FiiO E17

Krisman

100+ Head-Fier
Have tried many headphone DAC/Amps in the £50 - 200 range and nothing comes close to the resolving, enjoyale nature of this bit of kit. Western manufacturers should take note. Quality, performance and a great price point can all exist together! :) Had mine for almost a year now and have no intention of letting it go...
P
PeterDLai
Out of curiosity, what other DAC/amps have you tried?
Krisman
Krisman
Hey, have tried an Arcam rPAC, Musical Fidelity M1, Graham Slee Novo fed from an audiolab MDAC, iBasso Cobra, Schiit Audio Lyr fed from a Wadia DAC. Also more but I cannot remember them! :)
smpie
smpie
I'm planning to get this peace of gear as my first audio venturing. I ordered the Beyerdynamic T5p and plan on using it with it. Connected to my mac and iphone/ipod. But I will first do sum good listening without any amp or other hardware.The big reason I’m getting it is after reading a article you can find googling “FiiO E7 USB DAC & Amp objective review” I always like to ad words like “objective review” to my search. Because I can tell you one thing for sure. The more I read a bout a product to more contradictions about it I find. So there is no other way than to go objective on the sucker hahahah…!!I decided (for the moment) NOT to get any gear that I can’t sample / hear without a objective review.I would have liked to hear my T5p’s before I got them ..But there was no store that has them !So when they get in I hope I like them.. ! Thanks again for you review. I really like a review from someone that doesn’t let price color his opinion..I think if you tell a lot of audio guys that this peace of kit costs 3 times more they would like it more and respect it probably hahahha!!!

MMB1

New Head-Fier
Pros: Elegant and compact design, solid build, plenty of features, tonally balanced and pleasant sound, great value for money
Cons: No significant cons at this price, battery could last longer, nothing extraordinary- just does its job right
FiiOE17.jpg
 
Design and Build
 
Even though the FiiO E17 is quite a low-cost product or you can even say an entry level one, the DAC has a solid build and elegant design. The brushed finish looks stylish without being anything plain simple or too pompous. Overall E17 looks and feels great considering its small size that comfortably fits in your palm or with the iPod or smartphone in your pocket.
 
The buttons are solid and feel good quality so one need not worry about wearing them off to the point of breaking or getting stuck. The OLED screen is a nice addition to the e17 and the information that it displays is exactly what you need making it very convenient to use without being too complicated. Overall it is a very lightweight, durable and compact portable DAC and headphone amplifier.
 
DSC01428.jpg
 
Features and Accessories
 
The DAC/amp comes with some little gadgets that can easily spoil you off at such price. The OLED has a little screen protector and six rubber feet to hold it in place. You also get two silicone bands with the FiiO logo on top that make it easier to hold it together to your portable player. In addition, E17 supplies you with a nice soft velvet pouch where the amp can be stored safely.
 
FiiO E17 comes with plenty of features, which make it a very versatile product suitable for most needs. The Mini USB is located on the bottom and is the main charging source. However the USB is not the only digital connection as this small DAC also has a coaxial as well as an optical connection on the top by using S/PDIF input via the supplied adapters.
 
An AUX input is located on the underside while the headphone output is on the top, both suitable for 3.5mm stereo plugs, which is understandable considering the small size of the DAC. E17 has a dock connector dedicated to working with other of FiiO’s desktop amplifiers such as the E09K which I personally use. There is also a locking key that not only locks the buttons but also turns off the OLED screen and I find that to be very convenient when I use E17 passively only as a DAC docked to E09K on my desk.
 
FiiOE17E09k.jpg
 
Performance
 
It is worth noting that when E17 is paired with the e09, for example, the USB and AUX inputs are blocked. However the e09k has its own, which makes these two products a suitable pair.
 
The li-ion battery has 1500mAh and claimed by the manufacturer to last for up to 15 hours but in reality one cannot expect to get more than 8-9 hours out of it. However it can be constantly recharged while with the dock or USB connector.
 
The DAC can accept a hi-end signal with up to 24-bit at 192 kHz but only through the S/PDIF. The USB input only meets the 1.0 standard you can only accept file up to 24-bit/96kHz, so if you are to play 192 kHz files you must use the S/PDIF input.
 
