# FiiO E7 Review



## mark2410

FiiO E7 Review
   
  First Impressions:  Gosh it looks really pretty.  Hmm I can see this plastic faced front with a neon sign begging to get scratched which saddens me a little.  It would be a shame to mar such a pretty little thing.  It’s a lot lighter than I somehow expected it to be.  The metal construction seems like it should be more weighty but it feels feather light.  I really like the rubber suit for it too, so snug fitting and even has dimples for the buttons, yey for FiiO thinking ahead about this.  I’m not however so sure about the little furry baggy mostly because I can’t see me ever wanting to use it but it would save that “scratch me please” front.  I like it, it’s a nice little bundle.  Oh and I love that the amp displays “BYE BYE” when you turn it off.  More importantly of course that means you can turn it off (I’m looking at you Nu Force.)
   

   
  Lows:  The bass here is of a pretty decent quality.  It’s pretty neutral not adding or subtracting any from what the iPod is putting out.  It’s nice but nothing special.  What is special is being a FiiO it naturally can boost that bass should you like and it has not, not 2 but 3 bass boost levels.  Now do forgive me if I’m mistaken but can any other amp do that?  I don’t know of one.  Now I’m not usually one for bass boost but something’s really do benefit from it like the RE-0 and Ety ER4.  In my head the RE-0 and E7 are a natural combination and the bass boost set at 3 really makes a difference to them.  It’s a significant boost and still retaining the RE-0’s stupidly good levels of clarity.  This is the combo they were intended for and it works damn well.  I also love the idea that the variable bass boost could be gradually levelled down over time so budding audiophiles can be eased off their bass junkie status. 
   

   
  With the bass boost going the quality is still good and naturally it’s better than the E5 but it’s not entirely perfect.  It can be a little monotone and at full whack the additional bass can just sound out of place.  However that can easily be fixed by knocking the bass boost down a level or two.  I feel like I should be coming up with more complaints but the biggest I can come up with is that the E5 isn’t that for behind the E7 in bass clarity.  The E7 does though have much greater authority and fullness.  Compared to the Icon Mobile, the icon is cleaner and tighter but it’s to the point of feeling thin.  The E7 has a great full richness to the lows where the Icon Mobile is a much dryer sound.  I’m not really going to say one is better as the Icon goes superbly well with bass heavy things like the IE7 or 8.  On something like the RE-0 it feels thin and reserved on the lows.  The versatility the E7 gives in the bass boost options really does give it the edge.
   

   
  Mids:  Rich.  In one ward the vocals here feel rich and full to the extent maybe too rich and full.  The 5G ipod is a warm source and the E7 is a warm amp and if you combine that with something that naturally tends to the rich and liquid mids like the PL-50 it creates a bit too liquid a sound.  Not that it’s in anyway an unpleasant sound just very rich.  On pairing this amp of with other warm sounding IEM’s there is a tendency towards making things too warm.  Here the coolness of the Icon finds many a better match.   On cooler sounding IEM’s the E7 and a hint of liquidy goodness and for the RE-0 makes that bit more organic and natural sounding.  It really does work well so very well pairing those two up.  I did test the E7 out with the cool mid’ed C751 but it really didn’t work out.  Not one tiny bit in fact.  The warmer and more bassy sound of the E7 when combined with the huge bass of the Denon just made for a ridiculous bass monster. Which highlighted just how recessed the C751’s mids are.  The Icon tamed that bass and pulled the mids forward balancing them out, the E7 pushed them utterly in the opposite direction. 
   
  Once more with when the E7 is paired up with the RE-0 it just works so very, very well.  Beverly Craven (who’s voice I adore above pretty much every other singer out there) just sounds spectacular.
   

   
  Highs:  Here a have a little mixed feelings.  On one hand the highs are sharp, crisp and edgy which many want and will adore but I can’t ignore that I think they are too crisp and edgy.  There is an element of artificiality about them that I don’t really like so much.  Of course many will know I’m not fan of treble that behaves in the tiniest bit unruly.  The treble is just too edgy, vastly better than that on the E5 of course but head to head with the Icon it falls short.  The Icon has finesse and can convey a delicacy that the E7 doesn’t.  On the E7 it’s here slapped down right in front of you.  That said there isn’t an upsetting abundance of it, the quantity is pretty much in line with the mids and the bass.  Even though the Icon has the better treble it’s a bright amp and paired with something like the RE-0 it’s just too much. 
   
  All that said, the treble isn’t a bother and in testing out different IEM’s that very crisp edginess does work quite well.  It makes cymbals clearly stand out sharp and clean.  They don’t really shimmer like I may want them to but it’s really the only thing I feel the Icon clearly wins at.  Which is odd since the treble is too abundant on the Icon.
   

