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Review of Hidizs AP100 portable HiFi music player w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of Hidizs AP100 portable HiFi music player. http://penonaudio.com/Hidizs-AP100 (manufacturer website: http://www.hidizs.com/EN/Products/Audio Players/AP100.html)
It takes a lot of confidence to enter a market of portable DAPs (digital audio players) considering the latest sophomore releases from FiiO and iBasso as well as a few other budget audio players. And that's exactly what I found with a freshman release from Hidizs, a new kid on the block that decided to make a bold statement with their first release. Everything from the packaging to the build quality and selection of components indicates they did their homework studying competition to match the level of finesse and also to come up with a few of their own tricks to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Let's take a closer look at what I found after spending the last few days testing Hidizs AP100.
Packaging / Unboxing
Taking a page right out of HiFiMAN book, AP100 arrived in a very elegant formal attire of a black box with a silver print of the company/model on the front and detailed spec in Chinese and English on the back. As you remove the outer sleeve, and slide out the inner tray, you see a form fitting cutout opening with AP100 wrapped in ESD bag (a similar detail I have seen in the past with HM700). Beside audio player, the included accessories are usb to micro-usb cable for charging and data transfer, a short 3.5mm male to male patch cable for connecting Line Out to external amp, a 3.5mm to coaxial cable for connection with available coaxial In/Out ports, a pair of screen protectors for 2.4" display, a quick start guide card which has walkthrough of all the ports and buttons in Chinese/English, and a very comprehensive high quality glossy print user's manual. AP100 also comes with a leather case which I'm still waiting to receive due to my shipment being one of the early samples Penonaudio (as official authorized Hidizs distributor) received in their store. I was also told, along with a leather case they're going to include 3.5mm TRRS to TRS adapter since by design AP100 3.5mm headphone port will not be able to accommodate correctly headphones with a built-in inline remote/mic. Typically high quality headphones have either audio only cables or have access to removable audio-only cable. In some cases, like my Beyer T51i where in-line remote doesn't come with a removable cable, you can easily use an adapter. I also noticed, Penonaudio eBay page list AP100 with a bonus free set of hi-fi earphones (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hidizs-AP10...ortable-HiFi-Audio-Music-Player-/291155982192), though I'm not sure about the model.
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Design overview
Once you take AP100 out of ESD bag, you are presented with a very portable and lightweight audio device, approximately 107mm x 65mm x 16mm and weighting 152g (including microSD card). The housing of the player has a solid metal enclosure (no flex) with rounded edges. Upper half of the front side hosts a flush mounted 2.4" TFT color screen with 320x240 resolution. Though not IPS, it actually has pretty wide viewing angle and it wasn't too bad for outdoor viewing. The placement of control buttons in the lower part of the front has a great layout for one-handed operation with either right or left hand. You have a dedicated volume -/+ buttons, a 4-way circle button with next/prev selection placed horizontally and fast fwd/rev placed vertically, where all these buttons are also used as navigation up/down/left/right while scrolling through the menu. In the middle of this circle you have play/pause button which also functions as Enter/Select key, and in the lower right corner a Return button which takes you back to a previous screen and also brings up song playback setting menu when long-pressed during playing music. At the top of the player you have 3.5mm jack for headphone out (HO) and line out (LO) and a power button which also turns the screen on/off while playing music or after screen display time out. On a right side you have a lock button; while enabled this one prevents accidental key presses. On the left side you have SRC button which changes the playback rate by cycling between 16b/44.1k, 24b/88.2k, 24b/96k, 24b/176.4k, and 24b/192k, and EQ button which cycles between General (default flat), Rock, POP, Classic, Jazz, Bass, and User custom EQ setting, and also Reset pinhole. At the bottom you get micro-USB charging/data port, microSD card port (supports max 64GB card), and Coaxial In/Out ports.
Under the hood and User Interface
Inside of AP100, you have 8GB of built-in internal memory (plus up to 64GB through microSD expansion), 3000 mAh li-ion battery which supposed to last 10hr, and array of very impressive chip selection from Cirrus Logic and other top premium IC manufacturers. I find it refreshing how every manufacturer decides to use different building blocks of ICs for their signal chain. Trying to stay unique with sample rate on-a-fly switching, I can see why Hidizs made a decision to use this particular chip set (low jitter phase lock loop, separate clock crystals, asynchronous SRC, etc.) which offers a very clean audio recovery and processing all under a dedicated hardware control. Processing is done using dual core Ingenic 4760B CPU, the same one used on X5.
On top of this hardware, you have a very stable firmware with a clean minimalistic GUI interface. It's not as fancy as scrolling wheel of X5, and doesn't have the same GUI details, but it's functional, easy to get around, and never locked up on me (though I don't have a large library of files to index). Actually, only one time it locked up because I unplugged AP100 from laptop without "ejecting" usb connection - my own fault since it was a part of the provided instructions which I didn't follow. Once you turn the power on, you are presented with 2 choices of going to a playlist or a setup menu. Setup menu has a lot of detailed selections and actually reminds me of X5 in it's look and feel. I tried documenting in pictures all the available options. When it comes to playback menu, it actually resembles a look of HM700 where you have a scrolling list of all the songs according to a file name. The ID3 tags are displayed during individual song playback, otherwise it's just an alphabetical list.
Once you start playing a song, you have a screen with all the detailed info indicating EQ selection, enabled SRC (with a sampling rate displayed on the screen), volume level, battery level, available cover artwork and ID3 tag content, play/pause/ffwd-rev icon indicator, track time line, and full file name (scrolling if its too long). Long pressing Return button takes you to song playback menu with more options. To assist in a better management of your playback, each song can be tagged as "favorite" to be added to a separate directory under "My favorite". Since you have access to up to 72GB of storage space, you probably would want to have a structure of separate sub-directories according to an album or an artist for a better management of content. Those with an excessive audio library probably will be looking elsewhere like X5 where you can use up to 2x 128GB microSD cards and OTG USB storage option. Also, if you want to use your DAP as external USB DAC for your laptop or computer, AP100 will not be able to support this.
Audio quality
As you can see, a lot of thought went into the design, presentation, and selection of components for this new product from Hidizs. But how does it all translates into the most important task, the sound quality? Let me re-assure you, there is NO disappointment in here. The sound is very neutral, detailed, no coloration of excessive low frequency warmth or upper mids/treble harshness or sibilance. The tonality is very natural with sound being accurately represented. Typically I prefer to leave a more detailed sound analysis to when I'm reviewing headphones, but in theory any sound representation comes down to 3 main factors: your sound source file (mp3 or FLAC or other lossless formats), the hardware decoding it (your dedicated audio player or smartphone or combination with an external DAC/amp), and your headphones. When it comes to hardware, in my opinion you want it to be as neutral as possible so you don't add any artifacts to a source, and I think AP100 accomplished that goal. It supports most of the popular audio formats, such as MP3, FLAC, WAV, OGG, WMA, APE up to 24b/192k sampling rate, and it's able to accurately decode these audio formats leaving it up to your headphone sound signature to deliver the final result.
In comparison to X5 (running the latest FW2.0) and HM700, I found AP100 (in 24b/192k setting) to be a little smoother and laid-back, a little warmer, and a bit less bright. Now, keep in mind, this is not a description of the sound, but rather a relative comparison using the same audio file source with the same set of headphones. In direct comparison of AP100 and X5, I found Hidizs soundstage to be a little bit wider and deeper, though not as wide as HM700 with balanced RE400B. Also, switching SRC to 24b/192k which I'm planning to leave on permanently, added more body to AP100 sound and on some headphones improved the sound with a better separation and layering. The results will vary from headphone to headphone, but the most significant change I was able to hear with Beyer T51i where the sound improvement with AP100 was almost like I added an amp to X5.
I do realize that for some a big question going to be if you are on a budget and at a crossroad deciding whether to go with X5 or AP100 or you need to get another DAP. From a form factor, AP100 is a little bit shorter and lighter. From a storage capacity and expansion, X5 is hands down a winner. Perhaps due to a same CPU maybe in a future updates Hidizs will add support for 128GB flash, though you are still limited to a single card and not sure about OTG. Regarding GUI and interface, I think they both have their advantage and disadvantages where I love scrolling wheel of X5 for a quick navigation through a list of songs, but when it comes down to menu selection or more precise song selection - using button navigation will give you more control at expense of slower speed. Also, there is no denial, X5 interface is more polished. Sound quality is where you going to see more distinction. If you need to invest $150-$200 into a portable amp to enhance sound of some of your headphones, perhaps a dedicated DAP might be a better option. The sound quality improvement will vary depending on headphones you use, but I can tell you from a personal experience I will be driving T51i only from AP100, while for my workouts with hifi sound - it's HM700 + RE400B in an armband for convenience. Another great pair up example of AP100 I found to be with ATH-IM50 and IM03. Beside adding more dimension to a sound, it really brings bass alive and makes it stand out especially with IM50 where low end is the strongest point to begin with. So there is no clear answer since it will depend on your individual preferences due to YMMV.
Overall, I must say I was very impressed with this DAP considering I never heard of this company before. Between hardware, firmware, and sound quality - this is one solid release for a newcomer. I especially like how they are trying to differentiate themselves by offering something different with SRC functionality. Please keep in mind, my previous DAP experience is based on Clip+, X5, HM700, and using my Note 2 w/Neutron, so perhaps other higher end DAPs already implement something similar, though I'm not sure if anybody else does it in $300 price range. Also, SRC is not a magic button to improve the sound of every headphone, but it works rather well on those that lean more toward balanced sound signature with enhanced bass response and require a stronger driving signal. Not sure if you will get the same level of improvement pairing it up with analytical headphones since I don't have my Etys and IM02 for testing anymore. Also, all the headphones in my collection are low impedance and Hidizs site doesn't talk much about HO output level driving different impedance loads. But if you look at their spec of 2.2Vrms and assume the lowest supported impedance, it will still scale up to a very decent signal level going up to 250ohm and 300ohm loads and maybe even to 600ohm. While testing with my headphones, I had my volume setting between 1/4 to 1/3 of maximum allowable volume, never approaching 50% of max volume output. That's a good indicator and also goes along with my previous comment of AP100 driving T51i like it was X5+amp. Now, I can't wait to see what future firmware updates going to bring and what other products Hidizs guys have in queue!

While I'm waiting for the leather case to arrive, I wanted to come up with a storage solution for AP100 when I throw it in my bag. Amazingly, Pelican 101 case has perfect dimensions to accommodate that but it requires a little modification.
This 1010 case is bulletproof, and cost only $13.50: http://www.pelicancases.com/1010-p/1010.htm and I'm also using pick'n'pluck foam insert: http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail_accessories.php?Case=1010 to keep it from rattling inside, but you can use any kind of spacer, or maybe just put your IEMs in there.
The plastic shell of the case itself has perfect inner dimensions, but the inner rubber lining makes it a bit too tight, pushing on the side buttons of the DAP. So, I just cut out the top part of the lining keeping the base which prevents AP100 from rubbing against the plastic. On top, I used foam insert, so it looks like this:

AP100 leather case and other accessories
As promised, here is an additional review of Hidizs AP100 accessories and other bonus goodies that come bundled when ordered from Penonaudio (http://penonaudio.com/Hidizs-AP100).
The included leather case adds a protection for AP100 and also allows you to carry this digital audio player in style. Today it's really hard to tell apart real or fake leather, but material of this case felt genuine to me. The fitment inside of the holding sleeve was secure, not too tight or loose. It has the precise cutouts to access all the control buttons, keeps the top of the player open for HO/LO and power button, and at the bottom allows access for micro-usb cable. You also have access to SRC and EQ buttons on one side, and Lock button on the other side. The flip cover stays closed thanks to a hidden magnet, and inside there is a small velctro pocket for mico-SD card.
Btw, leather case is included with AP100 purchased from anybody, but Penon audio guys add a few additional exclusive bonuses.
As I mentioned in my original review, the headphone output jack of AP100 supports a standard TRS connection which is a problem if you are using headphones with built in in-line remote control/mic. It's not a showstopper since there is a number of adapters available to allow use of headphones with in-line remote. But additional adapters cost money and some are bulky or long-wired. Included in this package is a slim 3.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter which I found to work great with all of my "smartphone" headphones. As a matter of fact, Penon guys sell it on ebay for $4+ shipped (http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Femal...=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item43af220270) for anybody who in general interested in it, but it's included for free here. I like that I don't have to worry about hanging wires, and it doesn't stick out too much.
Last but not least, they also included a pair of high quality in-ear headphones, Hisoundaudio PAA-1 model which they actually sell in their store for $20 (http://penonaudio.com/Hisoundaudio-PAA-1). Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about freebie headphones, expecting it's going to be something cheap, but was surprised to find these to sound really good!!! These are not exactly in-ear type headphones, but rather one of those iPod style, and I even put a few pictures side-by-side for a better comparison. Surprisingly, these have a nice soft cable with TPE sleeve and OFC wires. The fit was comfortable, but for some people with small ear opening it could be a problem. The sound is balanced, nothing is recessed. It has a nice punchy low-end with some sub-bass extension, great separation of mids with enough detailed clarity (great with vocals), and crisp treble extension without any hint of sibilance. One thing that surprised me the most was a super wide soundstage. I'm not gonna tell you these are giant killers that beat $100-$200 IEMs, but they sound VERY good and even for a standalone price of $20 it's a great value.
Furthermore, and to be clear these adapters below are not a part of AP100 package but definitely a good investment to have, I would like to mention about impedance adapters you can get from Penon guys ($13.90, http://penonaudio.com/3.5mm-Inpedance-Plug). As I mentioned in my review, paired up with high sensitivity headphones you are going to hear some background hissing noise listening to AP100 due to it's high output power. It's a common problem with other DAPs or AMPs as well. A solution is very simple, you need to use an impedance adapter, usually in value between 50-150 ohms. It helps to attenuate the background noise, though you also will reduce output level (will need to raise your volume up when using such adapter). Most of the adapters I have seen or own are bulky with a wire extension. In this case, you are getting a brand name DUNU impedance adapter, either 75 ohm or 150 ohm, at a very reasonable price. I have tested both with a lot of my headphones, and found that 75 ohm does a perfect job silencing the background noise without any sound quality reduction. This 3.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter is relatively small and not going to stick out too much. It's one of those must-have accessories any audiophile should have in their tool box

