[tquickbrownfox]

Hi.
 
I'm a bit of a newb as far as audio gear goes.
I'm not too knowledgeable about amps and dacs.
 
But basically, my current audio rig is merely my laptop or my phone and my JVC fxd80 iem. I've seen better days, but this is where I'm at now.
I've had the fxd80 for about a month now. Initially I really disliked the large bass and I missed mid presence and treble details. But now that its burned in, I'm starting to like it. So I have decided to hold on to these iems. Which brings me to the question - What would drive it better than my computer/nexus4?
 
I'm not sure what's best for me, but here's a few options I've been thinking to go by:
 
1) Buy a Fiio E02i
2) Buy a Fiio E6
3) Buy a Fiio E07k
4) Buy a Schiit Something (research pending. sry. you advice)
5) Sell FXD80 (i recon it'll fetch me around 40), add extra money, buy a better iem. .
6) Anything else you can think of - Do I just need an amp, or do I just need a better dac, or do I need an amp/dac?
 
Taste wise, I listen to a bunch of genres, but mainly, its either Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Movie Soundtracks, Classical Orchestral, Classical Solo, and a little bit of Jazz.
 
In terms of sound signature, I find the FXD80 a little bassier than I'd like. Also, the mids are slightly lacking, the sound doesn't seem as 'full' as with my previous Sony XBA3. Anyways, I'm not expecting an amp or a dac to solve these problems, but I wouldn't want an amp/dac that'd make them worse. (Basically, I'm looking for an amp that won't add much color to the sound, theres already enough of that with the FXD80. I'd want something that either retains the balance from the source, or improves the mids. A good bass boost functionality, for example, wouldn't count as a big plus, as I think the FXD80's bass is sufficient. If it improves bass quality, then the amp's welcome, but I doubt I'm interested in an amp/dac that adds bass quantity).
 
I hope I'm making sense.
 
I can probably spend north of a $100 if needed, but I'd much rather spend somewhere around $50. Currently I'm interested in finding out what an amp does to sound. I've been told by some that the E6 is the best place to start, but I don't know.
 
Also, I'll be buying it from Canada.
 
 
Thanks.

 

[qwick]

Check out fiio e17. Lots of features and turns my cheapo Aksent iems into something decent sounding (with some eq). Just a tad north of $100 in canada but it's portable, looks great, and sounds decent for the price.

Reading great things about async hifimediy sabre unit. Might be worth a shot for PC-only.

Magni modi stack from schiit would be a step up but that's $200 usd plus shipping (about $35 I think).

Jds o2+odac is another great combo. But again over your range.

I would stick with fiio for combined dac+amp+portable at $100 price point.

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Is there a significant difference between three fiio e17 and the fiio e07k? Which is better value?

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Is the DAC on the fiio amps better than the soundcards of laptops?

 

[xFairyxTailx]

Is the DAC on the fiio amps better than the soundcards of laptops?

The majority of the time.

 

[qwick]

Absolutely better than onboard. I notice a huge difference between it and my Lenovo W520 (Conexant onboard) and iPhone 4. I haven't heard E07K. It appears to have 2 outputs which is handy. The E17 has optical/coax input while the E07K does not. I *think* E17 has slightly more power to drive higher voltage (higher ohm) headphones.

I think I got most of it from headphonebar (Canadian) so you may want to check availability there.