Somehow I forgot to mention it in the video - X6 MKII does produce background hiss when sensitive IEMs are connected. So big cans - no problem, sensitive IEMs - not great.
I got the same issue and reached out to the manufacturer about this. Seems like by switching to a better power source, the hiss would drastically decrease. (the original power is pretty bad i guess)
This combo dac/amp is really a surprise. Very well controlled bass and excellent resolution in the vocals. Totally spot on review. A hair bit of dryness, but it is extremely well controlled. Comparing it right now to a Fiio K5 pro, and the K5 has a smooth warmer sound, but it's missing some of the resolve and tightness of the FX Audio. Thank you for suggesting this amp/dac! Never would have picked it up without your recommendation.
I received mine yesterday and i was blown away on its sound quality its better than my previous ifi nano ione dac which is over rated and 4x the price. Im happy with my new fx audio x6 mkii. Btw i sold the ifi and bought this one and never regret it.
Yes! I fixed it on “usb in” my “media player foobar” has out playback settings that allow you to make tiny adjustments to stop/start positions I dialled them down to zero. Sadly no fix for cd/optical though.
Thanks for comparing it to the E30. I have the xduoo xq 50 pro Bluetooth receiver and I am planning on using it with the e30. It also uses the 9018 chip. I'm going to run it analog into my atom amp and digital into the e30. Effectively it will be a poor man's astell & kern se200
Just got this in the mail today. Sounds very good for the price, BUT as soon as I put it close to my iMac it starts picking up some kinds of interferences. Could it be the Bluetooth? Anyway, it’s enough to move it a couple inches away from the computer to get rid of the interferences so it’s not that big of a deal, just throwing it out to the public!
I find it a nice option as budget option for powered speakers connected to my tv - when it's late and you don't want to anger neighbours you can switch to hp.
... this dac is not so good, as i wish (or, maybe, i hoped), but it is possible to use it without any disapointment, man cant wait some miracles only... bt is usable, but offers (despite used receiver chip) only basic quality, hp jack is made very poor - it is losing contact in somewhat little move with hp cable... i tbink, mk1 was made better in terms of quality...Edit : after some time spended with this device (and compared it with couple of dacs), i must admit - it is very good combo (and hp jack is made as is it for purpose)...so sorry FX-Audio and iWii 2...
I’m using this to broadcast Spotify thru my vintage MCS receiver tape input and it sounds great...I have the premium Spotify settings on “tube amp” eq and highest quality sound etc. a great way to add wireless convenience to a vintage sound system!
Your reviews are usually good but this one is flawed because you didn't hook it up to a home stereo so its sound is dependent on the headphone amp which is probably cheap. Most of us buy this to hook up to a stereo.
You NEED to put the MUSES02 op amp in it if you want mids's and really good bite and punch, the X6 only goes to 96,000hz the MK2 goes to 192,000hz, your phone does not go to 192,000.
@@adrianjoshcruz792 You cant, they got 10 ohms output impedance whichnis very good for headphone and really bad for iems , ideally you want your headphone/iems impedance 8 times of the output impedance, you can try use impedance adapter to eliminate the hiss on sensitive iem, but thats will severly the freq response
Amazing information and what a passion for music. Can you please suggest me a budget Dac/ amplifier for headphones. I use Sennheiser hd560s and hifiman he400se. The new FX audio dac x6 sounds good, but is the ifi zen air dac for $99 or topping D10s for $110 better buys ?. Also any suggestions on $40 douk u3 amplifier. I cannot find any reviews . Thanks again !
Hi, would you be able to tell me of this DAC Amp can power headphones with the following power requirements please? power requirements are: Maximum power handling: 5W RMS Frequency response: 30Hz - 30kHz THD: 100mW Recommended power: >250mW
@@iiWiReviews I'm torn between this FX Audio DAC X6 MKII vs Topping D10s. Which one do you recommend assuming price is not an issue? Will be nice to see you do a Top 10 DAC ranking below $200 video in the near future. :)
i got this few days back and tested with a few headphones. its really good sounding for me. as you said it doesn't have a warm sound but bass is def there meaning there is no chance bass will bleed to mids. seemed flat to me. mids were ok for me. it may seem a bit recessed but that might be due to not having a warm/boosted low mids. to me it sounded flat. treble has a lot of clarity. def not flat here but the tuning is really good. agree with the volume knob. it still amplifies even after reaching the top led. but yeah doesn't matter what level its at, as long as it can provide the desired volume to be honest.