Review of FiiO X1 ultra-portable digital audio player (DAP) w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of FiiO X1 digital audio player (DAP). http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-portable-high-resolution-audio-and-lossless-music-player-p-127.html
Until my first experience with X5, a little over half a year ago, I used to refer to all dedicated audio players as "mp3" players. It wasn't my ignorance but rather a misunderstanding where I thought that I should focus more on higher bit rate songs and better headphones, and any "mp3" player or smartphone will play audio files just fine. Introduction to X5 changed all that and opened up my eyes to a world of music without being interrupted by emails, txt, or app updates, a world where audio player is not a cheap clip on gadget on my armband, a world where I ended up "rediscovering my headphones, all over again". X5 is great as a portable DAP, but in some cases I found it to be a little too bulky/heavy. In search for other quality audio players, I acquired some other DAPs, but nothing was able to replace the ease of navigation with a scrolling wheel. Now with introduction of X1, I can rejoice with a new pocket friendly super portable DAP that sounds as good as it looks, retains its scrolling wheel design, and cost a fraction of its big brother's price tag. But don't make a mistake thinking X1 is a cheaper replacement of X5. They can both coexist in a perfect harmony with their trade-offs in size versus sound quality. Others can think of X1 as a stepping stone for when you are ready to graduate from a basic mp3 player and want to get a taste of audiophile world - a taste that will whet your appetite for the next future upgrade when you are ready. Whatever your journey is, I think a lot of the people going to enjoy this little new gem from FiiO. Without further due, here is what I found while testing this fine little DAP.
My review unit arrived in a package similar to the latest E10k/E11k boxes resembling a size of double CD case. Inside, X1 was dressed in all black silicon skin with one screen protector already applied and two additional ones available for backup. USB to micro-usb cable also was included as part of accessory package. Since this is a review unit, I'm sure the final production package will probably going to have more accessories included. Silicon skin is definitely great for a basic scratch and minimal drop protection, but I wish it would have been gray like the one that comes with X5 since you can't see X1 charging light underneath of solid black. I'm sure with soon to be available bonus accessories, you will be able to get another skin color. But in a meantime, I took it out of the skin to enjoy a beauty of its brushed aluminum finish which I'm sure a lot of you will do to show off it's sexy curves!
Weighting only 108g with a measured dimensions of about 96mm x 56mm x 13mm, it gives a new definition to ultra-portable considering a very solid build and all metal front/sides with a silver finish hard plastic back. Having a size comparable to a deck of cards, the fitment in my hand was very comfortable with a great ergonomics of being able to reach every button/wheel control with a thumb. The aluminum finish and round buttons, especially power and volume on the side, makes it resemble a bit of an iPhone look. Buttons have a very nice tactile click response. At the top you have a single 3.5mm port, used as either HO or LO, selectable in Setting menu. On a right side at the bottom there is a slot for a single microSD card, keeping in mind that X1 by itself doesn't have any internal memory. MicroSD card is easy to access which is an improvement over X5 where it was a bit recessed. On a left side at the top you have a volume up/down buttons with an etched "+" and "-", a reset pinhole, and a power button. The volume buttons are slightly raised which makes it easy to distinguish them from power button by sliding your finger, and when you have silicone skin on - volume up has a raised dot bump on its cover. At the bottom you have a micro-usb port positioned in the center with two tiny hex screws symmetrically closer to the edges. This port is used for data transfer (no USB DAC support like X5) as well as charging up it's massive 1700 mAh battery which provides over 12hrs of playback time.
Top of the front panel is occupied by a display (2", 320x240 TFT), similar but not as bright as X5, which is a first indicator where they had to cut some corners stepping down from 2.4" IPS display in X5. Single microSD on X1 versus double in X5 is another change, though 128GB capacity still supported. For those familiar with X5, you will feel right at home with its scrolling wheel control and 5 control buttons with main Play/Pause/Select in the middle of the wheel, Return/Back in the upper right corner, Menu in the upper left corner, and Skip/Select next/prev buttons at the bottom. Otherwise, the wheel control is very intuitive and easy to get used to. Though the wheel looks and functions the same, it's updated from X5. When you turn it with a thumb - you can feel/hear micro-click action, and overall scrolling feels more solid and under a better control. I'm very pleased with this update, though would have been nice for a scrolling wheel to have a better texture, something I'm sure could be upgraded in the future with a textured sticker.
Once X1 is powered up, you are presented with a new updated interface. You still have icons arranged around the semi-circle but now at the top, and the scrolling logistics has changed from X5. Instead of 7 icons in X5, you now have 5 equally spaced icons with EQ and Favorite selections combined in other sub-menus in comparison to X5. Icons are placed at the top from left to right and instead of scrolling icons wheel, you have a scrolling glow pointer with a corresponding icon description text in the notification bar. Most of the Setting and Play Setting controls remained similar to X5 with one noticeable change being an option for Theme Color which helps to improve a contrast and to customize your DAP. I didn't notice any lag while scrolling through menu options or songs. The movement is fluid and as fast as with X5. Also, it really felt like a mature firmware release, and I'm sure FiiO team will fine tune it even further. Selecting to play a song displayed a name and ID tag info (if available), cover art (if available), and song format/encoding. Similarly to X5, at the top in notification bar you have volume with corresponding value, headphone/line out selection icon, EQ setting name (either built in highly usable presets or 7-band customizable one with a precise narrow band tuning), microSD card presence, and battery status.
So how would I describe the sound signature of X1? I found it to be warm and neutral. In comparison to X5, to me it sounded as neutral without any noticeable peaks or dips, just like you would expect a good source to be. Also in comparison to X5, X1 sounded a bit thicker and less detailed with narrower soundstage. That was expected and acceptable considering we are talking about scaled down version of X5 designed for a mainstream rather than audiophile audience. But don't get discouraged by this comment. Listening to X1, without driving yourself crazy with comparison to other DAPs, is actually very satisfying. You get plenty of details across entire frequency range, and X1 built-in amp was powerful enough to drive even some of my demanding headphones that typically require external amping. For example, I was able to drive B3 Pro I without a problem at 50% volume setting. It paired up well with anything I threw at it, either portable IEMs or full size cans, and even high sensitivity IEMs didn't exhibit too much background hissing. It looks like X1 has a single gain setting, and I noticed that it required volume level on average 10 ticks lower than with X5 in its default low gain setting.
Regarding HO sound quality in a comparison to X5, you can rest assure that X1 is not X5 killer. But at the same time, the difference is not really night'n'day. While X5 sound is more detailed and with a wider soundstage, X1 is not lagging behind by too much. This difference becomes even less apparent when you switch to LO with external amp. For example, while using E11k with X1 the sound gets more detailed, with a wider soundstage, and with a deeper and more detailed low end. The ability to switch between HO and LO, where internal amp is disabled, really sets X1 above other entry level DAPs with HO only output. Also, FiiO already announced a future accessory kit for X1 to stack up with other amps (similar to HS6 kit for X5). Plus, there was other mentioning about future accessories, such as armband holder, different cases, car mount, and even audio over micro-usb LO cable since X1 connector will accommodate a new docking amp in a near future.
Overall, testing X1 left me with a very positive impression about this new FiiO DAP. It feels very solid, it performs like a mature product, and it has a great sound quality for its price range. I liked all the improvements (over X5) with a new scrolling wheel mechanism, round physical buttons, and updated scrolling menu control. Sound quality is not equivalent to X5, but that is expected at a fraction of a price. At the same time, it's not too far off and when using external amp connected to LO, you are getting even closer to X5 or other quality DAPs. For $99 this DAP has an amazing value with a hard to beat price/performance ratio especially if you take into consideration everything from its build, design, sound, and firmware. The upcoming add on accessories will add more versatility to take this DAP anywhere with you on the go while keeping its bigger brother (X5) at home for a more serious listening. With such an impressive DAP line up (X3, X5, X1) one can only imagine what FiiO is going to come up with next to blow our mind with X7 release!
Here are the pictures.
Design Details.
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Interface.
Next to its big brother X5
Paired up with E11k
Next to its "brother from another mother"

Sickkkkkkk! Is it possible to get a pic next to a phone or something so I can see how big/thick it is?
Thanks, been waiting for this
edit: you= twister6?

poondog said:
Sickkkkkkk! Is it possible to get a pic next to a phone or something so I can see how big/thick it is?
Thanks, been waiting for this
edit: you= twister6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, twister6 from Head-fi and AndroidForums
Will take and post some comparison pics later tonight!

Here you go, X1 next to Note 2 and S5

Nice review :good:
But I have one question for you, does thi DAP support .cue files/.cue sheet?
Because currently I'm using Poweramp on Android and it will display .cue sheet as tracks
Thanks.

Metalworks said:
Nice review :good:
But I have one question for you, does thi DAP support .cue files/.cue sheet?
Because currently I'm using Poweramp on Android and it will display .cue sheet as tracks
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[email protected] already replied to this (your) question on Head-fi with confirmation I personally don't use cue files, but probably should look into that.

vectron said:
[email protected] already replied to this (your) question on Head-fi with confirmation I personally don't use cue files, but probably should look into that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, he'd confirmed that X1 support .cue sheet, thanks

nice review!
I have a akg k267, do you think x1 could drive akg k267 fully(or how percent)?

hungerwolf said:
nice review!
I have a akg k267, do you think x1 could drive akg k267 fully(or how percent)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K267 is only 32 ohm, it will be a piece of cake for x1 to drive it with extra power to spare. I'm using x1 to drive a few IEMs that usually require an external amp, but with X1 I can drive it with 50% volume level dial setting.

vectron said:
K267 is only 32 ohm, it will be a piece of cake for x1 to drive it with extra power to spare. I'm using x1 to drive a few IEMs that usually require an external amp, but with X1 I can drive it with 50% volume level dial setting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot!!
X1 is officially out today in Guangzhou. Well, now without hesitation to buy one!
Oh, one more question: with X1 on hand, is an amplifier like E11K still needed?
thanks in advance.

hungerwolf said:
Thanks a lot!!
X1 is officially out today in Guangzhou. Well, now without hesitation to buy one!
Oh, one more question: with X1 on hand, is an amplifier like E11K still needed?
thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amp is always a nice addition to enhance the sound, but to be honest it will not be necessary to enjoy X1. I wouldn't recommend it for now. Just get X1 and enjoy it. If you want to upgrade, you can do it in the future.

vectron said:
amp is always a nice addition to enhance the sound, but to be honest it will not be necessary to enjoy X1. I wouldn't recommend it for now. Just get X1 and enjoy it. If you want to upgrade, you can do it in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So much appreciation!!
best wishes~

Now available from Miccastore: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-portable-high-resolution-audio-and-lossless-music-player-p-127.html

Hi,
is it possible to use it as external DAC, Computer->USB->X1->headset?
I understood it was possible in latest X3 firmware.
[EDIT]
Seems not
http://www.head-fi.org/t/691332/fii...res-dap-with-individual-dac-and-headphone-amp
[/EDIT]
Thanks

Yep, you can't use it as an external usb DAC. They had to cut corners somewhere to bring the cost down
BUT, a great news is (and I already posted it all over head-fi), you can use ANY headphones with in-line remote to control playback of X1. YES, single click to Play/Pause, double click to skip next, and triple click to skip prev song. That is AMAZING!!! Only works with X1, not X3 or X5. Pretty much put X1 in your pocket, and control playback remotely from headset! No volume control, obviously, but playback - YES!

How x1 stands in SQ department compared to Colorfly C3? Have anyone tried both?

Nevermind, tried with LO + cmoy amps. Superb for it's price

lesp4ul said:
Nevermind, tried with LO + cmoy amps. Superb for it's price
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Got enough amps in there? I just recently started to explore portable amps, and absolutely love FiiO E11k and Cayin C5. C5 has an insane 3D sound imaging performance. E11k is a nice budget workhorse. I also just got Topping NX1 ($35, over 100hr of playback on a single charge), but haven't tested it yet.

vectron said:
Got enough amps in there? I just recently started to explore portable amps, and absolutely love FiiO E11k and Cayin C5. C5 has an insane 3D sound imaging performance. E11k is a nice budget workhorse. I also just got Topping NX1 ($35, over 100hr of playback on a single charge), but haven't tested it yet.
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Yeap, E11K has better SQ than E07K, I recommended this to my friend who likes bass but still prefers clarity and he seems happy tho. I also have NX1 paired with Colorfly C3 but same, haven't tried with X1 yet hahaha.

Just got NX1 from dx.com (under $35, but they out of stock as of now). It's a great little portable amp, but E11k is a step above. Also, I'm not too crazy how in NX1 power switch is separate from volume pot. If you forget to turn the volume down and flip that switch while using a different pair of sensitive IEMs or forgot and left a gain switch on High - that would be a painful experience lol!!! Btw, I would HIGHLY recommend you to get Cayin C5 amp - this is a top portable amp at the current moment for under $200 price range.
Also, if you get a chance, can you please write a short comparison between X1 and Colorfly C3? I see a lot of questions about it on Head-fi and been asked so many times in PMs about it. I know, they both have a warmer/darker sound sig, but don't know much about details.

