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FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought - Page 343

post #5131 of 5946
12/25/12 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by feiao View Post

M80 sound very good with E17. and also HD598. 
a thing I've found; the highs are defiantly better on 0 everything, but my 4 bass 6 treble and 6 or 12 gain have worked so far.
I tried listening to a whole song, then using my iPod without the amp, and I think the e17s in-built soundboard override may be limiting my lp2s. Is this even possible?


Also, any word on your iPod audio adapters {the one that's like an ipod sync cable but with an aux input on the other side} going Lightning cable? I own a 5g iPod touch and find it annoying that I can't get a better sound because apple changed the connector made it nearly impossible to clone it. I Asked one of the techs in the apple store, he said it has the exact same voltage as the old 30pin adapter.
Edited by Existence - 12/25/12 at 4:21pm
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post #5132 of 5946
12/26/12 at 12:21am

For what it's worth...

 

I'm never going back to [Source -> analog headphone or line-out -> E17 line-in], since getting my Cowon D3 and its proprietary A/V cable that I bought to drive the E17.  It enables me to stream digital from most any type of files [preferably FLAC] to the E17 via a S/PDIF coax.  And better still I was so very happy to discover the digital EQ and BBE+ effects performed in the Wolfrom DAC are all in effect over the coax out [i.e. the pre 'AC' part of the monolithic Wolfrom DAC] ; based on the block diagram of the DAC chip I thought the S/PDIF out was before the effects section but that proved not the case. So I  can use the semi-parametric EQ of the D3 to do fine tuning that may be needed for the phones I'm using @ the tine, but leave the overall treble/bass tonality 'finishing' of the sound to the E17.  

 

I use the D3/E17 combo w/my Focal Spirit One headphones the most, which I think is a very overlooked headphone but IMO is the most engaging & do-all / capable headphone that is brought alive with small tweeks of the D3's digital semi-parametric EQ, some JetAudio enhancements, and the E17's power.  Simply amazing "crisp -to- head shaking" sound from the whole package and quality music tracks like FLACS of the whole re-mastered Steely Dan collection, or of say a 2-channel PCM rip of the Cream @ the Royal Albert Hall DVD, or board recordings of concerts mastered and sold by the artists.  I don't think I've ever had the "I'm @ the concert' experience from headphones like i have now; especially given at least one set of FLACs I have is from when i was @ the concert and I can compare what I hear now to what I heard there when live.  And the E17 plays a vital role in achieving that. Anyone in the NYC area is welcome to hear what has me so over the moon @ the upcoming meet in Bablyon.


Edited by m8o - 12/26/12 at 12:25am
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post #5133 of 5946
12/26/12 at 12:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by m8o View Post

For what it's worth...

 

I'm never going back to [Source -> analog headphone or line-out -> E17 line-in], since getting my Cowon D3 and its proprietary A/V cable that I bought to drive the E17.  It enables me to stream digital from most any type of files [preferably FLAC] to the E17 via a S/PDIF coax.  And better still I was so very happy to discover the digital EQ and BBE+ effects performed in the Wolfrom DAC are all in effect over the coax out [i.e. the pre 'AC' part of the monolithic Wolfrom DAC] ; based on the block diagram of the DAC chip I thought the S/PDIF out was before the effects section but that proved not the case. So I  can use the semi-parametric EQ of the D3 to do fine tuning that may be needed for the phones I'm using @ the tine, but leave the overall treble/bass tonality 'finishing' of the sound to the E17.  

 

I use the D3/E17 combo w/my Focal Spirit One headphones the most, which I think is a very overlooked headphone but IMO is the most engaging & do-all / capable headphone that is brought alive with small tweeks of the D3's digital semi-parametric EQ, some JetAudio enhancements, and the E17's power.  Simply amazing "crisp -to- head shaking" sound from the whole package and quality music tracks like FLACS of the whole re-mastered Steely Dan collection, or of say a 2-channel PCM rip of the Cream @ the Royal Albert Hall DVD, or board recordings of concerts mastered and sold by the artists.  I don't think I've ever had the "I'm @ the concert' experience from headphones like i have now; especially given at least one set of FLACs I have is from when i was @ the concert and I can compare what I hear now to what I heard there when live.  And the E17 plays a vital role in achieving that. Anyone in the NYC area is welcome to hear what has me so over the moon @ the upcoming meet in Bablyon.

 

I'll meet you there. (Pic from Babylon A.D)

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post #5134 of 5946
12/30/12 at 5:46am
Hi all! I'm back on the forums after almost 8 months away due to illness. Glad to see that this thread is still live. I've been using my E17 all along and just loving it with my 250 ohm DT770s from Beyerdynamic. But the real surprise was when I tried the E17 with my new Sennheiser HD800s!

This little DAC/AMP just keeps on surprising me. I've heard the HD800s on a Schiitt Lyr and fell in love with them. And that kept me from buying them because I thought I'd need to buy a new amp too. Much to my delight, that doesn't appear to be the case. I'm away visiting family as I write this but I suspect I'll be even happier when I get home and dock my E17 in my E9.

