Some of you might remember reading about the FiiO E5 here. Well, I just got a email from James @ FiiO a few hours ago on some picture / rendering of their upcoming amps, the E1 and E7. E1 is an in-line amp built for iPod. It draws its power from iPod and amp the line-out signal at the same time. Kind of like a E5 fused with a line-out dock cable (LOD). Basically it means you get to use the whole amp as a complete package instead of carrying a separate amp and LOD all together. It also has a volume control built in so you can adjust the volume like on an in-line remote control.
E7, on the other hand, is an USB DAC and amp combo. You can connect it to a PC via USB and use it to replace your PC sound card or you can use it as a standalone portable amp. It will has a small OLED display, adjustable volume (of course) and possibly adjustable bass boost. Most of the house is made out of CNC'ed aluminum. Battery life is estimated at over 100 hours. It will also feature a special dock connector for future accessories, such as a docking cradle that enable remote control, line-out or direct pairing with iPod. It could even been used on mini desktop Hi-Fi set.
No official price for both yet, but my guess are, E1 will be less than $50 and E7 will be less than US$100. ETA for E1 is late August / early September. ETA for E7 is December, around X'mas.
Now, enjoy the pictures (click for bigger images).
Above is the rendering image of E1
This is E7