Review of Cayin N6 Hi-res digital audio player w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of Cayin N6 Hi-Res digital audio player (DAP). http://penonaudio.com/Cayin-N6
A lot of people think that upgrading headphones to a more expensive/multi-driver version can improve a sound quality without realizing how much impact a hardware source "plays" in order to take their sound experience to the next level. As some make a leap from using their smartphones or budget audio players to a dedicated quality DAP (digital audio player), you re-discover your headphones all over again and realize what you have been missing. Things can get quickly out of control when we are in search of perfection, don't have access to audition and to compare audio gear, and make assumptions that high quality audio hardware has to come at a premium price. Today I would like to share with you about a new flagship N6 DAP from Cayin that shatters these typical stereotypes while delivering a true high definition audio which sets itself above all mid-fi contenders and aims to challenge a more expensive hi-fi competition. Here is what I found.
I have reviewed Cayin C5 portable amplifier in the past and stayed in touch with Cayin team to quickly realize how much they are obsessed with sound quality and design details as well as customer support. Even when N6 was ready for prime time closer to the end of the last year, they still took their time to perfect everything, including a first test run limited to a small group of local pro-audio users just to get more feedback. All this hard work really paid off, and when N6 was ready for an official release and I finally received my production quality review sample - it already felt like a mature product with a polished hardware and a stable firmware. But everything starts with unboxing.
There is definitely a WOW! factor once you hold N6 box in your hands. They made it very clear you are dealing with a premium product in a premium box. You are not going to find any high res pictures on the outer sleeve, only a hand sketch of the product with some hints of its sexy curves. There is also a very minimum description of main functions and features, mostly referencing types of devices and supported formats with no further description, I guess trying to keep user in suspense. With outer sleeve off and the main box out and open, you are presented with premium "jewelry" box display setting of N6. Out of the box underneath a form fitted tray with N6, you'll find all the included accessories in another partitioned tray.
To be honest, for such a fancy box and premium flagship product, I expected to see more accessories. Don’t get me wrong, it’s on par with other DAPs I have reviewed in the past, but would have been nice to see something like a leather holster or a travel case or maybe to include 2A wall adapter. Still, there were plenty of goodies to go around. You have a quality usb to micro-usb cable, coax adapter, micro-usb to usb card reader, and two sets of round screen protectors with one already being applied to N6. One bonus that I actually found impressive was a keychain with the same carbon fiber finish as featured on the back of N6 – fancy! Also included was a silicone protection skin, but it wasn’t in the box but rather in the packaging envelope. I know it’s a shame to hide N6 curves under the “skin”, but it’s a smart way to protect it from scratches.
Unboxing and Accessories pictures.
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Looking at N6 DAP, the first thing you notice is a rather unique round display - a centerpiece of the design. Just like with their C5 portable amp that stood out from a crowd, N6 makes a very bold statement even before you turn it on and plug in your headphones. Even though display looks round, the active part of it is 2.4" IPS square screen with a high contrast and excellent visibility under any condition. With display off, it's hard even to distinguish the square part of the screen, thus you have an illusion of a round display. On the left side of the display like a watch crown you have a thumb control navigation wheel to assist in scrolling and also with a spring-loaded push action to click/select/enter. I found this scrolling wheel to have an excellent tactile response and to be of a great assistance when scrolling through either a long playlist or adjusting volume or just going through menus. It's not really necessary for navigation of N6 since all these functionalities could be done with other buttons, but still comes in very handy and blends in well with a round screen display.
Below the display, you have 4 control buttons in a very unique shape. When it comes to N6 DAP, it looks like Cayin wasn't just creating a functional audio player with a great sound, but also making a piece of art. In theory, these are your typical multifunctional 4 directional buttons with up and down list scrolling or track skip or fast forward/back, and left and right buttons for going back in navigation or selection or play/pause. It takes a little bit to get used to controls, but after a while using these becomes a second nature. I also think a custom shape of these buttons plays a very important role in a flow of navigation and controls as your finger slides across them.
You will also find a more traditional buttons, such as volume up/down in the upper right corner on the side, and a power button on the top. With a screen off, volume buttons do control volume with a single click and skip track with a long press. Also, scrolling wheel controls play/pause with a push when screen is off - a very intuitive control you can access without even looking at the player. At the top, you also have three 3.5mm ports for Line Out (LO), Headphone Out (HO), and Coaxial cable Out (CO). To eliminate confusion, I did cut off HO cover flap in silicone case so I knew right away where to plug in headphones. At the bottom you have micro SD card slot, a reset pinhole, a tiny led light pinhole, and micro-usb port. The body of the case is made out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and feels very solid in your hand. The back of N6 has a real carbon fiber finish.
Design detail pictures.
As impressive as it looks outside, inside of N6 you will find a true audio powerhouse. Everything from dual core processor, powerful enough to support native DSD hardware decoding as well as other formats up to 24bit/192kHz resolution with MP3/WAV/FLAC/OGG/APE/ALAC/AAC/WMA/M4A and even CUE, to 8GB of internal memory and microSD card supporting up to 128GB size. You also have a very impressive array of internal chips with top performance dual PCM1792A DACs arranged to process left and right channel separately to control high definition of a sound and a width of soundstage separation. There is also a dedicated high performance PGA2311 volume control chip, and even 3 different TCXO crystal oscillators to meet low jitter clock requirements. Power is provided by a high capacity 5600 mAh lithium battery which does a great job of supplying enough juice for up to 7-8 hours of continuous playback. For a piece of audio equipment with so many power hungry ICs, this is actually not a bad performance. Also, Cayin is constantly working on battery life optimization, especially in standby mode, so perhaps with some future firmware upgrades they might even be able to improve a total playback time.
Another important spec worth mentioning is the HO and LO output performance where HO is rated at 220mW+220mW w/32ohm load and super low output impedance of 0.26ohm, and LO rated at 1.7V of output power. I had no issues driving any of my IEMs or open/closed back full size headphones, and even in low gain setting had a volume at only 30%. Even with low sensitivity headphones I never exceeded 50% of volume level. With high sensitivity headphones, I didn't hear any hissing and found background to be solid black. But in general, if you need to drive power hungry high impedance full size headphones, you can always pair up N6 with another member of Cayin family - C5 portable amp.
Furthermore, besides being a standalone digital audio player, N6 also functions as an asynchronous USB DAC which you can connect to your laptop or computer to turn N6 into an external sound card. One thing you need to know, the internal memory of N6 has a zip file with all the necessary drivers to setup the connection. Once installation is complete, moving forward it’s a simple plug'n'play operation as long as you have DAC mode enabled in your System setting of N6.
Even with so much electronics and a large battery, N6 still feels pocket friendly and not that heavy. For a comparison, I put N6 next to X5, both wearing a silicone case, and found N6 to be 248g with 128mm x 70mm x 20mm dimensions, and X5 to be 218g with 118mm x 70mm x 16mm dimensions.
Pictures of N6 next to C5 and X5.
It is a little bit taller and thicker in comparison to X5, but overall weight felt the same and inside of the pocket N6 was actually a lot easier to operate "blind" with fast access to play/pause, skip, and volume controls.
Before I get into a sound of Cayin N6, the next topic I would like to discuss is GUI interface. Of course the sound characteristic is the most important factor, but a poorly designed controls and user interface can ruin your experience of enjoying the music even if it sounds great. I already mentioned about how much I like buttons/wheel controls of N6, and the same positive experience extended to graphic user interface as well. When you hold the power button to turn it on, you are greeted with a round vinyl-disc main interface resembling a turn table. In there, you have 5 main menu choices of Playing Now (which goes to your current playing song), Music Library (where you have an option to update the library, to view Local memory content, and removable card content), Music Category (were everything is sorted by My Favorite, Recent Played Songs, Albums, Artists, Genre, and a list of All Songs), System Setting, and Music Setting. Playing Now and Music Library is self explanatory, while in Music Category you have My Favorite based on a quick playlist you can create by tagging songs as Favorite, and the rest of the menu choices with songs sorted based on the ID tags of your music files.
Music setting has an extensive selection of options with Gain setting (low and high), Digital Filter (added in fw1.1 where you have SHARP and SLOW with a subtle change of sound attack, my personal preference being SHARP), DSD gain compensation, EQ setting (10 band EQ with 8 presets and a separate Customizable option). Play mode (to cover different repeat modes), Breakpoint resume, Gapless playback (after fw1.1 it's nearly perfect!!!), Max Volume limit setting, Startup Volume, Startup volume value, Balance control (L/R), Album art (display on/off), and Lyrics (display on/off). In a System setting you have Language selection, USB Mode (usb connection to read and to transfer files or USB DAC setting as external soundcard), Backlight time, Brightness setting, Schedule Power off (enable/disable), Schedule Power off time (this will turn off N6 after a preset time; Sleep time option is coming in the next firmware update), Reset (to factory setting), About the Player (which has model and firmware number, as well as local and microSD card total and remaining free memory capacity). Also, within "About the Player", you can skip pages from the main screen to see a very comprehensive electronic manual of the N6 with all the controls and functionality description.
GUI and Setting pictures.
Uh, so here comes a sound, and the first word out of my mouth was: WOW!!! To be honest, I personally don’t care about what DAC or volume IC or processor is being used in the design. It’s irrelevant because you can pick’n’choose the best available audio components and still mess up the signal flow, the circuit design, the layout of the board, etc. I look at every DAP as a black box, evaluating it on a sound quality, control usability, and GUI. In my opinion, Cayin N6 delivered a nearly perfect score in every single of these categories.
Reviewing sound quality of a DAP is not an easy task. What you hearing is not a direct “sound” of the audio player but rather a sound delivered by headphones according to their sound signature. So a better evaluation of a DAP is by referencing it to other sources for comparison. I have a number of DAPs in my collection, such as FiiO X1 and X5, HiFiMAN HM700, Hidizs AP100, and more budget oriented audio players from xDuoo, Sandisk, Ruizu, and also my Galaxy Note 4. If I pick the best source out of this bunch, which happens to be X5, and even after pairing it up with either of my favorite portable amps, C5 and E12A, I still can’t get anything closer to a near perfection reference sound I get from HO of N6. Yes, that good!!!
N6 sound is very detailed, transparent, and musical, with an organic tonality, close to reference quality without being cold or analytical. It has an excellent separation and layering of instruments with a wide and deep airy soundstage. Relative to headphones in my collection, there is no hissing or background noise (though I don’t have SE846 to confirm which always comes up as being over-sensitive), and I found it to have a black background. In comparison, the level of detail retrieval from N6 is on a much higher scale than X5, and the soundstage presentation is significantly better as well. As a matter of fact, the soundstage directly from N6 will remind you a lot of C5 paired up with X5. And that is a beauty of N6 where you don’t need to pair it up with any external portable amps to improve the sound quality or staging unless you want to experiment with coloring of your sound by introducing other amps. I paired up N6 with E12A, but found it handicapping the soundstage width and depth. Pair up of N6 with C5 is great if you really need to drive a demanding high impedance cans, but comparing N6 HO in low gain to N6+C5 (in low gain as well) – sound tonality was almost identical to my ears, and the only benefit was a slight improvement in width and depth of soundstage.
This brings me to how well N6 pairs up with different headphones. In this analysis, I found it more beneficial to compare every pair of headphones to see how it sounds on N6 vs X5. Also, please keep in mind, X5 is one fantastic DAP and it costs $270 less than N6. This is like a relative comparison. But my point is that value of N6 is highly justifiable considering sound quality improvement without a need to use external amps and special LO cables.
UM Pro 50:
N6 - richer bass texture, better 3D positioning/imaging, better dynamics, sound is more organic/analog, a little smoother/musical.
X5 - sound is flatter, a little more digital in comparison.
CRK10:
N6 - sound is more airy, staging a bit deeper, improved bass texture, sound has more body.
X5 – sound has less sparkle, a bit narrower staging.
A83:
N6 - amazing bass texture, super wide/airy sound, smoother upper mids/treble.
X5 - reduced soundstage, less sparkle in upper frequencies.
DITA Answer:
N6 - higher level of detail retrieval, sound is more airy, improved soundstage.
X5 - sound is a bit flatter and not as organic.
IM03
N6 - sound has richer texture, more natural, smoother, improved staging.
X5 - sound is a bit flatter, not as dynamic.
Titan 1
N6 - sound has more sparkle, wider soundstage.
X5 - sound is smoother and warmer, a bit narrower.
VSD3
N6 - bass texture is richer and more detailed, wider staging, more airy sound.
X5 - sound is flatter, less dynamic, and a bit harsher.
In conclusion, next to my other audio players and amps Cayin N6 DAP is without a doubt TOTL audio equipment. Of course a question begs to be asked how it compares to AK120 II or AK240 II, and perhaps in a near future I might be able to answer this. But N6 is still 1/2 the price of the cheaper AK120 II, and that needs to be factored in. Do I think N6 represents an absolute perfection? Well, it has a sound signature which is near a sound perfection to my ears, and I got used to and enjoying its controls very much. But based on the size and the weight, it’s not exactly super portable or a pocket friendly for everyone’s taste. Plus, I wish battery life would be a few more hours longer. I know Cayin is working hard on firmware optimization, and they have done an amazing job delivering a very stable FW1.0 followed by FW1.1 only a month later with a lot of improvements. So I hope they can do some magic to squeeze even more out of their battery life. But even as it stands, this digital audio player represents an amazing value with a true hi-def sound performance. I never really listened to DSD audio files until I got N6 where it plays these without skipping a beat with a sound quality that took my breath away. I no longer need an external amp to improve my soundstage presentation or to add that extra juice to make my bass sizzle with layers of texture – N6 internal DAC/amp is top class! I no longer have to reach out for a dedicated USB DAC to enjoy listening to hi-def audio from my laptop – flexibility of N6 design covers that. There are too many benefits to list and I can go on, but the bottom line is that Cayin delivered a remarkable hi-def audio player and set a new price bar which is quite affordable considering spending the same amount of money on mid-fi DAPs, LO cables, and external amps without even reaching 100% level of N6. Very impressive considering this is Cayin’s very first portable DAP release! Can’t wait to see what they’re going to come up with next!

Nice review ! ??

Excellent review, thanks

Hello everybody,
Where can I find Tools for the subj for Win 7? I'd like to change the fonts for 4.3 FW.

