# FiiO E11 Review - Loud Things Come In Small Packages



## JoetheArachnid

*First Impressions:*   
  Buggering hell. Nobody left a note on the door for the postman. Looks like I probably won’t get my E11 until tomor- OH YES IT’S HERE. THANK YOU MISTER POSTMAN.
   

_I think this is what we refer to in the the trade as 'double prizes'. __My amp and battery come strapped together in the post._
   
  Opening up the package, it’s small. Very small. I don’t have much experience with portable amps, but I’ve seen and heard a few in person (including the Headstage Arrow 4G) and this is still pretty tiny, at least in terms of footprint. The metal box is a very nice touch, showing off just the unit as you open in, iDevice-style. In fact, it’s taking a few cues from iDevices in terms of design, most notably taking cues from Apple’s iPhone 4. All the buttons seem to be clicking, all the accessories seem to be present – let’s juice it up and see if pretty sounds come out of it.
   

_The E11's classy little metal box. I like the wireframes you get on FiiO packaging._
   
  The knob takes some twisting to switch it on – hopefully this will become less stiff over time (though not too much so). The pot action itself is also little stiff, which is a problem when the unit is lying on an iPod, though not so much when you can get two fingers on it. If you have fingers of steel you’ll get that attractive blue LED and maybe some music.
  Sound-wise, there’s quite a bit of bass, even without any EQ. I quite like bass, but listening to a number of bassier tracks with MS-1s it gets too much quite quickly on anything except EQ (bass boost) of 0. Treble is clear but perhaps a bit grainy; midrange is there but not prominent.
   

_Ooh, shiny. Figuratively of course; the finish is matte._
   
 *Build/design:*   
  The unit is small and light, the same footprint as a credit card and about 1.3cm thick. The main construction is of silver plastic, with the two panels made of fairly thin black anodised aluminium. The overall heft is a bit lacking, requiring perhaps just a bit more weight to have a truly solid feeling in the hand.
  The whole thing looks very classy, the white on black printing contrasting with the silver of the main body. Even the blue power and red charging LEDs are the perfect intensity, such that they’re visible in direct sunlight but not blinding in the dark. If you’re one of those audiophiles who likes your rig to look good, the E11 certainly beats out a lot of the (much) higher-priced competition aesthetically.
   
  A number of accessories come packed in: a short and flexible 3.5mm-3.5mm right angled cable, a short USB cable and a patented FiiO audio-class rubber band for keeping your rig together. All are pretty well made and have been useful – there are no useless frills in this package.
   

_Here we have the solid silver IC, the rhodium-plated, deep-fried platinum USB cable and the supercolliding superband_
   
  One of the E11’s more individual features is its enclosed volume knob. One feature that’s always put me off some amps like Headstage’s Arrow is the use of a wheel as a volume control – though I understand that it’s a good way to have a very thin but tactile control, it reminds me of a cheap portable radio and is still somewhat prone to being caught on things. The E11 takes something of a halfway-house approach with its design, combining aspects of both a wheel and a proper knob.
  In theory I love this idea, but in execution it does have some caveats; first being that the switched ALPS RK097 is very stiff to use and the small size of the knob means that there’s not a lot of leverage to help you here, even with the nicely machined knurled aluminium knob. It’s especially difficult with the built-in on/off switch, which needs a good bit of force but has a good ‘thunk’ to it. One upshot of this – the chance of accidentally changing the volume is almost zero. This is not nearly such a problem if you can have your E11 so that you can get your finger and thumb around the knob, though.
   
  On a more positive note, a multimeter shows that the pot tracks very well, with no channel imbalance above 1/8 on the volume dial (you need to go past about 0.75/8 for the amp to switch on) and I have verified this with my ears. Note that if you’re using anything even vaguely sensitive with the E11, you will have to be very fine in your volume adjustments, as the gap between too quiet and uncomfortably loud is not great, even on low gain. In fact, the loudness on this unit has me thinking of a custom iPod LOD with input resistors to attenuate the signal a bit and give me more room to manoeuvre on the pot.
  Switches are small, plastic and clicky. They don’t feel either particularly solid or cheap, but they do a good job. I do sometimes find it hard to select the middle bass boost setting one-handed, though.
   

_Moi? Take a picture in bad light because I just want to post this damn review and be done? Never. The internals, btw._
   
  The sockets grip a 3.5mm jack well, but lack the satisfying mechanical click you get with more expensive Neutrik connectors and the like. They’re fine for now, but I worry that they may become looser over time as jacks like this are prone to. They’re also perhaps a little close together, though I’ve had no problems so far. On a side note, pulling out the multimeter again showed that the DC offset of the amp was consistently <1mV, which is good news all round.
   
  EDIT: It seems like the 3.5mm sockets have one extra bonus - if you own a HiFiMAN headphone with a TRRS balanced plug, they will give you proper stereo sound without the use of an adapter. So useful if you need it, no negative if you don't.
   
  Another more original feature of the E11 is the ability to easily change the battery, accessed by the removal of the bottom panel of the amp. Removing the panel is a bit stiff the first few times you do it, but there is a knack to it. Once you have that down, changing the battery is a breeze and also gives you the opportunity to ogle the ‘power’ switch. The E11 utilises the AD8397 opamp which can be run at two different current levels that provide different balances between sound quality and battery life. Changing between the two modes is controlled by a small dip switch under the battery.
  As expected of a mass-produced product at this price, there are a couple of minor imperfections and blemishes: moulding lines on the plastic frame are obvious, there are some small scuffs on the corners of the faceplates and the knob protector doesn’t quite sit flush with the frame. None of these really detract from the overall look or usability of the unit, though.
   
 *Battery Life:*   
  In my tests the battery life easily exceeds the 10 hours marked out for the standard battery on high-current mode. However, much of my listening has been with a 1550mAh battery from fleaBay, which lasted at least 15 hours on the first charge and hasn’t managed to run out its second charge yet after over a week of intermittent use, mostly with Alessandro MS-1s (Edit: ran out whilst writing the ‘sound’ part of the review. Around 18-20 hours, I think.)
   

_My third-party battery. Not really relevant, but it's a nice shot. I got this one because I liked the colour, I'll be honest._
   
  The E11 charges from a normal mini USB input, which though possibly confusing to those who decide that it’s also a DAC (NB: it’s not) is a very good design choice from FiiO. Unlike wall plugs, USB is standard around the world – that means sockets, cables, voltages, everything. The E11 charges perfectly fine from both a computer USB port and an AC adapter like those that come with iPhones and Kindles, etc. Since we actually have two iPhones and two Kindles in our household (none of them mine) I’ve ‘borrowed’ one of these adapters on a semi-permanent basis for E11 duties. If any prospective or established portable amp designer should take any lesson away from FiiO’s latest, it should be this: MINI USB IS GOOD. WALLWARTS AND SPECIFICALLY-SIZED BARREL CONNECTORS SUCK.
   
