When digital audio players started taking over (especially Apple’s iPod) a new category of gadgets came into the market and slowly axed music CDs and cassettes. However, the era of MP3 players didn’t last long as soon most people started using their smartphones to listen to music. There are a few well-known brands such as Sony, Apple and Philips, which are still making an effort to keep the category of standalone music players alive. Joining them in their effort is Chinese brand, Fiio, which has been making affordable digital audio players for some time now and has recently launched the Fiio X5 2nd Generation music player — an audiophile’s dream come true.
The Fiio X5 2nd Gen (an update on the original Fiio X5) takes inspiration from the design patterns of the popular Apple iPod Classic with a small display and a round click wheel below, except the wheel actually rotates and there are a few more buttons around it to make the user experience simpler. It comes with expandable storage and has two microSD card slots, both of which support up to 128 GB of memory, allowing you to carry huge libraries of music on the go. The player uses a microUSB port for charging and transferring music. It can play up to 192 kHz and DSD128 high-res files and covers almost every audio file format. High-resolution audio definitely sounds impressive and even songs in MP3 format turn out to be crisp and fulfilling. With a 3,300mAh battery, the player can last about 9 hours after a full charge.
Fiio has focused on delivering professional-grade sound output. At Rs 25,000 it is an expensive deal, no doubt, but then you are paying for top-notch quality.
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