[arpinnurmela]

I just received my Schiit Fulla E today. I purchased this to replace my first generation Schiit Hel, which requires both a USB for connecting to the computer and another one for powering it. The Fulla E can operate with only a USB connection to the computer from which it draws power. My computer is a laptop and I often like sitting in various spots with my laptop instead of having a dedicated workstation. As such I have barely been using my Hel. For laptop listening I prefer to use my reinvigorated Grado SR60 with air-gapped solid silver wire running to a silver plated 6.3mm plug, and as such all commentary will be in reference to these headphones unless otherwise noted.

Look and Feel​

Out of the box the Fulla has a high quality feel. It has just enough weight so that plugging in a 6.3mm cable doesn't feel like I'm overwhelming it. The provided USB C to USB A cable also has a high quality feel to it. And Schiit was thoughtful enough to include a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter. The volume knob is a delightful experience and makes you feel like you didn't purchase a bargain basement product. It has four durable feeling sticky feet on the bottom. Packaging was typical Schiit excellence. The metal quality all around the device feels excellent.

Digital Smorgasbord​

With the use of the new ESS DAC the Fulla can natively process all the way up to 32-bit and into the 300Hz range. I typically prefer to listen to my own music library, which on my computer is lossy HE-AAC. On the Hel I typically found that matching sample rate frequency very important and I find the same to be true on the Fulla E. One notable difference however is that I seem to be preferring 32-bit/44.1kHz on the Fulla, whereas on the Hel I definitely preferred the 24-bit/44.1kHz. It's a subtle difference but in general I'm glad to have the option to play with higher sampling frequencies. I did try out 32-bit/352.8kHz and it sounds much the same. For some reason I'm not enjoying 24-bit upscaling on my lossy files on the Fulla.

Initial Sound Impressions​

Detail levels are very high on the Fulla, even with lossy playback, exceeding perceived detail on the Hel. Switching over to my Tidal app and streaming lossless music files in "exclusive mode" where the Tidal app captures the Fulla E for exclusive use is a notable step up in SQ. Definitely takes the quality up a full level in my opinion, and really makes the Fulla E shine. So you will be well rewarded with high resolution files on this device. And if you run Qobuz, Tidal, or Audirvana, let them take control of the Fulla and enjoy the show. If you are a detail hog first and a touchy feely second, the Fulla is not going to let you down with hi-rez.

Loudness/volume gets louder than the Hel in low gain. This means that the Fulla E will have a wide range of flexibility regarding the number of headphones it will be able to play to substantial levels, despite having only one gain setting. On my SR60 I find it difficult to get past 2pm on the dial. After around 1pm on the SR60 I start hearing dynamic compression and past 2pm I start to hear very subtle distortion. Keeping the volume below 1pm is much preferred for SQ, and in this way the volume knob seems to act more like a gain knob rather than a volume control. To be specific, I am only running the Fulla E via the USB bus power on my laptop and I do not have another USB A to C cable to test what happens when the Fulla E is getting powered separately. When I get an additional cable I'll test this and post an update.

Depth of sound definitely goes to the Hel. The Fulla in comparison feels like a very well designed USB DAC with a volume knob rather than a headphone amplifier. Yes, it is much better than many USB DACs but USB DACs have been making serious headway over the past year and there are now multiple options available with similar output power to the Fulla. The Fulla E isn't going to set any new benchmarks for musicality. Music layering feels substantially less than the Hel, which could be principally due to not having a separate power supply like the Hel does.

Final Thoughts​

To be honest, I'm second guessing my eBay listing of the Hel. And if my Hel doesn't get more traction I might take that as a sign and pull down that listing and list the Fulla E. The Fulla E is probably the best sounding USB DAC I've ever heard. Hands down. It doesn't have the plaintiveness that many affordable mid-tier USB DACs tend to have. Even more expensive USB DACs don't tend to have as full of a sound as this Fulla E does. So in this regard, I'd happily choose the Fulla E over most $200 USB DACs and keep the extra $100. There's no doubt in my mind that the Fulla E is a brilliant pairing for any headphone under $150. Paired with an entry level Grado or maybe a SHP9500 this thing is a straight done deal. You simply don't need more than this. But the minute you put a more demanding headphone on it, I think it's fair to say that you won't be maxing that headphone's potential out. You're leaving much on the table. Even a Grado SR125 or Senn 58X wouldn't make sense on something like this. Put those onto a Hel every day of the week and enjoy. The Hel is only $90 more, and you'll never think twice about that $90 with the Hel. Does the Fulla E on USB port power make for a competent solution for a modded headphone? Well, I don't think so. You're modding for a reason, and the Fulla E has its limits, especially on USB port power.