   
  Screen:  I really quite like the little screen but it seems odd it doesn’t switch off after a short while; this will over time murder the OLED pixels so seems an odd thing to do. (so shiny the camera focused on its own reflection)
   
  UI:  Well the UI is pretty basic stuff but it all works and is pretty obvious to use.  That is how a UI ought to be so well done FiiO.
   

   
  Power:  I know there have been reports of the E7 not being quite able to provide the volume that some want and all I can say is What!!!!!  Are you deaf!!!!  Having the E7 power my HD600 (300Ω) I get to about 40 out of 60 before thinking erm no that’s getting too loud to listen to.  Loud to the point of unpleasantly loud.  If anyone is using more then I can only assume you actually are legally deaf and so do need things blasting at you to hear them or you soon will be.  Currently I’m using a set of UE Super.fi 5 and the volume is at 5 and I’m perfectly happy with the volume.
   

   
  Transparency:  The E7 is a more closed in intimate sounding amp than it is open and airy.  For me this pretty much goes hand in hand with its rich, liquid sound.  If you’re looking for air and space no prizes for guessing where that can be better found.  A/B ing the two of them I cannot say one is better than the other it has far more to do with the style and presentation you prefer, what suits that song and what pars better with your chosen headphone.
   

   
  DAC:  Testing the DAC section itself is impossible but you can gauge an idea of whether the DAC is of a worse quality than the amplifier is.  The E7 DAC is lauded as being the Wolfson WM8740.  I have no doubts many of you have come across the name Wolfson and the reverence with which it is often spoken of.  Round Head-Fi Wolfson and its chips get great praise (and gets often beaten up for being cheapskates and no longer using them.)  The thing is I can’t say I’m hearing the DAC stand out and it makes me suspect the amp is holding it back.  Normally there would be no way to tell but FiiO has a dock on the bottom of the E7.  This is designed to be paired up the FiiO E9 which will be small desktop amp and when connected together will use the DAC in the E7.  Clearly FiiO think the DAC they have used can do even better with a bigger and better amp and I’d love to see just what it can do.
   
  Comparing to the Dac in the Icon, I feel the amp of the Icon is a little held back by its DAC, the lovely Wolfson one in the iPod 5G pairs much better with its amp than its own DAC does.  This leads me to conclude the DAC in the E7 is the better of the two.  Should I get an E9 I’m sure it would confirm my suspicions.
   

   
  Value:  Pretty fantastic value.  The E7 for all intents sits in a market position that it really doesn’t have much in the way of competition.  Its main rivals are the E5 and the Icon Mobile.  Clearly it’s a big step up on the E5 but not as much as one might have hoped for, that says more about what a little marvel that the E5 is than anything bad about the E7.  Right now the E7 is available anywhere in the world for US$80 and that certainly can’t be said for the Icon Mobile.  If I wanted to go buy it a can but the cheapest I can see it for in the UK is £115.  Even at today’s terrible exchange rates Google tells me that’s US$183!!!  As you can see there is a little price discrepancy there. 
   
  Edit: AMP3 (http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/Headphones.6/FiiO.406/5510017/FiiO_E7_USB_DAC_and_Headphone_Amplifier.4495.html ) are now selling them in the UK for £65, its nice to see there things available localy and naturally will have ever so much quicker shipping.
   
  If you’re American things get much more equal and accordingly the E7 isn’t such a comparative bargain.  You need to look whether it’s more suited to what you’re after acoustically and in versatility.
   

   
  Conclusion:  I like the E7.  I don’t like it as much as I thought I was going to but I suspect that because the E5 set the price to awesomeness ratio so very high.  So why should you buy the E7 over the E5?  The most blatant reason is the DAC.  The E5 has none and I don’t know about your laptops but many have utterly crappy headphone out’s.  Plugging in the E7 makes all that horror go away at a stroke and that there is worth the extra US$60.  The sound quality over all is a clear step up on the E5 too with the treble in particular being improved.  The E7 also gives you a hugely versatile bass boost that is actually a lot of fun.  With the E5 it was on or off but with the E7 you can graduate it in much finer steps and that’s something i really very much like.  Even with my XM5 it has a great bass boost but it’s either on or off, the E7 can have just a little boost if you like and that’s truly a step forward i believe.  The E7 just gets a lot of those little things done well.
   
  As a package the E7 is quite lovely, that little silicon jacket fits it just so perfectly and as cases go is about perfect.   The options the E7 present is likewise great, the ability to plug it into an E9 and transform it into a desktop amp is something noting else offers as far as I know.  The fact that it has an off button (oh hell yes I’m looking at you Nu Force) and that it also has a sleep timer on it.  While it’s not something I do but many like to go to bed with headphones on and this means you can amp them too and not wake to a dead battery. 
   
