For that musical moment

A cartoon I came across as a child is etched in memory. A bloke carrying a big Hi-Fi music system (with turntable, etc.) passes another on the road. The second youth says: "Why don't you get a Walkman?" I smiled at the cartoon back then, pointing it out to my uncle, who I considered the first guy in it (as he used to make regular trips to the repair shop for his precious music systems). Truly, the world has changed for audiophiles, as this uncle told me the other day. He was interested in high-resolution players. I was hooked and got in one for review.

The FiiO X5 2nd Generation (Rs 24,499) or X5ii weighs around the same as an iPod Classic, and has the same kind of click-wheel. I found a track on a spare microSD card I had (the X5ii supports two, of 128 GB each) - Sona Mahapatra's Abhi Nahin Aana. Next, I paired the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 (Rs 23,500) with the X5ii. The output was natural (not flat) on the over-ear headphones, with good tonal variation. Next, I switched to Puccini's La boheme. The soundstage was ably replicated as were the variations. The headphones were comfortable to wear over long periods and could tackle most of what I threw at it.

The next pair of headphones I paired was the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 (Rs 24,990), which can be used with phones and daisy-chained with another pair. I picked an MP3 track of David Guetta's Little Bad Girl. The bass was fabulous, the trebles were decent and the sound was rich, but the mids seemed a tad understated. This weakness was emphasised when we played Enigma's Principles of Lust. Overall, the headphones are a dream for headbangers and a very good option for others; audiophiles may not be impressed.

The third pair of headphones we paired was FiiO's in-ear monitors, the EX1 (Rs 5,799). We opened our innings with Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing. The sound was natural (okay maybe a bit bass-heavy), the detailing was clear and the sound open. But there was fair leakage when I cranked up the volume. Next on was Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I was amazed at the clarity, tone and the space. I switched to a live version of Norah Jones' Little Broken Hearts. I felt one with the crowd. They're also very comfortable to wear - I went to sleep wearing them!

The FiiO X5 2nd Generation performed very well with most of these headphones; clocking in battery life of 10 hours. I have two grouses: One, your tagging has to be spot on or you'll have garbled playlists; and two, it doesn't have touch controls. A better user interface, and I'm sold.