# The Latest Must Have: The Fiio E10 USB DAC/Amp



## zowki

Just read this article about the new Fiio E10 USB DAC/Amp. Its supposedly cheaper and better than the Fiio E7 that it succeeds.

http://www.headfonia.com/the-latest-must-have-the-fiio-e10-usb-dacamp/


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## Audiacity

Head-fi discount available?!


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## puresilence

My E7 doesn't work any more and it's too much hassle to send it back for RMA, but this is certainly tempting...


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## jto168

Looking good. Another solid product from FiiO.
   
  I'm still waiting on the E17 since the common complaint is that the E7 is what's holding back the E9.


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## genclaymore

I wonder how powerful its amp is, I have no plans for it  just curious.


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## Ikelmonster

Quote:


cliffroyroycole said:


> Where can you buy it? No one seems to have it.


 


  As per James in the FiiO sponsor thread, it hasn't been released yet. Headfonia got a hold of one early for review.


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## ajreynol

I was excited...until I saw that it has no line-in or internal battery.  So I suppose it's not really an E7 replacement.  In fact, it doesn't truly compete with it at all, depending on your needs (i.e., a DAC/Amp that you can take on the road with your iPod).  
   
  This seems great for those who had been using an E7+E9 for a low-cost desktop dac/amp setup and know they never plan to travel.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





genclaymore said:


> I wonder how powerful its amp is, I have no plans for it  just curious.


 

 The output is comparable to that of E11. Not as powerful as E9 but still plenty of power around.

  
  Quote: 





ajreynol said:


> I was excited...until I saw that it has no line-in or internal battery.


 
  No battery, but it does have a 3.5mm line-out jack on the back.


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## firev1

Quote: 





ajreynol said:


> I was excited...until I saw that it has no line-in or internal battery.  So I suppose it's not really an E7 replacement.  In fact, it doesn't truly compete with it at all, depending on your needs (i.e., a DAC/Amp that you can take on the road with your iPod).
> 
> This seems great for those who had been using an E7+E9 for a low-cost desktop dac/amp setup and know they never plan to travel.


 


  Thats the E17


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## JamesFiiO

Updated some newest information about E10, 
   
  We just start to test and solder some parts which can not be soldered by SMT machine, but the potentionmeter still stay in Hong kong and waiting to be clean customs. so we may not ship out E10 before the end of this month.
   
  That means the ETA will delay to 10th Oct because we will have a long holiday for our National Day from 1th Oct to 5th Oct.


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## JamesFiiO




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## sicgoat

jamesfiio said:


> Updated some newest information about E10,
> 
> We just start to test and solder some parts which can not be soldered by SMT machine, but the potentionmeter still stay in Hong kong and waiting to be clean customs. so we may not ship out E10 before the end of this month.
> 
> That means the ETA will delay to 10th Oct because we will have a long holiday for our National Day from 1th Oct to 5th Oct.




I'll wait, hope it soon come to Indonesia also...


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## kckc

This got me pretty excited. Maybe these will become my first desktop dac/amp
  
  Quote: 





zowki said:


> Just read this article about the new Fiio E10 USB DAC/Amp. Its supposedly cheaper and better than the Fiio E7 that it succeeds.
> http://www.headfonia.com/the-latest-must-have-the-fiio-e10-usb-dacamp/


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## Marximus

Looks to be a direct competitor to the uDAC-2, for $50 less.  Intriguing.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





marximus said:


> Looks to be a direct competitor to the uDAC-2, for $50 less.  Intriguing.


 


 Don't know about the uDAC2, but E10 is better than my uDAC alright.


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## djevoultion

I'm looking for a laptop setup. How would this compare to the Ibasso D Zero? Does it use the same DAC Chip?


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## JamesFiiO

E10 support 96k/24bit USB input and use wm8740 as DAC chip.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





djevoultion said:


> I'm looking for a laptop setup. How would this compare to the Ibasso D Zero? Does it use the same DAC Chip?