@@ruzlan369 if you open it up on the board there are 2 little brown tantalum capacitors labeled C11 and C26. Those are causing a ringing in the speakers listen carefully. Pull them out and the problem is almost fixed, but that is easy to do.
Hi is it safe for a Sony XM4 ANC headphone to hook up with it? I may use the headphone with its power either ON or OFF. I'm connecting the DAC to TV via SPDIF. Thank you very much.
Hi can anyone tell me how this compares to the sound of a Msi B250m bazooka motherboards alc887 sound output? I have the Samson SR850 headphones and I play CS GO in 60 percent volume, some games like destiny 2 needs 80 tot 100 percent before i feel its loud enough but most of the time I play comfortably on 60. I have no hiss or weird background noises and I'm really happy with what I have, but how does this dac affect the sound of a samson sr850 in terms of quality sound, loudness, sound stage and imaging compared to onboard sound for gaming and music?
This is compatible with Linux as I'm using it as my daily driver and I'm also using a old DSD Headphone Amp under Linux: Its loud and clear so no issue - I just ordered this model plus I watched the other video on the other FX-Audio DAC he recommended - than I saw this specific video!
weak bass,weak bluetooth,volume lower than suca audio q5 pro(almost the same what fx audio)Too bad the fiio e10 doesn't have bluetooth, it could be one of the best dacs
Nice review, just to let you know that base your review I have ordered the Topping E30. I will use it with my Adcom GFA 545 mk2 power amp. Thanks so much
Hello! What is the sampling of the MKII? The specs show 24 bit / 192 kHz... I took a look at ES9118 and it's supposed to be 32 bit. I believe it can go higher... like 32 bit /384 kHz. Can you check your sound settings on Windows 10 (playback devices)
I have seen several reviews about this unit. The price is very attractive, but hiss problems and other details mentioned in other reviews makes me think to wait until I can spend more money. Maybe some unit from SMSL.
O.M.G....yes, that is a word, although I hate it, so many times repeated. Anyways, I am just listening to my trusty Lucya DAC, thanx to you and unfortunately I have to disagree for once with your review of this new FX product. NO, it is not worth the money...Tried and tested with Sennheiser HD 6xx, HD 598, Hifiman 4xx, Beyer Custom pro,Koss Porta Pro...unless, you want to watch TV via bluetooth, in your sofa, no optical cable across the room, 4m long, which is my second option watching NETFLIX. Otherwise, music sounds dissintegrated, little bit harsh, Guy Clark somewhere between a pile of guitar strings, everything closed in, no real stereo image. Oh what a dissapointement, and I was waiting for this, since I loved my original X 6 for TV, but just this bluetooth option made me order it.And I am selling it now, definitely. The thing is, I already had Ear studio es100 and did not like it, too quiet for movies and music as well. So, what are the other options under 100 bucks, bluetooth dac headphone amp??? Nothing I can think off. But this is dissapointment for me.
Nice review! I recently bought the SHP9500, would you recommend this or the mk1 for my hp pair? i just want to improve/upgrade from my MSI B450 Mortar Max audio.
@@iiWiReviews You mentioned a little bit of dryness for the midrange and upper frequencies. Do you think that would pair well with the SHP9500 or something like a Schiit Fulla 2 (B-stock) would be better?
Is it worth buying for mainstream headphones like Sony WH-XB900N? I mainly use them on laptop with just an OK sound card - Acer Swift 3. So I guess it would be a nice upgrade.
What do you think the headphone output impedance is? Is it around the typical 10 Ohm like the MK1 or is there anything done to lower it closer 1 Ohm like the Fio K5?
Hi all How does it compare to the D30 you reviewed a year before this one. Juste the DAC section (I don't care about the Bluetooth or the headphone amplifier). Thx a lot 😊
Edit: Loxjie D30 is fuller and lusher sounding, X6 MKII is very detailed but a bit dry and analytical. I prefer D30 if budget allows it. If you were asking about Topping D30... Than I feel that X6 MKII is a clearly more detailed and just more advanced DAC. But if you find this analytical sound signature tiring, you might still prefer D30 even though it sounds less resolving, less airy, and more hazy overall... But it's very easy on the ears.
