EXCLUSIVE! Pre-Production FiiO E9 Unboxing Review - Part 1

[emperor0013]

I just ordered the E9/E7 combo package for my AKG Q701s... should I have the gain switch on high or low on the back?

[CappaSlappaHo]

This or the Hifiman Ef2A?

[micromuffin2000]

how is the weight on that? as in is it going to slide around on my desk or is it heavy enough to stay in place? thanks

[coolerow]

im buying this but just wanted to ask you what would be a good set of headphones for around the $150 range? I tested some Sony DR-ZX701ip in Staples with my cellphone using lossless audio files and it sounded amazing. Just wanted to see if there's better options out there since you know your stuff

[macbookpro57]

Does anyone know if the e17 will be able to dock into the e9?

[bonecrusher1792]

My computer is a pretty old emachines with a probably terrible sound card, will the amp still work properly and sound good even with my old sound card? ill be using sennheisers HD598

[abc3elite]

I have the sennheiser pxc 450s, will this amplify the base, and other things like that.

[1lastsoldier]

what can this combo power? 

[DeckhandDavy]

@1lastsoldier It should easily handle most headphones under 600ohms!

[danstechhelp]

Correction... 6.3 mm

[NewYawkCityTimes]

Is this good for the AKG K701? I'll be using an Ipod Touch and also my laptop at time.

[1lastsoldier]

would you recommend the e9 with the aug 701? I'll just be playing music from my laptop.

[k3N70n40]

Your reviews are a bit frustrating to me since you repeat yourself quite a bit. Otherwise useful information. Thanks.

[VillainTricks]

The music. Does anyone know the music that's playing.

[greekpanther1]

will the E7 be enough to power the denon ah d5000 headphones with lets say the cowon j3 mp3 player or would i need the e9 too?

[guydudemanbro]

@DeckhandDavy Where's part 2 of this review?

[Croozer]

@guydudemanbro The world may never know.

[ytfmichaelxu]

I've seen some pictures of E7 on top of E9, what is that all about? Do you need an E7 for E9 to work?

[ernestryles]

@ytfmichaelxu you dock the e7 in the e9, and the e7 acts as a dac and the e9 bypasses the e7s amp

[ytfmichaelxu]

@ernestryles So... Does that mean e7 basically turns the e9 into e7, or is it the other way around? I'm pretty confused.

[ernestryles]

@ytfmichaelxu it means that if you choose to dock an e7, then the e9 becomes an amp/DAC so basically it takes the e7s dac capabilities, but uses the e9s amping, so you end up with a system that sounds pretty awesome for the about $200 that it costs.

[ytfmichaelxu]

@ernestryles Thanks for the clarification. So e9 doesn't have DAC capabilities?

[Croozer]

@ytfmichaelxu No.

[linkinparkfan415]

Will this work for my Mac ? I want to get the most out of my beats by dre studio

[myuzakitheglitcher]

@linkinparkfan415 A: Your Headphones will be fine without an amp, the requirements for beats are pretty minimal. B: If you want to get the most out of your beats, use a PC with a studio quality sound card, not a Mac with built-in audio. C: If you, as a Mac user, are too stubborn to listen to me, yes, this amp will work with any audio device that can output through a 3.5mm audio jack, meaning most Macintosh computers. But trust me, it's totally unneeded.

[HooDwin12]

should i get the E7 or the E9 for my computer, i just got some Shure SRH840s and ive read that i should get an amp to really appreciate the quality, but dont wanna spend too much.

[DeckhandDavy]

@HooDwin12 If you are just starting into the world of 'better audio', I would definitely buy the E7, not only for the price and great sound quality, but because if you find yourself buying better earphones down the road, you can always upgrade to the E9 amplifier.

[ytfmichaelxu]

@DeckhandDavy Hi. Is E7 + E9 any good with the Sennheiser HD650?

[kenshin3249]

@ytfmichaelxu it's a pretty good combo i believe. I'm using just the E9 (no E7) with my HD650 and i think it sounds very good.

[Zico10101010]

@DeckhandDavy what is the importance of this thing? 

