REVIEW: FIIO X5III 3RD GENERATION – THE ONE THAT COULD
Author：Lieven
Review from：Headfonia
→→ Read the original article on Headfonia：>> Click here
Disclaimer: Fiio sent us the X5iii – 3rd generation Digital Audio Player for free. It doesn’t have to be returned as Fiio is a Headfonia partner.
Fiio
It’s been hard to keep up with Fiio lately and it seems plenty of new products and updates will see the light in 2017. This time however they’re back with a major update of one of their most successful DAPs, the Fiio X5. The original X5 DAP was launched late 2013 or early 2014 and it wasn’t before May/June 2015 that it got an update with the X5ii. Now we’re almost two years further and Fiio is back with another edition of their X5. This time however it is a major overhaul with a completely new DAP as a result. Fiio however still is the Price/quality king although they have been launching more expensive items as well.
The X5 always was extremely popular and a lot of people have been waiting for this new unit. The expectations as usual were/are high but just looking at the specs and possibilities this 3rd gen absolutely is a mid-fi killer DAP.
Fiio DAPS & X5 series
Where are the days that Fiio released the X3, the first of their DAP series. In the meantime Fiio now has a whole series of DAPs with the M3, X1, X3, X5 and X7. It’s a fact that everyone wants a piece of the DAP pie, but it rarely happens that one company has five different DAPs in their product lineup. This review was based on weeks of intensive daily use of the X5iii (not a tour model or shop audition).
The X5iii
The beautiful new X5iii is available in two different colors: titanium and black. Like the X7 DAP, the new X5iii is an Android based player (5.1 to be exact) and Fiio gives you the choice to use it in either the Android or Pure Music mode.
The X5iii comes with the golden High Resolution sticker and unlike the Fiio X7, it doesn’t use swappable amplification modules. You however do get a 2.5mm balanced output next to the regular 3.5mm SE output, and I personally am glad to see that.
Size wise, but we’ll get back to that later, I think the X5iii’s size is just right. It measures 114.2mm x 14.8mm x 66.2mm and sports a 480 x 800 touch screen. Yes, it perhaps looks a little like the AK380 but I don’t have any objections to that as they’re both part of the prettiest players on the market club.
The X5iii of course also can be updated by OTA (Over The Air) and the FW-version this review is based on is the latest 1.1.1 FW. I haven’t tried updating by OTA to be honest as the download from Western Europe was rather slow but you can manually download the FW from the Fiio Dropbox account and install it. (Drop zip file in root and click support-update). The Fiio X5iii DAP is very affordable and it will (only) set you back $399 USD / €449 Euro. Remarkable.
Tech Stuff & Specs
The new Fiio X5iii uses double AK4490 DAC chips and those are the exact same ones Astell&Kern use in their TOTL AK380 series. That doesn’t mean a thing though as it is all about the implementation and use of those chips. In a Facebook post (source unknown) someone even promoted the X5iii using the AK380 comparison. This DAC chip can “do” 32/768. Next to that the X5iii uses a quad core RK3188 processor and two separate crystal oscillators. One for DSD/44.1/88.2/176.4/352.8kHz and one for 48/96/192/3814kHz. Then there are two dual OPA1642A chips for low-pass filtering and dual OPA426 chips for amplification.
The Fiio X5iii comes with BlueTooth 4.0 (aptX) and 2.3GHZ Wifi. Its screen measures 3.97” and it’s a full touch screen. It shares the 480 x 800 screen size with the AK380 as well.
Specs wise the X5iii has -112dB Total Harmonic Distortion and 120dB SNR. All tech spec can be read in detail on the following page: See: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/65/parameters. The X5iii is developed to be use with ear- and headphones from 15 to 150Ohm.
BQ, Design, Layout
The Fiio X5iii looks beautiful and I love the design. We’re not the only who do actually, Fiio already won an IFI design award for the X5iii. The features Fiio likes to point out are the concealed double MicroSD slots, the volume knob, the N° 180 zirconium sand body and the leather case.