Thank you for taking the time to review this and compare the DAC section to E30. But, since this is a combo unit, how about an analysis on the amplification side ? How does it compare to something budget minded like A30/L30/Atom/LiquidSpark, etc... ? The DAC sounds to be pretty good, and since the amp is strong enough for just about anything, how is it's quality ? :) Also, since there is no gain switch, how well does it do with IEMs ?
Dear If you just need to decode, then I suggest you choose E30. Compared with E30, DAC X6 MKII has more amp functions. At the same time, the quality of this product is good. According to my customers, this product is very cost-effective.
I think that the amp section is really good here and not much behind these separates. That's why bass control, transients and overall energy of the sound is great. Mentioned sharpness and slight dryness is actually coming from the DAC side of things as far as I can tell (it's exhibited on both line-out and headphone-out). It's not friendly with IEMs, sound is good but there's an audible background hiss with my Kinera Freya. It seems to be low impedance out aimed at big and demanding cans.
Hello good sir. Would you recommend that I use this DAC as sort of a preamp for my old Sony TA-FE520R passive speaker power amplifier, until I get an actual preamp? I was looking at FX Audio GE5654 tube preamp and I'll probably buy it later on to pair it with FX Audio X6 MKII. Will that combination be any good in your opinion? Cheers!
I can't tell that for sure since I haven't tried that exact combination, but it certainly sounds like a decent idea. I heard several systems using DAC with variable out hooked directly to a power amp and some of them sounded pretty good.
Hi iiWi, maybe you'd be interested in reviewing the TempoTec Sonata HD Pro dongle DAC, it is an OEM brand of the Hidizs S8 at a friendlier $40 price, its like SMSL Idea to Sabbaj DA2 perhaps. It has been praised to sound better than the Dragonfly Red as well.
Can you listen to / control volume of headphones and preamp the line outs at the same time? Or does the line outs only work when you unplug the headphones? Thanks
Thanks for this review. As you know I was waiting for this review as I ordered the unit a little while ago. Now I am looking forward to it a lot more! Subscribed.
I am looking for a DAC + heaphones combo. I like V type sound and I am looking for open, spacious headphones for gaming. I was thinking about Beyerdynamic DT990 600ohm and AKG K702 (with open bass-reflex ports). I was thinking about IFI Zen DAC but I am a bit concerned it will have enough juice to power DT990 600ohm. Can you please advice if IFI Zen DAC would be able to properly run those Beyerdynamics (600ohm so pretty demanding). Is the IFI ZEN DAC a lot better than X6 MKII? Would X6 MKII power DT990 600ohm properly? Thanks!
Zen DAC is not powerful enough for such headphones in my opinion. X6 MKII is more powerful and offers great amounts of details (Zen is warmer and more laid back) so I think it's better option in this case.
@@iiWiReviews It will be DT990 600ohm (I am a bit scared that K702 will be too flat even after opening bass ports) unless you have anything better to offer around that price, but I guess under 100$ it will be hard to beat that DAC :D
Hi! I recently bought an FX audio dac x6 which it looks and feels really nice, I got it because of my sennheiser hd 6xx 300 ohm impedance and all of that plus i've read lots of great reviews about the dac but since I first try them I notice a weird electric shiny noise when I let the volume knob in max. Im currently using the usb cable with a galaxy note 10 and also a desktop pc, both of them give me the same issue. The only solution I know is setting the volume low so no noise can be heared. Im really young and unexperienced, I dont know if this is normal, Im new to all this audio thing and Im wondering if someone can tell if this is normal or give me a solution. I would be very grateful. BTW I try my hd 6xx on my old note 9, they sound nice and there is no audible digital distortion noise so I know the headphones are not the problem.
Hello! Can I connect an external DAC / Amp dongle, such as the Meizu HiFi DAC Headphone amplifier to the back of it using a 3.5mm to Coaxial cable? I wonder if that would bypass the X6 MKII DAC and I would be using nothing but the amplifier. I ask that because the Meizu has a sample rate of 32 bit / 384kHz. Thanks!!!
No you can't. This coaxial input is a digital input and cannot be fed with an analog out from another DAC. If you want to do that, it's better to just buy a headphone amplifier.
Does this mean I could use this as a pre-amp volume control for my active speakers? The previous version only had volume control on the headphone and not AUX out.
If i connect it to my pc in one input and in other to a tv (and the tv speakers on the rca outputs) , when i select the pc audio, is it possible to keep listening to the tv even if the audio is not being processed by the dac? thank you
If I'm getting what you're asking, I believe the answer is no. If TV speakers are hooked only to the DAC and that's the only input they're receiving... Than DAC has to be on and send analogue signal to speakers so you can listen to them.
