⌚ Timestamps ⌚ 00:00 Intro 01:13 Physical overview and controls 01:32 Front Panel 02:27 Rear Panel 02:54 Included accessories 03:04 Specs 04:39 Sound testing 07:26 Value and Conclusion 08:51 Outro
If you really want to squeeze as much as possible out of this excellent piece of kit, drive it with a decent 12v power supply. The provided wall wart is completely useless. I use a 12v 5A power supply with additional smoothing via 6 x 4,700uf 16v low ESR electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel across the 12v rail. The difference in the sound stage is significant.
Do you have a link to a power supply? I just bought one of these DACs/Headphone Amps, and I want to upgrade the PSU asap. I just built a gaming PC with a really shitty onboard audio to save some money on the motherboard. I noticed my Mac Mini sounds very noticeably better than the gaming PC.
@@chronology556 You didn't mention what part of the world you are in and power supplies vary significantly by region. I'd go for a "Laptop quality" one, something that is mid-priced around £25 or so. Avoid the cheap Chinese clones around £10, they are in some cases actually quite dangerous as well as being poor quality. As you are going to be connecting this to a Mac, I'd have a chat with someone at the Apple store, I'd be very surprised if they don't have something suitable, just make sure the jack polarity is correct (e.g. + goes to + etc). IIRC the one I'm currently using was from a surplus unrepairable laptop. HTH.
Hello from America, You sir, are a very underrated and very professional UA-camr. Thank You for the video. Nice B-rolls, audio, and transitions, very good quality... It is weird you are not bigger.
Just looked at the ifi Zen Dac and noticed it only has a 5V power vs the 12V power supply on the FX. Wouldn't this make a difference? Too bad you didn't compare it to the original X6, maybe they got it right the first time.?
Thanks for your good review. It is very informative. I bought this DAC. And your video helped me to make a right choice between this model and AIYIMA DAC A5 Pro.
Actually considered this amp until I came across some measurements showing it didn't perform all that well. Saved up for an Atom and it's so much better. But in hindsight I probably would've gone with the L30 though due to my recent addition of the ZSN Pro.
@@WheezyTech Yeah, I've been really enjoying my Atom. Drives my DT880/250 pretty well. Also got enough juice for a Sundara, which will probably be my next upgrade. Currently thinking of a way to mount it underneath my desk to create space.
I use the first DAC X6 daily, while it doesnt have BT or the LEDs, it might (if still available) be a better Budget solution than the mk II. Plus it has nice clicky lever switches the aux isnt wobbly and is overall very sturdy. Only problem are the drivers. I originally used it with an usb input with my PC but it interferes with my Dark souls prepare to die edition (has its problems with some usb devices) with optical there are no problems. Plus when connected via USB the output-device-settings reset once i a blue moon.
I use it to connect my Raspberry Pi (USB) and my cellphone (BT) to my Denon AVR, which is several years old and has neither an USB nor a BT connection. Works fine so far, the sound is good as well. The only thing lacking is a remote control to switch from USB to BT and back, or to adjust the volume.
sounds like this dac/amp needs to go back to college to learn how to be a better product. nice review good to see a honest review, not everything is wonderful like some reviewers would have you believe.
Its definitely a step up from the onboard audio on the pc. I like the features as well. For the price, in my country, its super worth it. Something to improve your audio for such a price. Good video! Subbed. I have a question though, when you plugin headphones in the front jack, does it automatically mute whatever is connected on L+R at the back?
Do you have a fix for it auto sleeps when there is no audio for a while? It's kinda annoying because it takes less than a second to wake up which makes any notification sounds useless. Missed some of Teams' notifications because of this. You'll know it is asleep if there are no blue lights turned on.
