Fiio X5 3rd gen Annouced |Android|Dual AK4490|Balanced Out

Said Calyx M tried to scan my 4GB SD card for half an hour and failed. Wow. Didn't like the sound either, lucky.

I pretty much skipped over FiiO after they shipped me my FiiO "humptastic" X3.

 

I admit that on paper, this looks like an impressive piece of kit. I'll be following this one very closely.

 

Calyx M had so much potential but was an epic fail with their FW and embarrassing battery life.

Fiio daps, overall I think are pretty good... Especially for the price. The X7, that really turned out to be a disaster though. I still have mine, but I won't update the FW... Too many headaches plus it's no longer compatible with V4A. That's a deal breaker for me, as without V4A, I thought the X7 sucked hard.

 

Yeah the x7 was a CF. But I had the x5 original for two years and enjoyed it. I sold it just a few weeks ago just in time for the new iteration...maybe. I remain skeptical though. Man, the x7 was really bad.

 

I hear you. Personally I'd wait until there are some reviews out there. Android is a bitch to work with and with Fiio track record, I'd be very leary. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt here, but it'd be hard...

I know with the X7 they had another company working in the firmware upon release. Something happened between them and that company was no longer working on the firmware and Fiio recently took over development. I'm going to assume (we all know how that works out) that they have learned a lot about Android during this transition and their engineers have a better handle on things. But not a $400 bet I'm willing to take.

 

*mutter mutter* Q1PR with a UI from about 1998...

 

I agree on the UI, but damn if the sound quality isn't stunning.

 

I dunno, it's OK- I fear that I have been jaded by "the Mojo effect", screaming fanboys on HF declaring it to be the greatest thing ever*, blindly parroting "current mode amplification" and getting moist. It's totally unfair to the Q1PR, but the level of hype put me off somewhat.

I gave the Q1PR serious listen with my own card in quiet conditions, with my usual IEMs and some Oppo PM-3, and it was.. fine. My nipples didn't explode with delight. Given the wretched UI (tiny text and clumsy wheel) and the price, though- not so impressed. The same amount of money could get me a Jap import ZX2 from Amazon.com, which feels less of a compromise.

Maybe if Questyle could package the guts up as a smaller, cheaper amp/DAC with optical/coax in, it'd be harder to resist.



* Which I totally fell for, once upon a time.. you may point and laugh.

 

I mirror kattefjaes sentiments...qp1r was ok...and i got the qp1r because of the hype train on hypefi. I will be waiting for impressions here on wm1z/wm1a, fiio x5iii, and dx200

 

I concur, hype-train on QP1R was strong, bought and quickly sold off. The wheel was terrible. It did sound wonderful but not life changing as hyped. Hoping this iteration of X5 will fix everything that was wrong with the X7.

 

I'm very interested in the DX200 myself. Looks like it might be the real deal. Of course, watch out for the HF hype train...

If this improves on the X7's shortcomings Fiio will have a winner. Then, hopefully the X7ii improves on both.

 

Lol Warrior just focus on that incoming wm1z hahah

 

Lol. Tomorrow is the day!!! Unfortunately, we have our Christmas party tomorrow night at my office, so less play time for me. Really bad timing. Perhaps I should cancel? Lol. I'll be scrooge this year.

 

One thing with the DX200 hype train is that it took so long the train stalled. Won't be surprised if it starts up again when it's finally released, only to hit iBasso's infamous shit first firmware curse.

 

Lol. True. That's my only concern, their firmware. They always seem to have some sort of issue. They don't neglect their players, but from what I've read there are always some annoying issues. I've never owned, so I can't say personally, but I've read extensively about their daps.

 

I only used my DAPs in folder browsing mode, so my DX50 experience was good. The DX100 was almost annoying to use however.

 

Chip up. The specs of the AK DAC in the X5 3rd gen (at Fiio website) are actually a little worse than the X5 2nd gen. To be honest, I have to say, $299 would be more like it.

 

Which specs are you looking at? For the line-out, it looks to me that the specs of the X5 3rd gen are better in every way save for crosstalk. Though it does look like comparing the SE out, the X5 3rd gen has worse specs than the X5 2nd gen.

 

X5iii vs. X7 vs. X5ii​

Hey all, I had the chance to compare my X7, a loaner X5iii from FiiO, and a X5ii that I managed to borrow from somebody. What follows is a comparison mostly about sound, though I will first make a few comments on the ergonomics of the X7 and the X5iii.

So first, the ergonomics. To be honest, I feel that the X5iii is simply better to hold in the hand. Not having that extra amp module stick out does wonders for the player fitting comfortably in my hand. Also, I really love that volume wheel. It’s way easier for me to change the volume quickly using that wheel instead of the volume buttons on the X7. It also has nice tactile feedback, and it’s recessed just enough so that in most cases you won’t accidentally change the volume, but the actual volume wheel is relatively easy to manipulate. And while the volume only changes in increments of 1 with each click, at least to me it’s still pretty easy to turn the wheel very quickly and precisely to get to your desired volume in a short amount of time.

