AUNE S17 Pro EVO

Leonarfd

Headphoneus Supremus
Aune S17 Pro Evo - Powerful and rich sound
Pros: Powerful, warm, and immersive sound
Extended but smooth treble response
Strong bass control with good punch
Class A amplification with JFET transistors for smooth, rich sound
Wide and spacious stage with good layering
Heavy and sturdy build quality
No overheating even under long sessions
50W toroidal transformer
Fully balanced, discrete design
Multiple outputs: 6.35mm single-ended, balanced 4.4mm and XLR
Large display with optional auto-off feature
Available in black or silver
Cons: Low gain could be quieter
No standby function
Suboptimal volume knob implementation
Power switch located on back panel
Single-button interface system
Not the most technically precise amp
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Aune S17 Pro Evo - Powerful and rich sound

Disclaimer

I got this for free in return for a review, I am free to say whatever I want.

All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time. These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical for me, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.

Going to use the ranges here in review:
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My audio preference is neutral with some warmth, I can also like forward midrange and treble if not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned gears for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.

Main music genres I listen to are metal, electronica, jazz and pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there.

I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with my entry being Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman.

I have tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to saxophone without getting far, this due to not having the biggest patience in learning to play.

My current favorites in Headphones are ZMF Verite Open and HFA Dahlia.
My current favorites in IEMs are LETSHUOER Cadenza 12 and Thieaudio Origin.
My current favorites in Earbuds are FranQL Caelum and Venture Electronics Zen 3.0.

Gear used in the main rig is Denafrips Ares 12th-1 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone amp.

Portable gear being SONY WM1AM2 and iBasso DX180, with some dongles like HIBY FC6 and Colorfly CDA-M1P.


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So what is the AUNE S17 Pro EVO

This is the newest headphone amplifier from AUNE, the S17 PRO EVO is an evolution from their S17 Pro. Improving upon a few features like heat management, switchable pre/headphone mode and independent volume control.

This is a powerful Class A headphone amplifier that also has preamp functions. The S17 Pro EVO is made in a discrete design and is fully symmetrical making it truly balanced. The model uses Twin JFET transistors as input transistors to add richness and smoother sound, together with class A this is a powerful and musical amplifier.

There are many more features like R2R volume chip that's balanced even at low volume, 50W toroidal transformer and more.

Instead of listing everything I will share the product page:

https://www.aune-store.com/en/aune-s17-pro-evo_110409_1235/

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Packaging and closer look

I will just add some photos of the accessories and also the amp, with a short description under each photo.

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There are not many accessories in the package, just what you need except for cables connecting to your source.

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Left side of the amp is for the headphone outputs, with 6.35mm single ended and balanced 4.4mm and XLR. There is also an IR receiver here.

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Nothing unique about the backside, we have the usual RCA and XLR connections for inputs and outputs. The power switch is also on the back, so you need access to this and might require some thought behind placement of the amp.

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Functions

The menu system and functions is maneuvered by the volume wheel that, while it works okay it's also a little clunky. Would be much better if it had more buttons on the front for on/off, gain, inputs, outputs and power stage. Some of my issues about controls on the S17 Pro EVO are fixed with the included remote control, this gives you access to volume, inputs, gain and power.

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The remote control is quite cool, simple design and is made of what feels like solid aluminium.
First button is to switch between RCA and XLR inputs, you can also do the same pushing the volume wheel once.
Second button is the mode switching from 100mA/200mA, third button being the gain switch.
Last two being the volume buttons, they function better from the remote than the wheel.

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Some actions need to be done from the amp instead of the remorse like turning it on or off, and when you want to use the amp as a pre amp you need to hold in the volume button to access the menu. Here you can swap between headphone mode or pre amp, two more menus one for gain and one for screen to turn off when not in use.

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At first I had the screen on all the time as I wanted to monitor the temperature, this never reached above 62C and that was with running high gain and 200mA on a planar. Just beware that this can be different if you live in a warmer place than me, even so it has built in protection so if it gets too warm it will take itself back to the 100mA mode.
For me I have used it mostly in low gain and 100mA, then I haven't noticed it come above 50C(unless I have already used the high power mode and swapped over)

The photo here is with the power mode on, you cannot see the red border as easily. As it is mostly only visible when looked at from the correct angle, when used in normal mode the blue border is way more easy to see.

As I often sit in a dark room at nights listening to music I appreciate the option to turn off the display, when off you just need to touch the button once to wake it up.

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Sound Impression

The sound of the S17 Pro EVO is within what I would call neutral with some warmth, it's neither overly warm or overly bright and presents the sound in a natural way. Also means there are no glare or problems areas, the sound character is just presented naturally.

The use of class A and JFET does give it a slightly smoother and more pleasant sound, its not at the level of tube amps as decay and transients is cleaner.

The amp has an excellent impactful and dynamic low end, it's not that it makes headphones overly warmer but it has more authority and control. The midrange is presenter natural, nothing that is pushed forward and nothing that lacks. The highs are very clear and pleasant without harshness, it is very capable of making some sets airy and open.