Hi there,
Does anybody know how to delete all the songs on Favorites with one click but not one by one?

alex5908 said:
Hi there,
Does anybody know how to delete all the songs on Favorites with one click but not one by one?
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Better post this queston on head-fi in corresponding thread. I used to mirror my audio reviews here on XDA and also AF, but eventually moved to HF where audio gear reviews belong And since I haven't used N6 in a long time, it will take me awhile just to charge it up before I can answer it, but I'm sure - if it's not obvious, it can't be done, probably.
Btw, their N8 flagship is just around the corner, using Korg nano-tubes
Plus, they released N5iiS stainless steel limited edition, which I just reviewed on my blog.
Cayin been doing pretty good with all these DAP release and desktop gear (their tube amplifiers are top notch), and actually today (on August 8th) is their 25th anniversary as a company.

I did that awhile ago. The thread is dead and nobody posts anything.

alex5908 said:
I did that awhile ago. The thread is dead and nobody posts anything.
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Maybe send a PM to "'AndyKong" in there. He will be able to help you, man.

Hi vecton, would you like to review our product?

avatarcontrols said:
Hi vecton, would you like to review our product?
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Please, PM me.

Review of FiiO X5 2nd gen (X5ii) Digital Audio Player (DAP) w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of FiiO X5 2nd gen (X5ii) Digital Audio Player (DAP). http://www.fiio.net/en/products/41.
With a consistent flow of new releases, I feel like we have been spoiled by FiiO and their quality audio products. I didn’t even realize it has been year and a half since the release of their original X5, and now I’m looking at their new X5ii flagship DAP released a few months after another impressive X3ii DAP update. What strikes me the most, FiiO continues to update a number of their previously released models (DAPs and amps) while keeping price in the same ballpark. And I’m not talking about a cosmetic refresh or a firmware update but actually a complete redesign. Perhaps it’s the way how they challenge themselves, trying to come up with a creative update without raising the cost. In my opinion, they do succeed every single time, with their latest X5ii being another perfect example of it!
At the same time this high pace of new releases sometime feels like smartphone industry where every six months to a year we are faced with choices to either stay with a current phone or to upgrade, and if you decide to upgrade - either going with a smaller or bigger screen model. I think a lot of FiiO fans will be facing a similar choice, either keeping their original X5 or upgrading to a “smaller” X3ii or a “bigger” X5ii, figuratively speaking. If you want the latest and the greatest new release, a decision is simple - go with X5ii without looking back. But for other loyal FiiO fans or new customers who are looking into different DAPs, I hope my review will provide some useful guidance to make your decision easier. FiiO is very active and generous in various audiophile communities, such as Head-fi, where a lot of reviews and impressions have been posted already. With my write up I hope to fill in some gaps and to offer a different perspective to compliment other available info.
Though the unit I received is pre-production review sample, the content of the packaging should be close to the final product which I'm sure will include a colorful outer sleeve on top of the box my unit came in. Keeping up with a tradition, X5ii arrived in a formally dressed black gift box setting with a nicely padded interior to ensure a secure transport of its content. I personally like such gift-box detail, actually adapted by a number of manufacturers, since it makes unboxing experience a little more special and a sturdy carton box is also a great storage.
Unboxing.
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Already dressed in silicone skin and ready for action, after removing X5ii from a cutout of the foam insert tray, I accessed the accessories box and was able to explore the rest of the included goodies. No surprises were found here, just a familiar set of accessories consistent with their other models. You get a quick start guide and a separate flash card with a layout and explanation of hardware controls, extra 2 sets of screen protector in addition to the one which comes already pre-installed, a cover stickers for the front/back/sides if you decide to personalize your DAP further (includes US flag, wood, and carbon fiber themes), usb to micro-usb power/data cable, and a short Coax patch cable. I think a final production unit will also feature a flash card reader.
While a carbon fiber sticker doesn't look too bad, I’m not so sure about other two themes and would suggest in a future to include something alternative for the ladies. Brushed aluminum and carbon fiber finish is great for guys, but I would like to see FiiO making an effort to widen their sex appeal. Actually in my personal opinion, the brushed aluminum body finish is too cool to cover with anything permanent, except with an included silicone case. Screen protector is always a good idea to protect X5's gorgeous 2.4" HD IPS screen from scratches and smudges. As for usb cable, FiiO usually includes a quality one which also guarantees a fast 2A charging with an appropriate supply. The micro-usb connector is slim and has a nice lock grip, just another detail I want to bring up since with a few of my other usb charging cables I had to take silicone skin off in order to get a proper fit/connection. Coax cable is different from the original X5 since in X5ii LO and Coax 3.5mm ports are shared, thus you will find extra ring-contacts (TRRS style) on 3.5mm connector side.
Accessories.
I usually don't spend too much time talking about silicone case, but still wanted to bring up a few important points. There is no surprise, silicone case gets static and becomes a lint magnet, but I still prefer it over any slippery plastic case because I like a secure grip. Another benefit, it protects your DAP from scratches and minor drops, creates extra friction when placed on a smooth surface, protects outside surface itself from scratches, and protects the shell from scratches when stacked with external amp rubber-banded together. The case has a perfect cutout for screen and navigation wheel, micro-usb port, a flap over LO/Coax port, and open HO port.
HO port opening is very useful in this case because FiiO flipped HO and LO ports in comparison to their other DAPs where left-most port used to be always for Headphone Output. We are creates of habit, and without a case and both ports exposed there is a very good chance that you will make an attempt to plug in your headphones into LO port to get a very unpleasant ear-full surprise, especially if you are a/b it with original X5 or X3ii. So even if you prefer to go naked without a case, use it for the first few weeks as training wheels until you get used to HO port being on the right side at the top.
Another interesting discovery I made even before turning the power on was a hole right in the middle of the power button cover. In this new X5ii model FiiO integrated a status multi-color LED right inside of the power button thus an explanation for a small opening in the case to view the light. Volume up button on a silicone case, just like with an actual DAP button, has a little id bump so you can identify volume+ control blindly in your pocket with a brush of a finger. Power button itself is flush mounted to avoid accidental pressing. The other 4 control buttons around navigation wheel are flush mounted as well and also nearly flat on the silicone case. It's useful if you have selected Lockscreen option that enables their control for track switching, and you no longer have to worry about accidentally pressing buttons in your pocket the way how it was with raised buttons in original X5. But at the same time, I would prefer buttons to be raised just a little bit like it was in X3ii which is the most ideal in my opinion.
Silicone case.
When it comes to the actual design, in my opinion X5ii is definitely a step forward in terms of a more compact footprint in comparison to the original X5. While keeping the thickness nearly the same, the length and the width got trimmed down and weight got reduced by nearly 30g. Similar to X3ii design, top of the unit has 3.5mm Headphone Output (HO) and a shared Line Out (LO) and Coax outputs. There is nothing on the right side, and left side is consistent with a top Power button (already discussed with a built-in status led) and volume up/down buttons. No longer will you find a reset pinhole, just need to press and hold power button for the same functionality. Consistent with the original X5 design, the bottom has 2 micro-SD card slots and micro-usb connector. You are also going to find 2 screws at the bottom if you dare to take X5ii apart, though be aware of voided warranty.
You will no longer find a dust cover rubber flaps over micro-SD slots similar to the original X5. If you carry your X5ii in a silicone case, it really doesn't matter since it will be covered and protected from dust already. I also believe it's not a big deal without a case with a card inside, like it is with any other DAP. But considering dual card slot and if you are not using a case and only have one card populated - it's not ideal for the other slot to be open while collecting the dust. Perhaps, get some dummy or super cheap micro-sd card from ebay just to use for the purpose of keeping a dust away.
The front of X5ii has 2.4" HD IPS screen at the top and a scrolling wheel with 4 control buttons around it and one button in the middle, a familiar layout carried over through all of the X-models (after the original X3). I know a lot of people will be curious about a scrolling wheel "evolution" since FiiO has been consistent with improvements from X5 to X1 and X3ii. Unfortunately, my review unit came from a first pre-production batch where FiiO made it clear this is not a final wheel version. It wasn't as wobbly as X5 wheel, but still had a loose movement without a click-feedback like implemented in X3ii. FiiO mentioned that final production units will have a scrolling wheel similar to X3ii which has been already confirmed by some users who got their hands on final production units. When it comes to my actual review unit, I wasn't as pleased with a wheel due to a light-touch turning by simply brushing against it. Unfortunately that happened a lot because control buttons were flushed with a surface and I had to hover over a surface with my finger to locate them. Even with a scrolling wheel mechanism such as the one used in X3ii, I personally think the layout of these buttons pushed away a little more from the wheel and the flush mounted design is a step back from X3ii where it was just perfect for one handed operation. X5ii is still feasible to use with one hand, but I just wish the beveled area and buttons around the wheel were similar to X3ii. Either way, if I get a chance to play with final production unit, I will come back and update my scrolling wheel impression.
Design details.
Though exterior changes are the most obvious differences when you first look at the new X5ii, the 2nd gen update included a lot of substantial internal design changes and improvement as well. Probably the first and the most noteworthy change come from a new redesigned amplification stage and analog volume control. To my ears the improvement was noticeable enough and I will talk more about it in sound test section of the review. Another change had to do with all new digital audio architecture with a dedicated dual crystal oscillator covering all major rates. Using multiples of common clock rates to derive other rates ensures a reduced jitter performance. I was also glad to see implementation of hardware DSD decoding with a native DSD support without a need for internal PCM conversion - another noticeable improvement when playing hi-res lossless files. Of course, X5ii still supports almost every available lossy and lossless format under the sun, everything from DSD64/128 to 24bit/192kHz in FLAC, APE, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, and other formats such as MP3, AAC, OGG, etc.
Native DSD support was introduced in X3ii already, the same way how the introduction of in-line remote control support got carried over from X3ii to X5ii. Don't expect volume control on in-line remote to work, but a single click Play/Pause and multi-click track skip worked flawlessly with a lot of my headphones. It's true that a lot of audiophiles prefer audio-only cable, but when you are on the go and want a simple remote control without reaching for your DAP or fumbling in your pocket - support of in-line control is extremely valuable. Another improvement carried over from X3ii was a new power management with a deep-sleep standby and instant-on resume - an absolute life safer when you take periodic breaks from listening and don't want to restart your DAP if it shuts down after time out.
Btw, this deep sleep is not a gimmick. I tested it on a number of occasions and was always amazed by how little battery was drained while in this standby mode. Even when you are playing the music, battery life was still impressive with playback of about 10-11 hrs depending on the gain level and the volume level. FiiO also mentioned about implementation of Coulomb meter for precise battery level readout. I just hope that at some point they will implement the actual % of battery display in notification bar as well. This 10-11 hrs battery endurance was accumulated across various tests where most of the time screen ended up being off - a typical real life usage. With a screen on the time will be reduced a little, though it's hard to quantify it since it all depends on your usage. And speaking of a screen, the rich color saturated display of X5ii is among the best out of the entire FiiO lineup, and it was an absolute pleasure to use it indoors and outdoors with a clear and crisp visibility of menus and full album cover art, actually a big step up from X3ii display.
Since I mentioned about a display, I think now it's a good time to dive more into FiiO’s updated GUI. Actually those who are intimately familiar with X1 and X3ii, X5ii GUI layout will be seen more like a dot update. With a clear semi-circle left to right menu layout, it was updated with an improved graphics details and more features added under setting and playback menus.
The main screen presents you with 5 selections of Now Playing (defaults to a currently playing track), Play by Category (with a choice of All songs, Album, Artist, Genre, Collection of Favorites - tagged from song playback, and Playlists selection), Browse Files (my favorite selection to view files by folders in Card 1, Card 2, and OTG connection - as long as you have FAT32 formatted device, you can expand your storage capacity by connecting external memory through usb OTG adapter), Play Setting, and System Setting. As you can see, there are plenty of choices for music browsing and playback, and navigation is super easy with a scrolling wheel. Once you select a song and it starts playing, the playback screen will display song/album art, if available, and you will see a current time marker for the song and the total time, the title of the song and the artist, and briefly a display with info about the file type.
In the notification bar you can always see a volume level with corresponding value, Gain setting (L or H), EQ selection, a number of populated micro-sd cards, Playback status (plays/pause), and a battery status. During the playback you can skip a song using two control buttons at the bottom or just by scrolling a wheel which brings you to a folder list where you click Play to select another song. Pressing and holding skip song buttons will fast fwd/rev through a song, while a middle button works as Play/Pause, unless you press'n'hold it to get into volume control using a scrolling wheel. Upper right button works as "go back" and upper left button brings up an icon menu where you can add a song to a favorite list or to a specific playlist, to delete a song, or to select different playback modes (loop, through, crossfade, and repeat one). All this is extremely convenient for one handed operation.
Going back to Play settings, you have a very comprehensive list of options related to playback. You can change Play mode (similar to accessing playback modes), enable Resume mode, Gapless playback, cap the max volume level, set power-on volume and associated fixed volume setting, select between Low and High gain, enter EQ screen (10-band EQ with a custom setting and a lot of genre specific presets), L/R Balance setting, and a new option of Play through Folders setting.
System settings gives you an option of language selection, Media Library update, Key-lock settings (with different options for lockscreen controls when display is off), Screen timeout, Brightness setting, Idle standby and corresponding timer, Sleep on/off and corresponding timer, Selection of shared output as either Line Out of Coax, File name display (as either Title or the actual file name), USB mode (DAC or Storage), enabling support of in-line headphone controls, display theme selection (5 unique choices), About X5 inf (which gives you both cards total capacity and available capacity, total number of songs, firmware version and serial number, and entire digital copy of detailed Quick Start Guide), Format (important if you are having problem with FAT32 format of your flash card), and last but not least - Reset to factory defaults.
I already mentioned about in-line remote control, and just want to talk briefly about USB mode. Storage selection enables you to connect X5ii to your computer where you can update the content of the flash cards by a simple drag’n’drop. But with USD DAC selection you turn X5ii into an external usb soundcard. After installation of proper drivers, X5ii is recognized as usb audio output to stream audio from your computer. Though I personally prefer a dedicated USB DAC and feel like using DAP for this functionality is overkill, it was still nice to be able to improve sound quality (more detailed clean sound) of my ThinkPad laptop with a help of X5ii. In this configuration while using DAP as usb DAC you are also charging it in parallel through usb port so you don't have to worry about drain a battery. Furthermore, you can use Play/Pause and change volume right from X5ii remotely - very convenient for an external audio interface. Just remember, you are not changing volume level on your computer, just relative to X5ii playback.
GUI details.
I'm sure the most important question on everyone's mind is how X5ii sounds, especially in comparison to the original X5 and X3ii DAPs. Evaluation of a source sound quality is not an easy task because it's a function of your headphones sound signature, and sometimes it’s easier to describe in a relative comparative analysis to other DAPs. Still, it was clear as a day to hear sound improvement of X5ii which shifted more toward the neutral sound signature with a decent extension at both ends of the spectrum and a detailed airy sound with an above average soundstage. Background was perfectly black with no audible noise floor even in high gain.
While going through a round of checking various headphones, I found a lot of solid pair ups with an impressive synergy. Driving full size ATH-R70x (470 ohms) was with ease and authority at both low gain (vol at 105) and high gain (vol at 90) - at high gain bass had a bit more textured rumble and treble had a touch more sparkle, where in comparison X5 sound was looser and not as dynamic. With UE600 iem, my “hiss” test case, there was literally zero hissing with X5ii while original X5 had a noticeable hissing when idle. ATH-MSR7 had a nice wide soundstage, excellent retrieval of details, no sibilance, and well controlled low end punch. With Havi's B3 Pro I the volume was raised by 10 notches (to 77), soundstage was still wide, and it still had a great extension at both ends of the spectrum with a warm neutral sound. ATH-CKR10 had a nice tight bass and detailed and crispy treble - both complimented by a clear smooth mids which bring the best of AT house style. It was also driving A83 low end with an authority, keeping bass tight and punchy with a great sub-bass extension, mids being clear and detailed, not harsh or grainy, and treble with a nice extension, soundstage width/depth was excellent as well. With Westone W60 sound was warm, smooth, detailed, wide/deep soundstage, punchy bass, mids pushed a little back, and treble detailed but not overly crisp/bright.
Next to the original X5, X3ii, and X1 (for a size comparison).
Stack up with X5ii/E12A/UM Pro 50.
I’m sure a question on many people’s mind will be how X5ii compares in sound to the original X5 and recently released X3ii.
While comparing X5ii to X5, I found original X5 sound to be warmer, flatter (less dynamic), loudness to be on the same level but not driving headphones with the same level of authority, with difference more noticeable at low end where I’m hearing some additional sub-bass rumble/texture in X5ii. I’m not discounting and actually quite certain that different people will hear these changes on a different level. Furthermore, since most of the sound changes could be attributed to a newly redesigned amp section, I wanted to find out how these compare from LO using a few of my favorite portable amps. To my big surprise, I found pair up with Cayin C5 (connected to LO of X5 and then X5ii) to yield nearly an identical sound. With FiiO’s E12A amp, sound was very close but X5ii still had a little more sub-bass texture with an overall perception of a fuller body. This observation brings up a very important point where if you are happy with a current gen X5 interface and control ergonomics and you prefer to use an external amp – perhaps there is not much advantage for you to upgrade to X5ii.
What about those who recently upgraded from X5 to X3ii, is it worth taking a step further with X5ii upgrade? With a volume level matched for a more accurate comparison between X5ii and X3ii, I found X3ii to be a little warmer and with a little less treble extension, all of which results in X5ii having an edge in detail retrieval across entire frequency range. Pairing it up from LO with C5 and E12A yielded the same test results where sound was nearly identical with C5 and had a little more sub-bass rumble and top end sparkle with E12A. I tested it numerous times, going back’n’forth between X5, X5ii, and X3ii, and my results were consistent despite different DAC being used in X5/X5ii and X3ii. This reinforces my previous point where if you are a fan of aforementioned portable external amps, perhaps sticking with an original X5 or X3ii would make sense if you only care about a sound and happy with a footprint and storage capacity of your current DAP.
Since both X3ii and X5ii support native DSD decoding versus X5 processing it through PCM conversion, I was also pleased to hear a noticeable difference when playing hi-res files on X5 and X5ii/X3ii. Without a doubt during DSD (2.82MHz test files) playback in comparison to X5, X5ii sound was noticeably wider and deeper, more dynamic, more layered, and with a higher level of detail retrieval. When comparing X5ii to X3ii, I found DSD playback to have a very similar level of width and depth, with a sound being equally layered and dynamic, though X5ii stayed consistent with its brighter and more detailed signature while X3ii was warmer and less detailed.
For those who are considering X5ii along with other non-FiiO DAPs, here is a brief comparison notes with some of my other favorite DAPs, such as N6, AK120ii, AP100, and LP5.
X5ii vs N6: N6 has a little wider soundstage, tighter bass, slightly brighter sound signature (based on fw2.0) with a little better retrieval of details. N6 sub-bass extend a little deeper and sound is a little more layered/dynamic. There used to be a bigger gap between X5 and N6, but now X5ii is a lot closer to N6 in comparison. Also keep in mind, N6 is bigger in size and almost 60g heavier in weight, thus X5ii is more portable and pocketable. With a sound quality getting closer, size getting smaller, and price still at almost a half, X5ii is a better value. But if you want to squeeze every drop of sound performance without adding an external amp and only care about sound quality – in my opinion N6 still has a slight edge (which recently got even more ahead with N6 fw3.0 update).
X5ii vs AK120ii: AK sound is warmer and with a fuller body, a little wider in soundstage (similar to N6), with a little more sub-bass rumble, a very similar retrieval of details, and with a bit less treble extension. When it comes to a sound quality, I would probably choose X5ii due to my own personal taste, but in terms of a sexy compact design with touch screen and hardware controls and volume knob and balanced output – I still haven’t found any contender to dethrone AK120ii. Also, keep in mind that X5ii cost quarter of AK120ii. Furthermore, X7 is just around the corner with touch screen and modular amp design; though I believe it will have a bigger footprint.
X5ii vs LP5: Luxury & Precision has a wider soundstage, tighter more detailed bass, overall more layered sound with a much better retrieval of details, better dynamics, etc. In terms of sound quality, LP5 is very hard to beat thanks to its AKM DAC and cherry-picked component (I have Gold model), and yes LP5 stands out in looks with a rather boutique style. But in terms of the usability, display, GUI, controls, and features, it falls far behind X5ii which cost 1/3 of the price.
X5ii vs AP100 (with 24b/192k enabled oversampling): Now we are getting to a more interesting competition since I mentioned in the past that AP100 sound quality was better than X5 (by a noticeable margin). In this new comparison, sound is very similar in quality to X5ii, but AP100 has just a little wider soundstage. I believe X5ii really closed a gap on this one, though AP100 is still smaller and more compact.

