Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought - Page 344

post #5146 of 5831
12/31/12 at 12:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris J View Post

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

I definitely agree that the E17/E9 combo is amazing value for the money - 1000%! That said. I suspect even Fiio themselves would agree that a higher power amplifier like the Lyr or Mjolnir will really make demanding headphones shine. For now though, at least based on using the E17 by itself, the combo of it and the E9 will no doubt meet my short to medium term needs.

Funny you mention the first time hearing the HD800 was from an owner using an iPhone. I'm sure the guys at the Headphone Bar thought I was nuts wanting to briefly re-audition the HD800 in-store with my iPhone. There was method to my madness though - I had my E17 attached via LOD (and 30 pin to Lightning converter no thanks to Apple) and was able to listen to music I was familiar with, including some of my favorite lossless tracks. That's when I realized just how special the little E17 was... it floored me that the HD800s could sound this good being driven by the iPhone/E17 combo. Personally I can't imagine usine the iPhone without the E17, but to each their own devices. :-)

I've never heard of a La Figaro 336C - is it worth me looking into?

Dale (aka AgentXXL)
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #5147 of 5831
12/31/12 at 12:17am

It's better for the battery if I keep charging to full and running it out instead of leaving it on USB charge all the time right?

Reply
post #5148 of 5831
12/31/12 at 12:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie View Post

It's better for the battery if I keep charging to full and running it out instead of leaving it on USB charge all the time right?

Yes - batteries have a limited number of charge cycles during their lifetime. The only thing to try and remember with the E17 is the battery should never be completely drained, an inherent 'gotcha' of modern battery technology. Just use your E17 on battery until it turns off and then it's time to recharge it, assuming most of your use is portable. If running as a DAC when at my desk, I do admit to leaving USB charging on so it's fully topped up next time I take the E17 portable. Alas I'll lose a few charge cycles this way but that's a choice I can live with.

Dale (aka AgentXXL)
Edited by AgentXXL - 12/31/12 at 12:30am
Reply
post #5149 of 5831
12/31/12 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AgentXXL View Post


Yes - batteries have a limited number of charge cycles during their lifetime. The only thing to try and remember with the E17 is the battery should never be completely drained, an inherent 'gotcha' of modern battery technology. Just use your E17 on battery until it turns off and then it's time to recharge it, assuming most of your use is portable. If running as a DAC when at my desk, I do admit to leaving USB charging on so it's fully topped up next time I take the E17 portable. Alas I'll lose a few charge cycles this way but that's a choice I can live with.
Dale (aka AgentXXL)

I mainly use it as desktop DAC so it is better to use almost all the battery instead of leaving it charging? What is a charge cycle?

Reply
post #5150 of 5831
12/31/12 at 8:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AgentXXL View Post


I definitely agree that the E17/E9 combo is amazing value for the money - 1000%! That said. I suspect even Fiio themselves would agree that a higher power amplifier like the Lyr or Mjolnir will really make demanding headphones shine. For now though, at least based on using the E17 by itself, the combo of it and the E9 will no doubt meet my short to medium term needs.
Funny you mention the first time hearing the HD800 was from an owner using an iPhone. I'm sure the guys at the Headphone Bar thought I was nuts wanting to briefly re-audition the HD800 in-store with my iPhone. There was method to my madness though - I had my E17 attached via LOD (and 30 pin to Lightning converter no thanks to Apple) and was able to listen to music I was familiar with, including some of my favorite lossless tracks. That's when I realized just how special the little E17 was... it floored me that the HD800s could sound this good being driven by the iPhone/E17 combo. Personally I can't imagine usine the iPhone without the E17, but to each their own devices. :-)
I've never heard of a La Figaro 336C - is it worth me looking into?
Dale (aka AgentXXL)

 

Secret Agent Dale,

 

I've been to the Planet Of Sound in T.O. a few times (I had to beam down from my Planet of Cold Hard Reality) and have auditioned numerous 'phones at numerous price points using my iPod. Thankfully I did not get any funny looks, but they were also happy to let me listen to better 'phones via an Audiolab CD player.

 

The La Figaro is a very decent OTL tube amp for $300.00. Really works bets with higher impedance 'phones: 250 Ohms and up.  You would do well to do some tube rolling though with some NOS tubes. It only take 2 tubes and you can get them for approx $20-30 each.

OTOH, the La Figaro 336C is not as good as some of the stuff Woo Audio does, but Woo Audio can get $$$.

