[ClieOS]

Quote:

minor typo: the chip used in the E9 is the TPA6120, not OPA...

Corrected, thanks.
 
 

 

[firev1]

Quote:

When ICS adds host ability to Android, could you use something like the E10 with it or would the USB out from a smartphone be too weak?
And I heard FiiO also has a sucessor to the E7 in the making?

I don't think that phones have enough power to drive the E10 through USB out. And yes the E17 is in the making, its the true successor to the E7.

 

[cce121]

looks like d-zero has the weakest amp section compared to others.
Anyone has idea how's d-zero amp compared to slimmer dedicated amp say E6?

 

[estreeter]

If the last 12 months are any indication, Fiio has a successor to EVERYTHING in the making ....

 

[Armaegis]

And yet still no sign of a desktop amp... (even though they've had that sectino on their site for a while now)

 

[estreeter]

A lot of competition in the budget desktop amp category, and they would find themselves up against companies like CA, Marantz, Rotel, NAD and others. Of course, Fiio will undoubtedly better them on price, but can they do it more cheaply than Nuforce ?
 
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconamp/index.php
 
That little speaker amp gets zero keystrokes here, but 189 USD for a 2x30W speaker amp ? I reckon the feet on a Macintosh probably cost more than 189 USD 

 
 

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

looks like d-zero has the weakest amp section compared to others.
Anyone has idea how's d-zero amp compared to slimmer dedicated amp say E6?

Well, E7 is the one with the weakest amp in the review. I have commented on D-zero vs E6 in the D-zero thread about my initial impression, which I think still hold true after >50hrs of burn-in. Quoted below:
 

Quote:

Just received my D-zero a few hours ago and I have done some initial listening. So far, the amp section is decent. Better than E7 but close to / slightly better than E6. As I have predicted before, it doesn't sound quite as good as T3D. Compared to E6, D-zero has better bass hit and soundstage (though a little hollowed out / 2D / lacks layer), but upper mid / lower treble is noticeably grainier / edgier. It is not the best amp to pair with bright headphone. I haven't had the time to fully test the DAC section yet, but I think so far I can tell it is where the real value is at. Compared to E7's line-out and Headstage USB DAC cable (both use the PCM270x + WM8740 solution), D-zero is pulling ahead on detail, resolution and separation, but not vastly. Does it beats E7 on most area in SQ? Yes. Does it crash E7 totally? Not quite. It costs almost $40 (including the $16 shipping) more than E7 (around $85 shipped) so I think better performance should be expected.
 
Also, I believe the housing is anodized aluminum, not plastic.

 
Quote:

And yet still no sign of a desktop amp... (even though they've had that sectino on their site for a while now)

You mean E15? I don't think it will come this year. For what I understand, the next release will likely be E17 on / before Feb 2012, then E15 before / by April 2012. After April, FiiO likely will begin to focus on the R&D of DAP again. These are my guess.
 
 

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

A lot of competition in the budget desktop amp category, and they would find themselves up against companies like CA, Marantz, Rotel, NAD and others. Of course, Fiio will undoubtedly better them on price, but can they do it more cheaply than Nuforce ?
 
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconamp/index.php
 
That little speaker amp gets zero keystrokes here, but 189 USD for a 2x30W speaker amp ? I reckon the feet on a Macintosh probably cost more than 189 USD 

 
 

Truth being told, outdoing NuForce is actually no difficult at all. James himself used to be an amp designer and FiiO's previous life were also partially involved in the amp business. Don't forget FiiO already has a Class-D desktop amp called A1- 14W x 2 and only $95 on Amazon.
 

 

[estreeter]

Good points ClieOS - as I said in another thread, it wasn't that long ago that NuForce could do no wrong with Head-Fiers, but the pendulum seems to have well and truly swung. There is a lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Assimilator702]

When I first learned of the E10 with it's DAC and headphone amp I thought at first that I could easily carry it over to my home rig to simplify my headphone rig whenever I wished.
 
But no coaxial or toslink input???
 
I understand this unit is powered via USB but how difficult would it be to include either coaxial or toslink input....get rid of that coaxial output...... and offer a power supply that connect through the USB port?
 
For me....that would be the perfect affordable gateway DAC/amp being able to use it with a computer or a dedicated CD player.

 

[obazavil]

I will just get an E10 and E6 probably...
 
Maybe they did that to reduce costs? Maybe their main competitors are HRT and uDac2? dunno

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

I will just get an E10 and E6 probably...
 
Maybe they did that to reduce costs? Maybe their main competitors are HRT and uDac2? dunno

I will get the E10 to use on my computer setup....it seems the units that have S/PDIF input are more expensive.
 
I could use a unit with toslink on both my rigs....I'm new to all this are there any quality DAC/amp units that are around $100 that have toslink in?
 
Sorry for jacking the thread.....

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

When I first learned of the E10 with it's DAC and headphone amp I thought at first that I could easily carry it over to my home rig to simplify my headphone rig whenever I wished.
 
But no coaxial or toslink input???
 
I understand this unit is powered via USB but how difficult would it be to include either coaxial or toslink input....get rid of that coaxial output...... and offer a power supply that connect through the USB port?
 
For me....that would be the perfect affordable gateway DAC/amp being able to use it with a computer or a dedicated CD player.

To put a SPDIF output is simple on the E10 because the USB receiver chip TE7022L already supports SDPIF output on the chip itself. But to put a SPDIF input onto E10 will require putting an transceiver chip like the Wolfon WM8805 into the E10, which means more space and more components are needed. That will add up significantly to the cost for a feature most PC user won't use. What you really need is probably the upcoming E17 and not the E10.
 


Quote:

I will get the E10 to use on my computer setup....it seems the units that have S/PDIF input are more expensive.
 
I could use a unit with toslink on both my rigs....I'm new to all this are there any quality DAC/amp units that are around $100 that have toslink in?
 
Sorry for jacking the thread.....

That's barely an USB DAC with feature like E10 under $100. Just a year ago we would all have to pay over $100 for something similar. There is however FiiO D3 which is a pure DAC (no amp) for toslink and coax input to RCA-out, just that you can't use it with E10 (since there is no input)
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

You mean E15? I don't think it will come this year. For what I understand, the next release will likely be E17 on / before Feb 2012, then E15 before / by April 2012. After April, FiiO likely will begin to focus on the R&D of DAP again. These are my guess. 
 

Oh whoops, I got my wires crossed... I was thinking about iBasso there. Don't they supposedly have a desktop amp in development?
 

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Oh whoops, I got my wires crossed... I was thinking about iBasso there. Don't they supposedly have a desktop amp in development?
 

Possible, but I don't keep track on desktop amp that much as my interest is mainly in portable amp (mainly ultra portable and ultra affordable

). For now, I am interested in the upcoming iBasso T5 more.