[sardar17]

Got to pass it as my hp200 would need a warmish player to balance their coldness/neutrality a bit so pairing it with x3 would be a bad idea considering its colder than fiio players.
Still good if they beat x3(2 gen) at half the price,impressive.

 

[Paulus XII]

 
It's not a good habit to use EQ.

 
lol, that doesn't work for me ; )

 

[twister6]

Just did another quick audio test, in high gain (+6dB boost, doesn't make sense to run it otherwise) with following headphones volume level is:
 
R70x (470 ohm) - v77 /100
EL-8C (planars) - v70 /100
PM-3 (planars) - v70 /100
ZEN (320 ohm) - v73 /100
 
Despite driving them closer to the max volume capacity, it actually drives everything with authority, clear and detailed, smooth warmish sound.  If you are after brighter more revealing sound, x3 is not for you.  They are more on a warmer/smoother/musical side, but still clear and detailed.
 
A quick test with a few DAPs:
 
x3 vs X3ii - nearly identical sound characteristics, x3 has a touch more body in lower mids.
 
x3 vs HM700 - HM has narrower soundstage (though its HO is 3.5mm balanced wired, so it's tuned to perform the best with HFM balanced wired headphones), a touch brighter, and a little less dynamic in comparison to x3.
 
x3 vs X1 - X1 soundstage is narrower, both have a similar warm tonality (though X1 has more bass), and X1 sounds a little less dynamic and a bit more congested.
 
x3 vs x2 - x3 has wider soundstage, better transparency, and a more dynamic sound.
 
I'm not going into comparison of features since FiiO daps are packed with goodies, this is purely a sound quality comparison, and as you can see, x3 is already on X3ii level.

 

[Paulus XII]

If it just had an EQ...

 

[ozkan]

I never use EQ on my daps. If it sounds good without it then it is good. Otherwise not worth taking time.

 

[ozkan]

Just did another quick audio test, in high gain (+6dB boost, doesn't make sense to run it otherwise) with following headphones volume level is:

R70x (470 ohm) - v77 /100

EL-8C (planars) - v70 /100

PM-3 (planars) - v70 /100

ZEN (320 ohm) - v73 /100

Despite driving them closer to the max volume capacity, it actually drives everything with authority, clear and detailed, smooth warmish sound.  If you are after brighter more revealing sound, x3 is not for you.  They are more on a warmer/smoother/musical side, but still clear and detailed.

A quick test with a few DAPs:

x3 vs X3ii - nearly identical sound characteristics, x3 has a touch more body in lower mids.

x3 vs HM700 - HM has narrower soundstage (though its HO is 3.5mm balanced wired, so it's tuned to perform the best with HFM balanced wired headphones), a touch brighter, and a little less dynamic in comparison to x3.

x3 vs X1 - X1 soundstage is narrower, both have a similar warm tonality (though X1 has more bass), and X1 sounds a little less dynamic and a bit more congested.

x3 vs x2 - x3 has wider soundstage, better transparency, and a more dynamic sound.

I'm not going into comparison of features since FiiO daps are packed with goodies, this is purely a sound quality comparison, and as you can see, x3 is already on X3ii level.

Great comparisons. Can you also compare to Ap100 shortly please as I wonder if it could be a good alternative?

 

[twister6]

Great comparisons. Can you also compare to Ap100 shortly please as I wonder if it could be a good alternative?

 
Sure, will do it with next "impression" round   But in general AP100 and X5ii are in a different category above it with a noticeably improved transparency and dynamics.
 
Also, I don't want people to think x3 is a "giant killer".  Its an excellent DAP in design/build/sound, but comparing to FiiO you have to realize those DAPs have more bells'n'whistles which rightfully justifies price difference.  But for some people, you don't really need those extras and just fine with basic functionality of x3.
 
I just wish for one thing, to be able to control it with a screen off.  It should be an absolute MUST in the next fw update, even more important than EQ.  You have a lock button to prevent accidental button press if in your pocket, but when it's out in your hands with display off - I need to control playback with play/pause and track skip enabled.

 

[goody]

I just received mine ...and i agree with most guys on here this little Dap sounds awesome for the price..when i first heard it i thought it sounded slow for some reason but i then realised its the detail its grabbing out of the file makes it seem slow....i then switched it to high gain +6b and it was a wrap after that it sounded more dynamic with a wider soundstage......The bass is very accurate it does not add any coloration to it.. For the price guys this is a competent player no doubt 

 

 

[twister6]

  I just received mine ...and i agree with most guys on here this little Dap sounds awesome for the price..when i first heard it i thought it sounded slow for some reason but i then realised its the detail its grabbing out of the file makes it seem slow....i then switched it to high gain +6b and it was a wrap after that it sounded more dynamic with a wider soundstage......The bass is very accurate it does not add any coloration to it.. For the price guys this is a competent player no doubt 

 

 
Leave it permanently on high gain, the best sound option!

 

[twister6]

  Just did another quick audio test, in high gain (+6dB boost, doesn't make sense to run it otherwise) with following headphones volume level is:
 
R70x (470 ohm) - v77 /100
EL-8C (planars) - v70 /100
PM-3 (planars) - v70 /100
ZEN (320 ohm) - v73 /100
 
Despite driving them closer to the max volume capacity, it actually drives everything with authority, clear and detailed, smooth warmish sound.  If you are after brighter more revealing sound, x3 is not for you.  They are more on a warmer/smoother/musical side, but still clear and detailed.
 
