Disclaimer
 
1. I was part of the Fiio EX1 world tour. I had the chance to evaluate the unit for 10 days thanks to Fiio.
2. I have no affiliation with Fiio in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced to give a favorable review or leaded in any way.
 
Big thanks to Fiio for allowing me to evaluate the earphones.
 
 
 
About me
 
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The original Fiio X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
 
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac files but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more) and some 24bit flac files.
 
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
 
 
 
About this review
 
This review comes after evaluating the earphones for 10 days straight.
Many files type were used in the evaluation, FLAC, mp3 at different bit rates.
 
 
 

 
First and foremost, let's get the obvious out of the way, the EX1 are based on the Dunu Titan1 iem. I never heard the Dunu's myself, but is well known their IEM are very good.
 
 
 
Specifications
 
http://Fiio.net/en/products/43
 
  
 
Packing and Built
 

 
Box is fairly simple, the EX1 comes with an excellent number of tips and a small but rigid carrying case.
 
These iem are solid, from the metal housing (made from fancy duralumin and more common stainless steel) to the cable, there is a great sense of quality, also durability comes to mind, but beware with this assumption given my limited number of days with the earphones.
 

 
Cable length is 1.20 meters long, the right length for portable use, non detachable, which at this price point is something it should be expected. Microphonics we not tested properly on the go, but during the hours of daily use zero to minimum noise here. If needed the included shirt clip will help keeping the cable under minimum movement.
 
 
 
Comfort and Isolation
  
Isolation was average to good once I found the right tip size. I haven't used iem straight down in a while, but found these very comfortable, easy to insert. The metal housing can get cold (winter time!) and the insertion in your ears would be like grabbing a cold can of soda!
 
I couldn't test how they will fare while walking but given the weight of each ear piece, a good fit would be very important to keep them in place while moving, again, I couldn't jog with these but from experience these wouldn't be a good choice for exercise earphones.
 

 
 
 
Sound
 
So how do they sound? Clear, neutral sound leaning towards the warm side comes as first words to describe them. There is a lot of details with this iem, more than I would expect from an earphone at this price level. Certainly enjoyable sound while the amount of details makes them engaging.
 
Bass is fast and punchy, but I found it a bit light, I believe the reason for this is lack of extension, but I'm being very picky here. No reason to discard these earphones because of the bass.
 
The warm side to them could be result of the player used, but I found this to be surprising since the highs can be a bit pronounced. This edgy highs occurs sometimes, but when it happens is easily spotted and distracting.
 
Same as the level of detail, the EX1's soundstage is above average. Very good in use with smartphones, they are easy to drive and will have enough volume to enjoy.
 

 
 
 
Conclusion
 
At the publish date of this review (February 2016) the price in the UK is around £50, around 70 US dollars in North America. With Fiio there is a recurrent theme in most of their products: value, the EX1 is no exception, great value.
 
At this price point, including a remote is probably a good idea, but if that is not a deal breaker and you are looking for a good IEM under 100 US$, definitely the EX1 deserve a good look.
 
 
 
Other considerations
 
Only the included stock tips were used.
 
All testing was done indoors, so please take the isolation comments with a pinch of salt.
 
Players and smartphone used: Fiio X5 1st gen, HTC One m8, Moto G 1st gen.
 
To my knowledge this was a retail product and package.

Disclaimer
 
1. I was part of the Pro-Ject's Hear it One tour review. I had the chance to evaluate the headphones for 14 days.
2. I have no affiliation with Pro-Ject Audio in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced or leaded to give a favorable review in any way.
 
Big thanks to Felix (WayneWoondirts here in Head-Fi) and Pro-Ject Audio for giving me the chance to review this headphones.
 
 
 
About me
 
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
 
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac files but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more), and some 24bit flac files.
 
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
 
 
 
About this review
 
This review comes after evaluating the headphones for 14 days.
Many files type were used in the evaluation, FLAC, mp3, m4a, wav at different bit rates.
 

 
 
 
Specifications
 
http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?tech=hearitone&cat=headphones&lang=en
 

 
 
 
Packing and Built
 
The headphones come in a nice box that give you all the information you need. Inside, the first impression is very good, neat presentation. Getting the headphones out of the box wasn't easy, cable was secured to the box in multiple points, more effort than needed to get the product out of the box.
 