 

 The DAC chip is the same (WM8740) but E10 supports 24/96 while D-Zero only supports up to 16/48 due to the difference in USB receiver chip they used. Overall, I would say E10 sounds a little better than D-zero on detail, layer and texture but not quite as good on soundstage. If you don't need it to be portable, E10 would be the better choice. If you need it to be portable, D-zero is still a very good choice, but it is also going to be more expensive then E10 as well.


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## s0lar

Can you use the E10 as a DAC only and connect a line-out to another amp? I see a coaxial out, so it at least needs a coax to 3.5mm cable.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





s0lar said:


> Can you use the E10 as a DAC only and connect a line-out to another amp? I see a coaxial out, so it at least needs a coax to 3.5mm cable.


 

 Yes, you can. There are three outputs on E10 - headphone-out on the front, digital coax-out and 3.5mm line-out on the back.


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## mrAdrian

Is there any more point of getting the e7+9 besides portability, if the e10 is going to sound better? That is according to the review...


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





mradrian said:


> Is there any more point of getting the e7+9 besides portability, if the e10 is going to sound better? That is according to the review...


 

 E9 is still a better sounding amp than E10 with plenty of power for harder to drive headphone (plus a future upgrade of E17). Of course it also depends on whether you need a portable amp / DAC like the E7 or not. You need to figure out what and where you want to use them to decide which is the most logical buy.


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## mrAdrian

I have a pair of HD580 that needs extra power from the E7 which I already own. So E9 is still my most logical (budget) upgrade?


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





mradrian said:


> I have a pair of HD580 that needs extra power from the E7 which I already own. So E9 is still my most logical (budget) upgrade?


 

 If you already own an E7, I would think E9 will be a more logical upgrade over E10 as HD580 (300ohm / 97dB) certainly can use the extra power. I think you can just skip E10 for now and wait for the E17, which will be launched early / mid next year. Then you will have an really good setup (E17 + E9) to cover both low and high impedance headphone plus the capability of 24/96.


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## mrAdrian

And by then, sell my E7 to some of my friends to further dope them into audiophiles!
   
   
  Any idea how the MeiXing mc66 would fair against the E9? I'm getting an offer for a 2nd hand one for ~30 more than the E9's $13x. I do notice a lot of noise from the higher gains of the mc66, would that happen to the E9 setup?
  
  Quote: 





clieos said:


> If you already own an E7, I would think E9 will be a more logical upgrade over E10 as HD580 (300ohm / 97dB) certainly can use the extra power. I think you can just skip E10 for now and wait for the E17, which will be launched early / mid next year. Then you will have an really good setup (E17 + E9) to cover both low and high impedance headphone plus the capability of 24/96.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





mradrian said:


> And by then, sell my E7 to some of my friends to further dope them into audiophiles! *Haha, good plan.*
> 
> 
> Any idea how the MeiXing mc66 would fair against the E9? I'm getting an offer for a 2nd hand one for ~30 more than the E9's $13x. I do notice a lot of noise from the higher gains of the mc66, would that happen to the E9 setup?


 

 I haven't noticed any noise on E9, I really doubt you will notice any noise as well since E9 has been measured to be quite well. For tube amp in general, they do become noisier on higher gain.


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## nphase

Quote: 





clieos said:


> If you already own an E7, I would think E9 will be a more logical upgrade over E10 as HD580 (300ohm / 97dB) certainly can use the extra power. I think you can just skip E10 for now and wait for the E17, which will be launched early / mid next year. Then you will have an really good setup (E17 + E9) to cover both low and high impedance headphone plus the capability of 24/96.


 


  E10 will be still good entry point if I don't own a DAC at all yet, right? Patiently waiting on an order link!


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## Dreaming Of A Better ...

would this work well with AKG k702 ? i wanted to buy E7 to use with my E9 but now i'm not sure what to do...


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## OneSec

This is probably a bias and personal opinion, but I wont even bother trying portable amp or USB Dac/Amp for 702.
   