  Although the E11 does have a long battery life, it does have one problem in that you don’t know when it’s low on juice. The unit just dies, which can be quite disconcerting the first time it happens. A feature such as the power light changing colour when the battery falls below a certain voltage would be reasonably easy to implement and very useful. As it is, the best idea is probably just to keep the unit juiced up by charging whenever possible. Note that due to the three-channel design used in the amp circuit, the unit is switched off and cannot be used whilst charging (Virtual ground comes in to contact with actual ground, apocalypse ensues if current passes across them. Do *not* cross the streams!) This is a mild annoyance for me at best, as I have two batteries and since changing them on the fly is easy, I’m never without an amp for more than thirty seconds. A couple of quid/bucks/rupees spent on an extra battery is easily a good investment here.
   
 *Sound:*   
  The unit was subjected to my usual burn-in regime of no burn-in at all, because it’s all a lie, caps form near instantly and any change is all in your head. What I _did_ do is spend a lot of time acclimatising to the sound of the amp and letting my brain equalise to its tonality, which is far more important in this reviewer’s humble opinion. If my lack of burn-in offends you, be aware that at the time of impressions the amp has clocked at least 40 hours of play time.
  I tried to vary the genres I listened to so as to get a good impression of how the amp handles them. Classic rock, techno, choral, world, classical modern rock, pop, various soundtracks and a good dollop of J-Pop went into the mix. Listening was done with my HD 595s, Alessandro MS-1s and HiFiMAN RE-ZERO on high-current mode.
   

_The E11 connected to my iPod by the supercolliding superband. The LOD connectors are made of children's teeth and the wire of unicorn hair. My iPod's silicone case is lined with platinum foil to make it invisible to electromagnetic demons._
   
*TREBLE* – Present, not really forward or recessed in any way. Perhaps a little muffled at times, a bit congested. Even on the treble-happy RE-ZERO with a treble-heavy track the sound is a little too polite for my tastes. This rather boring treble presence has a habit of taking life out of guitar-heavy rock pieces and some classical tacks lose their airy feeling. In fact whichever word is the opposite of ‘airy’ is a good way to describe this. This is groundy treble indeed.
  What you do get for this politeness, however, is a smooth and well-behaved sound. Sibilance is only there when it’s on the track or when the headphone demands it, and detail is as present and correct in these higher bands.
   
*MIDS* – Now this is where the action starts. Mids are breathy and sexy. Female vocalists like Lia are presented very well here. Again the sound is very well behaved for the most part, but less so than the treble. Sometimes the mids just kind of build up into a wall of sound when things get busy, yet with simpler vocals and instruments they come in just between lemons and grapefruit on the sub-lime scale. Mid-focused rock sounds nice, but again not as exciting as I’ve known it with my cans.
   
*BASS* – Straight off the bat I would describe this as a ‘dark’ sounding amp. The bass easily dominates the spectrum, fairly forward in its presentation and very much in your face. And there are _two more levels_ _of bass above this_.
   
*Lv0* – ‘The Derringer’. Fairly clean sound. It’s still more prominent than the mids and treble but goes very deep and mostly doesn’t leak into the mids at all. A little loose here and there but well rounded. It even adds a good bit of body to the RE-ZERO, though at the expense of some clarity. Even at this level I find that the bass presentation can get fatiguing after a while with any headphone.
   
*Lv1* – ‘The .44 Magnum’. You thought Lv0 was deep? Well this is deeper. On the MS-1s it really feels like it’s reaching your bones. The thunder at the beginning of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms sounds like actual thunder. It’s stunningly visceral, if a little exhausting after more than a couple of minutes. Even still, it keeps well out of the mids and keeps relatively tight.
   
*Lv2* – ‘The Manhattan Project’. You want MORE? This I would class as excessive bass, even on the RE-ZERO. It’s not really so much of a leap as from Lv0 to Lv1, but it is louder, though at the cost of coming into the midrange a bit and losing control somewhat. Again, it’s fun for about two minutes, but then you get a headache. And then your skull shatters.
   
*Imaging *– Imaging on the E11 seems a bit limited compared to my other amp. This could be because of the better stereo separation on the E11, but it gives the distinct impression of the sound coming from two places next to my ears rather than being a broad sweep of sound. It also seems a bit less open than my DIY monstrosity.
   
  Do I like the sound, overall? I'm not sure. Certainly it beats no amp at all, but the presentation and forward nature of the sound seem to have me grating my teeth sometimes. I'll admit that it's probably not quite my preferred signature, but I can hear that it's doing what it does well. This shouldn't be discouraging anyone, since we all have different tastes.
   
*Hiss* – Yes, there is hiss. On low gain and no bass boost it’s barely perceptible, if at all. On high gain and/or with bass boost there is slight hiss with sensitive ‘phones. It’s not intrusive and doesn’t get in the way of music, but is a consideration if hiss really ruffles your feathers.
   
*High gain/Low gain* – I couldn’t tell any difference between high and low gain apart from hiss and loudness. Gain should be chosen depending on the cans used to get the maximum use from the volume control.
   

_The size of a credit card. Also you can stalk/pretend to be me at the RYA or something, well done._
   
 *Q&A*   
*Do you need it?*
   
  Now the price point and the aura that surrounds the FiiO name (not to mention hundreds of unfounded recommendations) will have many thinking of the E11 as their first amp. I’ll try and put this simply: if your headphones are all cheap, easy to drive IEMs and a pair of ATH-M50s, the E11 might improve your rig by letting you run from an iPod LOD (or you really, REALLY want that extra 6dB of bass), but improvements due to amping will probably be slim. I would recommend saving for a good source over the E11.
 If you’ve just bought a pair of HD 650s or a Beyer 600Ω because someone told you they were the dog’s bollocks, the E11 might improve your headphones a bit but it won’t be driving them to their full potential. Save up and buy or build a good desktop amp.
 If you own hard-to drive portables like the RE-262 or simply want something small to use for your Grados in the office, congratulations! This amp is probably for you.
   
*Is this, like, the best amp in the world?*
   
  No. My DIY amp what I built for around £120 obliterates in every single respect. Then again, my DIY amp weighs 5kg, has to be plugged in to mains to work, and can’t really be strapped to my iPod in a useable scenario. Not bashing the E11 for its price and form factor, just reminding everyone that it’s not the second coming of Fritz Sennheiser.
   

_On top of my AMB γ1. Note that my γ1 does not contain a γ1 yet, because I am lazy and poor and have exams and am writing reviews instead of revising. Nice one,__ Head-Fi._
   
 *Concluding thoughts:*   
  The E11 is a pretty damn good amp. It’s got a killer price, a good build, sounds nice and looks good doing it. I don’t think the sound is quite as good as I had hyped it up in my mind to be over the six months in which I followed its development, nor is it going to revolutionise the bloated and overpriced portable amp market like I think some people hoped. However, even just its price means that it will probably cause a splash among newcomers, providing a way to experience fairly powerful amping without breaking the bank. For ~$60/£40/whatever they’re actually selling them at you can’t really go too far wrong.
  There will always be those with unrealistic expectations even at this price tag, and as the old saying goes ‘Haters gonna hate’. Still, FiiO should be proud of the accomplishment the E11 represents and I hope to see more of their products in the future that reach this level of bang for buck.
   