I know at some point I'll upgrade to a higher end desktop amp, but based on how it sounds right now, the E17 will be my portable amp/dac of choice when/if I take my HD800s with me.

Thanks Fiio for an amazing portable amp/dac!

Dale (aka AgentXXL)
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post #5135 of 5946
12/30/12 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AgentXXL View Post

Hi all! I'm back on the forums after almost 8 months away due to illness. Glad to see that this thread is still live. I've been using my E17 all along and just loving it with my 250 ohm DT770s from Beyerdynamic. But the real surprise was when I tried the E17 with my new Sennheiser HD800s!
This little DAC/AMP just keeps on surprising me. I've heard the HD800s on a Schiitt Lyr and fell in love with them. And that kept me from buying them because I thought I'd need to buy a new amp too. Much to my delight, that doesn't appear to be the case. I'm away visiting family as I write this but I suspect I'll be even happier when I get home and dock my E17 in my E9.
I know at some point I'll upgrade to a higher end desktop amp, but based on how it sounds right now, the E17 will be my portable amp/dac of choice when/if I take my HD800s with me.
Thanks Fiio for an amazing portable amp/dac!
Dale (aka AgentXXL)

 

Thanks, be careful to yourself . 

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post #5136 of 5946
12/30/12 at 7:25am

Hey Dale, that's great to hear! My HD800's arrive after the 15th of January and I've been hearing various sources saying that the E17 + E09K won't drive the HD800's. I love the sound from both on my my Amperiors & IE80's, so looking forward to hearing them.

 

Have you had a chance to try them with anything else?

 

Good to also hear you're recovering...!
 

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post #5137 of 5946
12/30/12 at 7:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GSARider View Post

Hey Dale, that's great to hear! My HD800's arrive after the 15th of January and I've been hearing various sources saying that the E17 + E09K won't drive the HD800's. I love the sound from both on my my Amperiors & IE80's, so looking forward to hearing them.

 

Have you had a chance to try them with anything else?

 

Good to also hear you're recovering...!
 

 

Technically, the E17 and E09K will have no trouble driving a pair of HD880s to insane volumes quite cleanly.

If someone wants to say they don't like the sound of that system driving a pair of HD800, fair enough, that's their opinion. biggrin.gif

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post #5138 of 5946
12/30/12 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GSARider View Post

Hey Dale, that's great to hear! My HD800's arrive after the 15th of January and I've been hearing various sources saying that the E17 + E09K won't drive the HD800's. I love the sound from both on my my Amperiors & IE80's, so looking forward to hearing them.

 

Have you had a chance to try them with anything else?

 

 

I've heard them on a DarkVoice - I think it was an older 336 model a 337SE, but I'll admit to not being a huge tube amp fan. The Schiitt Lyr is the only tube amp I've heard that I'm somewhat fond of. That said I haven't heard many tube amps. I'm really not into the whole 'experimentation' routine of rolling tubes so a solid state amp is more up my alley. When I picked up my HD800s I took a brief look at the Schiit Mjolnir and it looks pretty impressive and appears to be a real good match for the HD800 based on forum reviews. Not necessarily the best though - I'd love to try out the Headamp GS-X. regular_smile%20.gif

 

I've also heard the HD800 with the Ray Samuels Audio SR-71B Blackbird - the balanced version of that portable amp. Certainly the SR-71B has some amazing power and it's possible that I might end up purchasing one at some point in the future.

 

That said, I'm still extremely impressed with the E17. I'll admit that I didn't think it could touch the HD800 but it's having very little difficulty. I've used it with a LOD out of my iPhone (painful thanks to Apple changing to the Lightning connector) and via USB from my MacBook Pro. Unfortunately all of my hi-res audio is at home on an external hard drive that I didn't want to bring with me. I'll have to wait until I get home to be even further amazed. Or maybe I'll just breakdown and buy a few new albums from HDTracks while I'm on vacation! smily_headphones1.gif

 

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I am mine.

 

Dale (aka AgentXXL)


Edited by AgentXXL - 12/30/12 at 10:29am
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post #5139 of 5946
12/30/12 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris J View Post

 

Technically, the E17 and E09K will have no trouble driving a pair of HD880s to insane volumes quite cleanly.

If someone wants to say they don't like the sound of that system driving a pair of HD800, fair enough, that's their opinion. biggrin.gif

 

I'm glad you clarified it with 'technically' - as we all know, amps, DACs, and potentially cables all can color both the signature and soundstage of any headphone. While I'm sure that the E17 + E9 (or newer E09K) will have no problem powering the HD800, I'm almost 100% certain that I won't get the soundstage that I would with something like the Schiitt Mjolnir or especially the Headamp GS-X. The GS-X is really out of my price range for the time being but the Mjolnir is achievable if I put myself to the task. They too will technically drive the HD800 but with a more open soundstage and potentially less coloring of the sound signature.

