FIIO E9 WITH MAC. HELP!!!

As I said in the other thread; the E9 cannot be used via USB without the E7. You will need a 3.5mm cable from either your Mac's line-out (if it has one) or headphone jack (not recommended as you will amplifying an already poorly amplified signal), to the 3.5mm line-in on the back of the E9.

 

If you can afford the E7, it will provide greatly superior sound and results than the above mentioned solutions.

Edited by Riku540 - 12/17/10 at 1:59am

I just answered this question on the Fiio E9 Review page...

Again:

1. Buy a 3.5mm cable (male to male) and attach one end to the headphone jack. This is the worst way to get it to work, but it will satisfy you for now. IF you have a line out jack on the computer, hook up the cable there instead.

2. Buy a DAC (I recommend the Fiio E7, as it was made to work with the E9, is inexpensive and performs incredibly). You dock the E7 on top of the E9, and use the USB cable of the E9 to hook up to your Computer. That's it.

3.) Buy some other DAC and hook it up via USB to your computer, and the line out goes to the E9's line in.

Option 2 is the best with what you have.

For the sake of sound quality, option 1 should be a last resort, or temporary solution.

Yes, I answered this on the E9 topic, lol. Read my post there. I can't copy/paste on this phone...

As for where to buy the E7 (and L3), try miccastore, though I dunno if they ship to your country...

Hi mate,

I'd like to inform u that Fiio E7 only performs well as an portable amp with 'line out' source.

That is to say, if u want to hook up ur iPhone with E7, u need a line out cable for iPhone.

Ebay has such cable, which is not expensive, like Fiio L3 cable.

 

also make sure ur sound settings are on USB/DAC out. NOT "Internal Speakers" 

So I've been using the 3.5 mm cable to connect my macbook to the e9. I know the sound qaulity sucks, I can hear white noise when there is no music. Is there any other type of cable I can buy that the can make for better qaulity?....perhaps with out buying the DAC.

Sorry, but cables aren't going to substitute for a proper DAC. The whole purpose of DACs/soundcards is to eliminate the said noise and deliver the cleanest possible signal possible.

 

Not to mention, if you don't have a proper line-out on your computer, you're "double amping" the signal which is further degrading the sound quality.

Edited by Riku540 - 7/9/11 at 1:44am

When the DAC is combined with the E9, does it work as an eqaulizer? Some one told me I can only use it as an equalizer when using it alone. I'm a bit confused about what the DAC offers (besides the sound qaulity).

 

Thanks again...

The E7's bass boost is bypassed when docked onto the E9. You can however, use it still if you connect it using a regular 3.5mm cable like you are with your macbook. However, this is still "double amping" in this case, but should be significantly less noisy since you have a much better source.

 So what does the e7 do exactly then? Is it just so I can use the USB cable instead of the 3.5mm cable  and also make for a portable amp? All I really care a bout the quality of the sound.

 

Thanks a lot so far....

The E7's primary function(the amplifier section is really a secondary function) is to serve as a USB DAC.  What is a DAC exactly and why is having an external DAC preferred for audio?  A digital to analog converter or DAC is charged with converting digital information(mp3 files or music cds) into an analog signal that can be used by either speakers of headphones.  Most devices that have the ability to play music have them from car stereos to ipods to your Macbook.  The advantages of an external DAC, when looking at music listening, are as follows: the analog signal produced will be free of any noise of electrical interferences from internal CPU processes, quality external DACs almost always produce better sound than built-in soundcards, the signal produced from the DAC can go directly to an external amplifier without any interference ensuring the cleanest possible signal goes into the headphones or speakers for the best possible sound quality.  The E7 docked to the E9 will serve this very function allowing you to get best possible(as oppossed to you current set up) sound from your Macbook.