[BlueLegend64]

Okay, thanks a lot for the explanation guys!
 
Using Sennheiser HD 598 (50Ω) will i be able to tell the difference between the two using them with Galaxy S?
 
What "more power" means? Higher volume, better sound quality or the ability to drive headphones with more Ω?
 
I am noob...

 

[Dyaems]

woah, im seeing capacitors in the pic.. might change them when after the warranty runs out haha

 

[Evshrug]

BlueLegends64,
We are all noobs at one point.
The short answer is "yes" to all your questions above.

The longer explanation, more power does allow for more volume, but even if you "turn it down" to match the volumes at the same comfortable listening level, a more powerful amp will have more body in the bass and high treble frequencies, and many other small improvements that result from the muscle to drive headphones at their full potential. Different headphones will scale up differently. I haven't heard the Sennheiser HD598 myself, but from what I've read, either FiiO product would sound very good & provide an improvement from plugging directly into your smartphone, though the HD598 is sensitive enough that there may not be a very big sound quality difference between the E17 and E12 – somebody who owns an HD598 would be able to give you a more accurate impression. As a general rule of thumb, the less sensitive and the higher impedance a pair of headphone is, the more it benefits from more power.

That was mostly focusing on your headphones and amping, but what about the other end: your source, the Galaxy S smartphone? As far as I know, you can't use the E17's DAC to replace the DAC built into your Galaxy S, the DAC "half" of the E17 is meant to be used with a computer or sound system. You CAN use just the amp portion of the E17 with your phone, by connecting your phone's headphone out to the E17's analogue input, but then you would be using the E17 like a less powerful E12. I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying Some people do use the E17 just as an amp when they're out and about, then make use of the DAC + amping features when they are using a computer at home or the office.

In the end, they both have their strengths (else why would FiiO make both?), and it's up to you to choose what will benefit you most
Good luck, have fun!

woah, im seeing capacitors in the pic.. might change them when after the warranty runs out haha

Of course there are capacitors inside the amp
By the way, FiiO announced that they're releasing a special DIY version of the E12 for people that want to tweak with the components

 

[BlueLegend64]

Thank you Evshrug! I believe i can somehow manage to use the dac on galaxy s using the OTG driver XDA developed but i don't have time to edit the driver. Yet it dosen't work ("usb audio is based on isochronous transfer usb support, which is unfortunately missing in this implementation"). Recently they said it's possible but i won't hold my breath.
 
E12 will take about a month+ to be released from what i found out and sadly i can't wait this much. If i have to buy now, as an amp which one is better, E11 or E17? Compared to my Xonar DX what quality should i expect?

 

[Evshrug]

Thank you Evshrug! I believe i can somehow manage to use the dac on galaxy s using the OTG driver XDA developed but i don't have time to edit the driver.

Uuuuuuh mmmmh... I don't know how the Xonar's DAC sounds compared to the FiiO. Honestly, with your current setup (HD598 headphones, smartphone, decent soundcard), I think the E11 fits best. Cheaper, a bit smaller, powerful enough to give your headphones a good run. I highly recommend getting it from Micca on amazon with the extra battery, in case one goes dead. If you like the improvement of extra power from the E11 (Killimanjaro!), then you'll have learned what a better amp offers and you'll have saved some money towards a future upgrade. Sounds like a logical, low-risk plan to me

P.S. that's basically what I did, I love my E5 and still use it in some cases, but in hindsight I wish I'd started with the E11, and that's why I'm jumping to the E12 Mont Blanc now.
P.P.S. I love mountains ^_^

 

[BlueLegend64]

Thanks again! I will search it a bit but you helped me a lot!!! Btw, i live in europe so i can't buy from amazon.com (i can but taxes are too much).