I don't know how you would stop that from happening with this particular unit. This is quite common for modern DACs. My monitor speakers do it, the Atom DAC does it, Topping E30 does it. I think you can turn it off on the E30, you need a special firmware for the Atom, but my speakers always go to standby so I miss notifications on them a lot too.
there is a new one without bluetooth but withouth stepping too, for the ones interested, it actually looks great. has encoders for right and left channel seperately for like $90. might be more expensive soon because it's a new article
Thats the power saving feature. When there has been no audio for a certain period of time the DAC goes into a sleep state. Once you start playing audio the DAC wakes up again but there is a slight delay as it turns on. This is pretty common with DACs these days.
I changed the “start/stop to 0’s” in playback settings in “foobar” my media player of choice and it stopped the silence at track beginnings when skipping tracks or whenever pressing play from stop. My CD player still part misses the intros though.🤷🏻♂️
Hi. I just purchased this DAC because a friend of mine has one and loves it. I connected it, as instructed, to my 2010 Samsung TV(model LN40C530F1FXZA), but I never got a signal from the tv to the DAC and no sound was ever produced. I changed all the settings on both the TV and the Roku and nothing happened. As an aside, the Bluetooth worked just fine. My friend brought his unit (and optical cable) over and it was the same results .. no sound/signal from the tv. My assumption that this is either a compatibility issue or an aged tv is just too old for this. If you can recommend a DAC that can work (hopefully with BT) that would be great. I hate parting with this TV bc the picture is great on it. Thanks!
this seems to be similar to Fiio BTA30 Pro Bluetooth, but can not be use as a BT transmitter, LDAC is missing, and is of lower quality. I am looking for a similar device to the Fiio BTA30 Pro Bluetooth that would also allow me to use also my wired headphones with it. Do you know any any such device?
Could I ask for some wisdom. I'm looking an amp/dac to specifically power 2 headphones using a splitter wired connection for watching movies. Input Connecting via optical from the TV as have no headphone jack. My 2 phone's are usually both 30 ohms and I'm wondering if this would be decent enough to run them?
is the stereo output just as good as a DAC whit toslink to your 2.1 stereo? i want too use it form my laptop usb to my 2.1 stereo dose the AUxX output from the DAC good or is 1 whit tislink better.
560s is pretty good, better than 599 for sure. More like a true successor to the 598. Its much leaner than the 599, more detailed and the tuning is great.
@@danterikxx Those who think the 6xx is overrated believe the 560s is better. Those who are lovers of the 6xx do not. It's weird. The hphq discord(toxic community btw) loves the 6xx. But I've spoken to a few who have tried out both. Some have even plugged them into expensive amps. And they thought the 560s was better? I'm interested to hear wheezy tech's thoughts.
Noob question, i have some modded realtek drivers that i can use soundblaster 720 program to equalize my audio, if i use this dac will i lose the ability to eq with it?
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 TOSLINK. Thank you very much.
Hey sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering are you going to review the 560s? It's similarly tuned to the k371 actually(minus the kick in sub bass)(also kind of like a worse Ananda). I think you might like it. It is odd though. I see some people saying the 560s is better than the 6xx. And some others saying it's not. I am interested to hear your opinion. Since it seems you do like a more harman like tune. It's crazy though. Some entire communities love the 6xx. Some think it's overrated. Idk it that's due to sound signature or what.
Could anyone with experience with this DAC help me please.. While I'm using this DAC ive noticed that from time to time (sporadically) the audio cuts out for around 1 second then comes back. This is while using on USB mode on a windows 10 computer. I've noticed in the past that when windows has an outstanding update it seems to make the problem happen more often, So i update and it stops...for a few days then returns. I can't pin down what is causing the issue. Any help would be great. Ive tried to find some specific drivers but to no avail. I'm not experienced with dacs tbh, was expecting plug and play!?
Hi, good review. I actually bought it just for one use and that is Bluetooth. Why? My ZEN dac can't be connected to my TV , only has usb. So in order to enjoy movies on my headphones at night while kids are sleeping I need a suitable device which therefore FX mk2 is. I know, for best sound I can also plugged my 5m long optical cable but my wife complains about it laying across the room. So, is it good? For 70€ yes, but I noticed immediately that the sound is boring, lacks refinement, Juice, vocals are dry and not lively, space is small, lacks that cinematic presentation. For music listening I don't recommend FX. Somehow I enjoyed the old x-6 much more but it was a year ago before all the Little dot, zen dac Darkvoice etc....
