Customer Reviews

FiiO L1 Line Out Dock Cable (LOD) For iPod and iPhone

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I wasn't happy with the sound of my 4g ipod touch,it always sounded harsh no matter what headphones i used. i tried using it with my fiio e5 headphone amp which helped a bit but i still wasnt happy. this line out dock bypasses the internal amp of the ipod and did help produce a cleaner signal (at least to my ears), it definitely produced a louder signal because now the volume on the e5 is half of where i used to set it at. note that this has to be used with some kind of amp with a volume control because you wont be able to control the volume using the ipod when this is connected.

I purchased this product as a quick and easy way to get clean sound from my iPhone Dock to my hybrid headphone amp and have been very happy since purchasing it. The iPhone/iPod's built in amplifier adds its own color to the sound (as with all portable devices), so by using a LOD (Line Out Dock) via the dock connector port, you can get a clean/unampled sound out the device to feed into an external amplifier. The cable feels very well built and I applaud their use of a very small dock connector without the latch/release buttons - as a result it works great while the iPhone is in the few cases that I own (iSkin Colors and Speck Pixelskin HD). The only minor gripe I have with the product is the length of the cable, its a tad on the short side - an extra 2-3" would be perfect. Overall though, a great product that delivers clean sound to my amp.

Pros:
+ Very nice build quality
+ Great price
+ Uses a very small dock connector
+ Gold plated 3.5mm connector

Cons:
- Slightly shorter than I would prefer

It seemed to boil down to a choice between this unit and the Nuforce line out adapter for connection between my iPhone4 and FiiO E7 headphone amp. Neither is a perfect solution.

My usage: I like to carry my iPhone4 and FiiO E7 in my pants pocket(s) so that I can listen to music as I do stuff, and not disturb anyone with the volume.

Pros:
* Top quality throughout.
* Locks in place.
* The iPhone accepts it without the iPhone warning message that accompanies connection to the Nuforce unit.

Cons:
* Puts a bending force on the docking connector on my iPhone when I have it connected and am carrying the phone in my pants pocket.
* Extends further out from the end of the iPhone than I would prefer, thus resulting in the bending force mentioned above.
* Personally I would like it if they made one with a 2 foot cable so that I can have my iPhone in one pocket and my FiiO E7 in the other pocket. But this is a perfect length if you connect the phone to the amp with the "rubber band".

Since the Nuforce unit doesn't lock in place (and I don't like the warning message), and I like to carry this in my pants pocket, this FiiO E3 unit seemed to be the only choice. I just hope that the connector on my iPhone isn't damaged over time as a result of the way I carry it.

I was looking for a better way to send an audio signal to a Mixer from my iPod. I have a iPod and was using the Head Phone jack with a RCA splitter with left & right phono connectors, connected to CD line input on mixer. The audio was not very good. I read somewhere that the iPod Dock connector had the ability to supply a Line Out connection, and side step the internal amplifier of the iPod. By doing this I would get a better signal from my iPod. The FiiO L1 Line Out Dock cable work perfectly. I plugged the FiiO L1 cable into the bottom (Dock) connector on my iPod and then plugged into a Mini-Stereo to RCA Left/Right cable and then into my Mixer and got a perfect Line In signal. Using the Head Phone jack introduced noise and by using the FiiO L1 cable, offered a cleaner signal. My next cable will be a DOCK connector to USB and Mini-Stereo to allow for power off the USB connector for the iPod.

To anyone considering the L1 dock instead of the L3 in hopes of saving yourself some money, do yourself a favor and pay the extra seven bucks for the L3. It is far, far better.

I tried the L1 because I liked its smaller profile than the L3, which at double the cost of the L1 seemed a little spendy at the time.

You get what you pay for.

My L1 worked great for about two months of light in-home usage, then it began to be plagued by static, dropped connections, crackling, hum and feedback, etc.

Its construction is flimsy. The actual dock connector part of the L1 really suffers in comparison to the L3: the L1 connection is held in my friction only, whereas the L3 actually latches and must be released by pressing latch release buttons located on its sides.

Unfortunately, my L1 failed shortly after my window for returning it had closed, so it now serves as a reminder that trying to save money by buying 'economy' versions of items is often a false economy.

UPDATE: FiiO would not stand behind the product. After responding to an initial query and indicating they 'might' be able to help out if the vendor wouldn't accept a return, FiiO completely blew me off.

Amazon, on the other hand, went above and beyond the call of duty, even though my purchase had been made through an Amazon affiliated vendor and not directly from Amazon itself. Amazon refunded the full purchase price, and sent me a prepaid label to return the faulty cable.

While my opinion of FiiO has suffered, Amazon once again comes off as a class act. Kudos, Amazon, for excellent customer service.

Product worked like a charm! The headphone jack on my ipod was broken, so I bought this product, sliced the chord in half, and soldered the data side to a female 3.5mm audio jack. The chord is short, and you can't adjust the volume on the ipod when using this, but I don't care about chord length, and the volume issue was to be expected. would buy this product again.

Item worked flawlessly on my I-Touch 4th Gen. This appears to be true Line Out (volume was disabled) and sound quality was an order of magnitude better than using headphone output. Only downside is seriously short cable.

I am yet another case where this product has failed almost immediately. It worked properly for one night, after that the ipod/ipad would randomly decide that the cable was no longer connected. Do yourself a favor, buy the L3. It really is worth the extra cash- positive locking and a more robust design makes it a real winner.

I bought this to plug my iPod nano into a Fiio E6 amplifier to run my Sennheiser Hd438s. The sound is fine, and it works as it is supposed to, but the iPod pauses every few minutes or so while using it. I'm assuming this is due to it losing connection to the LOD, as it has never happened before.

The weird thing is that it will happen randomly even when it is entirely still. I even shook it around to try to get it to pause, it didn't, then I set it down and it happened a few seconds later. No idea why it happens, but it basically makes it useless.

I guess I will buy the L3, as it has a clip that holds it into the iPod. Perhaps that will help.

UPDATE: I bought the L9 and love it. Way more sturdy, and never pauses my iPod!

The wire in my new FiiO L1 had a short in it. Sent it back and got a full refund from the quick responding seller.

FiiO makes great products, however the L1 is not one of them.

Do yourself a favor and just save up for the L3 or better. I heard there is a high fail rate on the L1.

Happy Listening!

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