[StanD]

  E18 300 mW at 32 Ohms, E12 880 mW at 32 Ohms.
Ampwise, both sound great.

 
 

 
so this mean the e12 is much more powerful

About 4.7 dB more power. you double the power for a 3 dB inccrease, so it's not linear.
dB = 10 * Log (Pout / Pin)

 

[Sound Eq]

   
 
About 4.7 dB more power. you double the power for a 3 dB inccrease, so it's not linear.
dB = 10 * Log (Pout / Pin)

do u think the sound sig of e18 when used as an amp is different than the e12

 

[StanD]

 
do u think the sound sig of e18 when used as an amp is different than the e12

Not all that much of a difference. If you're driving an HE-500 the extra power in the E12 will make a difference. For IEM's and most popular headphones the E18 has more than enough juice. Always check the specs to be sure.

 

[jamor]

Now that we're approaching the anniversary of the E18 and the 2 year anniversary of the E17 after that, surely something new and improved must be right around the corner... right?

 

[StanD]

  Now that we're approaching the anniversary of the E18 and the 2 year anniversary of the E17 after that, surely something new and improved must be right around the corner... right?

Sounds like your wallet is developing an itch and you're ready to give it some a scratch.  

 

 

[jamor]

  Sounds like your wallet is developing an itch and you're ready to give it some a scratch.  

 

 
lol ya you could say that

 

[jamor]

  "Welcome to Head-Fi, Sorry about your wallet"
 
Great to hear. Most use a setup similar to what you are doing. 
 
E18 has some good sound, but I prefer the E12's a bit better

 
Pardon my ignorance, but how can the E12 have better sound if it doesn't have DAC like the E18? 

 

[StanD]

   
Pardon my ignorance, but how can the E12 have better sound if it doesn't have DAC like the E18? 

Perhaps he's comparing the amp section of the E18 to the E12.

 

[Sound Eq]

  Perhaps he's comparing the amp section of the E18 to the E12.

i am just comparing the amp section

 

[jonvply908]

2 questions:

How sturdy is the cable included? I'm concerned about finding another micro to micro usb cable.

Would you recommend this against any other products? (Been looking at JDS Labs C5D, Geek out 450 and EM 100). I wouldn't say given no budget, but if I were to go above the price range of the E18 (roughly 160 USD) would you still recommend it? Looking to drive my 1964ears V6 Stage. 

 

[Solrighal]

The cable is decent enough but the problem is the plugs themselves. There's a lot of strain on the connections, at least when paired with my Note 3 (both connectors on the same face). Some Sony phones have it on the side I believe so that would be even worse. The cable & plugs are just too vulnerable for me.

 

[spartan777]

I saw the FiiO E18 for $135 shipped on Massdrop, so I was going to buy it after waiting years to finally buy a portable amp. I was mostly going to use my Etymotic IEM's with it, but could my Beyerdynamic 770 and 880's (250 ohm) work with the E18?
 
From the time of this post, there is 21 hours to snag the E18 for $135.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fiio-e18

 

[axelf]

Hello!
 
I've been considering getting the e18 on some website for a good price and wondering if it will pair well with my grado sr125?
 
I'm not done reading trough the whole thread but from what i saw i think i mind need something warmer?
 
Price is so good im thinking i should get it anyway but afraid of buying something i wont appreciate..
 
Thanks for your inputs!

 

[HowToMLG]

Just for clarification: 
It is mentioned that you can use the e18 in Amp mode, which only utilizes the amp. Does this mean that DAC mode (through whatever method i.e usb) only utilizes DAC? or does it use both the DAC and the Amp? If it uses both, is it possible to only use the DAC and connect the e18 to a stronger amp, such as the O2?
Thanks.

 

[StanD]

  Just for clarification: 
It is mentioned that you can use the e18 in Amp mode, which only utilizes the amp. Does this mean that DAC mode (through whatever method i.e usb) only utilizes DAC? or does it use both the DAC and the Amp? If it uses both, is it possible to only use the DAC and connect the e18 to a stronger amp, such as the O2?
Thanks.

The E18 has a dual purpose 3.5 mm jack that serves as line input or line output depending if you have a USB source connected or not.
If a USB source (DAC mode) is used the jack serves as a line output. If nothing is plugged into the USB port (DAC is not used, AMP Mode), then the jack can be used as a line input for the amp section. This jack is next to the headphone jack, it's surrounded by the arrow symbols. You can see it in the below picture, to the left of the headphone jack.