  The only niggles I have with the E7 is that the screen and whole face while pretty is begging to be scratched.  You know it’s only matter of time before you will spoil its looks.  The other is that the sound quality isn’t all that i hoped it would be.  While it’s very nice and represents good if not great value it isn’t making me go “WOW” like the E5 at its teeny tiny price did.  When it comes to pure musical fidelity and finesse the Icon Mobile does have the edge but it lacks in that it has no bass boost and is just too darn bright for many.  The E7 represents a more balanced and gently warmed sound that either works for you or it doesn’t.
   
  As I have mentioned the E7’s natural pairing is with the RE-0 and based on that combo, both at US$80 each makes for a pretty unbeatable sound for the money.  The 0 with its neutral / bright sound and the E7 with its warm hint and that variable bass boost button is pretty much a match made in acoustic heaven.


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## ClieOS

Thanks for the review, Mark. A good read indeed.


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## Danz03

Nice review, one question though, how do you turn it off? I must be a noob since I couldn't find a way to turn it off apart from using the timer. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
  Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> Oh and I love that the amp displays “BYE BYE” when you turn it off.  More importantly of course that means you can turn it off (I’m looking at you Nu Force.)


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## mark2410

Quote: 





danz03 said:


> Nice review, one question though, how do you turn it off? I must be a noob since I couldn't find a way to turn it off apart from using the timer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 you know the standby symbol / Next button (the lowest of the 4 buttons)  hold it for a couple of seconds


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## Danz03

OMG! It is really that simple! I'm such a noob, thanks.


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## wordsworth

Thanks for the review, now looking into USB Host on the HTC Desire so that I can connect this (would have to buy it first but I have a desktop USB DAC to test with).  Someone has already got USB speakers (with built in DAC) working with the Desire so it should be possible.


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## Coop

Nice review Mark!
   
  Maybe the front can be kept looking pretty with a screenprotector? Judging by the pics there should be some smartphones' screenprotector that fits (maybe with some modifications). Even if the fit isn't perfect, the rubber protector thing would still protect it around the edges.


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## mark2410

is the hp out on the desire poor?  still cool anyway to do


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## mark2410

Quote: 





coop said:


> Nice review Mark!
> 
> Maybe the front can be kept looking pretty with a screenprotector? Judging by the pics there should be some smartphones' screenprotector that fits (maybe with some modifications). Even if the fit isn't perfect, the rubber protector thing would still protect it around the edges.


 

 oh im sure it could be done, its just not something i have to hand to try myself.  howove seeing as right now i just scratched the screen with my finger nail its probably something i will be looking into


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## wordsworth

Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> is the hp out on the desire poor?  still cool anyway to do


 

 Not the best to be honest and at low volume/quiet music you can hear electronic noise with decent headphones.  For me this is a great opportunity to have very good portable music as I have FLAC support on the Desire plus network access via both samba (file access) and upnp/firely for streaming music from a NAS server.  Portable is the key as I don't want to be carting a lot of stuff to Uni.


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## lucozade

Thanks for the review @ mark, very interesting little thing and great pictures


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## ericp10

Good read @ Mark....


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## BuFFys

How does it stand against a Cmoy?


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## machineman

I also have the HTC Desire, but haven't tried them together yet as I really got the E7 as a soundcard replacement for my dell XPS lappy, but I don't have a low volume problem on the Desire with my Grado SR80s anyway.
   
  Cheers.
  MM.


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## Faheem

Great review mark !  Do you by any chance have a uDAC and compare the E7s DAC to the uDACs sound ? I tried searching but couldn't find many comparisons .


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## NewDuke

Great review, thanks.


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## mark2410

Quote: 





faheem said:


> Great review mark !  Do you by any chance have a uDAC and compare the E7s DAC to the uDACs sound ? I tried searching but couldn't find many comparisons .


 


 i dont, sorry.  given the uDAC is not what id call call portable anyway its not something id really see as being a direct competitor anyway.
  
  Quote: 





buffys said:


> How does it stand against a Cmoy?


 

 couldn't tell you, i dont have one


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## ClieOS

I wrote a review on uDAC in my blog last week if you are interested. There is a small comparison in the comment reply regarding E7.
  Quote: 





faheem said:


> Great review mark !  Do you by any chance have a uDAC and compare the E7s DAC to the uDACs sound ? I tried searching but couldn't find many comparisons .


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## Faheem

Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> i dont, sorry.  given the uDAC is not what id call call portable anyway its not something id really see as being a direct competitor anyway.
> 
> 
> couldn't tell you, i dont have one


 

  That's true  both can't be directly compared as they cater different segments and Icon mobile would be a better comparison as you have done .  I came across a review on another site which found the E7 to be lot better than uDAC in terms of detailing and natural sound and It came to me as a surprise as I absolutely love the uDAC other than some minor flaws and not so neutral sound signature. Hence looking for opinions from people I know and appreciate  
  Will try to get hold of an E7 , it looks like a huge step up from the E5,E1 from Fiio.Even more interesting would be the pairing of E7 with E9.

