Fiio E11 Portable Amplifier

Never ending innovation from Fiio has brought us the Fiio E11, the latest and perhaps most mature amplifier from Fiio yet. I think Fiio deserves to get some credit not only for continuing effort to push the quality of their products, but also on several aspects of the design of the Fiio E11. Most noticeable is the volume knob design which protects from accidental turning of the knob (it happens, believe me), yet still providing easy adjustment of the volume. Then you have the easy to open battery compartment, similar to the battery compartment design on mobile phones. The use of removable Nokia-style Lithium Ion batteries is also the first I’ve seen on portable amplifiers. Although many portable amps these days come equipped with Lithium Ion batteries, the E11 is the first one that offers easy exchange of the batteries, so you can carry spare batteries and easily double the battery life. The dimension of the amp is small and compact, with a high build quality plastic enclosure giving a very solid and lightweight packaging for the amplifier circuitry. Ergonomically, this is one of the best portable amplifier I’ve used.

Very modern design with great features, including a battery and power on LED.

 

I can see some flexing on the panel, but overall the build is very good.

 

3.7 Volts Lithium Ion battery.

 

High and low gain covers sensitive IEMs and hard to drive orthodynamics. The EQ switch is another word for bass boost.

 

Continuing in the tradition of the previous Fiio products, the E11 also comes with a bass-boost switch, though labeled as “EQ” on the E11. They also added a Low/High gain switch, as well as a low/high current switch (located below the battery on the battery compartment). The level of power you get from the E11 is really shocking as I find this amplifier to have enough power to drive the newly released Hifiman HE-500 Orthodynamic headphone (89dB, 50 Ohms) to ear deafening levels.

 

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3.8/5 - (16 votes)
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159 Comments

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    Ardimo Harsa W

    Dear Mike

    Currently I have an Ordnance .22 amp. If I switched to E11,will it be an upgrade or an downgrade?

    Thanks 😀

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      Ah, I don’t know what the Ordnance sounds like.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    rico suave

    ola mr.headfonia, can you compare the E11 to the low-z jds labs version? the reason is, the jds cmoy i have is similarly tweaked that way. so i’m just curious if that adjusment is still better sounding than the E11.

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      Rico,
      On my low Z build, the sound quality is not as good as the normal build.
      Comparing it to the E11, however, I still find the JDSLabs to have a
      slight edge on soundstage size, smooth tonality, and better vocal
      presence. The E11 is bassier, slightly less spacious and more slightly
      more laid back vocals. The E11 is tighter on the bass, but the JDSLabs
      has a slightly looser but clearer bass.

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      I’m using the JH16 just now for that comparison.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    Randius

    If I am to choose between the E11 and the Cmoy to pair with iPhone 3GS and 1964 Ears quads, I suppose the Cmoy will be the better choice?

    It will be very interesting to see how well does the E11 + D5 combo fare against E7 as a amp+DAC setup.

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      Depends, strictly on sound quality, yes. But as a whole amp, the E11 is
      more user friendly and has better features.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    Anonymous

    A few quick things you should note – one, the amp is turned off when charging via USB due to the virtual ground. According to Fiio, if you plug it into the computer via a line-out and charge via the computer’s USB port, the two grounds do bad things and destroy the amp, so they implemented a safety circuit to shut it off.

    Also, it has an MSRP of $60 or so, not $80 (Fiio said below $60, and the first site to sell them has it around there).

    Otherwise, great review, I love the pictures1

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      I had a CEC
      player that had a headphone out. It was really transparent to the
      source, but punch and impact was not that good. The entry level Marantz
      CD players had a good headphone out though, I can’t remember which
      particular model I listened to, but I’ve listened to several different
      entry level Marantz (ie CD6003, CD5004, CD5001) and they generally had
      good driving power and impact for most of the dynamic headphones out there.

      Don’t believe all the myths thrown out there just to make people buy
      stuff you don’t need. If it sounds good and you’re enjoying the music,
      then it sounds good.

      I think the case with CD players headphone out is this:

      1. You are always playing from a good source (CD quality)

      2. Very short signal path, means very small loss of quality.

      These two factors already takes care the most critical aspect in a
      system: source quality is very important, garbage in = garbage out.

      Now looking at a simple amp like the JDSLabs Cmoy, it actually doesn’t
      take too much of a complex design to make an amp that sounds good. Of
      course don’t go comparing it to a Burson or a Beta22, but a simple amp
      with a great source and a short signal path is actually good enough to
      make good music (with the right headphones, of course).