OK, but how does it sound? You are right, let us get to the real question of interest. I listen to the E17 either with my AKG Q701 headphones or with the stereo speakers that I connect to the integrated amplifier through the e09k. In both cases the sound that comes from the DAC feels tonally balanced. I do not use the inbuilt equalizer and I find the sound to be quite accurate and neutral, which I highly appreciate. It is not really transparent and revealing so if you plan to use it with monitor speakers, for example, bear in mind that E17 is more or less forgiving to poor recordings. The sound is un-fatiguing, thus pleasant and easy to listen for hours. It gives you a sufficient performance for the money you pay in that price class. However, this means that more expensive DACs have greater details and reveal more nuances of the overall music picture.
 
AKGQ701FiiOE17.jpg
 
When it comes to the amplifier it is worth mentioning that it does not have the needed muscles to power the most demanding headphones by itself. It has an output power of >220mW (32Ω loaded) and the headphone impedance range is said to be 16Ω - 300Ω. This should be enough for my AKG Q701 but it is easy to see that E17 does not perform well with these headphones on the very high volumes. This will no longer be a problem if you pair it with the E09K as I do.
 
In conclusion, the E17 gives more than you can ask for at the price of £100 (from amazon in the UK) in terms of features, extras and sound quality. It is a good start if you are looking for your first DAC/amp and the perfect choice if you are on a budget.
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denislav
denislav
Nice and helpful review! Thanks

Virtu Fortuna

Reviewer: Headfonia
Pros: Good looking. Solid built. Useful Equalizer feature. Definitely way better than integrated sound cards. Bass is tight, mids are good.
Cons: Treble is a bit unnatural to me but when you reduce it from EQ it sounds very good and normal. No automatic screen sleep. You must lock it to turn off
Great product from Fiio. I think its really good for starters. Works fine with almost all headphones. EQ is great. Clean sounding. Performance/Price ratio is definitely good. You can't go wrong. And also it can be used as a headphone amplifier alone. Portable. Extras are good.

DwightLooi

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great for the money -- possibly the best
Cons: Too much Nonsense that detracts from the essence of a good DAC and Amp
For $125~150 depending on where you buy it from, the E17 is an unbeatable value. Solid Wolfson WM8740 DAC, decent enough Amp. The WM8741 would have been a slightly better chip, but it needs 5V and 3.3V supplies concurrently to operate so you are not going to find it in a battery operated portable amp for the most parts because batteries deliver just one voltage. The WM8741 operates on 3~5.5V for both it's analog and digital circuits which allows it to conveniently be powered by a lithium ion battery (nominally about 3.7V). The Analog Devices AD8397 is, again, a decent enough output stage given the limitations of the single supply of ~3.7V. Nice Nichiren gold caps inside too, so they are not cheapening out where it counts. Strictly from a specifications standpoint this is traditionally stuff you find in a $300~600 headphone amp and one which is battery powered, but one which is typically larger. The bass and treble adjustments are nice. Don't be suckered into the thinking that they are simply for bass heads trying to mess up the sound. Headphones are not linear, amps are not linear, your ear canal's physical acoustic properties when sealed and driven as a column of air is not linear. Thinking that if you buy expensive and high quality sources, phones and amps you'll get the most accurate and enjoyable sound by keeping things flat and unadjusted is wishful thinking.
 
If you wear a set of cans you generally need a headphone amp to drive them and the E17 does that. I am not going to preach here, but if you haven't heard earphones driven by a headphone amp as opposed to a laptop or iPod, well... you should. Depending on the headphones the difference ranges from markedly improved to night-n-day. In-ear types need them less (most maxes out at about 0.1W), cans need them more (1~2W). But they all benefit and not insignificantly. 
 
As a DAC, the FiiO E17 beats any laptop or portable audio player. But, like all USB DACs it is annoying in that the computing device may not pipe sounds to it in all instances. And, when it does sometimes it wouldn't mute the built-in speaker circuits and the amp from the HDA codec's integrated amp. There's a SPDIF and digital in, but your computing device may or may not have that output option.
 