  
  Quote: 





clieos said:


> I wrote a review on uDAC in my blog last week if you are interested. There is a small comparison in the comment reply regarding E7.


 
   
  Thanks for the link , will check it out right away.


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## ccfoodog

It would be nice if they produced line out cable for the E7 tho.
   
  -john


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## mark2410

Quote: 





faheem said:


> That's true  both can't be directly compared as they cater different segments and Icon mobile would be a better comparison as you have done .  I came across a review on another site which found the E7 to be lot better than uDAC in terms of detailing and natural sound and It came to me as a surprise as I absolutely love the uDAC other than some minor flaws and not so neutral sound signature. Hence looking for opinions from people I know and appreciate
> Will try to get hold of an E7 , it looks like a huge step up from the E5,E1 from Fiio.Even more interesting would be the pairing of E7 with E9.
> 
> 
> ...


 

 id find that hard to believe that the E7 is a lot better than the uDAC.  the E7 is lovely at what it does but what i suspect its more that that reviewer simply preferred the richer sound of the E7, it wouldnt surprise me if the uDAC was like the Icon Mobile and more than a little leaning towards bright.  the Icon Mobile and a bright headphone would just ravage the ears.  you would never dream of pairing say an RE-0 with the Icon Mobile but it goes lovely with the E7.


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## Jack C

Awesome thorough review! Thank you, it was a great read.
   
  Jack


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## 4khris

Hi Mark,i dont received my E7,still waiting, but one of my iem are the denon c751,i agree whit you, they have a huge bass,but in my E5 without the BB,are warm,with great bass,maybe as you say with the E7,but are fun for some songs,
  let me ask you,are really a bass monster,whit the E7,whit BB off?
  can you post more impressions about E7+C751,Thanks and great review.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   


mark2410 said:


> I did test the E7 out with the cool mid’ed C751 but it really didn’t work out.  Not one tiny bit in fact.  The warmer and more bassy sound of the E7 when combined with the huge bass of the Denon just made for a ridiculous bass monster. Which highlighted just how recessed the C751’s mids are.  The Icon tamed that bass and pulled the mids forward balancing them out, the E7 pushed them utterly in the opposite direction.


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## mark2410

well i think the C751 is a bass monster no matter what you do to it.  i do think the Icon is Better at taming that bass and pulling out the C751's mids a bit. 
   
  the E7 does inject a little liquidity into the Denons mids which is nice.  still its not a pairing i would naturally recommend but then im not a lover of huge bass.


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## lie495fc

great review Mark. if my impression is correct, that E7 alone is a IEM AMP, but when connected to a PC, the E7 becomes AMP and DAC. so E7 is simply an external sound card. if that's the fact, how does it compare to an internal sound card like xonar essence st/x in SQ.


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## mark2410

Quote: 





lie495fc said:


> great review Mark. if my impression is correct, that E7 alone is a IEM AMP, but when connected to a PC, the E7 becomes AMP and DAC. so E7 is simply an external sound card. if that's the fact, how does it compare to an internal sound card like xonar essence st/x in SQ.


 

 no idea as ive never heard one, if i had to guess i doubt it would beat the far more expensive xonar.  what its really aimed more at is getting arround using the hellish on board sound card particularly on laptops where adding internal sound cards isnt really an option


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## JoetheArachnid

Thanks a lot for that link to a UK retailer for these. One of the reasons I got the RE-Zero instead of 0 is because I thought I wouldn't need to invest in an amp, but the amount of time I spend with my iPod at full volume right now is ridiculous. I'd also like access to an EQ that doesn't suck... damn you, Apple.
  Right now I'm using an iMic which provides a much cleaner and more neutral sound compared to my scratchy, buzzing internal card, but it is also woefully underpowered.
   
  I think my next purchase will be one of these and an L3 to go with it.
   
  Oh, and a great review. One of the better ones I've read; informative exciting and fun-tastic.
   
  EDIT:
  I can't think of anywhere else to put this, but it seems that FiiO are no longer developing the line-out (model L7) for the E7. It sucks, but I guess I can live with it. I don't think it's trying to sucker people into getting the E9 either; it sounds like the cable just didn't work.
  http://www.fiio.com.cn/en/shownews.asp?id=39


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## ClieOS

Actually as I was told by FiiO, they are still very much in development of L7 for E7, just not ready for market yet. The info on their website is a bit dated.
  
  Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> EDIT:
> I can't think of anywhere else to put this, but it seems that FiiO are no longer developing the line-out (model L7) for the E7. It sucks, but I guess I can live with it. I don't think it's trying to sucker people into getting the E9 either; it sounds like the cable just didn't work.
> http://www.fiio.com.cn/en/shownews.asp?id=39


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## JoetheArachnid

That's awesome. If the DAC is good enough on its own, maybe I won't have to invest in a Musiland 02 anytime soon. It's not like I have any 192khz music to play anyway...
  