 *tl;dr*   
  Good build quality, nothing that will blow your mind. Bass boost will actually blow your mind, though. Good sound across the board, bit boring but with bass emphasis. Good battery life. Recommend it at the price if you need a portable.
   
_Disclaimer: anything in this review could be a lie. I could be insane. I could be a paid FiiO employee. None of this is the absolute or final truth in any way, shape or form._
   
_Also this was my first review on Head-Fi, so if something doesn't make sense or needs elaboration just tell me, 'kay?_


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## BobSaysHi

I quite like the fact that there isn't any audiophile nonsense in this review. Good job.


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## goodvibes

I always prefer Hi gain. It's less flat and grainy sounding though those descriptions are overstatements for something rather minor. Low gain always sounds like a note isn't quite as complete though these characteristics are subtle. Try low power/ hi gain for your IEMs. The top wakes up a bit and it's not as heavy with no loss of goodness. Just a hair dry but less noticeable. I actually think the build is fab for what it costs. Not easy to do properly but removing the top cover reveals a pretty impressive business side of the layered board.


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## TheDreamthinker

If it does a good job on the re262, than i'll probably get this one (if there are no other, better options).
  It really seems to be quite perfect for me. Something to power my re262 (and hopefully improve them) and some future Grados.


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## Carlosfandango

How is it that this review has been posted today but I have read it before?

Am I losing my marbles?


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## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





carlosfandango said:


> How is it that this review has been posted today but I have read it before?
> 
> Am I losing my marbles?


 

 I jolly well hope so, or else I have a serious case of unconcious plagiarism going on.
   
  Quote: 





goodvibes said:


> I always prefer Hi gain. It's less flat and grainy sounding though those descriptions are overstatements for something rather minor. Low gain always sounds like a note isn't quite as complete though these characteristics are subtle. Try low power/ hi gain for your IEMs. The top wakes up a bit and it's not as heavy with no loss of goodness. Just a hair dry but less noticeable. I actually think the build is fab for what it costs. Not easy to do properly but removing the top cover reveals a pretty impressive business side of the layered board.


 

 As I said, I personally found the two gain settings to be identical in sound. I'll admit that because my 'phones are quite sensitive that most of my listening was done with low gain, but honestly the two gain settings _should_ be identical aside from loudness. If they're not then it's a matter of poor design, which I don't think the E11 has.


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## goodvibes

Nonsense. It's not a second volume control, It's changing the overall amp gain, likely dropping it with added feedback. It's subtle and being slightly different doesn't at all mean poor design. More like revealing enough to notice. I took the dog for a walk and after 1 minute I noticed it didn't sound quite as I was using. It was the gain switch. Try switching to low power under the battery with High gain on the side and see what you think overall instead of worrying about theory. Oh and I quite liked the review overall.


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## mark2410

nice review


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## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





goodvibes said:


> Nonsense. It's not a second volume control, It's changing the overall amp gain, likely dropping it with added feedback. It's subtle and being slightly different doesn't at all mean poor design. More like revealing enough to notice. I took the dog for a walk and after 1 minute I noticed it didn't sound quite as I was using. It was the gain switch. Try switching to low power under the battery with High gain on the side and see what you think overall instead of worrying about theory. Oh and I quite liked the review overall.


 
   
  I did try the low power setting for a while, but although the tonality was more to my liking the general sound seemed a lot looser and less focused. I figured that I'd just cover high power in the review, since most people are likely to leave it on that setting anyway. When an audiophile is faced with better sound or a slightly longer battery life, I think they will inevitably choose the former over the latter.
  Since you're so adamant, I'll do some further high gain listening and get back to you, 'kay? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  Thanks for the feedback, all.


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## ClieOS

Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> nice review


 
  x2.


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## kanuka

Quote: 





clieos said:


> x2.


 

 x3
   
  btw. is that the L8 cable? or just a cheap one?
   
  cant wait to fuze it with the pk1!!!


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## JoetheArachnid

Not the L8. James mentioned that they considered it, but decided that using the Oyaide cable and connectors would raise the price too much. Still, the flexibility afforded by the thinner cable means that it's still very useful.


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## kanuka

any SQ serious difference? (sorry for my cable-wise ignorance, it's even worse than my amp knowledge 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




)


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## JoetheArachnid

Well, I haven't got an L8. But I take the opinion that if you want the L8 to be better than the stock cable, it probably will be. The added shielding could lower noise, I guess. One mild issue with the stock wire is that the strain relief on the plug catches on the knob protector - the L8 uses the same connectors as the L9, and these seem to have a couple of milimetres extra clearance which would stop any fouling.


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## TheAwesomesauceShow

Wow, this is the only review that I actually understand what you're talking about.  A good combination of technical terms and 'street slang' that won't overwhelm/confuse the noob audiophile(that would be me
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




).  I will be buying this even though it is not the 2nd coming of Fritz Sennheiser.  I'm cheap like that
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  thanks for the review


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## benjistein

Quote: 





> Originally Posted by *JoetheArachnid* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> _Disclaimer: anything in this review could be a lie. I could be insane. I could be a paid FiiO employee. None of this is the absolute or final truth in any way, shape or form._
> 
> _Also this was my first review on Head-Fi, so if something doesn't make sense or needs elaboration just tell me, 'kay?_


 


  Thanks for that. I laughed quite a lot. For a first review, your style is fantastic! Ditto on the jaron and explanations.


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## goodvibes

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> I did try the low power setting for a while, but although the tonality was more to my liking the general sound seemed a lot looser and less focused. I figured that I'd just cover high power in the review, since most people are likely to leave it on that setting anyway. When an audiophile is faced with better sound or a slightly longer battery life, I think they will inevitably choose the former over the latter.
> Since you're so adamant, I'll do some further high gain listening and get back to you, 'kay?
> 
> 
> ...


 


 Sure. Just my opinion here so don't take it personal. Low voltage and hi gain. The low gain is more noticable worse in low power, for me, so that may have something to do with the power selection. I actually find low power better for my effecient IEMs so it's not about saving battery for me. Probably just runs the chip at a lower voltage. Should spec out the same except for max level available. AD does most of their measurements with 5v rails. Low power is 4.5. High is 6. The unit should swing almost 9v in low power and almost 12v in high. Audiophile? LOL, I can't find cartridges under $2k. More power doesn't get you anything other than more volume unless you have a load that needs it or it just happens to be better.
   here's a quick Ipod pick of the circuit side.


