The FiiO E5 and HD595

Scallywagger · 2 Jan 2010 at 23:16

Just got my FiiO E5 headphone amp and all i can say is that if you have got a decent set of headphones and want to boost your volume then get this headphone amp, only £20 and it boosted my HD595's considerably, i used to be able to listen with volume at 100% and still feel it was too low, now i can only listen at around 75% comfortably without loosening ear wax, my cans are bouncing off my head at 100% volume

moon man · 2 Jan 2010 at 23:36

i started out px100 e3 amp cowon d2
then px100 e5 amp cowon d2
now ultrasone hfi 780s caffine ultra amp, sflo2 with line out
never used an amp for volume as both the cowon and the sflo have very high outputs ,more for the boost in detail and to a certain extent soundstage.
the caffine ultra is superb with a massive differance in sq between the hp out and line out plus amp , no mush of sound just layers of sound in their own space with those layers having their own texture and timbre.like the e5 it also has a bass boost (the caffine just sounds mellow and darker but no distortion with this) when i think that this is regarded by some as a starter amp i cant wait to hook up an ibasso p3+ or d4 or a ray samuels

alex24 · 2 Jan 2010 at 23:43

I just got some Goldrings NS1000's and without the noise cancelling on they're a bit muffled, especially the bass. Rather than going through lots of batteries I thought maybe a headphone amp would be a good addition. The E5 seems cheap enough to be worth a try, but do you think it'll really improve the sound? I'm not looking for more volume as I like to listen not very loud.

moon man · 2 Jan 2010 at 23:57

I found the gain from the e5 very subtle(infact most see it as just a volume booster) but the px100 arnt that hard to drive (or my ultrasones) but maybe the extra juice may help ,not sure.
the caffine ultra has the benefit of being able to use a wall charger and it also kicks out some serious power,although http://www.penguinamp.co.uk/The-Caffeine-Amp:::2008.html?XTCsid=386a480acb04d8b774e861cf8b1c540adosnt seem to be available new at the moment

alex24 · 3 Jan 2010 at 00:04

How much is the caffeine normally? Looks more appropriate than the e5 for my needs. Don't even need it to be that portable.

Greebo · 3 Jan 2010 at 00:08

alexhull24 said:
I just got some Goldrings NS1000's and without the noise cancelling on they're a bit muffled, especially the bass. Rather than going through lots of batteries I thought maybe a headphone amp would be a good addition. The E5 seems cheap enough to be worth a try, but do you think it'll really improve the sound? I'm not looking for more volume as I like to listen not very loud.

I have the fiio e5 on my ns1000 and I don't need the noise cancelling switched on. For £15 they make a big difference to how the ns1000 sound especially since the headphones are rated at 300ohms which is very high.

alex24 · 3 Jan 2010 at 00:12

Greebo, is there much difference in sound from noise cancelling on to noise cancelling off + e5?

I think they sound near on perfect for my taste with it on.

moon man · 3 Jan 2010 at 10:03

alexhull24 said:
How much is the caffeine normally? Looks more appropriate than the e5 for my needs. Don't even need it to be that portable.

about £50 ish ,but he sometimes has cosmetic b grade at about £35.
They tend to be out of stock for a while ,then he makes a batch

hux · 3 Jan 2010 at 11:19

SO which would be better, say my cowon s9 using hp out to an amp or my ipod using an lod?

Scallywagger · 3 Jan 2010 at 11:43

The E5's bass boost certainly adds depth and does not feel gimmickly like say Sony walkman type of bass boost that was bairly noticable, at low noise levels it will definately help, but i think you could get the same effect with an equaliser set up properly. With the E5 it feels as though the music is richer and i can certainly hear sounds more clearly on tracks i regularly listened to before i got the E5.
You could always send the E5 back if you are not satisfied
I read lots of feedback on other sites about the E5 and was sceptical but curious so i decided to order and see if they lived up to what i had read about them, what i got was a lot more than i expected.
I did hear lots about open back phones getting the best benefit from the E5 and i can vouch for that, but not so much with in ear buds, not tried them yet

Shamrock · 3 Jan 2010 at 17:35

If using it with an ipod I think the E1 is also worth consideration as it runs off the line-out dock and doesn't need charging.

