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Review of FiiO E18 portable USB (OTG) DAC and Headphone Amp w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of FiiO Portable USB (OTG) DAC and Headphone Amp for Android Phones. http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000049935442&MenuID=105026002
Getting my Galaxy Note 2 almost a year ago played a significant role in how I changed my home entertainment system. It became my go-to music player, my preferred movie player, my game console, and just in general my pocket entertainment system. Delivery of sound is the key element of such system, and that's how my journey begin to find decent headphones. I'm still on that journey and have found a lot of great choices in different price categories. But this journey took a slightly different direction when I started to visit audiophile communities to learn more about proper setup to achieve a great sound. One thing I found mentioned over and over again - to complete the equation of sound perfection you need audio source + quality DAC / headphone amplifier + headphones. Considering I wanted to stick with my Note 2 as audio source and already have a selection of preferred IEM, at first I got a little discouraged looking at different DAC and headphone amp bricks because I didn't want to loose my portability. But at the end I found the best solution with the most flexible setup - FiiO E18. As someone who hasn't been previously exposed to the audiophile world, I couldn't even believe my eyes that something like this even existed. That is why I'm very excited to share with you my Note 2 best new companion - E18.
I always start with a packaging of the product since it sets the tone before the review. The product was packaged in a very sturdy hard carton box with a modest design. It's actually very environmentally conscious without any unnecessary plastic. But once you open it up and start taking E18 out along with all the accessories, it becomes almost like a magic trick how much they packed inside of this little box. In my pictures below the only extra thing was a second set of usb/micro-usb cable included inside of packing envelope while the product box only had one of these cables. E18 itself was inside of a form fitting soft storage pouch, intended for DAC/amp only, no extra room for cables. Once you take E18 you can't help but notice how light weight it is. With dimensions of only 130mm x 66.2mm and thickness of 14.6mm and a weight of 162g, it's super compact and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. The brushed metal finish of the case takes it to the next level of quality and appeal. Every element, every port, and every control on E18 screams high quality. All 3.5mm ports are gold plated and precisely aligned with the edge of the enclosure. Micro-usb ports are also aligned and slightly recessed so that mating cable doesn't stick out too much. Gain, Bass, and DAC/CHG switches have a precise click action, and Playback (next, prev, play/pause) Controls have a nice tactile response. Speaking of playback controls, the left/right arrows actually point to next/prev instead of typical prev/next like everywhere else, but you get used to it really quickly especially since play/pause button is not in the middle. Of course, the big star of the controls is Volume analog knob, ALPS potentiometer with a symmetrical placement for easy access and very precise smooth rotation movement. The volume knob also works as power on switch when you turn it from "0" position where you get red led power indicator. The feel of turning analog knob to control your volume is priceless, puts you in full control, and makes you feel like you are dealing with a real audiophile equipment.
In addition, you also get a large selection of high quality accessories. You get usb/micro-usb charging cable which can also be used to connect to your laptop/computer, a short right angle 3.5mm male to male adapter for headphone amp connection between smartphone headphone jack and E18 line in, you get a very rare pair of micro-usb to micro-usb OTG cables to connect DAC to your smartphone/host for external audio processing, you also get 3.5mm to S/PDIF adapter for coaxial output to give you an option of outboard connection, you get 2 sets of rubber bands in standard and large sizes to attach E18 to your smartphone or music player, you get a set of stick-on rubber feet if you choose to attach it to a device like a smartphone without a case and want to prevent scratching, you get a very nice Quick Guide with explanation of every port and control, and a warranty card with step by step explanation how to check authenticity of your product.
As you have seen from description of accessories, this little portable device is a swiss army knife of multiple functionality. First of all, it has it's own built in battery with 3500 mAh capacity to power up internal components AND also to work as external battery charger. Believe it or not but you can actually juice up your smartphone or wireless headphones/speakers/accessories using E18. With a battery full charged, confirmed by 3 leds indicators corresponding to low/medium/high capacity, you get 25hr of continuous AMP use or 12hr of continuous USB DAC use. Keep in mind, when used as USB DAC through OTG cable where your smartphone becomes a Host - E18 will not drain your phones battery because it uses it's own built in power supply. This USB DAC functionality is the most useful and sound rewarding in my opinion. Also, in that configuration you no longer need to rely on transport control of your audio player and instead can use remote Playback controls on E18 to play/pause and skip next/prev. Of course, your smartphone need to support USB OTG. If it doesn't, no worries since you can use E18 as headphone amp by connecting 3.5mm output from headphone jack of your smart device or tablet to E18 input and plugging your headphones of choice to headphone output of E18. And if you want more, just connect E18 to your laptop as an external USB sound card where in addition to higher quality sound output you can use the same remote Playback buttons to control your Windows Media player.
It's great to know how well E18 operates in different modes and it's compatibility with smart devices through OTG USB, but without rewarding sound performance all this will be negligible. I'm not going to pretend to be an experienced audiophile, and for a more detailed analysis of this USB DAC/AMP I would suggest taking a look at this review on head-fi by one of their highly reputable reviewers: http://www.head-fi.org/t/685414/preview-fiio-e18-kunlun-surprise-surprise . But I still would like to add my impression from a perspective of audiophile in training. For my test I used Logitech UE900 and Etymotic HF2 headphones, and did a number of a/b comparison using both through headphone amp only path and USB DAC path. Using 3.5mm audio jumper between my Note 2 headphone output and E18 input with headphones connected to E18, I found the sound to be relative transparent to my ears, exactly what headphone amp supposed to do - to amplify the sound without coloring with distortion or it's own built in EQ. USB DAC config is my main use for this device. Note 2 recognized E18 as peripheral device attached to a host without any problems. I also found that while playing music both Note 2 headphone output and E18 headphone outputs were active which helped with a/b comparison. Basically Note 2 recognized E18 being connected to the phone so sound wasn't playing through speaker of my smartphone. Even with a Gain set to low and Bass boost turned off, you can hear right away a significant difference in sound delivery where everything sounded tighter, with more headroom and improved dynamics especially as you raise the volume, and the sound itself felt a bit smoother and warmer. Gain switch added a significant boost in volume (supposed to be a little over 6dB) and Bass boost was a pure delight especially with UE900 which have a more balanced sound. That Bass boost added a nice warm low frequency punch and made sound more "fun". I was very pleasantly surprised how clean that boost was applied, not like a low frequency shelf EQ boost but rather a precisely tuned parametric EQ boost of sub bass frequencies. Btw for my test I was using stock Android audio player since my favorite Neutron MP turned out to have some incompatibility issue with E18 processing (added distortion and roll off of high frequencies). UPDATE: seems after the latest v1.7.53 update of Neutron everything works great and developer (Neutron) mentioned it could have been due to my own setting of auto-gain which needed a reset.
Overall, I know this is the first time I used USB DAC/AMP but in my opinion FiiO E18 set a VERY HIGH bar for any future comparison. I think the combination of portable size, the build quality with all the precision controls, the enhanced sound quality and well executed Bass boost, and other bonuses such as playback control and external battery functionality - ALL make this portable device as a must have item for anybody who appreciates the high-fidelity sound and wants to enhance their listening experience with a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop/PC. Since I received this E18 model as a review unit, I've been told that price will be set closer to $160, and we will find out very soon once it gets listed on amazon. In my opinion - this is one fantastic value!!!
Here are the pictures in order of unboxing, walkthrough, and setup and use with my Note 2.
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Excellent review. It actually makes me reconsider using a smartphone for music.
What happens when you get a call while playing music?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

jRi0T68 said:
Excellent review. It actually makes me reconsider using a smartphone for music.
What happens when you get a call while playing music?
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
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I just posted the same reply in head-fi, once you listening to music and receive a call, music will pause and then resume playing when call is done. But if your headphones have in-line remote/mic you will not be able to use since you are not connected directly to headphone jack which is expected.
Also, I'm checking to see if the latest update of Neutron (last night they released v1.7.53) fixed the compatibility issue.

I'd like to see them figure out how to pass the audio for the Mic through the DAC someday. It's a natural evolution of the technology that would greatly increase the usefulness. Of course, it would mean serious hardware development.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

jRi0T68 said:
I'd like to see them figure out how to pass the audio for the Mic through the DAC someday. It's a natural evolution of the technology that would greatly increase the usefulness. Of course, it would mean serious hardware development.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's probably has to do something with the usb-audio standard limitation at the current moment. Though playback controls from E18 work fine on smartphone, I wonder if audio path is one way only (toward the headphone output) versus mic audio input going back to the smartphone?

Just got an update from FiiO. For those in US interested to buy E18 it will be available on Amazon very soon. 200 pieces has been shipped to a distributor (TekFX, Micca Store) and will be on sale for $159.99. I will post Amazon link as soon as I have it.

