[TrollDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by isagreg /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Audioengine D1 looks interesting too, and it is pretty "cheap" at $170.
But it definitely cannot drive 600 Ohms. But on the other hand Beyerdynamic DT880 comes in 250 Ohm as well. Don't know how different they are.
 
Should I be concerned that it is USB powered only?
Will it handle Q701 and HD600 (and DT880 250 Ohm) to full potential?

I sent my Audioengine D1 back to exchange it for an E09K since I already had the E17.
I had to turn the D1 up to almost full to get a decent level in my DT880 Pro's, as a portable DAC/AMP for a laptop with easy to drive headphones it's is a great little rig,
 
I chose the E09K for the E17 obviously, but it also has a Line Out, Pre Out and Aux In for a good functionality. The D1 only has a Pre Out so you'd have to unplug your headphones to drive powered speakers with it as you have to turn up the volume to control the RCA output levels...
 
I'd go with the E17/E09K combo for functionality if you need it and portability with the E17should the need ever arise. The Schiit M&M Stack is a great option as well but the M&M has no Line Out, Pre Out or Aux In other than the two RCA's you hook them together with.
 
Edit: Now the Modi with the E09K is a interesting choice and would work great.

 

[sonitus mirus]

I only use the D1 as a DAC paired with either an O2, Asgard, or HeadRoom Micro Amp.  In this scenario, I never bother with the headphone amp aspect of the D1.
 
If I use the optical input, I use an AC USB charger that comes with any phone or tablet to power the D1.  If the source uses USB, then I have no option.  I just leave the D1 volume at maximum (2 Vrms) and connect to an amp with the RCA outputs using an appropriate cable, either RCA to mini for my O2 and Micro Amp, or straight RCA to RCA if using the Asgard.
 
The D1 is a good DAC, but not that great of a headphone amp.

 

[isagreg]

So what do I do? I'm even more confused now.
One guy praises something, the other says it's crap not very capable...
Please help.

 

[TrollDragon]

Quote:

So what do I do? I'm even more confused now.
One guy praises something, the other says it's crap...
Please help.

What was crap?
The Audioengine D1?
It will not drive 250Ω headphones well, that's not crap, it's just a limitation of the headphone amplifier circuitry not having enough power. I just don't think as an Amp you would be very happy with it.
 
I even emailed Audioengine USA and asked them if the D1 would drive DT880 Pro's to a respectable level? I received a "Many of our owners are satisfied with the D1 and their 300Ω headphones." response... It wasn't out of the box for 15 minutes before I was filling out the exchange form for B&H.
 
I never tested it as a DAC, but I imagine as sonitus mirus says it's a good DAC.
 
So there was no crap called on any product, it just didn't meet my requirements that's all.
I didn't mean to confuse you.

 

[isagreg]

TrollDragon, a few questions:
 
1. E09K is just an amp, what is that back USB for?
 
2. The specs say:
Headphone impedance range 16 - 600 ohms
Output Power ≥ 900 mW (32 ohms loaded)
                     ≥ 150 mW（300 ohms loaded
What about 600 ohm?
 
3. And how do they handle the warranty service if needed? One sends the product to China?

 

[Koolpep]

TrollDragon, E09K is just an amp, what is that back USB for?

The specs say:
Headphone impedance range 16 - 600 ohms
Output Power ≥ 900 mW (32 ohms loaded)
                     ≥ 150 mW（300 ohms loaded

What about 600 ohm?

And how do they handle the warranty service if needed? One sends the product to China?

The USB in the E09K will connect to the DAC of the E17/E07K if they are docked, so you minimize cable clutter. The amp section of the E9 uses then the DAC (but not the amp) of the docked device. They are made to work as a team. If you don't have any of the devices docked the USB has NO function.

Warranty: same as with every foreign product, local dealer or local distributor takes care of warranty issues in the name of the company. You don't send your BMW, Porsche, Merc to Germany for warranty

Regarding the power, I would send Jamesfiio a message here on headfi.

Hope that helps,
K

 

[isagreg]

Thanks Koolpep,
 
RE: "...The USB in the E09K will connect to the DAC of the E17/E07K if they are docked, so you minimize cable clutter..."
So the E09K connects to E17 with USB cable or just dock, or both?
 
If you buy FiiO from Amazon (or bhphotovideo) who will service it?

 

[Koolpep]

Quote:

Thanks Koolpep,
 
RE: "...The USB in the E09K will connect to the DAC of the E17/E07K if they are docked, so you minimize cable clutter..."
So the E09K connects to E17 with USB cable or just dock, or both?
 
If you buy FiiO from Amazon (or bhphotovideo) who will service it?