  I tried hippo / Fiio / ibasso PORTABLE USB DAC AMP. (the one I currently owned). None works well with 702.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





nphase said:


> E10 will be still good entry point if I don't own a DAC at all yet, right? Patiently waiting on an order link!


 
  Yes, definitely.

  
  Quote: 





dreaming of a better ... said:


> would this work well with AKG k702 ? i wanted to buy E7 to use with my E9 but now i'm not sure what to do...


 
  If you don't need portability, get E10 and feed its line-out to E9 is the better choice.
  
  Quote: 





onesec said:


> This is probably a bias and personal opinion, but I wont even bother trying portable amp or USB Dac/Amp for 702.
> 
> I tried hippo / Fiio / ibasso PORTABLE USB DAC AMP. (the one I currently owned). None works well with 702.


 

 From what he has posted, I assume he already has an E9 and is just looking for an USB DAC that can feed it.


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## OneSec

Quote: 





clieos said:


> From what he has posted, I assume he already has an E9 and is just looking for an USB DAC that can feed it.


 

 Thanks for pointing out. In that case my statement will not be valid, since you are not using the AMP from E10.


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## Dreaming Of A Better ... (Jun 19, 2020)

...


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





dreaming of a better ... said:


> thanks for replies
> 
> looks like i'll be getting the E10 "soon" (is there a release date ?)


 

 Within the next 5~10 days, I believe. China is currently in their national holiday week so businesses are closed at the moment. We should start to see the first batch being shipped out by mid next week, I think.


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## Stinky Fart

Can you compare this to Yulong U100, iBassa D2+Boa and NFB-12? Is the Fiio a winner in the <$200 dac/amp category? Btw, can the e10 be used as a pre-amp?


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## nphase

Quote: 





clieos said:


> Within the next 5~10 days, I believe. China is currently in their national holiday week so businesses are closed at the moment. We should start to see the first batch being shipped out by mid next week, I think.


 


  So where do we order from?


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





stinky fart said:


> Can you compare this to Yulong U100, iBassa D2+Boa and NFB-12? Is the Fiio a winner in the <$200 dac/amp category? Btw, can the e10 be used as a pre-amp?


 

 I have neither of them. The only iBasso amp+DAC I have now is the D-zero. The only thing I find to be better on the D-zero is soundstage, other than that, E10 is pretty much the better sounding of the two. Of course, D-zero is really meant for portable use and not quite a direct competitor to the desktop only E10.
   
  No, E10 isn't designed to be used as pre-amp.
   


  Quote: 





nphase said:


> So where do we order from?


 
  No idea, the usual FiiO dealers I guess? I know MP4 Nation already started a pre-order, but you can always contact your local FiiO dealer and ask them if they will stock it or not.


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## Stinky Fart

ok, thank you for the clarification ClieOS


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## jasierrae

hi everybody, im planning on buying some akg k702 headphones, i already have a sony mdr-v6 headphones. I'm starting recording on a mac with a m audio interface and i also like listening to music and would like to buy a portable amp or maybe normal amp which do you recommend? my budget is no more then 150 bucks


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## tim3320070

I purchased from MP4Nation on Sept. 25th, I wonder if I'm in the first batch or not? Anyone know?


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## holden4th

Hello MrAdrian

I have the HD580/E9/E7 combination and can vouch for the fact that it brings my Senns to life. The power from the E9 is, I believe, the major reason. I also use an HRT Music Steamer II as an alternative to the E7 as a DAC and this is even better still which vouches for the E9 as an amp. The HD580, despite the fact that it is well over 20 years old is a superb headphone and driven by the E9 it just shines. 

I'm interested in seeing what the E17 does when it appears next year.


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## mrAdrian

Great news! Can't wait 
   
  Might be another week till I order the E9 then.
  
  Quote: 





holden4th said:


> Hello MrAdrian
> I have the HD580/E9/E7 combination and can vouch for the fact that it brings my Senns to life. The power from the E9 is, I believe, the major reason. I also use an HRT Music Steamer II as an alternative to the E7 as a DAC and this is even better still which vouches for the E9 as an amp. The HD580, despite the fact that it is well over 20 years old is a superb headphone and driven by the E9 it just shines.
> I'm interested in seeing what the E17 does when it appears next year.


