[Chris J]

There's certainly something to be said for the price/performance ratio. From my POV, buying some of the best headphones around and then feeding them with a make-due device borders on the ridiculous.

Agreed.
The FiiO E17's DAC is NOT good enough for use with my Stax SRS-2170, those phones only show how limited the E17 actually is.

 

[MUSICCURE]

Wow I thought my E17/E09k sounded great. The last few posts make me curious about hearing more expensive amps/dacs with my Dt 880 pro.

 

[pp312]

 

I've directly compared the E9 to the Matrix M Stage.
Guess what...the M Stage is a fuller, clearer, more open sounding amp.
But the E9 certainly doesn't embarass itself when you consider how much it costs.

There's certainly something to be said for the price/performance ratio. From my POV, buying some of the best headphones around and then feeding them with a make-due device borders on the ridiculous.

 
 
Well, there are many ridiculous things in our society, but I wouldn't have thought using a well respected $125 headphone amp with a $250 headphone was one of them. And I'm sure many would argue with the classification of the Fiio E9 as a 'make due' (sic) device.

 

[Me x3]

   
 
Well, there are many ridiculous things in our society, but I wouldn't have thought using a well respected $125 headphone amp with a $250 headphone was one of them. And I'm sure many would argue with the classification of the Fiio E9 as a 'make due' (sic) device.

Fiio E9 + DT880
Shame on you... How could you?
 
Tyll from Innerfidelity has measured the Fiio E9
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AllAmpsJuly2013.pdf (Page 20)
 
- Pretty much a perfect frequency response
- THD%+Noise stays below 0,01 at typical levels
- Plenty of voltage for high impedance loads
 
Yeah, I know, some say it measures right but sounds bad, and nobody can exactly explain why, the mystic dream must go on.
 
We can make unbelievably small and powerful microprocessors, but we can't (apparently) explain scientifically why a pretty simple amplifier measures right and sounds bad. (I find this fact much more ridiculous)
 
There's also plenty of studies of human subjective perception, marketing techniques, bias, and so on... (We aren't such great analysis tool after all)
 
I'm pretty sure the E9 is very fine for DT880 and that DT880/E9 is very fine gear to enjoy plenty of great sounding music. There are probably slightly different SS amps, slightly fuller, slightly brighter, slightly, slightly, slightly... and you could end up liking one more than the other, nothing wrong about that.
 
I think there are many overstated topics, this is one of those.
 
It makes people feel that there's a whole new world they are not getting.
Sell the E9 and get the Matrix, you don't know how much you are missing!
 
-Have the Matrix now?
-I have DT880 and HD800 and I know there's whole new level you are not getting out of your Matix/DT880 rig
 
-Have the HD800 now? Can't believe you are still using the stock cable and a solid state amplifier..
You don't really know the HD800 yet, believe me, there's a whole new level waiting for you.
 
It's pretty funny indeed.
 
- This is all about music...
- Music? What's that?
 

 

[pp312]

 
It makes people feel that there's a whole new world they are not getting.
Sell the E9 and get the Matrix, you don't know how much you are missing!
 
-Have the Matrix now?
-I have DT880 and HD800 and I know there's whole new level you are not getting out of your Matix/DT880 rig
 
-Have the HD800 now? Can't believe you are still using the stock cable and a solid state amplifier..
You don't really know the HD800 yet, believe me, there's a whole new level waiting for you.
 
It's pretty funny indeed.
 
- This is all about music...
- Music? What's that?
 

 
 
Hmm. Never were truer words spoken. But then, if it were not so, would Head-Fi even exist?

 

[Chris J]

Fiio E9 + DT880
Shame on you... How could you?

Tyll from Innerfidelity has measured the Fiio E9
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AllAmpsJuly2013.pdf (Page 20)

- Pretty much a perfect frequency response
- THD%+Noise stays below 0,01 at typical levels
- Plenty of voltage for high impedance loads

Yeah, I know, some say it measures right but sounds bad, and nobody can exactly explain why, the mystic dream must go on.

