O2 + ODAC or E17 + EO9K?

For $100-$150 you can buy a used A/V receiver off Craigslist.

I like Yamaha's because just about all their receivers come with headphone surround sound.

Does your motherboard come with optical output and DDL (Dolby Digital live).

 

Or a Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card and a speaker amplifier off eBay.

 

ODAC can not really use it's DAC feature with headphone and speakers at the same time.

 

With the E17+E09K, you would still need to get a speaker amplifier, to hook up to the E09K's analog line out.

Fiio A1 = the E9 equivalent for speakers.

I used my E9 for POWERED speakers just fine (even a sound bar). As for speakers that need amping from an external source, yeah, I'd get the A1 over the E09K... and depending on cumulative cost, I'd buy the E17, E09K and A1, and hook up the A1 to the E09K's RCA out... though that's almost $300.

That's be a sexy stack or side by side that'd look something like this... (the E9+A1+E7 on the right)



The Fiio A1 (on the bottom of that stack) is about $55 and is specifically designed for bookshelf speakers.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 7/27/12 at 10:58pm

That is a nice looking setup MLE. I often get the desire to transplant my O2 into my E9's case.

Oh, that's not my setup. I think that's Feiao's old setup. I no longer own the E9, but I still loved it. I'd get the E09K, but I'm happy with my NFB5, and I'm waiting on the ODA (don't know when it's being released)+ODAC as my secondary setup in the room.

 

I recently got an fiio E17. It sounds great with my Q701. However, I couldn't help to get an E9 to pair them up for better sound. And I'm happy with the result. E17 paired with E9 sounds exactly like ClieOS describing in his post "FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought" http://www.head-fi.org/t/587912/fiio-e17-alpen-first-impression-final-thought, as I quote "Alpen’s internal amp has wider soundstage and crispier sparkles. The sonic energy is mainly focus on the upper vocal and up. E9 on the other hand has (a lot) more power. It has excellent control over the bass note which is deep and well bodied while remains tight. It also resolves lower vocal better."

 

A few days later, I learned that E09K is on the market and it's an upgrade version of E9 and is better for E17. How could I resist that? So I immediately bought an E09K and put the E9 back to its box. But the sound of the combination turned out to be...at least...distinctly worse than the previous one. The vocal is almost the same, but the bass is flaccid and powerless. And the treble is kinda lacking sparkles. The music is lifeless and dull without all those juices and energy. When I listen to the E17/E9 combo, it's like I'm in a beautiful place with sunshine, flowers, trees and beautiful people. However, switching to the E17/E09K combo makes that place becomes a waxworks museum. I'm definitely going to return this E09K and get back to my E9's arms asking for her forgiveness.

 

To be clear that I like FiiO and I think it's a great manufacturer with many great products. But this E09K doesn't seem to fit my needs.

Interesting. I haven't really played around the E09K that I have long enough to notice anything of important, but I do recall FiiO says that the two (E9 and E09K) should be almost identical in sound since they didn't change the amp circuit. Most of the upgrade are done on the exterior jacks and switches.

That's what I thought in the first place. They're the same except E09K has something really nice for E17 like synchronizing power on/off. And that's why I bought an E09K with no hesitation. I really hope it's just an isolated case. If so, I'll definitely give it another shot some time later.

 

 

Edited by lniniaa - 8/2/12 at 9:51am