I'd really like to see you review a tube amp. Either something like a LittleDot MKII or one of those cheap AliExpress tube amps you see on Amazon for 50 bucks or so and see if it's actually any good.
Ill review the little dot 2 for you its the best value tube amp around just change the tubes to Russian Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV and Russian 6H6P ( about $40 us) hook up a topping E30 dac and buy some high impedance headphones eg -Sennheiser - HD6xx, HD600 , Beyer dynamic - DT990 250 ohm, DT770 250 ohm or DT880 600 ohm amongst others, then your in music heaven .
@@chefsteve8381 Do you have anything against those cheap amps? I've owned one before and it worked fine and it was a nice change of pace after listening to my HD800S at stock on a 789 for so long.
You should be fine, 40 isn't that low, 32 ohm being the most common impedance, on the other hand you can do just fine with apple dongle or other type-c dongle dac - it's cheaper, takes almost no space and will sound just as good if not better, but you will need a type-c connection on your mobo.
Hi, Noel! Greetings from Brazil! (Rio de Janeiro) Your videos are excellent and have helped me a lot in some choices. I am in doubt about this equipment. I work with audio editing and I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I use a Sennheiser HD 560s. But I use it connected directly to the output of my motherboard from my PC (it's one of those PC's gamers) because the sound on Scarlett, despite having good volume, is inferior to the sound of the motherboard. Would this FX Audio DAC X6 MKII have any improvement? In fact, I don't exactly expect a sound "improvement". If it keeps the same as the motherboard with the facility to control the volume physically and also the advantage of bluethoot I would be satisfied. I still remember that I'm buying another headphone (this time a HD 58x just for listening to music). Thanks again, Noel!
i use this as its strong and well insulated at only about $40 us it will last you a lifetime as its made for pro use Oyaide NEO d+ USB Class A 2.0m check amazon
X6 has line outs so you cant adjust the volume coming from the rca outs. Mk2 has volume control on rca outs. Mk2 has bluetooth and has the nice feature of showing you what your sample rate is. I have both and use both for different applications.
⌚ Timestamps ⌚
00:00 Intro
01:13 Physical overview and controls
01:32 Front Panel
02:27 Rear Panel
02:54 Included accessories
03:04 Specs
04:39 Sound testing
07:26 Value and Conclusion
08:51 Outro
Will it improve the sound of Pioneer entry level bluray player?
Thanks for the time stamps.
All listening tests should be conducted like this.
If you really want to squeeze as much as possible out of this excellent piece of kit, drive it with a decent 12v power supply. The provided wall wart is completely useless. I use a 12v 5A power supply with additional smoothing via 6 x 4,700uf 16v low ESR electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel across the 12v rail. The difference in the sound stage is significant.
Do you have a link to a power supply? I just bought one of these DACs/Headphone Amps, and I want to upgrade the PSU asap. I just built a gaming PC with a really shitty onboard audio to save some money on the motherboard. I noticed my Mac Mini sounds very noticeably better than the gaming PC.
@@chronology556 You didn't mention what part of the world you are in and power supplies vary significantly by region. I'd go for a "Laptop quality" one, something that is mid-priced around £25 or so. Avoid the cheap Chinese clones around £10, they are in some cases actually quite dangerous as well as being poor quality. As you are going to be connecting this to a Mac, I'd have a chat with someone at the Apple store, I'd be very surprised if they don't have something suitable, just make sure the jack polarity is correct (e.g. + goes to + etc). IIRC the one I'm currently using was from a surplus unrepairable laptop. HTH.
Hello from America, You sir, are a very underrated and very professional UA-camr. Thank You for the video. Nice B-rolls, audio, and transitions, very good quality... It is weird you are not bigger.
Just looked at the ifi Zen Dac and noticed it only has a 5V power vs the 12V power supply on the FX. Wouldn't this make a difference? Too bad you didn't compare it to the original X6, maybe they got it right the first time.?