Awesome review. I'm sold on this device. been toying with picking one up, but now I'm convinced. I'll be using on my Note 3.

vectron said:
Just got an update from FiiO. For those in US interested to buy E18 it will be available on Amazon very soon. 200 pieces has been shipped to a distributor (TekFX, Micca Store) and will be on sale for $159.99. I will post Amazon link as soon as I have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will get one for my GN3 too, i hope International shipping will be possible ...
Edit : We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order. Grrrrrrrrrrr .....

kryz70fr said:
Will get one for my GN3 too, i hope International shipping will be possible ...
Edit : We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order. Grrrrrrrrrrr .....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you contact FiiO guys directly?

vectron said:
Can you contact FiiO guys directly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i contacted micca store ...
shop in France said not before december ... and the price is bigger

Just ordered mine this morning. Can't wait.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

Excellent review, I had a FiiO portable amp but it was tiny and quite a pain to keep track of. I like how this one can charge your phone, I may actually pick one up because I'm in need of a portable charger and it'd be awesome if it seconded as an amp. I love the earphones you were using, they look awesome

Stay tuned for an additional review. I found an awesome grip setup to attach E18 to your phone without blocking the display. You gonna love it!!!

Please share!! I should have my unit by Wednesday, would love to see what you've come up with
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

I have always wanted one of these but want to make sure it would work with a Galaxy S3 running Cyanogen Mod. Has anyone tried this on a AOSP rom?

Ryphez said:
I have always wanted one of these but want to make sure it would work with a Galaxy S3 running Cyanogen Mod. Has anyone tried this on a AOSP rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't comment on it since I have N2 and all stock, but just as a suggestion since you can order it now from Amazon - as long as they have an acceptable return policy, it makes sense to try it out Plus, you will do a favor to a lot of other XDA readers who are probably in the same boat thinking if it's going to work. That is a beauty of amazon, hassle free return if something doesn't work.
Btw, lately I have been using my E18 more with laptop then with my Note 2. The whole idea to play/pause when I'm watching movies or analog knob volume control without touch a laptop adds a lot to the convenience.
I will post review with enhanced grip mount later today.

Arkon Slim Grip Ultra setup with FiiO E18
As much as I was excited about E18 portable usb DAC/amp, there was one thing I wish could have been improved. When you are dealing with a portable external DAC or amp, you need a way to attach it to your audio source. If you have a dedicated mp3/audio player using velcro or rubber band is the most logical option. The same idea could be applied when using with a smartphone, especially in a setup with E18 where it's intended to be connected to your smartphone through USB/otg cable. FiiO included two sets of rubber bands for that purpose, and I have read how others use a velcro tape as an alternative attachment option. Using a velcro tape is secure but it will leave a sticky residue if you decide to remove it. It also takes away from brushed metal look of the case when you use it standalone. Plus, assuming you would not stick the other side of velcro on the back of your phone but rather to some temporary case, it's no longer a universal attachment. On the other hand, using rubber band is a clean solution that should work with any case and without a need for any sticky velcro tape, but you will have parts of your smartphone touchscreen covered with a rubber band. It interferes with touch screen control and obstructs the view of the screen if you choose to use your DAC/amp for a premium sound delivery when watching movies/videos. Not too mention rubber band will not work with a tablet if you use E18 as headphone amp. The solution? The almighty Arkon Slim Grip Ultra mount!!!
First of all, out of every car mount I have reviewed in the past (and I have reviewed them all) Slim Grip Ultra has been my favorite go-to car mount that works with any size smartphone as well as 7"/8" tablets. I have reviewed it in the past here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2174449 and later followed it with Intelligrip version here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=44760662&postcount=41 . What's unique about it is that mount grip can easily be removed from the mounting arm leaving only a slim backplate which is 10mm thin with about 60mm in width and 110mm in length expandable to 160mm in length through a spring-loaded mechanism. In addition it comes with 2 sets of removable support legs of different length with a soft inner rubber padding and ability to extend the backplate with end grips to hold your smartphone or tablet. What is very important, those support legs could be shifted anywhere along the edges to accommodate for different port openings on your smartphone or tablet. Therefore you no longer need to attach E18 to the phone but rather use your rubber bands (smaller size pair worked great) to attach E18 to Arkon Slim Grip Ultra as I have demonstrated in the pictures. Once it's attached, you just insert your smartphone or tablet of choice inside of the grip and you're DONE!!!
Now your display will be open for a full touch control. You no longer need to use any sticky velcro. You can prop up your setup as a kickstand to put it up on the table to watch movies or videos or get access to your audio player without any obstructions. It also enhances the grip of the phone to hold it securely in your hand, and doesn't add too much bulk since Slim Grip Ultra is very lightweight and you only increasing thickness of your overall setup by 10mm. If you choose to you can still attach E18 with a velcro tape to Slim Grip Ultra, but in my opinion it's no longer necessary since you get a very sturdy grip, and can still use it later in the car to mount your smartphone or tablet. You can purchase Slim Grip Ultra for about $20 which is a fantastic value considering how many uses you can get out of it. Furthermore, you can choose Intelligrip version of Slim Grip Ultra which has a replaceable NFC tag. If your phone supports NFC, you can program it to trigger any action when phone is inserted into the E18 piggyback grip.
Here are the pictures:

Nice use the Arkon mount. I have a buddy from high school that used to work for Arkon, and I bought two mounts on his recommendation years ago (before they had the slim grip). Great products.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying

Awesome setup. Thanks for sharing, that's what I'm going to order as well.
What are you using, which app, to play your music? There are so many different ones out there. I use Pandora, but for my mp3's I haven't found the perfect app yet. I've used a couple, but nothing seems to be amazing.
Are you also running Viper? If not, what else are you running?
Side note, my tracking updated today, I should have the unit by Thursday.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

jRi0T68 said:
Nice use the Arkon mount. I have a buddy from high school that used to work for Arkon, and I bought two mounts on his recommendation years ago (before they had the slim grip). Great products.
-No longer accidental, just Jeremy. F.cfb
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I have been using their phone mounts for years, and it's the best quality and great support. Bar none! Btw, the one I used in my setup is "Slim Grip Ultra" which is different from "Slim Grip". The ultra version works with small tablets as well and it covers big phones like my Note 2.