The E17's amp is punchy, accurate and detailed. I think it can use a bit more forward mids, but it's not objectionably recessed in this regard by any measure. With the XBA-H3 I like the Bass at about +2~3dB, treble at about -1~2 dB. With the XBA-4 you'll cut the treble by -10 dB (bring sibilance from intolerable to just annoying). Shure 535s need a lot more bass (maybe +6~8) to not sound like a pair of bookshelf speakers badly needing a sub-woofer. But, that is all subjective. Ultimately, the sound delivers. Notably better the the somewhat underpowered FiiO E7 and in some pairings better than the Sony PHA-1 (which lack any low and high pass adjust-ability). Way better than the iBasso D-Zero.
 
Now... I am not a big fan of the LED display and the push button controls. A knob and a few switches -- like they put on the E12 Amp -- would have done the job with better ergonomics and less distraction (especially in a darkened room). And, if they wanted a digital display a LCD would have been preferable as it wouldn't have to be lit! Regardless, if the purist line of thought is that digital clock and logic noise may affect the audio quality. Well, I can't hear it so that's good enough for me. Quality is so-so... the finish is decent but not top notch. The unit feels, well, a little cheap... but it is VERY cheap so I am not complaining. It is way bigger than the D-Zero and much thicker which is annoying when you are trying to use it when flying Economy class. Again, if they had gone without the display and sacrificed battery life -- 15 hours is really unnecessarily long, who listens for 15 hours straight or 7 hours continuously for that matter? Still... very good overall, very good indeed for something designed, engineered and made in China which sells for a tad over a hundred bucks. And anyone who thinks the build and finish is sub-standard please put it in context with the price! It is 10 times better built and finished than crude looking implements like the Air Head and Bithead -- they aren't bad DACs or Amps, but hell they were crude!!!
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Prolificaudio
Prolificaudio
Hey bro thanks for the review. Would you choose this over the jds labs c5? Will the dac make a huge difference for me?
kd93
kd93
Does anyone know where I could get a USB cable for this thing?

bowei006

Panda Man
Reviewer at Headphone.Guru
Pros: DAC and amp combo
Cons: Finicky to get around menu's and change things fast.
This is going to be short, It does everything it needs too with a good DAC and many features. Some of my headphone's need quick EQ'ing or navigation and this is pretty finicky. It is a solid device but there is some quality problems such as a rattle that seems to be attributed to the LO Bypass switch and also some..not as tightly made spots you spot every now and then. This may not be the greatest amp for $150 or greatest DAC for $150...but guess what? It does them both with extra features and what not for such a price :)
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
"This may not be the greatest amp for $150 or greatest DAC for $150" but is it the best PORTABLE amp/dac? i think so/maybe :D

volly

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: An excellent alternative to the computer user wanting something different to an internal sound card!
Cons: No cons because it does exactly what I want it do and some!
I was looking for a new sound card after I was left wanting with my 3 year old Creative XFI Music.
 
I was doing alot of reading about other various sound cards like the Asus St/Creative XFI but wasn't satisfied with the research.
 
Then I started to see what other alternatives there was so I was reading up on external dacs/amps.
 
I stumbled on to something, something that I never really heard about especially within my computer circles. Fiio is a company supposedly makes decent sound for a decent price. So I read on.
 
So Fiio had me hooked and I was really interested, I was trying to find out more about these things. I wanted to know if there was anyone out there who could tell me if they went in this direction and was satisfied.
 
I couldn't find much that I could relate to, so I took the plunge!
 
I ordered mine through ebay, a local supplier had literally just come in.
 
In the two day wait I was still reading up on the Fiio E17 and admittedly still nervous at my purchase.
 
On the second day of ordering I had come home from work and found a package on the kitchen table, nerves were gone and a sea of excitement washed over me like it was my birthday or like christmas!
 
I took my time unboxing it and took a deep breath and installed the Fiio.
 
With everything connected I switched on my PC and waited for Windows to load.
 
Still abit nervous I stared at the screen as windows booted up, then there it was...'Windows detects new device, installing drivers'...omg 'will it?!'...'Device successfully installed, Fiio E17 detected!'. Houston we have lift off!
 
