FiiO E5 amp (E3 upgraded) - Page 88

E5 + Senn HD280 Pro

I am [a noob] using iPod Nano 3G > E5 > Senn HD280 Pro, and I like it, even with HP out and lossy files. I think it's perfect for the 280 Pro as they burn in over the next 10 years , bumps up the bass and chills out the highs.

I put the E5 up to about 90%, and control volume with the nano, otherwise much distortion. Next up: LOD, which I hope will help with that.

Fun thread here, I read from about page 50 on...

Hi Snake and Jackman

The AD8620 i transplanted into the e5 is i direct drop-in replacement to the installed Burr Brown op-amp. its just a matter of opening up the case, desoldering and resoldering carefully. the op-amps have the same footprint and orientation so its not difficult if you have any experience soldering surface mount parts.

opening up the e5 is a little fiddly but doable if you take care. there is one screw holding the clip on and that is the first thing to come off. make sure you dont lose the spring that falls out. then you need to push the plastic casing out of the metal 'sheath'. the pcb comes out of the plastic and the op-amp is under the battery (i think). the op-amp that needs to go is the BB OPA 2338. everything goes back together pretty easily.

the sound has definitely changed for the brighter side after this mod. the bass boost still works but i'm not sure about any battery life differences.
Its worth mentioning that i'm still not entirely sure that sound quality has actually improved as there is a grain in the midrange that i didn't notice before. however, that could be that the treble veil that the unit had stock was also coloring the mids too.

have fun!

can i charge my fiio E5 with iPhone charger?

As long as you have a regular Mini-USB cable for it.

So these would work well with an iPod -> e5 -> PFEs or should I get a LOD also? If the improvement is large I would go for it, but the LOD itself costs more than an e5.

Hey guys,
I'm thinking of purchasing an E5 but just have a question. I'm currently running my Alessandro MS-1s through my Toshiba HD-DVD player. The problem is that the Toshiba doesn't have any volume control at all, so i'm stuck with a rather loud volume. I saw the E5 has a volume control. Would the E5 be suitable for using with the MS-1s(and occassionally my AD700s) through the Toshy HD-DVD without sacrificing any quality?

Cheers
Camo

Double Post urgh

Followup regarding my hum problems with the E5 first reported in this post (see there for details).

I ordered a new unit from head-direct. It does not have the hum problem, so it was definitely a bad unit (how rare we don't know, I think kpsalm was the only other forum member to notice/report the same problem).

I'm returning the old unit for a refund (I did this rather than a straight exchange, b/c I didn't want to be w/out a headphone amplifier while the exchange was happening).

Thanks to everyone who checked their E5's. If anyone else comes across the same problem - maybe the FiiO rep will take notice instead of blaming the problem on line noise.

BTW - both orders from head-direct were processed same day, and arrived in 2 or 3 days from NY to CA via first class mail - $24 including shipping.

Got my E5 today.

I didnt expect any improvment but here's my impresion combined with AKG HD272 and i7:


the volyme increased around 4-15% depending on song.

SQ improvment 7%

My volyme on i7 is 38/40, beound that i'll get disortion.

Other thoughs:
These cans need more power than what is writen on description.

Here's some RMAA tests of the E5 vs. some other amps. The E5 sure is quite impressive for the price and size, and a gigantic step up from the E3.

Headsix, FiiO E5, iBasso T4, Minibox-E+
FiiO E3 vs E5

I'm still quite impressed with it, having used it for a couple weeks now. I prefer the bass boost off; I just wish my Vibes had better mids.

Is there a tentative release date for the E7?

Oh god, an E7?! Something else for me to buy!!!

what's going to be the expected msrp for the E7?