[Xinze]

I have a new Fiio E11, and I think it's failing pretty bad.
 
My iPhone 4S can drive 250 Ohm Beyer DT770s loud enough for my liking, and I hear no difference when I plug in my amp and adjust the volume to the same level. All the rambling on from "audiophiles" about better trebles, more controlled bass, and whatnot can't be heard.
 
I'm pretty sure I have good hearing, as I'm 17, never had any issues with hearing in annual checkups, and I don't listen to loud music often. The MP3s I'm using are also 320/256 kbps, so I'm wondering.
 
If my iPhone can drive the Beyerdynamic Dt770 Pro 250 ohms loud enough and I don't hear an improvement with an amp, should I return it or get it replaced for defects?
 
Also, the Fiio L9 LOD sounds same as any male-male 3.5mm connector, and it costs 14 bucks too. Should I be hearing a major improvement, should I get my hearing checked, or should I just return the FiiO equipment and go iPhone -> FiiO E11 ->Beyer setup?

 

[Bill-P]

If you are satisfied with your iPhone, I think you should return the Fiio E11.
 
Not every headphone shows the difference between the amp and the source. You'll need to have some pretty good gears (and somewhat better ears) to pick out the difference.
 
Also amps aren't supposed to "alter" the source in any drastic way. Save for the bass boost and other things, amps without any boost usually should just make the signal louder.

 

[Xinze]

Quote:

If you are satisfied with your iPhone, I think you should return the Fiio E11.
 
Not every headphone shows the difference between the amp and the source. You'll need to have some pretty good gears (and somewhat better ears) to pick out the difference.
 
Also amps aren't supposed to "alter" the source in any drastic way. Save for the bass boost and other things, amps without any boost usually should just make the signal louder.

Most people around here that the new iPhone is good enough as a source, and I'm sure that if there are any headphones that should from amping, the Beyer 250 ohms would be among them. Do you mean that people who get portable amps only get them for the bass/eq or if their source can't get loud enough?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Did you fully charge the battery?
Did you set the E11 to high power mode (switch under battery)?
Did you set the E11 to high gain?

 

[Xinze]

Quote:

Did you fully charge the battery?
Did you set the E11 to high power mode (switch under battery)?
Did you set the E11 to high gain?

Nope, yes, yes.
 
Battery was charged this morning, was used for 2-3 hours so it shouldn't have any issues. Thing is, with the amp, I turn it to very low volume (3-4 out of a 10 dial). It gets painfully loud after 5. With my iPhone, the sound is same as 3-4 at about 90% volume straight out of the 3.5mm

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Nope, yes, yes.
 
Battery was charged this morning, was used for 2-3 hours so it shouldn't have any issues. Thing is, with the amp, I turn it to very low volume (3-4 out of a 10 dial). It gets painfully loud after 5. With my iPhone, the sound is same as 3-4 at about 90% volume straight out of the 3.5mm

I guess you iPhone 4S comes with a good built in headphone amplifier.
Time to return the Fiio.
 
 

 

[Xinze]

Quote:

I guess you iPhone 4S comes with a good built in headphone amplifier.
Time to return the Fiio.
 
 

So your saying the amplifier isn't supposed to "clear up" the trebles or "tighten" the bass without using it's EQ? And that other people get portable amps only because without it the headphone produces little to no noise?

 

[Bill-P]

Quote:

Most people around here that the new iPhone is good enough as a source, and I'm sure that if there are any headphones that should from amping, the Beyer 250 ohms would be among them. Do you mean that people who get portable amps only get them for the bass/eq or if their source can't get loud enough?

Well, I mentioned the other side of the coin. If you have very good gears, and your ears can discern the difference, then that's where the amp comes in. Since the differences are very minimal, you'd have to pay very close attention to the music to hear them. Sometimes it's more of a feeling than something audible. Most audio tracks on the market currently are also not going to show that minimal difference to you, regardless of whether they are MP3 320kbps or FLAC. In fact, for a "bad recording", 128kbps MP3 and FLAC wouldn't be much different.
 
