FiiO E5 or FiiO E6 ??

this review does a pretty good job of comapring the 2

http://anythingbutipod.com/2011/10/fiio-e6-portable-headphone-amp-review/

Quote:

Originally Posted by mps83 

Thanks for that mate, althought it's all a bit over my head, i'm new to this portable amp business. Has anyone here have experience with them both? Is there any specific reason i should return my E5 and swap it for an E6?

i had both before and they are almost the same , i just like the e5 more coz it feel solid whilr e6 feel cheap

E6 apparently has better sound quality, eq, and isnt effected be cellular interference at all. It is a great upgrade over e5.

I have both the E5 and E6 and I prefer the SQ of the E6. The soundstage feels wider than on the E5 and I get the feeling that instrument separation is a bit better (of course it depends on your source and headphones).

However, I think that the bass boost on the E5 is much better. It feels like bass is boosted more whereas on the E6 it feels like the overall volume is just raised. In this I agree with the review from Anything but iPod.

But with bass boost turned off there is no question - the E6 easily triumphs the E5. If I want bass to be raised, I just EQ my player instead.

I agree with starNdust that the E5 feels more solid with its aluminum casing. The plastic E6 feels more "toyish". Both amps have their strong and weak points. The E5 is by no means a bad sounding amp, so you don't need to switch it for the E6. Since they both are so cheap, you could always get the E6 later and compare them yourself.

I had the opportunity to compare both and I think E6 is better than E5 in terms of SQ (especially E6 reduces hiss, very present in E5 with many IEMs).

IMO It's worthless to get both because they're almost the same amp, I'd swap your E5 for an E6

I don't have the E5, but I find that the E6, used with most decent (i.e. Shure SE215, SE435, Ety HF-5) canal earphones, simply cleans up the iPod amp 'mud' when used with the "line out" cable that pulls off of the dock connector. I don't use the bass-eq functions because I prefer accurate to exaggerated bass (just a personal preference inculcated over decades). But I am very happy with the $20 I spent on the E6. Good luck and good listening!