 
No, the E09K has a dock for the E17/E07K on top. That's where the connector is. No clutter. So you connect the E09K to your PC/Mac and the rest is done internally between E09K and E07K/E17. 
 

 
 
Well a check on Fiio's website would answer that. (Except it's down at the moment).
 
I believe it's Miccastore.com as the distributor in the US, but that's after the period the dealer is responsible (not sure how long that is in the US).
 
Cheers,
K

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

TrollDragon, a few questions:
 
1. E09K is just an amp, what is that back USB for?
 
2. The specs say:
Headphone impedance range 16 - 600 ohms
Output Power ≥ 900 mW (32 ohms loaded)
                     ≥ 150 mW（300 ohms loaded
What about 600 ohm?
 
3. And how do they handle the warranty service if needed? One sends the product to China?

i too have had the same warranty concerns with chinese equipment. as i learned about fiio in general i've come to regard them as a chinese version of sony
they are a global company, pretty well respected, and the product they put out to consumers has fantastic "value" , it would be hard to beat fiio's price to performance ratio.
they take pride in their products, they take measures to combat the "bogus" forgeries out there, they participate here on head-fi as someone pointed out.
i've had their e10 dac/amp for almost 2 years, it was my first dac, i've never had one bit of trouble with it, and it sounds great, and paid $60 for it delivered from amazon.
i've had both the e09k and the magni, both just over $100 delivered.
in sound terms, in "fit and finish" and quality, to me its a toss up, just a matter of personal preference .
now the name "schiit" may you give more "pride of ownership" they have more "cache'" the schiit stuff is killer, and they have great customer service.
but if flexibility is important, and it is to me, the fiio options given here are hard to beat

 

[wes008]

Fiio, for a Chinese company making low-price products, makes VERY good amps and DACs for their price point. Someone mentioned the Audioengine D1 earlier, I had no idea it had coaxial! That might be a good choice, it'll drive your current headphones fine, but the DT 880 and HD 600 won't be driven to even half of their capacity with it. 
 
P.S. Oh, and the "what about 600 ohms," on the Fiio E09k, if it can only deliver 150mw into a 300 Ohm load, I dunno how well it'll handle a 600 Ohm load  

 

[Brooko]

@OP - I can thoroughly recommend the NFB 12.1 (I have the vanilla NFB-12 with the internal jumpers).
 
I own the K701, DT880 (600), and HD600 - and it drives them all with plenty of headroom.
 
The 12.1 is supposed to have a slightly fuller (warmer) signature than the 15.32, so it depends on what you like.  But I find it pairs really well with the brighter DT880 and K701.  Sounds fantastic with the HD600 as well.  At this stage I have no intention of upgrading - even if I get better headphones.
 
Audio-gd has been a great company to deal with.  Their gear is pretty good.

 

[av2606]

Have you see this thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/666845/topping-d3-june-2013-release-dac-headphone-amp
 
Topping D3, just came out this week. DAC + Headphone amp, has nearly every input under the sun. For $200.

 

[isagreg]

Quote:

@OP - I can thoroughly recommend the NFB 12.1 (I have the vanilla NFB-12 with the internal jumpers).
 
I own the K701, DT880 (600), and HD600 - and it drives them all with plenty of headroom.
 
The 12.1 is supposed to have a slightly fuller (warmer) signature than the 15.32, so it depends on what you like.  But I find it pairs really well with the brighter DT880 and K701.  Sounds fantastic with the HD600 as well.  At this stage I have no intention of upgrading - even if I get better headphones.
 
Audio-gd has been a great company to deal with.  Their gear is pretty good.

NFB 12.1 (and 15.32) specs:
3500mW/ 25 ohm
1800mW/ 50 ohm
900mW/ 100 ohm
300mW/ 300 ohm
150mW/ 600 ohm
 
Schiit Magni specs:
1200mW/ 32 ohm
1000mW/ 50 ohm
260mW/ 300 ohm
130mW/ 600 ohm
 
The specs are very close. If Magni can't handle 600 ohm well then how NFB does it?
And how do you buy their stuff?

 

[isagreg]

Quote:

Have you see this thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/666845/topping-d3-june-2013-release-dac-headphone-amp
 
Topping D3, just came out this week. DAC + Headphone amp, has nearly every input under the sun. For $200.

Thanks, but:
110mW/ 300 ohm
70mW/ 600 ohm
They don't offer much power.

 

[wes008]

Quote:

 
The specs are very close. If Magni can't handle 600 ohm well then how NFB does it?
And how do you buy their stuff?

All in the design. A Magni/Modi may cost almost as much, but that was made in the US, where parts/production are more expensive. Now, the Magni/Modi do sound darn good for how little they cost and how simple their design is, but the NFB12.1 was just built to drive headphones better.