[SgtHossBoss]

I'm really enjoying my Fiio E09K Combo with my new Sony MDR-V6 Cans! I prefer the sound quality of the Sony V-6 cans over my Grado's...

 

[daniel0407]

Hi all,
 
I have a E09k, which I use together with a E017. My current headphones are the sennheiser hd558, 598 and 650. The E09k is for the 650, because the other headphone's impedance is too low for the E09k's output impedance.
 
So far I am happy with my setup; probably because it is the best system that I have had until now, and I do not have nothing better to compare it with.
 
The question is, is there any improvement done to the E09k, when compared to the old E09?
 
Thanks,
Daniel

 

[stv014]

Quote:

I just got myself a brand new pair of Dt 990's and bought a Asus Xonar Phoebus to go with that. My current Auzentech Bravura died on me so i was in the market for a new soundcard anyway. I was thinking of getting a Fiio E9 to go with that but after some more reading i thought i read that the amp in the phoebus was just about the same as the one in the Fiio E9. Now i am on the fence about getting one cause im not sure if getting one will actually do anything good for my audio. Would getting a E9 improve anything or would i have to get an E7 on top of that to actually notice any difference?

 
If the specifications of the Phoebus are to be believed, neither the E7 nor the E9 should be really useful to you. At least for the Essence STX (same headphone amplifier chip as the Phoebus, but I do not know if there are any implementation differences), which I have and tested, the E9 would pretty much just duplicate the built-in amplifier.

 

[Xenophon]

E09K/E17 owner here.  Macbook pro with FLAC files-->Amarra-->USB-->E17/E09K-->BD DT-880's in 600 Ohm.  The setup is certainly cheap but I'm not complaining, it's been serving me well since one year now and drives my Beyers well, plenty of power on tap, even when listening to classical music (large dynamic range).  
 
As I constantly shift between 2 locations I own 2 cheap desktop amps, one is the FiiO, the other the EHP-O2D Dac/Amp which is in the same price league as the FiiO combo.  Have a slight but definite preference for the EHP.  With my FiiO setup and headphones on but no music and the volume on high you can hear a background hiss.  The same thing when twisting the volume dial.  The EHP is dead quiet.  Also the docking setup with the E17 is nice for people who want to be able to take the E17 only with them but that doesn't play in my case and I find the combo a bit of a pain as far as ease of operation is concerned.
 
One potentially serious disadvantage of the E09K is that it has an output impedance of 10 Ohm so connecting cans with a <80-100 Ohm impedance is a definite no go.  I listen exclusively to classical music, with the volume on my mac maxed out and amp gain off I usually listen with the dial at 11-12 'o clock, plenty loud enough for me.

 

[Mr_White]

The other E09K thread seems a bit dead and FiiO are impossible to get a reply from it seems! So I'm in need of some help if anyone is kind enough to give it, I'm looking to find out for certain what the specs are on the E09K pre-outs? They don't mention the specs in the manual and all I can seem to find is that they are 0-6v RMS adjustable mentioned on a retailer's website, but that's not confirmed by FiiO anywhere.
 
Thank you!

 

[BruceBanner]

Bit late to the party. I just got one of these for $50, i had an old E7 i was using also (for pc) so thought what the heck and grabbed an E9.
WOW. This thing has made everything sound better (im talking better than PC>E7>headphones). Im going the USBDAC route through Win8 PC. Although no bassboost I have easily circumnavigated that issue by either tweaking foobar eq or tinkering the USB settings (u can bass boost from within there).
Well worth the $50 I paid for it. My E7 is kinda on it's last legs, its screen is kinda buggy now, but after getting this E9, if the E7 failed I'd replace it, that's how good it sounds.

Oh I'm using Superlux HD 668B cans and actually finally being properly driven xD

Now to find a mod to make them comfier..

 

[PTom]

I've just got the E9/E7 combo for the HD600. Could someone tell me if my settings are correct:
 
E7: Max volume, Gain=0
E9: High Gain
 
Any other setting I should use?

 

[mark2410]

well there is no such thing as correct settings.
 
the E7's settings shouldnt make any difference to anything. as for gain, just pick which you prefer but for the 600's you prob do want high

 

[PTom]

Surely if the gain on the E7 is higher than 0, isn't it going to send an amplified signal to the E9?

 

[BruceBanner]

I take it yer going USB DAC route? If so I don't think it matters what settings the E7 is at. Adjusting volume, Bass etc does nothing on my E7 when its docked into E9 via USB DAC. I'm driving Superlux HD668b cans and felt I needed more gain so I have that switched on.

 

[PTom]

Yes it's docked but I can adjust volume using either E7, E9 or my laptop. Also the gain setting on the E7 affects the sound.

 

[BruceBanner]

I'm guessing yer not going usb DAC route like I am, otherwise OS (such as windows 8) volume systems don't work, ONLY volume changes that make effect are the E9 dial (E7 doesn't matter if volume is 1 or 60, likewise the Bass Boost does nothing).
You haven't specified exactly how yer going about yer inputs and outputs.

 

[PTom]

I've connected the E9 to my laptop (Mac OSX) via USB. I've docked the E7 onto the E9. I've plugged in my HD600 into the E9 via the 6.25 mm headphone out at the front of the E9.

 

[BruceBanner]

And yer telling me that adjusting volume on the E7 actually makes a difference? What about bass boost on the E7, can u hear those incremental differences?
 
How it works for me (and the initial reviewer so it seems) is that the E7 is necessary for the USB DAC feature of the E9 but is kinda bypassed in terms of features of the E7.

If yer adjusting volume on yer laptop it must be app specific right? Like I can adjust foobar2000's volume and the changes are applied, but windows volume changes does nothing. It might be different for Apple...

 

[PTom]

I've just tried it using Windows and it's the same as the Mac, I can adjust the volume and gain through the E7.