[aangen]

Quote:

errr... you sure it is not just louder?
 
It is not like these Fii0 amps are of very high quality... Also, IEM are extremely high sensitivity so its not like they need much juice to be VERY loud.

Yes I am quite certain it is not just louder. I have tinnitus and tend to listen at lower levels than most people. I am actually kind of surprised some of you come to a place where people discuss more expensive audio options and yet seem to have trouble understanding these concepts. Okay, the Fiio amps are not the very HIGHEST quality available. But to my ears they offer better sound than APPLE. If you can't grasp this, why are you here?

 

[XxMerlinxX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokolov91 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
errr... you sure it is not just louder?
 
It is not like these Fii0 amps are of very high quality...

 
What part of the Fiio E7 is poor quality?  Have you ever used one or are you just guessing based off of the price?

 

[Guidostrunk]

Beings that the mids are somewhat recessed on the Trip's or should i say not forward as how i see it with them, I would recommend either the P-51 Mustang or The shadow beings they have a mid-range emphasis which IMO balances them out. I use to own both and that's JMO. Cheers

 

[QuantumXL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aangen /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Because the external amp provides a more enjoyable sound than the internal amp.
In the case of an Apple Ipod, a noticeably more pleasant sound.

I think people mainly divert the internal amp to a DAC. I believe in an apple Ipod the media output that is used is digital. Some may argue that digital is just as good as analog, but the digital sound that comes straight from the Ipod is a big thumbs down (Correct me if I'm wrong).  I don't really understand this concept but what ever. I believe an amp changes the extent of sound and not SQ if your normally listen at normal sound levels. I'm no audiophile and I can only go by what I have read. I know at higher volumes and lower volumes the Ipod internal amp sucks major coastal sand. So people like using a LOD to amp their setups. I may be wrong and I'm sorry. Thats just my logic behind it and thats why I don't amp an ipod with IEMs unless it is for the DAC feature (Personal preference) I listen at mid volume levels, sometimes higher. 

 

[Guidostrunk]

I like the benefit of having more headroom with an amp, a better S/N ratio . I feel you get more out of your Phones/IEM'S with an amp ie Soundstage, imaging, bass and better extension across the spectrum. JMO.

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

Quote:

errr... you sure it is not just louder?
 
It is not like these Fii0 amps are of very high quality... Also, IEM are extremely high sensitivity so its not like they need much juice to be VERY loud.

Yes I am quite certain it is not just louder. I have tinnitus and tend to listen at lower levels than most people. I am actually kind of surprised some of you come to a place where people discuss more expensive audio options and yet seem to have trouble understanding these concepts. Okay, the Fiio amps are not the very HIGHEST quality available. But to my ears they offer better sound than APPLE. If you can't grasp this, why are you here?

Just because people discuss high end audio does not actually mean they know more than someone who doesn't. Actually, the average audiophile seems to know very little about audio. They do however know lots about music and brand names.
 
Insinuating someone is ignorant because they are asking why you need an amp to drive IEMs that do not need an amp to be properly driven is highly ironic and I hope you realize this. Sure, there might be some SQ benefit to using this amp and the iPod's line out. But, is it worth 80$ and having to lug around double the stuff, worry about two batteries, use two different interfaces at a time, etc etc.
 
I would know, I have used my TF10 with an amp in the past. Personally I do think they sounded a bit better, but only when I was sitting down in my room and trying hard to listen. On the go (which is what an iPod is apparently designed for, who knew?) it is much harder to make things out and it is a big PITA.  So, for my intents and purposes I dropped the amp because the SQ improvement it no way outweighed the cons. Were I traveling by segway, being chauffered around, or some other method other than bus and metro, I might see things differently.
 
To be fair it was much better looking than the model I had in mind, I made a mistake. But still, I could see how you would want an amp for full sized headphones, but for IEMs it still begs the question.
 


Quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sokolov91 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
errr... you sure it is not just louder?
 
It is not like these Fii0 amps are of very high quality...

 
What part of the Fiio E7 is poor quality?  Have you ever used one or are you just guessing based off of the price?

I was thinking of the wrong model, so yes I made a mistake in my comment. It does look like a fairly competent piece of hardware, especially for the price.
 

 

[Ehr33]

X2. TF10+Iphone 3gs+Mophie juice pack = enjoy your music all day long!

 

[albau]

It's ridiculous to blanket state that all IEMs don't substantially benefit from the dedicated amp no matter what. Some do benefit and some don't depending on many things like combination of sensitivity and both electrical and acoustic impedance.
 
For example straight out of iPhone4 my Phonaks sound weak, bland and congested. But when I hook them up into my Creek amp things totally change, it's like different IEMs with fuller and deeper sound and more clarity. On the other hand Pana HJE-900 benefit very little from the amp except for some smoothing of treble.
 
You guys better pay attention to the awesome Joker's 121 IEM comparo thread (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-121-iems-compared-hifiman-re262-added-11-25). In it he mentions if and how most IEMs benefit from amping. 

 

[CyberAthlete]

Quote:

Beings that the mids are somewhat recessed on the Trip's or should i say not forward as how i see it with them, I would recommend either the P-51 Mustang or The shadow beings they have a mid-range emphasis which IMO balances them out. I use to own both and that's JMO. Cheers

 You know, I researched the P-51 Mustang amp and it has really positive feedback. Now the question is where can I purchase one? Thanks! And secondly, I can use it with my future Beyerdynamic DT880 or the Senn's HD595...

 

[Coatze]

I've owned my TF10s for about a year and I just purchased my first headphone amp, a Ibasso D12 about a month ago.  
 
In my experience, the the DAC makes a world of difference.  I am in love with all of my high quality recordings once again, and have been moved to start reripping CDs that were below 320.  I was skeptical about the whole "need a better digital analogue converter" thing because well, c'mon, to the uninitiated that word looks like snake oil. Did to me anyway.
 
But I know you aren't asking about a DAC.  When used via headphone out with my Zune or ZuneHD, i think there is a SLIGHT difference. Slight enough that I'd be willing to concede it could all be cognitive dissonance.  Even then, as someone else mentioned, I usually can't hear it when commuting.  Now that the novelty has worn off, I've been leaning towards just accepting that it would be easier to leave my new toy at home and go ampless as the benefits are marginal to these humble ears.  
 
Now this bit is just conjecture, and more learned folk than myself should set you straight, but I figure if you go with an amp with any sort of coloration, particularly something to bring out the mids, you might be able to compensate for what I've read is the TF10s weakness (though it isn't a personal complaint.  A year later and the honeymoon is still in full swing).  
 
Either way, get excited about your new purchase. It's a good one. 

 

[singh]

I am wating for the TF10. will try them with the HM602 i just received , theoretically  its a good match for them !

 

[shnitz]

At 32 Ohms and 117 dB sensitivity, you will gain nothing from getting an amp.  Ignore the bozo who thinks that Apple headphone jack is crappy because it's made by Apple and not some "brand name" audio company.

 

[aangen]

LOL, yeah that's it, the Apple headphone jack itself is what sounds crappy. Thanks for the "who to ignore" tip.

 

[rawrster]

Actually I found there was an improvement with the TF10 amped compared to unamped when I owned them around a year or so ago.

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

At 32 Ohms and 117 dB sensitivity, you will gain nothing from getting an amp.  Ignore the bozo who thinks that Apple headphone jack is crappy because it's made by Apple and not some "brand name" audio company.

+1
 
Well maybe not "nothing" but certainly very close. The amount of money spent will be largely wasted.