Not only does the X5iii look nice (the illuminated power button is so sexy), it’s also easy to use with one hand (more on that later). On the right side of the player you have the power/screen button and the double hidden SD slots. On the left side of the player you’ll find the pause/play button up on top with the volume wheel right below that. The BCK/FWD keys are situated under the volume button. On the bottom of the player you – from left to right – have the 3.5mm single ended headphone output, the 2.5mm balanced headphone output, the USB port and the 3.5mm Line Out/Coax out.
Size wise (114.2mm x 14.8mm x 66.2mm) it to me is perfect although something smaller like the AK70 is even easier to use on the go. The build quality of the X5iii is exemplary. No sharp edges, only 186g, good grip, easy located buttons. (1 handed control) I love how the FWD/BACK buttons feel when you push them and using the X5III simply is a joy. The only thing I’m not the biggest fan of is the volume wheel. When turning it, it doesn’t always have the same amount of resistance and the clicks feel a bit weird. It works flawlessly though. I’ve been using the X5iii for a couple of weeks now and I’ve been carrying it around without the leather case it came with. The X5iii can take a beating but I wouldn’t drop it too often as both the back and front might not survive the drop.
All in all I’m very satisfied with the build quality, design and the button lay-out (although it occasionally happens that you accidentally click the FWD/BCK when you want to click the power button. It’s just a matter of grip though). The X5iii’s UI’s user-friendliness is covered in one of the next chapters.
The story continues on Page 2, after the jump below or the click HERE: https://www.headfonia.com/review-fiio-x5iii-3rd-generation-the-one-that-could/2/
rsatility
Like with the X7, Fiio has created another versatile portable player. Besides the obvious fact that it is a portable high resolution audio player, you can also use the X5iii as a USB-DAC (24/192 driver to install Windows). You either have the choice of using the X5’s headphone out or the 3.5mm Line Out function. The X5iii also supports USB OTG, meaning you can pass the digital signal over USB to another DAC (see tests results below). The same USB-port also allows you to dock the player in the Fiio K5 Docking station. And if that still isn’t enough, you can also use the 3.5mm coax out. The only downside the X5iii has is that it doesn’t have a balanced 2.5mm Line Out function, like the AK’s.
As the Fiio X5iii is only going for $399/€449, we can forgive this shortcoming but it would have given the X5III even more value.
Memory & Battery
The Fiio X5iii comes heavily loaded with memory. The DAP has 1GB RAM and you get 32GB of internal memory to work with (26GB to the user). The X5iii accepts dual MicroSD cards of 256GB giving you well over 500GB of total storage. That means there’s more than enough room on the DAP for all your high resolution music. And if that isn’t enough there’s always Spotify or Tidal you can work with. And Last.fm scrobbling, not an issue.
The X5iii is equipped with a 3.8V / 3400mAh battery. In theory this battery should deliver over 10h of play time but in reality I haven’t gotten close to the 10h mark. With the screen turned for the VU meter, or lyrics and using high res files, I out of experience get closer to 7 – 8h of playtime. You do get double charging options however (USB or 9-12V) and recharging the battery goes quite fast.
Memory wise we couldn’t ask for more but I would have loved to get 10h out of one charge without worrying.
UI & User friendliness
The X5iii comes with an excellent touch screen and as I said the button layout is excellent. Usability of the X5 is very good and you don’t need to be a nuclear scientist to understand, it’s very straightforward and it’s as good as the same as the X7’s UI. You can either use Fiio’s native music app for playing your music or you can install a 3rd party app like Hiby in example. It all works.
Some positive points:
The main menu of the X5iii can be customized to your liking
You get a 10 band EQ with 9 prefixed settings
There’s built in Viper Effect software (partly free)
You can play back music from the Cloud directly or from a network server using DLNA
An excellent choice of filter modes
Two gain setting
Gorgeous new lock screen with album art (fw 1.1.1)
Playback pauses when the headphone is disconnected
The volume control has 120 steps
Installing and using Spotify, Youtube and Tidal in Android mode is a piece of cake. Streaming goes without any issue.
