Fiio E10 review

So, I have my E10! Those of you who happen to have me on Twitter already know some of my thoughts, but, my impressions (as played through my Ultrasone HFI-700):

It's detailed. A good way to make the comparison between this and integrated sound, or even a quality source like my phone (yes, really - the amp stage may not be amazing, but the DAC is rather nice, and it's been imbued with the wonders of Voodoo Sound [which is not, as the name might suggest, voodoo]), is that it seems like a layer of fabric was removed from my headphones. An analytic-sound-fan's delight.

However, it also seems bright. I can't say for certain whether that's a characteristic of the amp stage itself, or if the amp stage just needs to be broken in (which is certainly possible), but I do know that's where it's coming from, as running line out through my iBasso T4 gives the same, warmer, characteristically-T4 sound that I'm used to. That particular combo does nice things to the cymbals in Kenna's "Vexed and Glorious", though the E10 straight through its headphone out made me do a double-take the first time I heard Kenna's "Sun Red Sky Blue". The guitars were... well. I can't quite describe it. This unit definitely handles guitar sounds well, and the crisp, clean electronic tones of Concord Dawn's "Blow" (one of my favorite tester tracks - a boring song, but pure in its construction, and nicely layered in its intro) take on a brand new life. Amazing.

As expected, the E10 gives further credence to one reviewer's impression of these cans as being "designed for Metallica". One (another of my favorite tester tracks) shines, once again with excellent guitar tone, a powerful bass kick (not bloated, but visceral), and pleasant, distinct vocals. Unfortunately, the slightly higher-end-of-mids-to-bonafide-highs harshness shows up on the chop of some of Metallica's more distorted guitars in the chorus (and later sections), as well as the impact of some snare notes. On this listen, though, it's nothing insurmountable. Mixing and mastering certainly play into it.

Side notes before continuing: this combination (but especially the E10) does wonders with Michael Jackson. His Thriller album sounds excellent. Also, the harsh nature of the guitars of Puscifer's "Green Valley", post-transition, becomes a lot more apparent. This, however, is much more "now I hear it as it was intended" than "damn, what happened". Definitely a positive.

And now it's time to flick the bass switch to 'on'. Reviewers like Headfonia have described the effects as (paraphrase) "adding more warmth than body-shaking impact". I would agree - but only for certain tracks, generally more rock-oriented. For electronic and hip-hop pieces, it takes my HFI-700 right up to "subs on your ears" - but without sacrificing quality or control!

First up on the list is Bassnectar's remix of Ellie Goulding's "Lights". As expected, the opening sounds detailed (perhaps surprisingly so, for its intentionally-muted qualities) and pleasant - but the feature of importance here comes in right at 00:48. The low-end. The compression (sound, not MP3) shows itself somewhat here - I wouldn't mind a better tester track - but overall, the impact is good. It's far from overwhelming, even with my bassy HFI-700 and the switch on Rock Out; notes are distinct where they should be, and wobble right into each other as they should. Mids and highs are not overpowered, nor does the additional heft turn the track to a muddy mess. Not bad, E10.

Of course, when one wants impact, one must turn to hip-hop. The first track that sprang to mind, for better or worse, on first listen was Lil Wayne's "A Milli" - think what you will of Weezy and the quality of his music, but from a sound standpoint, "A Milli" provides just what one needs to test control, depth, and quality of the sub-bass region of a DAC/amp. What it does not provide is variety - we'll get to that in a minute. There's just not much to say here. I'm wearing subs. The E10 provides exactly what Bangladesh intended when he created this beat - bass as the lead, but bass that isn't just 'thump thump thump'. Each note is distinct, the build and decay is executed properly, the tone is accurate.

Onward in the "ridiculous bass" tests to Sub Focus's "Special Place". Being a drum and bass track, there's a lot (a LOT) more to be had than with a simple (almost stereotypically so) hip-hop track like "A Milli". While the bassline is known to drive car subwoofer setups to madness, and listeners of those systems to possibly greater madness, it's also various (as far as sub-bass goes), controlled, and rapid (again, as far as sub-bass goes). "What great music deserves is full, deep bass to give it warmth." intones the intro-narrator - then a snare fill - then the bass lead cometh. It proves not to be overpowering, as a similar "car audio" sound may be. It sounds... as intended. Proper. Controlled. Unfortunately, the other portions of the track are not impressive - flicking the bass switch back off proves that it's not simply the E10 and this track making my cans take a dump. Whether it's poor performance of the E10, or just an unimpressive track, I'm not sure, but I'm leaning toward the latter.

Sub Focus's remix of Deadmau5's "Ghosts N Stuff" paints a somewhat similar picture. It, too, features a strong bassline (though not as constant, and I don't believe it to be a lead), though its progression is not as rapid in all portions, and is more rapid in others. This proves to be a better demo of the E10, as during the 'verse' portions, and shows off the accuracy of its low end. The rest of the track sounds much better, too - quite nice, even. Proof that "Special Place" just wasn't much for quality in the mids and highs.

Other tracks were included in my critical listening set, but my opinions on them would largely be rehashes of what's already here. If I had to summarize the sound, after a full set, "quality" would definitely be the first term I'd use. It's a massive step up - if you have the ear for it - from integrated audio and lesser (read: cheap) DAC/amps. It's accurate, detailed, and has plenty of 'wow' moments - and paired with my HFI-700, it does a very good job, overall. The highs do have their rough edges on occasion, but I expect them to even out over time. (We'll see.)

Overall, this compact, USB-powered DAC/amp definitely earns a "buy" from me. I have noticed a quirk, though, with my primary machine, a laptop (MSI GX740) running Windows 7: 24-bit audio causes a slight... not lag, more of loss, when a sound first starts playing. Very short sounds get completely lost. I'm going to have to investigate this more.

The Fiio E10 is $80.99 from Amazon.com and $80.28 from MP4nation.net. As MP4nation no longer offers the free Brainwavz Beta, Amazon is by far the better option. If you're a Prime member, it's ridiculously obvious. MP4nation ships free... but their shipping is S-L-O-W. If you've ever heard the expression "the slow boat from China"... well, that's exactly what it is.