Thanks for your good review. It is very informative. I bought this DAC. And your video helped me to make a right choice between this model and AIYIMA DAC A5 Pro.
Actually considered this amp until I came across some measurements showing it didn't perform all that well. Saved up for an Atom and it's so much better. But in hindsight I probably would've gone with the L30 though due to my recent addition of the ZSN Pro.
I have an Atom and an L30 both really great little amps
@@WheezyTech Yeah, I've been really enjoying my Atom. Drives my DT880/250 pretty well. Also got enough juice for a Sundara, which will probably be my next upgrade. Currently thinking of a way to mount it underneath my desk to create space.
Does it support beyerdynamic dt770 pro 250 ohms?
Thanks man! Thumbs up for these kind of contents 👍👍👍
Nice vid. Thanks for the review!
I use the first DAC X6 daily, while it doesnt have BT or the LEDs, it might (if still available) be a better Budget solution than the mk II. Plus it has nice clicky lever switches the aux isnt wobbly and is overall very sturdy. Only problem are the drivers. I originally used it with an usb input with my PC but it interferes with my Dark souls prepare to die edition (has its problems with some usb devices) with optical there are no problems. Plus when connected via USB the output-device-settings reset once i a blue moon.
I use it to connect my Raspberry Pi (USB) and my cellphone (BT) to my Denon AVR, which is several years old and has neither an USB nor a BT connection. Works fine so far, the sound is good as well. The only thing lacking is a remote control to switch from USB to BT and back, or to adjust the volume.
sounds like this dac/amp needs to go back to college to learn how to be a better product. nice review good to see a honest review, not everything is wonderful like some reviewers would have you believe.
Its definitely a step up from the onboard audio on the pc. I like the features as well. For the price, in my country, its super worth it. Something to improve your audio for such a price. Good video! Subbed. I have a question though, when you plugin headphones in the front jack, does it automatically mute whatever is connected on L+R at the back?
Same question
You gotta do more videos, bro. Nice camera set up, background and graphics. Very professional.
Do you have a fix for it auto sleeps when there is no audio for a while? It's kinda annoying because it takes less than a second to wake up which makes any notification sounds useless. Missed some of Teams' notifications because of this. You'll know it is asleep if there are no blue lights turned on.
I don't know how you would stop that from happening with this particular unit. This is quite common for modern DACs. My monitor speakers do it, the Atom DAC does it, Topping E30 does it. I think you can turn it off on the E30, you need a special firmware for the Atom, but my speakers always go to standby so I miss notifications on them a lot too.
@@WheezyTech Oh that's a bummer. Thanks for the reply!
there is a new one without bluetooth but withouth stepping too, for the ones interested, it actually looks great. has encoders for right and left channel seperately for like $90. might be more expensive soon because it's a new article
What's the name I don't see it
Just bought it. The sound quality is under my expectation. I have BTR15 which has far better sound quality.
Anyone experiencing using usb input where the beginning ½ second of audio is not heard? Sort of like a fade in.
Thats the power saving feature. When there has been no audio for a certain period of time the DAC goes into a sleep state. Once you start playing audio the DAC wakes up again but there is a slight delay as it turns on. This is pretty common with DACs these days.
I changed the “start/stop to 0’s” in playback settings in “foobar” my media player of choice and it stopped the silence at track beginnings when skipping tracks or whenever pressing play from stop. My CD player still part misses the intros though.🤷🏻♂️
Hi. I just purchased this DAC because a friend of mine has one and loves it. I connected it, as instructed, to my 2010 Samsung TV(model LN40C530F1FXZA), but I never got a signal from the tv to the DAC and no sound was ever produced. I changed all the settings on both the TV and the Roku and nothing happened. As an aside, the Bluetooth worked just fine. My friend brought his unit (and optical cable) over and it was the same results .. no sound/signal from the tv. My assumption that this is either a compatibility issue or an aged tv is just too old for this. If you can recommend a DAC that can work (hopefully with BT) that would be great. I hate parting with this TV bc the picture is great on it. Thanks!
this seems to be similar to Fiio BTA30 Pro Bluetooth, but can not be use as a BT transmitter, LDAC is missing, and is of lower quality. I am looking for a similar device to the Fiio BTA30 Pro Bluetooth that would also allow me to use also my wired headphones with it. Do you know any any such device?
