FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought - Page 345

Quote:

Originally Posted by AgentXXL 


The E17 + E09K combo has the advantage of being able to better power the more demanding headphones. Certainly the E09K and it's predecessor the E9 are not the highest power amps, but from my past experience the extra oomph they provide was well worth the extra $100 or so to accompany the E17. If you don't think you need the extra power but still want a clean line out from the E17, then get an L7 dongle which allows you to keep your E17 powered via USB while providing a 3.5mm line out jack.
Dale

My Q701 is getting delivered, and i have the E17. Do you suggest me get the E09K as well?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AgentXXL 


As mentioned by others, there's no such thing as 'the best settings'. It's entirely personal - some like EQ, some hate it. Some like the extra oomph of additional gain, others can't stand the extra distortion it might add to their setup. And let's not forget about our ears - pretty much a given that no two people will hear the exact same nuances from a given setup. That said, these are the settings I use:
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 ohm - gain 6, bass +4, treble +2
Sennheiser HD800 300 ohm - gain 12, bass +8, treble -2
Shure SE530 IEMs - gain 0, bass +2, treble 0
Volume is almost always between 25 - 35 for the E17 alone and 1/3 to 2/3 on the volume pot when docked on my E9.
Dale

Hey Dale,

Isn't this information highly classified?  LOL!

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

My Q701 is getting delivered, and i have the E17. Do you suggest me get the E09K as well?

Try the E17 with the Q701 for a while.

I think you will be pleased with it.

I really got the E09K partly to drive my 600 Ohm DT880s and  partly for the convenience factor: it makes my desk a bit cleaner, easier to adjust the volume with the rotary volume control.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris J 

Try the E17 with the Q701 for a while.

I think you will be pleased with it.

I really got the E09K partly to drive my 600 Ohm DT880s and  partly for the convenience factor: it makes my desk a bit cleaner, easier to adjust the volume with the rotary volume control.

Thanks, I just bought the E09k to go with my E17, how much will it really improve the Q701(or other headphones)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

Thanks, I just bought the E09k to go with my E17, how much will it really improve the Q701(or other headphones)?

Just my opinion, but I'm not happy with the way the E17 drives my 600 Ohm DT880s. Too much clipping.......

OTOH, the E09K has enough output voltage to drive my 600 Ohm DT880s.

I haven't really performed any A/B testing between the E17 and the E09K with my Q701s, so I don't have an opinion.  My gut feel is that they sound the same.

Someone more experienced out there? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

Thanks, I just bought the E09k to go with my E17, how much will it really improve the Q701(or other headphones)?

Oh you bugger!

I've been doing some E09K and E17 A/B comparisons for the last 1/2 an hour, I'm starting to get a preference for the E09K with the Q701.

To my ears, the E17 can tend to brittle and thin with some recordings.

The E09K just sounds a bit warmer and fuller. Nice. I like it.

Not always. If your getting great results with just the E17, then it is most likely not going to be a worthwhile difference. The E17 has lower output impedance than the E9 or E09k as well which means it will work better for low impedance headphones. Anything under 100ohms with a decent sensitivity should do just fine with the E17 alone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

Is E09K+E17 really better than E17 by itself?

Depending on how loud you listen, you may be very surprised how well the E17 works with them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

My Q701 is getting delivered, and i have the E17. Do you suggest me get the E09K as well?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonb 

Depending on how loud you listen, you may be very surprised how well the E17 works with them.

Much as I am starting to prefer the E09K over the E17 with the Q701, I was quite pleased with the E17 + Q701 until I compared it to the E09K.

OTOH, I've also started comparing the E17 with the E09K using the ATH-ESW10 Japan, my preference varies depending on what song I am listening to.....so far, no real consensus.

I read that you say the sound is just a tad warmer with the E09k, you could accomplish pretty much the same thing by adding a +2 bass boost when using the E17 alone. Do that and try comparing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris J 

 

Much as I am starting to prefer the E09K over the E17, I was quite pleased with the E17 until I compared it to the E09K.

I am also quite pleased with just the E17, I dont listen all that loudly though. I listen anywhere between 70-85db or so depending on my mood and the music I am listening to, but usually I listen at around 75-80db. At these levels the E17 is barely breaking a sweat and does very well. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonb 

I read that you say the sound is just a tad warmer with the E09k, you could accomplish pretty much the same thing by adding a +2 bass boost when using the E17 alone. Do that and try comparing.

 

I am also quite pleased with just the E17, I dont listen all that loudly though. I listen anywhere between 70-85db or so depending on my mood and the music I am listening to, but usually I listen at around 75-80db. At these levels the E17 is barely breaking a sweat and does very well. 

I agree, I'm also pleased with the E17 alone and my ath a900x headphones. I don't feel the need for anything extra with low impedance headphones, it feels like overkill to me, then again everyone has different tastes!

I leave my EQ at 0 almost at all times, and gain at +0.

Volume plays between ~10 and 37 depending on headphone and environment.

I don't usually use EQ since I pick which headphone to wear based on the sound I'm looking for at the moment, but it's good to have sometimes as some tracks just sound better with a bit of boost here and there ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by McNuggetsPie 

Is E09K+E17 really better than E17 by itself?

It's like choosing coffee vs. hot chocolate if you ask me.

They sound a bit different, but the E17 can certainly handle the Q701.

Q701 with E17 goes at +0 gain 27~34 volume for me, though some others have reportedly needed gain boost and still higher volume. For those cases the E09K would help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris J 

 

Oh you bugger!

 

I've been doing some E09K and E17 A/B comparisons for the last 1/2 an hour, I'm starting to get a preference for the E09K with the Q701.

To my ears, the E17 can tend to brittle and thin with some recordings.

 

The E09K just sounds a bit warmer and fuller. Nice. I like it.

I don't have a E09K but my brother has a E9 I can use, and have tested the difference between E17 only, E9 only, and the combo.

Wait, seems I did not do the E9 only. In any case, E9 is probably sonically identical or very similar to the E09K.

This is what I wrote at the time (quite a while ago):

Take that with a spoonful of salt.

But basically the gist is that I also found the E9 to be warmer, and I like that a lot. Also prefer having a knob for volume control.

And, mind you, while I did write "sound quality" I don't remember what I meant by it. Probably the amount of detail from the higher end of the spectrum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalbee 
Many reviews mention that the E17 sometimes sound better as-is, without docking to the E9. For the Q701

Well crap, I just bought the E09k.