[rfox]

I have been loyal to Cowon (X5L - still working) and 32GB S9 - because I like the BBE sound enhancement.
 
I also have UE TripleFI-10 IEMs and (don't laugh) Bose Quietcomfort 15 - I'm not a high end audiophile, but I appreciate midrange kit.
 
Now, my S9 is showing its age and I only have 32GB space - but more music than that.
 
I just ordered a FiiO E17 Alpen DAC/AMP to try out - but really want to replace my S9 - Cowon's offerings of late have been less than inspiring . . .
 
My question is:
 
For those of us who like the BBE technology, will I like the iBasso DX50 or FiiO X3 SQ ? 
 
I can't afford the A&K devices, so willing to "step up" from the S9 - but trying to find an equivalent or better deivce with expandable memory option (microsd or OTB)
 
I have read many reviews of the DX50 and X3 - hard decision without hearing them myself - but leaning in the iBasso direction.
 
Any hints would be welcome!
 
Cheers,
R.Fox

 

[appleidappleid]

x3 can be used as a usb dac.

 

[lin0003]

Not sure what the BBE technology is, but I think the DX50 was a massive upgrade over the X7 I had a while ago. I feel like the DX50 sounds better than the X3 and it is easier to use. Check out my review if you haven't already. 

 

[rfox]

BBE is a sound enhancement technology - and I really like the difference it makes (and that is why Cowon was quite popular amongst Audiophile wannabes like me.  Here's a link for more info - and try the Demo and make your own conclusions:
 
http://www.cowonglobal.com/product_wide/product_etc/product_bbe.php
http://www.bbesound.com/demo/demo.asp
 
Meanwhile - after more research, I am now more interested in the larger models from those two (FiiO X5 and iBasso DX90) - both of which are just coming out now!  I've seen a bunch of positive reviews of the X5 -- but the DX90 is not out as of yet (should be shortly!) - so I can wait a bit more to see what happens with the reviews comparing those together!
 
Cheers,
R.Fox

 

[H20Fidelity]

I used to be a Cowon fan, was addicted to BBE , what you'll find is these players you're looking at won't need BBE to sound good, they will already have that clear sound you need to squeeze out of Cowon's with enhancements. It might take a slight adjustment period though rather quickly you'll be asking why you ever used BBE at all. I can however tell you the DX50 as Lin said is better than any Cowon.

 

[MassDude]

  x3 can be used as a usb dac.

+1 for the X3!

 

[Kylex]

I used to be a Cowon fan, was addicted to BBE , what you'll find is these players you're looking at won't need BBE to sound good, they will already have that clear sound you need to squeeze out of Cowon's with enhancements.

 
I doubt that most BBE-lovers used BBE to make the sound "clearer".
 

It might take a slight adjustment period though rather quickly you'll be asking why you ever used BBE at all. I can however tell you the DX50 as Lin said is better than any Cowon.

 
For me the adjustment was not that easy.
Before the DX50 i used the Cowon J3 and before the J3 the S9 - always with a lot of BBE-tweaking.
The DX50 will never sound like a BBE-heavy Cowon - after 6 months with the DX50 i still think that most of my rock music does not sound as good as with a BBE-enhanced Cowon, i always think that there is something missing and that the sound is too bright. But the DX50 was a very big upgrade for jazz, classic, prog or anything else that was "complex".
With the DX50 i decided not to alter the sound any longer - so ne EQ für me - but instead to find an in-ear, which matches my preferences - which i did with the Cardas EM 5813.
 
I will not go back to old Cowon players, but i really need to find a way to enjoy rock music with the DX50 like i did with BBE-players.

 

[sofastreamer]

too bad the dx50 has some serious bass reduction on Multi ba based iems like the se846. Here you find some meassurements (and also with other Players) http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=211&thread=590
 
you have to scroll down a bit.

 

[lin0003]

Nobody else has complained about this problem...

 

[sofastreamer]

well, that is head.fi: strong cable-sound preachers, and very rare research

 

[Prognathous]

Rfox, I see that you eventually got the FiiO X5. I'm considering a similar switch (from Cowon X7 to FiiO X3 2nd-gen) and have similar concerns that I'll miss the BBE processing. May I ask what is your long term view on this?
 
Thanks!