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonymous

      Thanks for the added information. I left out that part about the
      charging — but I wasn’t aware that the MSRP is going to be below $60.

      • Reply May 9, 2011

        Evin Discreet

        It IS INDEED going to below 60. It seems as though John had a hard time believing this too. And remember, people can get the E7 for as low as 70, many places 80. It is quite possible that in several months people could pick this up for around 50.

        • Reply May 10, 2011

          Anonymous

          Yes, I wouldn’t doubt it. Fiio has always been about affordability.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    James McProgger

    Hello Mike, Nice read. I notice you tried it with your HD25-1, were they good together?
    I am using the HD25 with a mini3, dunno if you have tried it but I’d appreciate some comparissons, I know the Mini3 is suppose to be top of the DYI portable amps. but i’d like to carry something smaller and easier to recharge.

    Thank you!

    • Reply May 10, 2011

      Anonymous

      James,

      The E11 paired really well with the HD25-1, much better than the Cmoy BB. Mostly the difference is on the bass impact and PRaT factor, where the E11 is much better than the CmoyBB. I also find that the overall voicing of the E11 matches the HD25-1 better than the mid-centric CmoyBB.

      I haven’t listened to the Mini3 for a long long time. I think it’s more spacious and airy than the E11, but again the bass impact and PRaT is not as good as the E11. This talking from memory though.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    Evin Discreet

    Thanks so much for the review. Yeah, the CMOY sounds intriguing, just not practical enough and the DIY aspect is a bit of a turn off

    • Reply May 9, 2011

      Anonnymous

      “the DIY aspect is a bit of a turn off”

      why? aren’t the diy stuff is usually
      the one which
      has the best price/perf ratio?

    • Reply May 10, 2011

      Anonymous

      You can buy the JDSLabs fully assembled, ready to use.

  • Reply May 9, 2011

    pixelated

    Alright mike thanks for the review! i have a question that may sound stupid(im a newbie) i own the AiAiAi TMA-1 and i know the impedance is 32 ohms will a amp such as the cmoy or the E11 improve the sound my headphones? or should i just get a DAC such as the E7? thank you for your time

    • Reply May 10, 2011

      Anonymous

      What music do you listen to and how do you find the TMA-1 to sound so far?

      • Reply May 10, 2011

        pixelated

        I am completely amazed at the quality of the TMAs. i have compared them to many headphones and i believe that the TMAs are the right pair for me . I have come to the following conclusions: TMA-1 ≥ Audio technica M50s > Bose AE2 > Beats by Dre. like i said i am a newbie and have very limited resources to other headphones. The comfort + non fatiguing sound signature makes them perfect for my daily listening needs. Thank you very much for your reviews they honestly help me a lot. Now the question is if i should get a DAC or an amp, i have heard that sometimes amps do improve or atleast open up the sound on some headphones. What portable or desktop amps/DAC would you say improves the sound on the TMAs. P.S i need something portable that is under 120$ thanks!

        • Reply May 11, 2011

          Anonymous

          Portable DAC and Amp under $120? Youve got no other choice than the Fiio E7. I am not sire if the TMA-1 improves a lot with a DAC though. I’d just get an E11 for it and pair it with an Ipod or something.

          • Reply May 11, 2011

            pixelated

            hehehe oh man i think i totally misread your question! sorry about that, my music prefence is, all music. so i guess i will go with your suggestion. thanks!

            • Reply May 11, 2011

              Anonymous

              Awesome.

              May want to look for another, more all rounder headphone though. The TMA-1 is great, but it’s quite specific to dance and trance music IMO.

          • Reply May 12, 2011

            pixelated

            yeah i see were your coming from, the dark sound signature is not the best for acoustics. I am thinking of buying a pair of iems or headphones that are better allrounders. I am thinking fischer audio dba 02 but im open to suggestions.

            • Reply May 13, 2011

              Anonymous

              There is a lot of good choices out there. The DBA-02 is a good onefor acoustics.

        • Reply May 11, 2011

          mathu

          Have you tried Shure 750DJ or Fischer Audio 004?

          • Reply May 11, 2011

            Anonymous

            Nope, not with the E11.

  • Reply May 10, 2011

    wwenze

    Add a trickle charger to the cMoyBB.

    • Reply May 10, 2011

      Anonymous

      Agree. I am asking JDSLabs to do that on the newer CmoyBB.