Lyrics can be displayed or you can choose the hypnotizing blue VU meters.
On the latest FW, the player – when connected to the web – searches and downloads the correct Album Art and lyrics of your music. The result of this search does depend on your file’s tag quality but I am very pleased with this. The idea behind this is great, just don’t expect all your local music to be found.
Some points for improvement
Updating the media library from a new 200GB memory card isn’t the fastest with the Fiio music player. The Hiby player updates it a lot faster.
Like with each player there still is room for gapless play improvement
It’s impossible to fast forward music when the screen is locked
The USB OTG function isn’t fully available yet but it will be in the next FW update according to Fiio. I did get the Mojo working with both the Fiio and Hiby music app but some occasional cracks were audible. I couldn’t get it to work with the Hugo or C5D yet and only partly with the RHA DacAmp L1. I’m sure this will be improved with further updates.
It sometimes takes two seconds to switch to the next song after you clicked the button. Sometimes it works perfectly fast, and sometimes it doesn’t. I still haven’t fully figured it out but the last FW update did improve the switch speed already. I’m sure Fiio can get this sorted out with a next update. (confirmed by fellow reviewers)
When FLAC or DSD is playing and you have paused your music, the screen goes black after a while. When clicking the side play-button to restart the music, it takes about 4 seconds before you hear any music (when the screen is still active, this doesn’t happen). There are a few more of these “lag” cases like this, in example when you’re using the search function on a fully loaded 200gb card. The X5iii just isn’t the most reactive/responsive DAP, let’s hope FW upgrades improve it. (confirmed by fellow reviewers)
The leather case is covering up some buttons and that’s not nice to use
Using the X5iii is easy, straightforward and now faster thanks to the last update. While the FW still isn’t perfect with things like music sorting and lag, the player is still is an absolute joy to use. The X5iii together with the AK70 and AK380 are my favorite players for daily use. The Cayin i5 also is a very good player with a very good UI but it doesn’t work as easy size-wise and button-layout wise as these three players do. Great job, Fiio.
Accessories
Accessory wise Fiio pretty much always delivers. With the X5iii you get one USB cable, one typical Fiio Coax Digital adaptor, one tempered glass screen protector (pre-applied in the factory) and a leather case. While the Fiio leather case is OK’ish (it’s not the best) I mostly end up using the player without case.
When I did use a leather case I want the buttons to be freely accessible. I don’t like it when they’re covered under the leather. With cases like the Cayin i5’s I don’t have a problem and my favorite cases are those of Miter. I’m actually using those for my AK70, AK380, this Fiio X5iii and my Mojo.
You can find all about how it sounds on the next page, after the CLICK: https://www.headfonia.com/review-fiio-x5iii-3rd-generation-the-one-that-could/3/
und
So we now know the Fiio X5iii is beautiful, heavily equipped in terms of chips and memory and that it’s a pleasure to use. For $399 this is a sub $500 DAP killer so far, but will it be able to score big on “sound” too?
The new Fiio X5 sounds fairly neutral but with a smooth delivery and it certainly isn’t warm, dry or analytical sounding. The Fiio X5iii is quite different from the X5ii’s tuning which was less smooth and more clear and analytical. The X5iii’s chips deliver a good level of detail with a good sound stage width and depth for the price range. I would say it is wider than it is deep though. Separation and airiness is good. You get a clean and clear sound (yet not like the X5ii) that always is musical in its delivery. I didn’t observe any annoying channel imbalance at lower volumes.
