E11, a new start of FiiO's portable amp ( added some real photo ) - Page 6

I have to say that I never thought about caring a portable amp, but this one seems to fill the requirements.

That sounds pretty fantastic. Now that I went and got the ESW9, I am definitely getting the E11. XD

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS 

No one seems to notice this but the opamp used on E11 is actually pretty good. AD8397 has internal buffer and 300mA+ of output. It is the same one on Arrow.

I noticed.  It's actually the same OP amp used in the Arrow amp which I spent almost $300 on.

^ the secret of my excitement is no longer a secret :[

I hope the DAP supports 24/96 and FLAC and WAV. It is not an absolute requirement, but would be nice. The E11 looks really nice, and I am sure it will really perform.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS 

No one seems to notice this but the opamp used on E11 is actually pretty good. AD8397 has internal buffer and 300mA+ of output. It is the same one on Arrow.

 ow yeah

You've gotta commend FiiO on their insistence to provide value for their customers. Imagine what they'd put on the table if they went the next tier up in price.

Well the term HD DAP suggests so, but then if you've read the thread on the subject of 24 bit audio it does seem the advantages of 24bit are a bit of a red herring.

For me the key features a DAP needs to be taken seriously are -

Gapless playback

File/folder browsing

A good, fast intuitive user interface

Hopefully it would also have -

lineout from the dac

digital out to a dac

And would to be good would also have pan/balance control, good parametric or hardware EQ, cross feed, mono mode etc etc...

FiiO should look at Rockbox for ideas to start with.

Claims DAPs make to sound better or more "audiophiley" than others seldom pan out to be true and the Clip + is still the sonic euqal of all the absurd pricey boutique daps which have surfaced over the last couple of years.

What makes a DAP great is its features.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE 

Well the term HD DAP suggests so, but then if you've read the thread on the subject of 24 bit audio it does seem the advantages of 24bit are a bit of a red herring.

 

For me the key features a DAP needs to be taken seriously are -

 

Gapless playback

File/folder browsing

A good, fast intuitive user interface

 

Hopefully it would also have -

 

lineout from the dac

digital out to a dac

 

And would to be good would also have pan/balance control, good parametric or hardware EQ, cross feed, mono mode etc etc...

 

FiiO should look at Rockbox for ideas to start with.

 

Claims DAPs make to sound better or more "audiophiley" than others seldom pan out to be true and the Clip + is still the sonic euqal of all the absurd pricey boutique daps which have surfaced over the last couple of years.

What makes a DAP great is its features.

I disagree with this, as I have the Sansa Fuze which is supposed to sound the same as the Clip, and other players I have heard such as the S:Flo2, the Iriver H120, and the QLS QA350 all sound better than the Fuze. But gapless, digital out, line out, and file and folder browsing are really nice features.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE 

FiiO should look at Rockbox for ideas to start with.

 

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!

feiao, please take note of this.  Rockbox is a proven OS with a lot of support in the Head-Fi community.  Whether you decide to use Rockbox as the "factory OS" of work with the developers to allow the use of Rockbox as an after market add-on, you would gain a lot more support from the Head-Fi community by incorporating this OS into your new DAP.

I'm pretty sure Fiio's DAP is well under way, and is past the initial stages of development. Probably their own OS and what have you.

James can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he would have mentioned it if it wasn't already done to the point of having it's own interface and features.

James and company are going with a rather different direction with their new DAP. Word around the campfire is that they are not going to use a common MP3 solution, but something far more robust and stable. The way I understand it is that many of the current Chinese MP3/MP4 player products on the market use common solutions such as Rockchip and etc. These types of chips target the domestic Chinese market and have been used in everything from cheap iPod knock-offs to some of the high-end audiophile offerings. Their poor SDK quality often leads to buggy user interface and firmware as people who have dealt with Chinese MP3/MP4 players can probably relate to. My T51, for example, has its own share of issues to say the least.

Jack

If I can offer one small suggestion.  If the "EQ" button is only an on/off and its sole purpose is to boost certain frequencies (likely bass) it would be better to call it "Bass Boost" or "Boost" instead of "EQ."  I perceive an EQ as a multi-functional switch or set of buttons and switches that allows me to custom tailor a range of frequencies.  A simple on/off would be more of a Boost.

I really like the looks of that amp, reminds me a bit of the Cowon D2 design. The volume knob protection is ingenious.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoulSyde 

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE 

FiiO should look at Rockbox for ideas to start with.

 

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!

 

feiao, please take note of this.  Rockbox is a proven OS with a lot of support in the Head-Fi community.  Whether you decide to use Rockbox as the "factory OS" of work with the developers to allow the use of Rockbox as an after market add-on, you would gain a lot more support from the Head-Fi community by incorporating this OS into your new DAP.

Absolutely agree with that, 110%. Everything else would be a failure, as seen by Hifiman/AMP3/s-flo/etc firmwares. Don't start from scratch, use what's been perfected over years by a group of enthusiastic volunteers, and is free on top of that.

As a reminder, might I point back to my nitpicking about details that matter, in the firmware chapter of my E7 review? ;)