A friend hears your >$500 headphone setup and they want a recommendation on how to get started with their own setup for $200ish. The Fulla E is the first thing you tell them about. Then you recommend a <$100 headphone. Your friend will thank you.

Caveat​

My Schiit Hel took about a week to really burn in and stop frustrating me. So maybe I need to revisit this review.

 

[arpinnurmela]

Fulla E with Koss KPH30i - Geniusness​

Uhhhh, yeah... this is totally awesome. There is a synergy happening between these two that is simply excellent. The KPH30i on the Hel are fine, they're good, but why bother. The KPH30i on the Fulla E? Holy cow!! Smooth, well balanced, resolving detail. Frankly it's a notably better partnership than the Grado are.

Look, this is just one of those things that happens all the time in hifi. It's called synergy. On the Hel, my Grado SR60 sound way better than the Hel, to the point that it's not really a meaningful comparison. But one of the most important things you need to consider in building a system is how two or more things work together. Do they compliment each other or fight with each other. I felt like the SR60 were sort of fighting with the Fulla E. With the KPH30i it's a beautiful marriage. There's all sorts of reasons why this might happen, but generally it happens due to differences in load 60ohms (Koss) vs 32ohms (Grado). It happens due to driver sensitivity. It happens due to individual colorations combining for a happy marriage.

I've been doing a fair amount of listening with my Koss via the 3.5mm output on my laptop. And I really enjoy the Koss in general on my other portable solutions, but I get annoyed listening to the Koss via the 3.5mm on my laptop. It lacks clarity and drive, two things that I think the Koss typically excel at. But driving them off of the Fulla E is a true pleasure. The entire musical spectrum is very well resolved and beats out my Arcam MusicBoost solution, which is kind of blowing my mind right now. There's a delicacy to the sound that delivers a shocking amount of nuance and I love nuance in my music. And when I put on electronica this marriage starts shining even more. The low end frequencies keep up without feeling forced in any way. Current delivery is clearly optimal at this higher impedance load. Dynamic compression is greatly reduced here and my ears start hurting before I can hear significant distortion or dynamic compression on this pairing.

There's this constant and annoying aspect to hifi that great systems have to cost a fortune. And so I always love when a true budget pairing comes along and not only shines, but shines without compromises. The Fulla E maxes the KPH30i. All the way. Nothing is left behind and frankly this pairing is as good as the best I've ever heard the KPH30i. My sister owns a KPH30i and loves them. She's been wanting a DAC/Amp... problem solved. And what a sleeper gift for someone ringing in at $150 shipped!

 

[arpinnurmela]

Fulla E with Verum One - Limitness​

Yikes. I have to stop typing to take these off...

Of course. Limits do exist. Yes, they do. And no... not every amplifier can play every headphone. FACT.

Just in case, I dropped the volume before putting the Verum One on the Fulla. And I immediately heard distortion. I turned down the volume and still heard distortion. I turned it down some more and still heard distortion. So, I understand the theory that the Verum One are easy to drive. And I understand the theory that the Fulla E can play any headphone. But folks, I'm getting distortion here, at all volumes to boot. The Verum One are a difficult load. Just don't do this kind of nonsense okay?

And yes, it is only running on USB port power but that's the way the cookie crumbles today. I did order an additional cable for powering this thing. But I'm allergic to distortion of any kind, as any good audiophile should be.

Moral of the story: low impedance headphones are not allies of the Fulla E especially on USB port power.

 

[arpinnurmela]

Fulla E with separate power cable - going back to Hel​

Well, I held out some hope that a separate power cable could make a difference, and it might have, but too small. Plugging and unplugging the power was straight forward and quick enough that I could imagine that adding power took off a small bit of edge that the Fulla E had. But... it was still difficult to listen to a high dynamics song. The Fulla E just remains with too much edge and graininess at the limit for me. Maybe Schiit was optimistic about the voltage setting they went with. Especially so for a 32ohm load. I think this makes the Fulla E a difficult recommendation for anyone, because there are a wide range of headphones available in the 20-32ohm range, especially so in the budget range. Buyer must beware and make sure that they go with a higher impedance headphone than something like a Grado.

It's frustrating. I have to return the Fulla E. I was really wanting to like it. I really did. But since I already have a Hel, and the differential between the two is what it is I have to keep the Hel and the two cord solution.

Hel 1st Gen​

Wonderful headphone amplifier. Power for really anything and smooth and musical. A total hit and worth the $90 more every day you wear headphones. I am a complainer over the high gain mode of the Hel which for me isn't great and loses a touch of dimensionality and detail. But there's no doubt that high gain mode Hel beats Fulla E at any volume level on any headphone. It's a pure winner.