Fiios products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good. Try them both in person if you can, personal preference is hard to guess at. Operating system the x5 3rd gen is running with a deeply customized android 5. X5 ii is at least on the same level, but in my own experience its even better than first gen x5 dac wise. But scrolling speed is like 50% of an ipod classic. These iems were consequently compared with fellow chinese company ibassos dx90 dap, questyles q1pr, fiios x5 2 nd generation, fiios m3 and their flagship, the x7. The parts are there, the software seems just about up to snuff, but for some reason, the fiio x5 3rd gen just sounds distinctly average and uninspiring.
The following changes and improvements were made to firmware 2. The software is kind of difficult togo around it and the bluetooth does not work too good. The continuing upgrade path from fiio for software. What is the coaxial digital adapter cable pinout on the x5 2nd gen. One small step in your eyes, one giant leap for your ears. So how would you say the ui and responsiveness compared to an ipod. The jog wheel on the x3 2nd gen though does feel like a 2nd generation also in terms of control and click. Im looking into buying my first dap and stuck between ibasso dx90 and fiio x5 2nd gen x5ii. Apr 18, 2015 of course it is a complete redesign compared to the original x3 but not so much of an evolution when compared to the x1 and x5 which now pretty much sets the bar or road map for the type of design fiio is after. Just wanted to do something for this awesome subreddit since i recently had the chance to have and still do both of these wonderful daps. I also have the ibasso dx90, ibasso dx80, and a fiio x5 2nd generation. Fiio x5 2nd generation 1st impressionquestions steve.
Jun 09, 2015 fiio s firstever portable high resolution audio player, the fiio x3, has enjoyed considerable success since its launch in 20. Discussion in audio hardware started by runicen, dec, 2016. Fiio x5 3rd gen portable highresolution audio player x5. Im a very happy owner of fiios x1, x3ii and the original x5 digital fiio x5 second generation. The ibasso dx90 is the companys new flagship dap and. I was hard pressed at finding a good matching pair of headphonesiems that went well with the x5 2nd gen. Why the volume on the x5 2nd gen s lineout can not be adjusted when playing the dsd file.
I was hard pressed at finding a good matching pair of headphonesiems that went well with the. While i was deciding whether or not to purchase the ibasso dx90, i spent quite some time comparing it to the fiio x5 and the. My wife still has a 5th or 6th gen classic, i dont remember. Compare and contrast the x3 and x5 from fiio and both are physically unique daps. I had a fiio x5 but could not live with the bug ridden software and. The ibasso dx90 has generally been wellregarded as an excellent choice. Fiio x5 3rd gen fx5321 flash mp3 player product overview. Recently bought some good iem a dunu model, and want to bring out the best sounds. Is it a wise idea to upgrade to x5 2nd gen or is it worth the upgrade.
Fiio x7 32gb hires lossless music player, titanium. Does that also mean dx90 can freeze some time as well. The ibasso dx90 may be a great alternative to the x7. I will be looking at the x5 2nd generation or the x7 and not ibasso s dx100 simply because it is old. Both take extremely long to charge though the x5 takes about 2 hours longer for a full charge. To be on the safe side, fiio provides a leather case for added protection. Though the amp is suitable and drives a wide range of headphones, the ibasso dx90 offers a more powerful amp capable of driving relatively high impedance high headphones.
This has meant that battery life extends to around 8 to 9 hours at best which is quite mediocre compared to other competitive offerings. The x5ii apparently has some firmware issues bugs and stuff but basically thats par for the course. Review by headfonia the headphone enthusiasts website. If you are in the search for a dap, i can recommend the x5 2nd gen even more than i. Make offer fiio x5 3rd gen, red with 2 256 gb micro sd cards. Fiio x5 3rd generation mp3 players for sale in stock ebay. May 14, 2014 why wait for the pono portable highresolution music player. Fiio x5 3rd gen fx5321 flash mp3 player overview from the experts at what hifi. The x3 2nd generation came next, a stellar piece of kit in a compact form with clear detail and well balanced, neutral sound.
What are the differences among the x5 3rd gen, x7 and x5 2nd gen. However, i personally prefer the md over the other two. I am in the market for a new dap and have narrowed down my choice to either the sonynwa45 or fiio x5. The battery of the dx90 comes in at only 2100 mah compared to the gargantuan 3300 mah battery capacity of the fiio x5 2 nd gen. Hi everyone trying to decide between the ibasso dx80 and the fiio x5 3rd gen. New to the x5 3rd gen is a physical volume knob, which is slightly recessed within a guard so as to prevent accidental volume changes but is still easy to manipulate. A survey of digital audio players part 3 ibasso dx90.
