The recent launch of the X1 by FiiO sort of completes the “Holy Trinity” of FiiO digital audio players with the existing but slightly aged mid level X3 and their flagship X5 DAP receiving largely positive praise and selling pretty strongly to date. Both have been competing indirectly but never officially with the Ibasso DX50 and DX90 at similar capability and price ranges. I have to admit I enjoyed the X3 and the X5 but I firmly favor the DX90 overall for the Dual Sabre sound signature so I guess on a personal level Ibasso come out on top in that dual since price wasn’t a huge differentiating factor.
The FiiO X1 on the other hand at $99 will not have to compete with an Ibasso equivalent this time, so its nearest competitor could well be the timely Sansa Clip, Fuze or the Hifiman HM-700; all retailing from $75 to $120 in most outlets. In this budget busting range, most of these DAP’s have roughly the same functionality but in vastly different form factors. I have also seen some reviews comparing it to the X5. That is only natural given the fact it looks almost the exact same as an X5 though roughly 60% of the size. I think however it would be a bit of a mistake to pivot the review on whether the X1 or X5 represent better value. Sure there are some shared R&D and some enhancements even over the X5 which I will point out but the overriding feeling is if I have $100 to spend on a DAP I am going to shop around at that level first. I could easily skew this review by saying it’s only $99, give it a free pass and tell you its nearly, but not quite, as good as the X5 so all hail a new budget DAP standard but that is a disservice to FiiO as well as the guy with a $100 to burn in his pocket.
So where does the X1 stand in all of this? Is it better than anything else out there under $100 like the Clip or the HM-700? FiiO tried to differentiate it by saying this as “For the Young”, a DAP for the young people. I mean some of the “young” people I have met who are into headphones and portable audio are some of the most unbelievable hardcore audiophiles out there. Nothing and I mean nothing gets past them. How young do we go before it becomes an acceptable experience? 15, 10, even 5? My son is 5, he won’t touch it unless it has a touch screen and can play something with dinosaurs on it so maybe not that young. It is an unfortunate meme to associate audiophiles with age so I would say the X1 is more like what we call an enthusiast level camera – great for first timers, handy as a backup for the pro camera of choice for more serious users but never going to take the awards for best quality. In this category like gets compared with like and you have a whole distinct range of expected features and performance.
Build and functionality
Out of the box (the plain white not for resale box I might add) the X1 screams mini X5 and as I mentioned at the start you can’t help but compare it with its larger sibling. Both have the same form factor with the X1 being around 60% of the size of the X5. Both have the same jog wheel mechanism front and center and both have a similar type non-touch LCD display above the jog wheel. Both have a micro USB ports in the middle of the bottom plate and both have a headphone out jacks on the top plate.
Differences between the X1 and X5
The key functional differences are as follows. The X1 headphone jack doubles up as a line out jack whereas the X5 has separate headphone, line out and coaxial outputs. The X1 also sports only one unprotected microSD slot on the right side compared to the X5’s protected dual microSD slots on the bottom plate. The X1 also has a power and volume control button layout more akin to the E17 than the X5 which has rectangular volume up and down on the left side and the power button on the top.