[whatfhefck]

@Croozer LOL, its obvious you don't know what you're talking about

[osborl12]

What does it do? Wikipedia wasn't terribly helpful. Does it improve audio quality somehow?

[aNiPlOx]

Quick question; any source to the back ground music you are using?

[diablolrm90]

How long is the USB cable included?

[whatfhefck]

Way to Buy American yo! (sarcasm)

[Croozer]

@whatfhefck Can you recommend some american amps at this price point?

[whatfhefck]

@Croozer If you need an amp at this price point then go without. Cheap amps filter out your fidelity. When someone pays $5000 for a headphone amp, it's because they want to amp but retain the original quality. When you pay $200, you have an idea of how much of that original quality wasn't retained. If you have good sound unamped stick with it. Just go amped if you need more bass/loudness or listen to records of elephants stampeding or wind blowing.

[Croozer]

@whatfhefck LOL, its obvious you have never even heard the E9.

[021311]

"I should have the 2nd part of the review out in the next week or two."

Can't find it

[Croozer]

When are you gonna do Part 2?

[Nubster12]

Part 2 ???????

[ilikeche2]

Do the e9 and dt990 have good synergy? I've heard dt990 can be harsh with some amps.

[lifeborder]

LOL.... that's just a random newspaper! 

[XiiLLuZioNz01]

Hi there, i have the Sony MDRXB40EX Extra Bass Vertical In-ear Silicone Headphones with 13.5mm Driver Unit, will i benefit from using this Amp, or do i need better headphones and which ones shall i get?

Thanks

[ernestryles]

@XiiLLuZioNz01 you need better phones. The ones you have won't really benefit. Depending on what type of music you like will change what headphones would be well suited for you. Also preference of over ear or in ear. So I would be glas to help you out, but I would need to know what sort of music you like, as well as if you're a bass head etc.

[TimmyK916]

Fiio E9 and E7

Thanks for the unboxing review. I'm curious how volume control works when the E7 is docked. Does the volume dial on the E9 then move the E7 DAC one step at a time still as though the E7 is by itself?

If so, wouldn't that essentially give you slightly less control over volume compared to the E9 being used by itself?

Does that makes sense?

Thanks!

[IWPRO]

David premana it looks like

[delamartv]

Sehr schoen, thumbs up :))))

Lieben Gruss, delamar

[Emc209i]

Name of Jazzy sounding music in the background?

[ShinCZ]

C'mon with the review already, Davy! XD

[DrSandeepluthra]

How will the E7/E9 benefit the HD 555 with the 595 mod?

[JacobTerrado]

Just wondering, but how do you think the Fiio E9 and E7 combo would be with an ATH-M50?

[ShinCZ]

@JacobTerrado

I highly doubt the E9 will benefit the M50.

The M50 doesn't benefit much if at all from amping. It's ridiculously easy to drive. I have tried it with my E7 and there was no significant change with the exception of a slightly warmer sound due to the slight coloration of the E7.

[JacobTerrado]

@ShinCZ Thanks for the input

[JacobTerrado]

@ShinCZ Alright, Thanks

[ShinCZ]

@JacobTerrado

Okay Jacob, I borrowed my friend's M50 (that I sold to him a while back.) I will test them out unamped, amped via E7, and then amped via E9. I will let you know how it goes soon.

[ShinCZ]

@ShinCZ

Checked it out between the E7 and E9. With the M50s there is almost no significant change in sound quality. I tested out "Prodigy - Salt in The Wounds" and there is no real reason to use the E9 over the E7 with the M50s. The bass was slightly and I mean slightly more refined, and the treble was VERY slightly less harsh. I'm talking about a 1% upgrade on both ends if you wanna nitpick. Goes to show you how easy the M50 is to drive, though it's definitely better either way vs. unamped.

[gargantuandick]

@ShinCZ

I've heard the opposite. My m50 sounds extremely muddly and unimpressive from a soundcard or ipod. SQ improves considerably even with my e5.

Weird how in my opinion it's way harder to drive well than my 70ohm hd25, or 57ohm hd668b

[EB88]

Is this a stupid question? When does it come out and where can I get it?

