[titusbartos]

Hey guys, I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro with a Fiio Olympus 2 - have any of you had both the Fiio Olympus 2 and the Apogee Groove? Was there any noticeable difference between the two?
Thanks!
T

 

[mtliu]

I've got both the Fiio E07K and Fiio E17K. Both use the same DAC chip as the Olympus 2 (E10K). The amp section on the E10K is slightly better than the E17k, which in turn is slightly better than the E07K. The Apogee sounds better than them all and has more power. Even when the portable DACs are mated with the E09K dock, the Apogee still sounds better.

I thought the E17K+E09K (using line-out from the E17K) was awesome, until I heard the Groove. The Fiio suffers from a little smearing during high-energy cymbal crashes or powerful bass lines. It's as if the energy needed to reproduce these dynamic sounds chokes all other content - but only to a small degree. The Apogee is also more open and guitars and strings sound more euphoric and have more of a shimmer.

I've been using the Apogee with the M70x, and at a setting of 4/100, it is loud enough. Some music I've had to turn up to 10/100 - but anymore than that and it gets too loud for me to listen to.

 

[cel4145]

You are comparing a $75 DAC+headphone amp to a $300 one?

I would ask questions here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/751947/apogee-groove-dac-headphone-amp

 

[mtliu]

Put in the dock, and the Fiios actually come in around the same price as the Apogee. The Apogee still sounds better than any Fiio combo mentioned here.