Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

I use the E10 at work with a HP ElieteBook 8440p and a pair of Sennheiser HD-25-I II. The HP has a very meager DAC and didn't do the Sennheiser's any favors. The E10 really brings the headphones to life and makes a huge difference in both quality and the clarity of sound. I would recommend this DAC to anyone who wants to have good sound through a laptop.

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

I use this DAC as an external sound card, hooked to a passive 2.0 speaker system thru the line out. There is a remarkable increase in sound quality as soon as it's connected. Windows 7 x64 recognized it instantly, no driver installation required. The amp makes even cheap headphones sound clearer. In games, the amp gives a good sense of sound directionality (useful in shooters!).

The USB cable that comes with it might be a little too short for some set ups, but since it's a standard mini USB cable, replacing it with a longer one is trivial. It's not possible to use it to amp iDevices. The other big downside is that it makes you notice how horrible your low bitrate mp3s are.

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

What can I say, I was a little skeptical at first just how much better an external DAC could be, or even if I needed one, but this little unit completely changed all that. I plugged my 6 year old Ultrasone HFI 550 headphones (not the most expensive cans, but they've served me very well) into this little DAC and was blown away! It was like I was listening to a completely new pair of headphones!
The "bass boost" switch is actually more handy than I thought it would be; it does skew the sound toward the low end, but some songs really benefit from it. I don't use it all the time, but when I do, the bass really comes alive. Great for those times when you want a little more kick.
Overall, if you want to give your headphones (or computer speakers for that matter) a new lease on life, this is the little unit to do it.

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

THIS LITTLE DAC AMP IS ELEGANT LOOKING AND HAS A PLEASING SOUND TO IT. I LIKE TO PLUG IT INTO MY POWERED DESK TOP SPEAKERS WHERE IT GIVES A MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN SOUND. IT BRINGS OUT THE VOCALS AND PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS SIGNIFICANTLY AND LIKE OTHER DACS IT CLARIFIES AND SEPARATES THE SOUND. THE ONLY DRAWBACK IS A WEAK HEADPHONE JACK WHICH WOBBLES THIS HAS ME CONCERNED AND IF IT GETS WORSE IT GOES BACK. I BELIEVE ITS MADE IN CHINA AS SUCH COSTS LESS AND IS OK SOUNDING BUT SOMEWHAT FLAWED IN DESIGN. IF THE JACK DOES NOT FAIL I WOULD SAY I GOT MORE THAN I PAID FOR.

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

I use this amp with my PC. It sounds much better than the onboard soundcard. Adds more bass to my HD 598 and opens them up more. No negatives from me so far.

Comments about Fiio E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier:

The Fiio E10 is a small powerhouse of a DAC. Simple connection via the USB port will automatically install the driver needed. The Dac itself has a High and Low gain switch on the back intended to help drive more demanding headphones, A Bass booster switch which I must say is very smooth and does not distort anywhere near as much as I am used to, which is an amazing feat. The booster is smooth and broad and depending on your headphones it will help immensely. It has a line out feature which is simply fantastic when you out it to an amplifier. It is one of the best budget dacs available that offers a smooth moderately neutral sound in the mids and highs with a slightly warm bass signature. It would receive a 5/5 if imaging and soundstage size were better, but thats hard to gripe about considering the price tag. Minor gripes that vanish when a nice amplifier is connected to the E10. One physical flaw is that some users complain about a loose input jack. Mine is strong and sturdy so I cannot comment on it, but I have heard of some who have said it causes a small popping sound if you happen to get one with a loose jack.