Product Comparison: Fiio E12 vs Fiio E17

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Fiio E12 Portable Headphone Amplifier HIFI Audio Earphone AMP

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Fiio E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

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General Specifications

Brand

Fiio

Model

E12

E17

Origin

China

About the Product

This is one portable headphone amplifier that I have to say really surpasses my expectations. With a voltage swing of nearly 9VDC/ch., the E12 delivers plenty of current and voltage to drive with great authority, all of the Beyerdynamic headphones with a 600-ohm impedance rating.

Fiio is here to change all that with products like the Fiio E17. It’s a portable headphone amp and Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) that can also act as a computer sound card.

Key Specs

Built-in DAC

LME49600

Wolfson WM8740

Type

Portable

Signal/Noise Ratio

110 dB

109 dB

Sample Resolution/Rate

24-bit / 192kHz

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Fiio E12 Portable Headphone Amplifier HIFI Audio Earphone AMP

As for the Fiio E12, it really is an excellent portable amp.
Overall, I was VERY impressed with FiiO E12 portable headphone amplifier and how well it paired up with various sources and headphones
Keep in mind, this is just an amplifier and not a DAC converting your digital music content to analog. I recommend.
The Fiio E12, What more can I say, I've enjoyed pretty much every aspect of it.
It looks like hell feels cheap a complete let down.

Fiio E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

I like their amazing array of affordable products, namely the very well-reviewed E17 Alpen portable headphone amplifier USB DAC.
Most computer DACs aren't the most accurate, and you're losing some authenticity of the original recording but not with this amp.
After extensive testing, this product works. It's DAC is nice and flat, has bigger soundstage, crisp and sharp highs and lows.
The sound is flawless at a 192kHz sample rate. If there's no noise in the recording, there's no noise in my ear.
The screen on the E17 Alpen does not light anymore. even though I don't use it much.

Size & Weight

Color

Black

Height

0.6 in.

Width

4.9 in.

3.8 in.

Depth

2.6 in.

2.2 in.

Weight

5.6 oz.

4 oz.

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Fiio E12 Portable Headphone Amplifier HIFI Audio Earphone AMP

The battery life is very long as well. It is about the size of an iPhone and is quite portable.
Very powerful amp capable of making your iems sing, & can Aldo drive your full sized cans.
I found something as small, reasonably priced, and powerful.
I want to add this amp is easy to charge from the USB provided connection, solid as a small monolith of aluminum.
Sounds bad and size not for my equipment.

Fiio E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

This amp is a good size and can easily be transported. Also, the functions are simple and intuitive.
It has a build quality that is quite impressive for the size product you are holding in your hand.
It has a small size and can be used as a portable DAC and amplifier. it is well made and looks cool.
The E17 is a decent size, it's a bit bulky to carry around with you.
Not a bad Portable Amp/Dac. Just not good enough for full size headphones.

Features

Enclosure Material

Aluminium

Max. Frequency Response

90 kHz

100 kHz

Min. Frequency Response

10 Hz

Controls

Volume Control, Bass, Gain, Crossfeed, Reset

Volume Up, Volume Down, Menu, Power / Exit, Lo Bypass, Hold

OS Compatibility

Apple iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Apple OS

Apple OS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple iOS, Android

Wireless Connection

Interfaces

Micro USB Input, 2x Phones

Mini USB, Dock Connector, AUX Input, Phones, Coaxial / Optical

Extras

LED Indicators, Combo OPAMP for low distortion, ALPS potentiometer

LED Indicators, OLED Screen

Min. Frequency Response
Max. Frequency Response

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

Fiio E12

Fiio E17

What customers say about "Features"

Fiio E12 Portable Headphone Amplifier HIFI Audio Earphone AMP

Simple controls, rechargeable battery, beautifully crafted, the total design form fits function.
With the volume control, you can easily adjust the volume. It is smooth and works great.
Volume control can be very fine tuned, and the High / low gain setting.
Port/control are on the side where you have micro-usb connector for charging and Bass on/off toggle switch, that's comfortable.
Compatibility not for all my OS, so i not recommend.

Fiio E17 Alpen Portable Headphone Amplifier USB DAC

It's worked on every OS I've connected it with (Windowsn 7, Windows 8, OSX, Ubuntu) and it sounds great.
It only has bass and treble controls, but includes boost controls and a few connection options to enjoy sound through all platforms, wow.
For use with my cell phone, laptop, and tablet, sound remains clear and perfect.
The menus are easy to navigate and it has a few nice features (balance, bass, treble controls, etc).
Setup is really easy, and controls are straightforward. The EQ is a bit limited, which may be annoying for some.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications