FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought
Feb 14, 2012 at 10:37 PM Post #1,427 of 6,777
Ordered on the 12th of Jan... Still haven't received anything from them yet.
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 12:02 AM Post #1,429 of 6,777
I already have my e9 so I'll just wait.  Patience is something I need to work on when it comes to audio gear and gadgets in general anyway.  
 
Still, some of you should learn that expected implies some degree of uncertainty, especially dealing with a smaller manufacturer.  
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:07 AM Post #1,430 of 6,777
Oh man, I was really hoping I get mine sometime soon - but since I pre-ordered on 30th, I guess I should just stop thinking about it. I am really contemplating on cancelling it if I don't get any word from them by the end of Feb.
 
 
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 3:01 AM Post #1,431 of 6,777
I pre-ordered on the 11th 
mad.gif

 
Feb 15, 2012 at 3:39 AM Post #1,432 of 6,777
I received my reply to my question regarding a date on my order. Here is the response:
 
 
 
Hello,

We are expecting the FiiO E17 stock by the first week of March. We will mail out your order as soon as we receive the stock.

We will update your order status and will provide you with tracking information. The tracking information will be send to your e-mail used on your order.

Please let us know if you have more questions.
 
Thank you.

 
 
I replied back informing them that I wanted a refund because I was ordering with the assumption that delivery would be the middle of February. I noticed they changed the date on their Website. Let's see how long it takes them to issue a refund. Gee, I should have charged them interest for keeping my money. 
rolleyes.gif

 
Feb 15, 2012 at 3:51 AM Post #1,433 of 6,777


Quote:
My impression is that the E17 does a very admirable job as a DAC by itself, especially at the price point. I also own a Headamp Pico which uses the same WM8740 chip, but with a different implementation that sells as a DAC only version for $400 US, or as a DAC/amp version for $500. I have the DAC/amp version and while it does have a slightly more open soundstage, the DAC implementation on the E17 is pretty damn close! And at a savings of $350 for the full DAC/amp version, it's even more impressive.
 
I've also played with a $650 Cambridge DacMagic Plus, which uses 2 WM8740 chips in its implementation, and is definitely a dedicated desktop DAC. The DacMagic Plus has quite a different feature set when compared to the E17 or the Pico. Most interesting though is that when compared side by side with the Headamp Pico, I couldn't really tell the difference between the two DACs. Technically, by specifications, the DacMagic Plus is superior, but to my ears in a listening comparison, I couldn't really hear the difference when both were configured similarly.
 
The extra features of the DacMagic Plus may justify its price for some, but for me who wants to use a simple USB DAC with my lossless audio collection, the E17 is  more than satisfying - it's downright delicious! :)
 


The Pico USB DAC is actually $299, not $400
 
 
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Feb 15, 2012 at 4:44 AM Post #1,434 of 6,777


Quote:
Yeah it's getting ridiculous.
 
Feiao can you give us some confirmation please:
 
How many units roughly are you sending to mp4nation? I want to know what the chances are of me getting my pre-order fulfilled or whether I should just give up.
 
Which other online retailers are you sending stock to? I keep checking the ones listed on your website but nowhere has it in stock, most don't even have the product listed.
 
When will it be available on Amazon UK again? I would much rather purchase from my own region but I'm also looking for the quickest option.
 
 
I realise you are busy but many people appear to be losing faith, any help you could offer with these queries would be much appreciated.


Sorry, we try to total open but it will be better answered by Mp4nation. we will update the information about the shipment of ALPEN on our website and facebook, forum . 
 
and it will be better to buy from local dealer and plz just give us some times, we had already produced about 900 ALPEN, for first batch , it is not bad at all.  
 
 
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Feb 15, 2012 at 5:59 AM Post #1,436 of 6,777


Quote:
Sorry, we try to total open but it will be better answered by Mp4nation. we will update the information about the shipment of ALPEN on our website and facebook, forum . 
 
and it will be better to buy from local dealer and plz just give us some times, we had already produced about 900 ALPEN, for first batch , it is not bad at all.  
 



Hi ,
 
When will we see Fiio e17 " in stock " status on your site ?
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 6:28 AM Post #1,437 of 6,777
Well I have had a quite funny experience with mp4nation support chat. I asked them whether the middle of February was the time it would arrive at my house approximately, or when it would arrive at their warehouse. They informed me that it would be delayed until march. I said that it was really annoying how I ordered it the day it came out for pre-order and I didn't get it in the first batch so I'm delayed for two months. I asked the representative how many people ordered it on the first day. He/She then asked me for the order number. I gave the order number to Him/Her, and mysteriously a minute after, I received an email with the shipping details saying that it had been picked up just after I told the rep my order number. He/She then told me that the shipping details had been emailed to me today and that it had been sent. Either this is some kind of extremely well timed complaint corresponding exactly to the time that orders where picked up by the shipping company, or more likely, the rep turned around, took one of the shelf, and posted it off. I guess the date on the website is to stop people from ordering them unless they really don't care when it turns up, and they will send them out if you complain. I am less annoyed by this delay. BTW @Feiao maybe you need another factory or somthing.... you don't seem to meet demand very well. If it keeps going at this rate you will release the E117 before people get theirs. 
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 7:07 AM Post #1,438 of 6,777
Quote:
Sorry, we try to total open but it will be better answered by Mp4nation.



Reply from mp4nation:
 
 
"Hi Jay
 
I am sorry that the E17 are delayed but the issue with their production is beyond our control.
 
On the E17 product page we clearly state that preorders are subject to delay. Should customers NOT want to wait then they should place orders when the item is in stock.
 
Although orders are being taken, the orders will be fulfilled when the items are in stock.
 
If you have an order with us and want to cancel your order then reply back confirming your order number and that you want to cancel and get a refund, we will promptly issue a refund."
 
 
 
While I still find it very poor that they take customers money to make them wait around indefinately for an order that may not be fulfilled, they appear to be saying that Fiio is at fault here due to not producing the numbers on time.
 
Very disappointed all round to be honest, funny how this thread is turning out though..
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 10:00 AM Post #1,439 of 6,777


Quote:
Reply from mp4nation:
 
 
"Hi Jay
 
I am sorry that the E17 are delayed but the issue with their production is beyond our control.
 
On the E17 product page we clearly state that preorders are subject to delay. Should customers NOT want to wait then they should place orders when the item is in stock.
 
Although orders are being taken, the orders will be fulfilled when the items are in stock.
 
If you have an order with us and want to cancel your order then reply back confirming your order number and that you want to cancel and get a refund, we will promptly issue a refund."
 
 
 
While I still find it very poor that they take customers money to make them wait around indefinately for an order that may not be fulfilled, they appear to be saying that Fiio is at fault here due to not producing the numbers on time.
 
Very disappointed all round to be honest, funny how this thread is turning out though..


I wonder if this is an issue of either Fiio not anticipating the demand and, therefore, not ramping-up production quickly enough, or Fiio's suppliers having issues meeting demand, effecting the supply chain all the way through to mp4nation.  Kinda reminds me of the Nintendo Wii situation when they launched and spent forever unable to meet demand.  This is just speculation on my part.
 
 

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