FiiO E17 "ALPEN" - First Impression + Final Thought
Jan 14, 2013 at 7:43 AM Post #5,296 of 6,777
Also, one thing i discovered:

When you first turn the Fiio E17 into a laptop, it will by default go to 16 bit quality/44khz.
I did not even know that you have to change it to 24 bit/96k manually in the windows settings.
It improved my sound quite drasticly i have to say.


Oh.............ummmmm, how do you do this?
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 1:04 PM Post #5,297 of 6,777
Hello! Excuse my long post!
 
I have a few questions regarding the functionality of the E17 + L7 coupled with a speakers + amp + computer.
 
I have a set of Dali Zensor 7 speakers with a NAD C316BEE amplifier connected to the 3.5mm on the back of my computer (which has ASUS P7P55D-E PRO as motherboard).
 
I do not have any decent headphones yet, but have been lurking Head-Fi and other forums, and will be buying a (mid-fi?) can; to give you an idea which range I've been looking at I've tried/am interested in (in no particular order): Sennheiser Momentum, Sony MDR-1R, V-MODA M-100 (haven't been able to try these) and looking into more. Portable, circumaural and closed-back ~€200-300.
 
I'm interested in buying the Fiio E17 with the L7 adapter for two reasons:
 
  1. To use as a portable headphone amp & DAC coupled with my HTC One X as I believe it might be rubbish when it comes to audio. HTC One X phone (Spotify 320 kbps) --> Fiio E17 --> Headphones.
  2. To use as a DAC for my Dali speakers as I believe (please do correct me if I'm wrong!) it would be an improvement over the motherboard. If I understand it correctly it would connect like: Computer (Spotify 320 kbps) --> Fiio E17 (via L7 adapter) --> NAD speaker amp --> Dali speakers.
 
 
My questions:
  1. Have I understood how this works/connects correctly?
  2. Will the E17 work well as a DAC for my stationary setup if I use the L7? I understand a stationary DAC might be better - but with the (cost-)efficiency of having one device that can be docked for stationary or pulled out for mobile use this might be a better solution?
  3. Will it improve the sound although it's still a 3.5mm going out from the L7 to the amp?
  4. My computer (/motherboard) has S/PDIF (slots? sockets? ...line outs?), but not the amplifier - can the E17 help me utilize the S/PDIF for my speakers? (This feels like a no-brainer, but.. in case there's something I've missed..)
  5. Is there another alternative I should look at instead?
 
The E17's performance has been praised by many people from different sources whilst not being very expensive. Also, with my stationary setup and the L7 adapter it could prove to be a very flexible and cost-effective way for me to improve the sound of both my stationary and (near-future) mobile setup.
 
If you've read this far - whether or not you have any advice - thank you for your time!
 
/billiek, fledgling.

 
Jan 14, 2013 at 2:53 PM Post #5,298 of 6,777
Quote:
  1. My computer (/motherboard) has S/PDIF (slots? sockets? ...line outs?), but not the amplifier - can the E17 help me utilize the S/PDIF for my speakers? (This feels like a no-brainer, but.. in case there's something I've missed..)
 

 
Hi, I'll answer that one: Yes, the E17 has Optical IN, so you can put it between the computer and the amplifier.
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 9:40 PM Post #5,299 of 6,777
Could anybody help me?
 
My e17 just stopped responding and when plugged into a source of power, does not emit the light under the power button.
There is a sound notification when I plug it into my computer however there is no indication of the e17 turned on as the screen and power button light is off. I tried using different usb ports, different usb cables..
 
I noticed there was a very faint red coming from the power button, I'm suspecting that the power of the e17 is the problem. I got this e17 last summer, but I don't think any problems should arise from such a short period of time.. 
 
EDIT: ahahah, nevermind, I thought I had tried resetting the unit before however I wasn't making any contact with the reset button with my flimsy pair of toothpicks. Just retried it a few times with my lead pencil. Worked like a charm. ^^;;
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 9:55 PM Post #5,300 of 6,777
Quote:
Could anybody help me?
 
My e17 just stopped responding and when plugged into a source of power, does not emit the light under the power button.
There is a sound notification when I plug it into my computer however there is no indication of the e17 turned on as the screen and power button light is off. I tried using different usb ports, different usb cables..
 
I noticed there was a very faint red coming from the power button, I'm suspecting that the power of the e17 is the problem. I got this e17 last summer, but I don't think any problems should arise from such a short period of time.. 
 