Conclusion.
I’m going to make this short and simple. If you are still using your smartphone as a main source to listen to music because you mostly stream your media - wait for X7. I know that expectations are high, but I will give FiiO the benefit of the doubt regarding this upcoming Android-based touchscreen DAP which I think going to set a new bar. If you want to leave the world of push notifications and social media updates behind, and ready to make your first audiophile step into the exciting world of hi-res audio without breaking the bank - X5ii should definitely be at the top of your list. At the current moment it will not be easy to find another DAP in this price range with similar solid hardware build and slick design, unique hardware controls, mature firmware, high quality audio, and a ton of configuration options. The decision gets a little harder if you already own the original X5. If sound quality is at the top of your priority list and you are using your first gen X5 with an external portable amp, I'm not sure if you will benefit switching to X5ii while continuing using external amp. But if you are like me who wants improved sound quality and values portability of a slick pocketable design without the hassle of bulky add-ons - X5ii is one great option. As an alternative, if you don't mind a slightly warmer sound, especially if you have brighter headphones, and ok with 128GB micro-sd card storage - X3ii offers the best value in FiiO DAP line up. It will give you the most flexibility of a small footprint with a powerful sound, support of all hi-res audio formats including native DSD decoding, using it everywhere even during exercising while carrying it in armband, and also ability to pair up with an external portable amp to step up in sound quality. As a matter of fact, I think X3ii release made X1 a bit obsolete to the point where I would suggest to FiiO in the next X1ii update to get rid off scrolling wheel and make it more compact on a scale of Clip+. Overall, DAP market is on the rise with a lot of choices in sub $600 category, but you can rest assured that FiiO offers some of the best price/performance ratio products in corresponding price categories.

does the folder browser function list ALL the files in the folder or just the ones the device knows how to play?

Son of Kalas said:
does the folder browser function list ALL the files in the folder or just the ones the device knows how to play?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only shows the supported audio format files.

can i use a heapdone with a balanced cable or i need an adapter?

obi1301 said:
can i use a heapdone with a balanced cable or i need an adapter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean like 2.5mm TRRS (A&K) balanced cable? X5ii only accepts 3.5mm single ended TRS, so you will need an adapter. The same if you are talking about HiFiMAN 3.5mm balanced, will need 3.5mm adapter like they use in RE600.

vectron said:
support of all hi-res audio formats
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well no. It does support more than some other players but it does not support all bitrates of APE (Monkeys Audio), it does not support Wavepak (IIRC) and it does not support MPC. Unfortunately I have a lot of rips from the old days that my X5ii won't play.
I realize FLAC now has the lion's share of the market and I appreciate FiiO supports APE at all when many others don't. I don't know how their firmware is designed but they should have had a pluggable codec setup and they should really support all the mainstream and not so mainstream but still popular formats and they would be unbeatable. It can't be that hard, PowerAmp Android seems to decode a lot more than FiiO.
Other than that I do agree it is quite good and am happy with it.
vectron said:
including native DSD decoding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all bitrates and not compressed DSDs. I have had like 25% luck getting a DSD to play on my X5ii.

Nitpicking This is an old DAP
Here is what is support Lossless:
DSD: DSD64, DSD128 (.iso&.dsf & .dff);
APE (Fast): 192 kHz/24 bit;
APE (Normal): 96 kHz/24 bit;
APE (High): 96 kHz/24 bit;
AIFF: 192 kHz/24 bit;
FLAC: 192 kHz/24 bit;
WAV: 192 kHz/64 bit;
WMA9.1 Lossless: 96 kHz/24 bit;
Apple Lossless: 192 kHz/24 bit;
and Lossy:
MP2、MP3、AAC、WMA、OGG.
as far as the current "industry" standard, many listen to FLAC as high res since it's the best compromise between the sound quality, compression, and the file size. DSD is a true jewel, but files are huge, and not too many popular recordings you can find in DSD (mostly classic music, etc). So, to be fair, it supports all the POPULAR lossless and lossy formats.
For a full format coverage, you need to step up to full Android based X5 3rd gen or X7 2nd gen. This will allow you to run audio apps that decode and support all the formats. Not sure, maybe Neutron will support everything under the sun?
midnightrider said:
Well no. It does support more than some other players but it does not support all bitrates of APE (Monkeys Audio), it does not support Wavepak (IIRC) and it does not support MPC. Unfortunately I have a lot of rips from the old days that my X5ii won't play.
I realize FLAC now has the lion's share of the market and I appreciate FiiO supports APE at all when many others don't. I don't know how their firmware is designed but they should have had a pluggable codec setup and they should really support all the mainstream and not so mainstream but still popular formats and they would be unbeatable. It can't be that hard, PowerAmp Android seems to decode a lot more than FiiO.
Other than that I do agree it is quite good and am happy with it.
Not all bitrates and not compressed DSDs. I have had like 25% luck getting a DSD to play on my X5ii.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

vectron said:
Nitpicking This is an old DAP
as far as the current "industry" standard, many listen to FLAC as high res since it's the best compromise between the sound quality, compression, and the file size. DSD is a true jewel, but files are huge, and not too many popular recordings you can find in DSD (mostly classic music, etc). So, to be fair, it supports all the POPULAR lossless and lossy formats.
For a full format coverage, you need to step up to full Android based X5 3rd gen or X7 2nd gen. This will allow you to run audio apps that decode and support all the formats. Not sure, maybe Neutron will support everything under the sun?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah like I said I am very happy with mine and I think it's a good value. The problem is for people who have a lot of old rips in APE or MPC or WV etc. Which I do...
It kinda sucks to have to play them on a phone since they're not supported on the x5ii. And I really don't want to buy an Android-based portable music player. I can just use my phone and PowerAmp.
Edit: another point I should make is what's old in America is new or unavailable in ROW. So.. everything is relative.

DAC
midnightrider said:
Yeah like I said I am very happy with mine and I think it's a good value. The problem is for people who have a lot of old rips in APE or MPC or WV etc. Which I do...
It kinda sucks to have to play them on a phone since they're not supported on the x5ii. And I really don't want to buy an Android-based portable music player. I can just use my phone and PowerAmp.
Edit: another point I should make is what's old in America is new or unavailable in ROW. So.. everything is relative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
You can use FiiO X5II as a DAC with your phone as I do (but I can not find any good short cable USB-C --> microUSB to bundle them together as compact multidevice). Because I am missing OTG and CopyPaste support or any possibility to move files, you can only delete them. Another thing is why it is not support .txt and .jpge/.png as viewer (I know it is not necessary).
Regards

Review of FiiO X7 Android Digital Audio Player (DAP) w/SRC bypass with lots of pics!

