FiiO Mont Blanc/E12 portable headphone amp, 880mW, slim design, full metal case. Bass boost and Cross feed!
Jan 14, 2017 at 11:08 PM Post #3,706 of 3,739
This is going to sound ridiculous, but does anyone know if it is possible to use an ipod shuffle with a Mont Blanc? Would it even work--the thing is soooo small. I have one sitting around and I was looking at it and just wondering if I could get more out of it. Many thanks for any feedback!
 
Jan 15, 2017 at 1:06 AM Post #3,707 of 3,739
This is going to sound ridiculous, but does anyone know if it is possible to use an ipod shuffle with a Mont Blanc? Would it even work--the thing is soooo small. I have one sitting around and I was looking at it and just wondering if I could get more out of it. Many thanks for any feedback!


Yes, it's possible. If you wonder how to stack them - it's simple. You can use velcro or you can just slide one of the silicone rings that come bundled with the E12. As far as connections go - just use a 3.5mm patch cable from the shuffle headphone out to the input of the E12.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 5:50 AM Post #3,711 of 3,739
How much boost do you get from the E12?
 
I have been eyeing in for some time. I currently use three headphone amps chained together to get a decent volume boost when using my Zune mp3 player.
 
I hate that companies have taken it upon themselves to "protect" MY hearing!
 
With the three amps I currently use, which are not high end by any means, I can put the Zune's volume at about 10 (it goes up to 32 I think). If I put my headphones directly into the Zune I have to turn the volume all the way up to get the same amount of volume. I know, they intend you to use earbuds but I had earbuds. Even with earbuds the volume going straight into the player is lacking though it is better than if I put my Sony MDR-G57G S2 sports street style headphones directly into the Zune.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 10:15 AM Post #3,712 of 3,739
How much boost do you get from the E12?

I have been eyeing in for some time. I currently use three headphone amps chained together to get a decent volume boost when using my Zune mp3 player.

I hate that companies have taken it upon themselves to "protect" MY hearing!

With the three amps I currently use, which are not high end by any means, I can put the Zune's volume at about 10 (it goes up to 32 I think). If I put my headphones directly into the Zune I have to turn the volume all the way up to get the same amount of volume. I know, they intend you to use earbuds but I had earbuds. Even with earbuds the volume going straight into the player is lacking though it is better than if I put my Sony MDR-G57G S2 sports street style headphones directly into the Zune.


As far as I know, E12 is the most powerful portable headphone amp in its price category. I don't listen to music at high volume levels, but even with my hardest to drive headphones, diy orthos, I never needed to go past 3 o'clock on the volume knob. Never went beyond 12 o'clock on my hardest to drive IEMs - the Havi B3.

Another thing I want to add is that reamping is not advised. It's not healthy for the amp since it overloads the input and degrades the signal by introducing distortion.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 3:54 PM Post #3,713 of 3,739
I don't typically listen at high volume....not these days anyway.
 
But, for the last few decades it has been hard to find a personal stereo that has decent volume. I find that you need to turn the volume higher to get the same amount of loudness that personal stereos from earlier would get turned up maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the way.
 
I think with MP3 players they have limited volume even more than they had with personal cassette and CD players. Likely because a lot of people make their own MP3's and often have the volume rather loud compared to the original source.
 
Personally I often boost the volume of an MP3 file simply because of the low output of the player.
 
As for stacking the headphone amps, the first two I got were from Boost-a-roo and it was a person from their company that told me I could increase the volume more by daisy chaining them. When I bought my third headphone amp, an Auvio amp from RadioShack, I discovered that the order in which the amps are connected makes a difference. If I have a them in a certain order the volume doesn't seem to boost much at all   from the volume of the headphones directly into my Zune.
 
I have been using them daisy-chained for a few years now but, if the E12 could give me the amount of boost I want on its own I would just use it by itself. After all, one amp to turn on and off would be SO much simpler than turning three on and off.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 4:40 PM Post #3,714 of 3,739
  I don't typically listen at high volume....not these days anyway.
 
But, for the last few decades it has been hard to find a personal stereo that has decent volume. I find that you need to turn the volume higher to get the same amount of loudness that personal stereos from earlier would get turned up maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the way.
 