 

[Dyaems]

Quote:

BlueLegends64,
We are all noobs at one point.
The short answer is "yes" to all your questions above.
The longer explanation, more power does allow for more volume, but even if you "turn it down" to match the volumes at the same comfortable listening level, a more powerful amp will have more body in the bass and high treble frequencies, and many other small improvements that result from the muscle to drive headphones at their full potential. Different headphones will scale up differently. I haven't heard the Sennheiser HD598 myself, but from what I've read, either FiiO product would sound very good & provide an improvement from plugging directly into your smartphone, though the HD598 is sensitive enough that there may not be a very big sound quality difference between the E17 and E12 – somebody who owns an HD598 would be able to give you a more accurate impression. As a general rule of thumb, the less sensitive and the higher impedance a pair of headphone is, the more it benefits from more power.
That was mostly focusing on your headphones and amping, but what about the other end: your source, the Galaxy S smartphone? As far as I know, you can't use the E17's DAC to replace the DAC built into your Galaxy S, the DAC "half" of the E17 is meant to be used with a computer or sound system. You CAN use just the amp portion of the E17 with your phone, by connecting your phone's headphone out to the E17's analogue input, but then you would be using the E17 like a less powerful E12. I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying

Some people do use the E17 just as an amp when they're out and about, then make use of the DAC + amping features when they are using a computer at home or the office.
In the end, they both have their strengths (else why would FiiO make both?), and it's up to you to choose what will benefit you most

Good luck, have fun!
Of course there are capacitors inside the amp

By the way, FiiO announced that they're releasing a special DIY version of the E12 for people that want to tweak with the components

 
headstage arrow doesnt have any capacitors in it IIRC except for the two small ones 
 
the E12 has alot, i remembered that blackgate E11 here haha...

 

[Evshrug]

Dyaems,
I thought some form of capacitor was required for amps? Big round ones do inspire confidence, anyway

Thanks again! I will search it a bit but you helped me a lot!!! Btw, i live in europe so i can't buy from amazon.com (i can but taxes are too much).

Happy to suggest. I don't know everything, so I hope you'll still do a bit of your own research, but I wanted to get you started. FiiO has a list of authorized sellers on their web page, I suggest you look there first for European vendors. And I still highly recommend the spare battery, so that you can always have a charged backup. Rechargeable batteries don't last forever either...

 

[MrScratch]

Compared to my Xonar DX what quality should i expect?

As evshrug pointed up, the Xonar DX sports a decent DAC and the internal amp is powerful enough to achieve an appropriate listening level with a lot of headphones. On the other hand, this soundcard isn't really that suitable to drive headphones due to the high output impedance (about 100ohms @ max output voltage). Even if the HD 598 is renowned to not scale up so well with higher quality amplifiers, you should notice an improvement in sound quality with some amplifiers with a much lower output impedance (this should translate primarily in a thigher, more controlled bass).

Thanks again! I will search it a bit but you helped me a lot!!! Btw, i live in europe so i can't buy from amazon.com (i can but taxes are too much).

Where are you from? There are official Fiio resellers all over the world!
... Or you could still search for Fiio products on Amazon de/co.uk/fr/it/es.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

 
headstage arrow doesnt have any capacitors in it IIRC except for the two small ones 
 
the E12 has alot, i remembered that blackgate E11 here haha...

Actually there are a line of 6 capacitors in Arrow right at the side of the PCB, probably more on the tiny one.
 
Changing out caps doesn't always make an amp sounds better though.

 

[kskwerl]

So when is this coming out? 

 

[Tsujigiri]

There will be a few small production runs soon, so limited availability. Full production and widespread availability will come in March.

 

[Dyaems]

Quote:

-snipped-
By the way, FiiO announced that they're releasing a special DIY version of the E12 for people that want to tweak with the components

 
i want =)
 
@cleiOS
 
i only saw two when i opened my 3g long time ago =( yep i wont make it sound better but i have a "stock" of many audio-grade capacitors here so it wouldnt hurt to try many things hehe
 
just want to see whats the value of those capacitors

 

[caracara08]

someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

 

[JaiSAn]

LOL, it is actually 00:38 atm, so Good-Night.