FiiO X5 hi-res portable music player also acts as a USB DAC

Spotted at CES just before we left Las Vegas was the new FiiO X5 hi-res portable music player, joining the Astell & Kern AK240 and Sony NWZ-ZX1 we've already reported on.

The FiiO X5 supports DSD, APE, FLAC, ALAC, WMA and WAV lossless music formats up to 24-bit/192KHz and uses the Ingenics 4760B dual-core 600MHz processor.

Dual TF card slots give a storage capacity up to 128GB (2 x 64GB), and FiiO says there'll be support for twice that with future firmware upgrades.

What's more, as well as being a hi-res portable music player, the X5 is also a USB DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) when connected to a computer. The asynchronous USB DAC also supports 24-bit/192KHz files.

A ten-band graphic equaliser allows the user to tune the player's output to suit their needs, and a new mechnaical scroll wheel (like the one used on early iPods) gives control of the improved user interface. The device is fitted with a 2.4in colour LCD screen.

Connectivity includes a standard line out, headphone out, coaxial digital output, USB 2.0 socket and the previously mentioned pair of card slots. The FiiO X5 weighs 122g and measures 11.4 x 6.7 x 1.6cm (HWD). UK price is to be confirmed.

MORE: High-resolution music: everything you need to know

MORE: Fiio X5 review

by Andy Clough

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.