# Fiio E12 vs Fiio E17+E09K combo



## Arkarkwin

Hello,
   I am sure that somebody must have answer this question but I can't see to find an answer around the web for two days. I have E09K for a week or so and I am about to order Fiio E17 for DAC+AMP pairing. But I have come to find out about Fiio E12 and its glowing review. I understand that Fiio E17 is DAC + AMP and E12 is just an amp but a powerful one. I am a budget conscious buyer who started to get my feet wet in audiophile field. I checked the spec of E12 and it said it can drive from 16 to 300 ohm headphone and E09K is said to be only 16 to 100 or 150 and E17 is from 16 to 100 ohm (my spec may be off) but combination of them will not exceed 250 ohm.
  Currently, I only have Audio Technica ATH-M50 but I have plan to purchase more powerful headphone that can drive up to 300 ohm in the future.
  My question is, is Fiio E12 more powerful than E17+E09K combine? If so, I will return my E09K for E12. If not, I will order E17 next week. I understand that E12 is better than E17 despite the fact that it is only an amp while E17 has DAC built into it. But I really don't know how it would perform against E17+E09K combo.
  Thank you.


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## PurpleAngel

What is this audio hardware going to be connected to? a PC?
  I'm fairly sure the E09K and E12 can at least drive 600-Ohm headphones decently.
  (but there are higher priced amplifiers that would be preferred for 600-Ohm headphones).
   
  I would assume the E17 is fine for use with headphones up to 250-Ohm or 300-Ohm.
  The E17 can work fine with desktop PCs & MACs, but I would assume most people buy it for use as a portable.
  Do you need a DAC/amp that is portable?
   
  The E12, E17 & E09K each drive headphones separately, you can not really combine their amplifiers.
  You could daisy chain their amplifiers, but there is no good reason to do that.
   
  When the E17 is docked to the E09K, the E09K only uses the E17's DAC feature, not the E17's amp.


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## Arkarkwin

Hi,
  Thank you for the reply. I have a Mac air, PC desktop and multiple mobile devices. I am looking for a solution to use amp or amp+DAC for all these solution. I use the PC mainly for listing to music but when I go out for evening classes, I like to have a portable amp to carry around and dock it when I am at home. I thought if I use E09K+ E17, then it would amplified twice since both have amp in addition to DAC. So if I get E12 alone, it won't help me at all because it is designed for portable and not for dock and I still would have to look for a DAC because my sound card is not that powerful.
  Do you think E17 would serve my purpose more? Thank you.


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## PurpleAngel

Quote: 





arkarkwin said:


> Hi,
> Thank you for the reply. I have a Mac air, PC desktop and multiple mobile devices. I am looking for a solution to use amp or amp+DAC for all these solution. I use the PC mainly for listing to music but when I go out for evening classes, I like to have a portable amp to carry around and dock it when I am at home. I thought if I use E09K+ E17, then it would amplified twice since both have amp in addition to DAC. So if I get E12 alone, it won't help me at all because it is designed for portable and not for dock and I still would have to look for a DAC because my sound card is not that powerful.
> Do you think E17 would serve my purpose more? Thank you.


 
  Fiio E17 sounds good, maybe even return the E09K?


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## Arkarkwin

Thanks, that just confirm it. I will get Fiio E17 and keep Fiio E09k. One for portable and one for desktop. And combine then when I am in the house till I am ready to move up the ladder.
  Thank you.


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## Chris J

I have an E09K, E12 and an E17.
Both the E09K and E12 have no trouble driving my Beyer DT880 600 Ohm headphones.

I think your plan is good: get an E17 to go with your E09K.
I've always liked using the E09K as a charging station for the E17, plus the volume control on the E09K is very convenient.


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## koiloco

Quote: 





chris j said:


> I have an E09K, E12 and an E17.
> Both the E09K and E12 have no trouble driving my Beyer DT880 600 Ohm headphones.
> 
> I think your plan is good: get an E17 to go with your E09K.
> I've always liked using the E09K as a charging station for the E17, plus the volume control on the E09K is very convenient.


 
  +100.
   
  Now, I use the E17/E9K to charge the E17 and also use the line out on the E9K to connect to my Emotiva mini-X.
  I think the E17/E9K is an excellent first combo.  I still enjoy mine daily.


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## Sergey7x

Quote: 





chris j said:


> Both the E09K and E12 have no trouble driving my Beyer DT880 600 Ohm headphones.


 
  But which one is better for home usage? I would like to use ESI Juli@ as a DAC and Fiio E12 or E09K (stand alone) as an amp.


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## Arkarkwin

Quote: 





sergey7x said:


> But which one is better for home usage? I would like to use ESI Juli@ as a DAC and Fiio E12 or E09K (stand alone) as an amp.


 
  You can use E09K as an amp. I have used E09K as stand alone amp for a month before I bought E12.  But you have to remember that E09K only have RCA input so you cannot use optical connection from ESI Juli.


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## jazzman7

I too have the E17, E09K, and E12 (purchased in that order).  As you probably know, they all do slightly different things, so I'll just weigh in on the differences where their functions overlap:  
   
  On E09K vs. E12 as a desktop amp:  The E09K is definitely more convenient in a desktop setup.  The recessed switch on the E12 for high gain makes it inconvenient to use with different headphones.  The E09K has a nice toggle switch to adjust gain.  Also, the headphone you will use it with in a desktop mode is probably high impedance, so you don't suffer with the higher output impedance of the E09K (which I think is 10 ohms vs. < 1 ohm on the E17 and E12).   Don't use the E09K with IEMs as the output impedance is too high; use the E17 alone.  
   
  On E17 vs E12 as a portable amp:  The E12 is a better portable amp, but that is because it is dedicated to this.  The E12's volume knob is a lot more convenient than the pushbuttons on the E12.  The E12 also isolates RF more.  If you use the E17 near a phone, there will be interference (not a lot, but it does show up from time to time).  Having said that, both sound great, both have low output impedance and drive IEMs well, and the E17 has the added bonus of bass/treble controls which can come in handy.
   
  On E17 as a DAC:  It is a fine, no-nonsense device.  It works well with both PC and Mac desktops.  I even tricked an iPad into working with it using the CCK even though it is not supported.  Other DACs can sound better (and the HRT MicroStreamer is an excellent step up), but you will enjoy the sound of the E17 in isolation.


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## Moolok

I too have FiiO amps/dacs. As a stationary desktop system I use E09k with E07k. I bought E07k instead of E17 because I don't use it as portable amp, don't need optical spdif outputs and frankly I like the looks of E07k more than E17. 
As portable amp I'm happy with E6. 

Sent from my LG-P970 using Tapatalk 2


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## Chris J

sergey7x said:


> But which one is better for home usage? I would like to use ESI Juli@ as a DAC and Fiio E12 or E09K (stand alone) as an amp.




My preference is to use the E09K as a desktop amp, I agree with the convenience factor of the E09K:
easy to use volume control
easy to use gain control
plugs into an AC source
uses RCA connectors


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## Brault

Reviving this old thread... Another advantage of the E17 is the balance control - I have hearing loss on one side, and not many portable amps allow me to adjust for this. The preamp out to my E09K is adjusted as well. I'm happy!


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