Hopefully you still look at your comments. I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me if I can leave both powered speakers and my headphones plugged in and switch between the two? I know you said that the volume is tied but are they both outputting all the time?
I have a Schiit Modi 3 that I enhanced performance by taking your recommendation of weighing it down ... I use a decorative "magic rock" from my back yard! How does this DAC compare to Schiit. I have not seen a You Tube on Meerman or any other from you so obviously wondering if changing out from Modi 3 to one of these others would be worthwhile ... Which would you recommend? P.S.I'd also be interested in your take on the iFi 2 buffer/pre if you could ever get to it..
It's similar but more aggressive sounding. Schiit Modi 3 is a bit fuller in the midrange and less sharp. There's no good reason to change it, it would be a sidegrade that you may or may not like.
@@iiWiReviews OK .. then what in you opinion is a good step up from the Modi 3? Since I weighed it down it has extended range high and low and more clarity and still maintains "acoustic mass" ... "It ain't bad!"... lol
It can drive them for sure. That said, Sundara has a bit of brightness in the upper midrange, so not sure how would that pair with also brighter midrange of X6 MKII. It might end up being just a bit too much of that upper-midrange presence...
Can't find any info on it too, but I believe it to be quite low since sensitive IEMs exhibit background hiss. I don't think there should be problem with your SR80e since it worked fine with two of my 32 Ohm cans.
Thank you for the review! I have a question, what about Soundstage for gaming? Can it provide an enhancement compared to the integrated audio on a motherboard?
It's tricky with soundstage expansion... It depends a lot on type of headphones/speakers you're using and there own ability. But layering will become better, tiny details retrieval too, meaning you should definitely hear better and deeper into things happening around you.
E30 is a better sounding DAC but the difference is not that big really. Scoring is not absolute but takes price into account. Since X6 MKII is a 2in1 device considerably cheaper than most DAC/AMP combos of similar quality, it's just great price/performance ratio and that's why the score is so high. Here's the detailed explanation of scoring system: iiwireviews.com/scoring-system
Yeah, this one can do everything K5 pro can. About your turntable, I don't know what kind of outputs it has, but a typical hifi turntable usually has only phono out (very low level analog signal) that needs to be connected to a phono preamp. X6 MKII accepts only digital inputs so that would be a no go scenario.
@@iiWiReviews Hey thank you for responding I've been trying to get clarification on this. I have audio technica lp3 with existing preamp. The LP3 has RCAs from the back so, if i use line out does it mean I can line into... well I might still get the Fiio... in the back of the Fiio is Line In, then just plug my headphones Sen HD600 in the front?
@@ranbymonkeys2384 Thanks. So is it correct to think that the new version may be capable of the the same power output as the previous version with it's jumpers set on high gain?
@@stolz5573 Are you just talking headphones? Or through your amp to speakers. Either way the MK2 I can't turn up all the way with headphones and I use the amp to control volume so the DAC is all the way up.
K5 pro is better than the original X6 but when MKII is in question... Just jump to the conclusion part of the video (around 11th min) where I compared their sound...
I would eliminate the X6 because the sample rate only goes to 96,000 that being said the Filo has the XMOS chip with DSD decoding so Filo is going to be better.
@@ranbymonkeys2384 it makes sense only if you use very good source... for example the highest rate for Spotify is 48kHz/320kbs which is similar to mp3. FLAC has 44,1kHz/840kbs, CD 44,1kHz/1,4Mbs and DSD64 2,8MHz/5,6Mbs...
my dac just come today. and from the casual listener's perspective, this headphone amp i dont realy hear much improve than my creative sound blaster. but for the dac itself, it give more clarity for my amp and speakers. i think its worth for money
@@edinechannel5704 I had the titanium HD and that had removable op amps too. Then of course windows 10 came out and they didn't feel like making drivers for it so that was the last of SB for me.
A ' dirty DAC chip' ?? Which DACs you consider to be like that, what does that mean ? What DAC would you recommend for £150 ? Only interested in a DAC to pass through to an amplifier
I wanted to say a dirty cheap DAC, cause it's really cheap compared to its performance. But if you can spend 150 pounds on a DAC, and you don't need a headphone out, take a look at Topping E30.
