[ScruffyDan]

Those are IEMs aren't they? That probably wont work for me as one of my ear canals is almost fully sealed off.
 
Thanks for the suggestion though. I might at some point see if I can do the per channel EQ on the digital audio on a raspberry pi and then output that to a proper DAC/AMP. That would be a significant time sink however and would prefer a pre-made solution if it exists.

 

[ImLeXz]

Would the E5 be better than the onboard audio on the "ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING AURA " motherboard? And how does this amp / dac compare to the fiio e10k. I'm using the AKG k612 pro headphones and was looking for a good amp / dac to pair with them, so any other suggestions around this price range are welcome 

 
 
EDIT:
 
I forgot to mention that I also like a lot of different music genres ranging from Metal to piano pieces and even edm sometimes. The only music genre I don't really listen to is rap. I also play A LOT of CSGO and I know the e5 has some features which could prove useful with that.

 

[Forty6]

Would the E5 be better than the onboard audio on the "ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING AURA " motherboard? And how does this amp / dac compare to the fiio e10k. I'm using the AKG k612 pro headphones and was looking for a good amp / dac to pair with them, so any other suggestions around this price range are welcome 

I don't know about how the onboard ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING AURA sounds is like , but the game blaster sound core card which comes with my Asrock X79 Extreme 9 is trash compared to the E5 ,
While that trash card still connected to the pcie slot , technically the E5 has been set to tasked at handle all the audio stuff .
The E5 needs to be eq heavily imo . I played with the eq a lot .

 

[ImLeXz]

I don't know about how the onboard ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING AURA sounds is like , but the game blaster sound core card which comes with my Asrock X79 Extreme 9 is trash compared to the E5 ,
While that trash card still connected to the pcie slot , technically the E5 has been set to tasked at handle all the audio stuff .
The E5 needs to be eq heavily imo . I played with the eq a lot .

Thanks for the reply, I've seem some pictures of custom eqs on this thread and saved them if I decide to buy the e5 so that should help a little with that

 

[TaaDow]

I just wanted to stop by this thread to show some love for the awesome E5. I've had mine for quite a while and love it! The clarity and power that come from this little device are worth well more than the price you pay. It drives all my cans very well including my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. I bought mine directly from the Creative store for $149.99 which was during a store wide 25% off sale. There are other amps/DACs I would love to try but I'm currently content with my E5.

 

[Smithington]

I was wondering if someone could clarify something for me please? I'm considering buying an E5, as i want a portable dac / amp to better drive my cans (DT770 80ohm) on the road from an android phone.

The reviews for the phone app (creative labs central) suggest the app doesn't work when using OTG. Is that a big deal for anyone? It's not like the E5 doesn't do OTG, is it? So does that just mean that you lose some tweaking potential? If so, i think that's of little consequence to me - I'd rather not apply EQ.

Also, i read earlier that someone else is using this successfully to rip vinyl using the ADC functionality. I'll refer back to that post, but I'm wondering whether the chain is then turntable --> E5 --> pc, or turntable --> phono preamp --> E5 --> pc?

 

[pfloding]

Hi all!
I now have an E5, and I'm impressed so far (driving AKG K701). I haven't even tested all features yet.
 
I wonder if anyone has managed some mild hacking via USB to see things like what decoder is in use on bluetooth -that sort of thing?
 
I don't expect asking for features over at Creative will result in anything?
 
One annoying thing is that my NWZ-A15 doesn't control volume on the E5, despite the A15 showing the Vol + / Vol - graphics (indicating that it thinks it is telling the BT device what to do). The E5 seems to have an internal mixer with individual volumes for all inputs, so BT volume should really control the BT input.
 
Cheers
Patrik

 

[siberianmoon]

I was wondering if someone could clarify something for me please? I'm considering buying an E5, as i want a portable dac / amp to better drive my cans (DT770 80ohm) on the road from an android phone.

The reviews for the phone app (creative labs central) suggest the app doesn't work when using OTG. Is that a big deal for anyone? It's not like the E5 doesn't do OTG, is it? So does that just mean that you lose some tweaking potential? If so, i think that's of little consequence to me - I'd rather not apply EQ.