  • Reply May 10, 2011

    Anonymous

    I added a short paragraph on two glitches I found on the E11:

    There are some slight “bugs” while using the E11, such as the inability to use the amplifier while charging. Also, the amplifier refuses to be powered on after the battery has been fully depleted and recharged. I need to “restart” the circuit by taking the battery out and back in. Overall they are minor inconveniences to me, though it would be nice to have them corrected on the newer versions.

  • Reply May 10, 2011

    Anonymous

    Well, guess what. It comes sooner than I expected.

    JDSLabs Cmoy now does recharging.

    http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=ChgAdpt

  • Reply May 10, 2011

    Anonymous

    Well, guess what. It comes sooner than I expected.

    JDSLabs Cmoy now does recharging.

    http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=ChgAdpt

  • Reply May 10, 2011

    Sham

    How would you compare the highest bass boost setting on the E11 to the E7? Does it distort at all?

    • Reply May 11, 2011

      Anonymous

      I’ll do a check and get back to you.

      • Reply May 11, 2011

        Sham

        Thanks, I know theres a few bassheads on Head-Fi like me eager for the answer lol. The boost on the E7 was decent, the E5 not that great. So the E11 could be a major plus for the price if it can also do a decent job of bass boosting with the increased sound quality. Or maybe there might be a decibal measure if the box you got it in has some specs.

        • Reply May 11, 2011

          Anonymous

          Well on no boost the E11’s bass is already more than the E7, so I think that’s good.

          By the way I wont be able to check the E11 for the next two days. I’ll update you on Saturday.

          • Reply May 15, 2011

            Sham

            Alrighty, thanks. 

  • Reply May 11, 2011

    James

    Hi, Mike, I am James from FiiO. Thank you very much for your help about the bug.

    We already find the reason and will fix it in the trial production.

    • Reply May 11, 2011

      Anonymous

      Awesome, James.

      You Rock.

      PS: i’ve gotten the email on the D3 as well. Cant wait to see it in person.

  • Reply May 12, 2011

    Anony

    Hey mike, how about E11 against PPAv2? 🙂

    • Reply May 12, 2011

      Anonymous

      Hehehehe that would be nice wouldn’t it?

      I’ll try to make it happen.

  • Reply May 18, 2011

    Brian Fu

     Apparently this thing has AD8397 in signal, OPA690 in ground and TLE2426 as ground reference. That reminds you of a certain DIY portable amplifier doesn’t it? 

    Can someone confirm this? 

  • Reply May 23, 2011

    Anown

     Hi, I have Sony MDR-XB700, is the E-11 will distort the bass if the eq is set to max? Is there any benefit pairing E-11 with my headphone? I’m also planning to upgrade to Denon D2000.

  • Reply May 26, 2011

    Tim Tan

    Uhhh…the E11 is so freaking dark, definitely not my thing. It does get less dark on high gain though. I’m listening to them right now with my RE-0, but I guess I really like brighter sound.

    • Reply May 27, 2011

      Anonymous

      Yep it is fairly dark. And as far as most amps go, they do get slightly brighter and more lively at high gain, at the expense of higher noise levels.

      The JDSLabs cmoy is more open and livelier, while still sounding warm.

  • Reply May 29, 2011

    rico suave

    ola,

    the e11, is it as quiet as the jds cmoy?

  • Reply June 16, 2011

    Nashobek69

    How is the E11 compared to Hippo Box+?Wanna pair it with TMA-1.Cheers.

    • Reply June 16, 2011

      Anonymous

      I’ve never tried the Hippo Box. But if you want additional bass, the E11
      is a good addition to the TMA-1.

  • Reply June 16, 2011

    Francis88

    Hi Mike can i know between e11 and and jds labs cmoy which will sound better with a 250 ohm beyer dt880 or other 300ohm headphone like HD800 and HD650. I’m more into the quality than the volume as it can also be outputed from ipod to a loud volume. How will they compare to a p4 warbler. I just saw that you just stated p4 warbler is better than pb2 in single ended mode but cannot find any reviews. So in which part is it better. And also are you still going to do all the budget level amp shootout side by side like the 12 amps? Just wandering can you add in a hippo Amplifier as well because i can’t seems to find much review on it. I have one but i just can’t use it as a reference point in peoples reviews because i’m not really sure what sound they are suppose to carry or how good.