That said, though, the difference can be heard, and the Fiio E11 can definitely make the iPhone sound better through LOD. You just need better gears to hear it.
 
But why am I telling you to return it then? That's because from your response, it sounds like the majority of your music won't benefit from the Fiio E11. It doesn't matter what the technical aspects are, or what other people tell you around here. If your ears can't hear it, then I think you should trust that more than what others tell you.

 

[Xinze]

I'm a sucker for placebos though. Well thanks guys for the help, I'll try to do some comparing and decide to keep or return

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

So your saying the amplifier isn't supposed to "clear up" the trebles or "tighten" the bass without using it's EQ? And that other people get portable amps only because without it the headphone produces little to no noise?

That's if there is anything to clear up, if your source (iPhone 4S) already comes with decent amplification, then the E11 is not going to be that much better.
Apple products seem to come with better quality DAC/amps then your average portable audio/video players (& phones).
There are lots of portable audio players that sell with less quality parts then your iPhone 4S
Your what, paying $200-$400 for the iPhone 4S and Apple can get a better price (buys in bulk) on parts then Fiio can.
So apple can afford to put a decent headphone amplifier in the iPhone 4S.
Making "noise" is cheap, making quality noise costs more.
 
 
 

 

[Xinze]

Quote:

That's if there is anything to clear up, if your source (iPhone 4S) already comes with decent amplification, then the E11 is not going to be that much better.
Apple products seem to come with better quality DAC/amps then your average portable audio/video players (& phones).
There are lots of portable audio players that sell with less quality parts then your iPhone 4S
Your what, paying $200-$400 for the iPhone 4S and Apple can get a better price (buys in bulk) on parts then Fiio can.
So apple can afford to put a decent headphone amplifier in the iPhone 4S.
Making "noise" is cheap, making quality noise costs more.
 
 
 

So yes, on other devices such as Sansa Players, the Beyers would be so quiet that an amp would be needed to reach a decent listening level?
 
 

 

[Erikesp]

Quote:

 If your ears can't hear it, then I think you should trust that more than what others tell you.

I agree with the above.  You are the one who needs to be satisfied with the sound.  Seems like you have a negative opinion of the E11 now so you may not be able to get past that and enjoy it.  I am like that sometimes.  If I get a negative impression of something initially, it is difficult for me to ever feel good about it.  I say check it out for a while and if you don't change your mind about it you can always sell it here.  Good luck!  

 

[ClieOS]

There is the question of whether amp makes a difference, and there is also the question the whether you can tell those difference (or in another of saying it, whether those difference is different enough for you). If any one of the answer for both question is no, then obvious you don't need to use an amp. However, my personal experience is that the initial impression can sometime be misleading - so if you are in no tight schedule to return it, give it sometime. Listening to it exclusively for a while, then switch back to your normal setup. If you still find no difference, return it then.

 

[kova4a]

Well, I for one wouldn't call it useless. I tried it with an iphone 4s and definitely liked the sound better though I guess it depends on the headphones and as I use mainly iems I'm not sure about high impedance cans. The bass definitely tightens and even on EQ 0 is boosted a couple of decibels. As the fiio e11 is pretty neutral and transparent you won't hear a big change in the sound signature if that's what you expect. Some people think that high gain sounds crisper but I think it just brings the mids a little bit forward and make you hear better some details. Overall, the sound gets better dynamics and the attack of the bass is improved. That's only my experience and frankly as I use BA iems I really like the e11 and what it does. On the other hand, I can say that some of the headphone don't get improved by much and even though they still sound better with the fiio you have to have trained your hairing or really know all the datails of the songs you're using for comparison to appreciate the improvement.
 
 
Edit: Oh, and I definitely agree with ClieOS. The first time I heard the e11 I liked it but after a week or two I forgot to charge it and had to go out without it and that's when I truly realized the improvement the fiio had made on the music.

 

[Deltaechoe]

Sound quality is in the eyes (ears to be accurate) of the beholder, if you don't like what you are hearing then you don't like what you are hearing.  If not running an amp off of you iphone is enough for you, then be thankful that you don't need to spend more on your audio equipment to be happy.