Review of FiiO E11k portable headphone amplifier w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of FiiO E11k portable headphone amplifier. http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000060416193&MenuID=105026001 , available from FiiO's US distributor MICCA Store: http://www.miccastore.com/fiio-kilimanjaro-e11k-portable-headphone-amplifier-p-126.html (as well as on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kilimanjaro-E11K-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00MFMW29I) for $59.99.
If you think the only purpose of headphone amplifier is to make a sound louder, you will be in for a big surprise to discover how much it can shape the sound and contribute to improvements in details, soundstage, etc. It is true that some headphones require more power to drive them, but I would like to focus in my review on the contributing factor of the sound improvement while using amplifier connected to a portable audio source. With E11k being my first portable headphone amplifier, I don't have too many references for comparison, though prior to E11k I have used E18 as an amplifier. Here is my impression of this latest product from FiiO.
Actually, I should start first by mentioning this is an updated version of FiiO popular budget amplifier, E11. One impressive thing about FiiO, beside constantly working on new products, they also revisit their older models to improve the design and to update the components. That's exactly what happened with E11 model where the design was updated from inside out.
Arrived in a small box (as it turned out, my review unit had an older packaging where 2nd batch will be similar to E10k), beside E11k there was also a charging usb cable, a basic 3.5mm audio cable, a pair of silicone bands, 6 pieces of rubber feet, instruction manual, and warranty card. The unit itself is very compact, measuring about 91mm x 56mm x 13.5mm, with a solid aluminum alloy body that feels very smooth in your hand and also relatively lightweight at only 92g. The shape reminds me of a drinking flask due to it's rounded toward the edges surface and volume potentiometer knob between two ramp up pieces at the top. Next to the volume, you have toggle switches for Low/High Gain and Bass boost on/off. The power turns on by turning the dial of the knob past zero where on the opposite side you will find a blue led indicator next to micro-usb charging port. On the same side as micro-usb port, you also have headphone output and aux input (3.5mm ports) located symmetrically on each side of micro-usb port.
I do have to mention it was a bit awkward to see Headphone and Line In ports on the opposite side of the volume knob, and perhaps for some this will affect a connection of audio cables and the logistics of placement to have access to volume control. At the same time, it really doesn't require to use two fingers to turn the volume knob, and I was able to use just my thumb. As a matter of fact, I tried my X5 with HS6 kit (designed for a larger E12 amp) using a single rubber band to hold down E11k, and found it to be working quite well. Also, want to mention that I really like the audio cable from HS6 kit, something you can get separately as L16 short cable from FiiO. Furthermore, I know some will notice a shape of E11k to be not perfectly flat, but next to a flat surface of a DAP (even using X5 without a silicone skin for the purpose of HS6 kit) - it felt sturdy without wobbling. For an extra security, you can use included rubber feet that just stick on to the body of E11k. Personally, I think E11k will make a PERFECT pair up companion for the upcoming X1 DAP.
Don't let the small size of this amplifier fool you since it actually hosts a hefty 1400 mAh battery (non replaceable) which can provide over 16 hours of continuous play. I have been using E11k in a low gain setting for almost two weeks now and have a feeling it can probably stretch pass that limit. And even if you run out of juice, you can continue using amplifier while charging it up. Gain toggle provides a decent boost in volume to assist in driving demanding headphones, and the extra power actually helped to bring up more details even in less power hungry IEMs. I also found Bass boost to be surgically clean, where flipping that toggle provided a more controlled enhancement of sub-bass quantity and some mid-bass punch without spilling into mids and muddying the rest of the spectrum. In contrast, E18 bass boost wasn't as tight, and bleeded a bit into lower mids.
So how good does this amp sounds and how much improvement are you going to get over your built-in amp? There is no simple short answer to this question, and that is a beauty of amplifiers where it will depend on it's pair up with your source. One thing I found for sure: the sound will always improve, but to what degree you can never predict so it was a journey to try different hardware sources as well as using connection to Line Out (LO) or Headphone Out (HO) to find a better combination. Typically, you want to drive your external amp from LO, but it never hurts to experiment. At the current moment my two main DAP sources are X5 and AP100, and for example I found E11k connected to HO pairs up better with AP100 rather than X5. But once I switched to using LO port, I found a combo of X5 + E11k to show more improvement over AP100 + E11k. As a matter of fact, while I prefer AP100 built in amplifier over X5 built in amplifier (by comparison of direct HO connection and while AP100 is in 24b/192k oversampling mode), X5 actually sounds much better with E11k from LO. Also, comparing the sound between X5 with direct headphone connection vs LO with E11k, I found the sound to get wider and deeper (soundstage), overall tighter, brighter with more details while still being smooth, and a significant bass improvement (deeper and punchier). A performance of X5 paired up with E18 as amplifier connected to LO was inferior in sound quality to E11k where E18 colored the sound to be darker, less transparent, and with less details in comparison to E11k.
Overall, I found that amplifier adds another variable to a complicated equation of sound where you already have an array of file formats, different hardware sound sources, and various headphones. There could be numerous combinations and it's a never ending journey. One thing I discovered for sure, if you are serious about sound quality - amplifier is a must have addition to any setup. With E11k being a very portable and a very capable amp, I found it to provide a noticeable improvement to X5 DAP when comparing direct HO connection vs LO w/E11k. It has just a perfect balance of clarity and transparency with a touch of warmth without adding too much color or distortion when paired up with a capable DAP that has Line Out. For use with smartphones or supported tablets, I would still recommend E18 which goes straight from digital domain to internal DAC/amp of E18. For everything else, E11k is an excellent portable amplifier on a budget!
Here are the pictures.
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The smallest and the cheapest mp3/flac audio player - ONN Q6 Review
This is a review of ONN Q6 audio player. http://www.dx.com/p/onn-q6-mini-1-5-screen-mp3-player-w-fm-clip-silver-4gb-172334#.U_d8RmO5Q08
After my recent review of E11k, I'm on a constant mission to find different hardware audio sources to pair up with that headphone amplifier. Though I'm using a higher quality DAPs and smartphone to listen to music, I used to have Sansa Clip+ in the past until it recently broke. It was an OK sounding mp3 player which benefited from pair up with an amp, and when I was looking for a budget replacement I came across a series of ONN audio players including a small Q6 clip-on model for around $21 plus change. That picked my review interest, and here is what I found.
Arrived in a small clear top box, to me it resembled a smartwatch (like Sony LiveView) since all you can see was a framed 1.5" screen. Inside of the box they included a pair of earbuds and usb to mini-usb charging cable. I didn't even bother testing earbuds since I have a very extensive collection of IEMs already. First impression out of the box was how small this player turned out to be. Q6 felt very solid in my hand, with a quality plastic shell and a metal clip in the back. Left side had mini-usb connector, unfortunately not a common micro-usb but the same as Clip+. At the top, it has a power button which also used to turn the screen on when it times out and has functionality of Play/Pause - a very convenient location for a playback control. On the right side, there is 3.5mm headphone jack and 4 small control buttons for volume, menu, and multifunction up/down. The player itself is about 19g in weight and has 250 mAh battery with a playback of 5hr, probably longer at reduced volume with screen off.
Once you turn the power on, you are greeted by a bright 1.5" screen with 128x160 resolution. Unfortunately, the default language setting was Chinese so I had to poke around to get to Setup to change it. Luckily, its really easy to find your way around. The main display menu has large colorful icons that self explanatory. You have selection of Music (supports mp3, flac, wav, ape, wma, and ogg), Movie (it plays avi clips), Record (wav files from internal mic), Play (recorded clips), Radio, Pictures (jpg, bmp, gif), Setup (universal icon for that), Text (txt files), Games (it actually comes with a video game), and File Browser. Language was a 3rd selection down in Setup menu, and once I switched to English, it was very easy to navigate through all sub-menus.
Controls are very intuitive, and as I already mentioned Play/Pause button at the top is very convenient. The main playback display has a nice layout with a play time, scrolling time bar, song name, file format, EQ setting, volume level, and even dynamic EQ bar for the currently playing song. Status bar at the top has playback mode indicating repeat/replay and battery status. With up/down buttons, you can switch between songs or press'n'hold to fast forward. They are also used for volume adjustment. I do have to mention that due to a small size of the player itself, buttons are very small as well. I probably have average size fingers and didn't find any problem operating these. But I can see how some people with sausage fingers might find it a bit small for their liking
When it comes to a sound, I found it to be relatively clear, with a decent extension down to sub-bass and all the way up to upper treble. The sound signature is warm and smooth, not too much coloration or distortion, and surprisingly not muddy or veiled. It actually sounds the same, if not even better than Clip+. It paired up very nicely with external amp, and actually worked well with E11k in high gain - sound became more detailed, crispier, and wider. It also has a built in EQ for sound tuning.
Overall, I was very impressed with it's build and sound quality, considering such a small footprint and budget price. Of course, this is not an audiophile quality DAP, but I don't think you will be able to find anything smaller and with a better sound quality for $21 shipped. Definitely something to consider if you want a portable mp3 players on the go without sacrificing too much of sound quality (relative to it's price range).
Here are the pictures.

Review of LH Labs GeekOut 450 & 100 USB DAC (Android support) with lots of pics!!!

