# What Is The Best FiiO Amp? ($50-$100)



## biggbenn74

I have some spare change and am looking into buying a new portable FiiO amp (but all other brands will be accepted and looked into further.) I have been eyeing the E11, AND I ALREADY HAVE THE E7, I'm wondering if it would be an upgrade from what I have. I will be using the amp to power anything from some fake Beats all the way up to my AKG Q701. I like listening to more bass heavy music. Hope there are lots of helpful responses!


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## FCO2013

Depends on how you're going to use it. If you're going to be using it more at home, I suggest the E10. It's a DAC/AMP, similar to your E7, but much better in terms of quality. If you are going to be using it mostly on the go, I suggest the E11, which I see you have been looking at already. Good choice, I'm about to get it too. I've heard great things about it here on head-fi, and around the 'net.
   
  Cheers!
   
  EDIT: I've also heard the JDS Labs cMoy BB v2.03 is also very good, same price as the E11, I think. Headfonia has a good review on their site.


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## risenfallen

If you're going to drive some demanding full-size cans like the Q701, your best bet in this price range is the PA2V2 (drives my K701 acceptably). If it has to be Fiio, then just get the E11 (but keep in mind that the soundstage will collapse quite noticeably).


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## Evshrug

Hmm, the PA2V2... I was reading ClieOS' portable amp round-up, and he agreed that the PA2V2 had a wider soundstage, but the review scale indicates that they're not far off. The E11 was also remarked as more detailed and transparent. Here's ClieOS' review thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/596482/the-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout-8-1-amps-compared

I am also curious about recommendations, because I recently acquired the Q701 as well (white) and I don't know what everybody's favorite amp is (besides the O2, which is stuck somewhere between portable & desktop in size).


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## biggbenn74

Is this eBay store selling legit FiiO E11's?
   
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiio-PORTABLE-HEADPHONE-AMPLIFIER-3-5mm-USB-CABLE-E11-/261057911670?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item3cc8439b76#ht_3194wt_1049
   
  Thoughts?


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## biggbenn74

Quote: 





risenfallen said:


> If you're going to drive some demanding full-size cans like the Q701, your best bet in this price range is the PA2V2 (drives my K701 acceptably). If it has to be Fiio, then just get the E11 (but keep in my that the soundstage will collapse quite noticeably).


 
  Thank you for some thoughts. I still am not quite sure what I am going to do at this point. I think I'll wait another week and see what else comes up!


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## bowei006

There isn't much of a counterfeit problem with the E11 but buying authentic is best. Micca has an E11 combo on amazon or their site which is generally $65 Fiio E11 plus backup battery and charger


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## biggbenn74

bowei006 said:


> There isn't much of a counterfeit problem with the E11 but buying authentic is best. Micca has an E11 combo on amazon or their site which is generally $65 Fiio E11 plus backup battery and charger




Well, I have some spare eBay cash that I need to use on eBay. Wish it were amazon. Just wanting to know about the ones on eBay. Thanks though!


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## bowei006

Quote: 





biggbenn74 said:


> Well, I have some spare eBay cash that I need to use on eBay. Wish it were amazon. Just wanting to know about the ones on eBay. Thanks though!


 
  Go on to their site(FiiO) and look at authorized dealers and see if they are on ebay, Micca may be


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## Evshrug

bowei006 said:


> Go on to their site(FiiO) and look at authorized dealers and see if they are on ebay, Micca may be



Here's an eBay seller that FiiO lists as authorized on it's page:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FiiO-E11-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Amp-with-Three-Level-Bass-Boost-/360478490413?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item53ee313f2d#ht_1779wt_976

Also, here is Adorama on EBay. I love Adorama, bought my camera from them 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiio-E11-Headphone-Amplifier-10-to-100KHz-Frequency-3-5mm-Input-Output-/330758034177?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4d02b71301#ht_4664wt_752


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## Evshrug

For $100 (sometimes sold for less), FiiO also offers a desktop amp called the E9 and E09k. Your E7 actually docks into the E9, so the E7's DAC is used while being powered by the E9's amp. The E9 is way more powerful than the E11 (and how often are you going for a walk while wearing your $300 AKG Q701s with a PMP & amp in your pocket anyway?), and if later you decide a more expensive DAC is worth it you can still use the E9 as an amp. Dat Knob for setting the volume is also very sexy.


