[Coldheart29]

Definitely. And it get worse as the last three or four volume steps introduce quite a bkt of distortion (and measurements made by anandtech seem to confirm this), so i have to keep the volume even lower to enjoy a bettere SQ. Well, i'll just wait for the prime day on amazon, in case the e11k goes on sale, then i'll definitely buy it anyway.

 

[thepooh]

Definitely. And it get worse as the last three or four volume steps introduce quite a bkt of distortion (and measurements made by anandtech seem to confirm this), so i have to keep the volume even lower to enjoy a bettere SQ. Well, i'll just wait for the prime day on amazon, in case the e11k goes on sale, then i'll definitely buy it anyway.

I haven't crossed the 5th step yet with a Sennheiser HD650, what headphones you're pairing with it and why would you need to go that loud?

Most devices, including high end daps suffer from distortion at high volume level, somehow in reality it's not an issue from the device itself, but it's maximum power may be too much for some headphones, that's why most audiophiles recommend high impedance phones to be compatible with most desktop amps and to avoid distortion

 

[Coldheart29]

I haven't crossed the 5th step yet with a Sennheiser HD650, what headphones you're pairing with it and why would you need to go that loud?

As i said, i use my xba-h1 when traveling to the university, and on my way i have to take multiple trains, really loud trains. Usually, when i'm home, i keep the volume on the 7th step, but while traveling, it really isn't loud enough to cover the noises of the trains. Yet, with the n5 i cant' go past the 10th/11th step, as the ditortion kicks in. On the 15th step it doesn't get particularily loud (at least for me), but it's just enough to cover the outside noises. But because of the distortion, highs become really fatiguing (I start to ear like an high pitched "splashing" sound, really annoying), so i can't really push that high.
With one of my older IEMs, the sony mdr-ex50, i didn't have this issue, as  on the 12th step the volume was alright. Yet, with the xba-h1, i have to crank it up to maximum to reach the same volume. Maybe it's because the ex50 are 16ohms, while the h1 are 40ohms?

 

[thepooh]

As i said, i use my xba-h1 when traveling to the university, and on my way i have to take multiple trains, really loud trains. Usually, when i'm home, i keep the volume on the 7th step, but while traveling, it really isn't loud enough to cover the noises of the trains. Yet, with the n5 i cant' go past the 10th/11th step, as the ditortion kicks in. On the 15th step it doesn't get particularily loud (at least for me), but it's just enough to cover the outside noises. But because of the distortion, highs become really fatiguing (I start to ear like an high pitched "splashing" sound, really annoying), so i can't really push that high.
With one of my older IEMs, the sony mdr-ex50, i didn't have this issue, as  on the 12th step the volume was alright. Yet, with the xba-h1, i have to crank it up to maximum to reach the same volume. Maybe it's because the ex50 are 16ohms, while the h1 are 40ohms?

Yep ! Impedance seems to be the deal breaker in your case but along with that you need a very good active Noise cancellation iems or headphones. At least you can try new foam eartips for better isolation, usually it won't cost you more than $10 for 3 pairs, I heard that westone ones are very good and the yellow one is the best on the market.

 

[Coldheart29]

Yeah, i tried the bose quietcomfort in-ear, but the sound was a bit lackluster for the price, and i didn't really like the eartips.
I'll look for the westone eartips, thanks for the tip!

 

[maheeinfy]

Is this amp bright on treble? I will pair it with DT770 which are already treble high, so i dont want amp bright as well

 

[Krutsch]

Is this amp bright on treble? I will pair it with DT770 which are already treble high, so i dont want amp bright as well

IMO, no.

 

[DRuM]

Now, considering that our phones are already enough to drive our IEMs, what kind of improvements should we expect SQ wise, aside from more loudness and more bass presence?

 
Honestly? None that I've really noticed. Terrific amp and I wouldn't be without it, but to my ears it simply 'amplifies'. Volume and bass. That's it. I'm not picking out more detail that my IEM's aren't already showing me unamped. Since I bought new IEM's though, they project so much more volume, bass and detail than my previous ones that I barely need to use my amp much now, at least, not when using my laptop. Even my phone is loud enough but I use the amp more with that for some extra power. The E11K/A3 drives my full sized headphones well too, which are 300 ohms.

 

[Chief Stringer]

How does this amp compare to the e12? And anyone used this amp with sennheiser hd25s?

 

[gardibolt]

Hi all. I got the E11K from BH a few weeks ago, and it's my first portable headphone amp so I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm finding the battery life really not very good at all. I fully charged it (till the light was steady), used it for about two hours and then the next day it was completely dead. I fully recharged it, didn't use it at all, and the next day it was completely dead again. Is that typical or did I get a bum unit?
 
It certainly doesn't seem very portable if you have to plan exactly four hours ahead to charge it to take it anywhere. I see people talking upthread about 'long battery life' but I don't know how long they are considering "long" for context.

 

[gp58mb]

so sorry to hear you got a bad battery in your unit! Iuse mine  2-5 hrs & I've used it dozens of times, never Failed.

 

[mindbomb]

So, the bass boost was changed with the A3 revision? Bigger boost and larger frequency range. How do people feel about that? I quite liked the original subtle one.

 

[thepooh]

So, the bass boost was changed with the A3 revision? Bigger boost and larger frequency range. How do people feel about that? I quite liked the original subtle one.

I feel that the bass boost is just perfect and not overwhelmed as for example Xtra Bass from usual Walkman Devices, somehow the E11k doesn't perform well with many devices, unless you try combos you won't be able to give a rating in the bass department

 

[DRuM]

  Hi all. I got the E11K from BH a few weeks ago, and it's my first portable headphone amp so I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm finding the battery life really not very good at all. I fully charged it (till the light was steady), used it for about two hours and then the next day it was completely dead. I fully recharged it, didn't use it at all, and the next day it was completely dead again. Is that typical or did I get a bum unit?
 
It certainly doesn't seem very portable if you have to plan exactly four hours ahead to charge it to take it anywhere. I see people talking upthread about 'long battery life' but I don't know how long they are considering "long" for context.

Bum unit. Get it replaced.

 

[gardibolt]

  Bum unit. Get it replaced.

Thanks. That's what I figured but good to have confirmation from someone who knows what they're supposed to do.