From bass to mids to treble the Fiio X5iii has a full bodied and engaging sound. It doesn’t boost the bass or favors vocals or treble and I actually find it a very balanced sounding DAP. Bass has good impact and body with good quality, the mids are perfectly in line with the bass and they’re very musical and rich. Treble is soft and easygoing but it does have enough energy for all musical styles. The better quality files you use the better the X5iii will sound. With some of my old 128kb files you get a dark sound where detail and clarity is missing, so do make sure your files are up to the norm.
With full sized headphones and normal inears, the Fiio X5iii is silent but when you switch to sensitive inears/IEMs such as the Jomo Samba you can definitely hear the typical hissing noise. The noise is most present when using the balanced output which is quite remarkable. Using the single ended output, there is less audible hiss but it is still there. I always tend to go “balanced” whenever I can but with the X5iii I most of the time end up using the single ended output with my ciems. Not a lot of people like noise or can ignore it so if you do have sensitive gear in your collection do try the X5iii first. If you read reviews where they claim there is no hiss it probably is because they don’t have the gear that picks it up. The hiss unfortunately is there. Another downside is the performance of the balanced output. It’s not bad but it doesn’t perform like most other balanced outputs either. Normally you get a wider more spacious sound with a better presentation but the difference in performance on the X5iii is more limited as say with the Astell&Kern DAPs or the Luxury&Precision ones.
One of the things I like most in the X5iii is the way it does bass. Bass is fairly neutral but it does have a full body with for me great impact. At the same time bass goes deep with good layering but it never gets out of control or runs into the mids. It’s not the tightest and fastest bass ever but it certainly is foot tappingly good. A lot of people might expect a Fiio Bass Boost kind of bass but I can assure you that absolutely isn’t the case. It’s a mix of quality and quantity this time round. The midrange has that smoothness I mentioned earlier (don’t mistake it for a warm sound). The mids have the right amount of air with good instrumental separation. The mids sound rich and musical and they have the same excellent body just like the bass does. Do not expect forward mids with more upfront vocals, but musical and natural sounding mids. X5iii’s treble has that same smooth character and while the treble is soft, it still manages to engage at all time. Fans of forward, highly detailed or extended treble won’t like what they hear. Think more of a soft and musical approach where treble rolls off sooner keeping it always easygoing.
DAP Comparisons
Of course everyone wants to know how it sounds compared to its predecessor, the X5ii. For the moment the X5ii is still available but the original X5 isn’t so I’ll not include it in the comparison. First of all the X5ii is part of the “old style” Fiio DAPs. That means they have a small, no touch screen and that all the navigation is done by using the buttons and the scroll wheel. Honestly, going back to the wheel to navigate was absolute horror. Design, build quality and usability, the new X5iii is miles ahead of the 2nd generation DAP.
Sound wise the X5ii was cleaner and it sounded clearer where the new X5iii has a smoother presentation. The X5ii was faster, tighter and more solid state sounding. Basically the excellent X5ii is the more analytical one where the X5iii is the musical one. Another way to describe both DAPs is that the X5ii is the lighter more forward sounding one and the X5iii is the thicker and easier one. The sound stage on the X5ii does seem bigger and deeper than on the X5iii but that might just seem like that because of the clearer presentation. Treble on the “old” version was more energetic and extended, there’s no doubt about that. Sound stage wise these aren’t that different looking at the width but I do feel the new X5ii goes deeper. Bass body on the X5iii is a little bigger and bass has slightly more impact where the X5ii was more neutral. The mids of the X5iii have more body and sound richer. The same hissing monitors on the X5ii are dead silent on the X5ii, so that’s a win for the X5ii. In the end the X5iii and X5ii are too different to say which one is the absolute best. If you’re more into neutral tight and fast sound, you might prefer the 2nd generation. If you want more depth, body and a smoother presentation than the X5iii is the one for you. But they’re quite complementary really.
