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Thinking of buying the Fiio E7 and E9 right now.

post #1 of 55
1/23/11 at 4:26pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys sorry to make another thread so soon. Last night I ordered the Beyerdynamic DT 990's (250ohm) on amazon. This site has a good deal on the e7 and e9. My question is, is there any other devices that can compete with this for the price? If not I'm going to order it tonight.

 

http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-desktop-headphone-amplifier-black-p-42.html?osCsid=206b8c7a13d2f92969bb0d211b6f1349

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post #2 of 55
1/23/11 at 4:58pm

again, I'll have my HDP tomorrow.

up to you if you want to wait for my initial impressions/review (probably Tuesday), but I will at least be able to give you an idea. $0.02
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post #3 of 55
1/23/11 at 5:01pm
Thread Starter 

Ok. As a side note whats the cheapest anyone found the Icon HD for online?
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajreynol View Post

again, I'll have my HDP tomorrow.

up to you if you want to wait for my initial impressions/review (probably Tuesday), but I will at least be able to give you an idea. $0.02
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post #4 of 55
1/23/11 at 6:48pm

It is a fairly new product I see the best price around $349, but you should wait for some impression without having to regret later.

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post #5 of 55
1/23/11 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 

Fair enough. I do see your arguement about me being eager. How do you like your E7+E9 btw? Does the e9 help at all with your A700?
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by prtuc2 View Post

It is a fairly new product I see the best price around $349, but you should wait for some impression without having to regret later.

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post #6 of 55
1/23/11 at 7:28pm

Check out audio-gd. I just ordered the nfb-12.


 

 

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB12/NFB12EN.htm

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post #7 of 55
1/23/11 at 7:34pm
Thread Starter 

Don't these ship directly from china? Not to be hating on a product I haven't tried yet. But I would hate to wait for these to ship in and let alone pay a hefty shipping fee + a currency exchange fee via paypal.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by tarnishedhalo View Post

Check out audio-gd. I just ordered the nfb-12.


 

 

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB12/NFB12EN.htm

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post #8 of 55
1/23/11 at 8:28pm

I'm actually considering e7e9 or the Fubar III (leaning more towards the Fubar III right now due to op-amp rolling and having upgraded some of its parts in 2010). I really want to hear some comparisons between these two DAC+Amp combos in the $200 range.

 

Here's a link to the Fubar: http://www.audiophileproducts.com/usbstereo

FWIW Gorgatron, the guy at audiophileproducts told me the following the other day via email:

 

The Fubar III has two Opamps. One LM4562 (soldered) onto the DAC board and one OPA2604 (replaceable) on the headphone amp board.

[...]
I also listen to the Fubar III with my tried and true Sennheiser HD600’s, sounds wonderful. Also, I use the OPA2627 SuperChip in the headphone amp section.

 

The LM4562 is sort of the canonical "neutral" op-amp (I used to use one in a cMoy when I wanted to have an analytical listening session), so I'm comfortable knowing that's what the DAC is using. As for the headphone amp, I love having the choice. The OPA2627 super chip is basically 2 OPA627s on one chip. I'm quite partial to the DY2000, which I've used in my 595s for 2 years -- it really brings out the best in these.

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post #9 of 55
1/23/11 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 


Thanks for your input. The price on the Fubar isn't bad. If I go with Fiio, I can also get free shipping on that one site. so you can change the chips accordingly if you know how to solder?

Quote:
Originally Posted by enjaygee View Post

I'm actually considering e7e9 or the Fubar III (leaning more towards the Fubar III right now due to op-amp rolling and having upgraded some of its parts in 2010). I really want to hear some comparisons between these two DAC+Amp combos in the $200 range.

 

Here's a link to the Fubar: http://www.audiophileproducts.com/usbstereo

FWIW Gorgatron, the guy at audiophileproducts told me the following the other day via email:

 

The Fubar III has two Opamps. One LM4562 (soldered) onto the DAC board and one OPA2604 (replaceable) on the headphone amp board.

[...]
I also listen to the Fubar III with my tried and true Sennheiser HD600’s, sounds wonderful. Also, I use the OPA2627 SuperChip in the headphone amp section.