 

C

Reply
post #5151 of 5831
12/31/12 at 8:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie View Post

I mainly use it as desktop DAC so it is better to use almost all the battery instead of leaving it charging? What is a charge cycle?

A charge cycle occurs each time the battery is charged to full capacity, whether the the battery was fully depleted or not. The exception is trickle charging which occurs with some battery types, but not the E17's battery.

Since you use your E17 mainly at your desktop it's best in my mind to try and always have it fully charged. I would turn USB charging on (assuming you are connected via USB) and then each time you turn the E17 on it will initiate a charge cycle to keep the battery fully charged. Regardless, you can usually expect the battery to need replacement between the 3 - 5 year mark.

I use my E17 docked to my E9 at my desktop so mine does the same thing - it initiates a charge cycle every time I turn the E17 on. This makes sure the battery is always fully charged for when I want to take it portable. When on the road like I am now, I only recharge the E17 after a minimum of 20 hours of listening time. The longest my E17 has lasted on one charge is almost 24 hours of listening - pretty impressive!

Hope that helps you.

Dale
Reply
post #5152 of 5831
12/31/12 at 9:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris J View Post

Secret Agent Dale,

I've been to the Planet Of Sound in T.O. a few times (I had to beam down from my Planet of Cold Hard Reality) and have auditioned numerous 'phones at numerous price points using my iPod. Thankfully I did not get any funny looks, but they were also happy to let me listen to better 'phones via an Audiolab CD player.

The La Figaro is a very decent OTL tube amp for $300.00. Really works bets with higher impedance 'phones: 250 Ohms and up.  You would do well to do some tube rolling though with some NOS tubes. It only take 2 tubes and you can get them for approx $20-30 each.
OTOH, the La Figaro 336C is not as good as some of the stuff Woo Audio does, but Woo Audio can get $$$.

C

Next time I'm in TO I'll definitely try to stop by Planet of Sound. I was there a couple of years ago but didn't really have the time to try and audition any equipment. On my next trip I'll make sure I have the time to do so. Thanks for the info on the La Figaro. Alas as I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not into experimenting with tube rolling and seem to be happy with the solid state amps I've listened to.

Dale
Edited by AgentXXL - 12/31/12 at 9:08am
Reply
post #5153 of 5831
12/31/12 at 5:48pm

Sonic Electronix is selling the E17 for $105.00

Reply
post #5154 of 5831
12/31/12 at 6:00pm

Nice! Great price for a great device.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gibosi View Post

Sonic Electronix is selling the E17 for $105.00

Reply
post #5155 of 5831
12/31/12 at 6:01pm

What settings are people using on the Fiio E17, and with which headphones? (bass, treble, gain, vol, etc. - I'm assuming most people don't change the balance, lol)

I can never decide on perfect settings myself.

Reply
post #5156 of 5831
12/31/12 at 6:10pm

There are no best settings, but for me, with my Q701 I use the medium gain setting, +2 or +4 bass depending on what I am listening to. I usually listen with the volume around 25-30 with the gain on the medium setting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mani ATH 87 View Post

What settings are people using on the Fiio E17, and with which headphones? (bass, treble, gain, vol, etc. - I'm assuming most people don't change the balance, lol)

I can never decide on perfect settings myself.

Reply
post #5157 of 5831
12/31/12 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonb View Post

There are no best settings, but for me, with my Q701 I use the medium gain setting, +2 or +4 bass depending on what I am listening to. I usually listen with the volume around 25-30 with the gain on the medium setting.


I know that there are no best settings universally across all headphones. Everyone prefers different a different sound profile, and with different types of music and cans, there is a ton of variation. Just interested to know what people are doing with their own headphones and tastes.

Reply
post #5158 of 5831
12/31/12 at 9:21pm

I'm not sure if I should use 0 gain, 6 and 12 gain add even more distortion though.

Reply
post #5159 of 5831
12/31/12 at 9:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie View Post

I'm not sure if I should use 0 gain, 6 and 12 gain add even more distortion though.

 

If 6 and 12 gain add distortion, you obviously shouldn't use them. 

I have the gain set on 6 with my cans, I feel like it adds clarity and nice punch to the bass as opposed to a straight volume increase. I wouldn't worry to much about using no gain though, many people prefer to have no added gain.

If you have low impedance headphones (which it sounds like you do if gain causes distortion) you probably don't need any addition gain.

Reply
post #5160 of 5831
12/31/12 at 10:04pm

Is E09K+E17 really better than E17 by itself?

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Headphone Amps

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought