[Tatakai All]

Thanks! I'm new to all this and appreciate honest replies.

 

[Lan647]

I was just wondering something. I'm driving my HD 800 through my stereo amp, which has enormous amount of power and plays pretty nice and effortlessly, would it really be worth it to upgrade to the E9, or should I just get the E7 for the dac section? No idea, it's just that the stereo amp sounds better than I expected and maybe the only thing that can improve within the price range of fiio products is the E7 (using the laptop as source) 

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

I was just wondering something. I'm driving my HD 800 through my stereo amp, which has enormous amount of power and plays pretty nice and effortlessly, would it really be worth it to upgrade to the E9, or should I just get the E7 for the dac section? No idea, it's just that the stereo amp sounds better than I expected and maybe the only thing that can improve within the price range of fiio products is the E7 (using the laptop as source) 

the thing about the amp world is you would always wonder 'does this amp improve the sound?' and you buy it and it does and than you wonder 'can it get better than this?' and you search for the next amp! My advice is if you are happy with the sound right now stop thinking about it and be happy. If you are thinking about it non-stop than I suggest buy an amp and compare it! The problem is which amp! E9 surely does improved the sound for my k702 but it is because it was my first non home theater amp! I have the E7 and E9 combo. I suggest wait a little longer as E17 is coming out soon. It is a better DAC than E7.
Search the forum there are a tonne of great review about what various amp is best suited for HD800. I suggest the wisest thing if you do go ahead for buying a amp buy the one which is mostly highly recommend so this way you are more secure to be sure you have the best match for your HD800 in the market. There are many amps out there for your can and obviously you cannot possibly afford them all! Save up and buy the one you are at least 80 percent sure that it cannot get better than this!

Good luck!

 

[Lan647]

Thanks but you i'm not a beginner, I know perfectly well what amps that are best suited, but that was not the question (the money isn't there for the moment), the question wasn't either if the E9/E7 is a good match, the question was if the combo would mean a significant upgrade in SQ compared to my stereo amp. The dac in the E7 would probably improve the signal but I don't exactly need any more power. 
 
And btw I like the sound I have now, but I'm not happy with it. I'm not exactly using a hifi setup for the headphones, which obviously means I miss the awesome sound coming from a better setup (which I've listened to). The sound coming from that setup was simply at another level. Can't even compare...
 
So again, E7/E9 or just the E7?

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

Thanks but you i'm not a beginner, I know perfectly well what amps that are best suited, but that was not the question (the money isn't there for the moment), the question wasn't either if the E9/E7 is a good match, the question was if the combo would mean a significant upgrade in SQ compared to my stereo amp. The dac in the E7 would probably improve the signal but I don't exactly need any more power. 
 
And btw I like the sound I have now, but I'm not happy with it. I'm not exactly using a hifi setup for the headphones, which obviously means I miss the awesome sound coming from a better setup (which I've listened to). The sound coming from that setup was simply at another level. Can't even compare...
 
So again, E7/E9 or just the E7?

My source is my laptop and its internal DAC is not as good as E7 so for me E7+E9.  E9 is an amplifier so yea it does what a amp suppose to do! I know E7 has also an amp functionally but compared to the E9 it is no where near its power.

 

 

[Voohoo]

Quote:

Thanks but you i'm not a beginner, I know perfectly well what amps that are best suited, but that was not the question (the money isn't there for the moment), the question wasn't either if the E9/E7 is a good match, the question was if the combo would mean a significant upgrade in SQ compared to my stereo amp. The dac in the E7 would probably improve the signal but I don't exactly need any more power. 
 
And btw I like the sound I have now, but I'm not happy with it. I'm not exactly using a hifi setup for the headphones, which obviously means I miss the awesome sound coming from a better setup (which I've listened to). The sound coming from that setup was simply at another level. Can't even compare...
 
So again, E7/E9 or just the E7?

Honestly I would buy the E9+E7 combo. Then trial it for a while. If you find that the E9 is unnecessary, just put it up in the For Sale/Trade forums. I think the best route for you would be to let your own ears decide. 
 
^This is exactly what I did. I actually found a disappointing improvement in my Ultrasone Pro 2500 driven by the E9 (they don't improve much from amping) but I decided to keep it because I know that at some point I will have another pair of 'phones that will most likely need a proper amp.

 

[Lan647]

Thanks for the advice

 

[payamdash]

Hi, I've been doing a lot of research for a DAC + Amp for my Ultrasone PRO 900.  I use it mainly with my macbook pro, but i wouldn't mind also having the ability to connect it to my iphone.   I just got the Apogee One, and even though the sound is much cleaner and deeper, i feel like the 900's can handle a bit more power...
 
Any Suggestions?  
 

 

[Chummer]

Hi all,
 
I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to buy the k701s and the e7+e9 combo.  I just received the FiiO combo today and after much anticipation may have received a defective unit.  First testing the e7, the unit didn't seem to exhibit any problems whatsoever.  The e9 also works fine when plugging my iPhone with a LOD into the Line In. It is when I try to use the e7+e9 in conjunction with my laptop through the USB that the combo exhibits problems.  
 