We can make unbelievably small and powerful microprocessors, but we can't (apparently) explain scientifically why a pretty simple amplifier measures right and sounds bad. (I find this fact much more ridiculous)

There's also plenty of studies of human subjective perception, marketing techniques, bias, and so on... (We aren't such great analysis tool after all)

I'm pretty sure the E9 is very fine for DT880 and that DT880/E9 is very fine gear to enjoy plenty of great sounding music. There are probably slightly different SS amps, slightly fuller, slightly brighter, slightly, slightly, slightly... and you could end up liking one more than the other, nothing wrong about that.

I think there are many overstated topics, this is one of those.

It makes people feel that there's a whole new world they are not getting.

Sell the E9 and get the Matrix, you don't know how much you are missing!

-Have the Matrix now?

-I have DT880 and HD800 and I know there's whole new level you are not getting out of your Matix/DT880 rig

-Have the HD800 now? Can't believe you are still using the stock cable and a solid state amplifier..
You don't really know the HD800 yet, believe me, there's a whole new level waiting for you.

It's pretty funny indeed.

- This is all about music...

- Music? What's that?

You're twisting the whole thread to suit your agenda.
Nice.

 

[pp312]

So, are you saying upgraditus doesn't exist, or that there isn't a psychological component to the improvements we think we hear? I don't think Me x3 was saying there's never any value in upgrading, just that what we read here and elsewhere tends to give us a false expectation of huge improvements that's rarely realized in practise. Personally I think as hobby warts constantly bombarded with hyperbole we need the sort of reality check Me x3 has just provided us.

 

[xkonfuzed]

Let's not forget that people here tend to over-exaggerate every singe difference. A very slight change in something and they call it "night and day". 
 
And don't even get me started on those who believe in $100 USB cables. 

 

[Shaffer]

[...]

It's pretty funny indeed.

- This is all about music...

- Music? What's that?

What's funny is that I have a bigger record collection than all of you and go record shopping weekly, as I've done for the last ~40 years. Yes, this $125 amplifier, because $125 is just so much money, makes DT880 sound worse than, say, a M-Stage. Shocking.

 

[rovopio]

What's funny is that I have a bigger record collection than all of you and go record shopping weekly, as I've done for the last ~40 years. Yes, this $125 amplifier, because $125 is just so much money, makes DT880 sound worse than, say, a M-Stage. Shocking.

 
Yes. $125 is a lot of money. When you're making $370 per month, $125 is a lot of money.

 

[Shaffer]

Yes. $125 is a lot of money. When you're making $370 per month, $125 is a lot of money.

No one is holding a gun to one's head and forcing him to spend a third of his monthly income on a Fiio. :rolleyes:

 

[CADCAM]

I always wondered what would happen if I clicked that block member button under someones username...ahhh so much better now

 

[rovopio]

No one is holding a gun to one's head and forcing him to spend a third of his monthly income on a Fiio.

 
Just because a person only makes $370 a month, doesn't mean they can't enjoy music. And if Fiio is all they can afford, then music is the more important factor.

 

[Shaffer]

Just because a person only makes $370 a month, doesn't mean they can't enjoy music. And if Fiio is all they can afford, then music is the more important factor.

If the budget is really that tight, why not opt for more forgiving cans (which typically cost less) that won't show every wart and pimple on a recording, and enjoy the music even more? Instead, we have very revealing headphones that are being stifled by the amp. The end result is virtually the same for both scenarios, except one costs a lot less. As such, if the budget serves as a determining factor, buying DT880 to be driven by a Fiio is just as unwise.

 

[rovopio]

Quote:

If the budget is really that tight, why not opt for more forgiving cans (which typically cost less) that won't show every wart and pimple on a recording, and enjoy the music even more? Instead, we have very revealing headphones that are being stifled by the amp. The end result is virtually the same for both scenarios, except one costs a lot less. As such, if the budget serves as a determining factor, buying DT880 to be driven by a Fiio is just as unwise.

 
Because that person likes the sound sig of dt880? i don't know the exact reason. I just know she likes them and use her fiio to power them.