    • Reply June 17, 2011

      Anonymous

      I would go with the JDSLabs for those high impedance dynamics. The E11
      can supply higher current levels, but you don’t need that for the high
      impedance dynamics, and the JDSLabs’ sound is smoother than the E11.

      As for the P4 and PB2, the overall sound is just better and more open on
      the P4, there is no contest, unless you need the higher current levels
      of the PB2 to drive orthodynamics. I don’t plan to publish a comparative
      review, but the P4 is just better.

      As for the Hippo amps, I haven’t planned to include it in the amplifier
      comparison. The product cycle of Jaben small amps are very fast, and I’d
      rather review something that has a longer lifecycle like the JDSLabs or
      the PA2V2.

  • Reply June 17, 2011

    Vj Panaguiton

    Which one is better to pair up with my W4? The E11 or the PA2V2?

    • Reply June 17, 2011

      Anonymous

      Mmm… I think the E11 is better function wise as it has a low gain
      selector where the PA2V2 doesn’t. It also should help to add bass to the
      W4’s fairly anemic bass. But if you can swing the budget, the Pico Slim
      is awesome with the W4.

      • Reply June 25, 2011

        Vj Panaguiton

        oh wow thanks! I might try the Fiio e11. If I don’t feel satisfied I might just get the pico slim.

        • Reply June 28, 2011

          Anonymous

          Or get another IEM 😉

  • Reply June 17, 2011

    aked90

    Hello could you recommend a good ipod lod to match fiio e11. Spending up to 30 euros.

  • Reply June 18, 2011

    aked90

    Hello fiio between e11 and the A10 which soundmagic advise me?

    • Reply June 20, 2011

      Anonymous

      What headphones, what music?

      • Reply June 21, 2011

        Danardono Anjar

        what if bright headphone, and usual music is Rock and RnB ??

        • Reply June 21, 2011

          Anonymous

          Go with the E11.

          When the sub $100 amp shootout is published you can read why I said that. 🙂
           

          • Reply June 22, 2011

            aked90

            To rap and hip hop do you recommend? I took the fiio e11 I have done well?

            • Reply June 23, 2011

              Anonymous

              Yes. e11 is good for rap and hip hop

  • Reply June 23, 2011

    aked90

    Could you suggest an alternative to a battery e11 fiio more powerful?

  • Reply June 25, 2011

    Jessica

    How about digizoid’s zo vs e11 for classical and pop music?

    • Reply June 28, 2011

      Anonymous

      Sorry Jessica, haven’t compared the two yet.

  • Reply July 5, 2011

    aked90

    What are the differences between high power and lower power?

  • Reply July 27, 2011

    Coolsax78

    do you think this would drive a HD650 fairly decently?  i’m looking to get some HD 650’s but want a cheap amp to power them with until Schiit has more asgards in stock.. would this work well or should I really step it up to the E9

  • Reply October 5, 2011

    Anonymous

    You say the T3D has a fuller midrange but then you say it has a recessed vocal presentation. How can it be both?

    • Reply October 5, 2011

      Anonymous

      I know that sounds weird, and yet, that’s precisely why the T3D sounded so weird.
      I don’t think I know of any other amps that have a full mids and a yet recessed vocal.
      But if you want me to brake it down further, I think the vocal is somewhere in the upper mids where the fuller mids region is more on the mid-midrange and the low-midrange.

  • Reply November 27, 2011

    JT_ANDYOUDONTSTAAAAP

    shame that their build quality is as shite as it gets, had two of those bad boys and both suffered from buzzing/hissing on eq setting 1 and 2

    • Reply November 27, 2011

      Lieven V

      Weird. never had any problems with Fiio gear.

    • Reply November 28, 2011

      Mike

      That’s too bad. Try get an exchange?

  • Reply December 7, 2011

    Kiwidave

    Hi, came across your site only on Monday — but boy, what a resource. So much information  – am going into overload now re selecting an appropriate set of Sennheiser’s.

    Anyway – I have just purchased a Fiio E11 an am impressed big the with it’s performance. So far have tried it with my Nuforce uDac 2 –> rca to 3.5 mm / Macbook Pro using Audirvana Plus and 24 / 96kHz files — the E11 improves the sound majorily. (Am driving into my iPhone Bose  MIE2i’s — looking g for replacements as these are “worn out”).

    Have also being trying it out with a gen 2 iPod shuffle 🙂 — no contest re sound. Will be using it with my iPhone 4 once I can find a LOD that fits with my case.

