[Wannago]

Hey all,

Not the type of first post I was expecting to make...

I very recently received my Fiio E18,and after charging it, gave it a go for an hour or so. This is my first foray into this type of stuff, but I was very impressed with the quality of the sound and the improvement it made over the stock sound of my Galaxy Note 3 (Android 4.3).

After that first hour or so of usage, it sat in the drawer for a couple days, and tonight I pulled it out to give it another listen.

As soon as I powered it on, I noticed an annoying, high-pitched background tone. I tried different headphones, different USB cable, I reset the E18, tried separating the phone and the E18, tried airplane mode, and stood on one foot and clucked like a chicken... Nothing would get rid of the noise.

I found that turning the bass switch to off greatly reduced the noise, but it was still present.

So, I will be returning this unit, and wanted to ask you experts what I should look for to replace it with. I don't want to drop too much cash, but at the same time don't mind spending decent money to get a quality product (perhaps something that doesn't have "made in China" stamped on it).

Thanks in advance.

 

[cswann1]

Unfortunately due to international economic forces, China is able to make and sell products at prices nobody else can.  If you are looking at portable DAC/amps made in the western world, get ready to spend about double (at least) or watch the FS forums like a hawk.

 

[spartan777]

If you think "Made in China" is a mark of low quality, you're about two decades behind the times. China produces Iphones, most of the high-quality, mass-produced clothing like Jcrew, and they've built the fastest trains in the world and the only commercial Maglev. In many ways, China is more advanced than the US and the West, which is the way it was for most of world history- before the Western imperial powers attacked, colonized, and enslaved China. Part of the reason China is such a big producer is because of their advanced factory capabilities. Chinese wages are now much higher than the highly exploited countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Haiti, et al.
 
That said, Pico makes a portable slim DAC for $400 and a portable DAC/Amp for $350.
http://www.headamp.com/pico/index.htm