[jh901]

First post- thanks for any suggestions.....

- I will be using flac only, so I need a player that has the codec. CX300 IEMs for now.

- Wasn't sure what the difference was between using a line out (assuming that is an option) versus the headphone out??

- Seems that the Cowon ia7 and some iRiver players have good sound, but I wasn't sure how to decide considering that I plan to use an E5??

- Also, I'm not really into equalizers, I just want decent audiophile quality music considering the low price point. Storage of at least 8GB.

 

[Bigburger]

You should probably choose a DAP first based on whatever features are most important to you. And then after you get the DAP, you can decide whether the FiiO sounds good in between your DAP and IEM's. After you get your DAP, you may find that you don't even need the FiiO in there. For example, I prefer my touch 2g and SE530 without the E5 in between. So first choose DAP, then see if it goes well with the FiiO and your IEM's, not the other way round.

Sansa clip for good sound quality at a low price point.

 

[jh901]

Thanks Bigburger. I do have the iriver Lplayer, but I was planning to return it because it doesn't seem to read the metadata to all search by artist, album, etc. I figured the E5 would improve most any of the DAPs, so it is already on order. And for less than $20 I didn't think I could go wrong.

I'm not really into features. I just want good SQ, flac, a typical library set-up plus decent battery life and storage in a small package. Can someone explain the line out versus headphone out? Since I'll have the amp, I'd like to pair it with an appropriate DAP.

 

[Bigburger]

Yup, for the price of the FiiO, its worth getting to just try it out with whatever rig you have. For a bit more money though, upgrading your CX300 might be more effective. Nuforce NE-7M are highly recommended at the moment for their price ($50).

Some players have a line out in addition to the headphone out. The line out bypasses the onboard amp (but not the onboard DAC) of the player and provides a line level signal. So line out is supposed to be cleaner and higher quality than headphone out.

The Sansa clip has good SQ, 8gb storage and supports flac at an economical price. It doesn't have a line out. I'm not too sure about Cowon i7, but don't think that has line out either. However I don't think the benefits of a line out would be fully realised with your current IEM's. You can just plug the E5 into the headphone out, if your DAP doesn't have a line out.

 

[CodeToad]

x2 on the Sansa Clip. The Sansa Fuze also plays FLAC. One thing I like is the lack of some idiot software like iTunes...just drag the files in and that's it.

I found the fiio to be an unneccesary complication that ate batteries. E5 might be better but I doubt it with in ear HP's.

 

[Bigburger]

Yeah...I'd go for the clip and see how you like the E5 with it. Then save up to upgrade your CX300...that will probably make the biggest difference to your SQ at this stage.

 

[Antony L]

I use hfi780/caffine ultra/cowon d2 but

i also use px100/fiio e5/cowon d2 this is also an amazing set up ,just got an email from advancedmp3s and they are doing 20% of d2 this weekend ive got the cx300s but find them quite crude and jst use them for work to block out noise.
btw even after getting the ultra ii still love the e5 i find it dosnt lose detail infact can bring it out and the bass boost is great

 

[EEXO]

the e5 will probably make your music even more bass bloated.

 

[akki007]

I have been using the 1st gen iPod touch for a year or so now without an amp. One of the main issues with the 1st gen touch for me was the lack of any low end presence. I recently purchased some Senn IE7s which are bass heavy but apparently not so with the 1st gen touch!

So, I bought a Fiio E5 to drop inbetween and it's a night and day difference. The detail in the mids is still there, the highs are where they were without the amp (Not overly sparkly with the IE7s but I like that) but the big big big difference is down at the arse end of the frequencies.... really nice, tight, clear bass. Admittidley a lot of that is down to the IE7s but the Fiio E5 has brought the bass right out of the touch!

I had previously attempted to use EQ on the touch but on the first gen...DISTORTION CITY! (Not the case with the 2ns gen).

All in all, 1st Gen Touch + Fiio E5 + Senn IE7s = YUMMY! (And oh so portable. I leave the amp dangling out of the LOD with no issues at all)

 

[jh901]

OP here.....

Appreciate all of your views. I do realize that the cans are where the budget should go and I will get some worthy IEMs at some point.

For now, I'm just trying to round up the collect knowledge of this forum on DAP choices for the flac crowd. Can anyone provide advice on the line out situation? Should I seek out a player with line out to pair with the amp? I mean, are there some decent choices out there? I would need the player to have a decent DAC I suppose along with other commonly desired features.

Else, I'll go with using the headphone out (as suggested above) for now, although it would be nice to have a decent set-up awaiting upgraded IEMs in the near future.

 

[Ashkii21]

I love the portability of the E5, I use it with my sansa clip. The sansa clip is a very good player, small portable good sound quality and it also plays flac. I recommend both.

 

[Bigburger]

Well if you really want something with a line out, then there are always iPods. Though you will also need a line out dock (LOD) either just the little adapters that plug into the dock connector or a dock adapter + cable in one. The iPods cost more than a sansa clip, but general opinion is that something like a touch 2g does have better SQ (even from the headphone out) than the clip. Can't really compare though because the iPod is a full size player which costs several times as much as the clip.

Unless you're also planning to upgrade to bigger/better amp in the future, the best choice for you right now is probably a clip. While most people use it without an amp, I've seen a number of rigs here where people connect their clip to an amp via the headphone out. So you could simply do that with the E5. The clip will give you plenty of room to upgrade your IEM's. People use their clips with UE11's and stuff. For their price, portable amps don't make THAT much of a difference - so you will most likely be upgrading your IEM's first. The clip will allow you to do that, and you can see if the E5 works well with it. I don't think line out will be a big deal with the E5.

 

[winwin]

How about the Sansa Fuze, I heard some very good reviews on it, it i said to be better than the clip.

 

[Bigburger]

Yeah the Fuze has a line out too so worth considering. But it also comes in maximum 8gb like the clip, however it also has an expansion slot if you want more capacity. But if you don't need video, then the clip is cheaper and almost as good (if not equally as good).

 

[roebeet]

The Clip and the E5 are a good combo - you can even clip them together.