Xonar DX + Fiio E5 + NS1000 = Bad for me

Tealc

Tealc

Tealc

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So I got myself a nice Xonar DX, a Fiio E5 and the Goldring NS1000 and was so excited come Christmas day to set it all up on my PC ready for some BC2 action.

Imagine my dismay when it was all charged (E5) and hooked up and I found the the sound to be awful. I'm not just talking cheap headset awful here I am talking sound like treacle and incredibly distant too, like the sound stage is off in the distance. Maybe I've done something wrong.

I've hooked up the NS1000 direct to rear panel on the DX now and the sound in NC mode is brilliant, much better than my Medusa 5.1 and only slightly worse in passive mode.

So I'm wondering if there is something special one must do when using the E5, other than charging for a little while of couse, as from where I am sitting it's just not doing a very good job. Ideally I'd like the E5 to power the headphones running in passive mode so I don't need to worry about keeping AAA batteries to hand.

Any advice to help a poor unfortunate understand what he has done wrong? Do you think my E5 is kaput? Did I not charge it properly?

Oh and the sound isn't just wrong in BC2 it's pretty bad with music, video and other games. I needed to activate the treble setting in the Asus control panel thing to get the sound slightly bearable.
 
Tealc said:
incredibly distant too, like the sound stage is off in the distance.
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This sounds like Dolby Headphone is set to DH3, so that could be a setup issue of the card.

Anyway with the E5 when it's on charge do you get a flashing LED when you start or finish? When you've finished charging your E5 do you leave it plugged in or do you disconnect it? I had some real poor output with my E5 and it turns out it suffered from a common fault, there are a few people who posted on here as well as various other audio forums.
 
When I charge the E5 it shows a purpleish colour when the unit is switched on, red when it is switched off. When not charging it's showing blue. I've tried it both disconnected and connected and it seems to make little or no difference. E5 Bass boost has little or no effect on the already poor sound.

None of the dolby headphone settings seem to make the sound normal. Trying to describe how sounds sound is quite tricky. What I did notice was that in BC2 the helicopter and tank sounds were quite loud compared with all other sounds, which seemed supressed.

At what sort of volume should I be setting the E5 at? Anything above low seemed to introduce quite a bit of hiss for me.
 
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Marsman said:
Does it affect things if the usb cable is connected when in use?
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Yes, you will probably get a low buzzing or humming noise/some kind of feedback from your computer if listening to the amplifier whilst charging.
 
Yes I'm beginning to think it's faulty too. I believe it's genuine as it's stamped Fiio and looks like the one from the reviews and stuff.

Will give it a try with a few setups. I've got onboard audio which I can plug into plus a headphone jack on my speakers.

It's pretty quiet when plugged into my iPod and doesn't boost volume as much as I would have expected.

I'm going to try charging direct from a 5v 500mA source just in case it's not getting charged properly by my USB.
 
Dolby headphone is supposed to simulate speakers - making the sound more distant. Some people prefer the immediacy of headphones though. If so, you'll probably prefer to leave it off.

Also, maybe the Dolby Headphone HRTF just doesn't suit you?
 
e5 should be a solid red (no flashing) when charging and blue (no flashing) when in use.
Purple when in use and charging at the same time.
 
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I have no problem with the dolby headphone effect and have decided I prefer the DH2 effect to give a balance.

Plugging direct to soundcard the headphones come alive and I can pinpoint sound better than my old 5.1 headset. The sound is rich and detailed, booms and bangs are loud and punchy and voices come from all around.

Only quickly tested this but sound seems clearer after charging it directly but I still need NC to be switched on for the full richness of the sound to come through.
 
I'd wager it's faulty then, I had the blinking issue where as soon as any power source was plugged in the LED would flash at me, the sound was actually worse going through the amp however the amp did work in so much as the sound was changed, just for the worse.

There appears to be either fakes or multiple boards used inside these E5s as my PCB is distinctly different to that of others I've seen.
 
Could always cut your losses and get the £65 fiio e7.

Without naming any competitors where did you get the e5 from ?
 
I got it from a company that uses an A and a Z as part of their name. Was only £15 or something.

Anyway I've plugged it altogether again and tested and everything seems fine now. It must be a fault in my USB cable that prevents charging or something, or at least reduces charging down to low levels so while it does appear to be charging it's only getting minimal current.

I will keep an eye on it but at least I know what's going to happen when the E5 battery runs down.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
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Yes I noticed that last night, it was like a buzzing that changed frequency while I was moving about, it was very annoying. If it stayed at one sound it wouldn't be so bad.

How long do these E5s last on a single charge, assuming near full volume?
 
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