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Review: Fiio E12 (comparison to C&C BH + JDS Labs O2 + JDS Labs C421) - Page 3

post #31 of 189
2/7/13 at 4:41pm

Just a quick question, did you use crossfeed all the time, or did you stop using it when you said that you gave up?

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post #32 of 189
2/7/13 at 4:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atilio View Post

Better than O2. OMG...!
 

I have to disagree. The E12 sounds good, but the O2 is better at instrument separation, soundstage, clarity, and neutrality. The E12 has it beat in portability and bass boost, but that's about it as far as I can tell. It's definitely punchier too, but that could be considered a con to some folks.

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post #33 of 189
2/7/13 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wes008 View Post

Just a quick question, did you use crossfeed all the time, or did you stop using it when you said that you gave up?

 

I'm actually keeping it off now, since most of my music (except for The Beatles) doesn't really benefit from it.

 

Recently recorded songs seem to have crossfeed already built-in.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by campj View Post

I have to disagree. The E12 sounds good, but the O2 is better at instrument separation, soundstage, clarity, and neutrality. The E12 has it beat in portability and bass boost, but that's about it as far as I can tell. It's definitely punchier too, but that could be considered a con to some folks.

 

I'll have the chance to do a direct comparison to O2 next week, so I'll know how that fares.

 

But from what I can remember of O2, I don't think it beats E12 at instrument separation or soundstage. If anything, E12 has O2 beat in power output.

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post #34 of 189
2/7/13 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WAYNENUMM View Post

Awesome! I just got the ad900x headphones as well, so I'm really looking forward to your impressions of the ad900x's with both the BH and E12.

 

I think there's very good chance that I'll have the chance to audition an AD900X at the meet, so I'll be sure to write up more about that as well.

 

Please do! I've been listening to the BH and E12 through my AD900X since I just got both of them in the past two days, but I'd love to read your thoughts on their performance with both amps.

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post #35 of 189
2/7/13 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill-P View Post

I'll have the chance to do a direct comparison to O2 next week, so I'll know how that fares.

 

But from what I can remember of O2, I don't think it beats E12 at instrument separation or soundstage. If anything, E12 has O2 beat in power output.

 

You're going to listen with an agenda now though... prove me wrong at all costs! tongue.gif

 

Seriously though, the E12 is close to the O2, but it sounds a bit more congested and up front. Not that it's bad, but the O2 is a giant. 

 

All I have used to compare the two is my Grados while listening to some extremely fast death metal (Rings of Saturn if anyone cares).

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post #36 of 189
2/7/13 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pngwn View Post

 

Please do! I've been listening to the BH and E12 through my AD900X since I just got both of them in the past two days, but I'd love to read your thoughts on their performance with both amps.

 

You're just going to torture me, aren't you? wink.gif

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post #37 of 189
2/7/13 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by campj View Post

 

You're going to listen with an agenda now though... prove me wrong at all costs! tongue.gif

 

Seriously though, the E12 is close to the O2, but it sounds a bit more congested and up front. Not that it's bad, but the O2 is a giant. 

 

All I have used to compare the two is my Grados while listening to some extremely fast death metal (Rings of Saturn if anyone cares).

 

I think it's just me. I don't particularly enjoy the cold and analytical sound of the O2. That would explain why I am "prejudice" against it.

 

Still, it's all from memory, so I may very well be proven wrong. It's just another week to go!


Edited by Bill-P - 2/7/13 at 6:47pm
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post #38 of 189
2/8/13 at 12:22am

Well now I'm tempted to get the E12 but the C&C BH has sounded so good with my SM3 I just don't think I really need it.  I think the bass sound awesome with the BH, it much tighter with more sub-bass depth and rumble.  Soundstage also sounds better and that's with the SF switch off, I really don't think it does much and I didn't like how the frequencies sounded with it on.  Over all I really like the C&C BH but I know eventually I'll get the E12.

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post #39 of 189
2/8/13 at 5:59am
Thread Starter 

Yeah, like I mentioned, the SF switch does boost high frequencies by quite a margin. It doesn't make my headphones more sibilant or harder to listen to, but it does cause issues with songs that have gobs of treble. It just blurs out treble for those songs.

 

It's brilliant for songs that need the treble energy, though.

 

And personally, I think C&C BH is far easier to pair with headphones and IEMs than E12. E12 adds a bit too much warmth for certain headphones (M50 comes to mind here), and it's much too powerful for low impedance IEMs. Plus C&C BH as a whole has a more neutral balance.

 

I would advise against E12 unless you have open-back headphones with gobs of treble (Grado and Beyers?) that are hard to drive.

