Fiio amps?
Aug 26, 2008 at 11:11 AM Post #451 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed /img/forum/go_quote.gif
12" is an odd size, its neither particularly long or very short.


That's not what my ex-wife said.
 
Aug 26, 2008 at 6:01 PM Post #453 of 877
So my FiiO E3 just arrived. I tried it out with my MX 55, and it did exactly what I was hoping for; it slightly increased the bass response. The lacking bass was the only thing that I didn't like about the MX 55, which means that they're now ideal portable headphones for me!

And yes, there's a tiny bit more clarity. Just a tease more.

Recommended to all owners of the Sennheiser MX 55/75/90, and likely others.
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 3:04 AM Post #454 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by espire /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So my FiiO E3 just arrived. I tried it out with my MX 55, and it did exactly what I was hoping for; it slightly increased the bass response. The lacking bass was the only thing that I didn't like about the MX 55, which means that they're now ideal portable headphones for me!

And yes, there's a tiny bit more clarity. Just a tease more.

Recommended to all owners of the Sennheiser MX 55/75/90, and likely others.



Odd...the Fiio amp is for high impedance headphones, and the MX series certainly counts. Like you, I expected them to make a significant difference for my MX headphones, in my case MX90. But the difference (in volume and bass response) was greater for my Denon 551s! Weird... No appreciable change in clarity for either cans, but an improvement (I think it's an improvement rather than just a boost anyway) on the bass.

Edit #1: Good news. They tighten the bass on the AKG K26/414s. The major complaint on these cans are that they bass muddies everything else. The amp improves matters considerably. In a category (i.e., approx $50, supra-aural, sealed, portables) with very few contenders and no great ones, this is good news indeed.
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:04 AM Post #456 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by espire /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I tried it out with my MX 55, and it did exactly what I was hoping for; it slightly increased the bass response. The lacking bass was the only thing that I didn't like about the MX 55, which means that they're now ideal portable headphones for me!
And yes, there's a tiny bit more clarity. Just a tease more.
Recommended to all owners of the Sennheiser MX 55/75/90, and likely others.



Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Odd...the Fiio amp is for high impedance headphones, and the MX series certainly counts. Like you, I expected them to make a significant difference for my MX headphones, in my case MX90. But the difference (in volume and bass response) was greater for my Denon 551s! Weird... No appreciable change in clarity for either cans, but an improvement (I think it's an improvement rather than just a boost anyway) on the bass.


Interestingly, when I tried the FiiO with both my MX55 and MX90, I got slightly different results. With the MX55, the amp added a nice amount of bass warmth, and I did precieve some added clarity. However, with the MX90, I found the added bass to be somewhat muddy.

Jonathanjong: Try hooking up the HD201 to your FiiO and let me know what you think. I found the combination to be quite pleasing. I need to know if my ears are deceiving me.
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:36 AM Post #457 of 877
Boy, I've forgotten how high I have to turn the 201s up. Or maybe it's just my beanie...

OK, HD201 + Fiio E3. I'm playing U2's The Sweetest Thing from my iPod Touch. With the Fiio, the high hat sounds "further away" (I'm guessing this means larger soundstage) and the bass is more pronounced. I don't know if this just means more bass, less treble. But for this song anyway, it works. Playing Sarah Brightman's Ave Maria, no difference. Somewhat unexpectedly, they do make a difference playing Part 1 of Coltrane's Love Supreme. The saxaphone is less harsh and in-your-face. I can hear the background percussion better. Next, Herrweghe conducting Mozart's Requiem (III/5. Confutatis). The quiet parts don't differ, but there's more punch to the brass instruments. Finally, Isaac Stern playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto for Violin. I perceive an improvement here too. More clarity, is how I'd describe it.

Final note: I don't think this is just due to the volume increasing, because I turn it down before I plug the amp in. Maybe I'm not turning it up enough. Maybe it's placebo. Meh.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:45 AM Post #458 of 877
Thanks Jonathan! I guess it wasn't just me then.
smily_headphones1.gif


Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Final note: I don't think this is just due to the volume increasing, because I turn it down before I plug the amp in. Maybe I'm not turning it up enough. Maybe it's placebo. Meh.
smily_headphones1.gif



I don't think it's just the placebo effect. While the HD201 seems to improve with the E3, some of the other phones I tried sounded worse. The CX300 was just bass overload.
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Aug 27, 2008 at 4:48 AM Post #459 of 877
OK, so far:

1. Not much difference on the MX90s. I'm not sure it muddied the bass in my experience, but it didn't improve it.
2. Tighter bass on the K26Ps.
3. Improves the HD201s all around. Give it some bass and widens the soundstage.
4. No appreciable difference playing rock (if U2 is rock...) with Denon D1001s. Furthermore, I prefer Coltrane without the amp. So, no go for jazz. No appreciable difference with either the Tchaikovsky or the Mozart above. The volume difference is there, of course, but the Denon are generally better off without the amp. A bit of a pity, since I bought the amp mostly for these cans. I shall try them with metal tomorrow...
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:51 AM Post #460 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk1281 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks Jonathan! I guess it wasn't just me then.
smily_headphones1.gif


I don't think it's just the placebo effect. While the HD201 seems to improve with the E3, some of the other phones I tried sounded worse. The CX300 was just bass overload.
triportsad.gif



Yea, I getting that feeling now too, because I prefer my Denons without the amp (as I said above). Oddly, I've not done an A/B comparing the HD201 and the D1001. Gosh, what a difference. Of course, the Denons were five times the price... I have to A/B them with different kinds of music later.
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:52 AM Post #461 of 877
It's interesting that the MX 55 is improved by the FiiO, while the MX 90. We had previously thought that they used the same drivers, but it seems that they actually don't, and the difference is more than cosmetic.

I'm listening through my SR60 right now, and detail is noticeably improved (that or my mind wants me to think that). However, what's definitely changed is the bass. Not only is it more powerful, but the bass rolloff seems to be further down the spectrum now, as some songs now have sections with bass rumble that I hadn't heard before (I'm not a believer in subwoofers
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). The more epic songs like Ghost Love Score really benefit from this.
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 4:54 AM Post #462 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk1281 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I don't think it's just the placebo effect. While the HD201 seems to improve with the E3, some of the other phones I tried sounded worse.



Yep, Synergy is a major issue with the E3's.

e.g. Great with my RE2's but mixed with my AD700's (boosts the bass = good, but lowers the soundstage).
 
Aug 27, 2008 at 5:10 AM Post #463 of 877
Quote:

Originally Posted by espire /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It's interesting that the MX 55 is improved by the FiiO, while the MX 90. We had previously thought that they used the same drivers, but it seems that they actually don't, and the difference is more than cosmetic.


The differences between the two buds unamped are subtle. The MX55 seems to sound a bit more airy, with a touch more bass, but its mids are slightly grainy. The MX90, on the other hand, is smoother and cleaner, but has less bass, and it seems to sound just slightly more laid back. I think the small differences come from the port holes on the back of the earbuds. Notice that the MX55 has a larger port compared to the MX90.

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Aug 27, 2008 at 12:53 PM Post #465 of 877
Anyone tried replacing the stock cable with a DOWIN? Any discernable differences?
 

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