Have used the E10 since it came out, and can easily recommend it for someone starting out. Made a difference over "good" onboard audio with my old basic Sennheiser phones, and it works very well with my Beyer DT990Pro 250ohm cans. I also use it with my powered desktop speakers! I've been looking for an upgrade for a while, but the E10 is still a wicked bang-for-your-buck choice.