Firestone Audio Fireye I and II
By Shane Hanify
March 2010
Firestone Audio Fireye I headphone amplifier ($199) and Fireye II USB DAC/headphone amplifier ($279).
When you first pull these little silver boxes out of their quality packaging, immediate comparisons are drawn. Both come with a mini USB lead, and the same faux felt bag to protect the outside world from these solidly built aluminium cased amps, a basic user manual listing features, specifications and operating instructions. The I also includes a short cable to connect the amp to whichever (portable) source you use.
The Fireye I is a battery powered headphone amplifier designed to run from a source – usually an mp3 player. It has only input and output 3.5mm sockets, a status LED, and a mini USB for charging the internal battery. There is no volume control, this being dictated by the source you use.
The Fireye II is a headphone amplifier powered by USB from your computer or mains powered (the power pack is not supplied with the unit). Fireye recommend mains powering with hard to drive loads.
The II has a volume control – which balances to the right at extremely low volumes and doesn't appear to do much after about 60%. The headphone jack also doubles as an optical digital out, which you can pass into a better DAC or suitable amp.
Setup
I had my AKG k171s on hand, but was also was lucky enough to be lent a pair of Grado SR80i's and an aftermarket USB cable for the Fireye II which was used for the duration of this review.
First impressions
Out of the box, and still fresh, both amps impressed.
As with all entry-level gear, they prefer uncluttered simple acoustic music. Heavy or busy works unsettle them slightly, but not nearly as much as you'd expect for the price. Female vocalists in particular really stood out for me, with an air and grace that had me listening for hours on end.
One thing you have to be mindful of though are poor recordings. Your mp3 player or computer may gloss over those but these two will not. Feed them rubbish and they will reward you with more than a harsh stare.
Battery life on the Fireye I was good, regularly rewarding me with over 20 hours between charges, although when it loses power it simply stops without warning.
The little brother
The Fireye I sounds quite passable off the back of an mp3 player and It easily has enough grunt to run even my more demanding phones to ear splitting levels with contemporary music.
This has a warm presentation but is a touch light in the midbass. For some genres, such as light jazz or vocal this suits, but when it comes to hard driving rock or big classical works the II wins out.
Moving on up
As I listened to the Fireye II, I started to warm to it. Music had more body, and there was a greater sense of space around instruments allowing the performances to breathe. As I relaxed into the music and stopped worrying about the sound it started to sparkle and shine.
When used instead of the headphone jack in the PC, the output was whisper quiet with no tiresome pops and clicks.
Final conclusions
Despite a few minor flaws and niggles, such as the woeful instructions and a volume control on the II that could be better implemented, I'd have no hesitation in recommending either of these. They're solidly built, sound great, are brilliant value for money and should last for years.
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