 

That said, I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing what the extra power of the E9 can do. If the E17 alone is this amazing, it and the E9 together should be quite the treat for the time being.

 

Dale (aka AgentXXL)

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post #5140 of 5946
12/30/12 at 11:09am

Thanks Dale, hope to hear how your 800's sound with the combo of Fiio's.
 

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post #5141 of 5946
12/30/12 at 11:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GSARider View Post

Thanks Dale, hope to hear how your 800's sound with the combo of Fiio's.
 

 

Alas that won't be until late next week - have to get my E9 back from a friend who borrowed it right away! When I asked at HeadphoneBar the other day, they claim that the E9 and E09K have the same power and soundstage, so my E17/E9 should tell you how your E17/E09K combo should sound. Of course your ears may (and likely do) differ in what they hear... biggrin.gif

 

Dale (aka AgentXXL)

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post #5142 of 5946
12/30/12 at 11:37am

I'm slowly saving up for the HDVD 800 and will get it in May or June time. Having spent a small fortune on gadgetry in the past three months, SWMBO has said no more toys...biggrin.gif
 

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post #5143 of 5946
12/30/12 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AgentXXL View Post

 

I'm glad you clarified it with 'technically' - as we all know, amps, DACs, and potentially cables all can color both the signature and soundstage of any headphone. While I'm sure that the E17 + E9 (or newer E09K) will have no problem powering the HD800, I'm almost 100% certain that I won't get the soundstage that I would with something like the Schiitt Mjolnir or especially the Headamp GS-X. The GS-X is really out of my price range for the time being but the Mjolnir is achievable if I put myself to the task. They too will technically drive the HD800 but with a more open soundstage and potentially less coloring of the sound signature.

 

That said, I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing what the extra power of the E9 can do. If the E17 alone is this amazing, it and the E9 together should be quite the treat for the time being.

 

Dale (aka AgentXXL)

 

Secret Agent XXL,

Sure, all I will really say about the E17 and E09K combo is that it is a great setup for $270 Cdn.

But based on my short listening session with a pair of HD800 I think they deserve a better amp and DAC, but you know the drill, open your wallet real wide to get something better.

OTOH, when I first heard a pair the owner was happily listening to them thru an iPhone. He seemed to have survived the experience with no ill effects, LOL!  I'm 99% sure I used my La Figaro 336C to listen to the HD800. I would guess a better amp would do them justice.

C J

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post #5144 of 5946
12/30/12 at 3:03pm

I've been using the Fiio E17 with my Audio Technica A900X's and it sounds great on my desktop. I feel like the A900X's benefit greatly from the slight bass increase from the E17 (I wouldn't say they lack bass, but the slight boost from the E17 puts it right where I like it). I also really like the slight gain increase VS strict volume increase. I don't listen to music at super loud levels so take that for what it is. I've tried the E17 at volume levels 35-40 vs 25-30 with 6dB gain and I much prefer the lower volume with a bit of gain. The music definitely has more impact with the slight gain boost, the clarity and punchy-ness of the bass sounds better to me then the flat volume increase. I know that some people prefer no gain, I just think this set up sounds better for me personally. Any more then 6dB gain and the phones are simply to loud for my tastes.

Headphones: Audio Technica ATH A900X 
Fiio E17 settings: Bass + 4, Treble +2, Gain +6dB (sometimes drop the treble back to zero depending on the music, but usually +2) Volume 25-30.
Source: Foobar2k WASAPI (event) output - volume 0.00dB Windows volume also at max. 

Music: Hip Hop, Electronic, R&B, Blues, Reggae, pretty wide variety.


Edited by Mani ATH 87 - 12/30/12 at 3:06pm
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post #5145 of 5946
12/30/12 at 6:50pm

I've never actually compared the gain settings, but I also use my E17 on 6db gain in the 25-30 range with a Q701 with a +2 bass boost. 

 

I love this little amp.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mani ATH 87 View Post

I've been using the Fiio E17 with my Audio Technica A900X's and it sounds great on my desktop. I feel like the A900X's benefit greatly from the slight bass increase from the E17 (I wouldn't say they lack bass, but the slight boost from the E17 puts it right where I like it). I also really like the slight gain increase VS strict volume increase. I don't listen to music at super loud levels so take that for what it is. I've tried the E17 at volume levels 35-40 vs 25-30 with 6dB gain and I much prefer the lower volume with a bit of gain. The music definitely has more impact with the slight gain boost, the clarity and punchy-ness of the bass sounds better to me then the flat volume increase. I know that some people prefer no gain, I just think this set up sounds better for me personally. Any more then 6dB gain and the phones are simply to loud for my tastes.

Headphones: Audio Technica ATH A900X 
Fiio E17 settings: Bass + 4, Treble +2, Gain +6dB (sometimes drop the treble back to zero depending on the music, but usually +2) Volume 25-30.
Source: Foobar2k WASAPI (event) output - volume 0.00dB Windows volume also at max. 

Music: Hip Hop, Electronic, R&B, Blues, Reggae, pretty wide variety.

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