[Phoenix Jackson]

I will be buying a portable amp exclusively used with my portable players (Cowon J3, D2, X9).
The thing is, I'm still about to audition some full-sized headgear and some of them need an amp for better volume/sound (as I've read from the forums).
The only available amps in my place are Fiio, Audinst, T-box, and BAB1-Xa.
As for Fiio, E11 seems to be the candidate for my use.  But it seems a lot of people recommend E17 or E07 because of DAC.  I won't be connecting my future headgear to a computer.
I chose E11 because of its changeable battery.  10 hours won't be good enough for my usage (hence the players with good battery life) as I usually stay out of electricity for 2 days or so.  But also, the big plus is the price.
But will I be missing anything else from E17 apart from use of DAC?
 
Fiio E07 has some competition with regards to price.  T-box has a longer battery life and Audinst is on par with price too.
And as for E17, its price also contends to Bab1-xa which has a battery life of 300hrs (according to the company brochure... which I think is overstated).
 
My question still stands:  Will I be missing anything else from Fiio E17 apart from the use of DAC?
 
If it matters, the candidates of cans I'm about to audition are:
Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO 250Ohms
AKG Tiesto K176
AKG K550
Shure SRH840/940

 

[Phoenix Jackson]

BTW Fiio E17 is $100 more expensive than Fiio E11.  That's why I'm asking if what I'm missing is worth the difference.

 

[H20Fidelity]

You should check out the C&C BH portable amp with rated 80 hours run time off a single charge.

I rate it higher then FiiO E11 in SQ by quite a margin for just a little more ($100 US) we just got this in yesterday actually.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/644363/c-c-bh-portable-headphone-amp-80-hours-from-a-single-charge-buyer-review

 

[Phoenix Jackson]

Unfortunately I can not opt outside my listed choices because of availability in my country.  So far, I don't see C&C amps anywhere locally online.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Unfortunately I can not opt outside my listed choices because of availability in my country.  So far, I don't see C&C amps anywhere locally online.

You can get them on ebay if you ever became interested. (worldwide shipping)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/C-C-BH-Portable-Headphone-AMP-battery-AMP-CC-BH-NEW-/251050614620?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item3a73c85f5c

 

[QBNCT]

I would go for a DAC. If you just go straight from your portable player into your headphone amp, then you are already using the DAC and headphone amp in your player. If you are using an iPod, I would look for something that connects via 30 pin connector.

 

[Phoenix Jackson]

But is it worth the $100 difference?  Despite the battery issue and no use of connecting to computer (again, no electricity within the area for about 2 days and source are Cowon products), is there are huge difference between Fiio E17 to Fiio E11?  I read that there's some hissing in E11 and I don't know if it's annoyingly audible for the cans I'm to purchase.  That could be significant to me.
And please forgive me.  But I do not have any option of buying outside my country (not even online) right now.  This is why my options are limited to the ones mentioned at the OP.
 
I really wish someone on Headfi has tried Bab1-xa (so far, it's not mentioned in the forums).  The battery life vs price would be worth it for me.