Fiio X5 3rd Gen Portable DAP Review – A Great Mid-Range DAP For Audiophiles and Music Lovers

Fiio X5 3rd Gen Performance and Sound Quality

I find the Fiio X5 3rd DAP very easy to use. If you are an Android user, using the X5 III won’t be a problem at all. If this is your first time to use or encounter an Android operating system, you may need to explore a little bit. I don’t think iPhone users will have difficulty adjusting to its UI since it is very smartphone-like. But then again, your mileage may vary.

I have to admit though that the Quad-Core Cortex A9 RK3188 SoC by Rockship together with a 1GB of RAM may not be the smoothest and snappiest experience. If you have been reading smartphone reviews, specially mid-range to flagship smartphones; one thing that people would put their attention is how fast or fluid the UI would be. It’s all about speed! The Fiio X5 III’s SoC is capable of running the UI, but I don’t think it’s the smoothest and most fluid experience. Turning the unit on does take about a minute or less; and it does lag sometimes, specially if you load to several apps or resource demanding apps. But it’s a good thing that you can watch videos with the Fiio X5 or watch YouTube videos; unlike on the Cayin i5.

Don’t get me wrong when I say it’s not the most fluid and smoothest experience. I’m comparing my experience with a mid-range to high-end smartphone when it comes to its user interface. And these smartphones have a much powerful SoC built-into them and more RAM compared to the Fiio X5 III.

The Fiio X5 3rd Gen supports Google Play Store and installation of third party applications. That’s a good thing since you can use it just like a smartphone. Although, don’t expect that you can play graphics intensive games with the X5 III. With the help of a third party app like the ES File Explorer, you can easily manage your files including deleting them or copying/moving them to another folder. I think, having an Android based operating system or user interface is a lot more convenient and easy to use compared to home-brewed or Linux based UI on other DAPs. Although, it does require more processing power and RAM to operate properly.

There are two modes you can use on the Fiio X5 3rd gen; either you use Android mode or Pure music mode. In Android mode, you use the unit just like any other Android-based device and you can run the music player as well; or switch from different apps. However, in pure music mode, only the main music player is running. I think all apps are disabled and you need to switch back to Android mode if you want to use other apps or go back to the home screen. Switching from one mode to another is easy and doesn’t require a reboot or restart. Just hit the icon on the notification menu (swipe from top to center). The advantage of running in Pure music mode is most of the resources or processing power of the Fiio X5 III is focused on the music player only.

I’m not going to focus on the Android side of the X5 III, since it’s pretty much similar to an Android device running Lollipop OS. Instead let’s focus on the main Fiio player app used in this device. I’m not 100% sure if the music player app used in the X5 III is (exactly) the same installed on the X7, but I think they are. So if you are an X7 owner or have at least experienced using an X7, I’m sure the experience would be very familiar or similar.

Once you launch the music player app, you’ll be greeted with the main screen menu (left photo above). The red icon is for the playlist section, the yellow is for browsing the storage drives and the green icon is for DLNA. Pressing the “note” icon will launch the now playing screen and pressing the album art will play a random music from the library. Also, from the main music player screen, swiping it from the left screen towards the middle reveals the settings menu (middle photo above).

The user interface is quite good, very good actually. It’s very easy to use and I think everything that you need to properly manage your audio files is in there. If I were to compare the user interface of Fiio X5 3rd gen vs Cayin i5 and even vs Opus #1-#3, personally I find the X5 III’s music player app easier and better to use. However, in terms of simplicity and minimalist approach, the Opus DAP is the way to go. Cayin’s music player app is good too, but for me the X5 III has the better one.

If you scroll down on the settings menu of the Fiio X5 III’s music player, you’ll find lots of options and customization, including the ViPER effect. The ViPER effect is fun to play with and you can “enhance” or place an audio effect depending on your preference. You can enhance the audio’s clarity, boost the base and many other effects. However, it’s not 100% free. You can use some of the effects, but you will have to buy some of the features to enable its function.

The photos above, the one at the middle and the one on the right is how the now playing screen looks like. From that screen, you have the basic controls (play/pause/next/back); you also have EQ, Bluetooth, add to favorite, add to a (new) playlist, search music, delete the current music file and play order. Tap on the album art in the middle and it will try to display or download the track’s lyrics. Tap it again and it will display the audio file’s information. Tap it for the third time and it will display the VU meter visualization (right photo above).

By now, we already know that it has a good body design, and the user interface including the music player app is very user friendly and overall great as well. But how does the Fiio X5 III 3rd gen sound? How does two AK4490 DAC chips paired with OPA1612 LPF and two customized OPA426 chips sound like?

