[DinZ]

Hi all,
 
I am looking forward to buy a mp3 player/DAP. this is the first time going to buy one. so far using my Samsung note 5 for all my music which is pretty good. i listen to all genre.
 
Now bit confused between Fiio X1 and Sony NW-E394 Walkman Digital Music Player.
 
Can someone please share the experience. 
 
My requirements are strictly sound quality with descent battery life. I dont mind the UI or the ergonomics but purely sound quality.
 
I own Audi Technica M50X. I have tried with Sony NWZ-B183F and it sounded better (punchier and bit more instrument separation) than my Note 5 and hence wanted to go for some higher variant music players.
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[Niranjan]

Hi there!
I'm thinking of the same device(Sony NWZ) and ATH IM50 to upgrade from my skull candy smokin buds2. What is your opinion upon my choice of upgrade?
Thanks.

 

[DinZ]

If you  are a pure music lover who prefer music the way it has been composed, ATH M50X is one of the best in the price range. For movies you might have to look for some other model though yopu can also use it.
 
Iam planning to go for DAP, and Iam thinking about Fiio X1 2nd generation (INR 7500.00) model.
I already started my flac song collection. For normal 120/360kbps mp3 files, you can settle with the sony basic mp3  walkman ( INR 3500.00) which is better than my note 5 audio.
 
If you use flac songs then better get High resolution audio players like the entry level Fiio X1, which can give the benefit of falc and lossless audio. If you play flac in normal mp3 player of smartphone which doesnot support high resolution audio, it will downscale the audio and you will not feel the difference in flac and mp3.

 

[Niranjan]

Thanks for the reply mate!
I'm more about that bass so I opted for the IM version of the 50's,it would be great if you could suggest another pair which is better in that price range?
How about I get a Fiio A3(e11) or q1 or E06 for my smartphone just to get out the quality out of the FLAC files and to improve the overall soundstage ?

 

[tackytiger]

I'd have a read through the Fiio X1 2 thread before you buy it, seems the firmware needs a lot of work;
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/819817/fiio-x1-ii-2nd-gen-w-bluetooth

 

[DinZ]

Thanks for the reply mate!
I'm more about that bass so I opted for the IM version of the 50's,it would be great if you could suggest another pair which is better in that price range?
How about I get a Fiio A3(e11) or q1 or E06 for my smartphone just to get out the quality out of the FLAC files and to improve the overall soundstage ?

If you are much into the bass, then you can opt for Sony extra bass headphones. They have a wide range of models in that series. You can choose as per your budget.
ATH M50X is for clarity and will not boost the bass but will deliver as it is.

  I'd have a read through the Fiio X1 2 thread before you buy it, seems the firmware needs a lot of work;
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/819817/fiio-x1-ii-2nd-gen-w-bluetooth

Yes, the firmware has lot of bugs, but iam into sound quality only.

 

[Niranjan]

I didn't like the bass of the SONY MDR XB70AP.
It's too much for my taste but don't you think the ATH IM50 can deliver more punch than the Skullcandy Smokin Buds2?

 

[DinZ]

If you dont like bass from sony , i think ATH m50X would suit suit you then. It is bit difficult to define the level of bass since preference differs.
 
For me , i dont like too much bass since it will degrade the quality of mids and highs. ATH M50X, gives bass without compromising on other frequencies. Hence i like the tight bass since the music never felt muddy.
 
Regarding ear buds, they always tend to give more bass than over the ear headphones since they can be kept in the inner ears.
 
But i dont have any experience with that specific model. I still use my HTC one earbuds which aslo brings minute detail to some extent but with a bit of more bass.
 
BWT which mobile do you use ? since you asked for External amp..

 

[Niranjan]

One plus three!

 

[DinZ]

1+3 has a good DAC. I own Note 5 and i tried to couple with the external DAC Fiio E10K, but it didnt make any significant difference. So i think adding amp/entry level DAC will not make much difference compared to one plus three and you need amp only if your headphone is not audible even at maximum volume.
 
My suggestion buy a DAP depends on your budget and enjoy the flac audio.

 

[Niranjan]

DAP from Sony or Fiio ,which one would you suggest?
My budget is 5000 - 10000INR.
I wouldn't want the SONY NWZ-B183F because it won't support FLAC!

 

[DinZ]

Generally Fiio is better in terms of sound quality by a little margin. UI and battery backup sony is better.
 
But please note that Sony doesn;t have any DAP within INR 10000. You have to buy NW-A24 which is 14,000 INR.
So basically we have only Fiio under INR 10000.
 
If your main concern is only sound quality then Fiio is better. Most of the cons are UI related and hence it can be rectified through update.
 
Hopefully they release some patch soon.

 

[Niranjan]

Generally Fiio is better in terms of sound quality by a little margin. UI and battery backup sony is better.

But please note that Sony doesn;t have any DAP within INR 10000. You have to buy NW-A24 which is 14,000 INR.
So basically we have only Fiio under INR 10000.

If your main concern is only sound quality then Fiio is better. Most of the cons are UI related and hence it can be rectified through update.

Hopefully they release some patch soon.

Thank you for your concern.
Surely appreciate it!

 

[music4mhell]

Xduoo X3 is a better option, also Shanling M1. Xduoo has distributor in India.. for Shanling you have to buy through Aliexpress..
Personally i will suggest to go for Xduoo X3. I had bought 2 Xduoo X3 and gifted to my uncle and bro