FiiO X5 3rd gen Premium Hi-Res DAP

Summary:
 
I wanted to love this unit.  Really I did.   I was looking forward to a sound signature in line with or even better than thebit Opus #1; Cayiin i5, and other Android app capabledevices.  And at first I thought I was going to absolutely love it.  With less complicated, semi-acoustic albums it sounded very good.   Miles Davis Kind of Blue (MFSL-SACD DSD rips) sounded clean and articulate. Beck's Sea Change--sounded nice.  But then I started trying out heavier rock; and my opinion became muddier.  Or should I say the sound became muddier.
 
And for me; sound is factor #1, #2, and #3.  Simply put, I can't rave about the sound.  Now with some FIIO products sound signatures move around with various firmwares, and we are only on version 1.13.  So I would watch how the reviews evolve over time. I remember that the sound on the original X3 went from muddy to very pleasing over time.  I hope that happens here.
 
Then there is the issue of the apps.  They do not all seem to hang together right now.   
 
Right now I would rather own a single purpose machine with great sound (Opus #1 is a stand out at this price point, but there are others).  Or perhaps feed the Chord Mojo (yes it is that good) with your device of choice.   I hope the firmware evolves and that my initial thoughts will prove to be out-dated.
 
Sound
 
It might be because of impedance issues; but I have two observations when using this with the FLC8S.  First, there can be almost too much bass with this machine.   I found that taking the FLC8S to a reference tuning was a good choice (gray - gray - gunmetal).  Otherwise sometimes there is simply too much bass.  I think some would describe the sound as congested or bloomy. in the low and mid-bass area. 
 
Second, for some reason, when music is not playing, I experienced a fair amount of hiss with the FLC8S. 
 
I did try two other IEMs; the venerable Carbo Tenore and my LZ-A2.   The LZ also sounded a bit muddy.  The Carbo Tenore is a bit bass light compared to the other two IEM units, and did not have the same bloom issues.
 
On the positive side, the treble was clear and open and I thought the soundstage was likeable.  But unlike other electronics, I found myself listening too much to the unit and not enough listening to the msuic.
 
User Interface
 
OK, I will admit it.  There is much to be said for old school digital audio players.  Scroll wheel, buttons, volume knobs.   With this unit, you very much know you are using anAndroid device.  I like to listen to music in folder mode.  Bad choice for this machine.  There is no easy way to traverse folder structure.  You need to close down the FIIO app to get back to the SD card file level.  Otherwise you will be presented with a  somewhat random list of albums created from scans.  With some errors to boot.
 
I was able to put in some network passwords and look at FLAC files on my NAS units.  But the unit does not seem to associate those files with the FIIO music app and you get an error message when you click on the files.  Well, one it actually started playing music with firmware 1.11; but I could not repeat that happy situation.   Once it started to download the files from the NAS to the unit; but I cancelled that.
 
I did play some tunes via JRiver's Gizmo APK app.  Unfortunately, Gizmo transcodes music to 320kbps MP3 (at best).  I suppose I could have fiddled with some APKs from Synology.  I put in DS Audio but that just wanted to download files not play them.  As you might guess, I dropped that idea.  If I was the owner of the unit I probably would have doggedly looked for another, better workaround but since I was just testing the unit I decided to punt on that effort.
 
There is an advanced audio equalizer available, but it seemed to require a separate license and I was not interested in that.  So sorry, not comments about VIPER from me.  The primary equializer works with files at least up to 24 - 96 (that was all I tested).  It does not work with DSD files (not a criticism; DSD files are not designed for EQ).   Actually, I almost never use EQ so testing that was not a priority for me either.
 
I did not test Tidal or other streaming apps
 
Features:
 
I like the dual microSDXC slots.  I did not test the bluetooth, or the USB outputs to an external DAC.  Nor did i use it as a DAC from the PC or iphone.
 
 
Summary:
 
I really wanted to love this machine and came away on the positive side of neutral but not enthralled.  My $200 DAP is not as detailed as the X5III, but it is not muddy with heavy rock tracks.
 
I hope that future firmware releases will address some of the issues discussed here.  I thank FIIO for allowing me to evaluate this unit
 
Disclaimer:   I was loaned this unit by FIIO as part of a North American Tour.  No renumeration was received for this review.
 
 
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