  Quote: 





clieos said:


> Actually as I was told by FiiO, they are still very much in development of L7 for E7, just not ready for market yet. The info on their website is a bit dated.


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## Azathoth

Great review Mark. Yeah, I've found that those complaints about the E7's lack of power are overblown (perhaps they had dud units?), it was able to power my 250ohm Beyer DT 150 to a comfortable listening level on 35 or so, 40 or more they're already past my loudness threshold.


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## mark2410

Quote: 





azathoth said:


> Great review Mark. Yeah, I've found that those complaints about the E7's lack of power are overblown (perhaps they had dud units?), it was able to power my 250ohm Beyer DT 150 to a comfortable listening level on 35 or so, 40 or more they're already past my loudness threshold.


 

 i really do wonder sometimes as people, like i just cannot imagine even thinking about maxing the volume.  hell ive never even wanted to max any plain hp outs, some must have seriously damaged hearing out there.


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## 4khris

Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> i really do wonder sometimes as people, like i just cannot imagine even thinking about maxing the volume.  hell ive never even wanted to max any plain hp outs, some must have seriously damaged hearing out there.


 
   
  Yes,the E7 via LOD have enought power to hurt and make unpleasant the listening.


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## VaSpn

Quote: 





4khris said:


> Yes,the E7 via LOD have enought power to hurt and make unpleasant the listening.


 

 Couldn't agree more. The E7 does pack some juice via LOD


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## IDK

Which would pair best with the E7 thru LOD
   
  Ipod video
  6th gen ipod classic
  3rd ipod touch


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## TheGame21x

Nice review. Glad to hear the E7 pairs well with the RE0s. I've been hearing a lot of Fiio naysayers around these parts bashing the E7, saying it's little more than the inexpensive E5 with a DAC section attached so I'm glad to see that it actually performs well within its price range.


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## freeky1

Thanks for the review.  I joined this forum to find out more about devices I can connect to my iPad.  I really appreciate the information.


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## atab

Quote: 





> The only niggles I have with the E7 is that the screen and whole face while pretty is begging to be scratched.  You know it’s only matter of time before you will spoil its looks.


 
  Did you remove the plastic protective screen ? this is what gets scratched, underneath is a nice glass which doesn't get scratched easily and looks a loooot better.


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## olor1n

Finally received my E7 today. Relatively new to all this but I must say I am satisfied the E7 was a good place to start***. It's a sexy little unit. There was noticeable improvement using the DAC with my macbook and Alessandro MS-1i headphones. Bass boost opens up the sound stage at the highest setting and is a lot of fun. Can't wait to burn them in.
   
  ***I did purchase an RA-1 clone which in hindsight was amazing. It may have been faulty and I did receive a replacement clone with bass boost at my request. To my great relief and bitter disappointment the E7 sounds better than the replacement clone but lacks the sound stage, precision and clarity of that original clone. I wish I'd just purchased the E7 first rather than now missing my original amp and being left with a replacement which will now see little use.


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## Noir7

have you ever heard the corda headsix/xxs? just want to ask if i ever hear any improvement if i use E7 beside its bass boost function.
  the only amp that i ever tried and notice something real different is the headsix that my friend owned, before i have E5 and didn't notice any improvement beside its bass boost and secondly linearossa W1 which i did notice only a slight improvement.
  i really like the bass impact and treble on headsix it really make the difference, how about the E7?


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## mark2410

i have not, sorry


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## Totally Dubbed

Great review Mark 
  As usual!
   
  Might get one.
  Although i have the e5 and the e1 in my hands , so might think twice about it !


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## davidcotton

Half tempted to try one to see if it would go well with a westone 2 and 2nd gen Ipod touch. Love the clarity of the combo but feel that the bass is sometimes lacking.


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## mark2410

it can certainly boost the bass if thats what your after, its a fun little gadget


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## Totally Dubbed

Sure am 
  But i'm wondering if it's really worth it 
  In comparison to my e5


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## aSunshine

Any sense trying it with sennheiser ie8? If listening from cowon s9?


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## mark2410

not a combo i have treid but i cant imagine it would work well, warm with warm would give you an overly warm sound, unless of course thats what you want


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## avalanche

I've been reading stuff on the following:
  1. Re0
  2. Re-Zero
  3. Fischer DBA-02
   
  The RE0 and the E7 obviously work together nicely. But have anyone of you attempted to pair the E7 with RE-Zero? Or the DBA-02? Could anyone tell me how do they compare with each other with the pairing?


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





avalanche said:


> I've been reading stuff on the following:
> 1. Re0
> 2. Re-Zero
> 3. Fischer DBA-02
> ...