 

The LM4562 is sort of the canonical "neutral" op-amp (I used to use one in a cMoy when I wanted to have an analytical listening session), so I'm comfortable knowing that's what the DAC is using. As for the headphone amp, I love having the choice. The OPA2627 super chip is basically 2 OPA627s on one chip. I'm quite partial to the DY2000, which I've used in my 595s for 2 years -- it really brings out the best in these.

Reply
post #10 of 55
1/23/11 at 10:42pm

The DAC op-amp chip on the Fubar is soldered. Some amps have what they call a DIP8 socket where you can interchange (dual-channel) op-amps by simply pulling out one and sticking in another. It's very simple and requires no soldering. The Fubar has this for it's headphone amp section. I discovered the beauty of op-amp rolling a couple years ago when I built my cMoy. It's really fun to have different chips and play around with the sound, giving your headphones the ability to take on different subtle characteristics (e.g., being more warm, more laid back, more bright, or more neutral). I'm not saying the sound of your headphones will change to the point of being a completely different 'phone, but it is perceptible and helps ever so slightly. Like giving a painter different shades of the same color of paint, if you will. Just something to think about.

On the other hand, the E7/E9 has the possibility of being portable. I think that's one upshot -- indeed, that was one thing that was cool about having a cMoy amp as well. But then again, I can count on one hand how many times I've taken my '595s outside my room bigsmile_face.gif.

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post #11 of 55
1/23/11 at 11:00pm
Thread Starter 


I see. That helps me understand a bit better, thanks. I'm liking the portability option for the Fiio combo. I visit my Dad frequently who lives in another state and bringing the e7 and e9 with my new dt 990's I just ordered would be great.

Quote:
Originally Posted by enjaygee View Post

The DAC op-amp chip on the Fubar is soldered. Some amps have what they call a DIP8 socket where you can interchange (dual-channel) op-amps by simply pulling out one and sticking in another. It's very simple and requires no soldering. The Fubar has this for it's headphone amp section. I discovered the beauty of op-amp rolling a couple years ago when I built my cMoy. It's really fun to have different chips and play around with the sound, giving your headphones the ability to take on different subtle characteristics (e.g., being more warm, more laid back, more bright, or more neutral). I'm not saying the sound of your headphones will change to the point of being a completely different 'phone, but it is perceptible and helps ever so slightly. Like giving a painter different shades of the same color of paint, if you will. Just something to think about.

On the other hand, the E7/E9 has the possibility of being portable. I think that's one upshot -- indeed, that was one thing that was cool about having a cMoy amp as well. But then again, I can count on one hand how many times I've taken my '595s outside my room bigsmile_face.gif.

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post #12 of 55
1/23/11 at 11:05pm

DT990s with a neutral amp like the e9&e7, u must lik ur highs!

I always thought about the combination with the DT990 (currently own the e7&e9 combo)

but i worry the highs getting even louder =/

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post #13 of 55
1/23/11 at 11:07pm

Congrats on your purchase. Be sure to share your thoughts on the setup once you get it. I will be ordering the Fubar III within the next couple days and will try and share my impressions.

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post #14 of 55
1/23/11 at 11:22pm
Thread Starter 

I'm not sure. I wasn't up to date on what that combo is like.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoKTurNal View Post

DT990s with a neutral amp like the e9&e7, u must lik ur highs!

I always thought about the combination with the DT990 (currently own the e7&e9 combo)

but i worry the highs getting even louder =/



Thanks. Will do. I just need an amp now :)



Quote:
Originally Posted by enjaygee View Post

Congrats on your purchase. Be sure to share your thoughts on the setup once you get it. I will be ordering the Fubar III within the next couple days and will try and share my impressions.

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post #15 of 55
1/24/11 at 6:27am

I like my E7+E9 combo for the money I am sure there are better sound for higher price, but spending 2x or more getting maybe 10-20% in return probably isn't worth the cost to me.  I am happy with the E7+E9 on my HD650 for now, E9 boost the ATH A700 soundstage better but the A700 really don't need an amp to get most out of it.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gorgatron View Post

Fair enough. I do see your arguement about me being eager. How do you like your E7+E9 btw? Does the e9 help at all with your A700?
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by prtuc2 View Post

It is a fairly new product I see the best price around $349, but you should wait for some impression without having to regret later.


 
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