A quick test with a few DAPs:
 
x3 vs X3ii - nearly identical sound characteristics, x3 has a touch more body in lower mids.
 
x3 vs HM700 - HM has narrower soundstage (though its HO is 3.5mm balanced wired, so it's tuned to perform the best with HFM balanced wired headphones), a touch brighter, and a little less dynamic in comparison to x3.
 
x3 vs X1 - X1 soundstage is narrower, both have a similar warm tonality (though X1 has more bass), and X1 sounds a little less dynamic and a bit more congested.
 
x3 vs x2 - x3 has wider soundstage, better transparency, and a more dynamic sound.
 
I'm not going into comparison of features since FiiO daps are packed with goodies, this is purely a sound quality comparison, and as you can see, x3 is already on X3ii level.

 
I'm updating my impression with more info, and all together this shaping up into a full review.
 
To update my sound impressions, I also tested and compared x3 with X5ii and AP100:
 
x3 vs X5ii - X5ii is more neutral, more transparent, with better dynamics, better separation/layering, while x3 is warmer and with slightly more body in lower mids and a touch wider soundstage.
 
x3 vs AP100 - AP100 is more neutral, more transparent, slightly better dynamic, and slightly better separation, while x3 has a little more body in lower mids, and a similar soundstage.

Furthermore I tested LO and found an excellent clean pair up with E12A - sound becomes more neutral, a little more transparent, still the same dynamics and layering/separation, though soundstage got a bit narrower.  According to xDuoo, there is an automatic switch once you connect LO so you don't need to enable/disable/switch anything.  And once you disconnect it, it goes back to HO output.
 
Also, keep in mind, xDuoo uses a very popular Ingenic JZ4760B SoC, the same one used by all FiiO and Cayin DAPs, thus a support of common lossless and lossy file formats (though DSF files were not supported).  Also, it utilizes Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC which explains a nice sound quality.  Sound signature with its neutral-warmish characteristics is part of amp implementation which xDuoo doesn't go into details of.
 
Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.  I did have to apply protective film and you can quite a number of bubbles because I didn't clean screen well enough.
 
Unboxing & Accessories (nice clear packaging, plenty of info on the back, solid sturdy box, and included micro-usb charging cable and a single screen protector)
 
 
 
 
 
Design (very solid build, great ergonomics, easy to feel buttons due to a shape difference)
 
 
 
 
 
GUI (easy to access all the options, limited settings/config - just eseentials)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comparison to x2, X1, X3ii, HM700, AP100 (x3 dimensions are: 106 * 45 * 14mm w/weight of 100g)
 
 

 

[goody]

I did a comparison with my sony A17 is muddy in comparison the X3 sounds clearer and the mids has a lot more body to it..A really good player with a lot of synergy i have used it with my momentum 1 and my B&W P7 it drives them with ease ...Using an aggressive headphone  like the P7 it really shines great treble and bass and full bodied mids..Going to try them with my Beyer T51P later today.
Just to mention feature wise my A17 beats it ..

 

[H20Fidelity]

I did a comparison with my sony A17 is muddy in comparison the X3 sounds clearer and the mids has a lot more body to it..A really good player with a lot of synergy i have used it with my momentum 1 and my B&W P7 it drives them with ease ...Using an aggressive headphone  like the P7 it really shines great treble and bass and full bodied mids..Going to try them with my Beyer T51P later today.
Just to mention feature wise my A17 beats it ..

Great. Along with yourself, ndburley and twiser6 everyone will no longer think I'm crazy.

H20 got good ears you see.

 

[ozkan]

Great. Along with yourself, ndburley and twiser6 everyone will no longer think I'm crazy.

H20 got good ears you see.

H20 and all X3 owners, do you think the treble is a bit metallic and artifical on high volumes?

I've read somewhere that when you turn the volume up the treble sounds metallic?

I'm in search for a new dap to replace my Ap100 which micro SD card doesn't work.

 

[twister6]

 

I did a comparison with my sony A17 is muddy in comparison the X3 sounds clearer and the mids has a lot more body to it..A really good player with a lot of synergy i have used it with my momentum 1 and my B&W P7 it drives them with ease ...Using an aggressive headphone  like the P7 it really shines great treble and bass and full bodied mids..Going to try them with my Beyer T51P later today.
Just to mention feature wise my A17 beats it ..

Great. Along with yourself, ndburley and twiser6 everyone will no longer think I'm crazy.

H20 got good ears you see.

 
I said it was a great DAP, I didn't say you weren't crazy

  Pulling you leg, m8.  Yes, I'm very happy I got a chance to test x3 (i'm intentionally using lower case 'x' so there is no confusion with FiiO, too many overlapping model names...)
 
Btw, a few times last night i noticed when I pause the song, disconnect headphones to test with another dap for a/b, and connect headphones a few minutes later back to x3 - music was playing already.  I'm pretty sure it was paused before I removed headphones, and once screen dims, I can't see what's going on, so it appears like it resumed play by itself?  Only happened a few times out of a few dozens of a/b switches, but wondering if there is some fw quirk?
 
Anybody else experienced something like this?

 

[yangian]

   
I said it was a great DAP, I didn't say you weren't crazy

  Pulling you leg, m8.  Yes, I'm very happy I got a chance to test x3 (i'm intentionally using lower case 'x' so there is no confusion with FiiO, too many overlapping model names...)
 
Btw, a few times last night i noticed when I pause the song, disconnect headphones to test with another dap for a/b, and connect headphones a few minutes later back to x3 - music was playing already.  I'm pretty sure it was paused before I removed headphones, and once screen dims, I can't see what's going on, so it appears like it resumed play by itself?  Only happened a few times out of a few dozens of a/b switches, but wondering if there is some fw quirk?
 
Anybody else experienced something like this?

Yes. It does like that.