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Fiio E10, E9, or E17?

post #1 of 31
1/29/12 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 

I just got a pair of Sennheiser HD 598s. I want to get a headphone amp for better sound. Should I get the Fiio  E10, E9, or E17? (Some people also suggested the E7, but I'm new to the audiophile world and don't know much about amps)


Edited by markzi - 1/29/12 at 10:19am
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post #2 of 31
1/29/12 at 11:31am

The E9 is a desktop-only amplifier that can output a lot of power - more than what you need for the HD598, although it could be useful if you upgrade later to the HD600 or HD650 - but has 10Ω output impedance that makes the bass of the HD598 slightly boomier.

The E10 is a USB DAC+amplifier. It offers decent quality, but is less powerful than the E9.

Finally, the E17 is a combination of the E7 and E10 with some improvements over both. The amplifier part of it is similar to the E10, maybe with slightly more power. Unlike the E9 and E10, it can be used as a portable amplifier. It also has bass and treble controls.

 


Edited by stv014 - 1/29/12 at 11:35am
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post #3 of 31
1/29/12 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 

Alright, So I don't want to take any chances with the E9. So it's either the E10 or the E17. From what you are saying the E17 is better than the E10. But I can't find it anywhere online. Do you know the price?

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post #4 of 31
1/29/12 at 1:24pm

It's $139 in Canada, 

 

http://www.headphonebar.com/fiio-e17-alpen/

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post #5 of 31
1/29/12 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks man. But unfortunately the only Amps that will ship to where I am are :

-Fiio E9

-Fiio E10

-Fiio E7

-Fiio E11

I'm leaning towards the E10. Will the E10 bring out the best of the Sennheiser HD 598s? I mean, I'd go for the E9 but I might take the amp with me somewhere and use it on my iPod. Btw, I will be mostly using it on a Macbook Pro. The macbook is fairly old (if that makes any difference).

Would you go for the E10 or the E11? Someone told me that E10 will not work on iPhones, but that it has more power than the E11, is this true?

                  


Edited by markzi - 1/29/12 at 2:57pm
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post #6 of 31
1/30/12 at 12:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by markzi View Post

Thanks man. But unfortunately the only Amps that will ship to where I am are :
-Fiio E9
-Fiio E10
-Fiio E7
-Fiio E11
I'm leaning towards the E10. Will the E10 bring out the best of the Sennheiser HD 598s? I mean, I'd go for the E9 but I might take the amp with me somewhere and use it on my iPod. Btw, I will be mostly using it on a Macbook Pro. The macbook is fairly old (if that makes any difference).
Would you go for the E10 or the E11? Someone told me that E10 will not work on iPhones, but that it has more power than the E11, is this true?
                  

The e10 is USB powered so it won't work with your iPhone/iPod etc. MacBook will be fine though
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post #7 of 31
1/30/12 at 2:37am
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Originally Posted by markzi View Post

 

Someone told me that E10 will not work on iPhones, but that it has more power than the E11, is this true?                 


The E10 indeed does not work with iPhones, but the E11 has somewhat more power if switched to the higher voltage mode. If you only need a reasonably powerful amplifier with low output impedance that can be used as a portable, then the E11 is suitable for your needs. Note however, that it can only be powered by batteries, and you cannot charge and use it at the same time.

 


Edited by stv014 - 1/30/12 at 2:39am
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post #8 of 31
1/30/12 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies. I am now leaning more to the E11. The E10 seems to have DAC but the E11 doesn't. What is DAC? I tried Googling but I got nothing. Will the E11 Bring out the Senn's best?

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post #9 of 31
1/30/12 at 12:17pm

DAC, Digital to Analog Converter.

Audio is stored in a digital form, speakers and headphone send you sound in an analog wave, the DAC converts the audio to an analog form.

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post #10 of 31
1/30/12 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 

Excuse me, I really am sorry. But what is the difference between digital and analog?

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post #11 of 31
1/30/12 at 2:33pm
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Originally Posted by markzi View Post
Excuse me, I really am sorry. But what is the difference between digital and analog?


Audio today is storied in a digital form (zeros & ones), in the old days audio was storied in a analog form (wave), cassettes, 8 track tapes, tape reel, etc.

Sound that going into the ear is analog (wave)

 

 

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post #12 of 31
1/30/12 at 9:32pm

I think he means as in, what's that have to do with the DAC, aka the significance of the DAC as far as hearing it reflected in the sound.

 

 

I dig my e10. Was a step up from just the sound card in my macbook. But yet it isn't portable

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post #13 of 31
1/31/12 at 9:20am
Thread Starter 

I am leaning more and more to the E11 since it's portable. But do I really need DAC?

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post #14 of 31
1/31/12 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by markzi View Post

I am leaning more and more to the E11 since it's portable. But do I really need DAC?


Are you using onboard audio (no sound card) in your computer ?

 

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post #15 of 31
2/11/12 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 

Unfortunately, yes. I am using onboard audio.

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