FiiO " Flagship " portable amp Mont Blanc/E12 discussing thread, the pre order unit arrives. - Page 78

 

It depends on the gain, volume as well as what kind of load you are running the amp to. Low impedance (such as CIEM) or high impedance (such as >250ohm) load tend to suck out more power as the former demands more current while the later demands more voltage. I have ran E12 over 12 hours on two different times on typical 32ohm load on normal volume myself.

 

I am not implying BH is bad in anyway - but law of physics stated that you can't spend more energy than you have. The reason FiiO can't put 100 hours of battery life (i.e. E7) into E12 is because E12 is outputting a lot more power than almost any portable amp in the market now, and those power needs to come from somewhere. The only solution is to cut down power (which voids the design goal of a portable that is capable of driving some of the hardest load) or increase the battery size (which voids the 'portable' part of the amp). If you are getting 100 hours of battery life, then the logical question is, how is it possible to get such an exceptional battery life without compromising other aspect in the design? It is optimized for battery life or driving power? It is not an issue of right or wrong, but the designer's goal and how well it performs to the demand.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to us minority with low-fi headphones bassheads.

...
Double post
Edited by Evshrug - 2/12/13 at 9:00am

I've never suggested that about bass-heavy headphones, nor has anyone else in this thread. In fact, the HE-400, DT990, and Phiathon headphones were all pointed out as high quality headphones that are widely considered to have strong, great quality bass. I can back that up, too, showing how the singular sound aspect of bass was not dismissed as unimportant. I'll even add now that many closed headphones have awesome bass and sound quality, for example the highly regarded Denon D7000.

In my case, just because I think "choosing a headphone with the signature you like plus an amp that adds little color is the best way to get the desired sound signature" and a balanced amp suits the widest number of people, does not mean your personal taste preference is wrong.

I've read posts about people who really seek out "fun" colored music experiences, and specifically one was very happy with the Beyerdynamic DT990 600 ohm + E09k pairing. This E12 is suitable for an even wider audience, a portable basically on par with the desktop experience, and I think most people except the most extreme bassheads will be happy with the moderate sub-bass lift of the current boost and be able to just leave it on. I also think that shifting over the boost peak will still not satisfy those that want the boost quantity of the digizoid ZO, while also making the boost something that is "more fun" yet something they'd use with fewer songs & genres. Still use it, but not leave it on all the time.

In my mind, i guess that the spread of how many people are of a taste is like this:
AnalyticalDark>Bass-Heavy
Do I have hard data to back that? Nope. But the majority of products (hp, DAPs, DACs, & especially amps) I see are pretty centered on the Balanced part of the scale, though also common is a moderate amount of the "smile-shaped" frequency response that typically trades a little ear fatigue for extra "fun" involving sound, a little more bass warmth while also lifting a bit of treble to keep from sounding dark. I often see us consumers switching between balanced and "fun" to keep from being bored or pained over time, and those that further pursue the hobby often own headphones of both kinds simultaneously.

Maybe some people will like an amp that can EQ a "balanced" headphone to sound "fun" and be able to switch with a bass boost, and maybe the new boost will do that for some. But I think that the people with a need for an amp that can power hard-to-drive headphones and can be used portably are the kind of people that will own several headphones, now or later, and the sub-bass boost would suit a wider range of headphones.

Anyone is free to make a compelling argument for a different perspective, that's cool, but lets keep it copacetic?
Edited by Evshrug - 2/12/13 at 8:16am

A rather complicated topic!

Assuming you are always listening at the same SPL, gain has nothing to do with power consumption. (I am assuming if you turn the gain up then you turn the volume down).

Power consumption has more to do with headphone efficiency, obviously a less efficient headphone will require more power to generate the same SPL than a high efficiency headphone.

In addition, the E7 will be more efficient when driving the same headphone to the same SPL as the E12 because the E7 has a lower operating voltage (lower battery voltage) than the E12. Hence you are losing more power (less efficient) when you are operating an amp with more potential output voltage.

It would be a REALLY nice&special "DIY" E12:
- Bass boost switch
+ Superior sound quality

Yeah, I like how it sounds.

Finished up my FiiO E12 review.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/650683/fiio-e12-mont-blanc-review-and-help-thread

Why do we need another E12 thread?

 

Note to JaiSan: they'll get over it. Like you said, it's just an opinion.

Edited by Chris J - 2/11/13 at 9:14am

 

Perhaps not, but this thread is full of back and forth pre-production banter, where bowei's thread is a review.  I think it's a good idea to start a new thread sooner than later, cuz the M-100 thread for example is rather..... unruly with 800 pages in a year. Admittedly this thread is much cleaner and shorter, but for the sake of having all the useful post-production info in one spot, I personally don't think it's a bad idea. 

Edited by Apo0th3karY - 2/11/13 at 9:22am

I didn't make a new(actual) thread. It's a review.

Edited by bowei006 - 2/11/13 at 9:37am

 

Say what?

Then it should have been posted in reviews.

 

You did title it the "...Review and Help Thread".

 

Anyway, it's your thread and you're free to do whatever you like with it.