Review of LH Labs GeekOut 450 & 100 USB DAC (Android support) with lots of pics!!!
This is a Review of LH Labs GeekOut 450 and GeekOut 100 portable High-Res usb DACs. http://marketplace.lhlabs.com/collections/portable-audio, available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Out-IEM-100-Headphone/dp/B00NAJ450Y/ and http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Out-450-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00JD0CQ6E/
I thought I was done with my round of portable USB DAC reviews until I got contacted by LH Labs to check out their GeekOut series of portable hi-res DACs. Formed back in 2010 (under Light Harmonics name), LH Labs is well known and highly respected in audiophile world, and I was excited to release my inner-Geek Out-to-play with this new toy! After my recent series of reviews where I looked at half a dozen of different USB DAC models, I came to a conclusion that most of them have a lot of similarities in sound quality, and the biggest difference was mostly in extra features and exterior design details. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t sound exactly the same, but none of them made me go “Wow!” like I experienced it the first time I plugged my headphones into GeekOut 450.
Even so GeekOut was crowdfunded (a very successful campaign), Light Harmonics Lab team is not novice and has a lot of other popular audio products behind their belt. From their famous Da Vinci USB DAC which pushed boundaries of 32bit 384kHz audio resolution to a number of other successful crowdsourcing campaigns with Pulse series DAC/headphone amp and the upcoming GeekWave DAP – they try to appeal to serious audiophile listeners who understand the meaning of high quality audio. The challenge with GeekOut was to encapsulate this high-res performance inside of a small portable USB DAC you can plug into your laptop or desktop and use as an external soundcard on the go. As a result you still have access to a very powerful ESS9018K2M DAC supporting 32b/384kHz sample rate and DSD playback which you can take anywhere with you in a pocket. But the most impressive result – they made this technology portable and affordable to get everyone’s attention, not just hardcore audiophiles. Due to design similarities between different GeekOut flavors, I will go into more details about GO450 and GO100 differences in sound analysis section, while the rest of the review will refer to them as GeekOut (or GO). So, let’s take a closer look at what I have found.
Arrived in a rather small packaging, you know right away you’re dealing with a portable powerhouse while looking at the box suited to fit a pair of sunglasses. It looks like the GO450 packaging had universal intention since there was a picture of GO100, GO450, and GO1000, including corresponding max power specs. GO100 packaging also had GO720 included in the list, quite understandable considering variety of GeekOut versions and logistics to use a common packaging, though each unit comes in a distinctive color where I received GO450 in silver and GO100 in black.
Unboxing GO450/100.
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You are not going to find a large variety of accessories included with this product, only a short usb extension cable and a small storage draw string bag. Since GeekOut plugs directly into usb port of your computer, to prevent interference with other adjacent devices, usb extension cable is very convenient. But after my extensive testing, I actually found it to take an edge off the sound quality making audio a shade darker and a bit narrower in soundstage. I don’t think it’s just a quality of the cable since I also tested and found the same consistent results with GO and DragonTail extension cable. I’m used to dealing with headphone replacement cables for analog audio signal, but when it comes to high res audio and sampling of digital high bit-rate signal, degradation of the digital waveform will have a negative effect on sound quality as well. For the best audio performance results, I would strongly recommend connecting and using GeekOut directly from your computer.
Accessories GO450/100
For a device with an impressive power spec, GeekOut actually has a very small footprint with dimensions of approximately 65mm x 35mm x 12mm (smaller than a deck of cards), and weight of about 35g. The first thing you notice is all aluminum enclosure with aircraft quality T6061 hardening alloy. The build is solid and it looks slick, but the main intent of the aluminum alloy enclosure is for heat dissipation since you can expect its DAC and Class A amplifier to run hot. The rectangular footprint of GO has full size usb connector on one end and dual 3.5mm output on the other end. You can connect headphones to both of these ports and control output volume simultaneously right from your computer. The difference between these ports is one having 0.47 ohm output impedance and the other one with 47 ohm output impedance, mentioned as Line Out in some references though it doesn’t function like a traditional LO set to a fixed max volume. Personally, I had no issues using either of these headphone ports, but expect different output loudness level due to impedance difference. As a matter of fact, for a better volume resolution 47 ohm output works great with higher sensitivity headphones so they don’t get too loud at low volume level.
There are also 7 LEDs on the top of the unit, partitioned in two groups of 4 LEDs (3D, 2x, 4x, 8x) and 3 LEDs (44.1k, 48k, DSD) corresponding to sample rates. Furthermore, there are 2 buttons on the side – a bit loose with not much of tactile response, but still usable. To be honest, I found these LEDs and button control to be a bit confusing, especially reading some old posts from people referencing early firmware functionality where buttons were used for volume control and later where buttons were suppose to change between Time Comprehension Mode (TCM) and Frequency Response Mode (FRM) digital filter modes. There is also mentioning of 3D “Awesomifier” mode which I assume 3D led refers to, though it didn’t lit up for me. The bottom line, 3 LEDs indicating a playback sample rate are straight forward and quite informative. Regarding other 4 LEDs – I wouldn’t even care and just leave it as is. Upon power up the sound is already 3D and sounds “awesomified” to me!
Design details GO450/100
Connection and pair up with a laptop was straight forward, though the first time it’s not a typical plug’n’play and you do need to manually download and install drivers from LH Labs website. The same goes for additional drivers required for Foobar2k setup to play high resolution lossless files. I don’t have too many DSD files in my collection and only use a few with my portable DAPs for testing. Even so I got all the necessary drivers for Foobar2k setup, I still had no luck playing DSD (issue related to my laptop setup), but no issues otherwise with high-res FLACs.
After the initial driver install and setup, GeekOut was recognized instantaneously every time I plugged it in. Also, as expected, unit got rather hot even after a short period of operation. The aluminum case worked great as a heatsink, but you do have to be aware not to touch the case. This also brings me to another very important point regarding usb-cable extension. When GeekOut is plugged into your laptop or computer USB directly, it’s fixed with surface being “air-cooled”. Once you connect it through usb cable, it dangles down and comes in a contact with a surface while being hot. This just reinforces my previous point about trying to use GeekOut connected directly to your computer.
Laptop/PC connection GO450/100
When it comes to Smartphone connection, not too many vendors are willing to list it as a supported feature. It will be challenging to guarantee compatibility of every combination with different hardware setups and OS versions. Another factor to keep in mind, GeekOut USB DAC is very power hungry, drawing close to 0.7A from USB port, and a lot of smartphones won’t be able to support that. With USB OTG connection you bypass internal DAC and go straight with a digital audio over USB. Some less powerful USB DACs support it directly with OTG cable, while others require USB OTG hub with an additional power input to bring in external portable battery. With my Note 4, Verizon pushed Lollipop (Android 5.01) update to my phone the day before I received GeekOut. Even so I was skeptical, I still decided to plug in GeekOut to my phone through a cheap USB OTG adapter, and discovered that IT WORKS!!! There was no need to use any external battery or USB hub, and I was able to play audio from any app. Although I do realize it puts a toll on my phone’s battery while draining it at higher rate, a mere fact that I plugged it into my Note 4 was a miracle to me!!!
Smartphone connection GO450/100
At this point, I covered enough about design and hardware build and pair up with your computer and even smartphone. Plenty of other USB DACs I have reviewed are capable to do this, but NONE can sound as good as GeekOut. Period! It is not a matter of sounding just a little bit better; we are talking about a noticeable difference! I started my sound test with GeekOut 450 since I figured 450mW is plenty of power to cover all of my full size and IEM headphone needs. Turned out it was actually a bit too much power from 0.47 ohm output, so I switched to 47 ohm output which due to higher output impedance has lower output power.
The first thing you notice once you start playing music is soundstage expansion (width/depth) full of airiness and very impressive layering/separation of instruments and vocals with nearly 3D placement. I was impressed with how natural this 3D soundstage felt. I heard some 3D effects in the past and they always felt artificial to my ears, but not in case of GeekOut. A sound was very dynamic, musical, and exciting, with a great extension at both low end and top end of the spectrum. Also, output had quite an impressive black background. Of course, you need a quality pair of headphones to appreciate what GeekOut has to offer, and in my case I'm still rocking a high-res ATH-MSR7 which paired up really well with GO. I didn't even realize MSR7 was capable of such an impressive bass clarity and articulation, with organic full body mids having plenty of revealing details, and extended treble with sparkle of analytical quality without being sibilant or grainy. None of my other audio hardware sources were able to bring out all that in MSR7 before. It was quite an impressive non-fatigue listening experience that was equally engaging from either my ThinkPad laptop or Galaxy Note 4 smartphone.
I know that smartphone support is still "unofficial", but that was the most pleasant surprise to me since in my previous experience with other USB DACs supporting USB OTG the improvement was very marginal. When it comes to my laptop, any "usb stick" sound card will improve the sound. With Galaxy Note 4, Samsung done a pretty good job with a sound quality and in most of my previous reviews I mentioned that improvement was very marginal. Using GeekOut - soundstage improvement really jumped out with my Note 4, and the sound became more dynamic and more exciting. 3D soundstage expansion was especially great since I enjoy watching Netflix on my phone.
All these sound improvements are applicable to GeekOut 100 as well, but GO100 version has another secret weapon under its hood. Beside the obvious reduction in output power down to 100mW (which is still plenty for a lot of headphones), it's actually designed for a more sensitive headphones. So in addition to expanding a dynamic range of volume control where you don't have to blow your ears with volume setting at 5 clicks, you also get a significant background hiss reduction. For example, I'm usually careful with my pair of ATH-IM50 due to higher sensitivity and consequent background hissing. With GO100 I wouldn't say that background hissing was completely gone, but it was noticeable reduced!
I did mention that I found GeekOut sound quality to be better than other USB DACs I reviewed in the past. Of course, such statement is based on a relative comparison, and my own preference, and my specific headphones. YMMV, but without a single doubt in my mind the improvement is definitely there.
FULLA, GO450, GO100, DragonFly, Astrapi, dSp, E10k
I will not go into a detailed comparison of each and every USB DAC, but do want to mention the improvement was consistent with GO sound being more resolving, with a better retrieval of details, being a touch brighter (might not be everyone’s cup of tea if you prefer other DACs like DragonFly or E10k with a warmer/smoother sound sig), definitely more airiness in the sound with a better layering and separation of instruments (FULLA is no slouch in that department, but still can’t reach GO level), and 3D soundstage that stands out above its competition (even Astrapi couldn’t reach the same level of depth). I do have to admit, GO runs hotter than competition and cost more, but improved performance justifies the cost. Also, there are other DACs that integrate with Smartphones (dSp and Astrapi) through USB OTG and will be more appropriate to rubber-band to your phone for a portable use. GO works flawlessly with a smartphone, but I wouldn’t attach it to my phone/case due to overheating. But for a desktop use, turning your Smartphone into a quality DAP capable of playing and streaming high res audio – it works quite well. Just remember to keep your phone battery in check since a drain going to be higher than other “lightweight” USB DACs. Perhaps, usb hub with a separate power input would make sense in this case.
Overall, let me start my Conclusion with: If GeekOut can transform my laptop and smartphone into such high quality audio source - I can’t wait to see and to hear how GeekWave is going to sound!!! Based purely on a sound quality, I found GeekOut to be superior to other USB DACs I’ve tested so far. Also, the flexibility of being able to use it with your laptop/PC/MAC and Smartphone (through USB OTG adapter and with Lollipop update) is priceless. You can pick and choose the exact flavor of GeekOut USB DAC you need based on your power requirements, though in my opinion 450 hits a sweet spot in the middle for most of the full size and IEM headphones designed around “portable use” impedance. If background hissing drives you crazy with your sensitive headphones, GeekOut 100 will be a cure for that headache. Would I say it’s a “must have” product for everybody? Not really, since there are other alternatives that run cooler and have smaller footprint. But if you demand the best sound quality from your portable USB DAC, I can’t think of any other portable USB DAC (relative to what I have tested) that can match its sonic performance.

