/Amp that does not match the overall quality level of the transport does not detract from the quality of the transport itself, as long as the DAC/Amp circuitry can be fully bypassed, but gives the convenience to be able to grab the "transport" as-is anytime and listen to music anywhere anytime (albeit at a lower overall quality), without having to strap a DAC/Amp to it. 

 

[tienbasse]

When I see FiiO and large capacity in the same sentence, I'm a little doubtful, especially regarding UI responsiveness.
 
I haven't seen a single FiiO DAP capable of handling very large libraries in a fluid manner so far, and it certainly has more to do with programming than computing power issue.
 
Dear FiiO software engineers, please put some dedication into making library management flawless (and I mean 12000+ files libraries), since you want to provide large capacity with 2 full size slots.
Not like the FiiO X5ii debacle (which is otherwise very nice but unusable with so many music files).
 
Strangely enough, large libraries don't cause any issue with most higher-end Sony/Cowon/AK DAPs...
Good hardware with rushed software is useless.

 

[Sp12er3]

Haven't own any of the X model, but M3 definitely has few problems with Huge library...

 

[Currawong]

 

  Brooko, I thought we were allowed a choice on these forums? Just because it doesn't agree with one's own opinion, does not need to be put down. Disappointed in your response.

 
Oh - you're entitled to your own opinion - and I'm fine with you being disappointed in the way I view things. I'm just really puzzled by your own view.  That's why I question it - because I genuinely can't understand it.  Its commonly called "looking a gift horse in the mouth".  Good luck in your continued search for a transport only.

 
The same thing happened with the Shure SKE1500s. If they had just made the system amp and IEMs only then it would have been fine. But they decided that they had to include a DAC, but that DAC only supports 96k. So instead of being judged on the merits of the technology, it now looks like Shure screwed up, even though you don't have to use the DAC in it at all. 
 
Some people want a pure transport. Nothing else. No other chips in there to dump noise into the digital output, or other sockets to fill up with dust and lint. Possibly the scary thing for FiiO is that people will buy them thinking that they can plug their headphones in and be angry when they can't, or try and plug them into the coax out and don't get music. 
 

  JaQuote:

  I think we can design it if we can sell it more than 20,000 unit per year but it is quite difficult consider that there are only 391,866 head-fi'er , lol, I can't image we can sell to people outside head-fi 

James, this is indeed a very valid concern.
 
Meanwhile, will it be too much for Fiio to market the T3 as it is meant to be, a transport ($200~$300), but with add-on modules ala X7 ($99) for those (20,000 folks outside of HeadFi) who are looking for a DAP first and transport a far second (Headfiers)?  This way, Fiio's T3 can appeal to both market?

A module that expands memory and a module that extends battery life to me are enticing add-ons.

More power to Fiio!

 
I think this is a brilliant suggestion. If they produced different DAC modules, people could experiment with, and talk about the different options. That would both solve the problem of building a pure transport, yet not going to all the trouble of designing a product that might only sell to a relative few enthusiasts like ourselves.

 

[Mython]

Nice ideas about modularity, but I can see a couple of sticking-points with that line of thinking:
 
 

1. The number of connection-points for complex modules could be a real headache, both in the design stage and in terms of reliability, out in the marketplace.

 

1. Fiio want their transport to be usable with their dedicated DAC-Amp devices, so would be unlikely to wish to undermine that approach with a tiny DAC-Amp module.

 
 
 
I'm neither for or against. I'm only pointing-out what I see as potential complications.

 

[JamesFiiO]

  When I see FiiO and large capacity in the same sentence, I'm a little doubtful, especially regarding UI responsiveness.
 
I haven't seen a single FiiO DAP capable of handling very large libraris in a fluid manner so far, and it certainly has more to do with programming than computing power issue.
 
Dear FiiO software engineers, please put some dedication into making library management flawless (and I mean 12000+ files libraries), since you want to provide large capacity with 2 full size slots.
Not like the FiiO X5ii debacle (which is otherwise very nice but unusable with so many music files).
 
Strangely enough, large libraries don't cause any issue with most higher-end Sony/Cowon/AK DAPs...
Good hardware with rushed software is useless.

 
 
yes, I knew the issues so this will based on linux and we will have a total new platform for this project. otherwise we will not dare to design it. of course it take time. 

 

[JamesFiiO]

I think it would be amazing if you guys could make a WiFi capable transport/source so I can use streaming services like Spotify at a lower price than the X7. Fiio please make this happen!

 
that will be the job for our new X series but not for this