 
  Obviously RE0 will benefit the most from the bass boost, but other wise the others will be just fine as well. RE-ZERO and DBA-02 don't require extra amping in most case, and I will suggest you decide which IEM you want to get first before worrying about amp.


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## mark2410

what he said


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## avalanche

Point noted and taken! Lemme read more reviews about these 3 phones then...


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## Banko

Hi Mark,
   
  Great review - thanks.
   
  I am considering buying an AMP/DAC as an upgrade to my setup, but considering whether to get the E7 or the Arrow.
  I currently only have IEM (SE530, RE-Zero, UE700) but will soon pull the trigger on some home-cans (most likely Senn HD650).
   
  Do you still have your Shure SE530 and have you tried them with the E7?
  And do you have some home cans like the HD650 - or is the E7 not able to power these?
   
  I will be using the AMP/DAC out of my Macbook Pro and iPhone 3GS - with the IEMs mentioned above and a can like HD650, main question is: Is this a good plan - or should I go for the Arrow instead?


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## Oddworld

I thought that the E9 really added some power. Helped with my K702s


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## mark2410

Quote: 





banko said:


> Hi Mark,
> 
> Great review - thanks.
> 
> ...


 

 i havent treid them, its not really a combo id suggest either given the 530 is warm adding more warmth with the E7, not that it would be bad just not a pairing id naturaly pick.  oh and the E7 will happily drive whatever you throw at it, of course beefier amps will drive things better but they will do a nice job for now.  it runs my HD600 fine.  i do believe i mentioned it could drive them lauder than id ever want in the review.


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## Banko

Cool, thanks Mark.
   
  Will try and get my hands on the Senn HD650 and this little thing then.. 

  
  Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> i havent treid them, its not really a combo id suggest either given the 530 is warm adding more warmth with the E7, not that it would be bad just not a pairing id naturaly pick.  oh and the E7 will happily drive whatever you throw at it, of course beefier amps will drive things better but they will do a nice job for now.  it runs my HD600 fine.  i do believe i mentioned it could drive them lauder than id ever want in the review.


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## Hero307

Hi Mark,
   
  Do me a favour answering my question: My sansa clip (not plus) gives a wam sound, what'll happen if I pair my clip with a Fiio E7? (Plus, I'm using Sennheiser HD238, an on air headphone with quite good lows).
   
  Thanks alot !!!


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## mark2410

Quote: 





hero307 said:


> Hi Mark,
> 
> Do me a favour answering my question: My sansa clip (not plus) gives a wam sound, what'll happen if I pair my clip with a Fiio E7? (Plus, I'm using Sennheiser HD238, an on air headphone with quite good lows).
> 
> Thanks alot !!!


 


  well i havent heard a clip but if either way the E7 adds a hint of warmth so it will warm up what you already have.  do you want more?


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## swbf2cheater

Im worried the E7 output isnt anywhere near enough to improve on the clip+ by itself.  Im still waiting for someone who uses the E7 with a clip, so far nobody seems to have tried it...not one? 
   
  I know its power to be less than the RSA tomahawk which only showed minor improvement when using a clip.


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## Hero307

Help me, Mark!!!
   
  I've bought a new E7 to pair with my Sansa clip. But it seems not to improve the power of output  Without E7, I set the volume at 80% to be enough to hear. But with E7, I still must set volume at about 75 ~ 78% (with the maximum volume in E7) to be enough. I'm not deaf, so does my E7 have any problems? Beside that, Fiio has recommended their product to be set at 20 volume by default (


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## swbf2cheater

:\


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## MaxwellDemon

I am actually wondering if he plugged the E7 correctly.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





hero307 said:


> I've bought a new E7 to pair with my Sansa clip. But it seems not to improve the power of output  Without E7, I set the volume at 80% to be enough to hear. But with E7, I still must set volume at about 75 ~ 78% (with the maximum volume in E7) to be enough. I'm not deaf, so does my E7 have any problems? Beside that, Fiio has recommended their product to be set at 20 volume by default (


 

 You should have set it the other way, max on clip and use the E7 to control volume. E7 volume control is not fully linear, so it varies the gain from -60dB or so to +5dB. Hence, 0dB (no gain) is right around 80% on E7. Setting max volume on clip also help getting better dynamic too.


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## Hero307

Quote: 





maxwelldemon said:


> I am actually wondering if he plugged the E7 correctly.


 

 I don't think I did the wrong way  AUX input of the E7 is the output of the Clip, and the headphone is plugged in at the top of the E7. I think it's hard to handle with them incorrectly 
   


  Quote: 





clieos said:


> You should have set it the other way, max on clip and use the E7 to control volume. E7 volume control is not fully linear, so it varies the gain from -60dB or so to +5dB. Hence, 0dB (no gain) is right around 80% on E7. Setting max volume on clip also help getting better dynamic too.