This is a review of Android based FiiO X7 Digital Audio Player (DAP). http://www.fiio.net/en/products/45.
Looking back at the last few years and the amount of audio players I have reviewed and compared, ranging from $20 to $2k, I still hold the original X5 in high regard because it was my stepping stone into the world of DAPs. Though I skipped their original X3, there was no turning back afterwards with X5, X1, X3ii, and X5ii - all of which I had a privilege to test and to review. While DAP market got saturated with a lot of new releases, I still consider FiiO to be one of the trendsetters pushing the envelope of price/performance ratio, regardless if they are outperforming the competition or being outperformed by the competition.
Going back to the original X5, in my review I compared its performance to a smartphone stack w/E18, and in conclusion mentioned that "... when you are relaxing and enjoying the music, you don't want to be interrupted by email or text message or social media update... smartphone is a jack of all trades, while X5 is a master of one - the music..." The touch screen interface of a smartphone offered a great convenience, but the baggage of everything else it comes with loaded and running in the background was a turn off, not to mention a sub-par sound quality (back when I had my Note 2).
Realizing challenges and benefits of Android based audio player, and considering that FiiO was overdue for flagship summit-fi level DAP, they shifted their design focus to a touchscreen based DAP supercharged with special audio enhancement features to set it apart from a typical smartphone and/or other android based DAPs. The discussion about this DAP has been circulating for a year, with a lot of people waiting in anticipation the release. Now with X7 out in the open, the big question is if it lived up to expectations? Let’s find out!
Unboxing and Accessories.
The unboxing experience of X7 is nothing short of a typical smartphone. You start with a cover picture of the DAP on the packaging sleeve which looks exactly like a smartphone without even a hint of being a dedicated audio player and a display shot of a typical Android screen with audio widget of FiiO Music app. On the back of the box you will find a spec which could also be easily mistaken for a smartphone, except when you come across a support of 384kHz/32bit decoding. Not everybody aware of this, but in Android OS you are facing a Sample Rate Conversion (SRC) limitation which keeps audio downsampled to a common denominator in order to ensure compatibility with different apps. FiiO was able to overcome this limitation which I'm going to discuss later in my review.
With a sleeve cover off, you will be greeted with a sturdy gift box construction and X7 sitting securely inside of a form fitted foam cutout. If you find the cover sleeve picture to be deceiving, looking at X7 in person and holding this 220g touch screen gadget in your hand still won't convince you this is not a smartphone.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
With my X7 being a review unit, I'm not sure if I received all the accessories that going to be bundled with a retail version. Included were 2 sets of screen protectors where the 3rd one was already applied to the display. Keep in mind, screen protector will give you just a minimum protection from scratches. Considering X7 design has a display which is not flush mounted, until you get a proper "smartphone" case with a corner protection and the front lip to keep the screen off the surface - you have to exercise extreme caution handling this DAP.
Also included is a short coaxial cable with 3.5mm TRRS style connector due to a shared LO/Coax port. Furthermore, you will find a quality usb to micro-usb cable for charging/power and data transfer, a quick start guide, and a torx screwdriver w/4 extra torx screws. If you paid close attention to the spec on the back of the packaging box, screwdriver will explain a reference to a swappable headphone amplifier module which is located right below the glowing led light underneath of the display.
Design.
X7 design is camouflaged to look exactly like a smartphone, with only a few DAP hints when you take a closer look. Just like with any smartphone, the focal point of the design is a touchscreen display, 3.97" IPS (178deg viewing angle) TFT supporting 16.7mil colors with resolution of 480x800 and pixel density of 233 PPI. Is this the highest resolution or the best pixel density or the most accurate color reproduction? Absolutely not, which is quite ok considering the intent of X7 is not for playing video games or watching hi-res movies and videos. 4" touch screen is convenient for one handed operation, the experience I forgot all about after 3+ years of using various Galaxy Note smartphones. I found touchscreen to be adequate for audio application, use of other audio apps, and some occasional browsing. The screen is responsive, though not exactly on the same level as I'm used to with my Galaxy phones.
With dimensions of 130mm (H) x 64mm (W) x 16mm (D), the screen occupies close to edge-to-edge space and about 105mm in height, which leaves 25mm below it for removable amp module. There are 2 torx screws on each side of the module, holding it securely in place with absolutely no wiggle once properly connected. One unique feature of this DAP is a glowing soft blue light, radiating from led in the middle under the screen through a light pipe which dims the glow toward the edges. The light is always on, can't be disabled. I personally like it because it gives me a visual indicator of power being on, but I think it would have been a good idea to provide an option to disable it in order to save battery or if you don’t want a “nightlight”. Also, I would have loved to see it being customized to change colors to indicate low power or when charging.
The bottom of the DAP, where amp module is located, has HO 3.5mm port and a standard micro-usb connector – by default X7 comes with IEM low power module. These ports will vary between different amp modules, depending on functionality. For example, one of the upcoming replacement amp modules should have 2.5mm TRRS balanced port and 4-pin kobiconn balanced connector. With Line Out being common to X7 main frame as part of DAC output, this 3.5mm port (shared with Coax) is accessible from the top of the unit. Left side at the bottom of the frame also hosts micro-SD card slot which supports 128GB card and most likely the latest 200GB. The only other controls you will find on X7 are 6 buttons, placed symmetrically in groups of three on each side.
By default, on the right side you have transport control with a separate Play/Pause button and double buttons for Skip/Next/Fwd and Skip/Prev/Rev functionality. In the opposite spot symmetrically on the left side with an exactly the same look and feel, you have Power on/off button and double buttons for Volume up/down. The whole idea of such design was to be able to accommodate left/right handed operation where you can map Power/Volume and Play/Skip functionality to either side. I do appreciate the thought behind it and find it quite clever, but personally after a month of playing with X7 I still find it a bit inconvenient. Perhaps I got spoiled by DAPs with dedicated analog volume knob, or used to other DAPs where volume/power is on one side and transport controls are part of multi-function front/side buttons, but I'm not too crazy about this symmetrical button arrangement. Part of the problem is that X7 is a bit on a heavy side, and without a protective case I feel like its slick body, CNC machined out of a solid block of 6061 aluminum (polished, sandblasted, brushed, and color anodized), will slip out of my hand. As a result, my grip usually tighter around the sides, and when pushing the volume sometime I press a track skip button on the opposite side of X7, or turning the screen on with a power button sometime triggers me pressing play/pause on the opposite side. Is this a showstopper? Not really if you get a quality case with buttons that take a little more effort to press (even recessed cutout for buttons should work).
Overall, exterior design is smartphone vanilla-plain which I find polarizing. Without any extra knobs and a uniform bar shape this is a very slick and comfortable unit to handle, to pocket, and to operate with one hand. But it loses personality of a flagship status by looking plain and "boring". I don't mind a bulge on the back (extra space for the battery), and the resulting slimmer part toward the top which makes a nice resting spot for my index finger. It also enhances the grip and helps to id front/back of X7 when in my pocket. But the screen sitting on top of the X7 body exposes the edges of the glass, making it vulnerable to break/chip if you drop it. The protective case is definitely a must for X7, and creating one could be a challenge to keep the design slim while still providing an adequate protection.
Under the hood.
If this would have been a smartphone, a processor would be the crown of the design to go against the competition. But since we are dealing with an audio DAP, all eyes are on the DAC selection. Here FiiO decided to pull out all the stops and go for a knock out with TOTL desktop quality ESS 9018 8-channel DAC with channels bridged 4-a-side for the highest dynamic range. Also, a "classic" OPA1612 buffer was used. I don't know exactly the guts of IEM amp module, but it's speced at >100mW (32 ohm load) with output impedance of less than 0.5 ohm. Don't jump into conclusion about the power and max headphone impedance it can drive until you read my sound analysis further in the review.
When it comes to the actual processor, FiiO selected Rockchip RK3188T SoC with quad-core Cortex A9 and 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM (w/1.4GHz clock speed, reduced from the original RK3188 w/1.6GHz), and also 32GB of internal memory in addition to microSD expansion. This SoC is not sufficient enough for playing cpu intense games or watching high def videos (as a matter of fact, I noticed on YT sometime colors get messed up). It’s typically used in a budget tablets and Android TV boxes where you don't need to support integrated cellular radio basebands. It ensures a low power consumption to maximize battery life. And speaking of that, the battery is non-replaceable and with a capacity of 3500 mAh, which I have tested to provide about 8-8.5hrs of playback time with screen off. For a standby time, it all depends on which mode you are in. In a regular Android mode you can last a day due to all system processes running in the background. When booting up X7 in a Pure Music mode, I found X7 to idle for over 2 days.
Also, typical for Android based system, you have a support of 802.11 b/g/n wireless connection and Bluetooth v4.0. WiFi support is a huge plus enabling wireless internet connection so you can stream audio from on-line services in addition to being able to access the internet. But I'm not too happy that aptX codec support is not available. With some of the advanced wireless speakers that utilize its own decoding and DSP/DAC processing this is irrelevant, like in case of B&W Zeppelin Wireless I recently tested. But with a number of other wireless headphones supporting aptX codec, there was a level of improvement comparing my Note 4 (BT4.0 w/aptX) vs X7 (BT4.0 w/o aptX). But nevertheless, I was more than happy to use X7 as a source to drive my BT wireless devices without a need to drain my smartphone battery. Also, X7 BT wireless performance is much better than AK120ii where signal strength is rather poor.
With so much electronics under the hood and a support of WiFi/BT, naturally you might be wondering if X7 is prone to EMI or any other related interference. I tested it sandwiched between our smartphones and next to the tablet - no interference causing problems with audio was detected.
Amp modules.
To wrap up hardware overview, next I would like to talk about replaceable amp modules. The design architecture of X7 allows you to replace the amp module based on your power requirements and wiring needs. By default it comes with IEM module, a single 3.5mm TRS connection with low power output designed to drive efficient headphones and sensitive IEMs, though in my pair up test I found X7 to be capable of driving some higher impedance and planar magnetic headphones without a problem. Amp module plugs into the main frame of the DAP and gets secured by two torx screws on the sides. Attached together it feels like one solid unit. Also, apparently this module should be plug'n'play where I was able to power up X7 without amp module being attached. I wouldn't recommend doing that because it will expose the connector and you can short contacts.
Other optional amp modules will be available to buy separately, and FiiO promises they will be reasonably priced. In addition to IEM module, FiiO going to make available Standard, High-Power, and Balanced (2.5mm TRRS and 4-pin kobiccon) modules. There is also a talk about releasing connector spec and making housing available for 3rd party amp modules. In my opinion, this is a much better idea than the one implemented in HiFiMAN HM901 with replacement amp cards. At the same time, it becomes inconvenient where you have to physically swap modules when you are switching between different headphones. It makes sense with efficient vs demanding (high impedance, low sensitivity) headphones, but for many who use IEMs/CIEMs with either standard or balanced cables - this will be a headache. Personally, I would have loved to see a universal amp module based on the currently planned balanced module with an addition of 3.5mm TRS connection and maybe a hardware high/low gain switch.