I think with MP3 players they have limited volume even more than they had with personal cassette and CD players. Likely because a lot of people make their own MP3's and often have the volume rather loud compared to the original source.
 
Personally I often boost the volume of an MP3 file simply because of the low output of the player.
 
As for stacking the headphone amps, the first two I got were from Boost-a-roo and it was a person from their company that told me I could increase the volume more by daisy chaining them. When I bought my third headphone amp, an Auvio amp from RadioShack, I discovered that the order in which the amps are connected makes a difference. If I have a them in a certain order the volume doesn't seem to boost much at all   from the volume of the headphones directly into my Zune.
 
I have been using them daisy-chained for a few years now but, if the E12 could give me the amount of boost I want on its own I would just use it by itself. After all, one amp to turn on and off would be SO much simpler than turning three on and off.

 
I think that maybe you should consider replacing your Zune with something more capable, like the FiiO X3 or X5. It will improve the sound quality and allow you to drive most of the portable headphones out there.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 4:54 PM Post #3,715 of 3,739
That would be something to consider if my Zune stops working but, right now I am not looking for a new player.
besides, I like the features of my Zune.
 
My Zune can drive my Sony headphones. if I want to have it at full volume. But doing that shortens the time before it needs to be recharged. Even with earbuds the volume is not great but, the fact that ear buds go in the ear that makes up for the limited volume on such devices. But, I don't care for ear buds. They are uncomfortable since I have to really shove them into my ears to keep them from popping out.
 
The ear buds that came with the Zune don't even fit in my ears that well so I have never used them. I have used a two other sets of buds before I decided to start using a headphone amp.
 
I typically hate change. So, until I have no choice I will stick with my Zune.
 
Mar 20, 2017 at 5:48 PM Post #3,716 of 3,739
  That would be something to consider if my Zune stops working but, right now I am not looking for a new player.
besides, I like the features of my Zune.
 
My Zune can drive my Sony headphones. if I want to have it at full volume. But doing that shortens the time before it needs to be recharged. Even with earbuds the volume is not great but, the fact that ear buds go in the ear that makes up for the limited volume on such devices. But, I don't care for ear buds. They are uncomfortable since I have to really shove them into my ears to keep them from popping out.
 
The ear buds that came with the Zune don't even fit in my ears that well so I have never used them. I have used a two other sets of buds before I decided to start using a headphone amp.
 
I typically hate change. So, until I have no choice I will stick with my Zune.

 
About the ear buds... Consider switching to IEMs. There are lots of great sounding choices starting at about 15USD. It will improve comfort and block out the ambient noise, enabling you to lower your listening volume levels.
 
Mar 24, 2017 at 7:30 AM Post #3,717 of 3,739
Can anyone suggest a modern phone/tablet that will work with the e12 (ie analogue line out)? I'll be using it to stream music as well as play from memory.

I've been using my ipod touch 4G its processor is slow by modern standards.

Failing that - are there any modern DAPs than are compatible with the e12?
 
Mar 24, 2017 at 8:34 AM Post #3,718 of 3,739
Can anyone suggest a modern phone/tablet that will work with the e12 (ie analogue line out)? I'll be using it to stream music as well as play from memory.

I've been using my ipod touch 4G its processor is slow by modern standards.

Failing that - are there any modern DAPs than are compatible with the e12?


Hi R300,
 
The E12 will make your phone/tablet louder, but will not improve the sound. A DAP (or DAC/amp) is what you need. I have used FiiO X3 and X5ii (both DAPs) with my E12 and it has no trouble driving my most demanding headphones (300 Ohm Sennheiser HD600s).
 
Cheers... Brian
 
Mar 24, 2017 at 9:53 AM Post #3,719 of 3,739
Can anyone suggest a modern phone/tablet that will work with the e12 (ie analogue line out)? I'll be using it to stream music as well as play from memory.

I've been using my ipod touch 4G its processor is slow by modern standards.

Failing that - are there any modern DAPs than are compatible with the e12?

The iPod Touch 4G need only be fast enough to do the job, which I suspect it is. What makes you think that it lacks enough CPU power?
 

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