The headphones have a 3.5mm plug, included is a 6.3mm jack adaptor and carrying bag.
 
Cable is non detachable, the cable feel reminds me of the Klipsch Custom 3 cable, which after some months of use it becomes awful to handle. I couldn't test this given the duration of the evaluation period so take it with a grain of salt. Length is 1.25 meters long, suitable for portable use.
 
Overall, build quality is OK for the price, the included carrying bag is certainly a plus.
 
 
 
 
 
Comfort
 
Not suited for long listening sessions, found the clamp force a bit too much, making them not comfy. Maybe I'm being a bit unfair here since I'm used to the comfort of the Sennheiser HD600. After a bit more than an hour I would have to remove the headphones and take a break, my ears would be warm and -tired-. The materials on the Hear It One pads seem good quality and soft, this is why I put the emphasis on the clamping force, probably this will vary depending on the head size.
 
 
 
Sound
 
In short, these headphones sound good but nothing more than that. Fun sound was my first impression, warn but enjoyable, even when this is not my preference in sound signature.
 
Highs, mids and bass all make presence, the later taking a main role. Unsurprisingly the bass was enjoyable on genres like Hip-Hop, Rap, not so much on others. When listening to a broad range of genres is where the main sound issue with these headphones becomes clear, bass can be overwhelming on a lot of genres, more specifically it seems like there is something out of place with the mid-bass. Songs like Jesus, Etc. by Wilco or Atonement by The Roots resulted in a dark touch to the songs, overtaking the mid, making them opaque.
 
This doesn't mean the mid-range is bad, there is a big "it depends" here, if the song doesn't has a mid-bass that would basically eat the mids, is possible to appreciate the best sound of this cans.
 
Micro details are above average, this was a surprise since in my experience fun sounding headphones doesn't provide much micro detail. On rock music or similar genres is easy to spot congestion.
 

 
 
 
Other considerations
  
Isolation is very good. Definitely the best I have found for an on-ear headphone.
 
Using as main source the Fiio X5, but as well tested with smartphones HTC One m8 and Moto G 1st gen. As expected with the Fiio X5 and the HTC One the results were more pleasant, especially the bass with the X5 as source.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
Hear It One headphone is a difficult recommendation to make, not because the product itself, which offers a fun enjoyable sound, but because, depending on the genres and songs its user plays on it, this might not be the case.
 
As for value, the options on the price range of the Hear It One are abundant, sound, style are factors here, and the first attempt from Pro-Ject Audio doesn't shine on any.

Disclaimer
 
1. I’m part of the X5 Preview tour. I had the chance to evaluate the unit for 10 days thanks to FiiO.
2. I have no affiliation with FiiO in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced to give a favorable review or leaded in any way.
 
As always big thanks to everybody at FiiO for allowing me to preview the player.
 
 
About me
 
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
 
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more), and some 24bit flac files.
 
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
 
 
About this review
 
This review comes after evaluating the player for 10 days straight as my main player.
Many files type were used in the evaluation, FLAC, mp3, m4a, wav at different bit rates.
 
 

 
 
Specifications
 
http://www.fiio.net/en/products/41
 
 
Built
 
I'm a huge fan of the build of the original X5, I was looking forward to compare the build and the day to day feel while using it on the road. Have tried the X1 before, the X5 2nd gen follows the same line of design, indeed Fiio is establishing a solid uniform design across all DAP.
 
Well build with premium aluminum, par with what Fiio has done with the X1 and the X3 2nd gen. Now this is a darker color, yet does not come in black (insert Morgan Freeman voice here).
 
The device is smaller and lighter than the previous generation, big difference here in holding and handling the device, feels more natural to use the wheel as is easier to reach.
 
The plastic flaps for the micro SDCard slots are gone, which is a good thing. Details like the power indicator light in the power button make the X5 2nd gen build one to enjoy.
 
Now, not everything has been improved, ports has changed and not for the better, Line Out (LO) and Headphone Out (HO) changed side now, also the LO/Digital Out is a single 3.5mm jack switchable via menu. That being said, you will only feel this as an issue if you have used the original X3 or X5.
 

