[semicolon]

As the Title says!
I am receiving a pair of Fostex T50RPs (Was going to get a pair of ATH-M30s but the orthodynamic driver of the T50RPs intrigue me somewhat) as a gift some time soon. I am intending on using them as a portable set, as my SoundMagic P50s just died and I haven't had a decent pair of headphones in a while, so I figured why not?
Anyways, Getting to the questions:



I have a 5th gen iPod lying around, although I've heard that the quality isn't too excellent. I've considered installing Rockbox, but I wasn't sure whether the quality issues were completely hardware related or if a new firmware like Rockbox could solve some of the issues?

On extension, I was considering purchasing a portable headphone amp. I've heard that the Fiio E11 is half decent, but I also like the DAC aspect of the E7. Is it worth the extra money for the E7? I'm on a bit of a tight budget. If either of those don't seem like the best choices, could you recommend any others? If possible, something with a DAC like the E7.

Final Question: Mods for the headphones. I've seen heaps around, but I'm not exactly certain what it is that's being done or what sort of improvements are being seen (heard). Can anyone give me a "T50RP modding for dummies" sorta thing?

Thanks for the help.
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, by the way. I just figured since it's all based around the Fostexs, this was the best area to put it in.

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[Questhate]

I've used that exact setup (ipod classic --> Fiio E11 --> Fostex T50RP) and it is a great setup for the money. The Fostex will upscale well with a desktop amp that can push more current, but I've clocked many blissful hours on the portable setup you proposed.

One thing to note is that if you're using the E7 with your ipod, you are bypassing the DAC section so that point is moot.

 

[PurpleAngel]

There is always the E6, with the Fiio L3 or L9 cable.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

If you're modding the T50RP, it's likely going to need a more heavy duty amp than the E7 or E6. As the T50RP is modded with Plasticine and other materials, it increases the amount of power needed to reach the same volume by a large margin. Tyll's measurements at Inner Fidelity indicate that a well-modded T50RP needs about 2.6V of power to reach 110dB peak SPL. The E6 and E7 are not really guaranteed to put out much more than 1.2-1.4V into the T50RP. The E11 might be sufficient for your needs by punching up to around 2V into the T50RP's impedance -- it really depends how loud you play your music.
 
The T50RP is a power-hungry planar magnetic when properly dampened, but it'll give amazing dividends if you mod it. 

 

[semicolon]

I don't have it at super-high volumes, but I guess I'll get the E11 just in case. Never know when you'll need to make your ears bleed

Are there any sound quality differences between the different Fiio models that have been mentioned?
Also, Any ideas about the Rockbox ordeal? If I would be bypassing the DAC if I were to use an E7, would Rockbox show any sort of noticable increase in quality?

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

The E7 can't bypass the iPod DAC, it bypasses a computer or laptop's DAC via USB. The E7 and E6 both should be pretty similar in terms of actual sound quality. I've heard good things about the E11 as well. I don't think you'll see much of an issue with any of these amps in terms of sound coloration. 
 
Quote:

I don't have it at super-high volumes, but I guess I'll get the E11 just in case. Never know when you'll need to make your ears bleed

Are there any sound quality differences between the different Fiio models that have been mentioned?
Also, Any ideas about the Rockbox ordeal? If I would be bypassing the DAC if I were to use an E7, would Rockbox show any sort of noticable increase in quality?

 

 

[semicolon]

What about what PurpleAngel was saying with the Line-out cables? What sort of a difference would that give?
Quote:

There is always the E6, with the Fiio L3 or L9 cable.

 

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

What about what PurpleAngel was saying with the Line-out cables? What sort of a difference would that give?


 

The line-out dock (LOD; also the port where you plug in your charging cable on the iPod) bypasses the internal amp.  If you're using an external amp like the E6/7/11, this will probably give you better, or at least cleaner, sound since you aren't amping the signal twice like you would be if you plugged the amp into the headphone out.  You can buy cables that connect to this port from Fiio, and a few other places as well.
 
As for differences between the Fiio models, the E6 is a basic amp; increases the power slightly and has a couple of different preset EQ settings.  The E7 has a more powerful amp, along with a USB DAC chip for computer use.  The E11 has an even better amp circuit, but no DAC chip.