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## BobSaysHi

Changing gain is just changing a resistor value.


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## estreeter

I really wish burn-in on solid-state kit WAS all in my head. I absolutely hate reading that people can expect to wait 1200+ hours for the RSA Predator to 'mature' and give its owner everything they paid for.


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## goodvibes

Quote: 





bobsayshi said:


> Changing gain is just changing a resistor value.


 


 If so, likely in the feedback loop to effect loop gain via more feedback. Not a fixed volume control. I checked your profile and saw that you're a young man getting into electronics. Think about it. How does 1 resistor pull that off without affecting impedance or feed back. A simple series resistor does little on it's own without being a very large value. If you know how and where in circuit, I'd honestly like to know as I find it interesting in general. If others don't hear it, fine. I'm good and don't really care. I just posted as my results were different than the OPs and last I checked, this is a discussion board. I don't understand how someone can tell others what they can or can't hear. I do understand how 2 folks can hear the same things differently as there are many variables in kit, files and familiarity.


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## Eric_C

And what, pray tell, is the DIY amp you built for £120?
  
  Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> My DIY amp what I built for around £120 obliterates in every single respect. Then again, my DIY amp weighs 5kg, has to be plugged in to mains to work, and can’t really be strapped to my iPod in a useable scenario. Not bashing the E11 for its price and form factor, just reminding everyone that it’s not the second coming of Fritz Sennheiser.


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## BobSaysHi

Quote: 





goodvibes said:


> If so, likely in the feedback loop to effect loop gain via more feedback. Not a fixed volume control. I checked your profile and saw that your a young man getting into electronics. Think about it. How does 1 resistor pull that off without affecting impedance or feed back. A simple series resistor does little on it's own without being a very large value. If you know how and where in circuit, I'd honestly like to know as I find it interesting in general. If others don't hear it, fine. I'm good and don't really care. I just posted as my results were different than the OPs and last I checked, this is a discussion board. I don't understand how someone can tell others what they can or can't hear. I do understand how 2 folks can hear the same things differently as there are many variables in kit, files and familiarity.


 

 Oh lord, I enjoy building amps, not designing them. No real electronics background. I know how to build and debug stuff, but not enough to understand electronic circuits. I have a stack of electronics books on my shelf to remedy this, and I'm going to start reading this week, since I have free time.


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## gimbertt

A very interesting and informative review.
   
  I don't like the RE-ZERO but love the RE-0 and can't wait for my E11 to arrive and try them out. With their higher impedance they should be a better match for the E11 and my ears.


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## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





eric_c said:


> And what, pray tell, is the DIY amp you built for £120?


 
  It was a HiFiDIY.net Panda amp. They list the kit alone for $99 but you can get it for cheaper on eBay. I've had it for nearly six months now and I'm very happy with it.
  Here's a 48-page thread on RG if you're really interested.


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## goodvibes

Just took a look. Nicely done. Glad you went with a toriod. Can't be done for that money but a bit more regulation and an active input stage would have been fab. Did you play with the bias or output resistor values. Low should be fine for everything unless you need to lossen up the bass a bit.


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## JoetheArachnid

I upped the default gain by about 6dB and used 110R output resistors. The amp is already capable of ~2.5W into 32 ohms with no resistors, whereas with 110 you only get a _paltry_ 570mW into 32 ohms (200mW into 300 ohms). That's easily enough for most normal cans, and since I took that picture I've added a low-resistance socket for orthos and for setting the voice coils of cans I don't like on fire.


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## goodvibes

Sounds like your enjoying the experience. Back to the E11. I'm certain about my impressions, for me. I was playing around last night when taking the photo, which anyone is free ti use, and apparently left it in the high voltage position. Loaded up for a dog walk and immediately heard it was thicker again. Flipping the power switch back down put it back to were I prefer.


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## stozzer123

Great review Joe, wish more people would write in your style.
   
  As a supporter of the ' why the screw are people using amps where there is absolutley no need with those iem's.' mentality it was refreshing for someone to spell it out. and hopefully save people  a lot of money.
   
  I actually use an amp to gain line out functionality from my ipod in doing so iv been happy with the e7.. not so much with the nuforce icon (thin sound?) but at £40 i will probably pick up the e11 for the volume knob alone 
   
  good humoured and all around great review!


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## estreeter

Quote: 





stozzer123 said:


> As a supporter of the ' why the screw are people using amps where there is absolutley no need with those iem's.' mentality it was refreshing for someone to spell it out. and hopefully save people  a lot of money.


 

 I suspect that you are preaching in the wrong pulpit here, Reverend !  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  As far as 'saving people a lot of money', I think Fiio have tapped into something I encountered in another thread recently, and I have to admit that its not something I had considered as one of the 'Top 10 Reasons for Buying a Portable Amp'. 
   
  In the middle of a debate about the form factor of a couple of amps I see as 'competitors', I got this:
   
_I know I probably dont really need an amp, but they just look so damn *cool* ! _
   
  I have yet to be approached by a woman who asks: '_Is that a portable amp in your pocket, or are you just glad to have an internet connection so you  can post photos of your portable rig ?_'. If I were, I'd ask if she wanted to come back to my place and roll some op-amps.
   
  Guys, 'cool' is a '68 Barracuda Notchback with a 340 and the pistol-grip shifter. Post a photo of your 'Cuda cruising Van Nuys and I'll erect a shrine to you in my kitchen, complete with fresh Lotus flowers every morning.
   
  http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/b_body/mopp_1002_1968_plymouth_barracuda_formula_s_notchback_and_1969_plymouth_sport_satellite/photo_02.html
   
  (Hey, the thread title is about 'Loud Things that come in small packages'. In '68, that car WAS a small package)


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## stozzer123

haha true that,
   
  Every time i get a new bit of kit and show my girl she just laughs and says 100/200/300 for that? ...your a screwin idiot lol!
   
  Yet for some reason when i bought my all black Supra she goes on about it!
   
   
  pffffffffftttttttt whats she know id trade the car for my hje900 any day lol!
   
  I agree because it looks cool should be dead last on anybodys reason for buying audio equipment............ although i still do it!


----------



## 129207

Probably the best review I've read on a portable amp ever. Seriously. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 No-nonsense, no esoterics, heaps of photos and detailed information about every aspect of the amp. Excellent work. Can't wait to read your future contributions.


----------



## DVDIT

Nice review, in words we can all understand !!!


----------



## estreeter

Quote: 





negakinu said:


> Probably the best review I've read on a portable amp ever. Seriously.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 I miss Skylab's reviews - brief, concise and informative. My upcoming review will be none of those


----------



## eremite

Love that disclaimer!


----------



## ucdavisboy

Very nice review...thanks for putting in all the effort. I must question the lack of benefit easy to drive phones get from amps like the E11 and JDS cMoy however. I own both the TripleFi 10 and AT M50 (32 and 38 imp respectively) and both benefit tremendously in power, clarity, instrument separation and soundstage being run through amps such as this hooked to an iPod 5g with an LOD. Heck, I noticed a difference running an E1....when mine failed and I needed something new I was stuck listening LOD only for a week and wanted to kill myself it sounded so much worse.


