I received my FiiO E17 a day earlier than expected. I bought one used off ebay from a seller with 0 reputation. Fortunately, I wasn't scammed. Hey, everybody's gotta start somewhere right?
I am a bit confused, or disappointed with the sound quality, namely the bass.I am probably just used to the sound signature of my less-than-stellar M-Audiobox USB's DAC and amp, but I feel as though there is significant muddiness and lack of definition in the bass. The low end extension comes out much better and I can definitely feel the bass a lot more now, but I feel there is a lot of cloudiness around 60-125hz.
Would an ideal description of the E17 be "mostly neutral, with a slight emphasis on bass"? This is what I have read throughout the thread, but I feel maybe I underestimated the "emphasis on bass".
I will keep listening and see if I become accustomed to the so-claimed, "warmly neutral" sound of the E17.
Besides that, I was pleasantly surprised upon opening the less than mint-condition box and being greeted by the E17. It is definitely a lot smaller than it looks in pictures. It also looks a lot cleaner than in most pictures. To be honest, it looks a bit crap in most pictures people post (due to flash and lighting exaggerating dust and lint). The controls are very nice and the interface is very straightforward and simple. I do wish the EQ options could go in intervals of 1. To those who say that 2 is fine instead of 1 because you wouldn't be able to hear the difference then, trust me, I can hear the difference. If a change of 1db is under the difference threshold, especially for treble, then I don't see why you guys spend so much money on cables. Obviously, a change of 1db is not as distinct as a change of 2db, but that's exactly the point. Also, have we established that the EQ intervals are indeed expressed in dB? I seem to have missed that as I read the thread.
Sorry if I come off as arrogant or rude or anything else negative and not nice
. I'm just trying expressing my opinion, and MY experience regarding the topic. All of our sonic preferences are different, along with the way we hear, whether a result of the way we as individuals are physically or psychologically wired. And yes, I am aware Feiao has stated that the 2db interval is a result of unchangeable hardware properties.