FiiO E5 vs. E1 vs. E3 - Review, Overview, with Videos included!
Sep 13, 2010 at 5:57 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

Totally Dubbed

aka 1337 Gamer
aka totallydubbed2
aka TotallydubbedHD
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Posts
4,351
Likes
72
I own all 3, because of the ebay user: Nocando01
Who gave me the E1/3 and the Boostaroo for free :)!
Thank you :D!
 
Its been a long time since iv'e been on Head-fi, and i always intended to make this comparison for you guys.
Just forgot to do so, and it has been, long overdue.
 
So, i will give you an easy to read PRO and CON for each of the amplifiers :)
 
Fii0 E5:
Pro:
-Light
-Rechargeable
-Doesn't use your battery
-Can be used with any device, as it is a 3.5mm in/out
-Good bass boost function
-10hrs battery life, longer than my iPod touch could do
-Easy functionalities with controls
-ON/OFF switch
-£15, which is VERY cheap
 
Cons:
-Extra wiring
-You won't ever get it off :p!
 
Video review:

 
 
 
 
Fii0 E1:
Pro:
 
-Light
-Doesn't use an EXTRA battery, no need to worry about recharging the amplifier unit, plug and play
-Better controls: Play, pause, next, previous, volume up and down.
-£16, which is VERY cheap, especially for an LOD as well
-Nice clarity/cleaner sound
-LOD included
 
Cons:
-Can ONLY be used with an iPod
-Drains your iPod battery
-Bit too long in term of wiring, quite a lot of wiring in your pockets
 
Video review:

 
 
 
 
Fii0 E3:
Pro:
-Extremely cheap for an extra sound gain: £7
-Boosts your sound
-Uses AAA battery
-No recharging
-No ON/OFF, switches off on it's own when not used
-Doesn't use any battery but for your AAA battery
 
Cons:
-Uses AAA battery
-No controls
-No ON/OFF, switches off on it's own when not used
-Bulky
-Distorts at higher volumes, whereas the e5/e1 won't do
 
 
Video review:

 
 
Personal input:
-If you want bass, go for the E5.
-If you have an iPod and won't mind a LITTLE bass "loss" in comparison to the E5, get the E1
-If you have no money or want to try it out, get the E3
 
I personally think the E3 is a waste of money, and the E1 is limited in use, in terms of:
-I can only use it for my iPod, if i don't have an iPod (Hopefully selling my 64GB touch soon) then its useless
 
 
Out of all the 3, the E5 is the best. That's my opinion.
I bought the E5 first and made the best decision.
I made a review and got sent the E1/3 for free. Made a review, and was happy to compare and contrast, but still used the E5.
 
 
Final comparison video (all-in-one):
 

 
 
Hope that helps you guys :)
Enjoy!
 
Dubbed
 
Jan 14, 2011 at 5:38 PM Post #6 of 14
+1 on the E5...my first foray into anything amp related for headphones, it got me started for sure...
 
Jan 14, 2011 at 6:15 PM Post #7 of 14
Not really bass "loss", it's really a loss of bass addition. That way people don't get confused.
 
May 21, 2011 at 10:05 AM Post #9 of 14
I just ordered an E11 so I have no grudges here. I bought an E1 because I know the otherwise excellent Ipod touch 3 could benefit from a better amp stage and I liked the simplicity. Cheap enough to just have a listen. I though it worse than stock. It probably can improve another lesser model that needs to be snapped up but it was too etched in this config. Don't know the others.
 
Jan 16, 2012 at 9:43 PM Post #12 of 14
thanks for the comparison, calmed my fears of wasting money on an E3 and not liking the sound. I actually prefer AAAs as a power source although an AA would be even better. Yorkshire eye for a bargain 
biggrin.gif
 plus i'm a bit old school i like changeable batteries.
 
Do you or anyone else know how the E3 switches off? is it a hardware switch inside the socket or does it sense load on the output? i have an idea for a plug in bypass switch and a couple of other non-invasive mods that'd make it really good for mobile phone use if it's the latter.. i have the switcher to find out but no amp to test it on and i think the E3 might just be simple enough to do it
 
bit poverty stricken due the recession but i'm working on it, my mx-880s need more powah heh
 
Jan 22, 2012 at 6:04 AM Post #14 of 14


Quote:
thanks for the comparison, calmed my fears of wasting money on an E3 and not liking the sound. I actually prefer AAAs as a power source although an AA would be even better. Yorkshire eye for a bargain 
biggrin.gif
 plus i'm a bit old school i like changeable batteries.
 
Do you or anyone else know how the E3 switches off? is it a hardware switch inside the socket or does it sense load on the output? i have an idea for a plug in bypass switch and a couple of other non-invasive mods that'd make it really good for mobile phone use if it's the latter.. i have the switcher to find out but no amp to test it on and i think the E3 might just be simple enough to do it
 
bit poverty stricken due the recession but i'm working on it, my mx-880s need more powah heh


E3 only switches off, when you unplug the jack from the E3 :)
 
And LOL :p
 


Quote:
thank you. great format! Easy to read. and enjoyable!!! be sure to get an LOD with the ipod. posting "review" or impression after ur title would be better. i thought u were asking which one to get. plus posting the word review after it would let people know what this is


Cheers!
And I'll do that now thanks :)
 
 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top