The Luxury & Precision L3PRO is a little more expensive ($499) but it is one of the best sounding players on the market. Like with the X5ii, the new X5iii completely blows it away looking at FW, user friendliness and “Android” possibilities such as Tidal. They’re about the same size wise. Sound wise, the L3PRO shows bigger body like the X5iii but the X5iii’s is bigger in bass and mids. The L3PRO presents the sound in a cleaner and tighter way. I also find the treble to be more energetic on the L3PRO but the Fiio’s detail better. The mids have the same level of detail and depth, but again they’re cleaner on the L&P DAP. Sound stage width-wise these players are very comparable.
The Cayin’s i5, also an Android player and priced at $499, is just as easy to work with, it even is faster than the X5iii and it doesn’t show lag anywhere. Size wise I prefer the Fiio design and the i5 of course doesn’t have the balanced output. The Cayin’s sound is a little sharper overall, it has a more in your face presentation compared to the relaxed X5iii. Voices are more forward on the I5 but the level of detail is about the same. The X5iii seems to go a little bit deeper. Body-wise both players are very much alike. Treble on the i5 is more extended and energetic while bass has a tad more impact on the I5. It’s a difficult choice between both these players but the Fiio has double SD slots and a balanced output. The i5 is faster and has less noise.
Fiio’s TOTL DAP, the X7 (with my favorite AM2 card loaded), costs around $479 for the moment on Amazon.com. It is faster in general usage and it updates the library faster as well. With both players you get more or less the same functionalities but the X5iii is the easiest to use because of its design/layout. The X7 is faster and more reactive. The X7 has less noise than the X5iii when using sensitive monitors. Compared to the X7/AM2 combo, the X5iii sounds a little sharper where the X7 is cleaner and more precise. The X5iii is close to the X7 and the X7 is closer to the i5. Compared to the X5iii, the X7 still wins on technicalities and I don’t see any reason why you should turn in your X7 for an X5iii. They’re both great players, I prefer the sound and usability of the X7 but the design and lay-out of the X5iii.
Astell&Kern’s AK70 is more expensive but it does have a perfectly silent and great sounding balanced output. It’s also faster and more reactice when using it but it’s an Android version that (besides Tidal) doesn’t allow you to install any other apps. IF you don’t need all the customization options and you have extra money to spend, the AK70 could be more interesting. If you want something more versatile, the Fiio X5iii is the one to get.
Even more on the Fiio X5iii’s sound is on Page Four: https://www.headfonia.com/review-fiio-x5iii-3rd-generation-the-one-that-could/4/
c & Source
Why use an external amplifier or DAC with the X5iii? Because you can, because you prefer a different sound signature or maybe just because you need more power for your headphones. It’s a pity that the X5iii only has a single ended 3.5mm out though. The Fiio A5 portable amp seems to be the one a lot of people are planning on hooking up to their X5iii, as they size-wise perfectly fit. Fiio will also be releasing an X5iii stacking kit soon. Do check out our A5 review here. The big advantage the A5 has is that it is silent with the same sensitive inears that pick up the noise from the X5iii directly. As said in the A5 review, the amp performs pretty well and it’s my new favorite Fiio amp. It’s up to you to decide if you feel the A5’s sound quality is better than the X5iii’s but that will mostly depend on the head- or earphone you’ll be using it with.
While Fiio has reported that the USB OTG function (digital output over USB) will only be fully operational in a next update, I did get it working with the Chord Mojo on both the Fiio and the Hiby music app. Size wise this combo setup doesn’t really match up but I’m sure everyone is creative enough to make it work. The result is the typical Mojo sound, so do check out our double Chord Mojo review here and here. I couldn’t get the RHA DacAmp L1, ALO CDM or JDSLabs C5D DAC/Amp combos working with the X5iii but once Fiio gets this sorted out, I’ll be adding a part on what unit pairs best with the Fiio X5 sound wise.