Could I ask for some wisdom.
I'm looking an amp/dac to specifically power 2 headphones using a splitter wired connection for watching movies. Input Connecting via optical from the TV as have no headphone jack.
My 2 phone's are usually both 30 ohms and I'm wondering if this would be decent enough to run them?
is the stereo output just as good as a DAC whit toslink to your 2.1 stereo? i want too use it form my laptop usb to my 2.1 stereo dose the AUxX output from the DAC good or is 1 whit tislink better.
I see the 560s there
Review coming soon?
Can you give first impressions compared to the 599?please?
560s is pretty good, better than 599 for sure. More like a true successor to the 598. Its much leaner than the 599, more detailed and the tuning is great.
@@WheezyTech as good as the 6xx?
@@danterikxx Those who think the 6xx is overrated believe the 560s is better. Those who are lovers of the 6xx do not. It's weird. The hphq discord(toxic community btw) loves the 6xx. But I've spoken to a few who have tried out both. Some have even plugged them into expensive amps. And they thought the 560s was better? I'm interested to hear wheezy tech's thoughts.
Is it possibile to know the output impedance of the 6.35mm jack? Is that the same as the mk I?
Noob question, i have some modded realtek drivers that i can use soundblaster 720 program to equalize my audio, if i use this dac will i lose the ability to eq with it?
thx for the video
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 TOSLINK. Thank you very much.
Hey sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering are you going to review the 560s? It's similarly tuned to the k371 actually(minus the kick in sub bass)(also kind of like a worse Ananda). I think you might like it. It is odd though. I see some people saying the 560s is better than the 6xx. And some others saying it's not. I am interested to hear your opinion. Since it seems you do like a more harman like tune. It's crazy though. Some entire communities love the 6xx. Some think it's overrated. Idk it that's due to sound signature or what.
what is that instrumental at the beginning, it's SO nice! found myself rapping to it. Would love to know.
Could anyone with experience with this DAC help me please.. While I'm using this DAC ive noticed that from time to time (sporadically) the audio cuts out for around 1 second then comes back. This is while using on USB mode on a windows 10 computer. I've noticed in the past that when windows has an outstanding update it seems to make the problem happen more often, So i update and it stops...for a few days then returns. I can't pin down what is causing the issue. Any help would be great. Ive tried to find some specific drivers but to no avail. I'm not experienced with dacs tbh, was expecting plug and play!?
So while i use this device as a dac for my pc,can i use it at the same time as a preamp also,if i connect it with a crown xls power amp?
Do you think which one bluetooth DAC is better for the X6 MK2 VS Auris BluMe Pro ?
Hi, good review. I actually bought it just for one use and that is Bluetooth. Why? My ZEN dac can't be connected to my TV , only has usb. So in order to enjoy movies on my headphones at night while kids are sleeping I need a suitable device which therefore FX mk2 is. I know, for best sound I can also plugged my 5m long optical cable but my wife complains about it laying across the room. So, is it good? For 70€ yes, but I noticed immediately that the sound is boring, lacks refinement, Juice, vocals are dry and not lively, space is small, lacks that cinematic presentation. For music listening I don't recommend FX. Somehow I enjoyed the old x-6 much more but it was a year ago before all the Little dot, zen dac Darkvoice etc....
Would like to have seen info on inputs and cabling and everyday use.
I'd really like to see you review a tube amp. Either something like a LittleDot MKII or one of those cheap AliExpress tube amps you see on Amazon for 50 bucks or so and see if it's actually any good.