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## glassmoon

Quote: 





tim3320070 said:


> I purchased from MP4Nation on Sept. 25th, I wonder if I'm in the first batch or not? Anyone know?


 

 depends, how is your product marked: either preorder or preorder2. mine is preorder so i hope i am in 1st batch. anyway i've opened a ticket regarding est shipping date and now i am waiting for respond.


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## Austin Morrow

Quote: 





holden4th said:


> Hello MrAdrian
> I have the HD580/E9/E7 combination and can vouch for the fact that it brings my Senns to life. The power from the E9 is, I believe, the major reason. I also use an *HRT Music Steamer II* as an alternative to the E7 as a DAC and this is even better still which vouches for the E9 as an amp. The HD580, despite the fact that it is well over 20 years old is a superb headphone and driven by the E9 it just shines.
> I'm interested in seeing what the E17 does when it appears next year.


 
   
  That probably makes a big difference.


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## tim3320070

Quote: 





glassmoon said:


> depends, how is your product marked: either preorder or preorder2. mine is preorder so i hope i am in 1st batch. anyway i've opened a ticket regarding est shipping date and now i am waiting for respond.


 


  Yes, preorder, not 2 so we'll see.


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## K.J.

My E7 just died, and I was looking to get it repaired, but after reading that review, I think I'll just buy an E10 instead.

It should pair nicely with the HE-300s I'm planning to buy before the year's end.


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## Austin Morrow

Quote: 





k.j. said:


> My E7 just died, and I was looking to get it repaired, but after reading that review, I think I'll just buy an E10 instead.
> It should pair nicely with the HE-300s I'm planning to buy before the year's end.


 


  Sweet. You'll like the HE-300. Works well with budget setups like the E10.


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## tomgrossi

Quote: 





> Originally Posted by *ClieOS* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> No, E10 isn't designed to be used as pre-amp.


 

  
  Forgive my ignorance but what is it that prevents use as a pre-amp (I was about to order it and hoped to use it this way so glad I saw this)?   Is there an impedance mismatch issue or something like that?


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





tomgrossi said:


> Forgive my ignorance but what is it that prevents use as a pre-amp (I was about to order it and hoped to use it this way so glad I saw this)?   Is there an impedance mismatch issue or something like that?


 

 Well, if you really want to use it as a pre-amp, I guess you can. But pre-amp is generally designed to output signal that is high in SNR (i.e. line level) as the next stage is a power amp. There are however 'pre-amp' that is merely a volume pot (*no amplification) that is used to control the amplitude of the signal going into the power amp. For E10, the line-out is fixed level so it can't be used as pre-amp out. You can use the headphone-out for pre-amp purpose but it will be like double amping since there is gain stage in E10. Technically speaking, you should get a better result with a real pre-amp. But in practice, you might not hear much of any difference.


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## glassmoon

Quote: 





tim3320070 said:


> Yes, preorder, not 2 so we'll see.


 

 got response from mp4nation:
   
_We\'re actually expecting the FiiO E10s to arrive by October 10th. We\'ll be packing and mailing out as soon as the stock comes in.
 I do apologise for the slight delay! You should be getting a notification email as soon as we\'ve mailed your order out, as well as your tracking number._


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## kite7

Quote: 





austin morrow said:


> That probably makes a big difference.


 

 You'll be surprised how little difference it makes when you don't know the price of the products you're comparing


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## justie

was wondering if the fiio e10 is available for purchase yet


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## JamesFiiO

Yah, some E10 had been shipped out from yesterday, but the quantity is limited. and the rest will be shipped in days


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## mrAdrian

Waiting @AU. Hurry up already!


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## Shizdan

Will the E10 be available on Amazon.com?


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## JamesFiiO

Sure


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## StargateRecords

It looks nice, great design, very tempting...


