Don´t know, haven´t tracked the latest developments of iPods...
:)

That model series looks interesting. I don't require a huge memory storage but I prefer high quality sound so lossless support is definitely welcome. Do they come with supported in-ear headphones or should one look elsewhere for that?

I still use a sansa clip + and love it, so I'd second this post.

Firmware is almost never open source. Course patching it could be a pain too if it doesn't have an online feature. But most firmware is really boring. You don't complain about the firmware in your DVD drive not being open source, nor is it usually considered unless it's locked in some way, or has the wrong type in so you can't burn certain types of CD's.

But then again firmware is no longer as 'firm' as it used to be as you couldn't update it once it was shipped in the past.

But it does sound like a promising product, one i might consider one day if i need it.

I haven't used an mp3 player in years. I have a smartphone which does the exact same thing, only better. Why would I carry around an extra superfluous gadget?

space

most smartphones dont go beyond 16 or 32 gig

some people either want losless audio
or lots of audio
or audio books

32 gig wont cut it

and just because you think its superfluous doesnt mean it is to others ;p

I'd take a look through this thread over on head-fi: http://www.head-fi.org/t/661411/fiio-x5-thread-info-updated-on-jan-17th-2014


This thread is particular to the X5, though there is surely a thread dedicated to the X1 on there as well... I've seen folks recommending in-ears to pair with it a lot throughout the thread, but quite honestly I don't remember what's been recommended, and all my good headphones are over-the-ears. The question has been posed several times in that thread though, so I'm sure you'll find some good recommendations. :)

I can recommend the Creative Zen series of mp3 players

I too am looking for an open and DRM free mp3 (well, FLAC, actually :D) high fidelity device to listen to music, and would appreciate any suggestions.

Something that doesn't restrict what software I can use with it, something that it'd be nice I could swap in and out memory with, and something that plays all the nice file formats and focuses on audiophile level sound quality.
I could just format the whole thing and install rockbox if necessary, but it is nice to have it like that from the start.

I would have said battery power... More specifically you don't want to be using your phone for music, then an emergency comes up and you realize your phone is too weak to make a 911 call for more than 30 seconds...

On the other hand a Tablet is a decent player, my android one i just turn the screen off when i have music going and it can go for hours...

True. If 32 GB won't cut it, you do need something bigger. Personally, I don't use lossless files, and I hate audiobooks with a passion. I just listen to music in mp3 format, and for that, my smartphone is more than adequate. I didn't mean to imply that nobody ought to use a dedicated player if they like ;-)

well that too
but my first consideration is space lots of people want to have their whole library at their finger tips or want to have lossless audio

and that wille at up space fast flac is huge
not as huge as actual raw audio but still huge

My android phone uses next to no battery when it's doing nothing but playing music. Seriously, an hour of music will drain less than 5% battery from it.

Can you still get a Zune? J/k! I've evolved past the mp3 player and just use my phone.

Try a Sansa Clip Zip. People seem to like them, plus it can take a microSD in case you decide 4/8gb isn't enough ;)

I loved my original sansa fuze, I gave it to my kid when I got a phone that could I could use for music, wish I had kept it (he lost it in under a year). Sometimes having a dedicated mp3 player is nice, especially since they are soooo much smaller than a phone