I have had a pair of these for years now. A few months ago I got some Hifiman Sundaras, thinking that was an upgrade. To me it is not, the R70X have them beat, especially in terms of bass and dynamics. They make the Sundaras sound a bit boring to be honest. when I first got these I had...

What does that achieve?

That is such a great post and it really speaks to me. I hear very quickly if something is worth it to me or not. I have loved the S17 from the moment I first listened to it. It makes you want to listen to and enjoy music.

Using a Cayin RU6 DAC with the S17 now. I really do like it. Natural, musical and voices sound real. I also have an SMSL SU-10 and it is great but the RU6 makes for an entertaining change. It has good synergy with the S17.

I could not agree more.

I have had my S17 for 4 months now. I will share my impressions. I elevated mine a bit by putting taller feet under it and I don't have any temperature issues. My unit has the old volume control firmware and it is not a problem. I can adjust the volume to my liking easily. As a headphone...

Aune should never have indicated the temperature on front of the device. That is an open invitation to OCD. The volume control may have been poorly implemented on some units but apparently that is being rectified. Heat sinking could be better, the standard feet supplied with this unit are...

Track 3 is just magic through the S17. Johnny Cash actually covered this, it can be found on this album.

Sorry for the off topic but if you want to learn and have some fun in the process you could build something like a class A power amplifier based on the FirstWatt F7 design. I have one and I can confirm it sounds delightful. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005004601467688.html

The bias, 100mA or 50mA has nothing to do with how much power is available to drive headphones. Both should have the same power. Using 50ma will reduce heat and power consumption since it is more efficient than the full class A of 100mA. Whether you prefer the 100mA sound or the 50mA sound is a...

If yours starts at 28C it means that the temperature of the unit is 28C when you turn it on. That can only be because the ambient temperature where you have the unit is 28C. His starts at 16C and it does that for the same reason. 28C is a bit too hot in my opinion so I would suggest you do...

It is a class A amplifier and it therefore behaves like a class A amplifier. If that is an issue for you, then don't buy it. There are plenty of good class AB amps out there.

You may as well find it "odd and troubling" that different users have different room temperatures, stack their equipment or not, have well ventilated or poorly ventilated spaces, etc. As far as I am concerned there is nothing odd or troubling about that. Having a class A amplifier so close to...

What has using the 100amp got to do with being a quiet listener? I suggest you hold off from buying products that you don't understand.

The 100 MA setting has got nothing to do with how loud you listen. It indicates the class A bias. It sounds slightly more refined than when it is set to 50 MA.