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## curtisinoc

These sound nice (and simple) . . kinda like something I'm looking for.  I just want to connect something to the usb port on the back of my 2011 iMac, plug in my Audio Technica ATH-M50 and listen to music on my iTunes.  Is it basically simple as that to get better audio than how I'm using my headphones right now? - currently using my headphones plugged directly into 3.5 mm port on back of my iMac (no amps/dac in between).


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## LimeANite

Quote: 





curtisinoc said:


> These sound nice (and simple) . . kinda like something I'm looking for.  I just want to connect something to the usb port on the back of my 2011 iMac, plug in my Audio Technica ATH-M50 and listen to music on my iTunes.  Is it basically simple as that to get better audio than how I'm using my headphones right now?


 


  Yep, it's that simple.  You might have to change your default audio output manually or restart your computer (some people have needed to do this with their Macs), but it's a plug-and-play device.  No software or anything to install.


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## curtisinoc

Quote: 





limeanite said:


> Yep, it's that simple.  You might have to change your default audio output manually or restart your computer (some people have needed to do this with their Macs), but it's a plug-and-play device.  No software or anything to install.


 


  Thanks Lime . . .  a quick question if you don't mind:
   
  After I connect the e10, what should I set my iMac's internal volume at?  I've read everything from 50 - 100% and using the e10's volume control from that point on.
   
  edit:  tried different settings and the following works best for me on my iMac: 

 Computer volume at 100%
 Bass boost "on"
 Gain set on "low"


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## LimeANite

Quote: 





curtisinoc said:


> Thanks Lime . . .  a quick question if you don't mind:
> 
> After I connect the e10, what should I set my iMac's internal volume at?  I've read everything from 50 - 100% and using the e10's volume control from that point on.
> 
> ...


 

 Yep - the best way to set it up is with the computer volume maxed out.  Bass boost is a matter of preference, and gain mostly relates to which headphones you're using.  Higher impedance headphones may need the high gain setting to reach a comfortable listening volume.


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## curtisinoc

Quote: 





limeanite said:


> Yep - the best way to set it up is with the computer volume maxed out.  Bass boost is a matter of preference, and gain mostly relates to which headphones you're using.  *Higher impedance headphones may need the high gain setting to reach a comfortable listening volume.*


 


  I'm using low impedance headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M50) and with the computer volume at 100% at low gain, I don't go much past volume 3-4 on the E10.  Thanks again for your help


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## Austin Morrow

Quote: 





limeanite said:


> Yep - the best way to set it up is with the computer volume maxed out.  Bass boost is a matter of preference, and gain mostly relates to which headphones you're using.  *Higher impedance headphones* may need the high gain setting to reach a comfortable listening volume.


 


  That depends on the type of headphone though. Dynamics with a high impedance tend to be a little bit more difficult to drive while orthos with a very low impedance like the HiFiMan HE-500 or the HE-6 are harder to drive yet.


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## LimeANite

Quote: 





austin morrow said:


> That depends on the type of headphone though. Dynamics with a high imprudence tend to be a little bit more difficult to drive while ottos with a very low imprudence like the HiFiMan HE-500 or the HE-6 are harder to drive yet.


 
   
  Good point.


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## output555

I have the E10 and uDac2 and will be making an A/B comparison.


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## itsDanny

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showpost.php?p=13937231&postcount=93
   
  Is the E17 worth the wait?


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## bowei006

Quote: 





itsdanny said:


> http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showpost.php?p=13937231&postcount=93
> 
> Is the E17 worth the wait?


 


  it depends on what you are using it for. but from ClieOS and Headfonia initial reviews.....it is worth the wait if you need to use all it's features


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## Omark12

Any ETA on the E17??


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## bowei006

Quote: 





omark12 said:


> Any ETA on the E17??


 


  Late January, early february


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## itsDanny

Quote: 





bowei006 said:


> it depends on what you are using it for. but from ClieOS and Headfonia initial reviews.....it is worth the wait if you need to use all it's features


 
   
  That sounds about right,
  Thank you,


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