FiiO E9 Review - Page 82

So I have a Xonar_DG, and I'm using it with my Sennheiser 558's (I also use ATH-M50's), and it's fine, but it's a bit low on volume. I'm using my Fiio E6 right now and it's doing just fine at solving that problem. Is there any reason I should shell out 200 bucks for an E7/E9 combo? I like my sound card and have a good audio interface, so I dunno, I'm confused by all this AMP/DAC stuff seeing as I'm new to audio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scannon18 


If you like what you are hearing I see no reason to buy anything.

I dunno, maybe my headphones aren't being utilized to their full potential? 

i don't encounter static noise on my yamaha orthos but i do hear static on my customs/ 32ohm headphones. i didn't check what vol pot does the e9 have, i assume its an 8-pin alps. a replacement pot of the same size and of much better quality would likely solve the static noise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scannon18 


As i understand it neither of those phones are particularly demanding. When you are thinking about spending two bills please realize that new headphones will be a far greater change in sound than an upgraded amp. The e6 really should be enough for those phones . However, I will admit that i have not actually heard either.

I just found the amp settings in the XONAR_DG drivers, I don't even need the E6 now lol. Thanks for explaining that though, from what I read some people make it seem like without an amazing amp you're just wasting money. Glad to know that's not truly the case. :)
 

does anyone think this amp sounds better on high gain than low gain?  I'm pretty sure the sq difference is attributable to volume and nothing else but wondering what the communities opinion is

Quote:

Originally Posted by scannon18 

does anyone think this amp sounds better on high gain than low gain?  I'm pretty sure the sq difference is attributable to volume and nothing else but wondering what the communities opinion is

I think it depends on the headphone. When I had the HD650, high gain sounded noticeably more dynamic with better bass punch and depth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital-Pride 

I think it depends on the headphone. When I had the HD650, high gain sounded noticeably more dynamic with better bass punch and depth.

NwAvGuy says you should use the lowest gain possible.  Is this for purposes of limiting distortion?

Quote:

Originally Posted by scannon18 

NwAvGuy says you should use the lowest gain possible.  Is this for purposes of limiting distortion?

Yes, if the gain switch changes a negative feedback loop in the amplifier, then lower gain results in lower noise and distortion. But it should not sound much different either way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scannon18 

Is this the situation for the E9?

I do not have the schematics of the E9, but the other possibility is that it is a simple voltage divider in the low gain mode. In either case, there is not likely to be any real benefit from using high gain, unless you cannot get high enough volume with low gain.

of course with high gain, you are putting less in the signal path which sounds better to me.  I highly doubt there is any actual difference though and IMO anyone stating a difference is falling victim to the impossibility of matching the exact volume for comparison.  The only effect is where the volume knob is.

Can someone clarify and test this for me?

If you plug your speaker to the RCA Line Out of the E9, does it make tiny static noise that is replicating the lower frequency of the song when the headphone jack is plugged in? Essentially I am noticing a leak in signal, only the lower frequency because the speaker is buzzing and making static noise in a pattern that is the same as the bass. The 3.5mm Preout is fine so I know it's not my speaker nor any interference.

dL