[TheGame21x]

I received my E9 review sample from the folks at Fiio (thanks again!) today and recorded my own short unboxing video. It's not the most amazing video in the world (I shot this with a cheap flip cam) but I think it'll do for giving you a nice overview of what awaits new E9 owners when they receive their units.

Check it out here.
 
I'll have a full review of the E9 posted in the near future on my website, Musical Musings.

 

[audionewbi]

thx for the info. I am expecting mine to arrive tomorrow. However believe it or not I really watching and reading about others opinion on a product I use just to see whether I notice those things they do or not.

 

[funeralmarch]

I'm gonna pair the E9 to Zhaolu DAC. I need to pre-order it now.

 

[audionewbi]

mine just arrived. Solid built. Pairs fine with my IEM , it sure has no issue driving my k702 loud enough but I yet to judge it on SQ. And yes the gain switch makes a tonne of difference

 

[gavinfabl]

Any SQ first impressions? Anyone.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

Any SQ first impressions? Anyone.

SQ is matter of headphone+DAC+source mostly. In my opinion fiio has enough synergy to derive headphones like k702 but the sad truth is DAC only becomes useful when USB is in use, via audio in the DAC does nothing. I knew about this but it would have been great if it did work.
Also for me my 3.5 mm jack is faulty, maybe not a big issue as I have adaptors but I'll mark it down for built quality.
 

 

[gavinfabl]

Thanks. Thats a shame re headphone jack. No doubt you can have this changed for another E9.
 
For me I only use the smaller size so I hope my unit is not faulty.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

Thanks. Thats a shame re headphone jack. No doubt you can have this changed for another E9.
 
For me I only use the smaller size so I hope my unit is not faulty.

it was working initially but I noticed there was a clear sound difference between the two different headphone jack. So I plug in and out a number of headphones to conform this. I think due to this plug in and out I think I have lossen the soldering. I press upward while the headphone jack is in it works, but if I let the headphone jack go it will just not work.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Got mine about 2 hours ago. Quick and dirty impression with my DT990/600ohm and K701.
 
This little thing drives both my main headphones ridiculously loud. Both low and high gain are incredibly powerful...
 
Here's my quick thoughts on the general sound...
 
Sound signature: Transparent. And I do mean transparent. It's about as neutral as I have ever heard my headphones. If it has coloration, I'd say it's leaning towards the bright side, but I'm gonna blame it on it being brand spanking new with absolutely no burn in. Either that or my lack of proper amping softened up both my headphones sound signature, and this is how bright they are supposed to be. If you're prone to ear fatigue, the E9 will not save you (at least fresh out the box). I hear about how amps change quite a bit with burn in, so I'm gonna hold off on really judging them in this regard.

As of right now: I have never heard my headphones sound so freaking clear. Wow. I thought they were clear before, but now it's like CRYSTAL. The E9 is NOT for those that want their treble slightly rolled off, because the treble is borderline in YOUR FACE with the K701 and 990s.

I obviously can't test it for gaming today (with my Mixamp as a pre-amp for virtual surround), but will get to it hopefully at some point tomorrow morning.

One thing I can say is that the 990's bass DEFINITELY got a whole lot tighter and more in line with the rest of the sound. This could definitely be my one headphone for EVERYTHING. Terrific.

As of right now (no burn in), I'm gonna say that if you like your sound LOUD, it's a borderline sibilant with these two bright headphones, more noticeable with the K701. If I lower the volume just a LITTLE, it gets a lot more balanced and sounds phenomenal. I will say that for most people, the volume where it becomes balanced is their 'optimal decibel level', I just like it even louder.

Again, the 990s sounds freaking AWESOME with the E9. Oh **** yeah! Listening to 'Prodigy - Omen' is BLISS.

Right now, the E9 showcases the sparkly-ness of both my headphones...

I'm definitely in awe at how different the headphones sound with this amp...

If anything, it further proved how much I wouldn't like the K701 for music. I definitely prefer the slightly warmer sound the E7 gave the K701. Not warm, just warmer than what the E9 is making them sound like. I will wait though. I'm enjoying my 990s too much right now, and since I'm a 'fun headphone' lover, I knew I wouldn't like the K701 as much for music.
 
Time to burn the amp in and get some sleep. I will give my final thoughts in a few weeks...

 

[gavinfabl]

I still have a week to wait for mine. Just can't wait. Sounds amazing.



Thanks for feedback

Anyone else.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Had to edit.. the difference between low and high gain isn't as drastic now. The low gain makes the K701 ridiculously loud at just <40% volume. High gain.... lol, you'll probably not even pass 30% volume. With the 600ohm 990s, you'll never pass 50% volume even on low gain...
 
The K701 sounds good with the E9 with certain music. Vocals sound sooooooo sweet with the K701...
 
The DT990s sound bloody epic with the E9. XD

 

[Jack C]

I completely agree regarding the amp's neutral tone, clarity, and abundant power capabilities. 
 
I asked James of FiiO: if the amp is so gosh darned powerful, why even put in a gain switch in the first place? His answer was that the sweet spot for best performance is with the volume knob between 9 and 12 o'clock position. So the gain switch is useful for setting it so that you can put the volume control closer to or within the sweet spot. According to the diagram he posted, the gain switch results in a 8dB cut when in the "Low" position.
 
Jack

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I agree. I have my volume at around the 10-11 o'clock and it definitely sounds it's best there, whether in low or high gain...
 
Okay, one more recent test...
 
Okay, so I hooked up my Sansa Fuze V2 via LOD cable to the Line In on the E9. This is where the high gain and higher volume output is needed. Now I'm near the 12 o'clock position compared to the 10 o-clock position I was with my netbook (via USB with the E7 as my DAC).

Tested both my netbook and Fuze with flat frequencies, and I could easily see just how much warmer the Fuze's LOD to the E9 is compared to the USB/DAC of the E7/E9 combo to my netbook...

I dunno if it's because of the source, or the LOD cable, but it's a whole different experience. THIS is definitely more to my liking with my K701. NO SIBILANCE. It's as wonderful as I envisioned my K701 to sound...

Fuze via LOD to Line In is definitely better for the K701 as it's a softer more pleasant sound. The sound is thicker too...
 
So as of right now, I like my 990/600 off my netbook via USB/DAC, and K701 off my Fuze's LOD to Line In...
 
I just don't know... the E9 is so transparent, it's up to your source to alter the sound to your liking....
 
I'm loving the E9, and it's made me appreciate the K701 that much more! <3

 

[TheGame21x]

I've been listening to the E9 for a couple of days now with a few different kinds of headphones and IEMs. The E9 is a very neutral sounding amp to my ears and has gobs of power behind it that I am confident will be able to drive high impedance phones just fine. Even on low gain, my HD555s are driven to comfortable listening levels with the potentiometer set to just past 9 o'clock and ear-splitting levels are reached just a little further after that.I don't feel like this amp does anything to the signal coming through it besides amplifying it and what I mean by that is it remains completely flat to my ears with no unpleasant spikes such as a distracting mid-bass hump or fatiguing treble. It's really very nice sounding and pleasant to listen to. Not to mention, the E7 + E9 is a killer combo for listening to lossless music stored on a computer.
 
Initial listening impressions are quite positive so far. My full writeup is still a couple days off but I'm sure that my impressions will remain positive.

 

[gavinfabl]

These reviews are encouraging.