Dual-mode operation.
I already mentioned that FiiO found a way to overcome Sample Rate Conversion (SRC) enforced by Android OS. As a result, their Music app utilizes its own driver to communicate with ESS9018 DAC without SRC handicap. But you still have to deal with a burden of Android OS system running in the background and all the corresponding processes and apps, some of which are not easy to disable manually. This will contribute to excessive battery drain and taking away CPU resources, especially when dealing with decoding of hi-res lossless audio formats.
To mitigate this problem, FiiO came up with a dual mode operation where you can boot up X7 into a regular Android Mode with everything loaded at the startup or a Pure Music mode where FiiO Music app is loaded as a default Launcher and you can't exit into a regular Android interface. This Pure Music mode is highly optimized to load only specific drivers/processes required to run their native music app and nothing else besides it. This dual boot switch could be accessed from notification bar or in a setting menu, just keep in mind after making a selection - you will need to reboot X7. Also, if you want to upgrade firmware, you need to boot up into Android Mode. In summary, Pure Music mode turns X7 into a touch screen DAP running one specific FiiO Music app without access to internet, streaming, or anything else associated with it, though you can still enable BT for wireless listening.
Android mode is you typical full mode where you can install and run different apps and widgets. But, there is a limitation to that as well. X7 doesn't support Google Play store and as a result you will have to side load apps (apk files) except for those which do require Google Play for registration. To make things a little easier, FiiO included a folder with "whitelisted" apps to download directly to X7. The list is limited, so you better off Googling for some of your favorite apk install files. One thing to keep in mind, the performance of X7 is optimized in Pure Music mode with their native Music app. In Android mode this optimization is out of the window. It's convenient to run your streaming apps, like Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, etc., but battery drain is rather noticeable. One thing for sure, I wouldn't recommend putting FiiO Music audio widget on the screen because it drains battery like crazy.
I think implementation of Pure Music mode was a great idea, though FiiO music app is still work in progress. In Android mode – you’re faced with a typical Android "smartphone" performance where battery drain will be a quick reminder that you are no longer dealing with a dedicated DAP. But now you can run streaming services or load another audio player app. Luckily, you can gain back the performance by switching to Pure Music mode where I was able to keep X7 in idle for 2 days and 3 hours.
With Spotify / HibyMusic
FiiO Music app.
I'm sure by now you realized the importance of FiiO Music player app - it's your gateway to an optimized X7 performance and to get the best of ESS9018 DAC. Yes, you can boot up in Android mode and use any of your favorite music app and I guarantee it will sound great with your 320kbps mp3 or FLACs, but for a true audio purist who demands the best - FiiO native Music player app is the way to go.
Unlike a number of other people, I don't have a huge library of hi-res music with numerous albums collected over the years. I'm still a certified EDM-head who listens to a lot of separate tracks. Also, I have a collection of carefully selected tracks from various genres I use to analyze performance of audio equipment I review. That is a reason I usually don't lose my sleep over improperly tagged files which is a must for those who rely on a proper sorting of the songs/albums. As a result of my listening habit, I have a lot of loose songs and often organize them by partitioning into folders. Thus, I usually focus on the usability of the app in terms of a general song/folder navigation and playback.
With all that in mind, my personal opinion about FiiO Music app is actually not that bad, though it's not as intuitive and requires some learning curve. Upon start up you have the first screen with a last played track in the upper 1/3rd of the partitioned screen - you can flicker to skip the song or use hardware transport control to hit play button to start playback. Underneath, you have a selection to access Favorite playlist, Folders, or DLNA streaming. Right below it you can access either Recently Played or Most Played songs. Clicking on artwork of the track thumbnail at the top will bring up the main Playback screen.
Going into Folders link brings up another screen with Local Music list where you have more choices to scroll through All the songs, sort by Artist, sort by Album, sort by Genre, and access Local folders. While making a selection through these choices, you have a narrow playback bar at the bottom with a thumbnail artwork of the currently playing song, scrolling name, and Play/Pause and Skip buttons. Clicking on that playback bar opens up the main Playback screen as well. I found going through All the songs and Folders to be more useful for my style of song browsing. But it gets a little confusing now between the first start up screen and this second navigation screen, where in my opinion they have to be combined - list of Favorite songs should be part of the sorting choices. Also, in the Folder view, I don't want to see every single Android OS folder, but would prefer to select and to display only the folder where I store my music locally and on micro-SD card.
The main Playback screen is where things start to shape up to my liking! In top half of the screen you have area to view artwork of the song or a default image if artwork is not available. Tapping it once shows embedded lyrics (if available, and a new setup icon where you can scroll or change the font size), tapping second time brings up info about the song. This part of the screen also has in the upper left corner an icon to bring you back to the first original screen of the app (why?) and in the upper right corner a search icon. In the middle you have a playback progress bar with a scrolling song name and at the left edge of it index number of a song and a total number of songs in the current playback folder. Swiping screen left-to-right brings out a list of all the songs in the currently playing folder, and swiping playback progress bar will fast forward through the song.
Lower part of the screen has Playback and other Control buttons. In the middle you have Play/Pause with a current playback time above it. To the left of it you have icon to access Graphic EQ, turn BT on/off, change playback loop mode, and Skip back. To the right of it you have Heart icon to tag song as Favorite, an icon to access more option to provide a detailed info about the song or to delete the song, icon to add the song to your Playlist, and Skip forward button. By holding a finger along the right edge of the screen brings up a volume slider menu to adjust the volume. In EQ screen, you have access to 10-band equalizer, actually with a very nice graphic representation in the upper part of the screen. Lower part of the screen has access to 5 band sliders with +/- 12dB adjustment, but there is no frequency label to indicate which band you are adjusting - this has to be fixed because it gets confusing when you flip to the next 5-bands and don't know which band you are adjusting. You can see the graphical representation of the adjustment, but you doing it blindly because sliders don't have a frequency indicator. Sliding finger up brings up 8 EQ presents (genre related) and 1 custom preset. All 8 pre-defined presets could be adjusted further. Also, on the main playback screen there is no indicator of EQ selection, something I would like to see being implemented in future updates.
In my opinion, FiiO Music app has a lot of potentials and considering it's still a work in progress - I will continue to look forward to more updates. Flexibility of Android interface opens up a door to shape this music app to perfection where sky is the limit. Yes, it is still work in progress, but I have a hope that progress will pick up soon, the way how I have seen it with sound tuning improvement.
Sound Analysis.
Often people get a dedicated DAP because they are not happy with audio performance of their smartphones, and then they realize they miss streaming capability and touch control of their phone and decide to look for usb DAC stack. With X7 you have a chance for a dedicated DAP with touch controls and streaming capability and different amp modules – all integrated in one compact design. FiiO is known for their budget oriented products where their DAPs usually considered having mid-fi performance. X7 is a big step up, nearly doubling the price of their previous X5ii flagship with high expectations to determine if FiiO was able to finally cross the threshold of summit-fi performance.
When I received X7 with its initial beta FW release, I was a little bit disappointed. Not necessary because it sounded so bad, but rather because I set my expectations very high. I didn't feel that sound was on a level of summit-fi performance. I quickly attributed that to a beta firmware and a default IEM module, assuming that fw is still work in progress and amp module will be updated with different versions. Following that, a few more fw updates were released and I started to notice an improvement. But not until the last FW 1.1 update I realized that FiiO means serious business and finally started to unlock a true potential of the ESS9018 DAC paired up with their IEM amp module.
Based on the latest FW 1.1, I'm hearing X7 to have a neutral and slightly warmish signature with a very clear and detailed sound. It doesn't necessary strike you with analytical micro-detailing, but it definitely leans more toward a more revealing sound signature. The layering and separation is pretty good (improvement over the initial fw release), sound never gets congested, but the transparency is not at the highest reference level and I actually hear a little thickness in a sound, thus my reference to a slightly warmish signature contributed by a fuller body of lower mids and some noticeable impact of lower end. Soundstage width/depth/height is slightly above the average where sound has a more intimate feeling, yet placement of instruments is still very convincing.
Based on what I hear across different headphones, I find X7 to have an excellent impact and speed at the lower end and a decent extension. Bass is well controlled and that is one of the reasons why I hear such a high level of clarity and details because bass is confined without spilling into mids. Lower mids give some nice thickness to a body of the sound, but they are not too thick. Upper mids are full of details, but not too analytical, treble is clear and has a nice definition without contributing to sibilance.
Describing a DAP by itself is not always helpful, thus I prefer to include a relative comparison to some of my other DAPs to give an idea how it stacks up against the competition.
X7 vs PAW Gold - LPG is more neutral, soundstage wider/deeper, I hear more transparency in the sound, while layering and separation is similar.
X7 vs L5Pro - similar neutral-warmish sig, L5P soundstage is a little wider, other than that sound is very similar in layering/separation, even matching the dynamics. But overall L5P sound is tighter and a little faster.
X7 vs AK120ii – AK has a very similar neutral-warmish sig, soundstage is a little wider, bass has a touch more impact, but everything else is very close in performance.
X7 vs QA360 - 360 is slightly brighter (leaner lower mids), soundstage is wider/deeper, mid-bass has slightly more impact; overall sound of 360 is a little smoother.
X7 vs LP5 Gold – similar sound signature, LP5G has a little wider/deeper soundstage, more transparency and faster speed, and slightly better layering and separation, but the gap is not that wide.
X7 vs N6 - N6 is a little brighter (neutral-bright), soundstage is a little wider, very similar dynamic sound and separation/layering. The bigger difference is that N6 sounds a little leaner in comparison. X7 has more body and sounds more musical.
X7 vs X5ii - X7 has a fuller sound with more body, also more natural tonality. Soundstage is rather similar. X7 sound is a little more dynamic, and has a slightly better separation/layering of a sound.
To test the DAC output of X7, I connected LO to different external amps.
w/E12A - a great pair up where the sound is very close to HO of X7, but w/E12A you get a little more transparency. Makes me wish FiiO would have used MUSE02 amp in their IEM module.
w/VE Runabout - excellent pair up, improves dynamics, improves width/depth, sound becomes more transparent, layering/separation is also improved.
w/HA-2 - nice pair up, improves soundstage depth, also makes sound a little bit warmer (adds more body to lower mids).
w/C5 - nice pair up, improves soundstage width/depth, also makes sound a little bit warmer.
For those who are wondering if they should get X7 or external USB DAC to pair up with their smartphone, I tested N4 with HA-2 to find:
X7 vs Note 4 w/HA-2 - X7 sound has a little more transparency and sounds a little tighter, otherwise a very similar performance.
Pair up with different headphones.
Though you have option to select high/low gain, I found the sound in high gain to have more energy and to be more dynamic. Thus all my headphone testing was done with X7 set in high gain, and I also indicated a volume level for each. Not every pair up turned out as I expected.
ES60 (35/120) - some hissing, nice clean detailed sound, good low end expansion, good transparency.
ZEN (83/120) - high gain is the way to go with these 320 ohm earbuds, though X7 doesn't drive them to a full potential, especially when it comes to bass which lost a little bit of weight/body and sound is a little mellow (not as fast or tight).
Savant (49/120) - very clear detailed smooth sound, modest sub-bass quantity (sub-bass rumble is there), excellent soundstage expansion, nice transparency.
W60 (45/120) - smooth warm detailed sound, a bit more on a laidback side, missing a little bit of speed.
UM Pro 50 (42/120) - deep bass impact, nice smooth detailed sound, good dynamics, missing a bit of sparkle at the top.
DN2kJ (52/120) – not the best pair up with these 8 ohm IEMs; bass missing some sub-bass texture and upper mids/treble a bit too revealing/harsh.
MSR7 (56/120) - excellent pair up, clear detailed sound, good soundstage expansion, nice transparency and great retrieval of details.
PM-3 (70/120) – excellent pair up, drives them with authority! nice punchy bass, good soundstage depth, clear detailed sound.
EL-8C (80/120) - doesn't drive it to full potential, bass is not as tight and missing sub-bass texture and treble has a little bit of metallic sheen, sound is a bit thin.
R70x (95/120) - excellent pair up with these open back 470 ohm cans, clear detailed sound, excellent transparency, but pushing it closer to X7 max driving limit.
Conclusion.
It’s hard to evaluate X7 as a finished product because I didn’t get a chance to test different amp modules and the firmware is still work in progress, but so far it shows a lot of potential. As a matter of fact I was very impressed with the progress of sound improvement from the day I received X7 to the latest FW1.1 update. At $650 it still represents a great value considering high performance desktop quality DAC, wireless connection with access to streaming services, modular amp design, and touch screen interface. More work needs to be done to finish their Music app and probably to optimize DAC performance with new amp modules, as well as a desperate need for a good case. But if you take into consideration this is their first Android-based release, I think it turned out pretty good! Just like with a classic X5 and their mechanical wheel introduced and later improved throughout X1/X3ii/X5ii releases, FiiO is breaking their own new grounds with X7 release which I’m sure will get only better moving forward toward their ultimate goal of setting the World on FiiO-R!

Bravo! Wonderful review. Know FiiO, actually owend E5 sound amplifier myself. Couple'd it with Grado SR-80, and had a catholic wedding
May I ask where did you get your's?

Rampage14 said:
Bravo! Wonderful review. Know FiiO, actually owend E5 sound amplifier myself. Couple'd it with Grado SR-80, and had a catholic wedding
May I ask where did you get your's?
Click to expand...
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Different companies send me their products for review, this one came directly from FiiO. It's already available for pre-order in US and for sale outside of US.

vectron said:
Different companies send me their products for review, this one came directly from FiiO. It's already available for pre-order in US and for sale outside of US.
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Where can i pre-order it in the US?

RMXO said:
Where can i pre-order it in the US?
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I know B&H Photo/video has it listed on pre-order, but as soon as it available in US you will see it on Amazon as well. I think they are putting finishing touches on the next firmware update before making release available worldwide. Right now updates are manual by downloading zip file and running it from within. The next fw update will enable a true OTA support. I will definitely post an update in this thread as soon as it officially released in US. But for now it looks like B&H is the only place where you can pre-order it.

vectron said:
I know B&H Photo/video has it listed on pre-order, but as soon as it available in US you will see it on Amazon as well. I think they are putting finishing touches on the next firmware update before making release available worldwide. Right now updates are manual by downloading zip file and running it from within. The next fw update will enable a true OTA support. I will definitely post an update in this thread as soon as it officially released in US. But for now it looks like B&H is the only place where you can pre-order it.
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B&H Photo has it on "notify once its in" and not pre-order since I'm on the notification list, unless there is another link I don't know about.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1192104-REG/fiio_fx7121_x7_portable_high_resolution_audio.html
Sweet, please do keep us in the loop.

RMXO said:
B&H Photo has it on "notify once its in" and not pre-order since I'm on the notification list, unless there is another link I don't know about.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1192104-REG/fiio_fx7121_x7_portable_high_resolution_audio.html
Sweet, please do keep us in the loop.
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Ready, Set, Go!!! $650 w/free shipping, limited available stock: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-andr...s-music-player-early-release-units-p-148.html

vectron said:
Ready, Set, Go!!! $650 w/free shipping, limited available stock: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-andr...s-music-player-early-release-units-p-148.html
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Thanks but reading their rep has me scared. I just recently lost an ipod classic i bought for $170ish to mod due to package not being where USPS said it was delivered. Not going to risk with their poor rep.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Micca_Store

RMXO said:
Thanks but reading their rep has me scared. I just recently lost an ipod classic i bought for $170ish to mod due to package not being where USPS said it was delivered. Not going to risk with their poor rep.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Micca_Store
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Click to collapse
MICCA Store is a front end of TekFX - the Official FiiO US distributor. MICCA Store is where BH Photo/Video and every other US retailer gets their FiiO products, that is a reason why they got it first. If any of your FiiO product break and you buy them from BH or other places, they send it to MICCA/TekFX to get replaced, repaired, returned. This is the most legit place to buy because they are FiiO distributor
Regarding resellerrating - it's a paid service, which is very misleading. They charge retailers a fee to be a part of their program and actively solicit reviews from customer after they make a purchase, and also hide/discourage some of the bad reviews. As long as you pay them, they will "manage" your rating. I talk to TekFX about it, and MICCA store had almost a perfect rating when they were paying their dues, as soon as they stop that nonsense, their rating dropped to force them to continue paying.
Amazon is cracking down on 5-star one-line reviews as well; there are companies specializing in boosting star rating when you pay them. Now, amazon checks to make sure its a detailed/comprehensive review or if it's a short one - to make sure it was from a verified buyer. A lot of shady business, hard to determine whom to trust...

Finally, available on Amazon.

vectron said:
Finally, available on Amazon.
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No seller when I checked and had to come back a few times before a seller showed up. I initially placed an order but cancelled it. Probably going to stick with my iPod Classic I plan to mod soon.

