MasterM
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Do I need one if I'm not using an ipod? Just plug it in the headphone jack on my phone or mp3 player? My first time buying one..
What do I use with fiio instead of LOD for regular mp3 player?
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NA Blur
Headphoneus Supremus
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First it would be nice to know what FiiO product you are referring to. Some are just amps and others are both amps and DAC units in one.
Most FiiO products have amps and DAC units in them. The amp is designed to deliver more voltage to the drivers in your headphones and the DAC is used to help translate the 1's and 0's from your music to a signal your headphones can use. Most iPod and iPad devices actually have a good DAC in them so most of the time all you will need is a headphone amp.
If it were me I would shy away from FiiO portable devices for now as I have seen tons of build issues as of late. I highly suggest the very reliable Headroom Total Bithead. It has both an amp and DAC, but the build is way more rebust.
You can connect the Headroom Total Bithead to your computer via USB or to your i-device using the headphone out or in your case a LOD. In my experience I was unable to hear improvements using a LOD with my iPod touch. To me this was no surprise as the iPod I was using has a decent to good DAC in it. The LOD tried to bypass the internal DAC and let an external device like a FiiO ir Bithead to do the DAC process. I heard no improvements and do not recommend them for i-devices. Perhaps other devices could benefit.
The Headroom Total Bithead runs $150 new and is worth every penny. I have had no issues during the 6+ years I have had mine. I usually take it to work and let people use it with their headphones to see what they are missing.
Best of luck to you.
Most FiiO products have amps and DAC units in them. The amp is designed to deliver more voltage to the drivers in your headphones and the DAC is used to help translate the 1's and 0's from your music to a signal your headphones can use. Most iPod and iPad devices actually have a good DAC in them so most of the time all you will need is a headphone amp.
If it were me I would shy away from FiiO portable devices for now as I have seen tons of build issues as of late. I highly suggest the very reliable Headroom Total Bithead. It has both an amp and DAC, but the build is way more rebust.
You can connect the Headroom Total Bithead to your computer via USB or to your i-device using the headphone out or in your case a LOD. In my experience I was unable to hear improvements using a LOD with my iPod touch. To me this was no surprise as the iPod I was using has a decent to good DAC in it. The LOD tried to bypass the internal DAC and let an external device like a FiiO ir Bithead to do the DAC process. I heard no improvements and do not recommend them for i-devices. Perhaps other devices could benefit.
The Headroom Total Bithead runs $150 new and is worth every penny. I have had no issues during the 6+ years I have had mine. I usually take it to work and let people use it with their headphones to see what they are missing.
Best of luck to you.
MasterM
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I'm gonna use it on a regular mp3 player or my phone. I'm looking to get the fiio e7 which lasts 80 hours
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If you have a regular MP3 player and not an iPod. You would just plug the amp into the headphone out of your MP3 directly. FiiO usually includes the cable's for this.
I disagree on NA Blur's statement on FiiO quality. He is most likely referring to the E10 headphone jack and delay issue. The dealy issue is still there I think, but FiiO has since fixed the jack. Otherwise, no other products I have heard of has any quality issue's.
It is hard to really just go out and suggest a product when you don't have the two to compare with. From experience on Head-Fi, I noticed that threads are filled with one person saying this is good and the other that. While it may be true. How do we truly know? Of course if the person has a plethora of amps and can tell you the difference. IF NA Blur has had adequate time with the E17 (priced in $150 range) then I would leave it to his judgement on what would be a good buy.
Is there a reason why you are going with the E7? Long batery life and DAC?
I disagree on NA Blur's statement on FiiO quality. He is most likely referring to the E10 headphone jack and delay issue. The dealy issue is still there I think, but FiiO has since fixed the jack. Otherwise, no other products I have heard of has any quality issue's.
It is hard to really just go out and suggest a product when you don't have the two to compare with. From experience on Head-Fi, I noticed that threads are filled with one person saying this is good and the other that. While it may be true. How do we truly know? Of course if the person has a plethora of amps and can tell you the difference. IF NA Blur has had adequate time with the E17 (priced in $150 range) then I would leave it to his judgement on what would be a good buy.