 
 
 
Screen
 
The screen has seen a huge improvement, is bright and with great color, this thanks to a new IPS screen. Main advantage here is usability in bright sun light. The screen of the original X5 looks washed out in comparison.
 
 
UI
 
User Interface is the other aspect Fiio has solidify and now is uniform for most of the X line, a few good improvements can be found, but no radical change from the Fiio UI found on other players. UI is responsive and easy to use, yet the playlist features could be more powerful and the lack of a proper now playing queue could be deal breaker for some.
 
The new instant On feature is one of those features that you can’t have a feel for or treasure until you have tried it, Fiio accomplish this by putting the player in a deep-sleep instead of a full switch off, with this the player can wake up literally in less than a second, this translates into playing music right away, no need to wait, right where you left off, power, play, listen all in less than 2 seconds. In case you wondering, this feature doesn’t affect the standby time of the device, Fiio claims it will last up to 4 weeks from a full charge.
 
Scanning of files for library is faster than ever. Yet if you have a huge library, be ready to do a lot of scrolling to find an album or artist.
 
 
Sound
 
So how does it sound? At first listen I couldn't hear any difference comparing to the original X5, Fiio stated that the original X5 sounded a bit flat, after a few days I started to hear the improvements, now keep in mind these were hard to pick up, if you are expecting a full upgrade step from the original X5 you will be disappointed. But that's not the goal of the X5 2nd gen, here what is achieved are small tweaks to the sound, which are gladly welcome.
 
Key here is it sounds effortless, a more natural enjoyable sound. Bigger difference is in the bass, more defined and faster.
 
On tracks like Mark Ronson - Uptown Special and Kendrick Lamar - i, the effortless sound translates into a more enjoyable tune. 
 

 
 
Storage
 
As with the whole X line of Fiio (except from the X3) there is no internal storage on the X5 2nd gen. Two Micro SDCard slot are available to satisfy loading a huge library, I threw two 128GB cards at it, worked flawlessly.
 
 
Other considerations
 
 
Battery life wasn't measured.
 
DAC function wasn't tested.
 
Firmware used: 0.11
 
Earphones used: V-Sonic's GR07 BE and Fidue A83, both in Low Gain, Volume 45-60.
 
No comment about the buttons or scroll wheel (test unit didn't have production version)
 
 
Conclusion
 
If you are in the search for a DAP, I can recommend the X5 2nd gen even more than I recommended the original X5. Again, great price and great value is the main focus here. Fiio manage to keep the same price as the original X5 while upgrading pretty much every aspect of it and keeping the sound quality and tweaking it.
 
For owners of the first incarnation of the X5, the decision is not that easy. The slight change in the size and the instant on are features welcomed by everybody, now you would have to ask yourself if native DSD decoding, screen readability in the sunlight, better ergonomics and other improvements are important to you, if the answer is yes, then you can justify the upgrade.
 
 
You can check my review of the original X5 here

Disclaimer
 
1. I’m reviewing the player as part of the X1 Preview tour.
2. I have no affiliation with FiiO in any way.
3. I wasn't given external incentive to write a positive review, financial or otherwise. I had the player for ten (10) straight days and then the player was sent to the next previewer, for which, I had to pay for shipping.
 
Thanks to everybody at FiiO for the opportunity to try and review the player.
 
 
 
About me
 
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 was my first hi-definition portable player.
 
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. My digital library is now mostly flac but also a lot of lossy mp3 files (224 kbps or more), and some 24bit flac files.
 
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life.
 
 
 
About this review
 
This review comes after evaluating the player for 10 days straight as my main player.
For details about the specifications and content of the box check other reviews or Fiio’s website.
 
 
 
Specifications
 
Here: http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000060437344&MenuID=105026016
 
 
Built
 
The X1 follows the steps of it's bigger brother the X5, aluminum is premium, size and weight makes it extremely portable, a true pockeable device. The X1 comes in two colours, I tested the silver one, I'm a sucker for all black devices (X5 style) but the silver looks elegant.
 
Regarding the ports available, the X1 support both lineout and headphone out, but these share one 3.5mm jack, switchable via menu option. There is just one micro SDCard slot as with the X3, but on the X1 it feels more secure, even when there is no plastic or metallic cover. Finally there is a Micro USB port for charging and data transfer.
 