EDIT: ahahah, nevermind, I thought I had tried resetting the unit before however I wasn't making any contact with the reset button with my flimsy pair of toothpicks. Just retried it a few times with my lead pencil. Worked like a charm. ^^;;

Problem solving steps. 
L3000.gif
 These are what I like to see. People going through the steps step by step to get the answer. The majority of these problems are simple fixes.
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 12:06 AM Post #5,301 of 6,777
Quote:
Oh.............ummmmm, how do you do this?

 
I assume some sarcasm here about the mis-phrasing of 'turning your E17 into a laptop' and not how you configure the E17 to lock at 96KHz 24 bit for playback? But just in case you weren't being sarcastic and really wanted to know how to lock the E17 at 96KHz for playback, here's how you do it:
 
On a Mac you go into Applications - Utilities - Audio Midi Setup, choose the Fiio E17 from the list of playback devices and then set the output format as 96.000KHz and 2 ch - 24 bit integer.
 
 

 
On a Windows 7 box, open Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Sound, choose the Playback tab, highlight the Fiio E17 USB DAC device and choose Properties at the bottom of the window. When the Properties dialog open, deselect everything except 96KHz and click Apply and OK. Then when you playback with the Fiio E17 as the selected output device, the E17 should display 96KHz and 24 bit as the sample rate/bit depth on its screen. 
 
 
 
 
Dale
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 7:13 AM Post #5,303 of 6,777
I assume some sarcasm here about the mis-phrasing of 'turning your E17 into a laptop' and not how you configure the E17 to lock at 96KHz 24 bit for playback? But just in case you weren't being sarcastic and really wanted to know how to lock the E17 at 96KHz for playback, here's how you do it:

On a Mac you go into Applications - Utilities - Audio Midi Setup, choose the Fiio E17 from the list of playback devices and then set the output format as 96.000KHz and 2 ch - 24 bit integer.





On a Windows 7 box, open Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Sound, choose the Playback tab, highlight the Fiio E17 USB DAC device and choose Properties at the bottom of the window. When the Properties dialog open, deselect everything except 96KHz and click Apply and OK. Then when you playback with the Fiio E17 as the selected output device, the E17 should display 96KHz and 24 bit as the sample rate/bit depth on its screen. 



 



Dale


No sarcasm intended! :xf_eek:
I really don't know how to set up my computer for 96 k!
Thanks for the help, I'll have to try this out tonight!
:D
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 12:38 PM Post #5,305 of 6,777
Quote:
 
I assume some sarcasm here about the mis-phrasing of 'turning your E17 into a laptop' and not how you configure the E17 to lock at 96KHz 24 bit for playback? But just in case you weren't being sarcastic and really wanted to know how to lock the E17 at 96KHz for playback, here's how you do it:
 
On a Mac you go into Applications - Utilities - Audio Midi Setup, choose the Fiio E17 from the list of playback devices and then set the output format as 96.000KHz and 2 ch - 24 bit integer.
 
On a Windows 7 box, open Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Sound, choose the Playback tab, highlight the Fiio E17 USB DAC device and choose Properties at the bottom of the window. When the Properties dialog open, deselect everything except 96KHz and click Apply and OK. Then when you playback with the Fiio E17 as the selected output device, the E17 should display 96KHz and 24 bit as the sample rate/bit depth on its screen.  
 
Dale

 
Quote:
 
Oh nvm, XXL guy already answered this much better :D.

 
Arrgghh!
 
I still have Windows XP! Yes, it's true!
Looks like I can't change to 96 kHz with Windows XP?
 
Signed,
Mr. "not very good with computers"
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 2:11 PM Post #5,306 of 6,777
Quote:
If TV and computer aren't very far apart and you can connect both at once without the need of moving the DAC/AMP, then a desktop model (or w/o internal batteries) would be better suited for you IMO.
But of course, if you enjoy the fact that these can be used as part of a portable rig, then yes, it would certainly be practical.
Mine is connected to computer & PS3 (share the same monitor) and I take it out as portable amp once in a while. Much less now in winter though, cold aluminum is... well, cold. And I don't bring out the harder to drive headphones in winter.

Hmm. I've read about dts encoding issues that's why i wanted to ask, my main goal is using  optical/coax for the sound, fiio seems perfect for this matter.
 
If i plug my headphone through E17 and toslink to my tv ( which has an internal media player for movies) will i have dts encoding issues, or will i have toslink quality sound ( whether dts or pcm actually, since i'm using a headphone and it's not surround, i don't think there'll be a difference. )
 
Thanks for the help.
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 6:59 PM Post #5,308 of 6,777
Quote:
Since this is a E17 thread, why would you suggest this over the E17?
I'm using AKG K601, from a laptop or from a galaxy s3. And I think to complete the E09K in the near future...

I don't know why I would suggest an E17 over an E17. 
 

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