    This is the second Fiio product I own, I also have a Fiio D3 dAC am using with an Apple TV2 to drive into some B&W MM-1s. Also impressed by it’s performance — and it’s price.
     

    • Reply December 7, 2011

      Mike

      Good to hear you’re enjoying the site and the E11!

  • Reply January 21, 2012

    Tavs

    Hi Mike,

    I consider buying a Beyer DT 880 (600 ohms version). Do you think E11 can get enough “power” to feed it?
    If not will it be better with the 250 ohm version?
    (source will be a macbook or cowon j3 according to your advice)

    • Reply January 21, 2012

      Mike

      I didn’t try it specifically with a 600 ohms Beyer, but since it was able to power the heavier HE-500 headphone (much heavier than a 600 ohm beyer), I think it should be good for the DT880. 

      What I’m worried about is the refinement of the amplifier. It may not be refined enough for the DT880.

      • Reply January 21, 2012

        Tavs

        Thanks. I may give a try. I will upgrade then for sure (if not satisfying).
        Once again thanks.

        • Reply January 21, 2012

          Tavs

          In fact my question comes from your article about E10 where you wrote: “The 600 Ohms Beyerdynamic T1 sounded good at level 5 on the volume control”. As amplification part on E11 is better than on E10 it lead me to my 1st question.
          Do you think it is a “non working” thought?

          • Reply January 21, 2012

            Mike

            In that case I did try it with the T1. 

            Been doing so many reviews it’s hard for me to remember which amp/cans I use during the review. Sorry

  • Reply January 31, 2012

    Nicolai Schill

    Hi Mike,

    first of all congratulations for your fantastic website! I really appreciate it. Now my question:

    I own an ipod classic 160 GB and Klipsch Image x1 (or Image S2) IEMs and think of buying a Fiio E11. Does this make sense with such “cheap” IEMs (but for my ears very good sounding)? Would the sound be better or just louder?

    Many thanks in advance and many greetings from Germany

    nicpizza

    • Reply February 2, 2012

      Mike

      Hi Nic, 
      I think the amplifier wouldn’t be necessary. The IEMs are extremely easy to drive, even an iPod would do fine.

      • Reply February 2, 2012

        Nicolai Schill

        Hi Mike,

        thanks for your response.

  • Reply February 4, 2012

    Janitra Ezra Putra

    Hi Mike!

    I would like to ask about your opinion if I pair this one up with my MS1i.
    Do you have any experience with that?

    Thank you.

    • Reply February 4, 2012

      Mike

      Janitra,
      I haven’t tried that, but I think the pairing should be good.

  • Reply February 24, 2012

    asvestion gipson

    Hello ,recently bought a pair of Audio-Technica
    ATH-M50 for home music production but i am also using them as main
    headphones for my desktop.
    I never owned before a good pair of headphones so i never used
    headphones amplifiers before thus i am not really aware how much
    improvement would have and what amp will be good for my case. Does the E11 is good enough for my ath-m50 or do you have anything better to suggest at near the same price?
    Also am not sure if it’s important but i would like to mention that since i
    am using them as monitoring headphones i wouldn’t want the amp to colorizing my headphones, my first priority is a close to natural
    sounding.

    • Reply February 24, 2012

      Mike

      Hi,
      So you’re plugging the M-50 directly to your mixer? Usually that works fine enough and yes that’ll give you a more direct signal path hence less coloration.

      • Reply February 24, 2012

        asvestion gipson

         no unfortunately, i am using them direct from my on-board sound-card

        • Reply February 24, 2012

          Mike

          Alright. I think if you’re getting a good sound out of it, I wouldn’t bother adding the E11.
          The thing is these portable amps are primarily designed for music listening. So they would color the sound a little bit. What you want is a transparent headphone amp and that usually costs a lot of money. $1K+

          • Reply February 24, 2012

            asvestion gipson

             Thanks alot for the response Mike, Do you think it would be better if i bought a portable audio interface? do you have any suggestions?

            • Reply February 25, 2012

              Mike

              A friend I know uses a Focusrite box for his recording stuff, and it was quite a transparent system:
              http://www.focusrite.com/products/

              The one he uses is no longer listed there though, perhaps an old product.

          • Reply February 25, 2012

            asvestion gipson

            well, thanks alot for the the help..

            The FocusRite Saffire PRO 14 seems like it is a real value for money as I’ve seen from reviews

            • Reply February 25, 2012

              Mike

              Awesome. Sorry couldn’t give you much help.