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





ucdavisboy said:


> Very nice review...thanks for putting in all the effort. I must question the lack of benefit easy to drive phones get from amps like the E11 and JDS cMoy however. I own both the TripleFi 10 and AT M50 (32 and 38 imp respectively) and both benefit tremendously in power, clarity, instrument separation and soundstage being run through amps such as this hooked to an iPod 5g with an LOD. Heck, I noticed a difference running an E1....when mine failed and I needed something new I was stuck listening LOD only for a week and wanted to kill myself it sounded so much worse.


 
   
  Have you done any serious A-B testing between the amp and the HPO on your iPod? Just out of interest, does the sound get noticeably better or is it just different in tone? Also don't slight the improvement from tapping the LO from the iPod rather than the HPO.
  As for listening LOD only, what drove you to that? Line outs aren't designed to drive loads, they're designed to carry a reasonably pure signal. In that situation I'd rather use the headphone out on an iPod, since that means that you're using the internal amp (rather than no amp at all) to power your headphones and you also have the advantage of a volume control.


----------



## Fistulator

FiiO are on a roll 
   
  I really like the volume dial on the amp.


----------



## estreeter

Quote: 





fistulator said:


> FiiO are on a roll
> 
> I really like the volume dial on the amp.


 

 Fiio build gateway drugs - sure, its just E11 now, but soon you'll be mainlining RSA and Woo. I'd like to put a few 'before' and 'after' photos of your bank account together as a warning to others.
   
  Remember, kids, only dopes do portable.


----------



## Mochan

Good review. I got to try this out at the Headfonics meet last Saturday. I was honestly not impressed. I agree with a lot of your points on your sound assessment. 
   
  Treble I found to be grainy, and very subdued. It also didn't have any sense of air, like you mentioned.
  The mids were a disaster, it was a huge gaping hole to be honest. 
  Bass was huge, even at lowest it was bassier than the E7. But it's a dirty, messy bass. I don't want anything to do with it. 
   
  You got it right on the imaging: it's severely limited. That's actually the main issue with this amp, no sense of space, air, imaging, or soundstaging. It's like a flat sound all throughout. Sounds smear together with very poor separation. It's a lousy sound in my opinion.
   
   
  This amp is great for its price, form factor and build, and easy to change battery, but not much else honestly. I may be a little biased and disappointed because I already have the E7 which I felt was vastly superior.


----------



## Mochan

Quote: 





goodvibes said:


> Nonsense. It's not a second volume control, It's changing the overall amp gain, likely dropping it with added feedback. It's subtle and being slightly different doesn't at all mean poor design. More like revealing enough to notice. I took the dog for a walk and after 1 minute I noticed it didn't sound quite as I was using. It was the gain switch. Try switching to low power under the battery with High gain on the side and see what you think overall instead of worrying about theory. Oh and I quite liked the review overall.


 


  Agree on this one.
   
  Gain is different from volume. I've found that lower gain settings tend to have less full mids and highs compared to high gain, but has a smoother and darker, warmer sound. I've seen this happen with all the amps I've had that have gain switches. High gain is typically more energetic especially in the highs.
   
  I've also seen this phenomenon happen on the E9 which has two headphone plugs. It's not a gain setting but rather there are two plugs, one is low volume and the other is higher volume. The lower volume sounds like what I described above while the higher volume plug sounds like how I described high gain above. They weren't just one high and one low volume of the same sound, the two jacks definitely sounded different. (and note that the E9 also has a gain switch which exacerbates the effect even further).


----------



## maverickronin

Quote: 





mochan said:


> I've also seen this phenomenon happen on the E9 which has two headphone plugs. It's not a gain setting but rather there are two plugs, one is low volume and the other is higher volume. The lower volume sounds like what I described above while the higher volume plug sounds like how I described high gain above. They weren't just one high and one low volume of the same sound, the two jacks definitely sounded different. (and note that the E9 also has a gain switch which exacerbates the effect even further).


 

 I'm pretty sure the mini-jack on the E9 just has a resistor on it for attenuation which will increase the output impedance and mess with the FR of most headphones.


----------



## Mochan

This resistor thing probably has something to do with it. If Gain switches are basically also just changing the resistor maybe adding resistance tends to have the effect of damping out the highs and mids while keeping more bass intact.  Because that's certainly what I keep hearing with gain switches and the E9.


----------



## maverickronin

Quote: 





mochan said:


> This resistor thing probably has something to do with it. If Gain switches are basically also just changing the resistor maybe adding resistance tends to have the effect of damping out the highs and mids while keeping more bass intact.  Because that's certainly what I keep hearing with gain switches and the E9.


 

 A gain switch _should _just change the resistors that bias the opamp and change its gain.  Since those resistors are out of the signal path it really shouldn't change the quality of the sound but who knows how its actually implemented.  A resistor in series with the output will probably change the FR.  How much it changes (if any) will depend on the impedance curve of the headphone.  It will also reduce the damping factor which usually makes the bass more boomy.  Since most dynamic headphones have at least a mild peak in impedance the bass region it usually boosts the bass a bit.
   
  You can get a look at different impedance curves at Innerfidelity.  The graphs there are scaled better than at headroom so you can see the differences more clearly.


----------



## TheDreamthinker

Quote: 





mochan said:


> Good review. I got to try this out at the Headfonics meet last Saturday. I was honestly not impressed. I agree with a lot of your points on your sound assessment.
> 
> Treble I found to be grainy, and very subdued. It also didn't have any sense of air, like you mentioned.
> The mids were a disaster, it was a huge gaping hole to be honest.
> ...


 

 More or less the opposite of ClieOs impression....._(something seems severely wrong)_
   
  Head-Fi confuses me again and again....so it the cMoyBB 2.03 better?


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Here's an interesting petit factoid that may be of some interest to people: I was messing around earlier with my RE-ZEROs and figure I'd try them without the TRRS to TRS adapter. And to my immense shock, I got even stereo sound! I was wondering whether it's was just that the two ground wires in my year-old IEMs had managed to meld together, but plugged into an iPod I had the regular occurence of a much louder signal on one side. To my perception on the E11 the sound was the same whether the adapter was used or not.
   
  If this is true for other units too, it's good news for people with RE-ZEROs, RE-262s and HE-500s who don't want to use the balanced to unbalanced adapter (though you still might want to use the channel switcher on the 262). Can anyone with any of those 'phones and an E11 confirm that for me?


----------



## kanuka

wow! that'd be great news if it's for real!


----------



## ClieOS

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> Can anyone with any of those 'phones and an E11 confirm that for me?


 
  Good discovery. I can confirm that E11 indeed will take the RE-ZERO without the adapter. It seems the 3.5mm socket on E11 will naturally act as a TRRS adapter.


