[haroldlloyd]

[just posted this in the fiio forum but I think it might be better suited here as I'm not sure fiio offer a direct upgrade]

So I have an E10 which tends to be used to boost / improve the sound coming out of a macbook pro. I have some decent IEMs and am about to invest in some V-Moda M100's. I believe the E10 is the previous iteration of FiiO amps. So what's the best upgrade for it in my position? Pumping stuff out of an iPhone 5 would be occasionally useful but I don't really care about it so it's nothing like a deal-breaker. Something smallish and which might provide better sq than the E10. What do you recommend?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Maybe look into a Fiio E17 (sell off the E10)?

 

[haroldlloyd]

Ah, good. I went on the Fiio web site and got thoroughly confused by the numerous product names and numbers and abilities. I couldn't work out what was supposed to be better or more advanced than anything else. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Ah, good. I went on the Fiio web site and got thoroughly confused by the numerous product names and numbers and abilities. I couldn't work out what was supposed to be better or more advanced than anything else. 

The V-Moda Crossfade M-100s are only 32-Ohm, so I'm not sure if the E17 amp feature would make a difference.
 
You could hook up the E17 to the optical output on the Mac.
But not sure on how much better the E17's DAC feature is compared to the E10's.
 
Right now on Amazon the Fiio E17 is selling for $105 with free shipping (normally $140).
Good time to buy.

 

[bowei006]

Last I checked, in terms of SQ, FiiO pegged it like this
 
Lower SQ to higher:
 
FiiO E11 Killimanjaro
E07K ANDES
FiiO E10 Olympus
FiiO E17
FiiO E12
 
Like another user pointed out, there may not be a need for an amp for the M100's to drive them, but some do like the improvements amps can give.

 

[haroldlloyd]

That's really helpful. Thanks.

I find even small iems benefit from an amp coming out of the MacBook Pro. If nothing else, it cuts out the hiss you often get from on board audio and the headphone port. But they boost the sound nicely as well.