EagleWings
Headphoneus Supremus
Some of you have been hoping to see a comparison between the Fiio X3 2nd Generation (X3ii) and the Sony NWZ-A15/A17 (A10 Series). I had a chance to spend a couple of days with both these players and here are my observations in terms of sound, usability and additional features. Tracks used were a mix of 256Kbps, 320Kbps MP3 and 16/44 FLAC files of various genres.
Intro:
IMO, comparing these two players was like comparing apples and oranges. Both X3ii and A15 are very capable players having different strengths and weaknesses. In my eyes, there is no clear winner here but rather a hero in its own affairs.
Sound:
Speaking purely in terms of overall sound(Quality and Fidelity), X3ii had the edge. X3ii had better clarity, detail, instrument separation and layering. As a result, A15 sounded slightly muddy. X3ii's mids sounded better. All these differences were rather subtle and not huge. There was no audible difference in terms of soundstage and treble between the devices. A15 took the win in the bass department. Although the bass on the X3ii was controlled and punchy, in comparison, A15's bass had better extension and quantity.
The A15 has a bass adjustment called the 'Clear Bass' in its EQ setting. It is basically a bass boost that can only be increased 1 to 3 steps above zero, and not decreased. Increasing the Clear Bass two steps and above, turned my IEM into a bass heavy, full-size headphone (something I have never been able to achieve by tweaking the EQ of other device such as MP3 Players/iPods/Smartphones/PCs/Macs). Bass-heads will love the A15 for this feature.
The instruments on the X3ii sounded more natural and 'instrument like', while the A15 did not demonstrate such qualities consistently. Another difference I noticed was, the discernibility of the notes on the far ends of the soundstage. Although I was able to notice the presence of these low-key notes on the A15, I couldn't quite identify the nature of the instrument or the note. With the X3ii, I was able to discern the type of the instrument or note.
Background Noise and Power:
The A15 had a slight hiss in the background with sensitive IEMs. It is audible in a silent environment. In comparison, X3ii's background is rather clean. On one hand, I feel it is an unfair comparison between these two players as I used a sensitive IEM to evaluate these players. On the other hand, the presence of hiss shows the poor implementation of the device's output. Good news is, at least the IEMs from Sony don't seem to have the hiss with the A15.
Based on what I have read in the Sony NWZ-A10 thread here on Head-Fi, A15 falls short on other end of the spectrum too. A15's amp does not have enough output power to drive the high-impedance headphones. Even the power of the output signal from the LO seems to be be weak. X3ii amp section has plenty of power and based on the specifications, should have no problem driving headphones in the range of 150 Ohm.
Usability:
I have read many gripes about the UI of the X3ii. But in my experience, it was a well though-out and a simple UI that works great for DAPs. A15's UI is pretty intuitive. If you have owned the W/K series Sony Ericsson phones from the years 2005-2009, you'd find yourself in a familiar territory. The button layout and ergonomics are good on both the players. The volume rocker on the A15, may look tiny, but it was easy to find and operate.
Edit: Please skip over to this paragraph to read the updated info:
I feel the biggest downside of the X3ii is it's scroll wheel. I do like the concept of the scroll wheel. But on the X3ii, it lacks refinement, accuracy and reliability. That totally defeats the advantage of the wheel. I can make-do with the crudeness and inaccuracy. But the reliability is a serious issue here. Based on what I have read, Fiio has been improving the performance and feel of the scroll wheel and has come a long way since the first wheel on the Fiio X5 1st Generation. Hopefully, we will see better scroll wheels in the future devices from Fiio.
Update 04/03/2016: Fiio released the FW V1.4 sometime in January. Just as I hoped for, with this FW update, Fiio has fixed the Scroll Wheel accuracy issue. Meaning, now 1 click on wheel = 1 movement on the screen. The usability of the X3ii went from a 6/10 to a 10/10.
Additional Features:
- X3ii offers DAC functionality with PCs/Macs, High & Low Gain Setting and Coaxial Out
- A15 offers FM Tuner, Bluetooth Connectivity and a Variety of Playback Options
**To learn more about these features, please read the exclusive reviews of these devices
Conclusion:
If you are in search of a player in the $200, either of these players won't disappoint you. Between the X3ii and A15, choosing one player over the other is really a matter of your preference and much less a competition of which one is a better device overall.