Oppo HA-2 portable USB OTG headphone DAC/amp with lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of Oppo HA-2 portable headphone amplifier and DAC with USB OTG support. http://www.oppodigital.com/headphone-amplifier-ha-2/
I have been preaching in a number of my portable amplifier reviews that many people get these amps for a wrong reason. Instead of using them with high impedance cans (or earbuds), or driving low sensitivity and less efficient headphones, or applying them to extend battery life of your source (lowering source volume while boosting amp) – people want their portable audio setup to look cool with a small amplifier strapped to the back of a DAP or a smartphone. When it comes to Oppo latest HA-2 portable amp – forget about anything I said, and just look for any excuse to use this slick little audio gadget!!!
In my recently published PM-3 review, I referred to these latest Oppo products as a “dynamic duo” because their synergy is fantastic. But it would be a one-trick-pony to use only for that functionality. When you look at HA-2 spec, you can see it’s not only a portable headphone amplifier, but also a high quality ESS Sabre Reference DAC compatible with PCs and MACs, and USB OTG DAC compatible with Android phones, as well as iOS. Plus, in addition to having a high capacity battery for its own internal power up, it can be used as external battery charger for your smartphone. The list of features and technical spec behind it is very impressive, but just like with PM-3 – design details overshadow everything. Now, before anybody jumps into conclusion that I’m shallow when it comes to audio gear, let me go into a more detailed write-up to describe the brains behind this beauty.
Unlike a formally dressed gift box packaging found with PM-3, here Oppo changed its strategy with an eye popping 3D artwork on the front and the side. You also get bold highlights of all the main features, a very detailed spec, and what appears to be a quick start guide describing every port and every supported connection. The “gift box” is still there, but now it’s wrapped in a packaging sleeve with all this info on the cover. I think the idea of such quick-start guide is really interesting where you don’t have to go digging for manuals and can just look it up fast by flipping over the packaging box.
Once the box is out of the sleeve and the cover it off, you can see a tray with leather wrapped HA-2 and a brushed aluminum top with a volume pot. Underneath of this tray you will find documentation and the wall charger with another flap under documentation to reveal included cables. This particular unboxing experience is nothing short of unpacking a… smartphone! You get a smartphone shaped super-slim HA-2, a wall charger and cables – no surprises here since Oppo is also behind a lineup of popular smartphones.
Unboxing.
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Looking closer into the included accessories you will find a wall charger with a heavy duty premium (low gauge wire) cable, a short LO 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio interconnect for an analog audio input from a source, a digital micro-usb to micro-usb OTG short cable for a direct connection to Android phones, a full size usb to lightning connection for iPhone/iPad, and a pair of rubber bands to strap HA-2 to your source. USB OTG cable is great and very convenient to use without a need for OTG adapters, but I wish they would include one with right angle connectors. Just think about it, usb connection is at the bottom while HO is at the top, so when smartphone/HA-2 stack is in your pocket it will be sitting on the cable/connector. Though right angle usb otg cables are available on eBay (just ordered one now), I wish Oppo would offer a shorter version of their own which I’m sure will be a higher quality. Since I have Apple-free household, I didn’t test lightning cable but aware this one doesn’t require a camera kit.
So how about that wall charger and a stiff usb cable? This is a great example of tech collaboration under Oppo umbrella. VOOC rapid charge technology was already introduced in Oppo smartphones where it’s backward compatible to source a typical 5V @2A power or accelerated charging with 5V @5A in devices that support it. Though the industry standard now is leaning more toward Qualcomm QC2.0 for rapid smartphone charging where output voltage switches to 9V or 12V depending on the device, Oppo is pushing their own standard. VOOC rapid charger cuts down time significantly where HA-2 3000 mAh battery gets charged fully in 90min, but HA-2 is still backward compatible to use with any smartphone 5V/2A charger. To support high current, HA-2 usb cable uses low gauge thicker wire and a custom crafted micro-usb connector. The only negative here is once you get spoiled by its fast charging and if something breaks, you have to buy genuine Oppo replacement, since I wouldn’t trust anything else from ebay. But like I said, it’s not a showstopper because it’s backward compatible with any standard charger.
Accessories.
Moving on to a design, I can’t help but to continue using “smartphone” reference in HA-2 description, undeniably with iPhone inspiration. With dimensions of 68 x 137 x 12 mm and at 175g this is definitely in a territory of slim smartphone footprint. The first thing you notice when looking at HA-2 is the leather-wrapped exterior with a neat white stitching around it. Obviously, the leather material is not stitched to a metal, but it creates a premium effect and a feeling of an expensive gear in your hand. You probably going to call me crazy, but I have mixed feelings about the leather. It looks like a million bucks in standalone application, and you don’t have to worry about your DAP rubbing against HA-2 surface, but it also means that you can’t apply Velcro to the back or to apply re-usable 3M double-sided sticky strips. I love the look of HA-2 wrapped in leather, but a part of me wants to feel an even thinner and lighter all brushed aluminum surface of this amp/DAC.
Leather wrap aside, all the controls occupy the top, the bottom, and one open side of this device. At the top you have a shared Line Out and Audio In 3.5mm port, and Headphone Out 3.5mm port. Everything is clearly labeled and has a letter code next to the port (more about it later). In the corner recessed you will find an analog volume potentiometer with a nice turn resistance preventing from accidental volume bump, while still allowing turning it with a swipe of a thumb. As you twist to turn it on, you are greeted with a soft green led light to indicate the power on and to give you some visual of the level in the dark. This knob is part of a dual volume control where the volume in ESS Sabra DAC gets mapped to a digital volume of your device and you can further adjust it with a pot to give you more control.
On a side you have H/L Gain switch, where High gain is capable of driving 300mW into 16 ohm load, while switching to Low gain will be more appropriate for sensitive IEMs. Between gain setting and dual volume control, you have a lot of flexibility to drive nearly every type of headphones. Before I go any further, I have to talk about one feature which I haven't seen anywhere else. Gain switch has a volume mute/fade-in functionality which is simply BRILLIANT!!! How many times have you switched from low to high gain while forgetting to turn down the volume? Here after the switch you get a short sound mute followed by a fade in effect to slightly delay a full blast of high gain power - just enough to give you a few seconds to react by either turning the volume down or ripping those headphones off your head. Hard to imagine nobody else thought of something like this before.
Above gain control you have Bass boost which affects both sub-bass and miss-bass frequencies. This worked great with EL-8C headphones to warm up their sound, but was a bit overwhelming with PM-3, unless you are a certified basshead. Either way, it’s an option to experiment with different headphones. Even so I’m fully Android vested, I do know these Gain and Bass boost sliding switches have a lot of resemblance with iPhone volume/mute button. Above the switches you have a power check button which triggers 4 green led segments (in 25% increments) to show the battery health. If you press and hold it down, it will trigger to lit up the fifth blue led to start charging externally connected device. Battery life is quite impressive with 12+ hours of use as analog amp and almost 7 hours of use as a digital DAC/amp.
The bottom of the device has full size usb port labeled with “A” (for Apple) where you attach cable with lightning connector tip to pair up with your iOS devices, and micro-usb port with “B” label for USB OTG cable for your Android phone pair up or connection to PC/MAC for use as USB DAC. For the reference, Audio In on the top had “C” label, while Line Out has A/B label indicating DAC output from either your smartphone or computer digital audio sources. All this ties up to A/B/C switch located at the bottom which selects functionality and input/output of HA-2. If you want to connect to Apple device, switch to A and connect corresponding cable to A-port. If you want Android or USB DAC functionality – switch it to B-port. If you want a straight analog in/out amplifier – switch it to C. It takes a few minutes to get used to it, and afterwards it becomes second nature.
