FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought - Page 292

Sorry I forgot to mention that because I thought it was implied, yea it has to be a powered hub and a well designed powered hub too , if you just got a 4 port non-powered usb hub and connected it to the noisy USB port on the machine it would be equally as noisy and crackly, your just displacing the problem.

Whereas a powered usb port handles the voltage pins seperate to the data pins, so really it draws very little or no power from the machine it is connected to, depending on the design. 

Para-quoting below, its like para-phasing but with Quotes !!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by beaver316 

 Do you think in this case it's better to go with an external powered USB hub?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowei006 

powered USB hub, is what I think you mean and or want for such a device..probably.

 

They are usually $15 USD. Not sure for your location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necrontyr 

This exact crackle and hiss occurs with my Fiio on my macbook pro , 2011 13' version , its not the fiio's fault , its the usb port, however I dont think it is 100% a power supply problem, your laptop can easily provide the 5v and amperage your fiio needs, more of an interference problem, my MBP has two usb ports, on one of them is crackles like hell, but connect the fiio to the other, then its clean and perfect.

 

Just use a different port, from my experience as a Computer scientist and my knowledge of usb and electronics I would say it has to do with interference in the usb port is caused by having a shared ground with another noisy source, thus the ground isn't actually at 0 volts relative to the 5v supply, this difference can cause some upsets for the internals of the fiio , 

 

TL:DR your fiio is fine, in fact its awesome , just use a different USB port

 

 

 

 

This comment is also addressed by my point, an external powered usb hub if designed right , will have good grounding for each port, thus giving the fiio clean DC electricity, and thus mitigating the crackle that way :)

There is definitely interference with my usb ports. When listening to music through the E17, and using the scroll wheel on my usb mouse i get those clicks.

Is there a specific powered USB hub you would recommend, or brand i can buy from. Looking through Amazon and ebay they're filled with what seem to be cheap options, many with bad reviews.

I've forgotten , is your PC a laptop or desktop ? I'm debugging the same issue for a guy in this thread >< 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/625322/headphones-sound-bad

There I have linked two PCI-e hubs which get their power directly from the power supply, (note the white molex plug at the back) 

It's a laptop, Sony Vaio.

Hi

I have connected my e17 to the digital output of an apple airport express (old style) and stream wirelessly from itunes on my iMac. I then run the output from an L7 to my amplifier. The problem is that I cannot use the usb output from the airport express to power e17 as this turns off the airport express because it draws too much power. When i try to plug the usb into my computer (making sure that the input selected is optical) i get a lot of distortion presumably from a signal from the computer via usb. So my question is how can you charge the E17 while you are using it? Maybe it isn't possible in the set up I have but why? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seneca 

Hi

 

I have connected my e17 to the digital output of an apple airport express (old style) and stream wirelessly from itunes on my iMac. I then run the output from an L7 to my amplifier. The problem is that I cannot use the usb output from the airport express to power e17 as this turns off the airport express because it draws too much power. When i try to plug the usb into my computer (making sure that the input selected is optical) i get a lot of distortion presumably from a signal from the computer via usb. So my question is how can you charge the E17 while you are using it? Maybe it isn't possible in the set up I have but why? 

Go buy or find a wall charger in your house. Most have Apple devices so an Apple USB Wall charger will do. If you have another wall charger for USB plugs then that is fine too.

If you don't have one, buy one on Ebay for $4.

Done. 

Thanks. I was reluctant to try an apple charger because I wasnt sure what the power requirements of e17 were 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seneca 

Thanks. I was reluctant to try an apple charger because I wasnt sure what the power requirements of e17 were 

Most USB wall chargers will work for most USB devices. I have written much on this already and even one on the previous page. 

Hi guys! I just signed up as a member at head-fi to say thank you for all your valueable input in this thread, it has helped me greatly in my search for starter gear. I have settled on a Fiio E17 and hopefully I will be receiving a Q701 in the following weeks (got a deal I cannot simply knock off). While I understand that the Fiio E17 is far from optimal for driving the Q701 to their true potencial, I am however wondering how much should I actually be able to expect from this combo? I've lurked enough to have seen that Panda sensei (bowie =D ) has tried the Q701 and E17 paired up, and said it worked alright, but how much more could you push out the Q701 with a dedicated AMP/DAC combo without going completely overkill on my tiny wallet. Note that the Fiio E17 is merely a placeholder for now.

