[Alexfux12]

Did they say if Aune is increasing the power on this amp too?

Like I guess is fine if they have improve the THD but I'm worried if for the sake of measurement seeking we end up losing some of what makes this amp's sound so special and if they're increasing the price of this amp by almost 30% just for a very slight aesthetic change to the screen UI and some increase/improvement in THD that it will be almost imperceptible to the human ear, is it even worth it at that point and now you're only $300 usd away from a Mjolnir 3, why not save a little bit more money and get that amp instead of the S17?

They didnt say anything else is changing, and youre right, thats my fear as well, that this pursuit of numbers that humans cant actually hear will just drive the price up.
One theory i have is because of the very positive reception to the amp, and everybody praising it as the best thing at around 1000$, they maybe just realized they underpriced it a bit, but they didnt want to just raise the price without "reason", so they made these small changes to have an excuse.

 

[AuneAudio]

So two different sellers on aliexpress now told me that the manufacturer is raising the price and its going to cost 849-899$, when i asked it the "new" version is any different, they both said yes and sent me the attached photos, apparently they lowered the DB variation in the frequency response and the THD.
On the other hand i asked aune on their official site and they said that the price is not going up.

So i guess do with this information what you wiil.

Hi, there's no price increase or changes.

Please purchase aune products from our authorized distributors (http://en.auneaudio.com/index.php?s=/Home/Article/lists/category/68.html) and our official Amazon (amazon.com/s?me=A2AP0JEHTRG6EO) where the aftersales service is guaranteed. Aliexpress is NOT recommended as the quality and aftersales service are not guaranteed.

 

[bogi]

It puts out 2.1Vrms to the s17. My Question: Is this ok or is this (for longer time) too much for the s17?

No problem with 2.1Vrms on RCA input to run it long term.

 

[Giangi]

Maybe with a 5v output dac minimum, it could drive Tungsten...

 

[fededige]

SOUND REVIEW (after few days):

Digital chain: Audio Hijack app -> eq headphone correction -> GHZ Canopener (crossfeed)

Analog chain: Topping P50/Topping E50 balanced connection-> Aune S17 Pro (mostly 100mA - around 60º C) -> 4.4 mm balanced Arya Stealth

Hi everyone! After couple of days testing I couldn’t tell yet if I’m happy with the sound of S17 Pro. Probably it’s a burn in thing (I mean my ears/brain burn in, there’s no such a thing as hardware burn in lasting more than few hours).

My impression is that the sound of this amp (FOR MY TASTES) is somehow emphasized. Soundstage is very wide, giving the impression instruments coming outside the room. There’s a huge separation between mid and side information, but this make it feel like they’re not glued together.

Sound is really engaging and not fatiguing at all. Sound plays back flawlessly and effortlessly, never sounding harsh, but that probably compromises resolution and detail.
Coming from my previous Topping A90D, everything seemed crystal clear even though scene and soundstage was flat. Again, probably I need to get used to it few weeks, before typing this review, but I wanna write it in order to compare it later in time.

When it comes to eq, since I have my headphone calibrated with its individual correction, when I was using Topping A90 Discrete, eq was really evident, like activating it from bypass was night and day with before and after. When activatinng eq with Aune S17 Pro, the change is barely noticeable, like it doesn’t make any difference.

This leads me to another consideration: Aune S17 Pro is a REALLY forgiving amp, making sound everything almost the same way: bad records sounds as good records. Probably this was Aune intention or (again) I still need to learn to listen to it.

Sandu from Soundnews explains it quite good: he says S17 Pro focuses on the meat of the bones, the inner part of the music, but this seems to me (at the moment) sacrifying a lot of details and resolution. The sound is visceral and everything seems to have “muscles”, even higher register instruments.

I’m a producer and a mixing engineer, so take my opinion with the 2 cents it’s worth it, probably I’m just a “different listener”. This euphonic sound is certainly the goal of a record, but in order to achieve it, I couldn’t tell the difference between different nuances, when actually making the record.

I don’t know if this makes any sense for any other early user, but these are my early impression and if couldn’t notice any difference in the next 12 days, I’m afraid I’m going to return it.

Thanks anyone who took time to read this.
Any questions or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[motberg]

SOUND REVIEW (after few days):

Digital chain: Audio Hijack app -> eq headphone correction -> GHZ Canopener (crossfeed)

Analog chain: Topping P50/Topping E50 balanced connection-> Aune S17 Pro (mostly 100mA - around 60º C) -> 4.4 mm balanced Arya Stealth

Hi everyone! After couple of days testing I couldn’t tell yet if I’m happy with the sound of S17 Pro. Probably it’s a burn in thing (I mean my ears/brain burn in, there’s no such a thing as hardware burn in lasting more than few hours).

