[ErikV55]

Hey there Head-Fi,
 
 
I've recently made the plunge and purchased my V6's from 1964 Ears. I'm now in the market for a new DAP and I've narrowed it down to the 3 listed in the title. Obviously I know that the sound quality of the X5 and the DX90 is superior to the X1, but is it worth it? This will be used for primarily portable listening, but I don't mind the extra seize of the large DAPs. I primarily listen to Metal and rock. I sound is subjective, but suggestions are appreciated. 

 

[jeffisflyboy]

  Hey there Head-Fi,
 
 
I've recently made the plunge and purchased my V6's from 1964 Ears. I'm now in the market for a new DAP and I've narrowed it down to the 3 listed in the title. Obviously I know that the sound quality of the X5 and the DX90 is superior to the X1, but is it worth it? This will be used for primarily portable listening, but I don't mind the extra seize of the large DAPs. I primarily listen to Metal and rock. I sound is subjective, but suggestions are appreciated. 

Well based on reviews, both the x5 and dx90 have detailed sound and excellent presentation when it comes to transparency.  The difference, I assume is that the dx90 sound more detailed, more spacious and more natural sounding because it has two DAC chips, and the x5 has only 1.  But what will dwell here is their weakness.  The x5, based on some reviews here do sound a bit fatiguing after a couple of listening sessions, while on ibasso dx90, there are still bugs on its UI, causing the player to freeze sometimes.  These maybe solved after a couple of firmware updates.  I would say that if you're just going to use your v6 s on the go, and mainly rock and metal is your music, then maybe x1 is good for you, if you don't care about the details and soundstage.  X1 sounds warmer based on reviews but there are no direct comparison on x3, another warmer sounding DAP.  IMHO I think you can enjoy the full potential of your iem if you decide to get either the x5 or the dx90.  I only auditioned the older dx50 and for me, it sounds more neutral, but more lively to my ears tested with my westone 3, and more pleasant and not fatuiging on my ears.  But in the end, its just a matter of preference.  Its up to you to decide ^_^.  I think if you had either one of those 2 new DAP's, its worth it.

 

[ErikV55]

Well based on reviews, both the x5 and dx90 have detailed sound and excellent presentation when it comes to transparency.  The difference, I assume is that the dx90 sound more detailed, more spacious and more natural sounding because it has two DAC chips, and the x5 has only 1.  But what will dwell here is their weakness.  The x5, based on some reviews here do sound a bit fatiguing after a couple of listening sessions, while on ibasso dx90, there are still bugs on its UI, causing the player to freeze sometimes.  These maybe solved after a couple of firmware updates.  I would say that if you're just going to use your v6 s on the go, and mainly rock and metal is your music, then maybe x1 is good for you, if you don't care about the details and soundstage.  X1 sounds warmer based on reviews but there are no direct comparison on x3, another warmer sounding DAP.  IMHO I think you can enjoy the full potential of your iem if you decide to get either the x5 or the dx90.  I only auditioned the older dx50 and for me, it sounds more neutral, but more lively to my ears tested with my westone 3, and more pleasant and not fatuiging on my ears.  But in the end, its just a matter of preference.  Its up to you to decide ^_^.  I think if you had either one of those 2 new DAP's, its worth it.

 



Thank you for your reply!

 

[Insatiable One]

  Well based on reviews, both the x5 and dx90 have detailed sound and excellent presentation when it comes to transparency.  The difference, I assume is that the dx90 sound more detailed, more spacious and more natural sounding because it has two DAC chips, and the x5 has only 1.  But what will dwell here is their weakness.  

Correct me if I am wrong, but I see no reason to purchase the X5 which currently sells at $350, when you can purchase a DX90 for $360.
I am going to order a DX90 soon and some of the main reasons I chose it over the X5 are:
-the X5's wheel seems like it isn't very durable and can experience problems later on (especially when people say that their X1 has a better wheel than the X5)
-the DX90's dual Sabre DAC chips
-the DX90's upgraded ports and jacks over the DX50 to make them more durable and last longer
-$10 price difference

 

[jeffisflyboy]

  Correct me if I am wrong, but I see no reason to purchase the X5 which currently sells at $350, when you can purchase a DX90 for $360.
I am going to order a DX90 soon and some of the main reasons I chose it over the X5 are:
-the X5's wheel seems like it isn't very durable and can experience problems later on (especially when people say that their X1 has a better wheel than the X5)
-the DX90's dual Sabre DAC chips
-the DX90's upgraded ports and jacks over the DX50 to make them more durable and last longer
-$10 price difference

Yes you are actually right my friend.  I only auditioned the dx50 and dx90, and for fiio products I only had a chance to won the x3, but then sold it right away because I don't like its warm sound signature.  Some here says that dx50 is lifeless, but based on what I heard when I plug in my w3, it sounds more lively, or maybe dark sound is the correct term for it, but its more engaging and more easy to listen than the x3.  And my thoughts on dx90 is that its more detailed and i think livelier than the dx50, obviously because of its new two DAC's.  Even without auditioning the x5, I will prefer to buy the dx90 over x5 since dx90 offers more high end features and SQ than the x5.

 

[Barra]

  Hey there Head-Fi,
 
 
I've recently made the plunge and purchased my V6's from 1964 Ears. I'm now in the market for a new DAP and I've narrowed it down to the 3 listed in the title. Obviously I know that the sound quality of the X5 and the DX90 is superior to the X1, but is it worth it? This will be used for primarily portable listening, but I don't mind the extra seize of the large DAPs. I primarily listen to Metal and rock. I sound is subjective, but suggestions are appreciated. 

Not sure if you have bought anything yet, but I did own both the DX90 and X5 when demoing the V6. They both are great players and both sound very nice with the V6 so you cannot go wrong with either. However, they have very different presentations so you would be better off picking the one that best fits your preferences. The DX90 moves the presentation back a little to have a wider sound stage that is great for classical or orchestra music. The X5 is more intimate and slightly warmer which is better for Pop, trance, or vocals. This is the key difference. After that, the DX90 needs to be played louder to get the full dynamics to sound good while the X5 is better at low or moderate listening levels providing full dynamics but gets shouty and bright at aggressively high volumes. Finally the UI and form factor is personal preference, but I found the X5 easier to use and more sturdy for the long run, but appreciated the DX90's replaceable battery allowing 30 second swaps and external charging for non-stop use.
 
As a metal and rock fan myself, I feel this genre suffers a lot from bad recordings and congested areas in the tracks where everything runs together to become irritating noise. So the better player for metal and rock is split down the middle depending on the issue with the song. The DX90 widens the sound stage and sets the performance back a bit which is better for congested tracks, but removes some of the intimate fun that the warmer X5 adds. So if you listen to mostly poorly recorded tracks at loud volumes, go DX90. If you listen to well recorded tracks at low to moderate volumes and want to be on your desk playing air guitar, go X5.