FiiO E17 (Alpen) Advanced Portable DAC and Headphone Amplifier with Micca M-Series Toslink-to-Mini Optical Cable

I love this new DAC/AMP. I had the Fiio E7 as well but this new E17 is much nicer. A few more options to help with equalizer and helping with mids, highs, and bass. The ranges that this supports now is phenomenal. I am going to soon get a Zune HD dock so that I can use the SPDIF @ 24bit 192k. This puts depth into your music that, if you have good cans, you can really hear the difference. With my Sennheiser HD650s I can hear how this separates the music as well as makes if full and rich at the same time. Its more of a... spacial awareness almost. You will also hear things that you haven't heard before, or at least they will most likely come out more crisp. I won't say that this thing works miracles or have as long as a batter life as the E7 but I can take it to work and use it for about 5ish hours a day for 3 or 4 days before I need to charge it. Mind you that is with the Aux port at 16bit 92k. The build for this is fantastic and it's the small things that hep make this unit; From the metal construction to the included rubber feet if you so wish; The included 3.5mm male jack (both sides) as well as the small fabric bag (fairly robust) really help to show they want your unit to work right out of the box and be protected. God forbid something happens to mine I WILL get another. With this particular unit I got an optical cable which does seem to be in quite nice shape. I have yet to use it but hopefully will be able to soon.

I had an E11, which was very nice. However I sent it back after learning I would benefit more with the DAC/amp, and reading the many positive reviews for the E17, it was a no-brainer.Micca handled the transaction smoothly while pocketing a punitive restocking fee...thanks guys.I don't geek-out too much on tech specs or audiophile speak, but I don't mind saying the E17 has improved my music listening pleasure to where I can't rip my CD collection fast enough.Addendum: It has locked up on me twice, but each time it cranked right up after actuating the nearly microscopic reset button with a fine stringer's awl (sewing needle should work also).

I purchased this amp to help my iPod touch which had a damaged audio out receptacle. So I also purchased the FiiO L11 to connect to the dock on the iPod touch. Done! I tried several bluetooth portable devices (because this was an alternative to using the audio out receptacle) but all lacked the battery life to last 3 hours or longer and none allowed for charging while in use and/or the volume they produced was not acceptable. This unit will run for several hours on it's internal battery without a problem and the amp can be charged while in use! The volume is very respectable when used as a headphone amp on say a set of Bose phones.Pros: Looks great and works better. The sound quality is what is amazing about this amp you can hear what you have been missing in your music.Cons: The FiiO amp comes with rubber bands to secure it to your portable device. While it works there must be a better way to hold the two together. For portability I have purchased armbands with oversized pockets/pouches in attempts to solve this problem but the rubber band and oversized armbands seem to be the best solution to date. Before purchasing this unit I read all the reviews on it and one reviewer wrote a very good explanation regarding the issue of volume verses the quality of the sound that amps produce. While that is true with this unit I still long for a little move volume please.

Worked out great love this product.

I'm very satisfied with the E17's performances. I was disappointed I had to buy the L9 connector separately. It seems to me that this is the Main connector that should come with it.

Can take a little time to adjust the volume on it, and if you don't flip the "hold" switch it will probably switch functions in your pocket and stop making noise suddenly. Aside from that its really nice to have this thing. Good sound, and I pretty much always use it when listening to music; especially when I'm carrying around my phone or ipod (yeah I don't have an iphone I don't care.).

This little amp. really makes headphones come alive by expanding the range and depth of sound. I also use this amp. as an boost for my auto's stereo system, portable devices, electronic drumset, and home computer. It is rechargeable so it is very portable and has been extremely useful. Worth to me every penny!

The Alpen came today and I Imediately got it hooked up and charging. It is very easy easy to figure out and took no time at all to get it up and running. Im not an audio expert but I know what i like and it really boosts the sound on my phone, ipad and i presently listening to rhapsody with it and my headphones. I like the fact you can adjust the bass, treble and gain. The Cable will come in handy with my Sony-mini disc recorder and some of the other things i have.