FiiO E9i reviews

it is a E9 with iphone/pod dock everything else is the same...
what may happen with the E9 may also happen with the 9i.
Ok the potentiometer makes a very slight "hschh" when you adjust the volume but not a big deal... for the money the little thing is very good

Wanted to chime in with my impression of the E9i. I had heard about the E9 as a good bang-for-your-buck amp for my newly acquired AKG702's, so when I saw the E9i, it looked like the perfect bedside rig to use with my iTouch. No laptop, no extra cables, just the iTouch, E9i, and choice of headphone. Looked perfect on paper.

 

My setup before was my laptop > iBasso D6 > Ultrasone Pro900.

 

To start of, I think the amp section is great, it drives both the K702 and the Pro900 very nicely when using the E9i as an amp and the iBasso D6 as a DAC from my laptop. Especially the K702's. However, this is not why I purchased the E9i. When using it for its intened purpose, as a LOD for the iPod, the music sounds very 2 dimentional and, well, AWFUL. I gave the setup a good 3 weeks of daily use before posting this. I am positive that the iPod's DAC is to blame, and that the E9i is just "working with what its got", but the combination does not sound good at all. This is especially evident with the Ultrasone Pro900 and electronic music. When using the laptop > iBasso D6, the Pro900 envelop you head in tight, precise bass, with a 3D clear separation of instruments. When using the E9i combo, it doesn't really sound any better than using the iPod alone. Nearly half of the low notes are missing all together, and the rest are clumped together, just as it comes out of the iPod jack. With the K702 and rock/vocals, it obviously drives them to much louder levels than what the iPod alone could ever achieve, but their magic (mainly their soundstage and precision) is nowhere to be found. Damn iPod DAC!!! I though I was buying the perfect bedside setup. Not the case!!! Just put in an order for the NuForce Icon iDO.

 

Just my 2 cents. I am still learning how to describe what I hear.  

Edited by mgurvits - 10/3/11 at 1:00pm

Forgot to say I think the built quality is awesome, I really like how the thing looks and want to want to keep it. My iPod touch does sit a little loosely, but not loose enough to cause any issues with song browsing, etc. Just gotta be gentle with it.

 

EDIT: Wow, just wow.... Got home from work, plugged the K702's into the mini jack, and the left phone doesn't run unless I fiddle with the plug. So much for awesome built quality FiiO!!!! There's the reason I needed to return it. Thank god for Amazon CS. 

Edited by mgurvits - 10/3/11 at 6:08pm

Yeah. If you are considering the E9i, keep in mind that you are still limited by the iPod's onboard DAC. And more and more options are coming onto the market that let you bypass it. I'm not sure that the E9i makes sense, when products like the iDo, Pure i20, Fostex HP-P1 are popping up. 

 

Financially, the iDo made more sense to me than the Fostex HP-P1, because it doesn't limit me to its own amp section, doesn't cost ~$700, and has an amp section I can use (unlike Pure i20) until I buy a dedicated amp, amp/dac, or amp and dac.