The X3 uses the standard Bluetooth 4.1 protocol to connect with your wireless headphones and speakers. It is a pity that being a High-Res audio player, it doesn't have support for AptX which supports uncompressed (mostly) audio streaming wirelessly. As a result audio quality through Bluetooth is good but not great - dynamic range, clarity and detail take a hit as compared to audio through the headphone jack.

The 3rd Gen X3 also marks the first time they have gone dual DAC at this price point with a pair of TI PCM5242 DAC chips, one per channel. This is combined with no less than 3 separate PCB boards for the DAC, amp and Bluetooth module in an effort to reduce any potential interference with the quality of the output.

I liked it quite much especially on acoustic music and I do feel it excells on everything that has tons of mids and bass. At this moment it might just be the most balanced Hi-Res DAP on the market.

Va spun si un mic secret, din multe puncte de vedere X3 Mark III ar putea fi cel mai bun player portabil FiiO, mai ales prin prisma raportului pret/performanta. Daca nu aveti nevoie de un sistem de operare Android, de aplicatii terte sau de streaming de muzica prin Wi-Fi, atunci s-ar putea ca X3 MKIII sa fie exact ceea ce cautati.

The Chinese based Fiio never stops innovating and it’s one of the most active companies when it comes to product development, and most of all, upgrades.

If you’re looking to take a first step into the world of dedicated audio players, the X3-III is easy for us to recommend.

FiiO X3 doczekał się trzeciej iteracji, i to nie byle jakiej. Najnowsza wersja to zupełnie nowa konstrukcja wyposażona w podwójny przetwornik Burr-Brown PCM5242, wyjście zbalansowane, a nawet Bluetooth 4.1 z Dual-Mode.

На нашей планете есть некоторые неизменные явления: Солнце восходит на востоке, зимой — холодно, от русского рэпа из ушей идёт кровь, FiiO обновляют свои плееры. FiiO X3 достаточно долго является «главной скрепой» в линейке компании, и вот очередь обновлений добралась до него.

Video review of X3MKIII

Pros - Modern form factor, improved wheel, sonic performance, Bluetooth, general features, balanced mode (for those who value it), ease of use (UI)

Fiio is one such company, offering a consistent lineup of well-designed amplifiers, DACs, and audio players that are focused on music, not apps.

El FiiO X3 III es el nuevo flamante reproductor de gama media de la firma asiática que trae consigo mejoras tales como la salida balanceada, dos chips de sonido y una estética renovada entre otras cosas.

Come with Dual-Dacs, versatile connection such as balanced 2.5 mm, bluetooth (aptX), etc

People who are familiar with my past reviews and/or comments on Head-Fi would very likely have noticed a pattern when it comes to my criticism of Fiio. But really, the trend is not my criticism, but the trend is rather that Fiio’s competitors are increasingly providing consumers with more feature-packed devices. Sure, in the higher-price brackets of the X5 3rd Gen and X7, Fiio is perhaps still the value king for now; but in the more budget-friendly sector it’s starting to seem like Fiio are genuinely struggling to keep up. Heck, it’s perhaps even at a point where we can say that they really can’t keep up anymore. Almost as though we’re genuinely left wondering if Fiio are even aware of their competition; because it certainly seems like they’re not really doing anything to keep up.