My impression is that the sound of this amp (FOR MY TASTES) is somehow emphasized. Soundstage is very wide, giving the impression instruments coming outside the room. There’s a huge separation between mid and side information, but this make it feel like they’re not glued together.

Sound is really engaging and not fatiguing at all. Sound plays back flawlessly and effortlessly, never sounding harsh, but that probably compromises resolution and detail.
Coming from my previous Topping A90D, everything seemed crystal clear even though scene and soundstage was flat. Again, probably I need to get used to it few weeks, before typing this review, but I wanna write it in order to compare it later in time.

When it comes to eq, since I have my headphone calibrated with its individual correction, when I was using Topping A90 Discrete, eq was really evident, like activating it from bypass was night and day with before and after. When activatinng eq with Aune S17 Pro, the change is barely noticeable, like it doesn’t make any difference.

This leads me to another consideration: Aune S17 Pro is a REALLY forgiving amp, making sound everything almost the same way: bad records sounds as good records. Probably this was Aune intention or (again) I still need to learn to listen to it.

Sandu from Soundnews explains it quite good: he says S17 Pro focuses on the meat of the bones, the inner part of the music, but this seems to me (at the moment) sacrifying a lot of details and resolution. The sound is visceral and everything seems to have “muscles”, even higher register instruments.

I’m a producer and a mixing engineer, so take my opinion with the 2 cents it’s worth it, probably I’m just a “different listener”. This euphonic sound is certainly the goal of a record, but in order to achieve it, I couldn’t tell the difference between different nuances, when actually making the record.

I don’t know if this makes any sense for any other early user, but these are my early impression and if couldn’t notice any difference in the next 12 days, I’m afraid I’m going to return it.

Thanks anyone who took time to read this.
Any questions or suggestions will be appreciated.

I mentioned similar back on posts 210 and 589, also ..... also one of the reviews alluded to imprinting a similar sound character....
If I was a headphone guy, I would suggest this as a pleasant alternate amp, as it seems lots of folks here have built-up an amp inventory :-）
I only used mine for a couple months as a speakers preamp, so not sure the effect of further break-in.
I have some studio experience, （both sides of the glass... as they say）, I would not consider this for monitoring as the number of end users that has the S17 playback presentation available would be a rather small percentage of the total customer base.

 

[Erick Muller]

Hi, there's no price increase or changes.

Please purchase aune products from our authorized distributors (http://en.auneaudio.com/index.php?s=/Home/Article/lists/category/68.html), our official Amazon (amazon.com/s?me=A2AP0JEHTRG6EO) or official online store (https://mall.auneaudio.com), where the aftersales service is guaranteed. Aliexpress is NOT recommended as the quality and aftersales service are not guaranteed.

Thanks Aune, we where all worried about this supposedly price increase to the amp, I think this puts an end to all the speculation.

 

[easylive]

Hi, there's no price increase or changes.

Please purchase aune products from our authorized distributors (http://en.auneaudio.com/index.php?s=/Home/Article/lists/category/68.html), our official Amazon (amazon.com/s?me=A2AP0JEHTRG6EO) or official online store (https://mall.auneaudio.com), where the aftersales service is guaranteed. Aliexpress is NOT recommended as the quality and aftersales service are not guaranteed.

I want ask you, if there is some way, that I can reprogramme the volume by my self? Or is it complete impossible? thanks..

 

[helloh3adfi]

Hi everyone! Happy new year!
I just got my unit from Austria (I’m in Italy).
I’ve only tried for a couple of hours, only through 4.4 mm with Hifiman Arya Stealth.
My DAC is a Topping E50 powered by P50 PSU. My headphones have been calibrated through GRAS mic, so there’s an IR based eq correction and crossfeed going on the digital chain.
It took around 1 hour to reach 59º and it didn’t exceed that temperature (yet).
It doesn’t seem having the volume issue.
Although when music is not playing, trying to change the volume make annoying and scary click on the headphones. Anyone experienced this? Is this normal?
Soundwise, I will need more testing before telling my full impression.
One thing I noticed, but it could be due to lack of burn in, was that eqing was less evident than Topping A90 Discrete (my previous amp).