[ShinCZ]

@EB88

It's not a stupid question. Fiio was supposed to release this in October, but it's not happening (obviously), though apparently they shipped out to a few retailers a few days ago, and it's estimated to be sold during mid-November. No set date or price yet.

[ShinCZ]

I'm super happy to hear how well it works with the K701 and DT990 600ohm, which happen to be my main 2 headphones, lol. Now if they can just hurry up with the release. <_<

The fact that you consider it neutral is a humongous plus.

When you say that the E7 docked with the E9 slightly colors the sound, would you say it's warmer than the E7's stand alone warm signature, or colder/brighter? While I know the E7 is on the warm side of neutral, it isn't overly so.

[Opty125]

Hello DeckhandDavy.

I have Denons D2000 headphones, and I am pretty satisfied when using with Fiio E7 amp.

On the other hand, I'm not very happy with use E7 as DAC, too neutral.

Do you think that using E9 and E7 docked also improve the quality?

Best regards! ;)

[DeckhandDavy]

@Opty125

With the e7 docked, the SQ from the e9 is more neutral than the e7 (less color), but the improvements I hear are mainly in the following:

-presence, authority and attack

-balance

-amazing timbre to percussion, acoustics and pretty much any instrument

-vocals are slightly centered and up front in most recordings

-soundstage is wide and spacial awareness is much more apparent

Those are the strongest points that I can think of so far. I'll be covering this in a detailed review soon.

[zeroboroz]

@DeckhandDavy

Hey, I just got some beyerdynamic DT-880's for mixing and mastering, and they'll be my first "high-quality" pair of cans. I'm not much of an audiophile so i'm pratically new to this audio world, but will the E9 have enough power to drive my DT-880's?

[ShinCZ]

@Opty125

There's a little 'trick' with the E7 and E9. While the E7 is docked to the E9, you can't access the E7's EQ settings, leaving the E9 as a completely neutral amp. HOWEVER, if you undock the E7 and use it as a DAC first and connect it to the E9 via it's Line In, you can use the E7's EQ settings! EQ 0 is the same as if the E7 is docked, and EQ 1 is a slightly warmer and bassier side of neutral which might help those who find the E7's DAC too neutral docked to the E9.

[Malangsufi]

can you please also test how much of a difference the gain switch makes. thanks

[DeckhandDavy]

@Malangsufi

I am hearing about a 80% volume gain on my k701 cans.

[TimminZ93]

@DeckhandDavy do you think it drives the k701's enough?

[DeckhandDavy]

@TimminZ93 The E9 easily drives the k701's with authority. It's the only amp that has driven them so efficiently.

[dinodinororo]

@DeckhandDavy so im assuming its good with the k240mkii too right?

should i get the e7 or e9?

[ItsBlackFriday]

how does this sound with your DT990's? Does it drive them adequately?

[DeckhandDavy]

@ItsBlackFriday

Thanks for watching!

Yes, the E9 drives the DT990's just fine. The E9 set at just over 11 oclock on the volume pot is borderline loud on the DT990's.

[lawrywild]

Does the volume shown on the E7 change when you move the E9's dial to reflect that?

[DeckhandDavy]

@lawrywild

Thanks for watching!

No, although you can adjust the volume of the e7 while docked, it does not affect the volume. When you use the volume pot on the e9, it does not adjust the digital volume on the e7 either. The e7 ONLY acts as a DAC and nothing else.

[luroh]

great unboxing vid. looks promising

[Opty125]

Thank you very much for your "unboxing".

Is a world exclusive ;)

Greets from Spain

[Asafiko]

looks great !! I love all the FiiO stuff.

[ShinCZ]

Also, please let us know if the E9 is transparent/neutral with stock internals. I don't wanna color the sound of my headphones, so I hope that the E9 keeps the sound signature of the headphones intact.

[Malangsufi]

thanks alot mate. cant wait till part 2

[ShinCZ]

Hey! It's about time! Awesome unboxing.

I JUST happened to purchase a pair of DT990/600 that just arrived last night. I agree about it being a pain to drive and definitely needs some good amping. I can't wait to see what you think of the combo. I also owm the K701 and E7. Mad Lust Envy on head-fi. :)