In the Fiio product line, the E12 portable amplifier takes pride of place. Taking into account the very affordable price tag and thoughtful performance, its price / quality ratio has reached outstanding values. Fiio developed the model by first releasing a limited DIY version with interchangeable op amps and planned to release a model for IEM. But behind the flagship of the line, the youngest, but no less good, model E11, which has a number of its advantages, remains unnoticed. Recently, the company's engineers have released an update What did it bring to users?
The first version of the E11 was made with a plastic frame and metal covers, weighed about 65 grams and pleased customers with the possibility of replacing the battery, providing about 10 hours of work on one charge. The power was 180 mW with a load of 32Ω. The updated E11K received an aluminum case, which led to an increase in its mass to 92 grams and deprived us of a replaceable battery. Fortunately, in the new Fiio model, a 1400 mAh battery was used, providing almost 16 hours of operation, which is more than enough for most applications. Naturally, the scheme was reworked, providing a very good (considering the price of about $ 60) sound.
Specifications
- Input: 3.5 mm TRS
- Output: 3.5 mm TRS
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 KHz
- Channel separation: ≥72 dB (gain = high)
- Signal to noise ratio: > 108 dB
- Total harmonic distortion: 0.004% @ 1 kHz
- Channel unbalance : <0.5 dB
- Battery Capacity: 1400 mAh
- Charging time: 4 hours
- Operating time on one charge: up to 16 hours
- Power supply: 5V, 500 mA
- Recommended headphone impedance: 16Ω - 150Ω
- Output Impedance: <0.2Ω
- Output power: 270 mW @ 32Ω, 450 mW @ 16Ω
- Dimensions: 91.2 mm x 56.0 mm x 13.0 mm
- Weight: 92 g
Package and Delivery
The E11K box is standard for the latest Fiio products. The flat cardboard parallelepiped is slightly smaller than the box for the CD, although it is somewhat thicker. All decorated in black, white and red tones. Inside, in a black tray, secured with a foam rubber insert, there is an amplifier itself and accessories in the same black cardboard box.
With a player, you get: a simple cable with 3.5 mm angled jacks for connecting sound sources, a pair of rubber bands for attaching an amplifier with a player, a USB cord for charging and rubber feet that can be glued to the device (a very necessary thing, why - see below ).
In general, on this point - E11K is worthy of all praise.
Design and management
The appearance of the E11K at first sight is captivating. Typical Fiio black aluminum with longitudinal stripes of texture looks much better than the old revision E11, but some questions arise as you work with E11K. In pursuit of the design, Fiio engineers for some reason made the body rounded at the edges. It looks interesting and causes (personally for me) positive associations with the cognac flask, but since the portable amplifier is supposed to be used in the “sandwich” with the device, it turns out inconvenient. The amplifier docked to the device will wiggle a little. Fortunately, this defect is easily corrected with complete rubber feet.
The second problem with E11K usability is the weird layout of controls. All of them are located on the upper and lower ends of the device. On the top are the gain and bass booster switches, as well as a volume control with plastic stops around the edges, which is also a switch in the “0” position. These limiters are a very good idea, which allows to partially protect against the involuntary rotation of the regulator in your pocket. The problem is that the input and output jacks are located on the bottom of the amplifier, along with a work LED and a microUSB charging port. Given the design of most players, you will have to either mount the amplifier with the volume control down, or use a longer connecting cable to connect the amplifier. I can not say that this is a huge problem, but nevertheless, such flaws upset a little.
The volume control is smooth and completely silent, but with the most sensitive IEM, the volume rises quickly enough to find a comfortable position is difficult. Fortunately, not many inserts are so sensitive.
The amplifier is very small in size, one and a half times less than E12, which makes its operation very convenient.
Sound
To listen to the amplifier, I used the following equipment:
- MacBook Pro Retina Late 2013 as a source;
- Yulong DA8, connected via USB as a DAC;
- Audirvana Pro as a player;
- Records in lossless format.
The following headphones were used to listen to the player:
Of course, the ergonomics and ease of operation of the amplifier are very important, but its main task is to sound, and this is exactly what the E11K can do very well.
The second revision of the sound is lighter than the original E11, but at the same time it retains the pleasant musicality and fusion of the feed characteristic of its predecessor.
First, I will say about the cons. On the most sensitive headphones in silence you can catch a slight noise. It is quiet, and when the music is playing, it is not audible, nor can it be heard on any headphones with a sensitivity slightly lower than the maximum, but I can’t mention this. There is also a small, albeit clearly audible, imbalance of the channels at the initial positions of the volume control, but already in position 2 it leaves. Also the problem is mainly for sensitive headphones. On the other hand, why sensitive headphone amplifier models - I do not know.
Now about the pros. In the pros, you can write everything else. For its price, the E11K plays just fine. It can act as a great addition to entry-level players (with Fiio X1, the bundle is just great) and smartphones. There is enough power reserve for the majority of existing headphones, including even overhead models. Of course, the 300-ohm Sennhiser or isodynamic HiFiMan models do not make sense to connect to it, but common sense dictates that this is expected.
Compared to the old version of the E11, the level of detail has increased, the sound has become more solid, with a well-defined scene thanks to a more neutral sound.
The bass is good for the price, of course, it does not reach the E12, but still 11K controls it quite well and delivers it quite energetically. The same lack of punch in Fiio X1 is corrected with a bang. Separate good words deserve the function of bass boost, which Fiio engineers constantly improve. In E11K, it works very neatly, amplifying the region to 200 Hz with a maximum of +4 dB in the region of 50 Hz. This tuning allows you to add music massiveness and drive, but not drown out all the oppressive bass.
The mids are not as accented as the old E11, due to which they are more natural and convey emotions well. You can find fault with the depth of the imaginary scene and the separation of tools, but considering the price, you don’t want to do that.
The upper frequencies are not pleasantly straining. They do not climb to the fore, but are present in sufficient quantities. True, it is worth considering that with very bright headphones sibilants are possible, but this is more likely an exception.
The amplifier is genre neutral, has no pronounced preferences. Due to the musicality of the filing, he is even able to brighten up the shortcomings of the source and recording, albeit within narrow limits.
findings
Despite a number of ergonomic flaws, the E11K was an excellent amplifier. A long time of work, nice design and excellent sound, coupled with an affordable price, clearly indicate that the "Kilimanjaro-2" will be a ticket to the world of high-quality sound for many novice users.
The article is based on materials .
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