I own both the E1 and E5 and find the E1 actually sounds better, but lacks the bass boost of the E5.

deus3x · 12 Mar 2010 at 03:56

nice thread, got the goldring 1000's.

now getting e5 amp.

Uriel · 12 Mar 2010 at 10:13

I'll just re-iterate my previous recommendation for the e5 to boost the NS1000s in passive mode.

Not all sources need the boost. My Sansa Clip drives the NS1000s fine.

However, out of most soundcards and some PMPs the NS1000s are muddy and overly boomy sounding with most of the treble lacking. The e5 tidies that up very well and they sound a lot closer to noise reduction mode (although it still lacks a little of the treble with NR on).

The e5 isn't perfect but it seems to do an excellent job of adequately driving demanding headphones for the money. I also tried it with HD580s and it seemed to go well with them. Even on iems, I've noticed some soundstage improvements.

C64 · 13 Mar 2010 at 06:36

I have ordered ns 1000's shall see what I think then decide on an amp, going to see what they sound like on my old technics power amp first.
The headphone jack is probably a bit naff but I know my goldrings sound amazing through it so maybe the ns1000 might.

Wish the E5 was mains usable though if I am using it for ipod + pc use that rechargable batt isn't going to last long constantly being charged and used.
I think only poeople who use an mp3 player as well on a regular basis should consider the e5 it sounds like it's more of a volume booster than actual amp.

I may get an E5 because it's cheap but I can use it with mp3 player as well, if I didn't use mp3 I'd go with an alternate proper amp like the E7 or start getting in to the decent ones for home use.

Wheres a safe place to get an E5 ? heard the markets been flooded with fakes ?

Uriel · 13 Mar 2010 at 11:17

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/fiio-e5-headphone-amplifier-in-black-prodid-1150.html. I got mine from there. It's a little more pricey than most other outlets but you can be sure it's the real deal. UK supplier too.

By the way - I've become more impressed with my DR150s recently. Using them with a Bravo Audio tube amp (cheap and cheerful thing of the bay) and it seems to suit them very well.

The Bravo doesn't drive the NS1000s as well as it does the DR150s. I've found that with several amps though.

At least with the NS1000s the e5 is not just a volume booster. The character of the sound changes immensely. In passive mode the NS1000s are 100 ohm and current hungry (it's the current requirements that makes them harder to drive than some other 100 ohm headphones). Quite a few devices aren't up to it.

C64 · 13 Mar 2010 at 20:40

dr150 need a lot of burn in mine sound nothing like what they did when i got them think around 2 years ago not sure.

Sometimes I hear things on them and think it's an external sound and that's just running them through the headphone jack on logitech z4.

But my headband eventually developed cracks and snapped I put them together using cut up credit cards as strips and taped round with insulating tape.

That's the only downside the headband isn't the most robust of materials but then what are most of them use cheap plastic.

Mind you I have done a lot of lying in bed with them on sides squashed against pillow and many drops etc so I have not exactly taken good care.I was considering getting some dr50 and using the band for these.

Wish there were such a thing as custom made headbands that fit a lot of headphones.

Uriel · 15 Mar 2010 at 13:56

I fogot to mention. The NS1000s also benefit a lot from burn in. I didn't do a dedicated burn in test but there was definite improvement over the first few months of use.

Angel_Rex · 9 Jun 2010 at 08:03

Well i got an E5 amp a few months back on the recommendation of one of the ocuk trusted members and im not overly impressed, it only actually boosts the sound by 10% when it is fully charged and on max volume is this right?

Shamrock · 9 Jun 2010 at 08:14

What player are you using it with?

If you are connecting it via the headphone socket you must set the volume on your player to something reasonable before using the e5 to boost it.

I use mine with an ipod and find that using the LoD is a lot better than the headphone socket.

Razor-BladE · 9 Jun 2010 at 10:57

Speaking of, look at what just popped through the door

Not good when i should be revising for my exam on friday haha.

Just looked up play and they've gone back up to £130!

I got them at the right time then

Edit: Initial impressions
They are smaller than they look in pictures but they are very comfortable, cover my ears fine and without too much pressure.
Feels like they could break at anytime though lol. No apparent creaking of the headband.
About to listen to them now without the E5 as it's charging.

Edit: Well it does work well with Dolby Headphones

and NC definitely makes it sounds better as the bass is a lot muddier with it off, and staging isn't as good.