[Jlava]

I am looking to get a portable amp for my vmoda m80s and vsonic gr07 BEs and am looking at the Fiio E11. Is this a good amp that I can use for future upgrades as well?

 

[cel4145]

The E11 is definitely a good amp. Checkout this portable amp shootout:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/596482/the-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout-11-1-amps-compared
Rankings are after the reviews.

 

[Jlava]

God this made it even harder to decide lol. So many options for the sub 100 and the sub 200. Is it worth getting a amp/DAC combo? Does the DAC quality suffer at all?

 

[cel4145]

The DAC/amp may not be worth it. Depends on what you are going to hook it up to. Sometimes all you need is a headphone amp

 

[Jlava]

Its hard to tell in that guide which ones are amp and which have a DAC too. Still a hard decision. The E11 looks good but you think the increase in price for the E12 is worth it? The review says it lacks soundstage which is really nice to have. Im look to pay around 150 ish max, any suggestions? I feel stuck on Fiio but hear the most about them. Portability is key as well

 

[cel4145]

E12 is nice for the price. It's pretty big compared to some of the others. It's also one of the most powerful, which is a plus should you ever upgrade to hard to drive headphones.

 

[Jlava]

It doesnt seem too big in the pictures I find, even next to an Ipod. Well not big enough to be that much of a problem. Leaning toward it

 

[Jlava]

Ugh now I may go back to the E17. Do I need a DAC? It seems I may. I definetly do for my PC as my sound card is bad, but eventually upgradable with motherboard. Do I need it for a mobile device like an Ipod Touch. Btw thanks for the help

 

[cel4145]

I'm not an Apple person, but older models allow you to use an adapter to get a line out to run to a headphone amp. Newer models require a lightning adapter. So not sure how you use a DAC with either. Sound quality is pretty good out of them, so the E17's DAC probably isn't that much better anyway. But better to ask some Apple users.