[KraziEarss]

Hello all Head-fi'ers!
 
I am currently in the market for a portable amp to complete my fiio x1 stack.  I currently own hifiman re-400's and listen to a lot of classical and jazz (all flac). I've read many times over that the e11k by Fiio is the recommended choice, but I can't find any specs on how it performs with 600 ohm cans (I dont own any but I hear they sound better than the lower ohm range).  I guess I am looking for something that can run my iem's while giving tons of detail and soundstage but also run some good headphones as well (I prefer the kind that cover my entire ear instead of on ear). Has anybody paired their fiio x1 with anything else? I'd like to stay in the price range of $100. Any and all help is greatly welcome and appreciated. Must haves listed again below:
 
Music taste: Jazz/Classical/Occasional R&B
 
Sours: Fiio X1
 
Current IEM's: Hifiman Re-400 (Will be buying a few others but these are my first big deal purchase)
 
SQ: I would like more detail and a wider sound stage (BB is a plus)
 
Where I am listening: I will be listening to this setup at my desk at work (DAC wont connect here) and at home while reading (Working on 100 books everyone should read before dying)
 
Thanks in advance and Happy Listening!

 

[billybob_jcv]

I think you have some misconceptions about the role impedance plays in headphones. You really can't make a sweeping statement like "higher impedance headphones sound better". This might help: http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-impedance In particular the sections with pros & cons of low & high impedance headphones.

To answer your direct question, for the E11K, Fiio shows a recommended impedance range of 16-150 Ohms. This, combined with the fact that the specs also show only 270 milliwatts of output for 32 Ohms, tells me it is very unlikely the E11K is a good amp for 600 Ohm headphones. I suspect the vast majority of portable amps will be struggling with 600 Ohm headphones.

 

[KraziEarss]

I'm sorry for that statement I understand the technical aspect a bit. I was just guessing this is the case because some manufacturers make the same headphone in multiple ohm loads. Ok, so if I do decide to go with the e11k I just need to make sure the headphones have a ohm load of possible 150 and below for good sound? I know I've read and read just want to make sure this is a good choice to pair with fiio X1. Majority of my listening will be with iems except for at home. Guess my problem is I can't have my cake and eat it too lol. Will I guess need a second setup for larger cans at home for larger cans?

 

[billybob_jcv]

Well, you can always give a try. No matter what, it will be better than straight out of your PC. Worst case is that you then decide to go spend another $100 for a Schiit Magni. The Magni does pretty well:

Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 1.8W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 1.2W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.0W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 260mW RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 130mW RMS per channel


 

[KraziEarss]

Amazing specs on that unit! May definitely be worth the investment once I have a good laptop. My laptop is strictly for Netflix and buying music....no special sound card or anything like that in it. Now I'm torn, some suggest just getting fiio x3 over an X1 with e11k. Searching for more input but not much help between the two setups and yes I've torn apart the forums and search functions

 

[SteveHiFi]

I've done a bit of testing with an E11 - it can power the HD650 (300ohm) to a good volume level  - whether it gets the best from the headphones is a whole different question of course!
 
I like my E12 with 600ohm cans and it's only rated up to 300 (I think) - the E18 is rated to only to 150 and drives them well too, so the power should be there at least. It sounds OK to me..
 
The X3 has a slightly smoother sound with the X1 giving the impression of greater accuracy, but I think it was slightly brittle sounding - great for the price though. I'm happy with my X3 as there's no wheel which I fail spectacularly to get on with.

 

[KraziEarss]

  I've done a bit of testing with an E11 - it can power the HD650 (300ohm) to a good volume level  - whether it gets the best from the headphones is a whole different question of course!
 
I like my E12 with 600ohm cans and it's only rated up to 300 (I think) - the E18 is rated to only to 150 and drives them well too, so the power should be there at least. It sounds OK to me..
 
The X3 has a slightly smoother sound with the X1 giving the impression of greater accuracy, but I think it was slightly brittle sounding - great for the price though. I'm happy with my X3 as there's no wheel which I fail spectacularly to get on with.

You sir are my new best friend, lol!  The reason I am asking between the two is that here I can order a fiio x1 from wal-mart and I currently have $70 in walmart gift cards...I'm unable to order the x3 through them.  I guess this is why I'm pushing so hard. I've also received $40 in best buy gift cards, so that will handle my 64 gb sd card. I like the idea of spending $100 and having a portable rig that is the x1+e11k+64gb card, but if the sound isn't there then it's just not there. On the upside, I can never miss what I've never heard.  I figure it will last me until I can save up for a higher reference DAP, possibly x5/dx90. Will it look awkward having the x1 and e12k with the amp being a couple of inches longer than the actual DAP?  Only concern there is some have said the e12 doesn't sound as good with iems which are my main speakers working 9 hour days at my desk.  There's so much information, but I'm wanting my first mid-fi/hi-fi experience to be a good one and hope this will quench my thirst for a bit.

 

[SteveHiFi]

The new E12a is out and designed specifically to address those IEM concerns - can you find one of those? I just tried one today funnily enough, but tend not to use the E12 with IEMs, just my X3.
 
The E12a is silver, so at least will match the X1 in colour! I don't imagine it looking silly or awkward at all.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Impedance is only part of the equation - sensitivity is the other aspect. A high impedance headphone that is also fairly efficient may not need a lot of power, and conversely, a low impedance headphone that is not efficient may still require a lot of power.

 

[KraziEarss]

Impedance is only part of the equation - sensitivity is the other aspect. A high impedance headphone that is also fairly efficient may not need a lot of power, and conversely, a low impedance headphone that is not efficient may still require a lot of power.

I'll be researching exactly what that means today, lol.  i've only made purchases based on popularity and reviews, so the exact pairing i'm rather foreign to.
 
i've read on the e12a but i also wanted to eventually also use headphones as well instead of being confined to iem's. it may be a good start and save the whole headphone setup for on down the road of this journey...still so many other iems i'd like to try.  ok e11k or e12a for my fiio x1 it is.....i think lol

 

[SteveHiFi]

That's what I thought about the E12a - but it is fine with IEMs and full size headphones too.

 

[KraziEarss]

  That's what I thought about the E12a - but it is fine with IEMs and full size headphones too.

You're killing me here, but I'll see if I can't go somewhere locally and test it out.  It is more money but maybe better results

 

[billybob_jcv]

I think you are worrying too much about what headphones you *might*, *someday*, *maybe* own. I've been in this game for decades. Amps & headphones come and go, and thinking that you are buying the "last" of anything is not the head-fi way!! This is simply the *next* purchase, it is never the last! In all the decades I've been in audio, and the dozens of headphones I have owned, I've never owned a 600 ohm headphone. I have a couple of 300 ohm and I have some hard to drive low sensitivity headphones, but nothing that can't be driven by some combination of the half-dozen amps I can use. If I ever do get a headphone that I can't amp properly, then I'll worry about it then.

 

[KraziEarss]

You're so very right and I guess I'm weary about it all but excited about the upgrade in already good audio that my clip+ provides.