I should also note that I am a poor student from Norway so getting a hold of exclusive branding products is hard/very expensive in Norway. For instance Fiio E17's goes for 275$ USD in norway (it's insane - goverment wants so much money) and you don't even want to know how much it cost to buy a pair of Q701 in a normal store.

- Misios

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misios 

Hi guys! I just signed up as a member at head-fi to say thank you for all your valueable input in this thread, it has helped me greatly in my search for starter gear. I have settled on a Fiio E17 and hopefully I will be receiving a Q701 in the following weeks (got a deal I cannot simply knock off). While I understand that the Fiio E17 is far from optimal for driving the Q701 to their true potencial, I am however wondering how much should I actually be able to expect from this combo? I've lurked enough to have seen that Panda sensei (bowie =D ) has tried the Q701 and E17 paired up, and said it worked alright, but how much more could you push out the Q701 with a dedicated AMP/DAC combo without going completely overkill on my tiny wallet. Note that the Fiio E17 is merely a placeholder for now.

 

I should also note that I am a poor student from Norway so getting a hold of exclusive branding products is hard/very expensive in Norway. For instance Fiio E17's goes for 275$ USD in norway (it's insane - goverment wants so much money) and you don't even want to know how much it cost to buy a pair of Q701 in a normal store.

 

- Misios

It was an ok setup but as expected the E17 was a bit warm and colored for the Q701's. It was nice and everything was a nice fit as the E17 is universal but of course. That was the reason why I sold the E17. I won't be driving Q701's out portably as they are at home stations. If you just want a desktop setup there are much better desktop amp and DAC's out there. If you want an all in one device for other headphones and what not then the E17 or others are fine.

I personally now have an Audio gd NFB 12.1 and a Custom O2.

If you listen to classical or older musics the E17 may not do too well as those songs usually have a low noise floor or are just "quieter" than the new ones that go right up to the 96dB(16 bit) noise floor today and with those I found the E17 giving not enough or just enough power for the Q701's. For regular music it was fine in terms of power.

I don't have the E17 anymore so can't do a comparison with you sorry.

"Welcome to head fi! Sorry about your wallet"

Thanks for the fast answer Bowei! (I now realised I mistyped your name, sorry!)

I couldn't find the Audio gd NFB 12.1 (only the 12.2) in norway - and it was some shabby new site that I've never heard of.

I wont derail this thread anymore seing as it is an E17 thread - i'll bugger the people in the Q701 appriciation thread of some other dac/amps combos that might be worth looking into!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misios 

Thanks for the fast answer Bowei! (I now realised I mistyped your name, sorry!)

 

I couldn't find the Audio gd NFB 12.1 (only the 12.2) in norway - and it was some shabby new site that I've never heard of.

 

I wont derail this thread anymore seing as it is an E17 thread - i'll bugger the people in the Q701 appriciation thread of some other dac/amps combos that might be worth looking into!

Happens often. David Bowie is what many base it off of.

The Audio gd's are mainly sold by their main site, they ship international.

Good luck. Keep in mind that appreciation threads are a bit more biased and what not, including this one, but hope your journey on head fi goes well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS 

You are mixing up terms. If you are referring to noise floor and bit depth, then you are talking more in the area of dynamic range. Power is voltage and current, and Q701 isn't that demanding a headphone that E17 don't have enough on both. The tricky part about Q701 is often not about having not enough power to drive it well, but often not having the right synergy / performance to drive it to its best.

I knew I was mixing them up but I had to go so I just what was at the top of my head. Sorry.

I found that the E17 didn't have enough power for classical and oldie's songs that are "quiet" is what I mean. Along with the lack of power for older songs, the synergy was fine but I just didn't like the warmth and coloration of the E17 as opposed to say the Custom O2 desktop variant I replaced it with.