Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gilly87 
I hope the E6 is significantly better than the E5 in more ways than build/looks; my E5 was a piece of trash that made music sound grainy and less defined, and that was with a smartphone DAC and Shure SE215; using it with anything nicer than an iPod and CX300s or equivalent would be totally counterproductive. The E5 is NOT for earphones costing $100+; if the E6 is ANYTHING like the E5, it would be a shame and a waste to use it with the likes of the M100.
I'll have to disagree about the E5 amp.
I have the E5, E11, and ZO2.
Pro 900 (hard to drive)- Of course it brought up the volume to the point where I can actually enjoy my music, but I haven't had much time to compare the sound unamped vs. E5 with bass boost off (always had it on). If I can remember, the highs were less sibilant. I definitely did not notice any sound degradation. I will have to re-evaluate later in the week.
HFI-580 (easy to drive)- I spent about 30 minutes going back and forth between the E5, E11, and unamped w/my Clip+, HO.
I listened to about 3-4 songs and w/the E5, bass boost off, there was no audible difference no matter how hard I listened. I went to the last song and was switching between the E5 and unamped.
At the middle of the song, there was an instrumental part of the song that brings out the highs. I thought I switched to unamped and thought "woah, I actually notice that at that part it sounds very slightly clearer and more detailed." I looked down it was actually my E5. This difference would go completely unnoticed with you didn't listen back to back.
My Atrio MG7 is coming in the mail soon, so I'll see how it performs with IEM's.
Now if you want to talk about bass, w/the ZO2 there's distortion and with the E5, there is no distortion. With an EQ, I prefer my E5 to my ZO2.
My quick review with a video.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/594082/digizoid-zo2-pro-900-distortion-vs-fiio-e5-e11-video
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Some people notice an improvement with the E5 and some don't depending on their setup.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/439465/fiio-e5-impressions-quick-review
So yea, when I have the M-100, I'll definitely report on the sound unamped, w/E5, E11, and ZO2.