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Can the E9 compete with the 'big boy' entry-level amps ?

post #1 of 32
4/10/11 at 12:28am
Thread Starter 

I just dont think its in the same class as the M-Stage and the HA-006 - thoughts ?

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post #2 of 32
4/10/11 at 9:00am

What makes you say that?  I had one briefly(for few weeks) and I can attest to the massive amount of power that is available even on the low-gain setting.  I could barely get the volume knob past 9 o'clock before the volume became uncomfortably loud(was using easy to drive headphones such Sennheiser's HD595).  I can easliy see the E9 having no trouble at all with higher impedance headphones, except for maybe orthodynamics.  While I don't have experience with other entry-level desktop amps, I would think the E9 compares quite favorably.

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post #3 of 32
4/10/11 at 11:22am
I would say it competes pretty well with any headphone amp I've owned or heard at meets. As mentioned above, the fact that it can drive anything you throw at it is a great quality too.

It's short comings regard its features. It's lack of RCA in leaves it reliant on the E7 which is not that great. Users have also reported that the volume pot can some times crackle although I haven't encountered it myself.

ETA - it can drive all the orthos fine, the inefficient hifinan ones need high gain mode.
Edited by EddieE - 4/10/11 at 11:26am
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post #4 of 32
4/10/11 at 10:41pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the feedback lads - no question that it has plenty of power FWIR, but a headphone amp is about more than raw power. I guess the only way to find out is to buy both, but ultimately a desktop amp without RCA-in seems a bit futile. 

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post #5 of 32
4/11/11 at 1:21am
What is this about no RCA in? It has a bloody 3.5mm in, which is the same as an RCA in, all you need is an RCA to 3.5mm cable.

The channels are joined by the cable instead of making the E9 join it. Either way, they get join unless the amp is balanced, amirite?

Are people that lazy that they won't buy an RCA to 3.5mm cable? They're like $3 on Monoprice. Or you could make your own with whatever magical cable you desire.

In any case compared to the Lyr with stock tubes... on all different sources. DAP, E7 DAC, PS3
RCA out.

E9 has more forward midrange
E9 has slightly more aggressive sound
E9 goes as low as the Lyr
E9 has clearer treble
Lyr is more natural/organic
Lyr has a slight hint of midbass emphasis, but sub bass and treble seem neutral
E9 is 100% dead silent, even in max volume
Lyr hums/hisses slightly, possibly due to the tubes
E9 has a slight noise when adjusting the volume, and only when adjusting volume
Lyr sounds polite but better balanced, despite the slight mid recession
E9 has a neutral tone, while Lyr is warm/smoother
E9 sounds like it might have emphasized mids and treble


I love both my amps. However, E9 needs to be truly tested by the naysayers. Its SOLID, clean, powerful, and cheap. If I didn't need the power of the Lyr for the HE-4, I would be happy with just the E9. The SS sound appeals to me more. That being said, the Lyr is amazing as well, in a different way.

Can't wait for my HE-4 to come in. I'm gonna try it on the E9 to see if the HE-4 really needs all that power of the Lyr.

More E9 owners are getting new amps, so I expect more comparisons.

Tdockweiler has the E9 and Asgard and prefers the E9 for his K702. Maybe he can chime in with more.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 4/11/11 at 2:32am
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post #6 of 32
4/11/11 at 6:27am

 I agree with what was said in regards to the e9. Really an amazing peice of equipment for its price point. The only issue I have is not with the e9 but the docked e7. I mentioned before that with the e7 docked I would get an annoying hiss/hum for a while, then it would go away. Someone pointed out that maybe the e7 was charging while playing, allowing extra jitter/hiss/hum, whichever you may call it, through the e9 amp. After investigating I beleive that's exactly what is happening, it's pretty annoying, but now that I figured it out it can be avoided. I'll just make sure when I want to listen the amp will be on long enough to allow the e7 to be charged. Once this is over the combo is dead silent. I haven't really heard much about this issue with other e7/e9 owners, and its not by any means a huge issue, just a tad annoying.

 

MLE funny we were just talking about inputs on the e9 last night lol. This thread had no relation to my questions lol. Ironic that now people are questioning the inputs of the e9.

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post #7 of 32
4/11/11 at 6:34am

jronan, my thoughts exactly. I'm personally hoping the FiiO E17 will solve the issues with the E7, which IMO is below the quality threshold in general. Problem is FiiO has so much going on at the moment it will probably be a while before the E17 shows up. I'm tempted to get an external dac instead but something about the 3.5mm line in bothers me. Maybe its irrational and there would be no sonic difference but I do wish it had real rca line in.

 

All that said the E9 itself is a gem. It owns the HE-6 on high gain and I doubt there is much more out there that will be harder to drive than that.

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post #8 of 32
4/11/11 at 8:19am

 Eddie I was just asking if there is a sonic difference from running a dac rca to rca compared to rca to mini line-in in another thread. People have said there will be no difference, just probably can't use fancy high quality cables unless you DIY. It's really unfortunate that they didn't put rca in on the E9, it really makes no sense to me. Not a huge problem, but IMO fiio should of put that option, they might of even been able to sell even more e9's since it gets excellent reviews for those who may want a better dac to run than the e7. I'm not sure how many people actually have used different dacs with the e9 other than the e7, but i would love to find out. Here's the thread where this relates:

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/521680/fiio-e9-review/750

 

 

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post #9 of 32
4/11/11 at 11:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EddieE View Post

jronan, my thoughts exactly. I'm personally hoping the FiiO E17 will solve the issues with the E7, which IMO is below the quality threshold in general. Problem is FiiO has so much going on at the moment it will probably be a while before the E17 shows up. I'm tempted to get an external dac instead but something about the 3.5mm line in bothers me. Maybe its irrational and there would be no sonic difference but I do wish it had real rca line in.