It works via USB even with a phone and the app will also detect it. But at least on my phone, I got it messed up and had to reboot the phone and the E5 to be able to detect it again. I don't know whether this was a problem with the E5 or just my phone.
 

The E5 needs to be eq heavily imo . I played with the eq a lot .

I am not sure what this means. The E5 sounds just like any other solid-state amp I've tried, except giving a tad more bass than my Fubar IV and Denon DA-300USB. I am not sure if the sound is less accurate / has more 'grain' in it compared to the others, though, but that's something an EQ wouldn't help with anyway.

 

[Forty6]

It works via USB even with a phone and the app will also detect it. But at least on my phone, I got it messed up and had to reboot the phone and the E5 to be able to detect it again. I don't know whether this was a problem with the E5 or just my phone.

I am not sure what this means. The E5 sounds just like any other solid-state amp I've tried, except giving a tad more bass than my Fubar IV and Denon DA-300USB. I am not sure if the sound is less accurate / has more 'grain' in it compared to the others, though, but that's something an EQ wouldn't help with anyway.

The EQ helps me with my ASG in a big way . Sounds like trash to me without enable SBX , EQ .
I can't get to enjoy my music the way I wanted without playing with those

 

[kbear]

E5 virtual surround processing -- true SBX Pro or not??
 
Crap I've spent more time looking for a sound card than I ever have looking for a new car.  Sorry if my question has already been covered.  I went through an entire thread for the Sound Blasterx G5 and don't have the energy to go through this one.

I currently have onboard ALC1150 with decent amps (top of the line MSI Z87 motherboard).  It actually has pretty good sound but I can't get the included Sound Blaster MB3 surround software to work properly.  I can't tell any difference with it on or off.  Think the issue is with Win 8.1.
 
My usage is gaming/music with AKG K267 phones.  I pay heed to the law of diminishing returns for audio.  I was pretty set on a basic PCIe card with hardware CMSS and EAX.  However, all this fuss about DAC/amps has piqued my interest.  I can understand because when I spend money on stereo components, I don't skimp on power requirements as I know it's one of the necessary ingredients for full, rich sound.

At first I was really hyped about the G5 but the poor surround implementation experienced by people on another thread makes it a no go.  The next best alternative is the E5 updated for 7.1,  That is IF the surround processing is true SBX and not the G5 mess.  The hardware in the E5 and G5 is very similar so I want to be double sure.  Can someone confirm one way or the other?  What is your experience with headphone virtual surround on the E5 with PC games?

 

[Fegefeuer]

Both are a mess, get a used X7 or cheapest SBZ then optical out to a nice used Schiit Stack

 

[kbear]

Both are a mess, get a used X7 or cheapest SBZ then optical out to a nice used Schiit Stack

​
I was afraid of that.  My next alternative was something along the lines of a PCIe + dac/amp setup like you mentioned.  Actually after looking at all the options this is by far the best setup for me anyway.  A basic setup would be better and cheaper than the E5.  The E5 really is overpriced for what it is.  
For PCIe I'm considering the Sound Blaster RX for its hardware CMSS/EAX.  On the dac/amp side I prefer something at least semi portable.  I also decided that I should splurge on this part and am leaning towards the Xduoo XD-05.  This combo is more expensive than the E5 but it is much much better in all ways.  If I didn't need portability, the Schiit stack looks like a very good choice.

 

[ultramabi]

This or Fiio A5 with dragonfly red?

 

[RojasTKD]

I've got DT880 600 ohm versions but I'm a bit sceptical that it will drive them even tho the product claims to. Can anyone confirm this?

I did fine driving my T50RP MKIII, and they are hard to drive. It will distort at high volume, but it's louder than I should be listening to anyway.

My desktop AMP is better of course, but if it can puch the T50RP I have no doubts it should be adequate for the DT 880 600 ohms.

 

[RojasTKD]

Been having issues with my micro USB port maintaining a connection. I have to use the USB-A (regular USB) to connect it to my phone, and charging it is a hassle.

I hope they make a replacement model for the more robust USB-C connection.