[BIGHMW]

It seems like there is more of a significant volume boost with CD remasters than with older 1990 masters, that being used with my Sony NW-HD5 (rated at 5 mW)and MDR-NC60 cans (40-ohms), maybe I will get much louder output with a non-Sony DAP. However I don't want to become (what we at http://forums.minidisc.org call) an "iSheep" and get one of those dreaded products from Apple or Zune (I hear both are pretty damn good), but I am just afraid to go buy one because all non-Sony and post-2007 Sony units do not support ATRAC/3/3plus (I have been using Sony ATRAC products since first getting into MiniDisc in 1998) nor will they work with SonicStage, in which I have been using since getting my first Hi-MD unit (MZ-NH700) back in 2004.

Don't forget I am pretty much still a naive rookie in the Head-Fi world (I am learning through this forum) as opposed to you hardened veterans of the field, and although I got an NW-HD5 at your recommendations (I own about 4of them, all silver in various conditions, and all work well, I use one at a time) as well as a Headsix, a Boostaroo Revolution, and the FiiO E3, in which this thread is about, but is it worth getting (I am dreading this as I am writing this) one of "those proverbial Apple players" as opposed to my HD5 after spending hundreds of $$$ stocking up on MD/Hi-MD/HDD players and all the accessories (remotes, cans, IEM's, cases, etc.) for them, or should I stick to my guns and go with my Sony arsenal?

 

[espire]

I'm not sure why you're asking this in the FiiO thread, but yes. iPods are great. They cost more than other players for the same memory and screen size, but the intuitive software is worth it.

Is somebody a sheep for buying a Honda Civic or a Toyota Camry, even though they're the two bestselling cars in America? No, they're simple smart. They know that the two cars are popular because they're known and trusted to be excellent cars.

 

[guyx1992]

How can you connect it to an iPod Classic?

 

[RAQemUP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How can you connect it to an iPod Classic?

The Fiio E3 has no volume dial or pot. As such, to control the volume output you need to use the volume control on your Ipod/DAP. To do that you need to have a mini to mini cable connecting the Fiio E3 to the headphone out on your Ipod.

 

[aragornmustdie]

BIGHMW,

i also owned the HD5 (the battleworn one at atraclife, remember?) but i didn't encounter the same problem as you... my fiio setup (+ATH ES7) works wonders. maybe sth with your headphones?

do not throw your sony away dude

 

[cyberspyder]

Balls...out of stock until Sept 20.

 

[imp0ssibled]

anyone knows how does this FiiO amp sound with beyer dt770/80? good synergy?

 

[kostalex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imp0ssibled /img/forum/go_quote.gif anyone knows how does this FiiO amp sound with beyer dt770/80? good synergy?

No. "The opposite of synergy is antagonism, the phenomenon where two agents in combination have an overall effect that is less than that predicted from their individual effects." - Wikipedia.

 

[younglee200]

I hate the sound of my fiio with my grado sr-60... The sound feels overwhelmed and therefore fatiguing . But they sounds really really good with the livewires. I also don't like the slight hiss / wish there would be an on / off button. This will be fixed with the upcoming of E5 though

 

[BIGHMW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif BIGHMW, i also owned the HD5 (the battleworn one at atraclife, remember?) but i didn't encounter the same problem as you... my fiio setup (+ATH ES7) works wonders. maybe sth with your headphones? do not throw your sony away dude

I do remember the one you owned on ATRAC Life, I will greatly take your advice, and I tried using my other headphones and IEM's and they seem to synergize better with the HD5 and FiiO amp, I guess that the FiiO can't handle medium to high (>24 ohms) impedence IEM's/cans when used with the HD5 (which is rated at 5 mW), after all, I spent $$$ getting my 4 HD5 units as opposed to my FiiO E3, maybe when the E5 comes out it will be able to drive the higher-impedence (>24 ohms) cans with greater ease when used with my 5 mW HD5, so there is no sense in getting rid of my HD5's at all, I will just wait until the E5 comes out, use my bulky Headsix, or have to put up with the crappy 3D effect of my Boostaroo Revolution in the meantime.

P.S.: are you using post-2000 remasters or circa-1990 original masters, or a combination of the two?

 

[aragornmustdie]

yeah, it cannot handle the bigger cans (as in bigger impedance) as good as the more expensive amps. I just tried a lot of big cans on the fiio and HD5; it only gives them the volume boost but still a bit muffled sound.

remasters as in cd sources? yeah i have both types; so far i didn't encounter the loudness difference you mention in your post- if any, i prefer the warmth of the real old recordings to the super bright new ones (they set the bass so loud, What)

P.S.: that HD5 of mine, damn it i love it so much that finally i decided to spend ~$120 to repair both insides and outsides, and hacked the battery using the sony ericsson battery. it is perfect now except for the USB flap thingy that they didn't repair. this thing really gotta live forever. do you have EQs/ setting to share? seems like there are almost no HD5 owners around. atraclife is parctically dead.

 

[FateXT]

Just bought it off ebay for 14usd, and the difference is quite noticeable. If anyone's interested here's a link from a US seller FiiO E3 3.5mm Earphone Portaple Amplifier IPOD MP3 MP4 - eBay (item 170256966130 end time Sep-29-08 15:39:27 PDT)

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif remasters as in cd sources? yeah i have both types; so far i didn't encounter the loudness difference you mention in your post- if any, i prefer the warmth of the real old recordings to the super bright new ones (they set the bass so loud, What)

Its the infamous 'loudness wars'. Sound engineers thinik we all love our music loud and bassy, at the expense of a frequency response.

I believe turning the knob on my Amp makes it louder. There are bassy EQs everywhere on the net.

 

[Shoey Peachew]

I've been using it with my Clip and it sounds pretty good. I also use it with my pc. The FiiO is connected to my Audigy 2 zs and HD201's and the sound is much better and makes watching Blu-ray movies a lot more enjoyable. I tried hooking it up to my XBox 360 with a passthrough switch and it really sounds great, but without a volume control built into the FiiO, it's just too loud (I could adjust the volume level in all my games, but that's too inconvenient). Now, I want to upgrade to a D2 Boa to use the built in DAC with my pc/Blu-ray drive and also with my XBox 360, but with too many other hobbies and not enough disposable income, it's probably never gonna happen. Unless..., FiiO comes out with another cheap amp with a volume control. Then, I'll jump all over it!

 

[Navyblue]

I just joined the club, anyone know how much burn in does it need?