FiiO E18 Android DAC/H-Phone amp released...eventually!!!

[WAD62]

After what seems like an eternity the long awaited FiiO E18 Android USB DAC and headphone amp has eventually got a release date, and is on pre-sale at Amazon...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FiiO-E18-portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00GC0XDSI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383909970&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio+e18

...I've taken the plunge and ordered one to go with my S4, and Note 8.0 tablet, I'll report beck after it's arrived, mid December :eyebrows:

[WAD62]

Well after a months delay in factory shipment my E18 arrived last week...

Ultimately the price was £119, which is a pleasant drop from the originally stated £150 :)

Thankfully it works very well with both my Samsung S4, and my Note 8.0, both running Poweramp as the Android music player, all one has to do is connect the E18 via the OTG micro USB to micro USB, turn it on and boot up the player, no configuration changes are needed. For some reason if one connects and boots it up after having started the player the sound is distorted

I keep FLAC on my S4 and vbr mp3 on my Note 8, both on external 64Gb micro SD cards, both work perfectly via the E18.

It drives both my AKG K550s and more impressively my K702s very well, at low gain, well enough to differentiate between FLAC and VBR MP3s, so that's quite a compliment.

Only minor quibble is that the 3 way selector switch (PC/Phone/Power) on the bottom of the device is easily moved, so if it's not working that should be ones first port of call...other than that it's a very neat piece of kit, and given that it's also a backup power supply a very useful one too...;)

[WAD62]

...further update

Been using the E18 with my laptop, XP/FLAC/Winamp/FFSoX/ASIO through my AKG k550s, and it works a treat, certainly up there with my rPAC :)

The other plus point when using it in conjunction with a PC it also charges the battery for subsequent mobile usage...

If you're an android/pc user this is an excellent portable device...if you're stuck in MAC world then keep looking ;)

[WAD62]

...further, further, update

Looks like I'm posting to myself on this item :)

Hooked the E18 up to my SBTouch(EDO 0.8)/Mini-T system in the kitchen, on 'PC' setting, via a USB isolator...works perfectly!!!

Also charges the unit at the same time, an excellent improvement over the SBTouch's analogue output, and also better than the E10 I'd been using previously. Presumably the fact that it's using its own local battery supply, rather than the Touch's USB power is an advantage.

So a portable USB DAC/headphone amp/battery supply, that works well with the latest Andriod, Windows, and Linux devices (SBTouch included), I'm surprised there's little interest...;)

P.S. It may also work with Apple...but I'm unable to verify that :)

[brian2957]

...further, further, update

Looks like I'm posting to myself on this item :)

Hooked the E18 up to my SBTouch(EDO 0.8)/Mini-T system in the kitchen, on 'PC' setting, via a USB isolator...works perfectly!!!

Also charges the unit at the same time, an excellent improvement over the SBTouch's analogue output, and also better than the E10 I'd been using previously. Presumably the fact that it's using its own local battery supply, rather than the Touch's USB power is an advantage.

So a portable USB DAC/headphone amp/battery supply, that works well with the latest Andriod, Windows, and Linux devices (SBTouch included), I'm surprised there's little interest...;)

P.S. It may also work with Apple...but I'm unable to verify that :)

I'll reply to your post Will . Although I have no need for such a device I'm sure that there are others here who may have . Nice write up mate and thanks for taking the time to add to the massive knowledge base that is AOS. :)

[WAD62]

...cheers Brian, nice to feel appreciated mate :lol:

[brian2957]

Nightshift tonight mate and family out for the day to give me peace and quiet. Just needed someone to talk to :lol: Cheers though :)

[MCRU]

Whilst it looks good on paper a lot of people are waiting for the ifi i-dsd which is smaller and does dsd, does the one you bought do dsd?

There is plenty to choose from which is good, the Furutech X1 is similar but that costs £395!

[WAD62]

Whilst it looks good on paper a lot of people are waiting for the ifi i-dsd which is smaller and does dsd, does the one you bought do dsd?


No DSD from the FiiO, just PCM up to 24/96...as I only use red book FLAC 16/44.1 is all I need at the moment :)

Fiio E18 Spec is as follows;

SPECIFICATION:
Output Power:
>300mW@32Ω
USB audio sampling rates supported:
32/44.1/48/96KHz@16/24Bit
THD:
<0.005%@1KHz/32Ω
SNR:
>106dB(A Weight）
Frequency Response:
20Hz~20KHz（+/-0.2dB)
Headphone impedance（Recommended）:
16Ω~150Ω
Battery Life:
>25h (AMP)
>12h (DAC+AMP)
Battery Capacity:
3500mAh (Li-polymer rechargeable)
Dimensions:
130×66.2×14.6mm
Weight:
162g

[roob]

P.S. It may also work with Apple...but I'm unable to verify that
It says it does in the description.

This is the first FiiO headphone amplifier that has specifically been made to work with Android phones as well as the Apple brand, therefore adding to the amount of devices that you can use it with

[orbscure]

Looks like I'm posting to myself on this item :)

Not at all Will... I'm watching with interest. The issue for me with Fiio units is having worked my way from the E1, E6, E7, E12, E17, I've had issues with them not being able to stand constant day to day use during my commute to work. The E17 was the best Fiio unit I've used to date, but after the headphone socket gave up the ghost, I decided to spend a bit more on importing an iBasso unit from Japan and touch wood, I've not looked back since...

Cheers
Pete

[WAD62]

The E17 was the best Fiio unit I've used to date, but after the headphone socket gave up the ghost, I decided to spend a bit more on importing an iBasso unit from Japan and touch wood, I've not looked back since...

Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete, my only experience so far has been with the E5, 6, & 10, but with few moving parts there's not much to break, the E18 is a different matter so fingers crossed ;)