Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
The FiiO X3 was used in conjunction with my Project-H unit, FiiO HS2, FiiO E12, Miu Audio MRB. And plugged into AKG Q701 and RHA SA950i for the purpose of this review. Out of the box, the gunmetal/titanium glossy finish of the aluminum body shimmers and begs to be appreciated. Shiny, solid and it appears that the jog wheel is now less wobbly than the one on its older sibling, the X5. Dimensions If the X3’s DAC is decent – I have none really to compare it with – I can save some more and just consider:
When I spoke to James, one of the Co-owners of FiiO on our visit to their HQ in Nov 2017 he made special mention of the X3 DAP legacy, calling it one of their key “growth” products. One nice little feature of the new touch scroll wheel not found on the X1 2nd gen is the software control of the level of sensitivity in the setting menu. It has 3 settings, low, medium, and high. I recommend low, it makes everything much faster than the X1’s version. Front Panel Buttons The final key external difference between the X1 and X3 Gen 2 is the added lineout/coaxial out from the top plate of the X2 2G which is not a feature of the X1 but was a feature of the original X3. On the right side of the bottom you’ll find the 2.5mm balanced headphone output. As you might have noticed all of Fiio’s latest and upcoming units will feature 2.5mm connectors, the IEMs included. James told us in May at High End in Munich already that Fiio was pulling the 2.5mm balanced card following Astell&Kern, and I applaud them for their decision. At the same time you have Sony and Sennheiser who are going the 4.4mm Pentaconn route and that for the consumer isn’t the ideal situation (think cables).The level of pixelation from the new OS on the X3iii screen is similar to the X1ii’s performance with slightly inferior anti-aliasing to the 2nd gen HiBy system and glass. I have seen this on a few Linux powers software systems before and is usually related more to the font choice which has stayed the same for both DAPs. Memory Single Slot I tried it in balanced mode using the Asura 2.0s and the Monk Plus SPC. When used in balanced mode, the FiiO X3 III has a wider and deeper soundstage and a superior sense of space. Instrument separation is also better, with instruments more clearly defined and taking each its own spot. This is no “night and day” difference, but it’s noticeable. Final Thoughts As before you have two levels of settings on the X3iii, Play and System Settings. Play will control functions such as gain levels, volume, gapless, channel balance, and line-out mode. Chg: control panel now shows maximum ASIO buffer size depending on the maximum supported sample rate
The X3II dishes out 210mW, roughly, and that just isn’t much at all for anyone using a Planar or anything above 120Ω. I find it unsuitable for portable USB DAC usage because of that fact. The recent split from HiBy meant that FiiO had to basically come up with their own replacement software for the X3 series DAPs without breaking that previously known pitch of power, battery life, and portability. Yet it also had to remain competitive for their usual 12-18 month product life-cycle which has been a feature of their media player roadmap over the last few years. If your headphones are generally not exaggerating in tonality, but, also do not impact hard, then this is a fantastic portable choice for you. If you are okay with strapping a musical amplifier to it while on the go, I highly recommend doing so. is a new, low price point for a portable potentially able to deliver sound quality better than any CD player, as well as far better sound than portables like the iPod.The X3 comes with a coaxial adaptor, silicone case, screen protectors, and a micro USB cable used to charge the device. [4] Features [ edit ] Alongside the X7 Mark II, FiiO F5 and F9, FiiO made a big push for increased performance using their tried and tested value for money message that has served them well down through the years.
Great Deal 
New Comment