[Yanoflies]

Hey, I was thinking of getting one of these. Just got a few some questions: 
 
I'm still waiting for my AD900X (they were meant to come last month but it's coming next month ... sigh) and currently have a Xonar DGX card and Swan M10 speakers.
 
Could I leave it plugged in without issue?
I'll mostly use it on the desk; would I have to manually unplug my M10s to plug in my AD900X w/ the E12 or is there a way I could just plug my headphones in and go?
I'll still be able to use my card's Dolby/EQ while amped with the E12 right?
Would it be a good addition for me, if not, what's a better option?
 
Thanks!

 

[pngwn]

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Mine's on almost constantly

Surely you aren't listening for the entire length of the battery life?? Ok, I understand it takes all kinds to make the world go around, but that much music WILL damage your hearing. Unless you just have stuff playing when you're not around to hear it, like part of a PA system or something? Anyway, you at least have the benefit of a predictable point in your day when the battery runs out, and you'll know about when you'll need to be near an outlet or USB port. Maybe just charge it in your sleep?

 
No, I don't listen to music for hours of end my ears need to take a safety break and I need to take a break from music after an hour or two. But it is usually on throughout the day while I'm driving to and from work with my FM transmitter, in the morning for a song or two while I wake up, and pretty much constantly on while I'm at home on my computer, whether I'm surfing the net, watching movies, playing PS3, or actually listening to music. I usually end up recharging it every night right before it dies. Probably the longest I've ever listened to music in one sitting is three hours listening to the ASOT Den Bosch sets; nowhere near close the E12 battery life.
 
Quote:

Hey, I was thinking of getting one of these. Just got a few some questions: 
 
I'm still waiting for my AD900X (they were meant to come last month but it's coming next month ... sigh) and currently have a Xonar DGX card and Swan M10 speakers.
 
Could I leave it plugged in without issue?
I'll mostly use it on the desk; would I have to manually unplug my M10s to plug in my AD900X w/ the E12 or is there a way I could just plug my headphones in and go?
I'll still be able to use my card's Dolby/EQ while amped with the E12 right?
Would it be a good addition for me, if not, what's a better option?
 
Thanks!

 
Yes, the E12 has a specific feature that allows it to smart charge -- meaning you can leave it plugged in indefinitely, even after it's charged, and it won't harm the battery. It's "smart" ;]
 
I'm not sure about your second question. The E12 has one headphone out, but if your M10 has a headphone out, then you could go E12 -> M10 -> AD900x, I guess. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
 
Yes, you can still use your card's Dolby/EQ
 
Yes, the E12 pairs marvelously with the AD900x. Out of curiousity, though, which version of the E12 do you have? The newest one or the pre-order version that was available from the beginning of the year until a few weeks ago?

 

[waynes world]

The ad900x should come bundled with e12v1 imo... brilliant pairing!

 

[Evshrug]

Yanoflies,
My Audio Technicas got delayed by a month too! The 3rd party company I bought from kept sending me the A700 instead, but eventually (eventually) they made good, and I enjoyed my AD700 for the next 3 years.

I don't know how good the Swan speakers are, but two speakers aren't doing you much good with Dolby Headphone. Maybe you can do what I do: plug the speakers into the motherboard audio (I just use speakers casually), and have your headphone system plugged into the Xonar? I'm able to switch between output devices in-software pretty easily, but I use Mac OS X. And yes, once the Xonar processes the audio with Dolby Headphone and sends it out the stereo jacks at the back of the card, that processing is carried through the rest of the audio chain.

Doesn't the DGX have an amp about just as powerful as the E12 (or E09k) built-in already? Or was that the DX model, and (of course) the STX?


Wayne's World,
It's people like you that make me want to try the new Audio Technica AD line, even though I love my AKGs and they still send me chills of pleasure

 

[miceblue]

Has anyone here heard the Sony MDR-1R's with the E12?
 
I like the fuzzy case that came with the E12, but you can't really use the E12 with it despite having the open top, unless you don't use the security latch.

 

[Hal Rockwell]

I ordered an E12 from a seller on ebay in the end of March. Before purchasing it, I asked him if the E12 was V1 or V2 and he told me that it was V2. The moment I received it, I took it out of the box and looked at the gain switch, that said 0-10. I opened up a dispute on ebay but the seller swears that the E12 that he sold me was V2.
 
Is it possible that E12 V2 will still have a 0-10 silk screened on the gain switch instead of 0-16?

 

[Yanoflies]

Quote:

Yanoflies,
My Audio Technicas got delayed by a month too! The 3rd party company I bought from kept sending me the A700 instead, but eventually (eventually) they made good, and I enjoyed my AD700 for the next 3 years.

I don't know how good the Swan speakers are, but two speakers aren't doing you much good with Dolby Headphone. Maybe you can do what I do: plug the speakers into the motherboard audio (I just use speakers casually), and have your headphone system plugged into the Xonar? I'm able to switch between output devices in-software pretty easily, but I use Mac OS X. And yes, once the Xonar processes the audio with Dolby Headphone and sends it out the stereo jacks at the back of the card, that processing is carried through the rest of the audio chain.

Doesn't the DGX have an amp about just as powerful as the E12 (or E09k) built-in already? Or was that the DX model, and (of course) the STX?