I just wish there would be an implementation of transport control buttons to Play/Pause and Skip, similar to A200p or E18.
Design.
Once I got familiar with all the ports, controls, switches, I couldn’t wait to pair it up with my Galaxy Note 4. There is no need for any USB OTG adapter to connect to your smartphone; using the included short micro-usb to micro-usb cable is all that needed to connect HA-2. I assume the cable already has internally shorted (pin 4 to pin 5) connection to enable OTG host interface on your phone. As I mentioned before, my only wish here is to have right angle connectors to avoid arching of the cable and making it more uncomfortable when placing in your pocket. Other than that, everything worked flawlessly and I had a dual volume control to adjust from my phone and from HA-2 volume knob.
While you can drive PM-3 from my Galaxy Note 4, there is not enough power to drive it with authority to bring Oppo planar magnetic headphones sound to their full potential. Paired up with HA-2, I found bass to sound more articulate, tighter, especially mid-bass being faster and punchier. Mids sound improved with more clarity and better retrieval of details, and I also noticed an improvement in treble extension with more airiness in sound. Direct connection of PM-3 to Note 4 is convenient since I don’t need to carry an external DAC/amp, but once you hear how much better PM-3 sounds with HA-2 – there is no going back.
Keep in mind, while paired up with your smartphone, HA-2 should be drawing its power from the internal battery rather than your phone. And if your phone is running low on juice you can use HA-2 to charge it up. Just attach full size USB to port A while selecting A-port switch, and hold'n'press Power check button until blue led light turns on - now you are ready to charge your phone!
Smartphone pair-up/charging.
In addition to pair up with a smartphone, HA-2 can also be used as an external usb audio interface with your laptop/PC/MAC. To get it recognized, you do need to install drivers for your machine by visiting and following directions in: http://oppodigital.com/headphone-amplifier-ha-2/headphone-amplifier-HA-2-Support.aspx - keep in mind, only Windows users need to install the driver, while no driver is required to use with MAC and obviously no additional driver requires for iOS or Android. Once drivers are installed, HA-2 was recognized right away BUT it only worked from USB2.0 port of my ThinkPad T430s w/Win7, USB3.0 port wasn’t recognized. I found this limitation with a few other usb DACs I tested in the past, so just want others to be aware of it.
With a digital input, from either your computer USB port or smartphone micro-usb port, sound is being processed through a mobile version of ESS Sabre 32bit Reference ES9018-K2M DAC. This particular DAC is advanced enough to support PCM sampling frequencies of 44.1 kHz to 384 kHz, with a bit depth of 16/24/32-bits, and also DSD sampling frequencies of 2.8224 MHz (DSD64), 5.6448 MHz (DSD128), 11.2896 MHz (DSD256, native mode only). For some people spec numbers don’t mean much and you just care about end results, but in general a support of all these sampling frequencies up to a high level of lossless format means that a sound is not going to be internally down-sampled, keeping the original bit depth resolution and bandwidth of frequency content.
Paired up with my laptop and tested with PM-3, the sound quality improved significantly in comparison to stock HO and built-in audio chip. I experienced a smooth detailed tight sound with an improved dynamics, and also enjoyed the benefit of external volume control accessible right from HA-2. In comparison, GeekOut 450 offered a deeper bass extension, more mid-bass punch, slightly less details in mids, and less treble extension (noticeable in slightly reduced airiness). I was actually a bit surprised that sound quality of GO450 in comparison to HA-2 was a bit less refined and even a touch more veiled when connected to my laptop. With DragonFly, low end was also a bit elevated, while mids came closer to the level of detail retrieval though a bit darker. Actually, DF pair up with my laptop and PM-3 was not bad at all, just smoother and warmer in comparison to HA-2. Last but not least, pair up with FULLA made mid-bass a little more punchier, mids a little darker and smoother, and a little less detailed. Now keep in mind, all of these USB DACs are among my favorites, and comments above are just to describe a relative difference.
Since I already jumped into sound analysis with my comparison above between different USB DACs and with laptop and smartphone, let me step back and talk more about HA-2 sound quality based on its amplifier section without DAC in the loop (audio input driven from Line Out of my DAPs). The spec of HA-2 is very impressive with 1 Vrms audio-in and line-out, low HO output impedance of only 0.5 ohms, and being able to drive headphones up to 300 ohms. Also, output power (per max high gain setting) scales down from 300 mW @ 16 ohm to 220 mW @ 32 ohm and 30 mW @ 300 ohm which was still enough to drive 470 ohm R70x with authority.
In my testing I was using Cayin N6 as a Line Out source and noticed a common thread with different headphones where HA-2 was making sound smoother without any added coloration, just smooth and transparent with a noticeable improvement of detail retrieval. A soundstage width and depth wasn’t significantly affected, just remained average and similar to a source. Also, I wouldn’t call HA-2 having a perfect 100% black background, and I did hear a little bit of hissing with some of my sensitive IEMs.
In my personal experience it’s usually not easy to describe amplifier sound because it’s a function of headphones sound sig and a source driving it. Instead, it makes sense to describe it in a comparison to other amplifiers using the same source and headphone reference. That’s what I would like to do in my description below using N6 as a source and comparing HO vs pair up with Cayin C5 amp, FiiO E12A amp, and HA-2.
With PM-3:
- N6: has less aggressive bass, a bit smoother, clear/detailed mids, treble is moderately extended (thought with some roll off), not as airy.
- N6/C5: excellent pair up, deep articulate bass, more clarity/details in mids, a little more airiness in treble, soundstage gets more 3D with improved width/depth, and also improvement in separation and imaging.
- N6/E12A: very similar improvement as with C5 (more articulate bass, more clarity and better retrieval of details), but soundstage is not as wide/deep as C5.
- N6/HA-2: bass doesn't get deeper, but becomes tighter and more articulate with a better definition. Mids are more detailed but still remain smooth; treble extension improves and becomes a touch more airy. This is a perfect example of transparent sound improvement without changing the original sound and still showing a step up in detail retrieval.
With EL-8C:
- N6: bright mid-forward revealing sound, tight punchy bass without too much slam, bright detailed mids with a touch of metallic sheen, great crunchy airy treble.
- N6/C5: improved sub-bass extension, more punch in the mid-bass, detailed bright thinner mids, more pronounced mid-forward signature, and improved 3D staging.
- N6/E12A: same improvement as C5 minus soundstage expansion.
- N6/HA-2: bass is still tight and punchy and a little smoother, no longer sensing a metallic sheen in upper mids, definitely adds smoothness without taking away details. A bass boost adds more body to a sound, making it more balanced.
I found HA-2 to pair up very nicely with planar magnetic headphones, but it worked well with some other headphones in my collection.
ATH-R70x - smooth detailed transparent sound, drives these 470 ohm open back cans with an authority and I didn’t even have to switch HA-2 to a high gain.
ATH-MSR7 - tightens up the low end, makes upper mids smoother, sound is still detailed but a touch less harsh, a typical HA-2 improvement in making headphones sound smoother.
A83 - improves bass extension, and smoothes out upper mids without losing retrieval of details.
W60/UMPro50 - tightens the bass and improves retrieval of details in upper mids, while sound remains Westone-smooth.
Conclusion.
When it comes to HA-2, I was serious when I said you will be looking for any excuse to use this portable DAC/amp even on occasions when you don’t need an amp! HA-2 offers a unique combination of a fine crafted design with a high quality build, excellent ergonomics of controls including cleverly placed volume pot, and swiss-army knife functionality to use it as USB DAC connected to your PC/MAC or paired up with your iOS/Android phone or used as an external DAC (with Line Out output) or analog standalone portable amplifier. If that is not enough, you can use it as an external battery to charge your smartphone. And to top it all, it actually sounds very good with a smooth transparent detailed signature and plenty of juice to drive even some of the most demanding headphones. One might argue that often people use external amplifier to color/change a sound, and in that regard I found HA-2 to be on a safe side offering more subtle change. Maybe HA-2 is not the best sounding DAC/amp I ever heard (though definitely in the top), but I can safely say it’s the most versatile and the best looking portable DAC/amp I have tested to date.