The microSD card slots – I’m torn about them. On one hand, I appreciate the extra security it gives to the microSD cards by hiding them away, as well as it looking better than on previous FiiO players. On the other hand, I don’t like how it isn’t as easy to change microSD cards now as on the previous FiiO players, as you now have to carry the included accessory to pop out the slots or you have to carry around a paper clip or the like. However, the X5iii does contain 2 microSD slots, so perhaps this isn’t as big of a concern as I’m making it out to be.

Now, onto the sound. I will be doing several sets of comparisons. First, I compare the sound of the players as a whole of the X5iii vs. the X7 with the AM3, and the X5iii vs. the X5ii. Next, I compare the DAC sections of each player, with each FiiO product being hooked up to a Cavalli Liquid Carbon amp.

All comparisons were volume-matched with a C-weighted SPL meter. I did most of my listening on the X5iii with the sharp roll-off filter. In all honesty, I’m not sure if I could tell a difference between most of the filters on the X5iii. I think I could tell a difference if I compared the sharp roll-off filter with the super slow roll-off filter, but even this was a subtle difference. I could not tell much of a difference between something like the sharp roll-off and the short delay sharp roll-off filters, for instance.

First, the X5iii vs. the X5ii as a whole: Listening to the single-ended outputs of the both the X5iii and the X5ii using my Etymotic ER4S and my Sennheiser HD700, I felt that everything seems to be a bit sharper and clearer on the X5iii. The X5iii seems to have a slightly “airier” sound, in that I can more clearly hear the reverberations in the concert hall or in the recording room. The tonality between the two players is very similar – except the X5ii seems to have slightly more bass bloom (sounds a bit more mid-bassy). Separation and layering (perceiving which sounds are closer and further) of sounds is better on the X5iii. The soundstage width presented by the X5ii and the X5iii is about the same, but the X5iii gives a slightly deeper soundstage. Both players really didn’t have too much problems driving the ER4S or the HD700.

Overall, while the X5iii taken as a whole sounds better than the X5ii taken as a whole, I would be still happy to just listen to the X5ii.

Next, the X5iii vs. the X7 with AM3 as a whole: Listening to the single-ended outs of both players with my ER4S, I feel that the X7 has a blacker background – which means every sound in the music is cleaner, more vivid, and more realistic. You can hear slightly more nuances in the music with the X7 (like the reverberations in the room that the music was recorded, etc.) Each sound simply pops out more in an effortless and natural sounding way. Of course, this also means slightly better separation and layering of sounds in the X7, though the difference between the X5iii and the X7 isn’t very big here. Bass is also more well-controlled, nuanced, and textured on the X7 (though again, not big differences). Much of these differences I just described also apply when I compared the balanced outs of each player driving my HD700.

However, with demanding and hard-to-drive headphones like my self-modded Fostex T50RP, the gap widens between the X5iii and the X7. When comparing the balanced outs of both players driving my T50RP, the first thing I noticed is that there is simply more and deeper bass on the X7. Also, the X7 gave a noticeably bigger (in width and in depth) soundstage as well as noticeably better separation on my T50RP than the X5iii could, making for a much less congested soundstage on the X7.

Tonality on the X5iii is slightly warmer than on the X7 no matter which filter I selected on the X5iii. I would classify the X5iii as having a slightly sweeter and romantic sound, while the X7 has the slightly more neutral and “reference” sound.

Overall, unless you’re driving extremely demanding headphones, I would say that while the X7 is definitely better to my ears, I think many would still be happy with the X5iii even when directly comparing the both of them.

Finally, a brief comparison on the DAC sections of each player: First off, the X5iii and the X7 DACs leave the X5ii in the dust. The X5ii DAC, in comparison to the ones on the X5iii and the X7, simply doesn’t have as black of a background and sounds too smooth in comparison with some details missing. Also, the X5ii DAC has worse separation as well as less depth and layering in the soundstage.

As for the X5iii and the X7 DACs, the X5iii is a bit like the X5ii in that it presents a warmer and smoother sound than the X7 (but of course the X5iii DAC is noticeably more detailed than the one in the X5ii). The X7 is very slightly colder sounding. The X7 DAC has the slightly blacker background, and is very slightly clearer and more detailed. Separation and layering of the two DACs are on par with each other. Overall, I would say in terms of the DAC, the X5iii and the X7 are close enough that it may be wise to get the X5iii out of the two if you were going to use the DAC only, especially if you like a slightly warmer sound.

All in all, I think the X5iii DAC is definitely a step up from its predecessor, the X5ii. And while I think the X7 is still the better-sounding DAP, I think for many the cost-savings will be enough for them to turn to the X5iii gen since the X5iii gets close enough in terms of sound. I think the DAC in the X5iii is excellent, and that it’s really let down by its amp – if it had a better amp, I could definitely imagine it sounding as good as the X7.

Even though this comparison is late, I hope this helps anybody, especially those with previous experience with other FiiO players or anybody who’s looking at the X5ii, X5iii, and the X7!

 

Did you try V4A with the X5iii? Any feedback on it?