The Sound Blaster E3 sits in-between the E1 and E5 in terms of price point. I was thus curious to see how it performs for its price and more so interested to see how Creative were able to push through all their features in the small-factor size, without impacting the sound quality.
Before continuing the review, here”s my video review of the E3:
I’ve always been fascinated about audio and when I get the chance to hear new products, or even old products that have always been on my mind – I jump on the opportunity.
I recently was lucky enough to demo the Sennheiser HD800/700’s & the Fostex TH-900’s at P.J. Hi-Fi, a high-end audio shop located in Guildford. Before I get into my impressions, I would like to thank Andrew Holt for allowing me to spend as much time with these three headphones and more so being an extremely professional individual. I had a great chat with him both before and after my listening session; I found what he said really spot-on and honest. P.J. Hi-Fi is mainly a speaker/hi-fi shop, however they do store these three high-end headphones.
I got extremely lucky in picking up the µHA-120 in a audio-meet raffle in Cambridge! I also talked to the maker of the amp, whilst I was there, and was impressed with the quality and clarity that the amp provided for the price!
The product information can be found directly on Just Audio’s website, where you’ll also find the PDF document showing the disassembly guide I go through in my video below.
Here is my Unboxing Video:
Here are the pictures:
Click on them, to open them and see them in a larger size, enjoy!
Initial Impressions
-Crystal clear mids and transparent sound
-Powerful amp – drives headphones
-Good powerful bass reproduction
-Good battery life (running over 15hours @60% Volume on High Gain)
-Portable to a certain extent
-Easy assembly disassembly of the amp, in order to change jumper settings (high/low gain)
-Well built, and looks beautiful with its metallic finish
-Charges fast on both settings
Here are the pictures:
Click on them, to open them and see them in a larger size, enjoy!
Initial Impressions Here are my initial impressions of the EHP-O2D:
-Powerful amp
-Well built
-Beautiful design
-Quick switching between low and high gain
-Very simple plug and play into PC
-ODAC works marvellously
-Drives my Denon AH-D2000’s very well
-With no music playing, HDD can be heard on the PC (whilst connected via USB)
-Clear representation of the music – Transparent sounding
-Clean and lean bass response
-Bulky (white) power adapter
-Works on my Samsung Galaxy S 3 GT-I9300 as a USB DAC (needs power though), and thus by-passes the audio 3.5mm jack of the SGS3
Overall the EHP-O2D is extremely impressive. For the very affordable price of sub £200 for both a DAC and AMP, it seems to be the perfect solution for people like me who want a desktop headphone amp, that produces a very clear and transparent reproduction.
I’ve been very much enjoying the amp, and so far it puts my Asus Xonar D1 > Logitech Z-5500 > Denon AH-D2000 to shame. My desktop headphone rig is currently using the EHP-O2D, directly being connected via USB, and being used directly via “output” to my Denon’s. I can finally enjoy music at home, through my PC, for late night listening, or audio analysis/reviewing – whereas beforehand I would have to use my SGS3 for a more “truer” sound.
The full review of the EHP-O2D has now been published – Click here
Here are my impressions of the MJ2 interconnect (2m red):
-Beautifully made
-Great quality wire
-Good jacks, with no signs of problems throughout the wire (unlike other wires I’ve previously owned)
-Reproduces music very well, and brings out the mids, with no loss of sound
-Flexible enough, but not so much so that I can make it twist a full 180 degrees on it (I suspect this is mainly due to the fact that this wire is long, and has a nice sheeting around it, thus rendering it less flexible – its use is made for the desk, and not on the go, another reason why I bought the 2m version of it)
Overall my initial impressions of the MJ2 cable are extremely positive, especially at the price point it comes at (around £13) – it should be a no brainer for anyone looking for a 3.5mm interconnect.
Here are my impressions of the MJ2 interconnect (7cm black):
-Well made, craftsmanship is very good
-Has a nice reinforced jack
-Great sound quality
-Flexible
I am also impressed of the short 7cm interconnect, mainly because of the sound quality that I get from it!
Hope you enjoyed the unboxing, pictures & the initial impressions!
–TotallydubbedHD
Pros: Ultra portable, amazing bass contour settings, adds to the fullness of the SQ
Cons: Doesn’t drive well, fairly expensive, not as “clean” sounding as other amps out there
Packaging & Accessories: 7/10
Build Quality: 9/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Audio Quality: 9/10
Portability: 10/10
EMI (Interference with mobiles etc): 9/10 (higher rating means lower EMI)
Transparency (Plays same sound as source): 6/10 (higher rating means it’s close to the source)
Battery life: 8/10
Hissing: 8/10 (higher rating means lower hissing)
Value: 8/10
My final Rating: 10/10
