FiiO E1 Headphone Amplifier

[admin_exported]

Hi has anyone used one of these with sennheiser cx300 mk2, if so was it a significant improvement?

cheers

 

[Wightknight]

I have just bought an E1 (in black) and tried it out. I was using Sennheiser CX300 Mk1s and Denon AH-C751s - both in-ear headphones.

The main tracks I used for comparison were Hybrid's Gravastar and Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

With both sets of headphones, the E1 amplifier improved the sound but it wasn't a massive difference. There was additional punch to the bass and an overall increase in clarity. The improvements were more noticeable on the Denons than the Sennheisers. I am sorry I do not have any "full size" cans as I am sure they would benefit even more from the E1's amplification. I would love to borrow some Grado SR60s (or similar) and see how much of a difference it would make then.

One small point to note: I have my iPod Classic in a case and the Fiio would not fit through the aperture at the bottom, so I had to take it out of the case to use it. I am not sure I would want to use it away from home like that. If I had a silicone case, I am sure I could make a few cuts in it to plug the connector in properly.

Is it worth your while getting an E1 for your Sennheisers? You will notice a difference, but it may not be that great. You may be better off putting that money towards your next headphone upgrade. On the other hand, you may take the view I did: it is only £15 so why not give it a try.

Hope this helps.

 

[Andy.McGhee]

Hello All,

I though I was just add my experiences because they are slightly different.

For me, the Fiio E1 transformed the sound quality from my new iPod Classic 160GB. The sound quality from the iPod's headphone socket is mediocre at best even with my Grado SR60i's. I have tried with a range of other headphones from Sony and Bang and Olufsen and none of them could really pull the sound from the headphone socket to an acceptable level of quality.

Using the the Fiio E1 happily worked with all my headphones giving more energy and drive, greater clarity and a soundstage that made sense at last. Still not as good as from my seperates but that would be an unfair comparison.

I have had a few people compare the iPod headphone output with Fiio E1 and all agree (in varying degrees) that E1 is superior. I'm sure there are better headphone amps but at least the E1 allows the iPod to remain a true portable.

So, I agree with wightnight that it sounds better but for me, spending a lot of money on headphones for use with the iPod's headphone socket will still come up against the fundamental poor quality of iPod's headphone output. Allowing money in your budget for a amp like the E1 could give you more than the equivalent cash (£18) spend on increasing your headphone budget, in my humble opinion.

Best Regards

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

I have the fiio e5 and it does sound very good indeed. Buy a LOD and connect it up, then it bypasses the volume control of the ipod.

It does sound very good and worth buying.

 

[idc]

Excellent reviews. The lower the sensitivity of the headphones, the more difference in amping them. So high sensitivity in ears will have less of a difference to low sensitivity full sized headphones.

PS - can this thread be moved to the headphone section?

 

[margetti]

I use the E1 with Goldring NS1000's and it makes for a pretty decent improvement - certainly punches above its weight at £15-17.

My only criticism is that the inline remote is quite fiddly, and can be easily bumped resulting in unexpected track changes. That said, I wouldn't be without it now.