What I do appreciate is the quality of the screen, the UI navigation and the responsiveness of the UI. I switched back low gain immediately though, it just sounds better and more relaxed. I’m walking a head of Mike’s sound impressions but this is one of the first times I found high gain to sound acceptable. Important to mention is also the +6dB high gain setting which I tried with the LCD-2. Besides that the only two other things I’ve noticed so far are that the controls become slower when accessing the bigger FLAC files on a fully packed X3 and that you sometimes get a small pop when switching tracks. I can’t really complain about the User Interface but if I have to say something it would probably be that the navigation structure by artist/album could be better but that will probably be the case in a later firmware version.
Overall the menu structure is not too difficult and complicated, it’s pretty obvious where you will find the different lists, options etc.
On top of that, as I said, this is a 1.00Beta version of the firmware and the UI will have several changes in the next version anyway. This review would get huge if I would describe every single menu item the X3 offers. A more valid comparison is to the popular Cowon players as the X9 that retails for $199 and is heaps ahead of the X3 in terms of build quality, screen size and technology (touch screen and UI). It’s a functional shape and size, but hardly inspiring in terms of aesthetics and definitely not as good as it looks on the 3D renderings. Being used to the build quality of the Astell & Kern AK100 and AK120 players (Headfonia Store is a huge Astell & Kern reseller), the Fiio really doesn’t feel like it belongs in the same class but obviously that’s a stupid comment as the Fiio retails for 1/3 the price of the AK100. It actually is thicker as some of the official pictures make it look but the overall size is great. The unit itself is black, weighs only 122gr and mesures 1.6cm – 5.5cm – 10.9cm, incorporating a 240×320 resolution screen. The X3 comes with a couple of accessories like a screen saver, a silicone case and a couple of cables. (I could post a list in the comments if anyone’s interested) The Looks / The Unit This will not be the firmware version the end consumer will have when their units arrive as there will still be several changes according to Fiio. The X3 at this very moment has only been available in mainland China and some samples have been sent to out to reviewers, these last units have a special version of the firmware: the FW1.00Beta.
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