I was very happy that even such a little step as windows detecting it and installed without having to go online to grab a driver or stick in a CD made me sure and proud of this product!
 
Ok, so I change my settings for the computer to use the Fiio and now it was time to see what this little black box can do! Just before playing any music I thought 'Will this sound any better than my Xtreme Music', I mean the XFI Xtreme was a great card right?
 
Well all I can say was OMG! I played FLAC version of Whitney Houston 'I have nothing'. I remember I was saying comments (Out loud) 'The sound is amzaing', 'It's so clear!'.
 
I was absolutely engulfed in the music, it wasn't hiding or lacking in anyway it was right there pouring through my AT AD700's like liquid, saucy, hot fudge carmel sundee.
 
I just felt great after my first sitting with the Fiio, it met the expectations of what had read and most importantly it met my expectations. I was blowin away by the Fiio and I made me think what the hell have I been doing all this time with a Creative XFI Xtreme, I mean seriously I was really getting angry at Creative for hyping up and releasing these 'poor' sound cards. But then i realized I was be angry at myself for perhaps not looking outside the square abit, I mean if everyone stopped buying Creative and bought something else then maybe Creative might go back to the drawing board and build something really decent. Anyway I digress.
 
Last point I want to put out there to any PC owner who was in the same position as me. Yes I game with this thing! And you know what? It does it well and I don't miss the Xtreme Music at all! I never used the CMSS 3d function and I mainly ran the thing in 'Entertainment' mode. The Fiio sounds fantastic in games and I have not had one single crash or sound problem with it! I was really surprised when I first played BF3 that the sound was awesome, twice as better than the Xtreme Music!
 
Ok that is it for me, I've had the Fiio for over a month now and it has settled in fine! The second night I had it, I pulled out the Xtreme Music and 'Dismantled' all Creatives bloatware crap/drivers. Sound wise my sound system/PC is complete! Search is over!
 
Thank you!
NoodleBoy91
NoodleBoy91
Hey I just got the FiiO E17 and my ATH M50's a few days ago and I am loving the sound quality :). I am listening to Daft Punk's Discovery album in FLAC right now and wow it is awesome. Played Diablo 3 before as well and it sounded really good.
volly
volly
Thats great news noodle, I hope you got the 'Wow' factor you were hoping for (I know I did!).
Diablo 3 sound/music is very fine quality work (Credit to Blizzard), I love the SFX in the game!
I've just gotten some new cans last week and in the process of testing/burning them in whcih I might do a review very soon.
I've been reading through the Fischer Audio reviews and found the FA 003's!
Also, I'll be picking up a toslink cable soon to test out the optical spdif of the Fiio E17 to see if there is any difference between USB vs Optical!
again, Congrats on your new headphone/sound system noodle!
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
What impact does these amp have on the soundstage of your headphones ?

TestShoot

New Head-Fier
Pros: power, sound quality
Cons: eq, screen burn in
I am a budget audiophile, I am not interested in carrying around different headsets for different genres, I wanted a well rounded set up for my office. I docked in the E09 amp, and drive some big Vmodas. I def hear an improvement over stock audio from my Alienware on flacs and even Spotify premium. More power is less distortion as a general rule.
 
I have the unit itself at 40 for the volume, and it is burning in a little on the screen, but no biggie. I will def get the new one that is all Android. I would like a little more than bass/treble, but it is pretty good.
 
Samsung phones have a pretty good audio app already, same with Android in general, but I like mating this to the phone to get better rates and obviously more power.
 
iPhones/iPad just can't output higher rates, so you have to use this as a pass-through from headphone jack to the unit.
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SandvichDISH

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sounds 100 times better than onboard audio, portable, built in equalizer, nice interface.
Cons: None that I can think of
Well, this is my first amp and DAC, but I can tell you that if you have some decent headphones and are just plugging it straight in your PC, you're doing it terribly wrong!
It just sounds so much better with this lil' guy.
 
I got it with the cable to connect it to your iPod so that I can have awesome audio on the road too.
 
