[gdourado]

Don't worry about 24/192 and upsampling - 24/96 is more than high enough. The E09k has significantly more power than the E17 to drive the MadDogs very well. Its 10 ohm output impedance means it probably won't pair well with your IEMs, but you have the E17 for them so it's no problem. The nice thing about the E09k for you is that it will let you use the E17 you already own as a DAC. I think it's a good way for you to go.

 
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I also thought of that... To keep my E17 and complement it with an E09K.
My portable rig is an iPod touch, connected to a Fostex HP-P1 that serves as the DAC and a Fiio E12 that serves as the Amp.
I really like that setup, that is why I am thinking about the HP-A4 for desktop setup.
How do you compare the DAC chips and implementations of the ASUS One, HP-A4 and E17?
Does the ASUS deliver that much bigger sound quality and would the Mad Dogs be able to take advantage of it?
 
Cheers!

 

[palmfish]

I think you already have too many redundant components. Your E17 can do everything you want to do all by itself. The HP-P1, Asus Essence One, E12, E9, HP-A4 don't bring anything more to the table.

 

[DMax99]

Hello,
I am maybe interested in the HP-A4, but I have a few questions...
I am hoping some of you here on this thread can help me out...
I want to buy a new DAC-Amp combo for my desktop.
I currently use just a Fiio E17 with either IEMS (JVC FX700) or Over-hears (Citispace Uptowns).
I recently pulled the trigger on some Mad Dogs 3.2 and those are the headphones I will be mostly using on my desktop.
That is until the upgrade bug bites again...

Anyway... I have a few options I am considering.
The first one is the least expensiva and it is to keep my current E17 and pick up a Fiio E09K to complement it.
The E17 would be used only as a DAC and the E09K would do the Amplification.

Next option is to buy a new DAC-Amp combo and here I am torn between either the HP-A4 or the Asus Essence One (The non muses edition).
The Fostex costs 3 times what the E09K costs and the Asus is even a bit more expensive than the Fostex.
Both of these go to 24/192 over USB and that is an upgrade over the E17 24/96.

From what I read around the web, both the FOstex and the Asus use the same brand of DAC chips, so sound should be similar.
The Asus has the upsampling feature that I am not sure is good or useful. What makes me think about the Asus is because I read here that the Amp on the HP-A4 is on the weak side... So the asus  might be better as it is rated to drive phones up to 600 Ohms.

Anyway...
Based on what I said, what can you tell me?

Are either the Fostex or the Asus worth the premium over the E09K for sound quality?

How does the HP-A4 drive the Mad Dogs? Will the Asus do a better job?
On a general note, what is your opinion about E09K vs HP-A4 vs Essence One?

Cheers and thanks!

I had e17+ e09k as my first dac/Amp combo. I have to say that I didn't really like it. Even though it had enough power to drive my headphones. I found the sound to be a bit fatiguing, warm and lack of clarity. That's why I've sold them last year

Asus xonar essence one is definitely an upgrade to the fiio combo. It has more details, clarity and bigger soundstage.

If you find the Asus xonar essence one to be a bit expensive then I would also recommend you look into the Aune t1. It is a great dac/Amp with an option of rolling tubes and the sound is very good! That's why I still have my aune t1

Hope this helps a bit!

 

[gdourado]

I think you already have too many redundant components. Your E17 can do everything you want to do all by itself. The HP-P1, Asus Essence One, E12, E9, HP-A4 don't bring anything more to the table.

 
Hi,
The HP-P1 and E12 are my "portable rig". I mainly use it at the office during work hours. The E17 is currently my home desktop setup. I have it connected to my iMac that stores my music library. That is what I am wanting to upgrade.

I had e17+ e09k as my first dac/Amp combo. I have to say that I didn't really like it. Even though it had enough power to drive my headphones. I found the sound to be a bit fatiguing, warm and lack of clarity. That's why I've sold them last year

Asus xonar essence one is definitely an upgrade to the fiio combo. It has more details, clarity and bigger soundstage.

If you find the Asus xonar essence one to be a bit expensive then I would also recommend you look into the Aune t1. It is a great dac/Amp with an option of rolling tubes and the sound is very good! That's why I still have my aune t1

Hope this helps a bit!