 
 
Screen
 
The screen is small but it doesn't ruin the experience with the player. Somehow the updated UI makes sense and just work on the limited size of the screen. The brightness of the screen could be better, but this was expected at this price point.
 
 
UI
 
User Interface is best Fiio yet, this doesn't mean is perfect, is based on the X5 UI, but with a good amount of improvements.
 
Following the software improvements, the scroll wheel feels better than the X5. More precise, not sure if the size of the wheel helps on it's handling or just a plain improvement from Fiio.
 
Player is fast and responsive, it doesn't slow down noticeable even when high definition files are in use.
 
 
Sound
 
To put it simple, it sounds very good. For this price, is hard to believe how good it sounds, is not as natural as the X5, but you will find that is not easy to difference one from another without a critical listening.
 
In general, it has less details and highs feels hotter than the X5, but none of these are really issues, the X1's sound is very enjoyable, with very good details and a bit lush, a sound that is superior to any smartphone I have tested.
 
Gapless playback works as expected.
 
 
Storage
 
There is no internal storage on the X1. One Micro SDCard slot is available, I throw diferent cards at it, 128GB, 64GB, 32GB, 16GB with different speeds, all worked effortless.
 

 
 
Other considerations
 
The player had solid performance in average use during 10 days, never hang/froze.
 
Battery life wasn't measured.
 
Firmware used: 0.17 beta
 
Earphones used: V-Sonic's GR07 BE.
 
 
Conclusion
 
For US$99 / £99.99 the X1 is an amazing player with a value that is second to none.
 
Build quality is superb, very enjoyable to use and deliver great sounds, specially from such small package. Fiio has manage to deliver a product that is has to be up there with the all-time best value audio devices ever.
 
Great portable solution, to pair with not so expensive earphones and have a great, enjoyable experience without breaking the bank.
 

(The Fiio X family)
 

(X1 on top, X3 and finally X5)

Disclaimer
 
1. I’m part of the X5 Preview tour. I had the chance to evaluate the unit for 10 days thanks to FiiO.
2. I have no affiliation with FiiO in any way.
3. The following words are my personal opinion, I wasn’t forced to give a favourable review or leaded in any way.
 
Big thanks to Joe, James and everybody at FiiO for this tour and for allowing me to preview the player. I hope this tour is a total success and that many more will come in the future.
 
 
About me
 
I'm an avid music lover. I'm all about listening music on the go, I have tried several Apple product but never own one. To carry a brick has never been an option for me. Used many Creative players for years. The X3 is my first hi-definition portable player.
 
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but certainly can appreciate quality and I drive myself to find it with the better value possible. My music taste goes from Jazz, to Industrial, to Rap. Most of my digital library are mp3 files (224 kbps or more), 30% flac and less than 10% 24bit flac files.
 
I’m a web developer and app developer for smartphones, technology is part of my life. I have many phones for testing and even when I work with touch interfaces, I firmly believe that not every device needs to follow the touch UI fever and certainly a music only player doesn’t need to be touch based.
 
 
About this review
 
This will be a short review (somewhat), for details about the specifications and content of the box check other reviews or Fiio’s website.
 
I own a X3, a lot of comparing between the two will be done, if you are wondering how these two compare, read on. This is also my first review on any music equipment.
 
Here we go…
 

 
 
Specifications
 
Go here: http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000055517771&MenuID=105026016
 
 
Built
 
The X5 has a great built quality. The aluminium body feels very good in the hand, as for the weight, a bit on the heavy side. The rubber of the wheel is good, but some might find it slow some might find it ok. I found it a little bit slow. 
 
The micro SDCard slots are covered with rubber caps, these are not easy to pop out. I found (after a few tries) that pushing the cover to the inner side of the player was the easier way to pop them out (maybe this is the proper/designed way to do it), but certainly I question the durability of them, I’m the type of user which will take the cards out and use a reader in my computer to add new files.
 
 
Screen
 
At the very first use I was somewhat disappointed by the screen, mostly because it gives the impression it will use all the area, but the screen really is 4:3 and not the 16:9 aspect area in which is located, nevertheless, the screen is good enough for a music only player.
 
