[johnnyw]

Hey all
 
Got a new Fiio E7 today and ran it through its paces. The DAC is very clean sounding, but unfortunately, I get the feeling that my unit is faulty. Mainly, the bass boost is totally whack and I get distortion even at level 1, similar to what this person experienced http://www.head-fi.org/t/535784/faulty-bass-boost-in-my-fiio-e7 (he eventually got his E7 fixed and the distortion went away). Also, when I turn on the bass boost, the overall volume INCREASES. The display volume counter doesn't go up, it just gets louder. At level 3, it's 60% louder than what it was like at level 0, and I have to turn down the volume to compensate. I don't think I've ever read about this happening, so it seems like a red flag to me.
 
Also, when running on just the amp, I don't seem to notice much of an improvement to the SQ on my Senn HD 558s, as if it's not adding much juice. I'm trying this on a Zune HD and an HP Envy, both of which I thought had pretty crappy amps. Maybe I was expecting a bit too much here, or the amp is messed up too?
 
Regardless, the bass boost definitely seems to be faulty, but I'd like to get some confirmation on this.
 
Thanks!

 

[wdahm519]

I have never heard an E7 but from my experience I've noticed that the smaller amps like portables and such really only change things in the slightest.  You really have to step up to some of the "big boys" to get dramatic sound changes.  The amp section of the E7 may have just been expecting too much. 
 
The bass boost on the other hand, (why would you want to change the EQ!?! ) seems like its not working correctly.  If you bought it from an authorized dealer of Fiio I'm sure they would replace it or fix it for you.

 

[johnnyw]

At home we have a Harman Kardon AVR 144 receiver, a somewhat older and fairly cheap receiver, and the Senns just sound so smooth and impactful out of that. I guess a low-end portable dac/amp is still no match for a low-end receiver =P
 
Anyhow, I like to have my stuff be working properly, especially if it's something I'll be using for years. Also, I get the feeling that the faulty bass boost may be a sign of other defects that could crop up in the future.