Ha-2se + ath-msr7
Hello there, I am considering HA-2SE together with ATH-MSR7. Could you recomend this combo? Is volume knob well sensitive with MSR7? Is there any channel imbalance? Did you heard backgroud hiss together MSR7? I am looking for DAC+AMP for MSR7 featuring USB input and either optical in or line in. Thank you for comments. Tomas

likvido said:
Hello there, I am considering HA-2SE together with ATH-MSR7. Could you recomend this combo? Is volume knob well sensitive with MSR7? Is there any channel imbalance? Did you heard backgroud hiss together MSR7? I am looking for DAC+AMP for MSR7 featuring USB input and either optical in or line in. Thank you for comments. Tomas
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Click to collapse
MSR7 is not sensitive so shouldn't worry about hissing, and HA2 is pretty quiet to begin with, and volume range should be adequate. Honestly, never came across channel imbalance with full size cans, only IEMs if they are improperly tuned. If I hear, or measure, channel imbalance - they go right back to manufacture for retuning cause that's not a normal behavior.

Though HA-2 can drive ATH-R70x quite loud, but the quality will still be better when drive by those amp with enough voltage and power.
I also using this combination for a week, but after tested the sound using HA-2 Amp and Line out to iFi ican micro se, the different make me pull the trigger.

Review of FiiO Q1 headphone amp and DAC (Android) w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of FiiO Q1 portable DAC and headphone amplifier. http://www.fiio.net/en/products/44 available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0157DKAU4/
FiiO never ceases to… surprise me! Some of their upcoming products, like flagship android based X7 dap and Q5 dac/amp, has been well known ahead of the release, while others like Q1 popped out of nowhere. One thing for sure, their product portfolio is constantly expanding and they always compliment their flagship models with entree level budget offerings. And that’s where I figured Q1 going to fit right in, but ended up being pleasantly surprised once I got it in my hands. FiiO is constantly pushing the “budget” envelope, so let’s find out what you can get for under $70 to satisfy your broad audio needs.
Arrived in a flat square box, common with their other portable amps and the size of a few stacked CD jewel cases, you are greeted with a high res glossy image of Q1 flask-top inside of a "vinyl record" circle. If you think E11k resembled a flask shape, Q1 almost looks like one! Out of the box you will find a quality packaging with secure foam lining that does a good job protecting Q1 from every side while also surrounded by a separate box and an envelope with accessories.
Unboxing.
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I guess first surprise was when I got this little guy in my hands. Measuring only 97 mm x 56 mm x 13 mm it was a size of a slim deck of cards, very similar to a footprint of E11k (now renamed to A3) and X3ii (though the dap is a little bit thicker), and it felt very solid yet lightweight at only 100g (which btw includes internal battery). I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with accessories since FiiO usually includes plenty, but they managed to raise my eyebrows this time. Yes, you are getting a detailed manual, a high quality usb to micro-usb charging cable, and a pair of rubber bands to secure Q1 to your DAP or a smartphone. In addition to that they also introduced two new accessories, or at least something I haven't seen with any other FiiO product I reviewed in the past.
First one is a new 3.5mm short audio interconnect, a typical 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to connect to HO or LO of your source, but this one was only 1.5” in length and with right angle connectors. I wasn’t totally shocked about it since I already have JDS Labs short interconnect of a similar length, but the one from FiiO had a better quality. The problem with JDS labs interconnect is a bit flimsy cable while here you have a beefy flexible short noodle cable with a decent strain relief. Now you don’t need to have an extra wire loop sticking out if you choose to use Q1 as your portable amp. I hope FiiO can sell these separately as an accessory; this little cable is really that good.
Next, I found two semi-transparent grippy (not sticky) frosted finish silicone pads with a stamped FiiO logo name. Again, for those who are familiar with E11k slightly convex body surface (and Q1 has the same) or know the "rubbing" pain when stacking up a metal surface of the DAP on top of a metal surface of the Amp – it's uneven and you either need to use stick-on rubber feet or to keep the DAP in a silicone skin for some padding in between. Here, you just slide in one of these little pads and problem is solved. It’s a very simple and effective solution.
Now, on to a “flask” design. With a slightly convex rounded body surface and a volume knob on the top in the middle surrounded by a guard - Q1 closely resembles a small flask. The body of this dac/amp has a solid aluminum shell, very sturdy, no flex, and a great EMI isolation. The top and the bottom looks like a brushed aluminum, but it feels like plastic which I'm pretty sure it is.
Starting from the top, you have 3.5mm HO gold plated port, LED indicator (blue - power on and running off battery, red - charging, green - charging complete, blinking red - low battery, purple - charging with power on when used as usb dac), Volume knob (smooth operation with good resistance and numbered position), and Bass boost switch. You turn the power on by twisting the volume knob from 0 position thus don't have to worry about blowing off your ears because of the volume setting from a previous pair of headphones if you have to deal with a separate power switch. The only problem here, Bass boost switch has on/off label inside of a small switch cavity which is very hard to read.
At the bottom, you have 2 small philips screws at the corners holding assembly together, Charge switch (to allow charging option while connected to laptop), micro-usb port for charging and usb DAC data input, Gain switch for Low/High, Line In/Out 3.5mm gold plated port. When used as a portable amp, this port is Line In, but when used as usb dac - this port becomes Line Out. Unfortunately, Gain and Charge slider switches also have their values stamped inside of the switch cavity which is hard to read. I just wish Bass (on/off), Charge (on/off), and Gain (high/low) had a more clear marking, maybe stamped outside.
Design.
I usually don't spend too much time on Spec numbers, but when you read >30h of playtime from its 1400 mAh battery - that will get your attention right away! 30h is noted as the best case scenario at a "normal" volume level which is valid for both low and high gains!!! I do need to verify and to compare battery life when used as amp vs dac/amp, but so far I only charged Q1 once and still using it for a week. FiiO suggests that when used as USB DAC, you should expect at least 15h of playback which is fantastic, and I will update my review with final measurement numbers after more charge cycles.
The max power rating of Q1 is >190 mW at 32 ohms which is pretty good for a little Amp, but I noticed right away in low gain output was really underpowered. Once FiiO released the official Q1 spec, I quickly realized the reason. Gain AUX In: -7dB/4.5dB, and USB In: -3.5dB/8dB. Basically in low gain when you use Q1 as pure amp (AUX In) or DAC (USB In) it's more appropriate for sensitive IEMs where you want to keep the power low. With most of my IEMs, I found low gain setting to be useless, but once switched to high gain you get a significant improvement!
After hours of listening, I found Q1 to have a neutral-warmish signature with a good transparency, a nice layering/separation, and a smooth organic tonality with a decent retrieval of details. It's not going to blow your socks off, but it was surprisingly good, down to a black background. As a matter of fact, I found Q1 to be more neutral and a touch more detailed in comparison to E11k which sounds a little bit warmer to my ears. Going up to E12A, you will find Q1 amp section slightly inferior where E12A is a little more transparent and more detailed, but Q1 has an obvious advantage of additional DAC functionality. One particular pair up I found to be quite good was with X3ii (from LO) - besides a perfect footprint match, I found an improvement in retrieval of details, like a very faint veil was lifted off, and as a bonus you get to extend X3ii battery life by using an external amp with a built-in power supply.
Paired up with a lot of my headphones, I found the best synergy with those that have bright sound signature since Q1 was able to smooth out harsh peaks and in some cases a bass boost added more body to a sound. In more brief details, I found Q1 to drive everything I threw at it with a convincing authority, especially in high gain. There was an excellent pair up with Audeze EL-8C (adds a nice body with a bass boost) and PM-3 sounds smooth and detailed, MSR7 has no harsh peaks and sounds smooth over the treble range, and even R70x (470 ohm impedance) is driven with plenty of power but I had to push Q1 nearly to the max of volume on high gain, while VE ZEN (300 ohm) had no issues and still had some headroom left. I found no hissing with sensitive CIEMs, like Inearz P650 – yielding a very detailed sound, W60 had an excellent drive (powerful, no hissing, great level of details), and the same with DN2kJ with no hissing, excellent detailed sound which scaled up with more organic body when I switched bass boost on.
Besides being able to use it as a portable headphone amplifier with analog input, Q1 has a DAC to accept digital input for USB DAC functionality. Used as USB DAC connected to my laptop, it functions as an external usb sound card and has a rather impressive sound improvement over my laptop built in HO output. In addition to a sound improvement, I was also able to drive all of my headphones with authority (regardless of their drive type), and I was able to charge Q1 while using it connected to my laptop. Actually charging is optional since you can turn it off with CHG switch, this way there are no discrepancies when using USB OTG cable with your smartphone.
Of course, I saved the Best for last - pair up with a smartphone! As most of you are aware, Android has a very poor support of usb audio interface, and even with Android 5.0 not all the devices are supported. Luckily, there are a few audio apps that implement their own usb audio drivers to allow access to most of the USB DACs, including Q1. One of these applications is USB Audio Player Pro, a paid app ($7.99, with a limited free demo), while the other one is a totally free app with an equal functionality - HibyMusic (highly recommend it!). Of course, the disadvantage is that you can't run your native audio/video streaming apps or some other 3rd party apps that don't support usb audio driver to access Q1, but for a pure audio playback of your lossless audio files HibyMusic is all that you need with Q1.
Pair up with my Note 4 was Epic! Typically, portable amplifiers have an added value of supporting higher impedance inefficient headphones, but you have to deal with a double amping issue of amplifying noisy HO of your smartphone due to lack of Line Out. With USB DAC you are bypassing internal amp and sending a digital stream to process audio externally with Q1 DAC which doesn't drain your phones battery. There are not too many quality self-powered USB DACs under $100, while here you have one for under $70. And a sound improvement was noticeable with a better layering and separation of instruments and vocals, tighter bass, and overall cleaner, more detailed and dynamic presentation.
Pair up with Note 4 (using HibyMusic app and Oppo PM-3 headphones w/Linum cable, and USB OTG micro-usb to micro-usb right angled cable from eBay)
Conclusion.
I started my review with a statement of "FiiO never ceases to surprise me", and Q1 is not an exception in this respect. While there are plenty of portable headphone amplifier, once you start narrowing it down to sub $100 range, not too many choices are left with such a complete multi-functionality that could be used as standalone amp or usb dac with your laptop/PC, and even usb dac with your smartphone. It looks fantastic with a nice build quality and a compact “flask” design, it comes with a set of excellent accessories, it has plenty of power in High gain to drive up to 300 ohm with authority, it has a convincing bass boost that adds body to analytical/bright headphones, and you get up to 30 hours of playback so you can extend battery life of devices you pair it up with. But the discovery of Android compatibility, using specific apps that support usb audio driver, just raised its value to a whole new level. For the reason that you have to use special apps, FiiO doesn't advertise this functionality like it has with E18 and doesn’t even include USB OTG cable, but I confirmed it in my testing and it's a pleasure to use with my Note 4 without draining my phone's battery. For under $70 this one is no-brainer!

Thanks for the review
Any idea on when it's going to be released and do you have a link to the USB otg cable you used
Thanks

Framedtrash said:
Thanks for the review
Any idea on when it's going to be released and do you have a link to the USB otg cable you used
Thanks
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OTG cable (the best!!!), here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/301669713346?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Q1 should be on amazon NOW!!! HERE.