 
UI
 
Speed wise, about the same as the X3. Actually, I find the X3 to open the files a bit faster. The wheel is definitely an improvement, is easier to navigate through the library, select files and options. However, there is no option to change the speed/sensibility of it.
 
General options are pretty much the same as the ones on the X3. Even in the same menu order.
 
Library sorting is the same as the X3 at the time of writing this review, which, is not the best. The organization of it is not optimal. If your files are organized, using the browse files option is the best (more on this later).
 
While using the wheel, sometimes I ended slightly clicking the central button, this caused to select an album and I found myself scrolling the songs of it. I don’t think is because the wheel size or surface, but more because the central button is very sensible, maybe this is a particular characteristic of the unit I was evaluating.
 
 
Sound
 
To put it simple, it sounds amazing. The sound is natural, full-bodied with a warm feel to it.
 
Sounds better than the X3? Yes, a lot better. The X5 uses a different chip, the result is nothing short of mind blowing. Micro-detail is superb, all around detail and clarity are very enjoyable. The X5 shines compared to the X3, especially with hi-def music (24 bit flac are an absolute pleasure to listen).
 
The gapless playback is good, but not perfect. I could notice at small gap between songs in certain albums.
 
No playlist support in any shape or form.
 
Sound with…
 
FLAC files: Comparing to the X3, the sound difference from 16 bit to 24 bit FLAC's is way easier to notice. Amazing sound, details shine and catch your attention.
 
MP3 files: Background/decoding noise is still there but less noticeable than on the X3.
 

 
 
 
Storage
 
Two Micro SDCard slots are available. No need to select a card if you use the library/catalogue option, all files are available and ready to be played. Not the case if the browse files option is used. You will need to select one of the cards and navigate, if you want to access a file in the other card, you will need to go back to the root, select that card and navigate. Here the importance of an optimal library with a proper sorting under Artist and Genre.
 
Tried two 64GB cards formated as FAT32 and had zero issues. At the moment 64GB cards is the maximum supported, but FiiO has stated that bigger cards (128GB) will be supported in the future.
It took 4 minutes and 36 seconds to index a full 64GB card with 2269 files to the library (mp3 and flac files). This index process can be set to manual or automatic in the options, but should only happen when you modify the content of the card. The process is incremental, meaning if you add a new 10 song album to a card with 2269 files already on it, it won’t take the plus 4 minutes, but just a few seconds to index the new songs that were added.
 
There is no internal storage on the X5.
 
 
Use as a DAC
 
It sounds as good connected to the PC. A driver needs to be installed in Windows, actually I plugged both the X5 and the X3, installed the driver and both worked flawless.
 

 
 
Other considerations
 
The unit never hang/froze in heavy 10 days of use.
 
Battery life around 10 hours, but I browsed the library a lot.
 
Firmware used: 1.00
 
Earphones used: V-Sonic's GR07 BE and Klipsch Custom 3, both in High Gain, Volume 55-68.
 
Did not use the equalizer.
 
 
Conclusion
 
With other players close to the USD 1000 and sometimes even more, is this player so good and such a great value that is hard to believe? Yes, it is.
 
Personally I haven't tried other hi-end players, but based on the impressions and reviews, the difference (if any) certainly won't worth such a big difference in price. I expect the X5 to fight closely with the top guys while its cost is just a fraction. It has the potential to be a game changer in the portable hi-fi field.
 
I was expecting a small upgrade to the X3, the X5 gives you that and then some, the expected is there, bigger and better screen, better UI, more storage capacity, then you also get better usability and awesome sound.
 
The X5 is not perfect thought, the UI needs work, I expected (and still expect) to be faster, mp3 decoding could be better, library sorting is not optimal, no playlist support. But all of these are small issues that can be solved/enhanced via firmware updates.
 
Will I be getting one for myself? Totally, the evolution from the X3 is huge and at USD 350 is a simple choice for me because the great value and because I can only see this player getting better and better as FiiO is listening to the community.
 
Paired with good (not so expensive) earphones, it is safe to say that with around USD 550 you can get an excellent portable rig, (X5, earphones and SDCard). Great sound at great value.
 
Again, thanks to Joe and James for the opportunity.  While I still enjoy my X3, can’t wait for my X5.