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The Sub-$100 Portable Amps Shootout – 10(+1) amps compared - Page 6

post #76 of 220
3/3/12 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClieOS View Post

ZO2 is originally in the ranking. It was $99 when I posted the review, but the price goes up to $120 a few days later.
Oh damn. I didn't notice the recent 20% price hike
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post #77 of 220
3/3/12 at 8:12pm

Wow, I really am impressed. Very impressed.

Seriously, great job!

 

I was looking for my first amp, and I wanted to start low..

I'm not afraid to admit that I am an amature, with a laughably small wallet, but with large, ambitions of experiencing "audio nirvana".

After 16 years of living in South Korea and moving here thanks to my Accelerated English grant ( It's not perfect, but good enough ).. It's hard to get some decent cash, especially with asian parents that expect me to study 24/7. I have a lot of spare time in the US as I homework  and school is ridiculously easy here, as Korea is far ahead in academics, school mostly being just review of stuff I learned years ago in Korea.

With my low budget and stingy parents, it's small and slow progress.

 

 

I think I will buy an E6 tomorrow. Really wanted to buy a Cmoy BB, but I couldn't persuade my parents to allow me to buy it with the altoids can... They just couldn't see how it is worth 40 dollars. Haha.

 

Thanks very much!

 

 


Edited by NotSoSerious - 3/3/12 at 8:13pm
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post #78 of 220
3/3/12 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClieOS View Post

If AirHead / BitHead is a 1/10, I'll put PA2V2 around a 2/10 or 3/10


Hum, that's harsh. But I have to admit I would like to compare your amp with mine, as my second one did improve on that.

 

Out of curiosity, other than doing the electrical tape mod on the casing, do you think there is other things one might do to lessen the EMI effect?

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post #79 of 220
3/3/12 at 8:24pm

The ZO2 is 99.95 on Amazon sold by Digizoid. Heres a link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00747N5ZE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A1Z0W9G89ZUQQU

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post #80 of 220
3/3/12 at 9:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roller View Post


Hum, that's harsh. But I have to admit I would like to compare your amp with mine, as my second one did improve on that.

Out of curiosity, other than doing the electrical tape mod on the casing, do you think there is other things one might do to lessen the EMI effect?

My theory is to do the simple aluminum foil mod, but the key is to connect the foil to the ground. That should be more helpful than foil or the electrical tape alone. Of course a metal case will be even better. That's why you don't get that many EMI from cmoy, thanks largely for Altoids case they usually in with the ground channel screwed onto it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prakhar View Post

The ZO2 is 99.95 on Amazon sold by Digizoid. Heres a link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00747N5ZE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A1Z0W9G89ZUQQU
Listed price is still $120 though. Discounted at $100 + $5 shipping is still cheaper at the end for the U.S. buyer. Good find.
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post #81 of 220
3/11/12 at 4:57am

Which has a better amp? the E11 or the E17? I have limited knowledge in audio,so it would be greatly appreciated if you could explain to me in layman terms. :)

 

I'm looking for an amp for my GR07, B2 ( which lacks bass ) , and my GR04 Pro Flagship.

 

Source would be a Clip Zip playing 320kbps MP3s.

 

 

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post #82 of 220
3/11/12 at 5:06am
Thread Starter 

E11 has slightly better amp section - not quite as good on the width, but better in transparency and depth. E17, on the other hand, has a more upfront presentation that might appeal to more casual listener. The difference in SQ isn't that big apart actually. If you only want an amp with the minimum cost, E11. If you want the extra features and versatility, E17.

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post #83 of 220
3/11/12 at 5:26am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClieOS View Post

E11 has slightly better amp section - not quite as good on the width, but better in transparency and depth. E17, on the other hand, has a more upfront presentation that might appeal to more casual listener. The difference in SQ isn't that big apart actually. If you only want an amp with the minimum cost, E11. If you want the extra features and versatility, E17.


 

thanks for the fast reply!

Which has better soundstage and imaging? which has less hiss? If I use the E17 as a DAC on my laptop/desktop,will it remove hiss? and will it improve my audio experience, such as watching movies, by simulating 7.1 or something like that? 

