[Mad Lust Envy]

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Hey Mad Lust Envy, were you able to try the E9 with a Mixamp already?

Did about a 1 hour test of chaining the E9  to the Mixamp (Mixamp as a pre-amp for Dolby Headphone, so... game console ---> Mixamp ---> 3.5mm ---> E9)

YES, YES, AND MORE YES.

Again, incredibly neutral, and does not color the sound whatsoever. However, it does make my K701 and DT990/600 sound fuller than the Mixamp alone (obviously as now they are being powered more than enough). It does NOT affect the soundstage and positional accuracy negatively, nor does it audibly degrade SQ because of adding an extra chain to the audio link from my consoles to the headphones.

How would voice chat fare with a 600ohm Beyer or K701/2? Let's just say that even if I have my Mixamp's game/voice knob at 3' o clock (which literally zaps game audio out of like 90% or more of it's volume, and gives voice chat a ridiculous amount of volume), the E9 can make the game audio STILL sound VERY loud, more than I'd like even when I don't use voice chat, so all you people wanting to add a mic to the K702 or 600ohm Beyer with their Mixamp is more than okay to do so with the E9 on high gain and relatively high volume.

Mixamp: 3 o'clock is pretty well past what I'd use my voice chat setting on (1 o' clock). The Game/voice knob goes between 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock. Anything past 3 o'clock is pretty much overkill for voice chat, so the E9 is well within limits even on hard to drive headphones.

The E9 pairs VERY well with the Mixamp. End of story.

I'm am officially 99.9% satisfied with my E9 as both a music amp and power amp for my headphones when using the Mixamp. Those who want a neutral amp, how can I NOT recommend the E9 especially at the price point?

 

[loganirado]

Thanks Mad! I'm glad to hear the E9 goes well with Mixamp. Another positive point for Fiio!

 

[gavinfabl]

Thanks Mad for salivating me in wait of mine. Can't wait.

 

[hasanyuceer]

This is what I wrote in Fiio's section about E9:
 
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About sound but I want to mention that this little thing is very very good. I tried them for a couple of hours yesterday with my DX1000, I didnt noticed any resolution difference between my La Figaro 336.  
Of course I need longer time to understand the difference (if any) but my first impression is very good.
 
Also build-quality is top notch. A good looking, flawless amplifier..
 
I think with Fiio E7, these will be a good combo for offices (who doesnt have enough space) and low budget head-fiers..
 
Now it's burning in and waiting me to barrow some power-needing monster phones..

 
Also about compactness (with my La Figaro 336 and V-Dac)
 

 

 

[apmusson]

Hi,
 
Just ordered an FIIO E7 and E9.  Can't wait to see how this combo compares to my Beresford DAC / XCAN V2 combo.  I am looking forward to auditioning the FIIO E7 with my Yuin PK1 earbuds and the combo with my K701s & HD650s.
 
Hope the FIIO stuff arrives soon.
 
Ade
 

 

[Thommohawk]

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From the little I see, I can tell you have an extremely old gen PS1. Is it that good of a source? I was thinking of trying to do the same with my PS3 for music, as there will be times when the E9 is away from my computer setup, and on the floor with my systems.

The PS3 is simply awesome for music playback, hooking the PS3 up to my sound card I actually much prefer to use the PS3 player than my PC media players as the PS3's player is much better on the same setup than PC based media players imho. Bass isn't a boomy uncontrolled mess, highs aren't sibilant, the kickdrum actually sounds like a kickdrum lol. I actually wish I could get the PS3 sound from my media players as the hardware used is exactly the same, as obviously otherwise music needs to be copied in WAV lossless to the PS3 for that awesome playback.  I definitely recommend you try it though you might be surprised at the quality.
 
Going from that to my media players I refuse to use them. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Cool, I'll definitely test that out then.