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post #40 of 189
2/10/13 at 3:04am

So I posted a bunch of impressions about the BH and the E12 in the BH thread and thought this thread would benefit from my comparisons. 

 

Quote:

compared to the BH, the E12 loses in terms of clarity. BH with OUT2 and SF on is terrific at bringing out detail even in busy pieces like Clint Mansell's Death is the Road to Awe, which I have been using to A/B the two amps. The E12 has spectacular bass that destroys the BH's, however; texture, authority, and impact without bleeding into the midrange. The BH's bass boost in comparison to the E12's just sounds like more bass, but without the texture and layers. Not that it's bad, no; the E12's just sounds better. 

 

Regarding treble, I'd rate the BH higher, especially on OUT2 with SF and LF. Comparing the headphone out to the E12, though, I'm happy to report that, to my ears, at least, the E12 improves the treble and clarity; still loses to the BH, though, but only barely. The BH has more sparkle and clarity than the E12. With LF and SF on, I sometimes feel the BH has almost too much treble, but it's never uncomfortable. 

 

To compare the what I think about the two amps' tones, I would say that both deliver a satisfying representation of the spectrum; however, the BH is able to deliver greater clarity, slighter more expansive soundstage, and a bit more sparkle up top while the E12 has a far more textured bass response and a magical mid range that makes me fall in love with vocals. My preference for either amp just depends on what I want to hear from my music or what genre I'm listening to.

 

I've been tending to use the BH more for instrumental, classical, and sometimes general songs (alternative, indie, some pop) with vocals, while the E12 gets preference with bass heavy music like the whole of EDM (Drum and Bass, trance, progressive house, electro, fidget, dubstep, etc), some rock and metal, some orchestral pieces that prominently feature cellos.

 

Quote:

It's pretty much down to personal preference, yeah. I'd love for any other members with both amps to chime in with their thoughts, though. Perhaps I should post this in Bill-P's thread as well or make my own with that  comprehensive comparison review I've been saying I'm gonna do...

 

In terms of the soundstage, the E12 still has a great soundstage, it's just not as expansive as the BH's. Then again, my AD900X has a big soundstage of its own, so perhaps the soundstage difference would be much more noticeable on different cans? Deciding between the two does basically come down to neutral, terrific soundstage and battery versus warm with exquisite bass, though.

 

These comparisons were made using a FiiO L10 and AD900X. I haven't really experimented with my CW31 much between the two amps, so I can't say much about how well my IEMs pair with either amp. I find myself turning on and plugging in the E12 more often than the BH. One of the main reasons I was so interested by the E12 after reading Bill-P's initial comparison was the E12's bass and it hasn't disappointed at all. I adored the BH when I received it before the E12, but after spending a few days with both, I think the E12 is just that much better than the BH in terms of enjoying my music. The bit of color really compliments my AD900X, I feel.

 

 

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post #41 of 189
2/10/13 at 8:14am
Thread Starter 

Thanks, pngwn!

 

I see you're hearing the same thing that I'm hearing.

 

I'll bring both E12 and BH to the SF Bay Area meet next week. And then I'll compare both to whatever portable amp I can put my hands on over there.

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post #42 of 189
2/10/13 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pngwn View Post
To compare the what I think about the two amps' tones, I would say that both deliver a satisfying representation of the spectrum; however, the BH is able to deliver greater clarity, slighter more expansive soundstage, and a bit more sparkle up top while the E12 has a far more textured bass response and a magical mid range that makes me fall in love with vocals. My preference for either amp just depends on what I want to hear from my music or what genre I'm listening to.
I've been tending to use the BH more for instrumental, classical, and sometimes general songs (alternative, indie, some pop) with vocals, while the E12 gets preference with bass heavy music like the whole of EDM (Drum and Bass, trance, progressive house, electro, fidget, dubstep, etc), some rock and metal, some orchestral pieces that prominently feature cellos.
I've been tending to use the BH more for instrumental, classical, and sometimes general songs (alternative, indie, some pop) with vocals, while the E12 gets preference with bass heavy music like the whole of EDM (Drum and Bass, trance, progressive house, electro, fidget, dubstep, etc), some rock and metal, some orchestral pieces that prominently feature cellos.

 

Do you have the E12v1 (original bass boost) or the modified E12?

 

I want to want the C&C due to it's much more portable size and it's much more impressive battery life. I would probably take the C&C with me to the gym occasionally as I currently do with my E11 to be used along with my clip zip and iem's. I'm not sure I would do that with the E12 though due to it's much larger size. Also, the C&C sounds like it might open up the soundstage of some of my other closed headphones (S500, Uptowns) and possibly some of my iem's. So, I want to want the C&C.

