These Fiio headphone amps, any good?

[722Adam]

I currently have a pair of Grado SR60i headphones. Whilst I love the quality and precision of the sound they produce, I do find that the sound they can deliver (especially bottom end punch) varies greatly depending on what they're plugged into.

For example, running them through my powered Bose computer speakers (Companion 2) they are fantastic, best sound I get from them. But when used with my iPod, or straight through a laptop line out, there's something lacking, something low down that gives the sound its warmth.

I've heard of these Fiio headphone amps on here and a lot of people seem to recommend them. I will be getting one, but my question is this: Will the basic E5 give a pair of SR60s a nice kick when used with an iPod, or is it worth spending the extra money on the E6 or maybe even the E11? If it's going to change my life, I could probably justify the £41 Amazon is asking for an E11, but would prefer to spend half this if it won't be much better than an E5/E6.

Thanks in advance

[StuH]

722Adam said:

I currently have a pair of Grado SR60i headphones. Whilst I love the quality and precision of the sound they produce, I do find that the sound they can deliver (especially bottom end punch) varies greatly depending on what they're plugged into.

For example, running them through my powered Bose computer speakers (Companion 2) they are fantastic, best sound I get from them. But when used with my iPod, or straight through a laptop line out, there's something lacking, something low down that gives the sound its warmth.

I've heard of these Fiio headphone amps on here and a lot of people seem to recommend them. I will be getting one, but my question is this: Will the basic E5 give a pair of SR60s a nice kick when used with an iPod, or is it worth spending the extra money on the E6 or maybe even the E11? If it's going to change my life, I could probably justify the £41 Amazon is asking for an E11, but would prefer to spend half this if it won't be much better than an E5/E6.

Thanks in advance

The FiiO amps are an absolute bargain in terms of performance per pound. I use an E7 with my Iphone into a pair of Shure E530's. The extra grunt really adds depth and weight to the bass which gives a much warmer balance to the overall sound, replacing the somewhat dry and lean sound that comes direct from the iPhone. As an added bonus the E7 can be used as a USB DAC with my laptop, which really improves movie soundtracks.

You can also dock the E7 into an E9 Amp (I use this setup on my office desk) and that enables you to drive pretty much anything. I use this to drive my Denon D7000's and it's superb.