[Shenanigans000]

Hello all.
 
I'm getting perilously close to buying a FiiO E09K desktop headphone amp. It will be used exclusively with my desktop computer and my shiny new Sennheiser Momentums.
 
Problem I'm having is that I can't find any reviews of the E09K without the E17 docked.
 
I just want to run the E09K off the line outs on the back of my desktop computer (which has pretty decent onboard sound on the motherboard).
 
So my question is, does having the external DAC functionality of the E17 make much difference to the sound compared to using my computer's internal DAC on the motherboard?
 
Does anyone own a E09K and run it via the line inputs rather than the with a docked E17?
 
I will generally be playing high bit-rate mp3's, FLAC's and some CD's (remember those?)
 
Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
Oh, and for those that care, the motherboard is an Asus Z87 Pro.

 

[Tad-Bravo]

The reason why you see it reviewed only with the DAC is because it won't work as well without it.
 
AMPs amplify the sound, all the sound even the noise and interference which internal sound cards are prone to.
 
In other words, if you use it with your internal sound card, it will work but in moments of silence, you might hear hissing and very noticeable noise.
 
If you're going to spend $100, it's better to start with a DAC like the Fiio E10. It has decent power and can do the job without an AMP unless you have headphones with a ridiculously high impedance (rare case). In that case you can go with the AMP alone and still be fine since high impedance headphones reduce the noisiness.
 
What headphones do you have?

 

[Shenanigans000]

Thanks for that info.
 
I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentum over-ear. The box says they're 18 ohms from memory, so quite easy to drive obviously.
 
I have run them from the headphone out socket on my computer and they sound great, but don't really get loud enough, hence why I was thinking of the exernal amp.
 
As an aside I usex to have a FiiO E7, which sounded great but didn't really get loud enough either (though that was with a pair of Bose AE2's). That FiiO died (in fact only lasted a bit over a year with very moderate use).

 

[Me x3]

Hi,
 
Sennheiser Momentum are pretty easy to drive and Fiio E10 should have plenty of power for them, enough to cause you serious hearing troubles with most modern music. So, you won't be using the extra power E09K can supply with Sennheiser Momentum. It's wiser to choose Fiio E10 that will give improved digital to analog conversion and plenty of power for your pretty sensitive headphones.
 
Just in case, be careful if you listen to music at really high levels, there are many people out there with permanent hearing damage caused by listening through headphones or iems at high volume. Sometimes it's wise to compare your own normal listening levels with the one of other people.
 
Best Luck!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for that info.
I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentum over-ear. The box says they're 18 ohms from memory, so quite easy to drive obviously.
I have run them from the headphone out socket on my computer and they sound great, but don't really get loud enough, hence why I was thinking of the exernal amp.
As an aside I usex to have a FiiO E7, which sounded great but didn't really get loud enough either (though that was with a pair of Bose AE2's). That FiiO died (in fact only lasted a bit over a year with very moderate use).

 
I think a headphone amplifier like the Schiit Magni or O2 (Objective 2) headphone amplifiers, with their less then 1-Ohm output impedance, would be a better choice then the E09K, which has a 10-Ohm output impedance.

 

[Sam21]

O2 > E09K

 

[Shenanigans000]

Good advice. Thankyou.

 

[Shenanigans000]

Thanks, I'll check them out. It also has the bonus of being able to tell people that I have a hi fi component with an hilarious name!

 

[jellowiggler]

You mentioned needing more outputs than just headphone. So I'd look at something like the audinst HUD mx2 over the O2 ( which is also super, just lacking extra in/out options)

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Shenanigans000]

Thanks to everyone for their help. My new E09k arrived yesterday and it sounds wonderful.
 
As mentioned the sound output from my motherboard is reasonable (112dB SNR, support for 196/24 DAC) at the line out jacks. No problem at all with noise.
 
One happy listener!