Ill review the little dot 2 for you its the best value tube amp around just change the tubes to Russian Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV and Russian 6H6P ( about $40 us) hook up a topping E30 dac and buy some high impedance headphones eg -Sennheiser - HD6xx, HD600 , Beyer dynamic - DT990 250 ohm, DT770 250 ohm or DT880 600 ohm amongst others, then your in music heaven .
PS don't buy a cheap Chinese tube amp you will end up burning your house down !!!
@@chefsteve8381 Do you have anything against those cheap amps? I've owned one before and it worked fine and it was a nice change of pace after listening to my HD800S at stock on a 789 for so long.
@@dannybos7024 you will more than likely just be listening to hummmmmmm
@@dannybos7024 little dot have heaps of cheap, good sounding, easy to buy tubes.
Fosi Q4 vs fiio k3 vs fx audio dac x6 which one is better?
Does it have full version of 9018 or mobile version?
Do i need to download the drivers?
this or focusrite scarlette solo?....hmmm
For a 40 ohm headphone (HD 599), do you recommend?
Ik it’s a low impedance so I’m worried about any noises or anything.
Thanks
You should be fine, 40 isn't that low, 32 ohm being the most common impedance, on the other hand you can do just fine with apple dongle or other type-c dongle dac - it's cheaper, takes almost no space and will sound just as good if not better, but you will need a type-c connection on your mobo.
what're the cables youre using with the 400is at 8:35? Great vid, found my secondary DAC for sure
Custom cable I made myself
hmmm, this or the L30 + E30 stack?
L30 e30
L30 + E30 every day of the week!!!!!
Definitely L30 + E30
You're not going to need anything else for a long time!
Yep L30/E30
Hi, Noel! Greetings from Brazil! (Rio de Janeiro)
Your videos are excellent and have helped me a lot in some choices.
I am in doubt about this equipment.
I work with audio editing and I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I use a Sennheiser HD 560s. But I use it connected directly to the output of my motherboard from my PC (it's one of those PC's gamers) because the sound on Scarlett, despite having good volume, is inferior to the sound of the motherboard.
Would this FX Audio DAC X6 MKII have any improvement? In fact, I don't exactly expect a sound "improvement". If it keeps the same as the motherboard with the facility to control the volume physically and also the advantage of bluethoot I would be satisfied. I still remember that I'm buying another headphone (this time a HD 58x just for listening to music).
Thanks again, Noel!
So? How’s ended? xD
Does the Bluetooth connectivity allow me to stream from my smartphone?
Yep
hey quick question, I bought an ifi zen dac but I find the usb cable is too short. Is there a longer cable for it?
Yeah just look for a USB-A to USB-B 3.0 cable, Amazon Basics are good quality. The cable that comes with the Zen DAC is waaay too short lol.
i use this as its strong and well insulated at only about $40 us it will last you a lifetime as its made for pro use Oyaide NEO d+ USB Class A 2.0m check amazon
@@WheezyTech thanks!
@@chefsteve8381 thanks!
@@mateojimenez5905 enjoy
is it better than syba sonic
Can run dt 880 600ohm
Don't you get any hissing sound from this amp?
Yeah its got a high noise floor
@@WheezyTech right. And any crackling sounds? Like the sounds you get from earphones' microphone when wind blows or it rubs against something
@@ruzlan369 No never heard anything like that
Hello mate :), would you make a video about fiio fh3 earphones? and maybe also compare them with the tin t4 that you liked?
So X6 or X6 Mark II ? Should i skip the X6?
X6 has line outs so you cant adjust the volume coming from the rca outs. Mk2 has volume control on rca outs. Mk2 has bluetooth and has the nice feature of showing you what your sample rate is. I have both and use both for different applications.
@@davidbiffert with the headphone plugged in, does it mute the RCA line out automatically or is the line out still active at the same time? Thanks
anyone else have a subtle constant high pitched whine with this dac?
not properly assembled piece of hardware? this is NOT related to low price - it is related to chi-fi QC. full stop ;-)
not all chi-fi i think 🤔. fiio quality is better than high end brand we know
@@floppya7198 no, for sure not all - I agree 100%
Nice work, friend, can we cooperate?