Maybe it'd be nice to be able to equalize the mids too, but you can just lower the treble and bass to raise the mids, technically.
Spiderman
Spiderman
I have a quick question on these, so basically my laptop headphone jack got busted. So with this would I be able to essentially just hook it up through the usb and connect it with my headphones? And if so how much better does it sound when compared to the computers built in sound card? Sorry for the dumb questions I'm sort of a noob.
Nexodon
Nexodon
Yeah, you plug it in, and it's ready to go. This device is not perfect (i hate its clicking and it could be more powerful), but surely it's a huge improvement over generic built-in audio chips.

Zennheiser

Head-Fier
Pros: Outstanding ergonomics and unimpeachable performance.
Cons: None, charge could last longer.
I use this Headphone amp with my V-Moda M-100's.  The 100's are just too "dark" without something to mitigate on the top octave's behalf.  The OLED display is bright clean and easy to read.  (A plus, for not a kid anymore folks like me.)   The charge lasts roughly fifteen hours, which is more than enough for most situations, but it's the one area where my Samuels P-51 reigns supreme.  (Well, that and maybe a just slightly more beautiful midrange.  I try to avoid terms like "liquidity", but the Samuels draws your attention to how good mids can sound, and that's a great thing to have with the right phones.  I hope to eventually get an SR-71b or a Shadow, and I'll have more things to compare this amp to.  But for now, it's my personal reference standard.  I'm knocked out.....
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headphonereview

New Head-Fier
Pros: individual bass/treble adjustments,charge and play,DAC,optical input,digital analog input,usb input,charge bypass,beautiful display
Cons: bass eq isn't as good as e11,digital volume controls
I just wanted to touch on the basics with the pros and cons listed here and give it the ratings it deserves.  Briefly I will say that this thing is an absolute bargain for what it can do and the build quality is absolutely superb.  It's one of those products that you're happy you purchased.  The only weak spot I've found in this device is the bass EQ.  I prefer the bass EQ on the E11 over the E17 as it has more of a natural curve to it where the E17 seems to be a bit more abrupt.  Even with that, this is still an outstanding amplifier.  To get all my thoughts, check out my written and video reviews here:
 
http://www.headphonereviewhq.com/reviews/fiio-e17-review/
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
Good review, ive seen you on youtube with that nice background with the sleeping dogs lol
headphonereview
headphonereview
LOL - yeah, they're the real stars of the show. Thanks for the compliment. I need to port more of the reviews over here - I think I just get lazy with updating all the places (including my own website!).
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
lol yeah you should post more reviews here and post links to your youtube reviews

Bleether

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Everything
Cons: Ear cups wear out fast and go flat.
This thing is simply amazing.
Double-A
Double-A
Well it would kind of seem that way as you have absolutely NO cons listed. That seems a bit unrealistic . . . EVERYTHING has cons.
Double-A
Double-A
Whenever I see a review for something and there are no cons listed I take it with a grain of salt. It COULD be a member of the company . . . not that you are but just thought I would say that.
XxDobermanxX

desfz

New Head-Fier
Pros: Build quality, compact, battery, clear sound
Cons: not found
This is my first amp. I used combo amp  connecting to my sound card before. This one build well and I used it for IPC and PC/laptop. As the others said, it is very convenient as a usb dac without extra driver hunting. Also, the sound is very clear if the source is good enough.
Used it for E4c, DT1350.

Jensenchua

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: small, excellent value, Treble and Bass selection, good interface
Cons: some hips and distortion when using 3.5mm connection, no mid selection
Been owning E17 for about 2 years also my first amp, glad to see Chinese product that can come out with well build product!!

Myerus

New Head-Fier
Pros: Has many forms of input; allows some control over gain, treble, bass, balance and volume; neutral sounding output; good price
Cons: Audio quality doesn't seem greatly improved (may be scratchiness of vinyl FLAC recordings interfering, or cheap headphones)
First review here, somewhat uneducated, so tell me how I go!
 
This is my first DAC (and headphone amp), and I feel that it was well worth buying. Although my cans probably are not at the level where I need a DAC (Ol' Faithful Sennheiser HD 205), there seems to be some boost in performance with the Fiio E17 'Alpen', although the placebo effect may be to blame.

