FiiO X3 Generation 2 Review sample.
From the start FiiO has given value for the money you spend. The new X3 Generation 2 continues the history of the value given for what you spend. Starting with the X3 and now the X3 G2, improvements have been made that add to the positive side of the equation on what you get.
One the the first things the X3 G2 impressed me with, before we get to the sound, is the update user interface, UI. For me the X3 never jelled. I had to do too much thinking about what button did what, it wasn’t intuitive, to me. The new X3 washes that away and brings this DAP in with a new UI that is intuitive and functional. There is almost no learning curve, which bespeaks a well thought out concept on what the user goes through to get to what they want, music. The wheel and button placement is easy to follow and now is intuitive.
The all aluminum body also has a great feel to it and should hold up to the unfortunate abuses that our DAPs occasionally go through, like the fall from a place on the desk or pocket and will be more unscathed and yes I do drop things or pull them off the desk from time to time. Forgetting that your headphones won’t reach 20 feet isn’t always helpful.
The new X3 charges via the USB, which makes it easy to keep it ready to go as there are so many sources of usb charging now. There is a headphone output jack on top and on the opposite side to the right, is the combination line out and coax output. As a complete package the X3 G 2 pretty much as everything you need to use as a portable player, a source using the coax or a source feeding an external amp.
For me a simple straightforward easy to use UI and enjoyable sound are pretty much on the same level. If I have to fumble around figuring out how to get to the music or switch to new music, even if the sound is excellent, the whole interaction is decreased. So with that in mind I am glad that the new X3 is easy to use and has a sound to match. How is the sound?
I use the ESW10 Japan headphones quite a bit. They are a portable, though I don’t wear them when out and about but do take them with me on trips in a nice semisolid carrying case. They are on the ear phones that I am so familiar with, I can tell how music sounds or will sound on my much more expensive phones. To this end I used them most of the time with the X3 G2. For music type, I listen to most everything, favoring well recorded no matter the genre. I don’t enjoy mono much, never have and if it is hard panned right and left stereo with no depth, again, I don’t use the album much.
Sound:
Even I often skip ahead after a short bit of reading of a review, wanting to know how something sounds, later, possibly, going back to the other details if I am further interested in the item, whatever it happens to be.
The X3 G2 is a step up from the sound of the sound of the X3. It is more open, dynamic, more detailed, transparent and less warm. So how is that? I don’t enjoy a too warm sound as it covers the music in a thick blanket and I miss the contrasts and musical inspiration that I seek. The X3G2 isn’t cold sounding and slants to the warm but not enough to suck the life out of the music.
On some favorite tracks that I listen to, Neil Young’s live acoustical album from 92, Dreamin’ Man Live 92, there is plenty of space around the sound, that live sound that is important to capture. There is good hall reverb retrieval to connect you with the event. The voice of Mr. Young, is caught with his slight strain unconventional sound is Neil Young’s voice. I enjoy his voice and if you can appreciate it, it has to be done right. I once had Fang of HiFiman listen to a cut I enjoy and he didn’t care for it. He thought Neil sound nasally and he does, a little but it is part of his charm. But if this is glossed over and the bite of his harmonica playing isn’t there, then neither is the essence of his music.
Highs on the X3 G2 are thankfully free of grain, they are smooth and extended. The bass could have more definition but we are not talking about a 1200 or 2400 dollar DAP and for the approximately 200 dollars, the new X3 does a great job of conveying the music to your ears and the bass while not the most defined is not overblown, which can detract from the music. I had no problem driving most all my headphones from the Foster TH900, HiFiman HE-560 and various IEM’s.
Summary:
So what do you get with the X3 Generation 2? You get a well laid out machine. It is versatile, easy to use with a great UI, a solid body and some accessories to take care of your needs for charging from a 5 volt source, external amp or digital transfer to another dac and you get a silicon slip on case to protect your conveyor of musical enjoyment!
Looks like to me, for a small package, if you want to have fun and enjoy your music the X3 Generation 2 is waiting for you.
