[DefQon]

Quote:

So I'm looking for a cheap portable amp for under $100 and it seems the E11 would fit the bill. I'm thinking of pairing this with my rather flat Zune HD and into my HD25 - good idea? I need something that ups the top-end of the spectrum as well as more control of the low-end. I have read ClieOS' review and he says it's very transparent and dynamic-sounding especially with the high-gain settings, which in my opinion would come in handy for my setup. So... should I gun for it?

HD25SP II + Zune 30G(100G modded) and E11 setup = 8/10 for me. Of course I could go into detail of what your expected to hear with any present improvements with this kind of setup, but I'd rather not, because I'm certainly impressed and pleased when I connected my HD25 II's to my E11 to my Zune.

 

[weechuen]

looks really cool, gonna get 1 soon.
 
was initially deciding between headstage or fiio, but e11 seems cheaper, quality almost as good and also shipping takes faster

 

[maggior]

I just got my E11 today.  It is a very impressive little amp.  It did feel a little plasticy compared to my Practical Devices XM4, but I also paid 3x as much for the XM4.
 
Sound quality is great.  My main headphones are Grado SR225 which seem to lack bass on certain types of music.  The bass boost on this amp is perfect in compensating for that.  It seems to give a bass boost without muddying the whole sound.  I love that Micca threw in a free charger and a spare battery.  As a bonus, I found that the charger also has a USB port on it, I can charge the spare battery and the battery in the unit itself at the same time if I want.
 
The only things I was a little dissapointed about are the play in the volume knob.  The play is not in the volume control itself - it seems the knob doesn't fit the volume control shaft perfectly, leaving a little play.  The volume control is also pretty stiff.  Also, the cover is a little tricky to line up to put back on.  I expect I'll get used to that as I use the amp.
 
With the little rubber band and short mini-mini cable, it attaches to my iPod Touch (equipped with a SoundStation minidock) very well.  It will make a great portable rig for my upcoming vacation.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

 
Quote:

I have a slight hiss with my E11. Not very happy.

may have been the battery power getting low. Fully charged battery seems to have no hiss with my TF-10s.

 

[zeron]

i think its sensitivty of headphones. the e9 gets that way if u turn up the volume and gain with no sound.
 

 

[maggior]

From my reading on the E11, the unit ships with the voltage selector behind the battery set to "low".  Mine was set to "high".  Based on casual listening, there is no difference with my Grado headphones.
 
Should I set it to low to save battery?  Is there something subtle I should listen for regarding sonic improvements when setting it to "high'".
 
I'm inclined to leave it at the setting it shipped at figuring the FiiO had a good reason setting it that way.
 
Thanks!
 
BTW - still lovin' the sound that comes out of this device .

 

[ClieOS]

Not every headphone will need that much power. If you can't hear any difference between high and low power mode with your headphone, just use low power mode to save battery.

 

[Clincher09]

Has anyone compared the E11 to the E5 through some Denon D2Ks?

 

[Croozer]

Has anyone compared the E11 to the E5 through some Denon D2Ks?

Compare the specs.

 

[DefQon]

 
Quote:

Has anyone compared the E11 to the E5 through some Denon D2Ks?

Just had a look at your sig, you would definitely get a bigger boost out of the sound of a E11 connected to your Zune output to your D2K's then your E5, why? Because from what I remember and experimented the Zune's output power is slightly higher then the E5, a bigger and slightly more powered portable amp in this matter will cherish your D2K's sound more then the tiny slightly underpowered E5. E5 + small sources such as Sansa clip/Ipod Nano is great, but for the bigger Zune's its slightly underpowered and just doesn't deliver that omphhh, if you get what I'm saying.

 

[Daydreamin747]

just got my fiio e11, and i must say, the bass boost on this thing is amazing!!  i have eq set to 2 and gain set to low, and its rockin my hd-25's!! great amp!

 

[BlutoSlice]

E5 vs E11 is a no brainer... the power avail able from the e11 is far greater than the e5 the bass boost is far better ..  The e5 is a toy in comparison.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

E5 vs E11 is a no brainer... the power avail able from the e11 is far greater than the e5 the bass boost is far better ..  The e5 is a toy in comparison.

Yeah its a testament to how far fiio has come. Fiio keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to replacing my Fuze with your X3

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

E5 vs E11 is a no brainer... the power avail able from the e11 is far greater than the e5 the bass boost is far better ..  The e5 is a toy in comparison.

The E5 is still good, just pairing it with bigger sources is not a good idea, anything small and compact + E5 is a good combination without breaking the bank.

 

[meyameya]

anybody know how these affect the um3x sound?