Testing the 3.5mm, the 6.3mm as well as the pre-amp output on the back with my speakers, the sound comes almost entirely from the right channel.  I tried to see if there were driver issues and playing with the balance didn't change anything, nor did changing from stereo to mono.  Only when playing the stereo audio test I am able to faintly hear sound come from the left channel.  This leads me to believe there might be something wrong with the dock connection on either the e7 or the e9, though I'm not sure on how to single out which exactly is the defective unit.  I did try different USB ports on my Laptop, one through a USB hub, which had no effect.  Could trying a different USB cable entirely possibly remedy this?  Until I find another cable to test, any thoughts?
 
I did a whole lot of research before buying these items, so I do remember another member having problems with the docking and losing sound from the right channel.
 
Also peculiar is that the e9 I received did not exhibit the white marking on the front dial.  I remember reading FiiO would start manufacturing the units with the white marking after some complaints, but is it perhaps a little too soon before those units reached resellers?  I ordered from Micca store btw, due to the overwhelming positive reviews.
 
Hoping there is an easy fix, but not counting on it.

 

[Voohoo]

So using the E7 by itself as a DAC there aren't any issues?
 
I doubt that the USB cable is the problem. If the cable was messed up the signal probably wouldn't register at all amongst the devices and not have a particular effect as you mentioned -- that's something that an analog cable would do.
 
I don't really know anything concerning the insides of amps but I would guess that the signal is being messed up after it is processed in the E7 and is sent to the E9's outputs.
 
Most likely you'll end up just asking Micca for an exchange. I actually contacted Micca about a week ago concerning my faulty E7 (my problem was distortion) and they were quick to give me an RMA#. I sent my unit back a couple days ago. Not sure when it'll ship back but I hope it's by the end of this week. 
 

 

[Chummer]

Yup, the e7 didn't have any issues acting as a stand alone DAC.
 
I assumed as much about the cable. It was just the last variable I have yet to try. Reading about the other person's issue, he said that he could bring back sound through wiggling the e7 in the dock making it sound like some type of physical connection problem with the dock. In my case, however, no amount of wiggling achieves anything at all and it was simply like this from the moment I plugged it in.
 
I already e-mailed Micca, hopefully the exchange will be a quick ordeal.

 

[g-michael-11]

I'm still pretty clueless about headphone amps...
 
I'm planning on buying a turntable/phono preamp in the future.. will this set up still work with the e9?

 

[jronan2]

I purchased the e7/e9 combo about 2 or 3 weeks ago from the micca store. Everything was working perfectly up until today. My e7 has stopped working when i plugged it into usb on my laptop and stopped working with the lod 3 into my ipod. The weird thing is that it still works perfectly when docked onto the e9. I have tried everything I can possibly think of: I have tried the stock cable instead of the lod, tried different headphones, reset both my ipod and the e7, nothing is working. I thought it might have been the lod of my ipod but then when i tried it usb into my macbook and music still wasn't coming out my headphones i realized something must be wrong. I contacted the micca store today and explained what happened but I wanted to post here and see if anyone else had these problems or give me any other options I can try. This just really ruined my day and probably my week because i was enjoying it so much until whatever went wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

So using the E7 by itself as a DAC there aren't any issues?
 
I doubt that the USB cable is the problem. If the cable was messed up the signal probably wouldn't register at all amongst the devices and not have a particular effect as you mentioned -- that's something that an analog cable would do.
 
I don't really know anything concerning the insides of amps but I would guess that the signal is being messed up after it is processed in the E7 and is sent to the E9's outputs.
 
Most likely you'll end up just asking Micca for an exchange. I actually contacted Micca about a week ago concerning my faulty E7 (my problem was distortion) and they were quick to give me an RMA#. I sent my unit back a couple days ago. Not sure when it'll ship back but I hope it's by the end of this week. 
 

The only issue I found using E7 was its 'amp'ing feature! I can hear an annoying hiss at volume level of 14(bear in mind 60 is maximum) While docked it does not have this problem as it only works as an amp.
Yes both E7 and E9 have issues which may cause headache but for the price they are just good. I had to exchange E9 as the 3.5 music channel did not work. I really could not be bothered sending the E7 back as i decided it is best used as a DAC.
 
Hope this helps

 

[Voohoo]

Hmm, all these issues with the E7 coming up. 
 
If anyone is wondering how long exchanges take with Micca, it's not very long. I dropped off my unit at my local USPS last Friday (2/4/11). Wednesday night I received an e-mail containing the tracking number meaning it's on its way back to me. It's possible that it will get here tomorrow but I think Saturday is more likely. So it's safe to say a solid week is how long an exchange takes. Which is pretty good! Still though, I can't wait because I already miss listening to FLAC off my laptop. My DAP just doesn't cut it anymore.
 
QUESTION: Are there any cons to using the 3.5mm jack on the E9 versus the 1/4"?
 
The booklet explains that that the 3.5mm jack outputs at 5dB less that the 1/4". But are there any other differences? Does this mean there is a sacrifice made of some sort? Does the 1/4" jack have priority in terms of power? 
I would really like to know because I may want to start using the 3.5mm so I can have more precise control over the volume since it's quieter by default. I don't like how the volume spikes so much between 8 o'clock and 9 on the knob when I'm listening through the 1/4" jack with a line level source. BTW, 9 o
clock is PLENTY of volume for me. I get the impression that other fellow head-fiers really like to crank it. I must have sensitive ears (relatively).