[PixelSquish]

line in recording is not the x5's strongest point. definitely needs improvement. for one they need some sort of visual on the screen so you can see the input levels. also, with vinyl, since there is hissing and pops in between tracks, dont expect the auto sync to work too well. what kind of sound card do you have?

i used to dj so i bought the m-audio 2496 to record my vinyl with. 150 bucks but well worth it.

the zcover protects the joystick very well. with the zcover on, no part of the joystick protrudes outside of the case protection, so it does a good job. dont get gray. i, like bangraman, also got this colour and feel it just makes the x5 look blah. i would stick with black.

you may have some issues with the silicone attracting fuzz, but after it 'breaks in' i really dont have any issues with the cover sucking up lint. and i keep it in my pocket all the time when i am at school. after a week or so the lint specs stopped showing up, and i wasnt wearing the same pair of pants that whole week.

the line-out has the bass rolloff.

however the headphone out is quite sufficient. it is a robust output. you will not get any of the distortion issues so common to ipod users, even with some as of late with the 5g.

 

[bangraman]

The only functional problem with the zcover, I don't know if anyone has noticed it being a problem for them was the extra (nice) protection of the joystick unfortunately impeding movement and clicking. Anyway, leave me on my own and I'll just go on and on about the Noreve (although you might have similar problems if you have big thumbs)...


PS. There is no distortion out of the line out with the iPod. None with the headphone out if you keep off the EQ either.

 

[immtbiker]

I appreciate the info on the 2 cases.

As far as the headphone out being quite robust...I can attest to that. I was using the Qualia 010's (Bangraman, I know you would appreciate that especially since you post about using them as a portable can) and even though they're full range and it seems like an insult to hook it up to a DAP or PCDP, it's less than 100 ohms, and the X5L had no problem pushing them. I was surprised.

I really bought the X5L because of my anger with 2 Ipod models and their glitchy-ness and battery issues. Also I try not to go mainstream or top 40. I figured as long as it has the ability to do in-line recording and other options, they would be nice extra perks. But the limitations will probably limit it's duty to being an mp3 player.

I looked up the Noreve traditional case, but I don't see one for this particular model. Is it the one for the Ipod?

http://www.noreve.com/product/Etui_c...Tradition.html

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker I appreciate the info on the 2 cases. As far as the headphone out being quite robust...I can attest to that. I was using the Qualia 010's (Bangraman, I know you would appreciate that especially since you post about using them as a portable can) and even though they're full range and it seems like an insult to hook it up to a DAP or PCDP, it's less than 100 ohms, and the X5L had no problem pushing them. I was surprised.

I'm always surprised that people are always surprised when they find this to be the case. It's a fact that most DAPs these days (bar the Sony's) are capable of pushing the easier to drive high-end phones to sound more or less (oh all right... less

) like they normally do in a home rig. As you've noticed, the Qualia out of the X5 sounds more or less like the Qualia, although perhaps a tad less Qualia-like than they could be from the iRiver H300 series, iPod, Rio Karma, etc.

In my case, the 010 is never used at home. It's usually used unamped/lightly amped from portable or transportable sources.


Quote:

I looked up the Noreve traditional case, but I don't see one for this particular model. Is it the one for the Ipod? http://www.noreve.com/product/Etui_c...Tradition.html

Try this
http://www.noreve.com/category/Lecte...Tradition.html

 

[sant430]

Here's the link for the X5L case:

http://www.noreve.com/product_info.h...roducts_id=259

My apologies on not reading this sooner. Ken (the cable guy) told me that sound quality is the same with his line-out cables as the subpack/cradle's line-out.

 

[lloyd braun]

just got my x5l in the mail yesterday and its been practically glued to my hand ever since. first thing that struck me was how much smaller it was than i was expecting. solid feel, very well built. jetshell is pretty nice, my only gripe is that the top of the joystick is kind of slick, and my thumb has a tendancy to start sliding off it, but this is a minor issue for all the features the player has.

 

[skeeder]

I heard that the 60GB has almost no battery life...looks like this will be my next player.

