[SteveEyes]

In terms of bass and overall clarity which should I go for? e12 vs e11k vs e17k alpen 2 ??

 

[buke9]

In terms of bass and overall clarity which should I go for? e12 vs e11k vs e17k alpen 2 ??

I have only owned and heard the E12 Mont Blanc version there is a IEM version also. Not sure what you will be running it with and what headphones so it is a little hard for anyone to give you much advice.

 

[SteveEyes]

I will be using the amp for Aurisonics forte iem but i also want to use it for something like sennheiser hd8 dj's so something that sounds good for both in ear and over ear. (I was originally using e17k alpen 2 with my sennheiser hd8 dj's and the sound was out of this world. The bass was amazing)

 

[buke9]

I will be using the amp for Aurisonics forte iem but i also want to use it for something like sennheiser hd8 dj's so something that sounds good for both in ear and over ear. (I was originally using e17k alpen 2 with my sennheiser hd8 dj's and the sound was out of this world. The bass was amazing)

I believe you just answered your question . The IEM's probably will be fine without a amp.

 

[cel4145]

According to Innerfidelity, the HD8 DJs need only .02mw to reach 90db, 110 ohms, which is very efficient.

Looks like your Fortes are 90dB @1mW into 16 ohm. The Fiio puts out 224 mW into 16 ohm. Imagine sitting 3 ft from a normal tower speaker and putting 224 watts into it. That'll give you some idea of how loud those IEMs can be at 224mw.

The X3 amp is very similar to the amp in the E17, so you have some idea how it will sound.

So I agree. I doubt you'll need an amp. If you find that on high gain, you are running your headphones or IEMs very loud at your normal listening volume, such that turning them up twice as loud in perceived volume (not volume dial) makes them distort a lot, then you might benefit from an amp for dynamic peaks in music. In that case, go for the E12 or the Cayin C5.