 

But I will predominantly be using the amp with my AD900X's. And based on what you said above, the E12 would be the right choice, as I listen to mainly electronic, rock, and progressive rock.

 

So, I guess it's the E12 for me. I mainly wish that it wasn't so huge!


Edited by waynes world - 2/17/13 at 8:33pm
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post #43 of 189
2/10/13 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WAYNENUMM View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by pngwn View Post
To compare the what I think about the two amps' tones, I would say that both deliver a satisfying representation of the spectrum; however, the BH is able to deliver greater clarity, slighter more expansive soundstage, and a bit more sparkle up top while the E12 has a far more textured bass response and a magical mid range that makes me fall in love with vocals. My preference for either amp just depends on what I want to hear from my music or what genre I'm listening to.
I've been tending to use the BH more for instrumental, classical, and sometimes general songs (alternative, indie, some pop) with vocals, while the E12 gets preference with bass heavy music like the whole of EDM (Drum and Bass, trance, progressive house, electro, fidget, dubstep, etc), some rock and metal, some orchestral pieces that prominently feature cellos.
I've been tending to use the BH more for instrumental, classical, and sometimes general songs (alternative, indie, some pop) with vocals, while the E12 gets preference with bass heavy music like the whole of EDM (Drum and Bass, trance, progressive house, electro, fidget, dubstep, etc), some rock and metal, some orchestral pieces that prominently feature cellos.

 

Do you have the E12v1 (original bass boost) or the modified E12?

 

I want to want the C&C due to it's much more portable size and it's much more impressive battery life. I would probably take the C&C with me to the gym occasionally as I currently do with my E11 to be used along with my clip zip and iem's. I'm not sure I would do that with the E12 though due to it's much larger size. Also, the C&C sounds like it might open up the soundstage of some of my other closed headphones (S500, Uptowns) and possibly some of my iem's. So, I want to want the C&C.

 

But I will predominantly be using the amp with my AD900X's. And based on what you said above, the E12 would be the right choice, as I listen to mainly EDM and rock.

 

So, I guess it's the E12 for me. I mainly wish that it wasn't so huge!

 

E12v1. I don't think the modified is even out yet. You're talking about the one with more of a mid-bass boost than the original sub-bass boost, right?

 

The BH is still very good for EDM and rock. It's not as if the E12 completely demolishes the BH, I just personally prefer the added texture to the low end and warmer overall sound. If I really had to choose just one amp, though, I might go for the BH. It's extremely portable in size, has a lot of fun options (LF, SF, OUT1 or OUT2) and the battery is unreal. Very low maintenance. The E12, on the other hand, while having a smoother and more textured sound signature, is quite large even compared to an iPod and only has a 11-ish hour battery charge.

 

It's a tough choice because, as others in the BH have noted, the preference for one or other comes down to wanting clarity, soundstage, and extreme portability with the BH and more enjoyable, if also a bit colored, spectrum with the E12.

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post #44 of 189
2/10/13 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pngwn View Post

 

E12v1. I don't think the modified is even out yet. You're talking about the one with more of a mid-bass boost than the original sub-bass boost, right?

 

The BH is still very good for EDM and rock. It's not as if the E12 completely demolishes the BH, I just personally prefer the added texture to the low end and warmer overall sound. If I really had to choose just one amp, though, I might go for the BH. It's extremely portable in size, has a lot of fun options (LF, SF, OUT1 or OUT2) and the battery is unreal. Very low maintenance. The E12, on the other hand, while having a smoother and more textured sound signature, is quite large even compared to an iPod and only has a 11-ish hour battery charge.

 

It's a tough choice because, as others in the BH have noted, the preference for one or other comes down to wanting clarity, soundstage, and extreme portability with the BH and more enjoyable, if also a bit colored, spectrum with the E12.

 

Thanks. I could maybe talk myself into getting the C&C. But your quote below make me lust over the E12v1/AD900X combo!

 

Quote:
The E12 has spectacular bass that destroys the BH's, however; texture, authority, and impact without bleeding into the midrange. The BH's bass boost in comparison to the E12's just sounds like more bass, but without the texture and layers. Not that it's bad, no; the E12's just sounds better.
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post #45 of 189
2/10/13 at 4:58pm

To be honest, the E12's bass edge is just what keeps me coming back for more. It really puts the AD900X together. I wonder how the revised bass boost will sound, though. The nice thing about the E12/AD900X pairing, at least, is that the default settings on the E12 still sound very nice. Still has a nice bass texture, just not brought a bit forward, obviously.

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