  • Reply February 25, 2012

    Romain Martin

    Hi,

    First, thank you very much for all your work and reviews !I am new in the world of IEM, head amp…etc. I used to have entry level head like the Klipsch S4i.I really want to invest in a very good quality system when I travel and move. I want to use my Iphone 4 with Spotify (160 to 320kb mp3’s). I listen mostly electronic music (not hard one) and rock (Stones…etc).At the moment and according to many tests and reviews, I am planning to invest on Earsonics SM1/SM2 with a Fiio E11 (Iphone dock connected with the Fiio L9 cable).What do you think about this setup ? Do you have any suggestion or better ones for in-ear or amp with an Iphone with a correct budget ?Thanks in advance,

    Regards,

    Martin

    • Reply February 25, 2012

      Mike

      Hi Romain, 
      That sounds like a good set up. I’m not too familiar with the SM1/SM2. I’ve only listened to the SM3. You have to remember that each IEMs have a different sound signature and you need to find out what’s best for your type of music. 

      What type of electronic music, specifically?

      • Reply February 27, 2012

        Romain Martin

        Thanks for your reply Mike !

        I listen to middle range RPM electronic music with deep bass and distorsion like Digitalism, Pantha du Prince, Justice…
        It is just a question of money actually and I read that SM3 could be a bad choice if the player is not a perfect one (like the Cowon J3). Many people told that Iphone was not that good but I can’t change it right now, all my music is HD streamed (Spotify….).

        That is why I chose SM1 or SM2 !

        Regards 

        • Reply February 27, 2012

          Mike

          I have no experience with the SM1 or the SM2 but generally the bass will be stronger on the three drivers model so I think you should go for the SM3, or the UM3X. Personally I think the bass on the UM3X is better than the SM3 for those electronic music.
          I would disregard the comments about needing a perfect player for the SM3.

  • Reply April 7, 2012

    internetshortage internetshort

    Hey Mike,

    Would there be a noticeable deference if I pair my E11 which aim about to buy with my Sennheiser HD 448 ? 

    Because it is not a really powerful headphone compared to other headphones.  

    • Reply April 7, 2012

      Mike

      Maybe just a little difference? I’m not sure the HD448 is very easy to drive.

      • Reply April 7, 2012

        internetshortage internetshort

        Well it is. It has very little impedance. It is optimized for iPod. 32 ohms :/ 

  • Reply April 9, 2012

    Mike

    Yes I’ve used the HD448 before. As I’ve said, maybe just a little difference.

  • Reply April 11, 2012

    ebm_electro_industrial_lover

    I’m planning on getting the e11 to use as a bass booster more than as an amp as my headphones are quite easy to drive (Koss portapro , yeah I know kinda cheap and not that much “audiophile” but , I love them…).
    The thing is that my Ipod Classic , whereas it gad a good storage capacity is really anemic and sick-ey sounding and the EQ’s on it are quite crappy.
    Do you think it’s a good idea for me to buy the e11 just to use it as a bass booster ?
    Or is their any device on the market that are specificaly designed to serve as a bass booster/EQ ?
    Thanks , best regards for France.

    • Reply April 11, 2012

      Mike

      Try the Digizoid Zo. It’s not a pure bass booster like what you ask, but it’ll give you more flexibility.
      http://www.headfonia.com/the-smartvektor-digizoid-zo/

      • Reply April 11, 2012

        ebm_electro_industrial_lover

        Many thanks to you Mike , the Zo looks really interesting from your review , it might really be something I could like.
        Now , I juste have to find a seller who stocks it here in France …
        Do you know if the Zo is even available to the europeen market ?

  • Reply May 29, 2012

    Ceyer Solomon Waki

    Hey Mike,
    I’m coming from the Digizoid Z02, would this be a good step up in terms of sound stage, cleanliness, and clarity. Also, does this have any background dampening effect? I’m looking to pair this with the M50, HD25, Miles Davis tribute, Se215, and maybe soon the upcoming m-100.

    BTW, a non-secular question, do you have anything planned for the M-100?

    • Reply May 29, 2012

      Mike

      If you really want to improve the soundstage, try the JDSLabs Cmoy instead of the E11. The E11 is more powerful but the JDSLabs Cmoy has a better soundstage and clarity. The Zo actually sounds cleaner than both of them (if you use the word clean the same way I do).
      What is background dampening? Sorry I’ve never heard that before.

      The M-100 we’re still not sure.

