FiiO Headphone Amplifiers

I’m not really good with auditory perceptions so when I was asked to check out these heaphone amplifiers by FiiO (fee-yo), I was a little hesitant because I thought I’d need a good set of ears to figure out the difference.

To those who are a bit particular with the sound quality of their headphones or music players, FiiO amps are supposed to help increase the volume and over-all audio quality.

fiio

The amps are small devices that goes between your media player and your headphones. There’s a TI (Texas Instruments) chip inside that processes the signal to give it a boost and make the output better.

fiio

What I did was hook up my Zune HD to an X-Mini (at 50% system volume) and record it on Audacity using a Samsun CU10 USB microphone (at a distance of 1ft). I did the same thing with the FiiO attached to it. Check out the graph from Audacity below.

soundwaves

The wave signature on top is the normal one and the one at the bottom uses the FiiO.

There’s a noticeable improvement in the sound quality especially with the bass while over-all volume has also increased. Listen for yourself:

[display_podcast]

Pretty interesting device that’s targeted to a niche market (audiophiles). The FiiO E3 is the smaller one (has a AAA battery inside) and costs Php500 while the FiiO E5 (the Shuffle-like one) has a Li-IOn battery inside, separate volume control and bass boost switch (retails for Php1,200). If interested, contact Tabby Tiu of Tiukung Enterprises ([email protected] or 0922-5186266).

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

25 Comments

techshop28 says:

10 years ago

Techshop28 located @ A009 is the Authorized Dealer of Fiio products and audio products in the philippines
contact # 091746***** (02) 3576962

up 10-20 discounts on various items
- Reply
john says:

13 years ago

how much @geeksgadget?
- Reply
geeksgadget says:

13 years ago

You can Buy from Me… Brand New and with Warranty… The Exclusive Distributor are My Cousins…
- Reply
andrews says:

14 years ago

Can these amp can be use with iPod? can it do improvement in the sound quality with ipod?
- Reply
treckster4147 says:

14 years ago

Meron ba nito sa SM malls?
- Reply
vj says:

14 years ago

I have an E3 and yes, there is an improvement with the sound. The only con is the AAA battery, you need lots of money to buy or buy the rechargeable ones.
- Reply
harry says:

14 years ago

Guys,

Where I can purchase Grado headphones in Manila? Thanks!
- Reply
foo says:

15 years ago

who cares about amplifier? as long as you hear your songs in stereo, you’re good to go.
- Reply
emmanramos says:

15 years ago

AM radio will now sound better with this gadget, ha ha!

for a 1,200 price tag i can buy a sennheiser earphone
- Reply
lonegunman says:

15 years ago

The FiiO E3 and E5 are already “quite” old considering they came out late last year and early this year respectively. FiiO already have E1 and E7 in the works.

IMHO, FiiO is more of an entry-level portable “audiophile” upgrade.

For the portable audiophile fanatics back there you can try googling Headfi.Org or Jaben.Net. They have very good discussions and pictures on portable hifi.

Portable hifi is quite a thing already here in SG. I have a rig before (ipod classic+lineout dock-to-miniplug cable+amplifier+Grado headphones) but realized it’s such a hassle to bring around.

JohnLloy is right, upgrade your earphones first. Good brands are Westone, Ultimate Ears, AKG, BeyerDymamics, Grado. If there’s a Grado dealer in Manila, do try the SR-60. It should be around Php3k, almost the same price as a crappy Skullcandy but with excellent sound performance.
- Reply
chris says:

15 years ago

nice gadget.
- Reply
Crystal says:

15 years ago

interesting gadget, worth to try.
- Reply
jill says:

15 years ago

Oh, I’ve sent my first draft! Sorry, sorry!
- Reply
jill says:

15 years ago

Audiophile here, too. Great device and priced reasonably. I’ll go for the E5.

For those who want extra reading/comments, check this out:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2009/03/15/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/comments
- Reply
jill says:

15 years ago

Great device, reasonable price too.

For more info/comments, you might want to check this out:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2009/03/15/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/comments
- Reply
Rocky Garcia says:

15 years ago

Nice gadget! Very ideal for podcasting.
- Reply
Charles says:

15 years ago

OMG just what I need! I’m getting one! *contacts*
- Reply
Reel Advice says:

15 years ago

Yep interesting indeed and it has a pretty cheap price tag.
- Reply
Edgar says:

15 years ago

Audiophile here, interesting device. Any dealer in Davao City?
- Reply
Vance says:

15 years ago

or go to gilmore.. I think go gadgets is selling them as well… there one of the official resellers..

if your into high end amp, P4 is one of most well known. Cost Twice..

YOu can also go to tipidpc.com for more reviews and insights on which of the two will suit your needs. They have an official thread for this amplifier.
- Reply
JohnLloy says:

15 years ago

It’s like a case of buying an expensive media player then nullyfying it by using a stock earphones. same goes w/ other crappy earphones for mobile phones. Then came this device to resolve this issue.
- Reply
Abe Olandres says:

15 years ago

@jan – I’ve updated the post above to include contact information of the distributor.

@jhay – as long as it’s 3.5mm jack, it’s compatible.
- Reply
Jhay says:

15 years ago

I wish these were compatible with Sony Ericsson headphones. Oh well…
- Reply
Jan says:

15 years ago

Where can I get me one of these?
- Reply
Carl says:

15 years ago

Wow itneresting. First time I’ve seen something like this.
- Reply

YugaGaming