I personally love how the E17 doesn't seem to add any color or brightness to the sound, as I am an avid fan of neutrality in music replication; and even if your headphones are too dark, bright or colorful, there are some moderate changes that can be made through the E17 to counteract that.

It was as simple as plug and play to use, and it comes with a hefty handful of input types, and I personally am very grateful for it's affordable price.

In conclusion, I believe that this could be considered a fantastic entry level amp/DAC, and may even be sufficient to power a higher-end set of cans, although tube is still the best way to go from what I've heard.
 
 
*Edit: After considerable use, I feel like the best way to describe the action of the E17 is to say that it 'cleans and amplifies sound'. By this, I mean that I feel as though I can hear more instruments playing in the background, and everything sounds a touch louder and more precise.
seaharp1
seaharp1
Good review...I agree.
ColeTheSoul
ColeTheSoul
I have ordered this from Massdrop and I can't wait for it to arrive. I will be using it mostly with my HD 598's but on the go I will be using it with some Westone IEM's. I will try to post my own review after I have tested it out.

peetz

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great connectivity, lightweight, small
Cons: Only 6dB and 12dB gain, EQ jumps in 2's
I've only had this a few days but it's a big improvement over the flat EQ from my MacBook Pro.  I'll add a more in-depth opinion when I've used it for a little longer.

GSARider

2013 London, UK meet organiser
Pros: Excellent sound quality
Cons: No proper EQ
Great little amp that improvs the sound on my IE80's no end. I use it everyday for commuting and have no hesitation recommending for out of home use. Bought in the UK from Amazon for £100
DaBomb77766
DaBomb77766
I can hardly call the lack of a proper EQ a con, I've never seen a DAC/amp that actually has even the basic EQ functions that this one has.
GSARider
GSARider
Still doesn't mean that it's acceptable and if manufacturers realise that their customers want it by reviews such as this, then it's worth saying.
silversurfer616
silversurfer616
The EQ is better than anything else you can find in this price segment.

prez

Head-Fier
Pros: Good Sound Quality, Durable, Small, Decent Battery
Cons: EQ Control, Buttons/Menu
I have been using the E17 "Alpen" every day for over a year now.  It is my go-to device for enjoying music at work, or anywhere other than my home office.  So, here are my thoughts:
 
Build quality
 
This was the first thing I noticed when I unboxed the device.  Brushed metal casing felt very durable, and after this past year of daily use, still looks almost new.  I think it looks great.
 
Controls and Battery Life
 
The screen on the E17 is most simply stated as utilitarian.  It's bright, it works, and it's not going to win any design awards.  The buttons are the same.  Menu navigation feels a little bit clumsy, but after a week or so, it becomes a non-issue.  You are allowed to control volume, bass and treble, gain, channel balance, etc.  My biggest complaint here is that the controls take big steps.  For example, increasing bass moves 2-4-6, instead of 1-2-3....  The volume control has a similar behavior and can be a little annoying.  In spite of those limitations, still very functional.
 
I like the input flexibility of the device, I primarily use the USB (when leveraging the DAC/AMP combo) or AUX in (for just the AMP).
 
The battery gets me through 2-3 days of use (using a few hours a day) and still has some life left. I charge it 1-2 times a week, depending on how heavy I use it on battery.
 
Sound
 
I was looking for a portable device that could be flexible as a DAC/AMP or just an AMP (or even just a DAC!), and sound good doing it.  Primarily, I wanted the portable amp for when I had headphones like my Grade SR125s in tow.
 
My setup on the go sometimes looks like this:
 
IMG_1827.jpg
 
iPhone>Lightning-to-30pin>Fiio 30pin-to-3.5mm>Fiio E17>Grado SR125 (or other HP)
 
This provides the needed power boost to get the Grado HPs to open up more, and provide body in the lows and mids.  I do set the e17 Bass to +2 with these headphones.  This setup is exponentially more enjoyable to my ears than attempting iPhone>Grado SR125.  Running direct from iPhone to these headphones is a bad idea, and will result in a thin and harsh audio experience.  
 