It doesnt mean dx90 had no bass or x5 sound isnt refine. From longer term memory and use id say none of them are really highend hifi devices, but whaddya want from a portable. Aug 21, 2015 this is the same as the original fiio x5. Through headfi community tours i was able to access the fiio x5 2nd generation x5ii and the cayin n6. Fiio x5s new firmware update brings some longawaited features and a whole bunch of fixes and improvements, making the sound quality better, the player smarter, and the device more useful as a whole. The following changes and improvements have been made to fw2. Of course it is a complete redesign compared to the original x3 but not so much of an evolution when compared to the x1 and x5 which now pretty much sets the bar or road map for the type of design fiio is after. Only playing songs from samsung galaxy s4 for now though, so thought of getting portable dac like fiio e17. Until i tried it with the havi b3 pro 1 which actually pairs pretty darn good with the x5. It seems that fiio finally listened and decided to delay the release of the fiio x5 3rd gen to markets outside of china. What are the differences among the x5 3rd gen, x7 and x5. I would highly recomend the fiio x5, and the 2nd gen is probably the one to get, as fiio has stopped supporting the 1st gen, they released the last firmware update around december 2015. Their modus operandi appears to be to watch and see what the big boys are offering and provide the same features, and in many cases the same performance at a significantly lower. Copy the zip update package provided by fiio into the root directory of a micro sd card in tf card slot 1 of the x5 or root directory of the x5iii x7mkii s internal storage.
Join our exclusive audioholics ebook membership program. Lets say that my first generation x5 replaced my home dac that costs 1850 usd, that would tell you on what level it plays. Users who only use flac report even less battery life with both players. Compare fiio x1 portable high resolution lossless music. Nov 11, 2014 to thank them for lending me the units, i have inserted a banner going to their ibasso page. Comparison of x3 2nd genx5x3x1 general discussion fiio. Dec, 2016 if i get a chance ill dig it out and maybe do a direct comparison. The software automatically groups your music into channels based upon. When i emailed ibasso about potential new models and perhaps a successor to the dx90 or the dx100 as fiio will soon be rolling out second generation of its models, the reply i got was that ibasso does not consider fiio as a competitor and that they currently have no intentions to release any new models. Sep 29, 2015 as others have said id like to upgrade to the 2nd gen but at the same time feel no need to.
The latest to be released and their current flagship, the fiio x5 2 nd gen. The x1, x3, and x5 digital audio players have brought fiio to the forefront of the market by delivering easy to use, great sounding players. Im a very happy owner of fiios x1, x3ii and the original x5 digital. One of the reasons the ibasso is much more is the large 720p screen vs 800. Then, fiio opted to improve upon something already great so we have this x5 2nd generation, easily the best dap theyve ever made and the choice audio player within this price range and even many that cost more. In a bit of a departure from the previous models, the fiio x5 3rd gen now features a 4 touchscreen display and an android interface. Sep, 2015 the x5 gen 2s ui revision brings harmony to the fiio dap range that first started with the x1. Why the volume on the x5 2nd gens lineout can not be adjusted when playing the dsd file. To circumvent the problem of thirdparty android apps automatically converting the sample rate of music, fiios software team wrote an entire new audio software optimized for android 5. Entscheidungshilfe ibasso dx90, dx80fiio x5, evtl andere. Id gravitate to ibasso before fiio as the dx90 proved. I prefer the sound quality of the original sansa clip over the 2nd gen sansa clip. N6 has a little wider soundstage, tighter bass, slightly brighter. Finally, the generosity of a fellow headfier, lin003, meant that i was able to borrow an ibasso dx90 for a week or so during this comparison.