Since this device running on Android, can it be rooted or its already pre-rooted? So you can install V4A..

darkmantra said:
Since this device running on Android, can it be rooted or its already pre-rooted? So you can install V4A..
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I'm sure you can root it, but it will defeat the purpose of custom drivers FiiO implemented to bypass Sample Rate Conversion (SRC), used by android to downsample the audio files. Thus, you won't be using ESS DAC to its full potential.

This is a review of FiiO X7 accessories. http://fiio.net/en/products/49, leatherette and leather cases available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2D1336/?tag=vectron00-20 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2DHQIM/?tag=vectron00-20
Just like with smartphones, many people enjoy personalizing their DAPs and search for accessories to make their gadget stand out from the crowd. Some accessories are not just about the visual enhancement, but also the improvement of usability and safety. Here are a few essential ones released by FiiO for their latest X7 flagship.
FiiO X7 Stickers (ST-X7) – available from FiiO Aliexpress store http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Sticker-for-FiiO-X7/1473108_32563966868.html for $6.90
Here you will find 5 sticker kits, each one with 10 self-adhesive textured pieces that feel like a vinyl sticker to the touch. Each of these kits correspond to a specific theme with Carbon fiber, Light wood, Dark wood, Shield (resembling Captain America), and Spider (resembling Spider-man). With a material being textured, they actually enhance the grip, making X7 slick metal body not as slippery, and can also enhance the fitment into the case. I personally didn’t apply one yet and not sure if I will since I prefer using the case, but I can probably see myself using a set with carbon fiber finish. One thing to keep in mind, X7 amp modules are removable/replaceable and different modules will have different port opening at the bottom (between 3.5mm and additional balanced port). Thus, if you want to keep your X7 covered head-to-toe in stickers, take your time to decide which amp modules going to get it!
FiiO X7 Tempered glass screen protector (PF-X7) – Available from FiiO Aliexpress store http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...ass-screen-protector/1473108_32566963466.html for $10
While using a sticker is a matter of personal preference, I highly recommend the tempered glass as a must have accessory. X7 comes with a regular film screen protector which only protects display glass from scratches. If you drop your X7 face down or drop something on top of it – the glass can easily crack or chip. Tempered glass absorbs some of the impact and if/when it breaks – your display glass stays intact. This is Japanese brand Asahi glass with a typical 9H hardness rating and anti-scratch finish. I also have a feeling it has an oleophobic coating since it kept fingerprints off.
Application of this tempered glass screen protector was very easy, just have to remember to remove default film screen protector from X7 first, clean the glass with a provided alcohol wipe, remove the sticker off the glass, align and press it down squeezing all the bubbles from the center outwards. Right after application there was a few “wet” spots but they disappear within hours. Also, this screen protector works great with FiiO protective case. I did test sliding X7 in and out at least a dozen of times and glass stayed securely attached.
FiiO X7 leatherette (LC-X7A) and full leather (LC-X7B) cases. Both cases are available from FiiO Aliexpress store: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/leatherette-case-for-FiiO-X7-LC-X7A/1473108_32584272247.html (leatherette for $14.99) and http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...e-for-FiiO-X7-LC-X7B/1473108_32584288008.html (real leather for $18.99). If you don’t have account on Aliexpress, you can try Penon (http://penonaudio.com/FiiO-X7-Slide-in-Case) or on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2D1336/?tag=vectron00-20 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2DHQIM/?tag=vectron00-20), though you will end up paying a slight premium.
I only received leatherette case which is a synthetic leather case (PU material), but found it to have a very convincing leather finish with a fake stitching and overall nice build quality. While having synthetic leather outside, inside it has a soft felt material protecting X7 shell from scratches and extra padding at the top to even out the battery hump. At the top of the case you have a generous cutout around LO port, and Left/Right sides have a symmetrical oval opening/cutout for the control buttons. For me personally that was the biggest advantage of using this case since now I was able to get a good grip around X7 without worrying of pushing buttons on the opposite side of X7 shell. As a matter of fact, the cutout made these buttons recessed, protecting from accidental pressing – perfect to carry in your pocket.
The bottom of the case was completely open to allow X7 slide in and out with ease. For a basic everyday use X7 stays securely in, but if I throw my arm down with some force – X7 did slide out by about an inch. It didn’t fly out, which is good, and was convenient for removing the DAP. The same with connected headphones, if I pull on the cable at the bottom – I was able to slide X7 out. I’m sure if I would have applied stickers, the fitment would be tighter. Overall it stays secure inside of the case, but it’s not 100% secure as if you would have with a fully enclosed case.
I also really liked the fact that now my display was recessed and I was able to place X7 face down on the surface. As I mentioned before, there was no interference with tempered glass screen protector. The only thing I wasn’t too happy about was the case covering the glowing blue light underneath of the display. Coincidentally, I read another impression where this wasn’t a problem and light was exposed. This suggests a marginal variation between builds. I know that some people don’t even care about this light and permanently turn it off. But for those who find it useful, just be aware that you might end up with a case covering it, unless if you can get a piece of sandpaper and expand the screen opening at the bottom.
Overall, in conjunction with a tempered glass this case does a great job protecting X7 DAP and enhancing its functionality. For under $30 (case and glass), this is a smart way to protect your $650 investment.

This is a Review of FiiO K5 Docking Amp. http://fiio.net/en/products/46, available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BBX1NNM/?tag=vectron00-20
Can you refer to a docking desktop amp as “jack of all trades”? You certainly can when you start playing with FiiO’s latest K5. Prior to receiving it, I was expecting K5 to be a desktop accessory for X7 only. But was I wrong! In addition to being compatible with FiiO’s latest X-series DAPs (X1/X3ii/X5ii/X7) and their E17k DAC/amp, it can also work with other audio sources connected to RCA Input, and even take advantage of DAC processing inside of a docked DAP while feeding audio from your laptop. After spending over a month with it, here is what I found.
Unboxing & Accessories.
Arrived in a sturdy cardboard packaging box, I like how FiiO choose to have an all black background with a glossy image of K5 and a docked X7 popping out in “3D” from the front cover. All the promotional pictures of K5 I’ve seen featured X7, but make no mistake – it’s intended to work with other FiiO X-series DAPs. The back of the box has a detailed spec, including a very impressive output power rating for such a compact desktop amp.
Before opening the box, I did take a notice of the weight since we are dealing with an amp, though later turned out that part of it was contributed by external power converter. Once taken out, you can feel that the actual amp is not that heavy at 450g, packed into 120mm x 130mm x 55mm compact enclosure. The power supply converter is external, a typical AC/DC supply with 15V/1.5A output you can find with a number of laptops. As a matter of fact, my review unit arrived with non-US plug and FiiO kindly included an adapter which got temporary misplaced, so I ended up using power converter from my old Thinkpad.
Other included accessories were 4 rubber bumps/feet, 2 insert adapters for different DAPs, usb cable (full size usb-B to usb), 1/4” headphone adapter, and a user guide. Considering a number of all the inputs and outputs, it would have been nice to see other cables included with accessories, for example a pair of RCA to 3.5mm cables or 11pin micro usb connector, and maybe balanced 3.5mm cables. Of course, these extra cables are not a showstopper to get you going, but still would have been great to see at least FiiO’s proprietary 11pin micro-usb interconnect cable. The docking can only accommodate X-series DAPs without a case/skin, and you need to use this extension cable connected to “dock in” micro-usb port on the back of K5 if you want to keep your DAP dressed.
Accessories.
Design.
Since I’m into portable audio gear, I rely mostly on standalone DAP use, though have one desktop amp and a handful of portable amps. In my opinion, K5 design fits somewhere in the middle. It’s obviously a docking amp designed for a desktop use, but it doesn’t weight a ton especially since power supply is external to the case. It’s lightweight, but still has a solid build with a nice titanium color aluminum shell. It has a relatively small footprint that not going to occupy too much space, and yet it is sturdy enough on a flat surface. As a matter of fact, I dragged it next to me on a couch and had no problem using it even so the surface wasn’t perfectly flat. Ergonomics of the design and tight fitment and placement of the micro-usb connector contributes to a nice weight distribution without anything tipping over, even with X7 docked.
With K5 being a “docking” amp, the key feature of this amp is micro-usb docking port on the top under the flip panel. When not in use or using external ports, the panel is flush with a top surface with an exception of a small tab to open it up. The flip panel mechanism is smooth and the panel turns into a solid back support of a docked device when flipped open. Inside you can see a pocket to cover micro-usb connector when it’s closed and another elongated pocket for a rubber adapter to accommodate different DAPs, depending on thickness variation.
The main focus of the front panel is a large rotary volume knob that also functions as a power switch once you turn it clockwise, greeting you with a brief red backlight glow while it initializing and then turning blue. I absolutely love this detail which matches X7 blue light for a visual feedback when power is on. Turning the power on will also turn the power on X1, X3ii, X5ii, X7, and E17k, and the same when you turn it off, though you can dismiss power-off from the DAP screen. And with power on, your DAPs will also be charging. The knob is big, yet easy to grip, has a perfect potentiometer resistance for a better control of the adjustment, and a clear white marker indicating rotary position which goes from -90 dB to 0 dB.
The front panel (the same as a back panel) is slightly recessed with a nice bezel trim design, and you can find to the left of the knob Input switch for Dock vs Line selection and Gain switch for Low (0 dB), Mid (6 dB), and High (12 dB) gain setting. Input switch will correspond to a source selection of either DAP from the dock (or micro-usb “dock in” port) or the Line input. In High Gain you can drive your HO output with a VERY impressive 1.5W (32 ohm load) power which scales down to 150mW (300 ohm load), and most likely with enough juice to drive your 600 ohm cans. I found these flip switches have a nice click action. To the right of the knob you will find 1/4" headphone output, keeping in mind that 3.5mm adapter was included with accessories. I was happy to see FiiO didn’t clutter the area around HO with switches, keeping it clean.
The back panel of K5 reveals a Power in connector jack for 15V supply, all the way to the right, and a number of additional connection ports. You have usb-B USB IN connector for digital input from your computer while processing a signal through X3ii, X5ii, X7, or E17K internal DAC, DOCK In input for 11pin usb interconnect cable if you can’t dock your DAP (due to case/skin), a pair of RCA Line In and Line Out connectors for external input connection from any audio source and to other audio source inputs, and Balanced Line Output. This dual 3.5mm Balanced Line Out output can be used only in conjunction with X5ii or X7 to connect to another external amplifier stage.
Sound Analysis.
While testing K5, I focused on 3 main pair up scenarios with docked DAPs, external connection from LO of the DAP, and digital input from my laptop. In every case I found K5 as an amp to be rather neutral, transparent, and contributing to a noticeable soundstage expansion (especially in width).
Of course, pair up with X7 was at the top of my list. By default, this flagship DAP from FiiO comes with IEM amp module which does a good job with in-ears and other efficient headphones, though I have to keep it in high gain. K5 pair up really stepped up X7 performance with a deeper sub-bass, more organic mids, and additional sparkle in treble - a very consistent improvement I found across R70x (470 ohm) and both planar magnetic PM-3 and EL-8C. Another change was in soundstage expansion, in all three dimensions of width/depth/height where width was the most noticeable. I can't judge yet how other X7 amp modules going to compare, so keep in mind this is relative to IEM module.
Docked with FiiO other DAPs, I found X3ii + K5 pair up to make sound more transparent, with a slightly improved dynamics and expanded soundstage, and with X5ii + K5 a found more body in lower mids giving sound a little smoother organic tone, and also the improvement in soundstage expansion.
Docked with X5ii
Docked with X3ii
The docking convenience of FiiO DAPs is great, but K5 is not limited to only that and can be paired up with other DAPs. Using a common RCA to 3.5mm cable you can feed Line Out of any DAP into Line In of K5. I went straight to the top using PAW Gold as my guinea pig for this test, as well as AudioQuest Evergreen RCA to 3.5mm cable, and ended up with a big surprise. Using Beyer's T5p 2nd gen, I found PAW Gold HO to sound nearly identical to PAW Gold LO + K5. Sure, there could be a few subtle differences, but overall it sounded very close where K5 combo even had a slightly wider soundstage.
Last but not least, I put to the test my ThinkPad T430s driving USB In through DACs of the docked X3ii and X7 while monitoring through T5p 2nd gen. This was really a proof of concept just to verify that both of the DAPs will be recognized by my laptop while docked, function as expected in USB DAC mode, and able to play FLAC files from Foobar2k on my computer. Everything worked flawlessly, with a loud and clear sound improvement. Pretty much anything would be a sound improvement over my laptop's HO from integrated motherboard sound chip. But it also fared very well against a number of my other USB DACs, especially in conjunction with X7 DAC where sound became more dynamic, more detailed, and with a consistent improvement in soundstage width.
Conclusion.
For sure you can call K5 a docking "jack of all trades" and "master of expanded dynamic sound". This latest FiiO docking amp is quite versatile in boosting the performance of portable FiiO DAPs as well as any other DAP, and you can also use it connected to a computer/laptop as USB DAC powerhouse. But among all of this it really shines with X7, replacing its IEM amp module with a more powerful alternative to take full advantage of ES9018S DAC performance. In my opinion, K5 bridges the gap between X7 portable and desktop use where on the go you can enjoy your IEMs and efficient headphones, while at home you can supercharge X7 not only by "charging" it up when docked but also by giving it an extra jolt of output power.

Any hack for this device? Can we install vipermod?

ranjitotski said:
Any hack for this device? Can we install vipermod?
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Probably better ask on Head-fi Btw, FiiO X5iii is just around the corner (already released in Asia). I got a review ample and it's full android with Playstore and apparently has V4A too. Also, X7ii should be released soon.

Holy crap, that's insane!
And now I'm thinking what am I doing with cheap xiaomi headphones. Someday I will have the money to buy some of this stuff.

applesauceChris said:
Holy crap, that's insane!
And now I'm thinking what am I doing with cheap xiaomi headphones. Someday I will have the money to buy some of this stuff.
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X7 is old news, now they have X5iii, full Android, even comes with VIPER effects I should have review soon!