Thank you for sharing.
I have a question about the Asus One. Is the upsamplig feature worth it or just a gimmick? I am asking because both the E17 and HP-A4 don't have it.
Also, any comparison between the HP-A4 and Asus One in regard to what you mentioned? Mainly, clarity, detail and Soundstage?
 
Cheers!

 

[DMax99]

Hi,
The HP-P1 and E12 are my "portable rig". I mainly use it at the office during work hours. The E17 is currently my home desktop setup. I have it connected to my iMac that stores my music library. That is what I am wanting to upgrade.
Thank you for sharing.
I have a question about the Asus One. Is the upsamplig feature worth it or just a gimmick? I am asking because both the E17 and HP-A4 don't have it.
Also, any comparison between the HP-A4 and Asus One in regard to what you mentioned? Mainly, clarity, detail and Soundstage?

 
Cheers!

To me the up sampling does nothing but somehow decreases the volume and make the sound seem a bit further away.

However, E1 itself without using that feature will give you better clarity and soundstage than the e17 +e09k for sure! They will sound boring to you after you've heard the E1. Plus, when you have some extra cash, it's also worth the money to buy 6 genuine muses01 to swap with the stock op amps. They will give you even bigger soundstage and better bass (punchy not boomy)

 

[palmfish]

Hi,
The HP-P1 and E12 are my "portable rig". I mainly use it at the office during work hours. The E17 is currently my home desktop setup. I have it connected to my iMac that stores my music library. That is what I am wanting to upgrade.
Thank you for sharing.

I have a question about the Asus One. Is the upsamplig feature worth it or just a gimmick? I am asking because both the E17 and HP-A4 don't have it.
Also, any comparison between the HP-A4 and Asus One in regard to what you mentioned? Mainly, clarity, detail and Soundstage?

 
Cheers!

I asked about your HP-P1 and E12 because I don't understand why you use the E12 when the HP-P1 already has a headphone amp built in.

Then the E17 as a desktop setup doesn't make sense to me either. The E17 is smaller than the HP-P1 so it makes sense to me to use the E17 as a portable amp/DAC. In fact, you could sell your E12 and HP-P1 and use the E17 for everything.

I have no experience with the HP-A4 but looking at the specs it seems like a nice unit. The Asus is a lot more powerful, but none of your headphones are hard to drive so I think any amp will do.

When I stated above that you shouldn't worry about 24/192 or upsampling, thats what I think. There is no audible difference between 24/96 and 24/192 and all upsampling does is (theoretically) add more processing to the source.

So again, I don't think you need either the Essence One or the HP-A4 because they will not do anything that your E17 doesn't already do. In my opinion, the purpose of a "desktop amp" is to allow connection of multiple sources such as a computer, CD player, etc. and listen with "audiophile" high impedance low sensitivity headphones.

If I were in your shoes and Looking to build a high quality desktop system, I would sell the HP-P1, E12, and MadDogs and get the Essence One or Matrix M-Stage HPA-2 and Sennheiser HD 600. That's an end-game system IMO.

 

[gdourado]

I asked about your HP-P1 and E12 because I don't understand why you use the E12 when the HP-P1 already has a headphone amp built in.

Then the E17 as a desktop setup doesn't make sense to me either. The E17 is smaller than the HP-P1 so it makes sense to me to use the E17 as a portable amp/DAC. In fact, you could sell your E12 and HP-P1 and use the E17 for everything.

I have no experience with the HP-A4 but looking at the specs it seems like a nice unit. The Asus is a lot more powerful, but none of your headphones are hard to drive so I think any amp will do.

When I stated above that you shouldn't worry about 24/192 or upsampling, thats what I think. There is no audible difference between 24/96 and 24/192 and all upsampling does is (theoretically) add more processing to the source.

So again, I don't think you need either the Essence One or the HP-A4 because they will not do anything that your E17 doesn't already do. In my opinion, the purpose of a "desktop amp" is to allow connection of multiple sources such as a computer, CD player, etc. and listen with "audiophile" high impedance low sensitivity headphones.

If I were in your shoes and Looking to build a high quality desktop system, I would sell the HP-P1, E12, and MadDogs and get the Essence One or Matrix M-Stage HPA-2 and Sennheiser HD 600. That's an end-game system IMO.

