FiiO E6 - story of the tiny amp continues... (w/ review on 1st page)

[SmOgER]

The only potential issue is the increased noise/interference while it's plugged, other than that, think about it as a laptop.

 

[sgosh]

Thats great, thanks! Did anyone here try it so I'll be sure it won't ruin it? Lol

It's no different than leaving a cell-phone plugged in. I've left my Fiio attached to a USB port for a weekend, no issues.

For <$30, I wouldn't worry either way.

 

[slowpickr]

Just stumbled upon this thread.  Currently using the Fiio E11k which I've read is an upgrade to the E6.  However, the bass boost on it just isn't enough for me.  Would the E6 be a good purchase to add some low end bass?  Source is Fiio X1 line out.
 
Thanks.

 

[sgosh]

Just stumbled upon this thread.  Currently using the Fiio E11k which I've read is an upgrade to the E6.  However, the bass boost on it just isn't enough for me.  Would the E6 be a good purchase to add some low end bass?  Source is Fiio X1 line out.

Thanks.

The E6 on its "flat setting is most enjoyable.

I haven't heard the E11k. The E6 has 4 EQ settings, one of which is a bass boost. I personally don't care for it since it sounds flabby, and intrudes into the low-mids.

Bass-heads may find it to their liking. If anything, I'm more of a sub-bass-head, so if that's what you're after, you'll be disappointed.

 

[slowpickr]

The E6 on its "flat setting is most enjoyable.

I haven't heard the E11k. The E6 has 4 EQ settings, one of which is a bass boost. I personally don't care for it since it sounds flabby, and intrudes into the low-mids.

Bass-heads may find it to their liking. If anything, I'm more of a sub-bass-head, so if that's what you're after, you'll be disappointed.

Thanks for the reply.  Definitely looking for more sub-bass.  Guess I'll pass.

 

[SmOgER]

The E6 on its "flat setting is most enjoyable.

I haven't heard the E11k. The E6 has 4 EQ settings, one of which is a bass boost. I personally don't care for it since it sounds flabby, and intrudes into the low-mids.

Bass-heads may find it to their liking. If anything, I'm more of a sub-bass-head, so if that's what you're after, you'll be disappointed.

Which bass boost are you talking about?

The "flat setting" is with NO LED AT ALL.
BLUE LED -- moderate bass boost (I assume that's what you initially thought is "flat setting")
RED LED -- strong bass boost intended only for excessively bright recordings or headphones with plenty of slibinance and non-existant bass. This of course does mean that the bass will bleed into the mids and overall the sound will be muddy if you choose this EQ on top of balanced sound.

 

[sgosh]

Which bass boost are you talking about?

The "flat setting" is with NO LED AT ALL.
BLUE LED -- moderate bass boost (I assume that's what you initially thought is "flat setting")
RED LED -- strong bass boost intended only for excessively bright recordings or headphones with plenty of slibinance and non-existant bass. This of course does mean that the bass will bleed into the mids and overall the sound will be muddy if you choose this EQ on top of balanced sound.

I was referring to light off as flat, and blue or red for bass boost.
How on earth could anyone mistake bloated-blue or red settings as flat?

 

[SmOgER]

Strange, I don't find blue to be bloated at all. That's the most popular setting for this AMP. What headphones are you using it on?

 

[oldschool]

Red - bloated
Blue - nice boost
 
Blue comes after Red when playing with the switch

 

[SmOgER]

Exactly. If anything blue smoothens highs a bit, but it doesn't make the sound bloated or muddy.

 

[sgosh]

To my ears, Blue sounds like Red "bass bost" but with boosted highs to accompany it. It would be nice to see a response curve comparison of the different presets.

I typically use the E6 (mated with a Blackberry Q10) with a Polk Buckle, but also occasionally plug in the Sennheiser HD 555s, when at home. The AKG K-141 reveals the bloat quite clearly.

By bloat, I mean that the boost reaches into the low mids - by my standards anyway.

 

[oldschool]

 It would be nice to see a response curve comparison of the different presets.
 

 
ClieOS's review

 

[SmOgER]

I typically use the E6 (mated with a Blackberry Q10) with a Polk Buckle

Polk Buckle by design has recessed mids and highs,
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PolkBuckle.pdf

Plus the blackberry settings (and colored sound signature on "flat" settings) might affect the output as well.

All in all, I think it's safe to assume that it's because of certain combination and configuration that you have - you find the 'blue' EQ to be bloated. Normally it isn't.


PS. Are you sure you have genuine FiiO? It's damn hard to know for sure unless you bought it from trusted reseller. Fakes look nearly identical and have the same packaging.

 

[sgosh]

Polk Buckle by design has recessed mids and highs,
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PolkBuckle.pdf

Plus the blackberry settings (and colored sound signature on "flat" settings) might affect the output as well.

All in all, I think it's safe to assume that it's because of certain combination and configuration that you have - you find the 'blue' EQ to be bloated. Normally it isn't.


PS. Are you sure you have genuine FiiO? It's damn hard to know for sure unless you bought it from trusted reseller. Fakes look nearly identical and have the same packaging.

According to Fiio's site, my E6 is genuine, after running the validation check on the box.

And I don't quite follow the reasoning.

Without the E6, the sound source isn't bloated. With the E6 on Flat, the sound isn't bloated. On Red and Blue, with three different headphones, bass boost quite noticably reaches up into the low mids.

I did another test, to rule out the BlackBerry Q10. This time, Harmon Karden CD player to NAD C350, Fiio hooked to the amp's headphone out.

Once again, I tried the EQ presets, and to my ears, same result - Red and Blue noticeably intrude their boost into the low-mids. Removed the Fiio from the chain, headphones directly to the NAD, and rotated the bass knob clockwise. The NAD's bass boost solidified the sub to low-bass without touching the low-mids, or making lower vocals boomy.

That's the kind of bass boost I enjoy.

A fairly simple process of elimination would suggest it's the way the EQ preset is shaped in the Fiio that I don't like, not the headphones, the source, or the Fiio itself - I love the thing on "Flat."

Of course, this is purely based on my subjective listening.

"Well, it’s simple – don’t get the E6 if clear, punchy bass boost is your main requirement." - http://anythingbutipod.com/2011/10/fiio-e6-portable-headphone-amp-review/#pEAD0KvwcaIGA8mH.99"

"BASS EQ: I didn’t much like either EQ setting with any of my headphones or music. EQ1 is relatively muddy and bloated. EQ2 is a bit more restrained but still boosts way more than just the deep bass. Both settings seriously “thicken” male vocals. Some, however, might like the EQ—especially if they have really bass shy headphones—like say those you get for free on airplanes. The E6’s EQ came closest to being useful with my sterile sounding Etymotics but even then, with a lot of music, I couldn’t get past the muddy lower midrange and upper bass."

That second article is excellent, with some great empirical testing.

 

[bbieringer]

Although I no longer have a pair of Sony XB-500's, I had a ton of fun pairing them with an E6. Plenty of bass!
 
Of course, it can't beat my pair of Fidelio X1's with an ADL Cruise at the moment. Now that's a premium combination if you're on a budget.