I’m not really good with auditory perceptions so when I was asked to check out these heaphone amplifiers by FiiO (fee-yo), I was a little hesitant because I thought I’d need a good set of ears to figure out the difference.
To those who are a bit particular with the sound quality of their headphones or music players, FiiO amps are supposed to help increase the volume and over-all audio quality.
The amps are small devices that goes between your media player and your headphones. There’s a TI (Texas Instruments) chip inside that processes the signal to give it a boost and make the output better.
What I did was hook up my Zune HD to an X-Mini (at 50% system volume) and record it on Audacity using a Samsun CU10 USB microphone (at a distance of 1ft). I did the same thing with the FiiO attached to it. Check out the graph from Audacity below.
The wave signature on top is the normal one and the one at the bottom uses the FiiO.
There’s a noticeable improvement in the sound quality especially with the bass while over-all volume has also increased. Listen for yourself:
Pretty interesting device that’s targeted to a niche market (audiophiles). The FiiO E3 is the smaller one (has a AAA battery inside) and costs Php500 while the FiiO E5 (the Shuffle-like one) has a Li-IOn battery inside, separate volume control and bass boost switch (retails for Php1,200). If interested, contact Tabby Tiu of Tiukung Enterprises (fiiodealer@yahoo.com.ph or 0922-5186266).
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Wow itneresting. First time I’ve seen something like this.
Where can I get me one of these?
I wish these were compatible with Sony Ericsson headphones. Oh well…
@jan – I’ve updated the post above to include contact information of the distributor.
@jhay – as long as it’s 3.5mm jack, it’s compatible.
It’s like a case of buying an expensive media player then nullyfying it by using a stock earphones. same goes w/ other crappy earphones for mobile phones. Then came this device to resolve this issue.
or go to gilmore.. I think go gadgets is selling them as well… there one of the official resellers..
if your into high end amp, P4 is one of most well known. Cost Twice..
YOu can also go to tipidpc.com for more reviews and insights on which of the two will suit your needs. They have an official thread for this amplifier.
Audiophile here, interesting device. Any dealer in Davao City?
Yep interesting indeed and it has a pretty cheap price tag.
OMG just what I need! I’m getting one! *contacts*
Nice gadget! Very ideal for podcasting.
Great device, reasonable price too.
For more info/comments, you might want to check this out:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2009/03/15/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/comments
Audiophile here, too. Great device and priced reasonably. I’ll go for the E5.
For those who want extra reading/comments, check this out:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2009/03/15/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/comments
Oh, I’ve sent my first draft! Sorry, sorry!
interesting gadget, worth to try.
nice gadget.
The FiiO E3 and E5 are already “quite” old considering they came out late last year and early this year respectively. FiiO already have E1 and E7 in the works.
IMHO, FiiO is more of an entry-level portable “audiophile” upgrade.
For the portable audiophile fanatics back there you can try googling Headfi.Org or Jaben.Net. They have very good discussions and pictures on portable hifi.
Portable hifi is quite a thing already here in SG. I have a rig before (ipod classic+lineout dock-to-miniplug cable+amplifier+Grado headphones) but realized it’s such a hassle to bring around.
JohnLloy is right, upgrade your earphones first. Good brands are Westone, Ultimate Ears, AKG, BeyerDymamics, Grado. If there’s a Grado dealer in Manila, do try the SR-60. It should be around Php3k, almost the same price as a crappy Skullcandy but with excellent sound performance.