My other common setup is this:
 
IMG_1826.jpg
 
 
iPhone>Lightning-to-30pin>Fiio 30pin-to-3.5mm>Fiio E17>Shure SE215
 
That's right, I amp my highly efficient IEMs at work.
eek.gif
   Why?  Because it sounds better.  Maybe that seems crazy to some, and I understand. Technically, the iPhone should have enough juice to power these IEMs (from my limited understanding of the electrical aspects). But to my ears, the SE215s love the E17.  There is a marked improvement in clarity, tightness in the bass, and overall exciting feel to the audio. I thought I might be crazy at first, so I A/B'd it off and on for months, and always preferred the E17 in the middle. I never run my SE215s directly to my phone anymore.  
 
My final on-the-go scenario is the following:
 
IMG_1830.jpg
MBP>USB>Fiio E17>Grado SR125 (or other HP)
 
The other two setups use the E17 as an amp only.  This uses the E17 as a DAC/AMP.  While the MBP has a good DAC already (better than any other laptop I have listened to), I find that this setup sounds better than using the headphone out from the laptop to the aux in on the Fiio E17. Using USB also has a side benefit of charging the E17.
 
The final (and new) scenario:
IMG_1820.jpg
Mac Pro>USB>Fiio E17/E09K Combo>Grado SR125 (or other HP)
 
I've only been using this setup for about 2 weeks with multiple HPs, and my thoughts speak more to the pros and cons of the E09K, so i'll leave it for another review.
ranjitotski
ranjitotski
Is it suited for my Shure 846? thanks

teddytejero

New Head-Fier
Pros: usb sound / coaxial / optical inputs
Cons: 3,5 mm cable is sturdy
Hope to get usb sound support for android ... very nice if your 3,5 mm jack is broken or faulty. No more crackeling and hissing from bad connect.

The Fiio E17 works excellent together with my older Dell laptop. Lots of sound improvement. Connecting to a Tablet with the provided 3,5 to 3,5 cable is messy. No sound improvement. I hope the ICS android update will enable the USB host mode on my tablet. More power and hopefully better sound.

I had a Samsung tab before and I think the soundchip was better then that used in the Toshiba Thrive. Speakers in the Toshiba are very cheap.

The amp gives lots of power to my 250 Ohm headphones .... to drive a 600 Ohm ? Definitly the Beyerdynamic T-70 needs amping to reach a full listening experience. Bass is deep & flawless when you give it more volume.

theminstrel

New Head-Fier
Pros: Reliable, Easy to use, good battery life, relatively portable , provides clearer and more powerful sound for a low price
Cons: Doesn't take you all the way to audiphile nirvana
A very good DAC and headphone AMP for the price. A clear improvement in sound quality from my laptop for headphones, even ones that already sounded good, this gives a much cleaner,clearer and more powerful signal in all frequency ranges. Works very will with my Samsung Galaxy and Sony Walkman DAP and gives their volume levels a much needed boost. Battery life is around the claimed 15 hours if used with moderate gain. For headphones with under 150 ohm impedence I cannot imagine I would need anything more.
Doesn't fit with great comfort comfortably in a pocket, however.
Also, having recently upgraded to a rather high end DAP this doesn't seem quite so special any more however it is far from horrible and will most likely give a box-standard weak audio interface a much needed upgrade into a clean signal with all the "necessary" detail, warmth and dynamics.

Gerbil

New Head-Fier
Pros: compact and surprisingly good
Cons: some hiccups as a dac
an amazing product, as a dac it sometimes stutters when you work your computer hard.
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
Nice detailed review, based on how much info i got from the review , will definitely buy one :p
yokken
yokken
This is the first time I've read about the stutter, but I've experienced it many times. Glad to know it's not just me.
Marleybob217
Marleybob217
That 'stutter' isn't caused by the dac, but by your computer. It's called latency, you probably are using it on your laptop? If so, try turning of your internal wifi adapter, this is usually the cause of the latency. It has something to do with drivers taking too much bandwith/memory (I really don't know) of your usb ports, causing the latency in your music. You can download a latency monitoring program like dpc latency monitor. Than you can literally see the latency, and you can turn off devices one by one to check if the latency is gone.
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