[torchwood1203]

I'm looking for a portable amp to pair with cowon s9 and dt 1350, is fiio e11 good at this price range?

 

[Anathallo]

At the $60 range that the E11 sits in, I have tried the PA2V2, the JDSLabs CMoy and the E11 paired with the 1350.
 
In my opinion,
 
The JDSLabs CMoy will bring out the already strong vocals and widen the soundstage (it will take the 1350 sound and make it bigger).
 
The E11 is a lot more closed, but it also gives a lot more to the bottom end (more 'thump' to the bass), although it makes the sound a little more anemic.  The bass boost switch will increase that further, but at the cost of control and tightness.
 
The PA2V2 has the least effect on sound, but I find it increases the PRaT and sweetens the highs.
 
I personally use the E11 the most out of the 3 because of it's small size and USB charging capability, but if you take convenience out of the picture, I would pick the CMoy over the other two purely for the expanded soundstage and and warmer vocals.  I also find the CMoy's bass boost to be more realistic than FiiO's as well, but I rarely use the function on either amp.
 
All three power have ample power for the sensitive 1350s.
 
Would love to hear other people's opinions, though.

 

[ZARIM]

The Fiio E11 maybe help to sound better but AMPs only sound it's best when it feed with line level signals like through iPod dock, Sony media port, S-Flo2 lineout.

 

[Mochan]

I would personally pair the DT1350 with a bassy amp.
 
The FiiO E11 is very bassy, but I'm not quite happy with its mids. As mentioned by Anathallo, it is also very closed-sounding. A CMOY amp would be good, I agree, won't add that much to the bass (and I always feel the DT1350 needs more bass) but its good in the mids.
 
I haven't heard the PA2V2.
 
Since you are using an S9, I really don't recommend using an amp at all. As Zarim mentioned, you should ideally use amps with line-level output. Headphone out typically sounds too messy. The S9 is also a very powerful DAP as it is, I don't really see the need to amp it, and it has a wealth of EQ and DSP options to mold the sound.
 
The E11 is a step above the E5, but I remember before whenever I used the E5 out of headphone out and not line-out the sound was horrible, did more harm than good. The E11 is much better than the E5, I did not test it out of a headphone out (I don't do that anymore) but I am not confident in the resulting sound if you don't use line-out.

 

[MayaTlab]

The Beyer already have all the bass you'll ever want going by their FR charts.
 
What it doesn't have, however, is a full-bodied sound. It sounds somewhat tiny, unsubstantial, à la electrostatic headphones (at least the previous gen, I really liked what I heard of Stax's current lineup). Si I'd pair it with a portable amp that has a very controlled bass, but a full-bodied sound. I'm now using a TTVJ Slim which is OK as far as synergy goes. It does give the DT 1350 a more full-bodied sound. I regret however that the bass lacks a little definition (still better than most cheaper amps out there).
 
It might be outside of your budget though, but that's what I'd try to look for : an amp with clean and controlled bass frequencies, and a full-bodied sound (something more "earthy' than "airy" if you see what I mean).

 

[Anathallo]

I agree 100% and find that the cmoy does a respectable job at $60.
 
Quote:

The Beyer already have all the bass you'll ever want going by their FR charts.
 
What it doesn't have, however, is a full-bodied sound. It sounds somewhat tiny, unsubstantial, à la electrostatic headphones (at least the previous gen, I really liked what I heard of Stax's current lineup). Si I'd pair it with a portable amp that has a very controlled bass, but a full-bodied sound. I'm now using a TTVJ Slim which is OK as far as synergy goes. It does give the DT 1350 a more full-bodied sound. I regret however that the bass lacks a little definition (still better than most cheaper amps out there).
 
It might be outside of your budget though, but that's what I'd try to look for : an amp with clean and controlled bass frequencies, and a full-bodied sound (something more "earthy' than "airy" if you see what I mean).

 

 

[torchwood1203]

 
Quote:

I would personally pair the DT1350 with a bassy amp.
 
The FiiO E11 is very bassy, but I'm not quite happy with its mids. As mentioned by Anathallo, it is also very closed-sounding. A CMOY amp would be good, I agree, won't add that much to the bass (and I always feel the DT1350 needs more bass) but its good in the mids.
 
I haven't heard the PA2V2.
 
Since you are using an S9, I really don't recommend using an amp at all. As Zarim mentioned, you should ideally use amps with line-level output. Headphone out typically sounds too messy. The S9 is also a very powerful DAP as it is, I don't really see the need to amp it, and it has a wealth of EQ and DSP options to mold the sound.
 
The E11 is a step above the E5, but I remember before whenever I used the E5 out of headphone out and not line-out the sound was horrible, did more harm than good. The E11 is much better than the E5, I did not test it out of a headphone out (I don't do that anymore) but I am not confident in the resulting sound if you don't use line-out.

But from what I've read on the board, many people says that Cowon does make very decent hp out with a very clean output , would that means an amp would still benefit from the hp out?