FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought - Page 346

That was actually very quick impressions for another member back in April haha, take it with a mound full of salt (or a spoonful like earlier stated).

In the end it all trickles down to your personal preferences. I liked the E17+E9 combo best since warm sound + more controlled sound stage on a Q701 is really more to my liking. I'm not a fan of the Q701 mainly because of the soundstage.

 

I'll verify my past claims tomorrow if you'd like.

 

But yes, I recall reading a few people mention the E17 without the E9 (E09K did not exist then) sounded better. That said, that's their preference and YMMV.

Funny because other sources will say that the E9 is a decent combo for the Q701 (hence the bundle of E9 + Q701 being sold in some stores).

So what sounds the best for Q701, E17 or E09K+E17?

I doubt I will be able to tell the difference to be honest.

Since you already ordered the E09K you might as well try it out haha. I find the difference more than subtle. As usual, the best combination will be what sounds best to you. We all look for slightly different sounds in our gear, after all.

Why did you buy a E09K if you didn't think you would be able to tell the difference?

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Until you've tried the E09K, don't discount the difference it can make. I can't wait to get home from vacation to see what my E9 does with my new HD800s.

Dale
Edited by AgentXXL - 1/2/13 at 8:59am

So guys, is the E17 currently regarded as the "best" portable DAC/AMP for its price ($140sh), or there are some good similar alternatives? 

I haven't seen any other product in it's price range that really compares.

 

If I could afford HD800's I'd probably go with something other then the E9, lol 

Agreed, for the price the E17 is pretty impressive. There are other DAC/AMP combos out there that are under $200, but I have no experience with them. Doing a search in this forum for the terms 'under $200' should get you some threads with discussions about similarly priced products. That said, I'm extremely happy with my E17. It compares very closely with the much pricier Headamp Pico DAC/AMP that I also own ($499).

Dale

It's in the works - just need to save up the money! I'm currently looking at the Schiit Mjolnir solid state amp and possibly the companion Gungnir DAC for my desktop/home setup and something like the Ray Samuels Audio SR71B Blackbird or the Intruder for my portable AMP.

Dale

Sounds like it's going to be an awesome set up once everything is together! I got to listen to the HD800's with the Mjolnir recently at a local shop and they sound amazing together.

 

Listen to the E09K and the E17 combo with an open mind.

 

Listen to it and make up your own mind.   You may find that you prefer the E17 alone for some recorddings and the E09K + E17 for other recordings.

 

I have an E09K which I use with my Q701, it makes me happy, and that's what really matters!

 

cheers, C J

Couldn't agree more Chris! The E9 opens up my old DT770 Pro 250 ohm Beyers, so it'll be interesting to hear what it does with my HD800s.

McNuggetsPie - don't fret yet! If the E09K doesn't work out for you, you should be able to resell it at a minimal loss, if any.

Dale

Re: E17 vs. E09K+E17

 

It may come as a surprise to a few of the readers -- it was to me when FiiO launched their new website and I saw the full E17 specs for the 1st time -- but the E17 output impedance load is rated only at 16 - 100 ohms ; not the 32 - 600 that is usually typical.  From their site:  "Drive ability 16-100 Ω".  Even the webpage of the E07K, which is a largely very similar amp section, states "Headphone Impedance (Recommended): 16-150ohm".

 

In the past I was a bit critical in this thread of the E17 amp being insufficient to drive my DT880 to levels I was happy with from a 1V source.  It's not however like I was expecting a miracle as the amp is rated only at about 35mW @ 300ohm load . But after seeing the recommended output drive ability I then understood, the amp was never intended to be a driver for high impedance cans.

 

The matching E09K dock has a much higher output power and most importantly for high impedance cans, a much higher voltage swing of 15.5V peak to peak vs. 7.3V peak to peak for the E17 (tho also has kinda high output impedance) and is the FiiO's intended solution for driving higher impedance cans.  If however you don't want to be tethered and sitting down but want to walk around in the streets with your 250ohm to 600ohm cans playing music loud with authority, the E17 is simply not the right portable solution for that.

Edited by m8o - 1/2/13 at 4:41pm

I couldn't disagree more! While the E17 may not be rated to drive 250 - 600 ohm cans, it certainly surprised me when I tried it with my new HD800s. I don't really have a choice right now as I'm on vacation and only brought the E17 with me. It was that or use my iPhone or MacBook Pro outputs on their own. Each persons ears play a big part in what we hear so what's acceptable to me may not be to you.

Dale