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Thanks for confirming. I guess this would make this an even better budget portable to go with the RE-262 in that case. I wish I could afford a pair...


----------



## Neosk

Cool discovery!
   
  I can confirm that this works with the RE262s as well. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> Here's an interesting petit factoid that may be of some interest to people: I was messing around earlier with my RE-ZEROs and figure I'd try them without the TRRS to TRS adapter. And to my immense shock, I got even stereo sound! I was wondering whether it's was just that the two ground wires in my year-old IEMs had managed to meld together, but plugged into an iPod I had the regular occurence of a much louder signal on one side. To my perception on the E11 the sound was the same whether the adapter was used or not.
> 
> If this is true for other units too, it's good news for people with RE-ZEROs, RE-262s and HE-500s who don't want to use the balanced to unbalanced adapter (though you still might want to use the channel switcher on the 262). Can anyone with any of those 'phones and an E11 confirm that for me?


----------



## estreeter

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> Thanks for confirming. I guess this would make this an even better budget portable to go with the RE-262 in that case. I wish I could afford a pair...


 
   
  Its a couple of weeks of living on noodles. Or asking your little sister to go without a kidney. In either case, they are WORTH EVERY PENNY.


----------



## JoetheArachnid

I have heard the 262s at a meet, and considered them to be substantially superior tonally to all the Stax SR-007, HD 800s, LCD-2s, T1s, HE-6s and D7000s etc. that I heard that day. The annoying thing is that I probably could afford them if I wanted to, but the real bottleneck here is my parents, who control my online shopping with an iron fist.
  My other previous issue was not having an amp for them, but that's no longer a problem...


----------



## Jack C

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> I have heard the 262s at a meet, and considered them to be substantially superior tonally to all the Stax SR-007, HD 800s, LCD-2s, T1s, HE-6s and D7000s etc. that I heard that day. The annoying thing is that I probably could afford them if I wanted to, but the real bottleneck here is my parents, who control my online shopping with an iron fist.
> My other previous issue was not having an amp for them, but that's no longer a problem...


 






   
  I *HAVE* to get me a pair. 
   
  Jack


----------



## goodvibes

LOL, Who doesn't? I've got a few Stax and can't really agree (for me). Joker rates them highly but has a few others equal or better. That said, I think it's great when somebody finds their perfect phone. I should be so lucky. Joe, have you revisited the low/high power and gain switches to see if you can hear a dif?


----------



## TheDreamthinker

damn...i really am the only one...who doesn't like them


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





goodvibes said:


> LOL, Who doesn't? I've got a few Stax and can't really agree (for me). Joker rates them highly but has a few others equal or better. That said, I think it's great when somebody finds their perfect phone. I should be so lucky. Joe, have you revisited the low/high power and gain switches to see if you can hear a dif?


 

 It's a lovely feeling, honestly. Especially at that price, the fact that they beat out all those other $1k+ 'phones for me is very reassuring to both myself and my wallet.
   
  As to your other question, I have done some further playing around. I think that the high gain setting might make the highs _very slightly_ more pronounced and clean, though I still feel that this might be due to being a little louder than anything. The treble is still not very invigorating, and the rest of the spectrum sounds pretty much the same. The effect seems to vary in intensity with certain cans and IEMs.
  With the power switches, I still unequivocally prefer the high power setting. No matter what I listened to or what gain I used, the low power setting sounded bad to my ears. In fact I'm interested to know if Mochan's impressions came from a unit on high or low power mode, as those impressions mesh pretty well with my own on low power.


----------



## goodvibes

I would guess he listened at high power and low gain as you did but impressions are always relative. I still prefer low power and high gain if you don't need the extra juice. Still a bit dry but a good amp overall. I don't think the highs more pronounced in high gain. Less flat and grainy overall.


----------



## estreeter

Quote: 





thedreamthinker said:


> damn...i really am the only one...who doesn't like them


 

 Far from it - I know its OT, but the RE262 seem to polarise people. Perhaps not to the same extent as the RE0, but even those who are fans like to use the 'flawed masterpiece' line (ok, I like to use that line). All IEMs depend on getting a good seal, but these are incredible when you eventually find that 'sweet spot' - I didnt want to take them out of my ears - prior to that I was kinda 'Meh, they arent much different to the PL50s ....'. How wrong I was.


----------



## TheDreamthinker

Quote: 





estreeter said:


> Far from it - I know its OT, but the RE262 seem to polarise people. Perhaps not to the same extent as the RE0, but even those who are fans like to use the 'flawed masterpiece' line (ok, I like to use that line). All IEMs depend on getting a good seal, but these are incredible when you eventually find that 'sweet spot' - I didnt want to take them out of my ears - prior to that I was kinda 'Meh, they arent much different to the PL50s ....'. How wrong I was.


 

 When I got them, i was like "damn, what did i buy here!"
  I gave them a month the grow into me, but they really get better.
   
  I'm looking to get some new tips, just to try it out. Already tried 5 of them...


----------



## Mochan

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> It's a lovely feeling, honestly. Especially at that price, the fact that they beat out all those other $1k+ 'phones for me is very reassuring to both myself and my wallet.
> 
> As to your other question, I have done some further playing around. I think that the high gain setting might make the highs _very slightly_ more pronounced and clean, though I still feel that this might be due to being a little louder than anything. The treble is still not very invigorating, and the rest of the spectrum sounds pretty much the same. The effect seems to vary in intensity with certain cans and IEMs.
> With the power switches, I still unequivocally prefer the high power setting. No matter what I listened to or what gain I used, the low power setting sounded bad to my ears. In fact I'm interested to know if Mochan's impressions came from a unit on high or low power mode, as those impressions mesh pretty well with my own on low power.


 

 They were on low gain, for the record. I was using the MS300, which is very sensitive. low gain at 2 was already almost too loud for me; I tend to listen at low-volume.  I should have switched it to high gain and used another pair of cans.


----------



## goodvibes

Quote: 





mochan said:


> They were on low gain, for the record. I was using the MS300, which is very sensitive. low gain at 2 was already almost too loud for me; I tend to listen at low-volume.  I should have switched it to high gain and used another pair of cans.


 


 That makes sense. It's a bit grainier in low gain. If you get another shot, try high gain and also low power if you want to snap it up a bit.


----------



## ldtboyl

great review  Do you think this will pair well with grado sr325is? I really need to tame the highs a little


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





ldtboyl said:


> great review  Do you think this will pair well with grado sr325is? I really need to tame the highs a little


 
   
  It pairs well with the Alessandro MS-1, but from what I've read they're less treble-heavy than the legendarily bright SR325s. The E11 notably darkens things up a bit, but I think you'll just have to try it and see what happens.


----------



## singha

OP, I never even thought about changing the battery. I found a 2100mAhm for the same phone battery so does this mean I will get 3x the battery life? Should be a good mod so I don't have to charge and make the E11 useless as much.