Reasons to choose A15 over X3ii:
- you want a versatile player that is very practical with a long battery life, that is also pocket friendly
- you want to load music and just plug & play, and don't want to go through the hassle of managing music library and the tags
- device reliability is important
- you are a bass-head
Reasons to choose X3ii over A15:
- you are an audiophile and all you are looking for is sound quality & fidelity, and the rest of the factors are only secondary
- you don't mind taking time to managing your music library and tags
- you are looking for a DAP to use with your super-sensitive IEMs or hard-to-drive high impedance headphones
- you listen to a lot of instrumental tracks
--------------------THE END--------------------
Intro:
IMO, comparing these two players was like comparing apples and oranges. Both X3ii and A15 are very capable players having different strengths and weaknesses. In my eyes, there is no clear winner here but rather a hero in its own affairs.
Sound:
Speaking purely in terms of overall sound(Quality and Fidelity), X3ii had the edge. X3ii had better clarity, detail, instrument separation and layering. As a result, A15 sounded slightly muddy. X3ii's mids sounded better. All these differences were rather subtle and not huge. There was no audible difference in terms of soundstage and treble between the devices. A15 took the win in the bass department. Although the bass on the X3ii was controlled and punchy, in comparison, A15's bass had better extension and quantity.
The A15 has a bass adjustment called the 'Clear Bass' in its EQ setting. It is basically a bass boost that can only be increased 1 to 3 steps above zero, and not decreased. Increasing the Clear Bass two steps and above, turned my IEM into a bass heavy, full-size headphone (something I have never been able to achieve by tweaking the EQ of other device such as MP3 Players/iPods/Smartphones/PCs/Macs). Bass-heads will love the A15 for this feature.
The instruments on the X3ii sounded more natural and 'instrument like', while the A15 did not demonstrate such qualities consistently. Another difference I noticed was, the discernibility of the notes on the far ends of the soundstage. Although I was able to notice the presence of these low-key notes on the A15, I couldn't quite identify the nature of the instrument or the note. With the X3ii, I was able to discern the type of the instrument or note.
Background Noise and Power:
The A15 had a slight hiss in the background with sensitive IEMs. It is audible in a silent environment. In comparison, X3ii's background is rather clean. On one hand, I feel it is an unfair comparison between these two players as I used a sensitive IEM to evaluate these players. On the other hand, the presence of hiss shows the poor implementation of the device's output. Good news is, at least the IEMs from Sony don't seem to have the hiss with the A15.
Based on what I have read in the Sony NWZ-A10 thread here on Head-Fi, A15 falls short on other end of the spectrum too. A15's amp does not have enough output power to drive the high-impedance headphones. Even the power of the output signal from the LO seems to be be weak. X3ii amp section has plenty of power and based on the specifications, should have no problem driving headphones in the range of 150 Ohm.
Usability:
I have read many gripes about the UI of the X3ii. But in my experience, it was a well though-out and a simple UI that works great for DAPs. A15's UI is pretty intuitive. If you have owned the W/K series Sony Ericsson phones from the years 2005-2009, you'd find yourself in a familiar territory. The button layout and ergonomics are good on both the players. The volume rocker on the A15, may look tiny, but it was easy to find and operate.
Edit: Please skip over to this paragraph to read the updated info:
Update 04/03/2016: Fiio released the FW V1.4 sometime in January. Just as I hoped for, with this FW update, Fiio has fixed the Scroll Wheel accuracy issue. Meaning, now 1 click on wheel = 1 movement on the screen. The usability of the X3ii went from a 6/10 to a 10/10.
Additional Features:
- X3ii offers DAC functionality with PCs/Macs, High & Low Gain Setting and Coaxial Out
- A15 offers FM Tuner, Bluetooth Connectivity and a Variety of Playback Options
**To learn more about these features, please read the exclusive reviews of these devices
Conclusion:
If you are in search of a player in the $200, either of these players won't disappoint you. Between the X3ii and A15, choosing one player over the other is really a matter of your preference and much less a competition of which one is a better device overall.
Reasons to choose A15 over X3ii:
- you want a versatile player that is very practical with a long battery life, that is also pocket friendly
- you want to load music and just plug & play, and don't want to go through the hassle of managing music library and the tags
- device reliability is important
- you are a bass-head
Reasons to choose X3ii over A15:
- you are an audiophile and all you are looking for is sound quality & fidelity, and the rest of the factors are only secondary
- you don't mind taking time to managing your music library and tags
- you are looking for a DAP to use with your super-sensitive IEMs or hard-to-drive high impedance headphones
- you listen to a lot of instrumental tracks
--------------------THE END--------------------