 

 Precious information! I'll give it a try with hopeful 
  (Sorry, I'm Vietnamese so my English is very bad :-D )


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## JamesFiiO

Quote: 





hero307 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 It will be more easy to find the different between the headphone out and the headphone out when connect E7 to the usb port of PC! My opinion is that headphone amp may not suitable for anyone because some headphone can be
   
  drive quite well by DAP! and sometime the SQ different is very small, that is why most people are satisfy with the original earphone of Apple!


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## MaxwellDemon

Quote: 





hero307 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Hmm, does sound like a mismatch between the Clip and E7. 
   
  I am quite surprised at this, I can't turn the volume higher than 25... but then I am using an iPod with an LOD.


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## JamesFiiO

Depend on my experience! sound quality depend on age, civilization! and other factor, so there are not a standard for good sound!
   
and that is why there are so many kinds of HiFi audio , and it is the fun of HiFi! in my opinion, Good sound quality just means you are happy
   
with the music! when I was young, I will enjoy some heavy bass, but I tend to more balance sound! 
   
So, what we try to do is make some good quality products with neutral sound, them you can enjoy different music but not only suitable 
   
for one kind of music!


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## Totally Dubbed

My experience with the e7:
  -Bought one on ebay from a trusted seller, and it only went one notch louder than my e5 on MAX volume.
  -Sent it back thinking it was faulty
  -Got one from Mark (demoed it), the one who created this thread, had the same experience.
   
  In other words the e7 has to be driven by certain things.
  ie. My samsung galaxy s cannot drive it.
  Meaning I was on volume 50-60 all the time, whilst being told online and from mark that over 25 hurts your ears...


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## Hero307

Quote: 





totally dubbed said:


> In other words the e7 has to be driven by certain things.


 

 I agree with this. In Viet Nam, some guys who used E7 too have confirmed this thing. In some case like Ipods, the volume (also the sound quality) is effective. In some others, it is not. The E7 seems not work to all kinds of device. Am I saying anything wrong, Feiao?


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## swbf2cheater

I just purchased an E7, hopefully Ill get it in the next few days and give it a good test run with the sansa clip+ and let people know how well it performs


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## JamesFiiO

Quote: 





hero307 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 There are some DAPs only have small output level, and the gain of E7 is only 5dB ( old version is 3.5dB).  in this case, the output level is not enough to drive the E7 to the max power, so it is about the gain but not the output power!
   
  Also, volume is not equal power, We had test some famous amp, which have only small output power, even less than iPod! but it can color the SQ! and also be a good amp to some people! there are not an absolute perfect which can satify everyone! and that is why we
   
  develop E11, it have 10dB gain and higher power, it can be suitable for almost all DAP which may just have very small output level!


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## Hero307

Quote: 





jamesfiio said:


> There are some DAPs only have small output level, and the gain of E7 is only 5dB ( old version is 3.5dB).  in this case, the output level is not enough to drive the E7 to the max power, so it is about the gain but not the output power!
> 
> Also, volume is not equal power, We had test some famous amp, which have only small output power, even less than iPod! but it can color the SQ! and also be a good amp to some people! there are not an absolute perfect which can satify everyone! and that is why we
> 
> develop E11, it have 10dB gain and higher power, it can be suitable for almost all DAP which may just have very small output level!


 

 Exactly, the gain of E7 is only about 3.5dB ~ 5dB. How can I find out which version (new or old) my E7 currently be? 
   


  Quote: 





swbf2cheater said:


> I just purchased an E7, hopefully Ill get it in the next few days and give it a good test run with the sansa clip+ and let people know how well it performs


 

 Awaiting for your report...


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## JamesFiiO

Depend on the sales, current version should be 5 dB version!


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## MaxwellDemon

I am really, really impressed by the output of the Fiio E7. It actually managed to run the HD650 (though I have to crank the volume up to 40) quite nicely. It could do better, but as a portable amp, that's pretty damn impressive.


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## WMah

got the e7+e9 combo and no complaints so far! my only wish is an upgraded/premium version of an e7 that supports 24/96 in the future!


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## Jack C

Based on the boatload of new product release info that FiiO has dropped onto Head-Fi I would wager that a higher end DAC/AMP with 24/96 or even 192kbps support with the FiiO dock capability is probably in the pipeline somewhere. Disclaimer: this is purely speculation on my part.
   
  Jack


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





wmah said:


> got the e7+e9 combo and no complaints so far! my only wish is an upgraded/premium version of an e7 that supports 24/96 in the future!


 
  It is not impossible, but it will need a better USB receiver chip to do it. Typical USB receiver only do 16/44.1 due to limitation on USB Spec, and anything higher generally are more costly.  I guess it is the question on finding balance between cost and price.