I have been using the X5iii very regularly as desktop DAC/amp in combination with the AudioQuest NightOwl and SoundWarrior HP20. Both headphones are fairly easy to drive and X5iii’s amp didn’t have any problems making these sound good. To get the X5iii working with your Windows pc, you do need to install the special Fiio driver. Once you get that sorted out, using the DAP as a DAC is very easy. To me personally using a DAP as DAC/Amp is something I do in case of emergency when there is no other DAC around, but the quality of the DAP DAC’s is constantly improving. Besides for testing purposes I didn’t feel the need to use the Line Out/Coaxial out to an amp and/or DAC. This flawlessly works and there are no surprises to report here. Most of the time I end up liking the coaxial output over the USB one, but as this isn’t fully operational yet, I won’t be going into more detail about it.
Pairings
Dimitri from MusicaAcoustics sent me a bunch of Japanese headphones and the SoundWarrior HP20 actually is pretty nice. It has a more v shaped signature and after swapping the stock cable with a PlusSound one, it sounds really good straight out of the Fiio X5iii. The HP20 has a lighter and more analytic presentation and the X5iii with its smoother and relaxed presentation make it a very detailed yet musical headphone. While I am a fan of the latest AudioQuest NightOwl headphone, I’m not too fond of the synergy between it and the X5iii. The sound is rather light, very airy and not too defined with light bass. I very much prefer this headphone combined with RHA’s L1 DacAmp.
The budget KR ATR universal IEMs, like the famous VE Monk, only cost about $5 (free shipping) but they have an extremely good sound quality for the money. Compared to the Monk they’re more V-shaped in sound signature and they are IEMs and not earbuds. The X5iii makes them sound powerful with impactful bass, lush yet detailed mids and easygoing treble. If you’re a fan of a warmer, bass heavier sound, you will really enjoy these IEMs on the X5iii. I’m thinking R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, EDM, Pop, etc. The Radius hp-twf41 is another full bodied sounding universal IEM and as the Fiio already has quite the body, it for some might be too much. Bass heavy music isn’t for me with this combination, but all other genres get that typical hp-twf41 sound. This IEM keeps surprising.
The neutrally tuned custom Jomo Samba 8-driver as explained earlier will pick up some noise but if you can hear beyond that you’ll get a neutral sound with tight bass and detailed mids. The treble on the Samba is extended enough to even keep the treble fans happy. It’s a pretty good detailed and musical combination but my absolute favorite IEM with the Fiio X5iii is the German Inear ProPhile 8. The PP8 with Effect audio’s latest cable (the Thor Silver II+) sounds very detailed and it has a great sound stage. Without boost you get a neutral tuned flatter sounding monitor but even with the boost toggles flipped “on” the bass and treble, which increase in presence, are to die for. The detail and clarity of the PP8 combined with the body and smoothness of the Fiio X5iii make this the best combination for me to listen to. I realize the ProPhile 8 cost over double the X5iii but the synergy is incredible.
Personally I would recommend pairing a more neutral and clear sounding IEM/headphone with the X5iii as a warm and bassy unit might be “too much”.
TL/DR aka Conclusion
I love the design, lay-out and the usability of the Fiio X5. It’s easy and a pleasure to work with and as it is Android, the Fiio X5iii can basically run all the apps that you want. When buying the Fiio X5iii you don’t only get a DAP, but a portable DAC and DAC/Amp with five different outputs (3.5mm SE out, 2.5mm Balanced out, Line Out, Coax out and USB OTG). So you basically get one unit that can do it all.
The Fiio X5iii sounds more to the neutral side but with a musical and smooth presentation yet keeping all the detail nicely in there. It’s hard not to like. Is the X5iii a perfect DAP? No it isn’t yet as there still are several kinks to work out with the upcoming firmware updates. Even in the current state though, the Fiio X5iii already is a killer DAP in the sub $500 category (or even above). It definitely has the possibility to become the very best one once the remaining issues have been worked away. If Fiio manages to improve the reactivity/speed of the UI, lose some noise and improve the clarity of the sound a tad more, it’ll be the almost perfect player.
Well done Fiio!
