Cheers!   I haven't used the 3.5mm jack yet. It might be an interesting experiment to see how it affects the sound. If I can be bothered!   I've switched back to low gain. I don't think there is anything in it really. Dial is at about 10:30 and plenty of volume.

OK, the E9 arrived this morning and I've had over three hours with it. Wow. To use the cliché - the difference really is 'night and day'! The sound is balanced and the bass controlled with that awful 100hz hump gone. :) Not only that, but the whole effect is massively more involving. I hadn't...

Thanks. I appreciate your input.   It would be nice to know what the output impedance of my Sony's headphone socket is, and other gear for that matter, but it seems that this rating is rarely disclosed in the manufacturer's associated literature.   I'm considering the Fiio E9, at least...

Hi. I am a long-time headphone user, but a newcomer to the world of decent ones. I recently bought a pair of HD600s after reading so many good things about them. My previous pair were HD215s, which were reasonable, if slightly light in the bass. My amp is a 1999 Sony CMT-SD1 - an integrated CD...