xxhaxx
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2010
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Quote:
I've been using the 10SE's usb input since day one. I've just switched over to optical (DIR9001). Very subtle difference, but the optical input may be alleviating some issues I had with the presentation. Can anyone else hear the difference between these two inputs? I'd like to go coax but would need to invest in a usb to spdif adapter (not sure if that can be justified at this level).
Edit: I don't know if it's the quality of my MacBook's optical output vs usb, or the quality of the 10SE's DIR9001 vs TE7022, but to me optical is less dry and a touch more dynamic. Just listened to John Legend's rendition of What a Wonderful World and his vocals are more natural, nuanced yet smoother. A nasal quality that's somewhat related to the dryness in the upper mids that grated me in some tracks is gone. It's less subtle than I initially thought.
By buying the Fiio E10 you have a portable amp for your laptop, and a USB to SPDIF converter.