 

[PixelSquish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The only functional problem with the zcover, I don't know if anyone has noticed it being a problem for them was the extra (nice) protection of the joystick unfortunately impeding movement and clicking. Anyway, leave me on my own and I'll just go on and on about the Noreve (although you might have similar problems if you have big thumbs)... PS. There is no distortion out of the line out with the iPod. None with the headphone out if you keep off the EQ either.

i did specify headphone out, not line out.

but i did leave one thing out about the headphone out.

no users that use the headphone out without the EQ have complained about distortion on the ipod that i have seen on any forums.

its just those users that decided paying 300 bucks for something equals a workable EQ so the decided to try to adjust their sound as they pleased, that encountered the distortion issue.

 

[bangraman]

Of course, if you had a decent headphone you wouldn't have to worry so much about EQing

Movement on the EQ of the X5 usually resulted in 'grit city' as far as the Qualia... or even the HD25 in some cases... was concerned. Mach3bass at 2 was good until the novelty wore off and the tradeoffs became apparent. Qualitywise, I ended up keeping everything flat. I'd occasionally yoyo between some minor custom adjustments or trying the other fx again, but what they did to the sound generally wasn't that nice. It's just like the iPod. The Latin preset is a half-decent generic sound enhancing preset, but while the tonal changes are fine it annoys me after a while with it's graininess.

 

[titaniumx3]

I agree with bangraman, the EQ on the X5 isn't too good. Even with the super.fi 5 pros I notice some subtle graininess if I put bars too high, though a little emphasis of the treble frequencies isn't too bad. The rest of the jeteffects are are useless and degrade sq noticeably.

I was also dissapointed with the bass rolloff on the X5, its not huge but there was a noticeable drop off in the lower bass frequencies (<50hz) in comparision to a dedicated headphone amp. None of the jeteffects could solve this as they only seem to boost the midbass frequencies.

All in all the X5 is still great sounding for a portable and the EQ effects arn't too bad as long as they're used in moderation.

 

[bangraman]

I only noticed the dropoff when comparing it against other flat sources using specific material, and to have more than a nebulous sense of a lack of depth I needed to concentrate slightly with low-frequency sweeps (which of course isn't a fixture of normal music). With RMAA it's of course right there in front of your eyes but the level of bendiness of the line should always be reconciled with listening tests

It's already not a deal-breaker with a 32 ohm load in real terms even if you are somewhat anally retentive, and goes on to become virtually inconsequential IMO with the likes of the HD25-1.

 

[PixelSquish]

i keep my eqing to a minimum on the x5. generally i may boost a few frequencies +2 or 3 and its just right. i like having that option to kick up trebs or mids or bass just a lil bit. works out well, though it would be better if it had more than just boost, but also take away for each frequency.

however i have flipped thru their presets, which do use the eq heavily, without distortion.

as for the fx, BBE has its moments, i keep it at 2 for some stuff, it does open up the sound, with the UM1's. m3bass on 2 for some electronica for those lower frequencies also works well. sometimes its nice to have bass thumping, and the option to do it.

i do not use the mpenhance or surround sound enhancement at all.

i suppose it depends on the quality of your recordings and cans being used, but they do work, do not distort, and its nice to have them available.

 

[bangraman]

That's the other thing that slightly got my goat as well. It is usually a case of less is more, and the lack of a cut robbed me of I think one of the key reasons of being of an EQ. You could say, well EQ up everything around it but it doesn't quite work that way, especially given the sonic limits of EQ's like that on the X5, iPod, etc.

 

[PixelSquish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman That's the other thing that slightly got my goat as well. It is usually a case of less is more, and the lack of a cut robbed me of I think one of the key reasons of being of an EQ. You could say, well EQ up everything around it but it doesn't quite work that way, especially given the sonic limits of EQ's like that on the X5, iPod, etc.

as a novice, i agree. a proper eq is needed to both negate and add to frequencies properly. coming from djing vinyl, being able to reduce frequencies is super key to mixing.

i do prefer having just the boost eq working well over having NO options.

listening to stuff from electronica to classical, its nice to kick up the bass sometimes, and kick up the mids and treble sometimes. with these better IEM's i find that i can keep things closer to a flat eq more often, but i enjoy the option.

 

[immtbiker]

I'm going to check it now, but the line out feature should give you a flat response, and zero out all of the EQ settings and other effects. If you are bypassing the amplification circuit, you should be bypassing the DSP effects too, for true line out.