Support for:
Native DSD 64 and 128
AIFF
APE
FLAC
ALAC
WMA
WAV
MP3 and 2
Full specifications can be found here: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/39/parameters
From the start FiiO has given value for the money you spend. The new X3 Generation 2 continues the history of the value given for what you spend. Starting with the X3 and now the X3 G2, improvements have been made that add to the positive side of the equation on what you get.
One the the first things the X3 G2 impressed me with, before we get to the sound, is the update user interface, UI. For me the X3 never jelled. I had to do too much thinking about what button did what, it wasn’t intuitive, to me. The new X3 washes that away and brings this DAP in with a new UI that is intuitive and functional. There is almost no learning curve, which bespeaks a well thought out concept on what the user goes through to get to what they want, music. The wheel and button placement is easy to follow and now is intuitive.
The all aluminum body also has a great feel to it and should hold up to the unfortunate abuses that our DAPs occasionally go through, like the fall from a place on the desk or pocket and will be more unscathed and yes I do drop things or pull them off the desk from time to time. Forgetting that your headphones won’t reach 20 feet isn’t always helpful.
The new X3 charges via the USB, which makes it easy to keep it ready to go as there are so many sources of usb charging now. There is a headphone output jack on top and on the opposite side to the right, is the combination line out and coax output. As a complete package the X3 G 2 pretty much as everything you need to use as a portable player, a source using the coax or a source feeding an external amp.
For me a simple straightforward easy to use UI and enjoyable sound are pretty much on the same level. If I have to fumble around figuring out how to get to the music or switch to new music, even if the sound is excellent, the whole interaction is decreased. So with that in mind I am glad that the new X3 is easy to use and has a sound to match. How is the sound?
I use the ESW10 Japan headphones quite a bit. They are a portable, though I don’t wear them when out and about but do take them with me on trips in a nice semisolid carrying case. They are on the ear phones that I am so familiar with, I can tell how music sounds or will sound on my much more expensive phones. To this end I used them most of the time with the X3 G2. For music type, I listen to most everything, favoring well recorded no matter the genre. I don’t enjoy mono much, never have and if it is hard panned right and left stereo with no depth, again, I don’t use the album much.
Sound:
Even I often skip ahead after a short bit of reading of a review, wanting to know how something sounds, later, possibly, going back to the other details if I am further interested in the item, whatever it happens to be.
The X3 G2 is a step up from the sound of the sound of the X3. It is more open, dynamic, more detailed, transparent and less warm. So how is that? I don’t enjoy a too warm sound as it covers the music in a thick blanket and I miss the contrasts and musical inspiration that I seek. The X3G2 isn’t cold sounding and slants to the warm but not enough to suck the life out of the music.
On some favorite tracks that I listen to, Neil Young’s live acoustical album from 92, Dreamin’ Man Live 92, there is plenty of space around the sound, that live sound that is important to capture. There is good hall reverb retrieval to connect you with the event. The voice of Mr. Young, is caught with his slight strain unconventional sound is Neil Young’s voice. I enjoy his voice and if you can appreciate it, it has to be done right. I once had Fang of HiFiman listen to a cut I enjoy and he didn’t care for it. He thought Neil sound nasally and he does, a little but it is part of his charm. But if this is glossed over and the bite of his harmonica playing isn’t there, then neither is the essence of his music.
Highs on the X3 G2 are thankfully free of grain, they are smooth and extended. The bass could have more definition but we are not talking about a 1200 or 2400 dollar DAP and for the approximately 200 dollars, the new X3 does a great job of conveying the music to your ears and the bass while not the most defined is not overblown, which can detract from the music. I had no problem driving most all my headphones from the Foster TH900, HiFiman HE-560 and various IEM’s.
Summary:
So what do you get with the X3 Generation 2? You get a well laid out machine. It is versatile, easy to use with a great UI, a solid body and some accessories to take care of your needs for charging from a 5 volt source, external amp or digital transfer to another dac and you get a silicon slip on case to protect your conveyor of musical enjoyment!
Looks like to me, for a small package, if you want to have fun and enjoy your music the X3 Generation 2 is waiting for you.
Support for:
Native DSD 64 and 128
AIFF
APE
FLAC
ALAC
WMA
WAV
MP3 and 2
Full specifications can be found here: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/39/parameters