Im debating between the ibasso dx90 and the fiio x5. The dx90 from ibasso is a high performance digital audio player that delivers mastering quality sound with support for up to 24bit 192 khz resolution. There is simply nothing left in the 3rd gen that links with the 2nd gen technology and designwise bar the name fiio x5. Sadly, it seems that fiio is no longer supporting the x5ii with software updates to fix their antiquated search and scroll features. Secondarily, i listen by album, and occasionally by artist, but from years of adding tracks to my libraries from different sources and applications, typos in the music fingerprint db, and genres of music that frequently include collaborations, my artist folders are fragmented, requiring a massive cleanup for me to be. The pono player is due in october, but the x5 is cheaper, plays more types of file formats, and sounds sweet. If you want to learn about fiio x5 3rd gen vs ibasso dx220, please click it. Comparison of fiio x5ii vs ibasso dx90 mp3 players. Installation and usage guide of the new generic usb dac driver for fiio players 14. To test out the sonic characteristics of the fiio x5 iiis, i have used multiple iems including the rockit sounds r50, dunu dk3001 and fidue a73. Fiios best portable music player is more affordable than. Fiio x5iii portable highresolution audio player with fidelizer purist rom audio.
I want to thank fiio for including me in this program and will give opinions with. The fiio xie is rock solid in reference to the firmware, as is the shanling m5, where as the ibasso dx80 still is a hit or miss. I would say the fiio x5 gives me about 12 hours per charge and the dx90 gives me just around 7. Their dx100 was, for its era, a shockingly large and expensive portable player. Compare fiio x1 portable high resolution lossless music player silver vs fiio x3 2nd gen portable high resolution audio player titanium vs fiio x5 2nd gen portable highresolution audio player titanium vs fiio x7 portable highresolution audio player. The new secondgen fiio x5 is a bonafide highres music player at a price you can afford. It takes a long time for me to scroll through artists names to find what i am looking for. Why wait for the pono portable highresolution music player. Some unit have no issues whatsoever, then others have multiple issues. Shop i basso dx 80 high resolution audio player with extreme.
The fiio x5ii has 245mw, and the ibasso dx80 has 260mw. Jan 23, 2017 a survey of digital audio players part 3 ibasso dx90 way back 2012an eternity in this marketibasso was an early bird in the highend dap game. Custom digital coax cable for fiio x5ii, x3ii to fiio e17k headfonia store duration. When i listened to the dx50 for the first time over a year ago at canjam europe 20 i really wasnt blown away with the sound. X5 vs n6 vs pervasion vs dx90 vs alien so youre in the market for a new digital audio player dap, or maybe youre not but you just love gadgets like i do in this golden age of portable audio you have a myriad of choices for your portable audio needs. Here we are taking a look at another midrange dap, the ibasso dx90. The black x5 3rd gen from fiio is a portable highresolution audio player and usb dac for audio enthusiasts. My concern is that is the dx90 s current fw or rockbox more stable than the x5iis latest fw. As others have said id like to upgrade to the 2nd gen but at the same time feel no need to. Fiio x5 2nd generation high resolution music player gold. Ive had ipod classics over the years and i now have a fiio x3 2nd gen. The unit features an audiophilegrade architecture and premium components capable of playing files up to 32bit384 khz in a variety of formats including native dsd, dxd, wav, wma, alac, flac, ape, aiff, and more. The x5 gen 2s ui revision brings harmony to the fiio dap range that first started with the x1. My concern is that is the dx90s current fw or rockbox more stable than the x5iis latest fw.
In my memory, the sonic character of the fiio x3 2nd gen is warmer and softer edged than the sonic character of any iteration of any ipod ive ever heard. A survey of digital audio players part 1 fiio x5 innerfidelity. This was a very good move on their part, as the initial software on the device was a bit buggy, but nowhere near as buggy as the release software on their past devices. In the case of putting into the micro sd card, it is recommended to format the card to fat32 or ntfs. The original x5 ui was so much better than the old gen 1 x3 but it does look a bit aged and overly complicated compared to the more intuitive x1x3 gen 2 ui that the x5 2nd gen now uses. Now if ibasso were to release a new version of the dx90 or better yet, a new flagship, then things may very well be different. The sound production seems to be pretty much only subjective but as someone. My preferred methods of navigation is by genre, so it is directly affected. The x5 3rd gen also features two headphone outputs.
From what i can tell the fiio seems to have a better ui and i think firmware in general however the ibasso is a bit better on battery life. Comparison of fiio x5 ii vs ibasso dx90 mp3 players. If youre looking for something with multimedia capabilities or are easily putoff by unintuitive software consider looking at the allaround better. Compare the main features, specifications, prices and select the best model. The 3rd gen doesnt seem fragile though, and at 186g its lighter than it looks. So the following is a guest post by the infamous tux889 william. The latest flagship dap releases from ibasso and fiio have been generating a lot of buzz, with many wanting to find out how x7ii compares to dx200.
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