 

If I used a stereo splitter and plug it into the output of the E17, and use two IEMs/headphones, will there be any difference in audio quality compared to a single IEM/headphone?

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post #84 of 220
3/11/12 at 6:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaLaoEh View Post

thanks for the fast reply!

Which has better soundstage and imaging? which has less hiss? If I use the E17 as a DAC on my laptop/desktop,will it remove hiss? and will it improve my audio experience, such as watching movies, by simulating 7.1 or something like that? 

 

If I used a stereo splitter and plug it into the output of the E17, and use two IEMs/headphones, will there be any difference in audio quality compared to a single IEM/headphone?


E17 has better overall soundstage than E11. It also hiss much less than E11. As for whether it will remove hiss from your PC - I don't know, as it depends a lot on the PC itself. E17 is a headphone amp, so it only works in stereo. Whether you will find it better also depends on how good / bad it compare to the internal sound card of your PC.

 

Using a splitter will affect how each headphone sounds, generally neither headphone will not sound at their best nor identical (unless the two headphones are the same models).

 


Edited by ClieOS - 3/11/12 at 6:44am
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post #85 of 220
3/11/12 at 6:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClieOS View Post


E17 has better overall soundstage than E11. It also hiss much less than E11. As for whether it will remove hiss from your PC - I don't know, as it depends a lot on the PC itself. E17 is a headphone amp, so it only works in stereo. Whether you will find it better also depends on how good / bad it compare to the internal sound card of your PC.

 

Using a splitter will affect how each headphone sounds, generally neither headphone will not sound at their best - unless the two headphones are the same models.

 

I see,thanks! I think I'll probably get the E17  once I have the dough.

Thank you very much! :D

 


 

 

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post #86 of 220
3/22/12 at 4:43pm

Well, I procured myself a CmoyBB recently from a friendly Head-fi'er. He was generous enough to include extra opamps for me to play around with.

 

Initial testing with the OPA2227 gave me the impression that the Fiio E11 was far superior, but when I switched to the LME49720, I immediately noticed a difference in my DT990's sonic performance. The LME49720 cleaned up sound, gave a bit of soundstage, and somehow smoothed out the mid and gave it body. Fiio E11 at this point compared to CmoyBB sounded very thin and somewhat lacked "soul".

 

I think I prefer CmoyBB now for the DT990, but I still find Fiio E11 to be a good match for my M50.

 

One funny thing, though. Regardless of which opamp, the Bass Boost in the CmoyBB simply added "boom" rather than "bass". In that sense, Fiio E11 does a much better job of adding bass, I think.

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post #87 of 220
3/22/12 at 7:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill-P View Post
...

Initial testing with the OPA2227 gave me the impression that the Fiio E11 was far superior, but when I switched to the LME49720, I immediately noticed a difference in my DT990's sonic performance. The LME49720 cleaned up sound, gave a bit of soundstage, and somehow smoothed out the mid and gave it body. Fiio E11 at this point compared to CmoyBB sounded very thin and somewhat lacked "soul".

...

 


That's what I love about the cmoyBB (and cmoy in general). Once you roll the opamp, the sky is the limit and you get instant improvement (or degradation). Try out the AD8620 if you can. It is a bit more expensive to get and needs 18V (2 x 9V) to sound best but it too transform the cmoyBB to a higher level of SQ.

 

 

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post #88 of 220
3/25/12 at 6:15pm

About what is the max impedance of a headphone can the E11 drive?

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post #89 of 220
3/25/12 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by raymond8246 View Post

About what is the max impedance of a headphone can the E11 drive?

There is no such thing as max impedance for most modern solid state amp. The question is whether it will be enough gain (volume). E11 should be able to drive 300ohm headphone that has high enough sensitivity, but to be on the safe side, I'll say 250ohm and below.
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post #90 of 220
3/26/12 at 9:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClieOS View Post


There is no such thing as max impedance for most modern solid state amp. The question is whether it will be enough gain (volume). E11 should be able to drive 300ohm headphone that has high enough sensitivity, but to be on the safe side, I'll say 250ohm and below.


Drives my 300 ohm HD580s just fine smily_headphones1.gif

 

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