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## bowei006

Quote: 





evshrug said:


> For $100 (sometimes sold for less), FiiO also offers a desktop amp called the E9 and E09k. Your E7 actually docks into the E9, so the E7's DAC is used while being powered by the E9's amp. The E9 is way more powerful than the E11 (and how often are you going for a walk while wearing your $300 AKG Q701s with a PMP & amp in your pocket anyway?), and if later you decide a more expensive DAC is worth it you can still use the E9 as an amp. Dat Knob for setting the volume is also very sexy.


 
  Keep in mind E90K will not work with E7.
   
  I am not making a suggestion as obviously the highest costing FiiO devices are the "best" ones but whether it is worth it for the setup differs


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## JamesFiiO

Quote: 





bowei006 said:


> Keep in mind E90K will not work with E7.
> 
> I am not making a suggestion as obviously the highest costing FiiO devices are the "best" ones but whether it is worth it for the setup differs


 
   
  The bugs had been fixed in the new QOGRY(E09K), please contact the seller to make sure which revision you will buy!


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## bowei006

Quote: 





jamesfiio said:


> The bugs had been fixed in the new QOGRY(E09K), please contact the seller to make sure which revision you will buy!


 
  I thought the E90K was called the QOGRY? Or are there two revisions? E90K and E90K QOGRY? With QOGRY E90K working with E7?


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## biggbenn74

Ok, 2 new questions. 
   
  1. Is the E11 a good enough step up from the E7 for about $60?
   
  2. I really don't have a desk for the E9, would putting it somewhere be hard for me?


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## Evshrug

1. Uh, enough? Well the amp section is about twice as powerful, you should notice an improvement on your Q701's. I'd say $60 is a great value for the amp by itself, but it's up to you if you think you need to replace your E7 you already own. If I was you I would at least get the L7 dock thingie for the E7 (so you can get a line out signal from the E7 that bypasses the internal amp) so that I would extend the life of the E7 purchase, but I am not you. Your mileage may vary.

2. I have a desk & an improvised nightstand (cardboard box with a few books stacked on top), so I don't quite have the same setup as you. If you look at pictures, the E9 isn't huge. I would guess its 6" long, 4" wide, and 2" tall? If you look at a picture with an E7 docked in it, you should get an idea of the size. From what I've read, the "bugs" improved by the E09k are that the smaller 1/8" headphone jack on the older amp gets some distortion, but the workaround is to just use the 1/4" jack instead, and that the old dock mechanism can wear out. There are also different inputs and outputs on the back, but the tone of the sound is the same for both models.

I don't think you could go wrong with either the E9 (or E09k) or E11 amp, though I can understand if you'd find the E11 more versatile. If you get the L7 LOD for your E7, you could connect it to either amp to power your headphones.


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## biggbenn74

Quote: 





evshrug said:


> 1. Uh, enough? Well the amp section is about twice as powerful, you should notice an improvement on your Q701's. I'd say $60 is a great value for the amp by itself, but it's up to you if you think you need to replace your E7 you already own. If I was you I would at least get the L7 dock thingie for the E7 (so you can get a line out signal from the E7 that bypasses the internal amp) so that I would extend the life of the E7 purchase, but I am not you. Your mileage may vary.
> 2. I have a desk & an improvised nightstand (cardboard box with a few books stacked on top), so I don't quite have the same setup as you. If you look at pictures, the E9 isn't huge. I would guess its 6" long, 4" wide, and 2" tall? If you look at a picture with an E7 docked in it, you should get an idea of the size. From what I've read, the "bugs" improved by the E09k are that the smaller 1/8" headphone jack on the older amp gets some distortion, but the workaround is to just use the 1/4" jack instead, and that the old dock mechanism can wear out. There are also different inputs and outputs on the back, but the tone of the sound is the same for both models.
> I don't think you could go wrong with either the E9 (or E09k) or E11 amp, though I can understand if you'd find the E11 more versatile. If you get the L7 LOD for your E7, you could connect it to either amp to power your headphones.


