DAC help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowei006 

ok well. so i've got a nice little setup right now. from my ipod 2G (Cirrus Logic 4398 internal DAC)-->FiiO L9 LOD-->FiiO E5 Amp-->Shure SRH440.

Now I would like something portable and make my music sound better. basically i always get brought back to FiiO. now i have seen things on the D3 and E7...which is for me? I heard that the E7 won't work with the ipod's and to use the DAC on the inside you need to plug it into a computer? So what should i get for a portable setup?

Now a hardwired PC setup for use with my desktop. I have heard things on using the E7 as a DAC....what about the amp. some say to use the E9 desktop amp? am i going through the process right? so would this sound right? PC-->E7-->E9 ? Or am i at an standstill with my current headphones.? 

 

Or on another note. what way could i improve my current audio setup right now. without switching headphones? Be it portable or hardwired as my 2 questions basically are saying

 

Well it depends on what you are looking for. If you want a portable amp with a DAC with it the UHA4 would be a great choice. Synergy is also key. Not sure what your headphone lacks and needs. Depending on that you could always change the OP amp when you order the amp from Leckerton. Never heard of the Shure's you have either. You can connect the E7 via docking it to the E9 which will allow you to use the E7 DAC but with the E9's amp. I own both but am selling my E7 to a fellow headfier. The E9 amp is very good and powerful. Very reasonably priced vs performance. Depending on the situation you may yield more improvements by upgrading your cans. I could be wrong though, I don't know how good your cans are. I have denon 5000 headphones but I don't consider them portable at all. I use IEMs for portability. Sennheiser IE8 (which I'm selling) and FX700s.

I don't know where you heard that the E7 doesn't work with the iPod but it does.

"From Headphone Bar: A portable audio swiss army knife! The E7 is a portable, battery powered headphone amp; it also works as an excellent usb/dac, to upgrade the sound from your computer; it also docks into the Fiio E9 high powered desktop amp, working as a dac.

• Consider the Fiio E7 if you want to improve the sound of headphones with a laptop or computer. 
• If you plan to use it with an mp3 player, we reccommend adding the L1//L3/L9/L10 or L30 ipod cable for apple products, L5 Sony cable or L6 Sansa cable. This sends a cleaner line out signal for the Fiio E7 to amplify, for better sound.

The Fiio E7 provides an attractive display, 3 levels of bass boost and has an unusualy good build quality and design for its very affordable price. Includes an excellent assortment of accessories too: a slim, black rubber case, a black velvet carry case, a black rubber strap, a clear stick-on screen protector, usb cable for charging and a 4" line out cable. The packaging is first rate.

This is perfect to use at the office, for travelling &/or as part of a high-powered computer audio system with the Fiio E9. To bundle an E7 with an E9 at a discounted price, please order the E9+E7 bundle, found on the headphone amps page."

And as lee730 says:

paired with the E9  , it is a combination of choice for many budget minded Head-fi'ers and others alike.

I don't think you would be disappointed with the combination. No I don't have it myself, but I was about to purchase the combo recently for$185.00, before I made up the set-up I have now.  

Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowei006 

so how would i plug them into each other? i would then only be able to use this two combo at home right? but i should be able to pick the E7 up and use that as an amp. i heard the DAC won't work with the ipods..... and that only the amp will go through. what qualms did you have with owning the e7?

The E7 just doesn't compare to higher end set ups. Its a good device but once you try higher tiered items you realize how mediocre the amp and DAC are in the device. For a beginning setup its not half bad. But I've long moved on from it. My UHA4 amp/DAC is way superior to the E7 in all respects. The UHA4 isn't cheap either at $200.00 but for what you get its a great deal and destroys the headstage arrow in overall sound quality and at quite a price savings. The UHA4 competes with quite a few of the more expensive portable amps and it has a DAC to boot at no additional charge. If you want to bypass the ipods DAC you'll have to check out  ALO audio as they have devices that will allow you to do this. But you will sacrifice portability and waste a lot of money (their products are way overprice). You'd be better off getting another DAP that is tailored towards audiophiles (Hifiman 601/601, T51). I'll be keeping my E9 as its very powerful and neutral sounding. I pair the E9 amp with my DACport LX from CEntrance. They pair very well together and allows me to take full advantage of the E9.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowei006 

ok so i've been looking at many of them. would the maverick tube magic which is often used here on headfi be better than the UHA4? 

Yeah and i have also heard astoudning reviews for the E9. and am thinking of using that for an amp at home. is there any cheap ~$50 DAC that i can get? or would the wolfson in my ipod paired with a more powerful amp(say the FiiO E11) and not use the E7 be a better choice as in price to performance? meaning not even get the E9 as my headphoens don't need that much power? and my ipod already comes with a wolfson?

The E11 is a great value so it may be worth it. But the UHA4 is still far superior to the E11 in all honesty. There's just no comparison. I've never heard of the tube magic. The good thing about the UHA4 as I said is it also has a DAC so you can use it on your computer as well. I don't use the DAC anymore as I use a DACport LX which is far superior to the DAC in the UHA4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowei006 

So u would put the uh to be a good value overal. I see. What about a $40 portable hifiman connected to the E9?

I assume it would still work. But the E9 isn't a portable amp. Its a home desktop amp.