----------



## JoetheArachnid

It should improve battery life, but I don't know if it will triple it (3x800 would be 2400 anyway). The problem with eBay batteries is that there's no way of knowing if the listed capacity is accurate, so a quoted 2100mAh battery could be only 1200 or lower and you wouldn't really know. It's also worth noting that official BL-5B units were never meant to be manufactured above 800mAh, so anything above that is a risk.
   
  I just went for the battery that looked to have a high capacity at a reasonable price but didn't look incredibly shady. If you look at ClieOS' review he went into more depth with battery life and had some results from a 2050mAh battery, though it should be noted that Li-on batteries don't get near full charge until three or four charge cycles in.


----------



## adani

Wonderful review and fun to read as well! Thumbs up, JoetheArachnid!


----------



## Roller

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> It should improve battery life, but I don't know if it will triple it (3x800 would be 2400 anyway). The problem with eBay batteries is that there's no way of knowing if the listed capacity is accurate, so a quoted 2100mAh battery could be only 1200 or lower and you wouldn't really know. It's also worth noting that official BL-5B units were never meant to be manufactured above 800mAh, so anything above that is a risk.
> 
> I just went for the battery that looked to have a high capacity at a reasonable price but didn't look incredibly shady. If you look at ClieOS' review he went into more depth with battery life and had some results from a 2050mAh battery, though it should be noted that Li-on batteries don't get near full charge until three or four charge cycles in.


 


  Correction. The official Nokia batteries in US are rated at 760mAh, while the original official Nokia batteries from the EU are rated at 890mAh. I should know, I'm running a phone with one of them


----------



## miceblue

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> _The LOD connectors are made of children's teeth and the wire of unicorn hair. My iPod's silicone case is lined with platinum foil to make it invisible to electromagnetic demons._


 
   
  I LOL-ed at this. Nice review!


----------



## Astrozombie

More reviews from this fellow! He brings the humor.


----------



## incubated

great review. love the frankness of your tone. you don't get caught up with all the "audiophile" jargon.
   
  i wanted to ask you, though, how did this amp fare with your alessandro ms-1s? i also have these for a few years now, should be broken in by this point . i was amazed at the sound quality when i first got them, but now i am left wanting a little more. could be my insatiable greed, could be my desire to spend my hard-earned money, could be anything. basically, im trying to enhance my commute to work.
   
  right now i am using my blackberry pearl 3g as my source of music. the **** ipod 3.5mm socket wore out, so i have to hold the jack in place to get stereo sound. screw it. i turned on audio boost on the blackberry and it's pretty good still, but i've been thinking these headphones have a little more potential to offer.
   
  how did you find the amp with your alessandros? is there a portable amp you would recommend on a budget? i am not looking ot make my own, i don't have the time or the determination, nor do i have much of a budget. soemthing in 150$ zone, no more, would be ideal. I listen to a wide variety of genres, but mostly electronic, hip hop, rock, and instrumental. i enjoy clarity, but lately i have craving the extra "umph" of bass with some of the new electro and hip hop tracks.
   
  i was looking at NuForce icon 2 but that one seems to require greater power source than my blackberry can offer it.
   
  i understand there will need to be limitations, but the compromimse i am looking forward to make is quality at lower volumes over low distortion at higher ones. basically, i don't crank my music, especially since alessandros leak sound like heavily, and people give me ethe looks. one bus driver even told me to turn it down. What!? so i would like to go for as much detail and bass depth as my price range would offer me.
   
  which begs the final question, is a portable headphone amp even what i really need?


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Hrm. There're a lot of questions there.
  On how the E11 pairs with the MS-1: I think it's a good pairing, personally. You get a weightier sound with definitely more/deeper bass than the HP out from an iPod and everything as a whole feels a bit more refined. Perhaps also a little bit wider in presentation? It's not a _vast_ improvement, but then again amping never is - differences between amped/unamped are often very overstated. For the £40 I paid I think it's worth it for the improvement on top of the other features. If you still have your iPod then you could connect the amp with a LOD and then your iPod would be usable again, which is another upside to amping.
   
  In terms of other amps, despite writing this review I don't have a great experience with other portables, though I do have quite a bit of experience with amps in general. Headphonia did a sub-$100 portable amp shootout that whilst I don't agree with entirely, gives you an idea of what amps are out there and their overall sound. Obviously you've got a bit more to spend than that if need be, so look around.
   
  As to the MS-1s - whilst they can be used portably I generally don't use them for that, especially since I've recently bought a pair of HD 25-1s for that purpose. From your account I'd say that yes you probably could benefit from a portable amp, and yes the E11 might be a good investment if you didn't want to break the bank. But perhaps a pair of closed-back portables or IEMs might be a better investment.


----------



## ClieOS

Quote: 





joethearachnid said:


> Headphonia did a sub-$100 portable amp shootout that whilst I don't agree with entirely, gives you an idea of what amps are out there and their overall sound. Obviously you've got a bit more to spend than that if need be, so look around.


 
  I have almost all the amps in that comparison except for mini3 (though I have others). Might do a shootout as well in the future.


----------



## incubated

thanks for the comprehensive responce. i am learning a lot.
   
  why do you suggest closed back speakers? to stop the sound leak? or do they have other benefits? i have been eyeing the AiAiAi tracks and the TM1. tracks got the CNET editor's schoice award, and good reviews all around. the TM1 are quite more expensive, but also boast of stellar feedback. i am not sure if i need two pairs of headphones however, as much as i would like them.
   
  at home i have a decent set up. i listen to music mostly on the computer. i have an m-audio audiophile 192 sound card and a pair of m-audio av-40s. i love listening to music on them, but plugging the ms-1s into the av-40s seems to diminish their quality. i have to turn on the bass boost on the speakers, and still the headphones sound better on the subway on the blackberry. i tried dusing male-to-female cable to run go directly through the soundcard, but it turns out i need a power source. that's where the icon2 dac/headphone amp came into question.
   
  is there a way to take the icon2 on the road with me without the need of a power generator? would be sweet, i guess.
   
  i am not looking for too much a change. just a reasonable boost, and from the sound of your feedback, it looks just like what i am looking for. unless my imagination is getting the better of me.
   
  getting back to the question of headphones, god forbid something should happen to my ms-1s, i would definitely want to upgrade afterwards. i have tried all of the offerings at an apple store (bowers and wilkins, beats, bose) only to appreciate alessandros all the more. maybe i didn't get a good enough acclamation period, but the sound of ms-1s always impresses me. then there is the price. anyway, if i were to upgrade to something like Grado sr-325 oreven  rs-1down the road, how would the amp dac/amp situation look like for me?
   
  hey, ClieOS, how would you compare the e-11 with the rest of the amps you have tested. any feedback, suggestions?