 

[Jack C]

On reading MadLustEnvy's impression, I pulled out my DT990/600 for an extended listen to some "fun" music with it through the E7/E9 for a couple of hours last night. I need to find a few tracks that the DT990 had sibilance issues with in the past and see if they are any better with the E7/E9. So far really enjoying this combo - airy, dynamic, good strong well defined bass and brilliant highs.
 
Jack 

 

[TheGame21x]

MadLustEnvy's impressions of the E9 mirror my own. I really enjoy the E7 + E9 combo and the E9 by itself is a great amp on its own. I really can't believe Fiio is selling this for so cheap! I don't have a ton of experience with higher end amplifiers but something tells me that the price to performance ratio has to be staggeringly high.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'd like to see how the Fiio E9 stacks up to other neutral amps like the Matrix M-Stage, which is extremely popular around here.
 
Team Fiio, all the way!
 
Oh yes, after not even two days of nonstop pink noise burn in (20 minutes + 2 minutes of Silence endlessly looping), the E9 definitely sounds a little different between the initial use and now. The same track 'Prodigy - Salt In The Wounds'  no longer exhibits that near sibilant level of highs with my DT990s. The highs are indeed still in your face, but not as screechy as when I first used the E9 upon unboxing it. I have yet tested the K701 again with that track, but I will tomorrow. The K701 exhibited more treble peak than the 990s on the first day...
 
I won't stop 'burning' the E9 in, but I'm quite pleased with what I hear as of right now. Kudos to Fiio for making such a delightful piece of audio equipment. If the E7 wasn't enough to give Fiio a name as powerhouse maker of price/performance gadgets, the E9 DEFINITELY would shut the naysayers up.

 

[Riku540]

Got my replacement already! Only 2 days from the time I got my disappointing defect! I am listening to it as I post this; I tried wiggling the E7 (very gently!) and am very pleased that I am getting both left and right channels as it should be! I will probably post my own impressions after a few good listening sessions. All I can say is I can't believe this only cost $200! I haven't been wowed like this since my first Head-Fi purchase years ago. I've been driving my DT 880/32's out of an altoids amp; people aren't kidding when they say even the 32 ohm really needs an amp to shine!
 
Thank you Head-Fi! Thank you Micca! Thank you FiiO!!!
 
Also, I just wanted to take the time to give an extra thank you to Micca and Jack for one of the best online customer service experiences I've ever had!

 

[Firefighter]

So guys,
 
Has any update to firmware for E7 been released? If yes how do we update it?
 
fw01ju31ja is my current firmware version.

 

[brokenthumb]

I'd like to say I'm really enjoying the E7 + E9 Combo!  My D2000's are really shining now.  Went back and compared just plugged into headphone iMac port... no contest.  Everything is just so crystal clear, very dynamic and the drums really hit hard, I can tell there is some major power getting pumped into the D2000's now.  AMAZING!!!!  I'm using the E7's EQ on 1 and connecting it via the line in on the E9, it sounds much warmer to me that way.  I set the E7's volume on 56 and have the E9's volume around 10 to 11 o'clock. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

brokenthumb, you don't like the D2000 with the E7 docked to the E9? Or do you not listen to music off your PC making the USB DAC portion of the E7  useless for your needs?

 

[brokenthumb]

Quote:

brokenthumb, you don't like the D2000 with the E7 docked to the E9? Or do you not listen to music off your PC making the USB DAC portion of the E7  useless for your needs?

I thought I was listening to the E7's DAC?  I have the E7 connected to my iMac via USB then a 3.5 mm cable going from the E7's headphone out to the E9's 3.5mm line in.  It shows USB  Audio DAC under my Sound Output settings on the iMac, that is what I have selected.  Is this the correct way to link these three devices?  It sounds terrefic setup like this, but I'm pretty new to the headphone world also.
 
It sounds really good with the E7 docked but I really like using the Bass 1 setting on the E7, everything just sounds warmer and full to me with the E7's EQ.  I don't know I need to listen to the E7 docked some more, it may be more accurate that way and I just need to get used to it.