 

All that said the E9 itself is a gem. It owns the HE-6 on high gain and I doubt there is much more out there that will be harder to drive than that.

Yeah I am waiting to see when Fiio e17 will release to see if it will come bundled with e9.  Seriously though it feels like I've been waiting forever.  One week it's like I am so picking up M-stage.  Then next Asgard.  Then next Lovely cube.  Then wait for e17 and e9.  Round and Round.  At this point no matter what I do, I have a feeling I will be disappointed and curious of the ones I don't get. 
 

 

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post #10 of 32
4/11/11 at 12:00pm

 Lol I know what you mean. I'm sure the e17, when it does come out, will be another nice product from fiio. But IMO I want to try different products from different companies. I really like what I read about the M Stage, still relatively cheap and I would guess a little better than the e9, again an uneducational simple guess. The asgard i also read a good amount and the opinions  overall are good but not as consistent as I would have thought. I have read some liked other amps for cans like the 701's and dt990's. Upgrading a dac and keeping the e9 might be the best option, but again a complete guess. When I upgrade my dac and pair it with the e9 I can easily give you sound advice, again i really haven't found any people that have tried different dacs with the e9 yet.

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post #11 of 32
4/11/11 at 5:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy View Post

What is this about no RCA in? It has a bloody 3.5mm in, which is the same as an RCA in, all you need is an RCA to 3.5mm cable.

The channels are joined by the cable instead of making the E9 join it. Either way, they get join unless the amp is balanced, amirite?

Are people that lazy that they won't buy an RCA to 3.5mm cable? They're like $3 on Monoprice. Or you could make your own with whatever magical cable you desire.

In any case compared to the Lyr with stock tubes... on all different sources. DAP, E7 DAC, PS3
RCA out.

E9 has more forward midrange
E9 has slightly more aggressive sound
E9 goes as low as the Lyr
E9 has clearer treble
Lyr is more natural/organic
Lyr has a slight hint of midbass emphasis, but sub bass and treble seem neutral
E9 is 100% dead silent, even in max volume
Lyr hums/hisses slightly, possibly due to the tubes
E9 has a slight noise when adjusting the volume, and only when adjusting volume
Lyr sounds polite but better balanced, despite the slight mid recession
E9 has a neutral tone, while Lyr is warm/smoother
E9 sounds like it might have emphasized mids and treble


I love both my amps. However, E9 needs to be truly tested by the naysayers. Its SOLID, clean, powerful, and cheap. If I didn't need the power of the Lyr for the HE-4, I would be happy with just the E9. The SS sound appeals to me more. That being said, the Lyr is amazing as well, in a different way.

Can't wait for my HE-4 to come in. I'm gonna try it on the E9 to see if the HE-4 really needs all that power of the Lyr.

More E9 owners are getting new amps, so I expect more comparisons.

Tdockweiler has the E9 and Asgard and prefers the E9 for his K702. Maybe he can chime in with more.


Really appreciate this, MLE - you are passionate about the E9 and prepared to back it up with specifics.

 

I currently use an RCA-to-mini cable with my MSII, and its a pain in the butt to get something less than a metre long - ideally, I want something no more than 20cm, but they dont seem to exist outside of boutique (ie expensive) audio establishments. RCA cables, OTOH, are plentiful in a wide range of lengths.

 

If you know of a 20-30cm RCA-to-mini cable, please post a link.

 

Thanks,

 

estreeter

 

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post #12 of 32
4/11/11 at 6:02pm
I hold the E9 dearly BECAUSE its such a monster product for so little money, and the few who have owned it and another amp AT THE SAME TIME have come away with the E9 holding its own to actually being preferrable. I'm still remembering last year's London mini-meet where someone loved the E9 over some serious amps for the T1, to the point that he immediately bought the E9.

I'm not somebody that is blinded by my newer toys. I'm quite hard to please especially in terms of sound. The E9 is every bit as good to me as the Lyr , just with a different tone and presentation, as well as it obviously having less power.

Just like the micca-store ad currently circulating on Head-fi says, listen for yourself.
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post #13 of 32
4/11/11 at 6:10pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by estreeter View Post


If you know of a 20-30cm RCA-to-mini cable, please post a link.

 

 

http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?ycable=yes&id=899

redco-rca-mini.png

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post #14 of 32
4/11/11 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks Yoga Flame - I'll chase that up.

 

MLE, I'm not questioning your motives, and I did seriously consider the E9 before opting for a more expensive, albeit portable, amp. For a bedside rig, the E9s small form factor makes a lot of sense, but I can still run completely off the grid with the P4 - nothing stopping me getting the E9 and writing up a few impressions with my Grados/A-Ts and various IEMs though. Its all good when the prices of entry-level amps have started to favour the consumer.

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post #15 of 32
4/11/11 at 7:49pm
Oh, I was speaking in general. Wasn't aimed at you directly. smily_headphones1.gif
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Can the E9 compete with the 'big boy' entry-level amps ?