FiiO E9 Review - Page 5

Stupid question: Of course you do. Who needs money when you can exchange it for sweet sweet audio equipment?

It sounds like you probably don't need the E7 so much, but if you've got any hard-to-drive cans and you don't already have a DAC I'd say it's worth it for you.

I really feel like buying one now..just got to w8 and save some $..X-Mas seems so far away

Just ordered the E7/E9 combo. Really looking forward to this. Seems like my laptop-fi gets an affordable solution finally.

yeah that combo deal is great for laptop users, but i need a channel switcher for my desktop/headphones so i dont replace the cable all the time.  if i had money, this is a fantastic deal.  its like 1/7 the cost of one of those real desktop amps and it looks really nice it's not the ugly at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoetheArachnid 

Stupid question: Of course you do. Who needs money when you can exchange it for sweet sweet audio equipment?

 

It sounds like you probably don't need the E7 so much, but if you've got any hard-to-drive cans and you don't already have a DAC I'd say it's worth it for you.

huh, Maverick D1 is a DAC/AMP. HM602 can also act as a DAC ( tad mid centric though)

and yes i have AKG 702, requires a lot of power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by singh 

huh, Maverick D1 is a DAC/AMP. HM602 can also act as a DAC ( tad mid centric though)

and yes i have AKG 702, requires a lot of power.

Sorry, mild facepalm there - for some reason I thought the D1 was a portable. In that case, you probably don't need it... though again, when has that ever stopped people?

can someone help explain to me the importance of an amp.  do i need the e9 for my re-zero's and other iem's i wear?  it looks really nice but i don't think my iem's need that much power.  isn't the e9 made for phones like the dt990 and hd650 which require a lot of power to use?

You are correct. IEM's don't need too much power but will certainly benefit from it. The E9's 3.5mm jack on the front is actually made for portables/IEM's. The E9's main focus is indeed full sized headphones that need a lot of power, but that doesn't mean low impedance phones won't benefit. Obviously if you are wearing your IEM's on the go you wont be using the E9... but at home why not?

because i already have a cheap ha400 amp to supply their needs.  well basically i got that thing so i wouldn't have to disconnect the desktop speakers/headphone jack all the time in the back of the computer.  now their connected to that little cheap amp and i can control the volume of each one.  it's so much nicer than having to take the jack out everytime i want to listen to headphones.  but i don't see how getting an amp like this will benefit me.  i wish i hadn't found out how nice iem's sound compared to full sized headphones.  the only thing that is pushing me towards full sized again is the comfort.  having the iem's in your ears does take a toll sometimes after you remove them which i do not like, but they are so much more low profile and better sounding.

The E9 actually facilitates what you want to do really well. Here's how my setup goes:

Dell XPS Notebook -> E7(docked in E9) or EMU 0404USB -> E9

From there the E9's RCA output is connected to my Logitech Z-2300 speakers, and a pair of headphones are connected to the front 1/4" jack of the E9.

When I unplug the headphone from the E9, the RCA output is enabled and audio is sent to the Z2300. When I want to listen to headphones, I just plug it in and the speakers automatically becomes quiet. Because the RCA output is fixed level, volume control on the Z2300 is retained, and changing the headphone output volume on the E9 does not affect volume of the speakers.

There is no swapping or switching of anything - everything is done in a very logical fashion as you would use it normally.

Jack

I have the Logitech Z313 speakers:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000382-Z313-Speaker-System/dp/B002HWRZ2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1289492079&sr=8-1

I hear that the pre-output is made for powered speakers without it's own volume control, but my Z313 has it's own volume control.

What's the best way to set up the volume between my E9 and the speaker's own volume?

Right now I have my E9 set to where I usually have it for my headphone's (between 10-12), and set the speaker's volume to my preferred level there. Is there any benefit/problem with my setup?

Ideally, you should use the RCA outputs on the E9 if your speakers has their own volume control. This allow you to set the volume independently.

But if you want to use the E9 to control all the volume, do this:

Connect the Logitech speakers to the 3.5mm Pre-Out on the back of the E9. Using your favorite headphones, set the volume on the E9 to what you would consider a comfortable listening level. Then unplug the headphones and adjust the volume *on the Logitech speakers* to achieve a subjectively similar comfortable listening level. 

You can then leave the Logitech speaker volume alone and just use the E9 for controlling the volume. 

This will only work if only use headphones that are similar in their volume setting on the E9 for comfortable listening. Otherwise, what's comfortable for your efficient headphones will be too quiet for your inefficient headphones and there will be a similar mis match with the Logitech speaker volume.

Jack

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

I have the Logitech Z313 speakers:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000382-Z313-Speaker-System/dp/B002HWRZ2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1289492079&sr=8-1

 

I hear that the pre-output is made for powered speakers without it's own volume control, but my Z313 has it's own volume control.

 

What's the best way to set up the volume between my E9 and the speaker's own volume?

 

Right now I have my E9 set to where I usually have it for my headphone's (between 10-12), and set the speaker's volume to my preferred level there. Is there any benefit/problem with my setup?

 

There are tow line out socket!

one is fixed, so you need to adjust the volume in your speakers! and with fixed output, you get the full dynamic of music . and set the noise to the minimum!

one is adjustable by volume knob! it is design to pair with some professional active speakers , most professional sperkers have individual amp, volume control in left and rrigh speakers! so you need to adjust two volume knob very carefully to keep the balance!

but with E9, it become a simple and easy way , you can set the volume to max on your professional speakers and just control the system volume on E9!

BTW, all monitor speakers have neutral sound which I prefer! especially made by GENELEC!

Micca: That's what I've been sorta doing. Both my K701 and DT990 has a somewhat similar volume level (the K701 is at about 10 o clock, and the DT990/600 at around 11 at the most). I set it pretty much for 11 o clock the Logitech speakers and set it to the general volume volume I like to hear it with the Logitech's volume control... =/ I don't really like the K701 for music, so I only use it for gaming which has a whole different level when I use my Mixamp as a pre-amp anyway.

Feiao, my speakers aren't really anything special, as it's only used when I get tired of having headphones on my head or away from my computer chair.It only has a 3.5mm plug. So I should max my speaker's volume control to max and use the E9 to control volume....okay I'll do that. I don't mind adjusting the volume between the headphones and speakers anyway. I'll just make sure to lower the volume when I unplug the headphone's and use my speakers.

edit: At speaker's maxed volume, my E9 is at 10 o clock, which isn't bad considering my main headphones are at 11. Sorta wish the 990s were a litle easier to drive so the volume on the E9 wouldn't change, lol.

I know for headphone's the source and pre-amps should be relatively maxed in volume, and the device the headphone's are connected directly to should be the one adjusting the volume. So it's different with my budget speakers...

Thanks for the nice review!

I read this whole thread (and the second part of the E9 preview thread) and the FiiO E9 really seems to be a very promising product!

Right now, I'm looking for a headphone amp / DAC for my Beyerdynamic DT880/250 and AKG K701 in the price range up to $270/200€.

The top two candidates right now are the Fiio E7/E9 and the Maverick D1, which also seems to be widely spread in the head-fi community.

Has anyone had the chance to test/compare both amps? I'd really appreciate to hear some opinions on this topic.

Or should i just pick the E7/E9 combo as it seems to have an excellent price/performance ratio?

Thanks in advance for your answers!