I don’t normally play with EQ or effects. I like to listen to a device with its natural state, or stock settings without any help from software or apps. As much as possible I like things to be natural and neutral and true to its state; and that include the headphones or earphones I use. In my subjective listening experience with the Fiio X5 III, I think the DAC section is pretty clean and smooth overall. Generally, it is just as I expect from a DAP/DAC powered with an AK4490 DAC chip. The Fiio X5 III has a neutral tonality that is leaning towards the warmer side. I don’t think it’s 100% natural, but it is near and at the same time perhaps it has a tad laid-back presentation. But it’s definitely smooth as expected from an AK4490 DAC chip. For those who have a good experience with the said DAC chip, I’m sure you know what I mean.

I think the Fiio X5 3rd gen has sound quality that has a good level of detail and soundstage or layering. It won’t be able to compete with the Opus #3‘s level of soundstage and layering but I think it is good enough for its price. Mids to lower mids to bass sound full to my ears, round and not over powering. The treble region is not that sparkling to my ears and it may need some refinement. Sorry, but for those who are looking for that “glorious highs”, you won’t find that here.

Like I said earlier, sound quality is leaning a bit towards the warm side, and it’s not reference sounding; perhaps to some extent only. The sound may not also be revealing or transparent compared to higher end DAPs and I don’t think a purist will appreciate this kind of tone.

The amp section is not that bad, but it’s not top notch as well. It definitely has the power to drive most headphones or earphones on the market, although I would not recommend pairing it with a very demanding headphone. An external amp is required if you have such a headphone and you want the X5 III as your source. Finally, I don’t really think Fiio plans to really “bring it all” and pour everything on the X5 III. After all, this is a mid-range DAP with a price tag of only $399. Just imagine, if they integrated a (much) better amp on the X5 III, then it would become much better than the X7 and it would cannibalize its sales. No reason to buy the X7 if that happens; probably the only reason is if you are really interested with the upgradable amp section on the X7. By the way, based on what I have heard and read, the X7 truly shines with the use of AM2 or AM3 amp module.

For those who have a preferred or favorite external portable amplifier, like the Chord Mojo; pairing it with the X5 III may improve your listening experience. In my case, I use ALO’s CDM and it certainly improved the overall SQ and listening experience.

If you want to check out the detailed specs of the Fiio X5 III 3rd gen, it’s at the end of this review. Now time to wrap things up and conclude this review.

Fiio X5 3rd Gen Review: Final Thoughts

The Fiio X5 3rd gen is a modern day smart-DAP loaded with tons of features and connectivity options. If you check the specs sheet and the set of highlighted features, it looks like a really impressive DAP. And on top of that, it’s only going to cost you $399 with all those features. I would say that it’s really an impressive mid-range DAP. The latest X5 model is far different from its predecessors, and I think Fiio has adapted and innovated their products well to cope up and meet the demands of the current generation of audiophiles and music lovers.

It’s an impressive DAP, yes, but there is a “but” to it. It looks and feels like a flagship DAP, or others would call it a summit-fi or hi-fi DAP. But when you start to listen to it, you’ll realize that sound quality stops on the mid-fi level. That’s no surprise actually, considering that this IS a mid-range DAP; and I am not complaining about it at all considering the price range. It’s going to (aggressively) compete with other mid-range DAP on the market and Fiio made sure to compete not only in terms of sound quality and price, but also in terms of the number of features their portable player has to offer.

If you are going to ask me if I can recommend this DAP? Definitely yes! I definitely recommend that you consider the Fiio X5 III, specially if you are coming from an entry level DAP or if this is your first dedicated portable digital audio player. However, if you own an X7, I think you should wait for the second generation of the X7. I am expecting that Fiio will release it this year, probably a few months from now. And if you own a higher end DAP already; this is probably not for you, unless you collect audio gear.

At the end of the day, Fiio was able to deliver such a feature-rich hi-res portable DAP in the form of the Fiio X5 III 3rd gen. It sounds good for its price and has a plethora of features to play with.

What I like About the Fiio X5 3rd Gen:

• Easy to use, very user friendly
• Android based with 5.1 Lollipop
• CNC Aluminum body
• Price / performance / set of features
• WiFi and Bluetooth with aptX support
• Google Play and third party app support
• Dual micro SD card slot

What I don’t like about the X5 3rd Gen:

• Not the smoothest or most fluid operation
• Easy accidental press of play/pause button
• Volume wheel click sound a little bit loud
• Tracks cannot be manually arranged on Favorite

The Fiio X5 3rd gen portable digital audio player comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399.99.
You can check the latest pricing and availability at Amazon.com here.

Fiio X5 3rd Gen Specifications