Fiio vs. iPod

I don't have a LastFM account... and... it's mostly because I have no idea what LastFM is....

Seriously, I feel a little stupid admitting that. I've known of its existence, but never had any concept of what it was beyond assuming it was an early entrant in the field Pandora pretty well dominates now.

The ability to sync in that way sounds great though. I'll have to look into it.

 

I haven't done direct comparisons, but I've owned and used 4G, 5G, and 6G iPods as well as my current player, a Fiio X3II. I love the sound of the Fiio, and the multiformat capability as well as Micro-SD capacity are great features. (I'm getting more and more wary of spinning drives.) The interface isn't as nice as the iPod's but it's a minimal concern.

 

Would you consider the Fiio a massive sonic upgrade over the iPod? I know that it's specs insist that it should be, but I'm curious about "real world" findings there.

 

I spent several years using an iPod Touch as my main player and the Fiio X3 first generation player is a very clear upgrade. I'm not sure if it would qualify as massive.

 

As I say, I haven't done a direct comparison. Going purely from sonic memory, I'd echo @TimM and say it's a very clear upgrade. Its ability to handle hi-res files is a big part of that upgrade. With my OPPO PM-3 phones, I can hear a clear and substantial difference between hi-res and redbook files, though even redbook sounds great (depending on mastering).

 

Something like the Fiio X3II also has the ability to drive higher impedance headphones which an ipod cannot. Meaning you wouldn't have to buy a separate amp to drive them which can be a pretty big deal.

 

I see FIIO has rolled out the X5 3rd Gen but won't be available world wide for at least a month. I could not find any info on potential price. The X1 is very affordable and supports 256GB cards. The x3 2nd gen only supports 128GB(any idea if that will be upgraded?) and has potentially better SQ. I am looking at these but can't decide.

 

Have you been checking out some of the Fiio threads on the head-fi forums?

 

No, didn't think about it, but that's a good idea. I haven't been there much but will check it out.

 

The X3ii 128 limit doesn't sound right to me but I've never researched it. The X5ii dual sd cards is nice, I'm using 2x200. The X5 3rd has lots of bells an whistles, $450 I think, more here Fiio X5 3rd gen || 2x AKM 4490 || Balanced Out || DSD || DXD | DTS | Android || Dual Card Slot || Mastering Quality Audio »

 

Unless I'm very badly misunderstanding your question (which isn't impossible), I believe I'm already using the highest possible class of card. This is what I have installed:

Amazon.com: Samsung 128GB 80MB/s EVO Select Micro SDXC Memory Card (MB-ME128DA/AM): Computers & Accessories »

Granted, it's being run through a microSD to SD adapter and then into an SD to Compact Flash, so part of me suspects the issue lies there.

 

I can say that my old X3 version 1 takes a 200GB card with no problem, so I have to believe the second generation version can at least do that. I don't know about a 256GB card.

 

I found a big SQ upgrade from my IPod 4th gen to Fiio X3 2nd gen player. Highly recommend it.

 

For anyone that might be interested in the FiiO X1 (original version), Amazon Canada currently has it available at Cdn $99.99... great price!

https://www.amazon.ca/X1-Portable-R...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483038034&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio

 

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a Fiio X3 II. I've only been using it for a few days, but here are the first impressions. Keep in mind, I'm attemping to use Musicbee for all library and syncing functionality.

-One disappointment: no play count logging. Checking the Fiio forums, this is a requested feature, but not one that is included. Minor gripe (not least of all since Musicbee makes manually updating counts very easy).
-I pulled the Micro SD card from my Frankenpod, so I can't directly A/B the two, but I have to say that I enjoy the sound of the Fiio on its own. I can sort of hear what many reviewers refer to as the "clinical" sound of the circuitry, but it's not nearly as up front as I might have expected.
-The interface is simple and easy to use without too much muss or fuss. Granted, it's not iPod levels of idiotproof, but there's not a lot you can do to mess up on one of these. Additionally, since I've been fastidious about my music folder's file system for years, I appreciate having the ability to browse folders rather than tag info (this makes things like the chronological ordering of albums or proper artist alphabetization the default).

I had to disassemble the Frankenpod as the Micro SD card (128gb) that I ordered to go with the Fiio was a week and change away from arriving and I wanted to be sure I could use the thing. Once the card ships as well, I plan to reassemble the Frankenpod for some direct A/B comparisons between the most appealing sounding iPod I own and the Fiio to see how they stack up.

An odd aside, I decided to listen to the recent remaster of Dio's Holy Diver album which came in the budget box from 2016 on the Fiio. On CD, it's splashy, boosted almost to the realm of pain and just kind of "blech" to listen to. The Fiio doesn't make it any more quiet, but it does calm some of the intense splashiness of the cymbals and render it a lot more pleasant to the ear. I'll have to give it another pass to come up with a more rational explanation of that effect, but it's one example of the sound being "colored" that I have no complaints with whatsoever.

 

Thanks for the initial review, Runicen. I look forward to updates as you get more experience with the Fiio player.

 

By all means let us know how your A/B listening goes and what you think of the Fiio as you get used to it.

 

I'll definitely be checking back as I have more to offer. I will say I've been messing with the low-pass settings and found the device can have two very different sonic signatures (it gives the option of "gradual" or "steep"). "Gradual" seems to really cut the "boom" out of the low frequencies and soften everything else while "steep" gives me a sound I find more comparable to what I'm used to from an iPod with no active EQ. The low end has a bit more muscle behind it and nothing sounds particularly softened.

Listening to my rip of the Blackstar cd has been a delight.

 

They both have their strengths and weaknesses. They both have great sound. I use the Fiio X1 due to price.

 

I had posted this in the thread: "My iPod Classic 160g has died. What now?" Thought it might be useful here...

I am keeping an eye on Fiio's upcoming X5 3rd generation - due early 2017, and will be shown at CES in January. It's going to have both a "Pure Music" mode (where it functions solely as an audio player) and an Android mode: meaning you'll be able to add Android apps to it (has both bluetooth and wifi) for any of those you might wish to use (i.e. Sonos, Spotify, et. al.).

Will take two 256GB microSD cards, as well, and this iteration moves to more of a touchscreen interface. It might be the perfect combo of upgradable memory digital audio player and not-quite-phone: Fiio-Born for Music and Happy »

I'll add that from what I've seen (IIRC from their Facebook page), price point in the US is about that of what an iPod Classic used to run: $350-400. Like the Pono, it also offers balanced output - if that is of interest. Has Bluetooth, wifi, 2 charging modes, 2 DACs (one for each channel)... seems like an iPod killer for those of us who might be looking for one.

 

It is out in China now and some folks using it on headfi are pretty happy so far. It seems the goal is knock out the bugs some before a wider release. If I didn't recently get an X5ii I would definitely be interested in this.

 

I'm torn on this one. I'd probably take advantage of the lowered prices on the X5 II once this drops before I'd jump on the new one. I don't really need a DAP that does apps as much as I need a quality DAP. Your mileage may vary though.

 

I bought the Fiio x3 2nd gen when it was on sale before Xmas...then there was a boxing day sale for the X5 2nd gen...a deal i couldn't pass up...i am thoroughly enjoying both DAP's...even sold my IPod Classic to a buddy of mine...won't be missing it. I have also bought the Fiio K5 docking station....great compliment to the Fiio X series...looking forward to the release of the Fiio X5 3rd gen...according to Fiio it will be available in North America once they know that all the apps etc function properly in NA.

 

Can't wait to eventually check out the third gen X5, but I have to say that the second gen X1 is a nice improvement over the first edition, from exterior design to functionality to sound quality. It's a tremendous value at $100.