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## WMah

Quote: 





jack c said:


> Based on the boatload of new product release info that FiiO has dropped onto Head-Fi I would wager that a higher end DAC/AMP with 24/96 or even 192kbps support with the FiiO dock capability is probably in the pipeline somewhere. Disclaimer: this is purely speculation on my part.
> 
> Jack


 

 Fingers crossed for this! even though i'd be slightly irked since my e7 is practically new, i'd still get it in a heartbeat!


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## voicemaster

I ordered E7 yesterday and supposedly to get it tomorrow. My setup will be: Itouch 4 -> L1 LOD cable -> E7 -> Sunrise SW Xcape for portable use. At home I have Art USB Dual Pre that I use as a USB sound card and it sounds so much better and louder than my laptop phone line out which has electrical noise and sounds tiny. Hopefully E7 can improve the sound from my Itouch 4 as that is my primary goal.


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## voicemaster

Got my E7+L1 LOD yesterday and I am very satisfied with the sound. It definitely improves the clarity and smoothness from my Itouch 4. I tried using the BB and it didn't distort the sound at all, I am very impressed. I also use it as a DAC from my laptop and it definitely sounds better. No hiss or anything just dead silent.


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## TypeA

Hi all, long time lurker,  first time poster.  
   
  Ordered a new fiio e7/e9 combo from mp4nation back in december and after adult light use the usb plug on the back of the e9 amp has begun to fail resulting in obvious loss of signal or reduced signal to the left cup of my sennheiser hd650s. After testing headphones,  inputs, outputs and cable its been verified to be the amp, resulting in a return to fiio for a fix.  No problem these things happen and, while disappointing,  I didnt consider it a big deal.
   
  Now the interesting part...being reduced to using the e7 as an amp/dac ive noticed that despite master resets and ensuring the settings are correct for "usb charging" the e7 powers off and all settings are lost as soon as the usb cable is disconnected! Unit will not power on until the usb is reconnected.  The battery icon appears to be charging as its connected too.   Ok, both the e7 and e9 failed after four months,  NOW it seems to be a big deal...  
   
  Strange, I read alot on this combo (especially here on this site) before purchase and nary a bad word about quality, so Im more than a little surprised to have both components fail (in some way) after just a few short months of ownership.  I consider myself tech savvy and know how to trouble-shoot issues like these, and both issues came back to Fiio.  Very pleased with performance,  but has there been other folks with issues of build quality with fiio gear, or am I just super-duper lucky????


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## Keeper40

Thanks for this.


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## leo5111

i didnt see does this have a gain switch not bass bost i know has that i mean gain switch thanks


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## natashaful

To be honest my E7 isn't driving my HD555's very well for gaming there is lowend bass distortion the unit is quite new as well, I'am not sure if i will keep it to be honest, I did try with many other Amps and it sorts the problem out, I can only but guess the Amp on the E7 is garbage.
   
  They obviously want us all to buy E9's Personally the Matrix M-Stage is better value i mean, They are built with good components and get mega reviews, I would be happier to spend the extra £90 on the Matrix, Fiio seem decent for a budget but that's all they are Budget, Cost has to have been cut some where!, And they use Wolfson chip so running components must have taken a massive hit to keep costs down?.
   
  Natty.


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## fleasbaby

I have had my E7 for a while now, and have loved every minute of it...paired with a line out for my iPod classic, 320 kbps mp3s and a pair of Grado SR60s it makes me a happy camper...the initial review was right though, the screen is thoroughly scuffed...
   
  Does anyone know a good way to refinish these things? I know there are ways to redo the acrylic dust covers for record players, I wonder if the same would work here?


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## mechanix

Would E7 be a worthwhile step up from onboard audio in terms of audio quality? I'm looking for an entry level DAC and E7 is a strong competitor in my eyes.


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## trog

Hi happy Fiio E7 user reporting in and i am stoked using this as a USB DAC with my speakers and USB DAC/Headphone Amp with my cans/iem! 1st stuff outside onboard motherboard audio too wee~
   
  My set up
  http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards-computer-audio/1081726-sharing-my-el-cheapo-move-better.html


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## trog

Do it and you won't regret wee~ By the way kudos to TS for the review and sharing his thoughts with us 
  
  Quote: 





mechanix said:


> Would E7 be a worthwhile step up from onboard audio in terms of audio quality? I'm looking for an entry level DAC and E7 is a strong competitor in my eyes.


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## mark2410

Quote: 





mechanix said:


> Would E7 be a worthwhile step up from onboard audio in terms of audio quality? I'm looking for an entry level DAC and E7 is a strong competitor in my eyes.


 


  well it depends on what the on board is but yeah its likely to be a bit of a jump up.


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## EazyWeazy3

Great thread. The E7 is a great product.


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## firev1

E7 is a good DAC but if your looking for amp, I suggest to trying something else. Or we can wait for 2012 and see what FiiO attempts to "kill" our wallets with.


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