Is there a reason why you are going with the E7? Long batery life and DAC?
MasterM
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Yes, long battery life, dac, price, and simplicity hopefully. I'm only going to use it with my phone or mp3. Thanks for all the info
Cla55clown
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You won't be able to use the DAC with your phone and mp3. You might be better off with the FiiO E11 since it only consists of an amp portion. The E11 is about $65.
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TheParasite
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I was in a similar spot, looking for a headphone amp with some EQ capabilities (mainly bass altering) to use with a Rocoo P I just purchased. After some research I was going to buy a Headstage Arrow but the $300 price and wait time left me looking for a quicker/cheaper alternative. After all, my hearing may not detect much, if any difference, with an amp so I decided to get a Fiio product because of the price to performance ratio everyone seems to rave about. The E17 came back in stock at Micca store and I almost ordered that but stumbled on what appears to be a Pyle version of the E7 (http://www.amazon.com/GSI-E7-AB-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00654LOCS) which just dropped to $54.99 a few days ago. Reviews are mixed, main problem seems to be some issues with the display not working, but Amazon has always been good to me so I'm sure if there are any issues they will be resolved quickly with no hassle.
Worst case, if I notice no audible improvement connected to my Rocoo P I'm only out $55 and I still have a device I can use with my laptops/desktops.
Worst case, if I notice no audible improvement connected to my Rocoo P I'm only out $55 and I still have a device I can use with my laptops/desktops.
I really won't recommend Total BitHead to anyone. I do however agree that it is built like a tank (and has a killer crossfeed implementation). But the high output impedance (10 ohm) means it has poor dampening for headphone less than 80 ohm and does bring coloration of its own. The really poor EMI shielding means it is not good to pair with cellphone source. The output caps are too small for low impedance headphone, especially those under 16 ohm since there will be some bass roll-off. The output current is also relatively small and not suitable for low impedance headphone as well. All and all, a good sounding headphone amp that is technically behind most of teh $150 amp/DAC out there. For the same money, E17 is a much better choice both technically and in sound quality. Even if you don't like FiiO, there are still several iBasso models (D-zero, D7) around the same price range that will be technically much better than the outdated Total BitHead.
zazex
Headphoneus Supremus
OP -
As posted, you don't need a DAC with your unit.
Just an amp.
The Fiio E11, the JDS Labs cMoy 2.03, are two good choices at about $65.00 each.
Connect it to the headphone out jack of your phone/mp3 player with a cable that has a mini male plug at both ends.
("Mini male to mini male cable"; aka "3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable")
Then the headphone (mini) plug goes into the amplifier out jack.
In other words, the amp is between the phone/MP3 output and your headphones.
A particularly good quality mini to mini cable is this one, sold by Micca, and I think amazon also -
http://www.miccastore.com/product_info.php?products_id=35?osCsid=f581a9157e615402eab9e3035d50014b
http://www.miccastore.com/product_info.php?products_id=61?osCsid=f581a9157e615402eab9e3035d50014b
(It's the same cable except that one uses right angle connectors.)
But of course any mini to mini cable will work.
As for the issue of sound quality differences between different cables, that's a long discussion...
As posted, you don't need a DAC with your unit.
Just an amp.
The Fiio E11, the JDS Labs cMoy 2.03, are two good choices at about $65.00 each.
Connect it to the headphone out jack of your phone/mp3 player with a cable that has a mini male plug at both ends.
("Mini male to mini male cable"; aka "3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable")
Then the headphone (mini) plug goes into the amplifier out jack.
In other words, the amp is between the phone/MP3 output and your headphones.
A particularly good quality mini to mini cable is this one, sold by Micca, and I think amazon also -
http://www.miccastore.com/product_info.php?products_id=35?osCsid=f581a9157e615402eab9e3035d50014b
http://www.miccastore.com/product_info.php?products_id=61?osCsid=f581a9157e615402eab9e3035d50014b
(It's the same cable except that one uses right angle connectors.)
But of course any mini to mini cable will work.
As for the issue of sound quality differences between different cables, that's a long discussion...
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