 
I use the HP-P1 because at the office I don't have access to my computer, so I use my iPods as source.
The HP-P1 as a great DAC to bypass the iPods internal units.
Then I got a sweet deal on the E12 and decided to give it a try.
I like the sound signature of the E12 better than the HP-P1 amp. More Bass and a bit warmer sound.
 
The E12 does not work as a DAC with the iPod, so I don't use it at work.
 
At home I have my iMac with Audirvana and all my music library.
I want to upgrade the DAC Amp combo at home.
That is why I am wondering which route to go for...
 
I need to keep the HP-P1 to use at work for the reasons I mentioned above.
 
Maybe I can try out an E09K since I am already usedto the Fiio soundsignature on the E12 and like it.
If it doesn't work out, I can always try to sell it and upgrade...
 
Cheers!

 

[gdourado]

To me the up sampling does nothing but somehow decreases the volume and make the sound seem a bit further away.

However, E1 itself without using that feature will give you better clarity and soundstage than the e17 +e09k for sure! They will sound boring to you after you've heard the E1. Plus, when you have some extra cash, it's also worth the money to buy 6 genuine muses01 to swap with the stock op amps. They will give you even bigger soundstage and better bass (punchy not boomy)

 
Thanks for your insight on the upsampling.
I know the E1 is better, I just don't know if it is 3 times the cost better...
And as I mentioned above, I already have a Fiio E12 and like it.
 
Decisions, decisions...
 
Cheers!

 

[palmfish]

   
I use the HP-P1 because at the office I don't have access to my computer, so I use my iPods as source.
The HP-P1 as a great DAC to bypass the iPods internal units.
Then I got a sweet deal on the E12 and decided to give it a try.
I like the sound signature of the E12 better than the HP-P1 amp. More Bass and a bit warmer sound.
 
The E12 does not work as a DAC with the iPod, so I don't use it at work.
 
At home I have my iMac with Audirvana and all my music library.
I want to upgrade the DAC Amp combo at home.
That is why I am wondering which route to go for...
 
I need to keep the HP-P1 to use at work for the reasons I mentioned above.
 
Maybe I can try out an E09K since I am already usedto the Fiio soundsignature on the E12 and like it.
If it doesn't work out, I can always try to sell it and upgrade...
 
Cheers!

 
Ah, I understand now... makes sense.
 
I think the E09k is a good idea given your preferences and other gear.
 
BTW, I love the sound straight out of my iPods. The built-in DACs are actually quite respectable.

 

[DMax99]

Thanks for your insight on the upsampling.
I know the E1 is better, I just don't know if it is 3 times the cost better...
And as I mentioned above, I already have a Fiio E12 and like it.

Decisions, decisions...

Cheers!

H,

The E1 is definitely the worth upgrade from any fiio (including the e12) in my opinion.

I mean if you are worry about the price, you can always wait for a good second hand deal. I got my 2nd E1 second hand for about 250 AUD (yes! I have 2 E1 ;p)

Otherwise, in my opinion the Aune T1 is also an upgrade from the fiio and only cost about 150 bucks new max

 

[Swolern]

Anyone have any comments on the sound quality difference on the E1 using the Toslink input instead of the USB to the dac? Im getting some sound interference when using my E1 to dac via USB and need to switch to Tolink from my PC to E1.

 

[DMarasovic]

  Anyone have any comments on the sound quality difference on the E1 using the Toslink input instead of the USB to the dac? Im getting some sound interference when using my E1 to dac via USB and need to switch to Tolink from my PC to E1.

There is no sound quality difference between USB and Toslink input from Asus N73S laptop.

 

[Swolern]

 
There is no sound quality difference between USB and Toslink input from Asus N73S laptop.

Thanks for reply. But with Toslink i loose the "Bit Perfect" option. Also the E1 shows only 48khz now, even with 192khz flac files are playing. Does the Toslink take away those options vs USB?

 

[DMarasovic]

  Thanks for reply. But with Toslink i loose the "Bit Perfect" option. Also the E1 shows only 48khz now, even with 192khz flac files are playing. Does the Toslink take away those options vs USB?

In my case no, but try to find and set sw and hw settings at the source. If you write what is your source, maybe somebody will know the answer.

 

[Swolern]

My source is PC - Foobar - E1.