How does this fare as a dac for sensitive c/iems? My ath im02 produces considerable hiss when connected directly to my GS6 and i am looking for a usb dac to fix the problem.
Thanks

ellyphant said:
How does this fare as a dac for sensitive c/iems? My ath im02 produces considerable hiss when connected directly to my GS6 and i am looking for a usb dac to fix the problem.
Thanks
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Click to collapse
This is not a very powerful DAC/amp, geared more toward sensitive and "mobile" impedance IEMs/headphones. Should work good. I know, IM02 is more sensitive, had it before but switched to IM03 because I wanted more impact in low end.

Is the amp really so warm? Is it suitable for classcal music?

pauliusval99 said:
Is the amp really so warm? Is it suitable for classcal music?
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You mean "warm" in terms of a sound signature? Not really, for classical music you do want a more organic warm sound, not a thin analytical sound that has no body to realistically reproduce acoustic instruments. Q1 will be perfect!

vectron said:
You mean "warm" in terms of a sound signature? Not really, for classical music you do want a more organic warm sound, not a thin analytical sound that has no body to realistically reproduce acoustic instruments. Q1 will be perfect!
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Thanks for the answer!
Well, I understand I need some warmth in it... But I have had enough with my Sennheiser IEMs which are quite bass heavy. When I got an AD900x, the "flat" but detailed sound astonished me. It's much better than that "warm" sound with no details (I could hear the overall melody, but not really each instrument...)
I think warmth is OK as long as it doesn't do anything bad with the details. Is that the case with this amp (used in DAC mode)? That crisp detail makes me so happy that I would never say goodbye to it
---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
By the way, I think I just found a better option for the connector part...
http://m.ebay.com/itm/A-Female-to-B...3D311161209734&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460
It takes just a little bit more space, but it's 0.77$ vs 6$

pauliusval99 said:
Thanks for the answer!
Well, I understand I need some warmth in it... But I have had enough with my Sennheiser IEMs which are quite bass heavy. When I got an AD900x, the "flat" but detailed sound astonished me. It's much better than that "warm" sound with no details (I could hear the overall melody, but not really each instrument...)
I think warmth is OK as long as it doesn't do anything bad with the details. Is that the case with this amp (used in DAC mode)? That crisp detail makes me so happy that I would never say goodbye to it
---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
By the way, I think I just found a better option for the connector part...
http://m.ebay.com/itm/A-Female-to-B...3D311161209734&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460
It takes just a little bit more space, but it's 0.77$ vs 6$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want higher quality, there are other options available (check out a massive review list in my signature, which is also a sticky in the forum at the top). Q1 is the best option on a budget. E12A is a good amp, a lot cleaner and more neutral, but doesn't have usb dac functionality. There are other usb dac options. You can even go as high as $600 with a new Chord MoJo
With usb adapters, I have all of them, including the OTG adapter you found. Q1 already comes with otg cable so you don't need a separate adapter and another cable. The example I showed above is another short cable with adapter built-in with right angled connectors so it takes less space. Otherwise, you will have to get the adapter you have in your link (which btw falls off under the weight and cable pressure) and use another cable to connect to usb DAC.

vectron said:
You mean "warm" in terms of a sound signature? Not really, for classical music you do want a more organic warm sound, not a thin analytical sound that has no body to realistically reproduce acoustic instruments. Q1 will be perfect!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vectron said:
If you want higher quality, there are other options available (check out a massive review list in my signature, which is also a sticky in the forum at the top). Q1 is the best option on a budget. E12A is a good amp, a lot cleaner and more neutral, but doesn't have usb dac functionality. There are other usb dac options. You can even go as high as $600 with a new Chord MoJo
With usb adapters, I have all of them, including the OTG adapter you found. Q1 already comes with otg cable so you don't need a separate adapter and another cable. The example I showed above is another short cable with adapter built-in with right angled connectors so it takes less space. Otherwise, you will have to get the adapter you have in your link (which btw falls off under the weight and cable pressure) and use another cable to connect to usb DAC.
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Click to collapse
The link I gave can be used for connecting the fat full USB connector to a smartphone... You can plug the included otg cable to your smartphone using it...
And no, I'm not gonna pay more than 100$, I'm not that rich ;D

Hi all, has anyone tried if the Q1 works with Note 4 upgraded to Marshmallow? I'm thinking to buy it, but I'd like to be sure I can use it as DAC for every audio app (I don't want to depend on specific usb audio players). Thanks

Well, nobody answered, so I went to a shop and tried it
The Note 4 with Marshmallow 6.01 supports perfectly the Q1, USB audio works smoothly.
Great sound and enough volume for my Beyerdynamic DT880 250 ohm.

gabripranzo said:
Well, nobody answered, so I went to a shop and tried it
The Note 4 with Marshmallow 6.01 supports perfectly the Q1, USB audio works smoothly.
Great sound and enough volume for my Beyerdynamic DT880 250 ohm.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the update! I have so much audio gear, already forgot about Q1, and now VZW pushed 6.01 update on my Note 4 as well. So you saying it works without a hiccup from any app? That's awesome! Gotta check it out.

vectron said:
Thanks for the update! I have so much audio gear, already forgot about Q1, and now VZW pushed 6.01 update on my Note 4 as well. So you saying it works without a hiccup from any app? That's awesome! Gotta check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if you have too much audio gear I can give you my home address, don't worry, you can ship everything here. I promise, I won't charge any cost for my storage service! :good:
Anyway the Q1 works great in Marshmallow, I've been listening to Spotify premium all along the day.

Budget vs not so budgety
I know price wise the two are incomparable but how would you rate the Fiio Q1 on a scale of 1 to 10 if the Chord Mojo was 10? Is that a fair question?

Lourens.pfister said:
I know price wise the two are incomparable but how would you rate the Fiio Q1 on a scale of 1 to 10 if the Chord Mojo was 10? Is that a fair question?
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Click to collapse
I never had a chance to listen to Mojo, but can tell you with certainty the gap should be wide But it also depends on your headphones. Budget or low res headphones won't be able to differentiate or to take advantage of the source difference as much as high end TOTL IEMs. Also, sound signature will play a big role, even with high end IEMs. For example, warm-tuned smooth sound earphones don't have the same level of sound layering and separation as analytical/bright headphones do. Basically, what I'm trying to say, there are too many factors and I would need to know what headphones you are using and also I would need some experience with Mojo, which unfortunately I don't have. But honestly, I don't think people are typically deciding between Q1 and Mojo, which one to buy. Do you know what I mean?

vectron said:
I never had a chance to listen to Mojo, but can tell you with certainty the gap should be wide But it also depends on your headphones. Budget or low res headphones won't be able to differentiate or to take advantage of the source difference as much as high end TOTL IEMs. Also, sound signature will play a big role, even with high end IEMs. For example, warm-tuned smooth sound earphones don't have the same level of sound layering and separation as analytical/bright headphones do. Basically, what I'm trying to say, there are too many factors and I would need to know what headphones you are using and also I would need some experience with Mojo, which unfortunately I don't have. But honestly, I don't think people are typically deciding between Q1 and Mojo, which one to buy. Do you know what I mean?
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Hi, thanks for the quick reply!
I use the Fidue A83's bought them after reading your reviewhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/general/accessories/review-fidue-a83-triple-driver-hybrid-t2963956 about them.(love them!!) I've also got the Fiio X3ii. I already own the Q1 but I'm thinking about getting the Mojo.

gabripranzo said:
Well, if you have too much audio gear I can give you my home address, don't worry, you can ship everything here. I promise, I won't charge any cost for my storage service! :good:
Anyway the Q1 works great in Marshmallow, I've been listening to Spotify premium all along the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, tested Q1 with my Note 4 on Marshmallow 6.01 (the latest Verizon update), still doesn't work, even with HIby music which uses its own proprietary drivers and works with everything

vectron said:
Hmm, tested Q1 with my Note 4 on Marshmallow 6.01 (the latest Verizon update), still doesn't work, even with HIby music which uses its own proprietary drivers and works with everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really strange. I'm on erobot rom v. 1.2, stock kernel, I simply plug the Q1 and it works. Maybe it depends on the cable? I use the fiio usb cable plugged in the Q1 and a USB otg adapter on the Note side.
---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 PM ----------
vectron said:
Hmm, tested Q1 with my Note 4 on Marshmallow 6.01 (the latest Verizon update), still doesn't work, even with HIby music which uses its own proprietary drivers and works with everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot to say: settings, developer options, usb configuration, I set audio source.

gabripranzo said:
Really strange. I'm on erobot rom v. 1.2, stock kernel, I simply plug the Q1 and it works. Maybe it depends on the cable? I use the fiio usb cable plugged in the Q1 and a USB otg adapter on the Note side.
---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 PM ----------
I forgot to say: settings, developer options, usb configuration, I set audio source.
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Click to collapse
Will the fiio q1 with a galaxy s7 edge be able to drive an ath-m50x, I am asking as I got it for free with the m50x arriving some day or other and have you tried Neutron Music Player.