  • Reply June 13, 2012

    Jorelle Marquez

    Sir, what can you say about matching this E11 with my Shure SRH550dj?
    What headphone amp do you suggest I use? I only have around 50-80 dollar
    budget. Thanks!

  • Reply June 14, 2012

    Ernest Ramos

    Hi Mike,

    Good review! I only recently learned of portable headphone amps and it got me interested. Do you think this would pair well with my Shure SE425 driven by an iPod or an Android phone? I’m looking to boost some of the bass and treble a bit and hopefully improve clarity and soundstage. The earphones are great but on this device they sound a bit muffled and I’m wondering if an amp would be the answer.

    Thanks for your input!

  • Reply June 19, 2012

    DoorlessPlastic Di

    would e11 enough to “drive” akg k702??I just want to know it have enough volume for gaming or not serious music listener??
    sorry if i have bad english : D

    • Reply June 20, 2012

      Mike

      I’ve never tried it with the K701/2, however the E11 was able to drive the Hifiman HE-500 which is a much, much harder headphone to drive.

  • Reply June 24, 2012

    Copper David

    Hi Mike, I just discovered your website few days ago. It is great and infromative. I have a question about headphone amplifier. Crrently I have Apple iPod Classic and I listen with a genuine Beats Pro headphone. Will E11 improve my listening experience ? Or you have better suggestion?

  • Reply July 6, 2012

    Benjy

    Hi Mike,
    This is a great review and I was wondering if you would suggest that the E11 is much better than the E6 for my system- running a Cowon c2 through Shure 440s, which I got as I felt they were the most versatile (in my budget) and I only want one pair of ‘phones. I would like a little more warmth and power for rock music and a slightly livelier sound when listening to recordings from the 20s. It’s a £30 difference here in the UK.

  • Reply December 7, 2012

    Light Lotus Lettuce Li

    hello. i would like to ask if the e11 is compatible with Sony MDR-XB700 headphones. i usually listen to linkin park and the script. can fiio e11 give me better output (sound quality) to my sony headphones?

  • Reply January 7, 2013

    Allan Daluz

    hi mike can i hook these amp to my ipod shuffle?

    • Reply January 10, 2013

      Mike

      Yes definitely

      Sent from my mobile device. Sorry for any mistype.

  • Reply January 10, 2013

    Paul

    How’s the sound of the HD 25-1hooked up to fiio e11? Can that amp make the HD 25 fuller sounding?

    • Reply January 10, 2013

      Mike

      Paul it should add some bottom end and low midrange body.

      Sent from my mobile device. Sorry for any mistype.

      • Reply January 10, 2013

        Paul Ignacius Labsan

        Ah thanks for the reply! Got another question though, will it tame the highs quite well? I’m having problem with its highs, it kinda piercing my ears ’til it bleed (just an exaggeration)..thanks in advance!

        • Reply January 10, 2013

          Mike

          Yes it happens to tame the highs as well

          Sent from my mobile device. Sorry for any mistype.

          • Reply January 11, 2013

            Paul

            Thanks a lot!

  • Reply January 25, 2013

    Tylan Cariño

    is this good for ath-m50? to boost the bass?

  • Reply April 19, 2013

    Vincent

    Hi mike, I have been reading your reviews for a while, I think they are very good.

    I bought a pair of k242 hd and I am trying to understand if I need an amp.
    My main source is my laptop. I borrowed an e7 for a couple of weeks and surprisingly I could not ear any differences between the following configurations:
    -headphone out from the laptop
    -laptop usb > e7
    Is it possible that my laptop is so good? Am I already getting the best out of my cans with the laptop?
    Would I benefit from the e1 or e17?
    Thanks

    • Reply April 19, 2013

      dalethorn

      The E17 will not improve the laptop sound much. But a good mini-DAC like the Microstreamer or Audioengine D1 will be much better.

      • Reply April 19, 2013

        Vincent

        That’s a different price range though

        Would you use no amp at all with the microstreamer?

        • Reply April 19, 2013

          Dave Ulrich

          No. The microstreamer has a build in amp. Although, to be honest with you, I preferred the e10 to the D1

          • Reply April 23, 2013

            Vincent

            All the suggested device are more expensive than the e17. Some even 3x. But not within my budget.
            I recently read some reviews on the HUD-mini do you think is powerful enough for my headphones?

