[Psychomiks]

Hi! listening to music was always a hobby of mine. Started with silly walkmans and upgraded to iriver cd players to ipod to touch and finally 2 years ago, I tried buying a Hi-res player which was rocco since it was so popular back then. I enjoyed it a lot with my popo earphones made it perfect for most of my music taste. Now, whoever owned the roccop may surely understand that it's a good player but it's really hard to use. (I came from touch which has a straightforward UI). With that said, I started buying headphones, B&W P7 and QC15 for my on the go travel buddy. And I enjoyed those combo ever since.
 
Fast forward, I purchased X5 Fiio yesterday without the knowledge that 2nd gen came out (should've done more research before buying) and now my question is, Should I pair it with E12 or should I buy E18 instead? I also have an HTC M8 phone which to my knowledge if I am to use it with my phone as well, according to some people, I should go for E18's... but I need your help since I'm new to amps and I wanted to buy something that i can use or at least that will work with my current gears... Do i really need to buy an amp with my current gears??
 
I also want your opinion on Sennheiser E80s, is it worth it? using with X5 + whatever amp you guys recommend or am I good with my P7 and Popo Hisound IEM...
 
Your opinions are very welcome hope you can help me with my frustrations regarding this purchase 
 
Thanks!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I think the amplifier circuit on the X5 is actually better than the E18. It's really meant to be a DAC+HPamp for an Android, as well as a powerbank - it will power headphones better than the Android as well as charge it, but if you already have the X5, might as well just get a normal powerbank to charge the Android and the X5.

 

[Psychomiks]

Thanks for replying! so, do you recommend to skip amps to be paired with my x5? How about e12? or 12a? is there a noticeable boost on the audio part? Say, I buy the amp for my phone, as I've understood, get the e18. However, since i have an X5 now, better buy a powerbank since the idea is to use the x5 as the main player right?
 
But is it still efficient to get an E12 + X5 combo?? I see a lot of people doing that but I'm not sure if I "NEED" to buy it. Some say that it's not really needed.... Any thoughts on this?
 
Also, Sennheiser E80s? any take on this? is worth the price??
 
 
Thanks for helping a newbie here! 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thanks for replying! so, do you recommend to skip amps to be paired with my x5? How about e12? or 12a? is there a noticeable boost on the audio part? Say, I buy the amp for my phone, as I've understood, get the e18. However, since i have an X5 now, better buy a powerbank since the idea is to use the x5 as the main player right?
 
But is it still efficient to get an E12 + X5 combo?? I see a lot of people doing that but I'm not sure if I "NEED" to buy it. Some say that it's not really needed.... Any thoughts on this?

 

Unless you're driving a headphone that actually needs the extra power I'd stick with just the X5. As much as I like driving the HD600 with a really clean desktop amp, I'm fine with just the X5 on it. Honestly if you want an improvement over the X5 for driving something like that you might as well get a Schiit Valhalla.

 

[cel4145]

Unless you're driving a headphone that actually needs the extra power I'd stick with just the X5. As much as I like driving the HD600 with a really clean desktop amp, I'm fine with just the X5 on it. Honestly if you want an improvement over the X5 for driving something like that you might as well get a Schiit Valhalla.

+1

Your headphones are fairly easy to drive. I don't think you'd get much benefit from adding an amp to the X5 and the hassle of carrying both definitely does not seem worthwhile to me. I have an iBasso DX50 and don't use my E12 with it except with my AKG K7XX (which ARE difficult to drive).

As for a powerbank, I think everyone should have one for travel or emergencies (e.g., your power goes off and your phone or DAP needs a charge) given how cheap they are now (I have several). I wouldn't buy an E18 for that capability.

 

[Psychomiks]

@ProtegeManiac Apologies, I jumped into your PM and replied there instead! Still getting the hang of the terms here and there. I currently use P7 as my main gear... planning on buying a new IEM sennheiser ie80s soon if that will be a great pair on my new x5 or would you rather say stay with my popo's? 
 
@cel4145 thanks for your input! guess I'll stick with my x5 alone. I agree, I don't think it would be efficient for me to carry an extra weight if it will not raise the audio quality significantly... As for mobile usage... I own a HTC m8... i recently use that as my player... and now that you've mentioned about power bank... I guess, I'll just grab one. Cheaper and use my extra money for better IEMs instead... Right? is sennheiser ie80 worth an upgrade? or worth the price? 
 
Again, thanks for helping me guys!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  @ProtegeManiac Apologies, I jumped into your PM and replied there instead! Still getting the hang of the terms here and there. I currently use P7 as my main gear... planning on buying a new IEM sennheiser ie80s soon if that will be a great pair on my new x5 or would you rather say stay with my popo's? 

 

I haven't heard those, only the IE80, but if it's me I'd use the X5 and IE80 on the road. Still, why are you interested in the IE80? If you get these make sure you have a way to return them - the shell shape is an improvement over the IE8 but it's still not the kind of ergonomics for a lot of people. You might want to look around a bit more if you can't return them easily, and go check out other IEMs with a more organic shell shape, like the Westone UM30.

 

If you like the sound of the IE80s given what you've read from reviews, there's the Aurisonics ASG-1.x series, and also they have a new line with a dual driver cheaper than the ASG-2. 

 

[cel4145]

 thanks for your input! guess I'll stick with my x5 alone. I agree, I don't think it would be efficient for me to carry an extra weight if it will not raise the audio quality significantly... As for mobile usage... I own a HTC m8... i recently use that as my player... and now that you've mentioned about power bank... I guess, I'll just grab one. Cheaper and use my extra money for better IEMs instead... Right? is sennheiser ie80 worth an upgrade? or worth the price? 

I don't have any experience with the IE80.

But heck yeah. Lipstick style battery banks that can give your phone 50% to 75% recharge are only $10. I have a couple of these: http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Generation-Astro-mini-Lipstick-Sized/dp/B005X1Y7I2/ So small and easy to carry. Then Ravpower has this unit with a built in LED flashlight: http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-Portable-flashlight-Technology-more-Black/dp/B0084Y47SK/

Or for a lot more charge capacity, I have a couple of these, too: http://www.amazon.com/Anker-10000mAh-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B009USAJCC/. Really handy. I've had my power go out at my house for half a day before, and with the backup battery banks around, I keep using my portable electronics without fear of them going dead when I didn't have a full charge on my electronics to begin with. I always have a charger with me if I'm carrying a backpack or my laptop messenger bag.

 

[Psychomiks]

@ProtegeManiac Alright! will check westone um30 not familiar with the brand but it's available here so i think it's doable...I haven't really tried the IE80s so not much of comparisons either. But hey, I'll go check the westone U30 Pro and see how it goes from there... It's a tad more expensive compared to IE80 but will check it out for sure!
 
@cel4145 I just cancelled my order request from the shop. I told them that I wont be needing the AMPS. Thanks! will have to check your recommendations if I can get 'em here.