Wayne's World,
It's people like you that make me want to try the new Audio Technica AD line, even though I love my AKGs and they still send me chills of pleasure

 
I don't use the Dolby feature for my speakers but I can still notice differences in the sound (the on-board on my Sabertooth Z77 sounds quite noticeably different in a negative way) so I'd rather have it plugged into my DGX.
 
I'm not sure, but I'd rather have an external amp than trust one that comes with a relatively cheap card. I'll wait for my AD900X before I make a decision, I guess . I just want the beautiful looking E12 on my table haha.
 

Yes, the E12 has a specific feature that allows it to smart charge -- meaning you can leave it plugged in indefinitely, even after it's charged, and it won't harm the battery. It's "smart" ;]
 
I'm not sure about your second question. The E12 has one headphone out, but if your M10 has a headphone out, then you could go E12 -> M10 -> AD900x, I guess. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
 
Yes, you can still use your card's Dolby/EQ
 
Yes, the E12 pairs marvelously with the AD900x. Out of curiousity, though, which version of the E12 do you have? The newest one or the pre-order version that was available from the beginning of the year until a few weeks ago?

 
Sadly, my speakers does not have a headphone out.
 
I haven't gotten the E12 yet.

 

[Evshrug]

I ordered an E12 from a seller on ebay in the end of March. Before purchasing it, I asked him if the E12 was V1 or V2 and he told me that it was V2. The moment I received it, I took it out of the box and looked at the gain switch, that said 0-10. I opened up a dispute on ebay but the seller swears that the E12 that he sold me was V2.
Is it possible that E12 V2 will still have a 0-10 silk screened on the gain switch instead of 0-16?

I don't think it's impossible... but unlikely. Have you listened to it yet? The boost in the V2 isn't stronger, it's just targeted at different notes. It was always an amplifier first, not an EQ, in case strong bass was your goal in the first place. +6 dB is not even double the perceived loudness. Do you like the sound of the amp though? Also, FiiO printed an identifier number on their retail boxes, if you're concerned the amp is a fake you can use that ID# to see if it was made by FiiO (and perhaps when). Personally, I'd think you were lucky if you got a V1, but I'm sure if you can't return it you could probably make your money back by selling it yourself, if you truly got a V1.

I don't use the Dolby feature for my speakers but I can still notice differences in the sound (the on-board on my Sabertooth Z77 sounds quite noticeably different in a negative way) so I'd rather have it plugged into my DGX.

I'm not sure, but I'd rather have an external amp than trust one that comes with a relatively cheap card. I'll wait for my AD900X before I make a decision, I guess . I just want the beautiful looking E12 on my table haha.
Sadly, my speakers does not have a headphone out.
I haven't gotten the E12 yet.

Yeah, onboard audio is worse, but in my situation, I don't listen as critically to speakers (which is why I said I use speakers casually). If I couldn't figure out how to electronically select output ports, I would choose to give my headphones the best audio, that's what I meant. You probably can select which output to use on your Xonar card anyway. Creative's Sound Blaster cards used to have a problem that any headphones plugged in would take over, but the new ones don't have that problem, and I speculate the Xonar doesn't either.

I also like having the E12 as an external, physical device. For something so small, it seems imposing.

 

[miceblue]

I got a ~15.5-hour battery life from full to death using the E12 with an iPhone 4S and V-MODA M-100. The volume level was at an insanely high amount for me, more than what I would ever use during a noisy bus ride, so this can set a lower-limit for me in terms of battery life.
 
*bass boost is off, low gain, crossfeed is off*

 

 
Now to see if this "using the E12 while charging sounds bad" rumor is true.

 

[Evshrug]

Wow, pretty impressive battery time.
When my E12 is plugged in, it just sounds grainier and harsher, I don't like to use it then.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Wow, pretty impressive battery time.
When my E12 is plugged in, it just sounds grainier and harsher, I don't like it at all.

Ah yes, you're right. There seems to be an extra layer of texture/grain on the songs I'm trying out and the treble does seem more compressed (probably not the right word) or harsh.

 

[Yanoflies]

Damn, that means I should not use this as a desktop amp since I'd mostly use it on the desk :'(.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Damn, that means I should not use this as a desktop amp since I'd mostly use it on the desk :'(.

 
I was just about to edit my post, but with that battery life you can use it without charging for basically the whole day and then charge it when you go to bed.

 

[Chris J]

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Boweii,
Did you just watch that apple "Here's to the crazy ones" TV commercial?

Miceblue,
I personally think the power-on delay was implemented in response to ..."some people"... Totally flaming another manufacturer because it didn't have such a protection circuit. The E12 is more powerful than most portable amps, so while it's not necessary because I plug in my headphones after turning on an amp, it's nice to have the peace of mind.

I think FiiO uses an output relay to protect the headphones from the DC pulse that may occur when the power supply starts up when you turn the E12 on.
 
It appears that FiiO uses some type of (SMPS) Switch Mode Power Supply to generate +/11 Vdc from the 5 Vdc supplied by the USB input to the E12.  Their literature refers to it as "high performance DC/DC circuit transformation".

 

[bowei006]

Damn, that means I should not use this as a desktop amp since I'd mostly use it on the desk :'(.

The value of FiiO products are in the description.

A desktop amp would better suit you.