Sonic-Debris
100+ Head-Fier
Hey folks,
Long time reader, first time caller
I guess this might be the perfect place to ask my questions, as I am new, and hopefully can avoid the 'noob' comments, as I came here for advice from all of you very nice helpful people, so here it goes.
About a year or two ago, in search for better audio than what my smart phone was offering, I ventured into a local store that actually let me test out headphones and DAP's. This was awesome, and I ended up (after many visits and testing) came home with an Astell & Kern Ak100ii. The player has treated me very well, and I use it in combination with a set of RHA T20 IEM's, and Sennheiser Momentum 2, over ear Headphones.
I have a few up coming overseas trips and was thinking it might be time to upgrade my gear. So I was checking out the market to see what is out there, and my local store has a few offerings, https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/collections/digital/Cat_Digital-Audio-Players
I liked the Astell & Kern player, but it was a little slow, only had 1 memory card slot, took a long time to charge, but I did come to appreciate the super clean sound from it, and the unit itself looks stunning.
I am looking at the Fiio X7 Mark II, or the Fiio X5 III.
Why these two? well I can pick them up locally, their size seems good, and they appear to have decent interfaces that run android. All my gear is 3.5mm and I have yet to experience balanced, so that is not a big factor. What I am wanting to know is, how do these units compare to my current AK100ii ? I understand the DAC and AMP chips are totally different, and I should go and check them out myself soon, but I am wondering if the actual sound quality and user experience is worth the upgrade. There are also a few other questions I have like... do they still function as a USB DAC when plugged into my Macbook? and not limited to 24/96 like my AK100ii? and is there a way to control the Fiio devices from my smart phone, as sometimes I use to be able to use AK Connect to skip tracks or send music to my AK100ii from around the house which was very handy.
I understand the X7 Mark II and the X5 III are different in cost, and the amp modules are very different, so I guess I am wanting to know which would be the best option or what your thoughts are related to them vs my current Ak100ii? I also thought that my Ak100ii lacked a little bass, the sound was very clear and detailed, but even with the bass filters on my RHA T20 IEM's, I would find myself playing with the EQ settings to give it a little bump in the lowers. I do like HD audio, and I don't want bass that ruins the music, but wanted to know how this is also different in the Fiio devices.
Thank you in advance, I know that was a lot of questions, but any advice is greatly appreciated.
Long time reader, first time caller
I guess this might be the perfect place to ask my questions, as I am new, and hopefully can avoid the 'noob' comments, as I came here for advice from all of you very nice helpful people, so here it goes.
About a year or two ago, in search for better audio than what my smart phone was offering, I ventured into a local store that actually let me test out headphones and DAP's. This was awesome, and I ended up (after many visits and testing) came home with an Astell & Kern Ak100ii. The player has treated me very well, and I use it in combination with a set of RHA T20 IEM's, and Sennheiser Momentum 2, over ear Headphones.
I have a few up coming overseas trips and was thinking it might be time to upgrade my gear. So I was checking out the market to see what is out there, and my local store has a few offerings, https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/collections/digital/Cat_Digital-Audio-Players
I liked the Astell & Kern player, but it was a little slow, only had 1 memory card slot, took a long time to charge, but I did come to appreciate the super clean sound from it, and the unit itself looks stunning.
I am looking at the Fiio X7 Mark II, or the Fiio X5 III.
Why these two? well I can pick them up locally, their size seems good, and they appear to have decent interfaces that run android. All my gear is 3.5mm and I have yet to experience balanced, so that is not a big factor. What I am wanting to know is, how do these units compare to my current AK100ii ? I understand the DAC and AMP chips are totally different, and I should go and check them out myself soon, but I am wondering if the actual sound quality and user experience is worth the upgrade. There are also a few other questions I have like... do they still function as a USB DAC when plugged into my Macbook? and not limited to 24/96 like my AK100ii? and is there a way to control the Fiio devices from my smart phone, as sometimes I use to be able to use AK Connect to skip tracks or send music to my AK100ii from around the house which was very handy.
I understand the X7 Mark II and the X5 III are different in cost, and the amp modules are very different, so I guess I am wanting to know which would be the best option or what your thoughts are related to them vs my current Ak100ii? I also thought that my Ak100ii lacked a little bass, the sound was very clear and detailed, but even with the bass filters on my RHA T20 IEM's, I would find myself playing with the EQ settings to give it a little bump in the lowers. I do like HD audio, and I don't want bass that ruins the music, but wanted to know how this is also different in the Fiio devices.
Thank you in advance, I know that was a lot of questions, but any advice is greatly appreciated.