Did you purchase a GRAS? Must be expensive?

 

[Erick Muller]

@AuneAudio I have a question, I understand completely if you cannot answer it because, well, it's about possible products that might or might not be in development right now.

Are you planning in updating anytime soon your DAC line? maybe even an R2R DAC coming soon? In the same chassis as the S17 maybe?

 

[helloh3adfi]

As a note to everyone here, I noticed that this amp absolutely requieres that you run them for at least a week with high impedance headphones like a SEN 650 on high gain and in the 100ma mode, this amp absolutely requieres the work out in order to get the full warm and lush tube like sound.

My highest impedance headphones are Beyerdynamic T90 with 250 ohm. Is it enough? Does it matter if balanced or SE mode?

 

[fededige]

Did you purchase a GRAS? Must be expensive?

Nope, the company I’m collaborating with did it.

 

[Deuch]

@AuneAudio I have a question, I understand completely if you cannot answer it because, well, it's about possible products that might or might not be in development right now.

Are you planning in updating anytime soon your DAC line? maybe even an R2R DAC coming soon? In the same chassis as the S17 maybe?

My wish list

- DAC without headphone amp section
- Streamer without DAC and Roon Ready
- Streamer with DAC and Roon Ready (to have the choice)

Aune, your turn now ...

 

[Erick Muller]

My highest impedance headphones are Beyerdynamic T90 with 250 ohm. Is it enough? Does it matter if balanced or SE mode?

When I first got my S17 I proceded immediately the burn in process, I grabbed my focal elegias and started playing music on them for several hours per day when I was out for work and I did this for about two weeks, the elegias I think are 32 or 35 ohm if I'm not mistaken and are pretty efficient and easy to drive on anything, that's kind of their appeal, closed back and all and pretty good sound overall, specially when you pad roll them with the dekoni sheepskin pads, they improved a lot.

Anyways, I did notice after that burn in that there was an improvement in the sound quality coming from the amp, but almost serendipitously my father got a pair of SEN HD650 and he didn't like how they sounded to him, I think that's mostly due to the fact that my dad almost exclusively listens to DAPs and portable equipment and imho, they do sound good coming from those sources, but your missing a lot of the full capabilities of the 650s unless you run them in dedicated desktop amps and you need to drive these cans hard to get the most of them, then those truly shine.

So I proceeded to adjudicated to myself those cans that my dad deprecated so much and started running them on my desktop setup and it was freaking awesome, and then after a week or so of listening to them, I went back to my radiance and my other cans and noticed that the sound had change, like substantially so, a lot warmer and lusher like other reviewers had said so in their reviews and it even improved my power speakers I have on my desk, it was amazing. This was after more than a month of running this amp, I never turn it off but at night when I go to sleep, I do put it in 50ma mode on low gain to save some power.

So given my own personal experience with the amp, I do recommend that you put a high impedance load on your S17, I think 250hm of you T90 should be more than enough, I actually recently bought a custom DT880 from Custom Cans in england with the balanced cable mod and some dampening in order to improve the sub-base because I now want to run a higher, 600ohm load on my S17 and see if the sound improves even further and in the future, if I buy another fully discrete, class-A amp, I'm planning on using those cans to do the burn in.

I do believe that this amp needs the work out in order to bring out the best out of it sound wise, your millage might vary tho and it might just be placebo effect in my case, but when I first plugged in my dad's HD650s I wasn't even expecting anything to change, I was under the impression that the burn in was already done and I was pretty happy with the sound from it and grown accustomed to it at that point.

And yes, you need to run them balanced in order to put the entire amp on load, if you run them single ended you're basically only running half the amp.

 

[Erick Muller]

My wish list

- DAC without headphone amp section

If I may add to your wish list:

-No bluetooth
-Keep the S17s R2R volume system in order to preamp(of course the improved one without all the problems the initial batch of S17 had with that volume knob)
-Make it an R2R DAC (I want to know what Aune can do with that and given the house sound they go for, I'm sure it's going to be amazing!)
-If you make it R2R, give us a true NOS mode for it and add a couple of OS modes if possible
-Keep the screen
-Add I2S connection
-Use the S17 chassis for this new DAC
-Sell it under $1k usd pretty please?

- Streamer without DAC and Roon Ready
- Streamer with DAC and Roon Ready (to have the choice)

Aune, your turn now ...

That would be awesome too and with this line up it would scare the ever living crap out of every other audio manufactured on earth if they can price it competitively, that is, under $1k usd.