[Deterministic NL]

Just received my Fiio E12DIY.  I've absolutely no need for another headphone amp however I got a E17 DAC and EO9K and love pretty much everything about them.  So when I saw this headphone amp I thought "what the heck".
 
Very excellent packaging and really love that I got the little Tin box containing all the opamps and buffers. Classy.  Even better they add an excellent chip puller inside the pouch too.  I have a chip puller but it's pretty basic.  This is a very nice little tool.
 
So I turned it on just to make sure it worked before I swapped any chips.  Worked great, seems to charge correctly, power light comes on and it made pretty nice music.  To first listen it sounded a little thin to my ears.
 
I specifically bought the MUSES01 and MUSES02 based on thread inputs from here.  I rolled a MUSES02 through my CMOYBB and it just didn't work in that circuit very well at all. But the MUSES01 worked famously (after adding another 9v battery).
 
Anyway I was worried that I had a bad MUSES02 so I rolled it in the Fiio E12DIY first.  WOW!  I didn't change the buffer at all.  Whatever was in there is staying for now.  I'm not even inclined to change the MUSES out.  I like it just like it is.   I'll spare you any serious review because I'm still on my first album but this MUSES02 seems smooth as butter and sweet.
 
To my very big surprise I installed the MUSES and slid the case closed.  No grinding necessary.  It fits.  It just plain old fits. Fantastic.
 
I'm a HUGE fan of the CMOYBB but I think the E12DIY betters it at least based on what I'm hearing.  My source is an iMod iPod from Red Wine Audio (4th generation) and all tracks are Apple Lossless.
 
I honest to God feel like there isn't much reason to roll chips beyond this.  If it gets better I would hardly be able to believe it.
 
What a fantastic concept this is. An amp with swappable components for fine tuning the sound to your tastes.  How can you go wrong and why aren't more manufacturers doing this?
 
Hats off to Fiio.  Great product, great concept, great delivery and they thought of everything.

 

[Deterministic NL]

Couple photos of the MUSES02 just fitting in the case.  Got a couple more hours of listening in.  Really sweet.  MUSES02 is a keeper.
 

 

 

[HK_sends]

Great mini-review!  I just got mine and haven't tried it yet.  May I ask where you got the Muses 01 and 02?
Thanks!
Cheers!

-HK sends

 

[Deterministic NL]

  Great mini-review!  I just got mine and haven't tried it yet.  May I ask where you got the Muses 01 and 02?
Thanks!
Cheers!

-HK sends

Akizukidenshi in Japan.  I live a few hours south of there at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Japan.

 

[HK_sends]

Are you stationed at Iwakuni?  I spent two tours with the Air Force at Misawa AB.
Cheers!

-HK sends

 

[HK_sends]

Cool!  Thank you for your service!
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
EDIT: Oops!  I meant "your"

 

[Deterministic NL]

  Cool!  Thank you for your service!
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
EDIT: Oops!  I meant "your"

I'm not a Marine. I am a Navy veteran though.  Currently a government civil service type.  Aircraft Visual Landing Aids Rep.  Yes. Stationed at MCAS Iwakuni.

 

[HK_sends]

  I'm not a Marine. I am a Navy veteran though.  Currently a government civil service type.  Aircraft Visual Landing Aids Rep.  Yes. Stationed at MCAS Iwakuni.

We all serve in our own way.

 I'm a "govie" now too.

 

[Deterministic NL]

Even though I said I wouldn't I decided to figure the chip situation out.  Mine came with the AD8620 installed as opamp and BUF634 as buffer.  And then after reading the poll it seems more folks like the LME49600 so I went ahead and did the swap.  I'm not sure if I think it is better or not.  I have a HUGE soundstage now but it seems a lot brighter, also seems to have more clarity  BUF634 packed a punch though.   I'll listen a while longer and then put it back in I guess and see which one I like best. 
 
My opamp throughout is still MUSES02.  Haven't rolled any of them yet.  This is going to be a blast.
 
By the way headphones are Sony MDR-V6

 

[Deterministic NL]

Okay after rolling buffers with the MUSES02 as opamp I can state without a doubt my favorite in this order is:
 
LMH6321 - Best of Both Worlds.  Big soundstage, clarity, punch.
BUF634 - Punch.  Detail.  Fast.
LME49600 - Clarity.  Soundstage, Bright.
 
I suppose I should put a MUSES01 in and roll buffers however I only have 2 of them and I have 2 CMOYBB that I prefer the MUSES01 in.  That's pretty magical in its own right.

 

[Deterministic NL]

Just for fun I also made a depiction of location of opamp and buffer and orientation cues since I've seen a couple questions on the bigger threads on how to change your chips.
 

 

[K.T.]

Hi, Determinstic.
 
Great review. I had the same impression of the LME49600.
 
While I did enjoy it when I had it in the amp, swapping out to the stock BUF634 and then back to LME49600 showed that the latter was too thin and wiry for my taste. It's good, though. Just not the sound for me.
 
Can't wait to try out the MUSES.
 
Sounds like both are winners in the right application!

 

[Deterministic NL]

  Hi, Determinstic.
 
Great review. I had the same impression of the LME49600.
 
While I did enjoy it when I had it in the amp, swapping out to the stock BUF634 and then back to LME49600 showed that the latter was too thin and wiry for my taste. It's good, though. Just not the sound for me.
 
Can't wait to try out the MUSES. As much as you're enjoying the 02s, I'd be very curious to hear your opinion of the 01s in the E12DIY if you ever try it.
 
Sounds like both are winners in the right application!

I had the MUSES01 in the amp briefly with the LMH6321 and it sounded muddy to me.  Right now as I'm typing I'm listening to the MUSES01 in my CMOYBB.  It's a great sound and maybe my favorite headphone amp (at least until I change to the next one).  I don't think it's winning any battery longevity awards though in this configuration.