----------



## ClieOS

Quote: 





incubated said:


> hey, ClieOS, how would you compare the e-11 with the rest of the amps you have tested. any feedback, suggestions?


 
  My review of E11 is here, with a small comparison (under the RMAA frequency curve) to E7, SoundMAGIC A10, cmoyBB and iBasso T3D. I am still waiting for the PA2V2 to arrive.


----------



## WakiDabeast

this was after burn-in right?
  Oh and I wanted this amp would you say it does well to decrease sibilance, when compared to an iphone. My iphone is a pretty damn source, the Sansa was much better than my iphone, but I wanted a pair of SE215's instead XD. So i have a pair of SE215's, HD25's, and ATH-M50. I will use this for my on board gigabyte UD3 sound card, which is meh. ok my iphone is **** though, oh and both have a pretty damn small sound. So I want a somewhat dark sounding, non sibilant prone, small, and large sounding portable headphone amp. How low profile is it?


----------



## LammerOutsider

Any amp comparsion with ibasso d-zero? Is better to take e11 for portable use and e10 for home use or take d-zero for both? Thanks


----------



## JoetheArachnid

I don't own a D-Zero, sorry. I generally use my E11 portably only and my E10 paired with my laptop, either for transportable use as an amp/DAC or as a pure DAC with my home amp. Mike from Headfonia compared the E11 and D-Zero in his review, so read that (and other reviews) and see which sounds best for you. I guess it all depends on what sound you want as well as whether you want all-in-one convenience, battery powered etcetera.
   
  I hope you're happy - I've managed to keep my post count on 666 for months.


----------



## hikergrl

Joe - great review - thanks! 
  In your opinion using headphones (as opposed to iems) on a DAP is there a pretty good chance that the headphones will sound better with a headphone amp (like the E11)?  I've got Audio Technica ATH-AD700's using a Sansa Fuze.  I don't need to max out the volume to drive them (its only about 50% of the volume).  But the AD700's unquestionable sound better powered from the headphone out of a preamp (on my main 2 channel set-up).  I'm just wondering whether it would be worth exploring the E11 for use with the sansa and the AD700s.
  Thanks for your thoughts.
  Also commiserations on your loss of your "culturally-significant" number of posts (I'm just so glad it wasn't me that caused you to lose your 666 status!!!) - cheers Hikergrl


----------



## BleaK

great review and writing style! Hope to see more reviews by you


----------



## JoetheArachnid

Quote: 





hikergrl said:


> Joe - great review - thanks!
> In your opinion using headphones (as opposed to iems) on a DAP is there a pretty good chance that the headphones will sound better with a headphone amp (like the E11)?  I've got Audio Technica ATH-AD700's using a Sansa Fuze.  I don't need to max out the volume to drive them (its only about 50% of the volume).  But the AD700's unquestionable sound better powered from the headphone out of a preamp (on my main 2 channel set-up).  I'm just wondering whether it would be worth exploring the E11 for use with the sansa and the AD700s.
> Thanks for your thoughts.
> Also commiserations on your loss of your "culturally-significant" number of posts (I'm just so glad it wasn't me that caused you to lose your 666 status!!!) - cheers Hikergrl


 

 I'm not experienced with the AD700s but if you feel that they benefit from amping then you could do a lot worse for the price than the E11. From what I've read the 700s are pretty trebly, so the dark nature of the E11 plus bass boost could potentially give you a more balanced sound. Equally the somewhat muddy treble of the E11 could completely ruin the AD700's top end (or tame it?). It's your call, really. Sorry I can't be of more help. Sorry for the late-ish reply.
   
  Quote: 





bleak said:


> great review and writing style! Hope to see more reviews by you


 

 I do enjoy writing reviews, but the costs involved not so much. Given that I like DIY for home amps, am happy with my current DAC (I meant to write an E10 review but couldn't really find much to say beyond 'amp sounds like an E11 and the DAC sounds like music but a bit clearer than before') and am unlikely to buy any currently relevant headphones in the near future, don't hold your breath.
  Unless you're paying, that is.


----------



## roma101

I have to say, this was one of the best, most honest reviews I've read here on Head-Fi. Looking forward to other reviews from you  Good stuff.


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## ch96066

Let me add first that indeed this is a very readable and down to earth review. In a lot of points I cought myself thinking 'I couldn't have said that better my self'.
   
  I recently got my E11 reading the overwhelmingly good things about it. I battled it out with E7. I already had E5. Basically my decision was to go for the portability of E5 with my KSC75's and the power of the E11 with my (to arrive soon hopefully) 668Bs for home listening.
   
  I subscribe 100% on the part of the review on built. What has struck me is how light it is.
  I have bought also a battery just for the feeling of security . I guess correct conditioning of any battery has a lot to do with the performance, so I will work on that as well.
   
  Coming to the sound. So far I am listening out of iPod 3G (treble reducer) with LOD L3 and the volume a little over the middle. Amp is working at 3-4 with high volt / low gain / EQ=0,1. I will definitely try asap the low volt / high gain / EQ=0,1 setting for comparison. I tried EQ=2 only briefly but everything gets muddy. E5 is in the 'mid' EQ position (more like a high gain effect for me).
   
  On the KSC75, I listened for comparison to tracks from the Itunes downloaded il Postino soundtrack. Briefly put:
   

 E11 sounded generaly more forward/nearer the action to E5.
 To my ear detail and timbre was present for both amps in similar perceivable SPL (if this phrase makes sense). Perhaps the seperation of E11 is a bit better as it brings the stage to the fore.
 On hiss I think I can hear it more from E11 than E5.
 Overall feeling is that is E11 is slightly more fun/lively/entertaining than E5. However, I don't think that the E11 is really needed over the E5 for the KSC75.
   
  Back with an update on the 668B...
   
  Once again great review and subsequent discussion.


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## JoetheArachnid

I rarely find anything that I listen to above 3 on the volume knob on low gain. Even with the 150ohm RE-262s I find that I'm generally only on about 2.5. The only thing I have that needs more power is the 600ohm K240DF, and that's not really a fair comparison.
   
  I've never heard Superluxes but I've heard many good things about them and they should be a good match with the E11 drivability-wise. Glad you enjoyed the review, anyway.


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## ch96066

Quote: 





ch96066 said:


> Let me add first that indeed this is a very readable and down to earth review. In a lot of points I cought myself thinking 'I couldn't have said that better my self'.
> 
> I recently got my E11 reading the overwhelmingly good things about it. I battled it out with E7. I already had E5. Basically my decision was to go for the portability of E5 with my KSC75's and the power of the E11 with my (to arrive soon hopefully) 668Bs for home listening.
> 
> ...


 

 Writing as I am listening to the E11 at the scenario low V / HG /EQ 0. I think I will give this setting some time to grow on me. The result vs the high V / Low G / EQ 1 is better tracking, seperation and an airier feeling overall. I am working on the iPod EQs to see what sounds better (to me). Piano seems to be doing the trick (for now).


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