 
  So, you DO think for portability AND power, the E11 is a good choice? And the LOD has been bought already in advance.


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## Evshrug

Without hearing it, and despite _wanting_ a big 'ol volume knob... my research points to either the E11 or fred_fred_2004 3-channel amp as being the most versatile and hitting the price/performance sweet spot. I think the final nod goes to the E11 for transparency, size, output power, and cost, but I had to mention the other portable amp since ClieOS was such a fan, and it has a slightly more neutral presentation a la the O2 amp.
I probably have my desktop amp needs met by my Yamaha Receiver actually (RX-V367). I think Yamaha put a little more thought into their headphone amp section than most integrated amps, mostly because they designed a virtual binaural codec for headphones called Silent Cinema (similar to Dolby Headphone) that is great for movies and gaming, and because the amp sounded quite clean in my subjective tests with my Q701s. The only thing is, mine is packed up right now because of space restrictions, and I want to be able to move out from my Mom's house as fast as possible.

ClieOS's sub-$100 portable amp review (with emphasis on low-ohm output with high current, ideal for hard to power amps with low Ohms such as IEMS):
http://www.head-fi.org/t/596482/the-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout-8-1-amps-compared

eBay page for the 3-channel amp (kinda interested in his similarly priced hybrid tube/solid state desktop amp too, but obviously that's not portable):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-channel-Headphone-amplifier-Audiophile-Cmoy-dual-LM4562-high-current-LM6171-/200712295581?pt=AU_Electronics_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item2ebb62949d#ht_3632wt_895

Authorized FiiO E11 dealer, offering a spare battery & wall charger:
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Accessory/dp/B004QVPGXK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345645684&sr=8-2&keywords=e11+fiio

*Please note that I haven't personally heard either of these amps, just my FiiO E5 and the headphone amp built into my standalone Yamaha Receiver.*


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## Evshrug

Just re-oriented myself by reading earlier posts in this thread, and the slightly warmer than neutral E11 (small difference, but you also have two bass boost settings above that) is most likely the best fit for versatility AND your preferences. The two authorized dealers on EBay I linked for you earlier would let you use your eBay cash and/or coupons.

Let me know how it goes by posting an update to this thread with your impressions once you get it! I still recommend keeping the E7 with a line-out as a DAC for your laptop, but I'll adopt it if you don't want it anymore


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## biggbenn74

Quote: 





evshrug said:


> Just re-oriented myself by reading earlier posts in this thread, and the slightly warmer than neutral E11 (small difference, but you also have two bass boost settings above that) is most likely the best fit for versatility AND your preferences. The two authorized dealers on EBay I linked for you earlier would let you use your eBay cash and/or coupons.
> Let me know how it goes by posting an update to this thread with your impressions once you get it! I still recommend keeping the E7 with a line-out as a DAC for your laptop, but I'll adopt it if you don't want it anymore


 
  Haha, I actually think I'll move the E7 to my car. I thought about selling it, but I thought my car speakers would appreciate a little more bass.  But yes, I will definitely post an update. The thing is, I'm debating whether to get these Numark Electrowaves for a good price or the E11... Probably will still be the E11.


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## Evshrug

I'm excited for you!
Never heard about Numark or their Electrowaves... now I'm probably going to lose half an hour looking them up, lol.


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## Evshrug

Lol google pointed me to your comparison between the Electrowaves and the red waves. I thought it was going to be another amp, not headphones! If you already have Q701s _and_ the Red Waves, I don't see why you'd need another closed headphone. I also didn't see anything about Numark's products performing on the level of the Sennheiser HD-25, Beyerdynamic DT1350, or V-MODA M-80, so...

Just get the amp, it'll be a nice upgrade for all your headphones


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## biggbenn74

Update: I'm pulling the trigger on the E11! Thank you, everyone!


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## Evshrug

Update: I don't remember if we talked about this, but my Recon3D gaming sound processor review is up! Leave a comment!

http://www.head-fi.org/products/creative-sound-blaster-recon3d-thx-usb-external-sound-enhancer-for-pc-ps3-xbox-360-and-mac-sb1300/reviews/7395


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