Is it worth getting something fancier than the Apple dongle if I have a pair of Etymotic ER4XRs. I've connected them to my Schiit stack and it definitely sounds better than a phone or laptop but I don't want to waste money on something like a Nextdrive Spectra X if the difference will be negligible.

I was actually wondering the same thing, would an external soundcard such as that or this actually increase the sound quality? http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Soundblaster-Surround-System-SB1095/dp/B0044DEDCA/ref=pd_cp_pc_1      

Well it looks like that's probably the best option for me, I guess ill pick one up.

I like the look of the E7/E9 combo so I might just bite the bullet and see how much better it will sound. Do you know if it is possible to get just the E9 or is it useless without the E7?  

 Not totally sure if this has been discussed yet, just signed up for the forum but I have an HP HDX 18t and I really feel like the sound quality is lacking. I have a sound system built out of a couple different components such as a Yahmaha reciever, Polk towers, some old Marantz speakers I...