            • Reply April 24, 2013

              Mike

              The Fiios are actually more powerful than the HUD-mini

        • Reply April 19, 2013

          dalethorn

          Same answer on amp as Dave, although I found the E17 to be clearly inferior sonically to the Headstreamer, the Audioengine D1, the Dragonfly, and the Microstreamer, all of which sounded similar to each other.

    • Reply April 19, 2013

      icecoffemix

      Have you tried using E7 exclusively for some days then switch back to your laptop?

    • Reply April 20, 2013

      Mike

      Hi Vincent,
      I can’t say what exactly happened with the laptop and E7 comparison. Maybe the laptop is great yes.

  • Reply April 20, 2013

    George Lai

    Hi, what is the purpose of the low/high current switch under the battery? And how does this work with the low/high gain switch on the outside? Thanks.

    • Reply April 20, 2013

      Mark Ferrosa

      You get a smoother sound with better mids on (internal switch) high set. Mike wrote about it.

      • Reply April 20, 2013

        George Lai

        Thanks Mark. I missed that. Cheers

  • Reply December 1, 2013

    Gabriel

    How would you compare the bass boost on the E11 to the JDSLabs cMoy (granted the E11 is a two step boost)?

    • Reply December 2, 2013

      Mike

      They are roughly the same.

  • Reply February 4, 2014

    tuan

    Hello!
    Can you help me? plssss
    E07K vs E11
    Who win in bass questions? Who have more treble soft?
    TY!!!!

    • Reply February 4, 2014

      dalethorn

      Would you rather have one bass switch, or fully adjustable controls? How about a volume knob versus digital buttons? Anyway, the E07k is much newer and probably better quality. I use my E07k every day. And it’s also a USB DAC.

  • Reply May 7, 2014

    Stephen Lumsden

    Hi

    I am looking at the E11 to go with my AKG 420 and iphone and may be Nexus 7 as the sound is not too high when listening to classical on the train (I listen to spotify and Itunes and intend on listening to apple lossless files also for classical). I intend on getting some Philips L1 or M1s as I can get a good deal on these, most likely the L1s. I also have AKG 530s for home use listening to my Arcam Solo. Is the E12 worth the extra money over the E11? Also I have gigaworks T40s on my PC and am thinking of getting an E07K/E09K combo to improve sound until I upgrade to some better speakers for listening to classical on lossless files, but may be I am thinking just to save some money, buy the L1s and E11 and upgrade my PC DAC speaker setup later on.

    Decisions, decisions, any advise would be appreciated.

  • Reply July 14, 2014

    Pedro Oliveira

    Wich would be a better match for the following headphones….

    Hd25, amperior, momentum over ear, hd598 and dt770 32ohm…

    Mostly for rock, pop and edm…

    The fiio e11 or the fiio e07… ?

    Cheers…

    • Reply July 14, 2014

      L.

      Of these 2 the E11 but I would wait for the E11K, it’ll be released in a couple of weeks

      • Reply July 15, 2014

        Pedro Oliveira

        Thank L…. The thing is…. I can get the fiio e11 and e07 for 25 euros each…. 😀
        Good deal right? The e11k must be much more expensive also no?

        The hd25 gets more fun with the e11? The bass gets much fuller? How about the soundstage? Hoew does the e11 would work on the 32 dt770? That way the 32 ohm dt770 would be fun enough to play some edm or the bass is still too light?

        • Reply July 15, 2014

          L.

          The E11 isn’t the greatest of amps, it’s mostly body and volume. You won’t get increased sound stage or level detail. It would work fine to give the DT770 even more body and bass

        • Reply July 15, 2014

          dalethorn

          Personally, in spite of the cost, I’d suggest the E12. The DT770-32 can benefit from the extra power and headroom.

  • Reply August 2, 2014

    Tim Schutte

    I use this with my WS99 and man this is sheer fun my god d^_^b And a good headphone gives proper soundstage and detail in my eyes…..so with the E11 it becomes a real bass monster!!!

  • Reply November 12, 2014

    Fletch

    For getting the best out of an iPad or iPod touch, do you need a Camera Connection Kit? eg, how does it attach to an iPod?

    • Reply November 12, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      That depends on the device you will be using.

    • Reply November 12, 2014

      dalethorn

      The CCK may work with iPad only, or sometimes the latest iPhones, and only with some DACs – not all DACs. You have to investigate each DAC and its requirements to check compatibility. What I found to be important is, once you start adding more and more components and cables, you lose the extra sound quality the DAC provides. The HRT iStreamer was a perfect example.

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