The soundstage is spacious and has great layering on all my headphones and IEMs, it is not as wide as some tube amps.

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Comparison with Topping A90 Discrete

I have tried to volume match the amps as close as possible when comparing, using a microphone. Even if changes are small between amps it's noticeable to hear the changes of what amp that plays, I used a friend in a blind test to see which he preferred. 9 of 10 times he liked the sound more on the S17 Pro Evo.

The A90 Discrete sound is smaller and less dynamic, the music is more busy and cramped with less difference between the more silent and intense parts. The stage on S17 Pro EVO has more depth, height and width, this makes it sound both more open and spacious.

In the marketing material they mention the S17 Pro EVO being rich and smooth similar to tube amplifiers, it sort of true as the sound does get more easy to enjoy without any fatiguing elements. Wouldn't call it a tube sound, but it does tilt toward tube amp sound compared to the TOPPING.
Tonality is interesting as many call Topping amps sterile or bright, never heard the A90 Discrete as sterile as it has some smoothness and no shout or glare. And comparing both of them none of them have what I would call bright tonality, the difference is that the S17 Pro EVO has more top end shimmer/air. I would also say transients are slightly smoother on the Aune S17, but not in a way that takes away detail. So in direct comparison it does sort of sound more sterile, so there might be some truth to the statement.

Except for the sound being more open on the AUNE the midrange is close to the same on both, none of them have any shout or excessive areas in the midrange.

The A90 Discrete and AUNE have almost the same amounts of sub bass extension(with some exceptions), where they differ is how dynamic and expressive the bass is. Especially into the mid bass where we get most of the hearable bass elements, there it's more weight behind the notes with a more powerful slam on the AUNE.

Headphone and IEM pairings

I will use some headphones and one IEM, then I will use the A90 Discrete as my reference.

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AUNE SR7000

This is the newest headphone from AUNE, it is also the flagship model. This is a closed back set with a 50 mm dynamic driver at 55 ohm and 106dB@1KHz sensitivity. This sounds great from most gear, and can scale with gear but not to the same extent as some other headphones of mine.

The tuning is what I would call neutral with great extension, it is fairly flat sounding with just a hint of extra warmth. The bass and midrange is fairly similar on both amps, it's a small amount more impactful slam on the S17 Pro EVO. The treble is for me well extended on both amps, it has a little extra shimmer and airyness when used on the AUNE.

Biggest change is how spacious and large it sounds, SR7000 is already a very open sounding closed back. It specially gets more height and width to the soundstage, opening up the sound even more.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aune-sr7000-butterfly.27444/review/36298/

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HFA Dahlia

This is a new headphone from the US, Dahlia has a 50mm dynamic driver with 32 ohm impedance and a sensitivity of 98dBA/1W. It is quite easy to drive but scale with gear, so while a dongle can provide full and loud sound it lacks the physical power that is achievable by desktop gear.

The sound of Dahlia is reminiscent of HD650 and HD800s, it has the clarity and extension of HD800s with the midrange closer to HD650. What it has extra over the other two is more bass and warmth, so if it's one thing that is good with Dahlia it's an amp that has full control over that bass.

The sub bass is definitely more deep and extended over A90D, but even more so is how impactful the mid bass slam is. The midrange and treble is full and engaging without any harshness or brightness, on A90D it can sound a little brittle and bright. It's definitely more controlled and more defined over the TOPPING, this being both in the low end and also the rest.

This is a very wide sounding headphone, and the sound is a little extra immersive and layered together with S17 Pro EVO.

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ZMF Verite Open

My favorite headphone, the old 300 ohm flagship from ZMF. The Verite sounds warm and lush with a wonderful midrange, the sound of Verite could be called a little dark and it requires amps with good energy but also not being too aggressive.
The driver is made from beryllium, a material that is able to deliver lightning fast speed with great resolution. Due to the more clean transients it can also come away with having less upper midrange and treble, the tuning matches the driver for me as i am a person more sensitive to pina gain.

I never really enjoyed the Verite together with the A90 Discrete, it lacked fullness and sounded more closed in. A reason why I only used the Verite together with tube amps, as this delivered a more full and rich sound.
Verite sounds spectacular with the AUNE, it gets visceral bass with more punch and dynamic expression. The midrange is more open and also full sounding, guitars and piano get more texture and realistic.
If we go up top and listen to brighter female vocalists or cymbals and brass, they get more clarity and air that opens up the sound.
The spatial cues get better separation and are more spread out, this makes the soundstage sound both more open and detailed.

Verite sounds as good here as I heard it with my OTL amps, and that is a good feat that I never have heard before on a normal headphone amp. Just need to mention this is my first class A amp, or amp with JFET transistors.

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LETSHUOER Cadenza 12

Many think the idea of using desktop gear and IEMs is wrong, as they often don't need much power and a simple dongle or DAP is enough.For me using more powerful desktop gear helps the IEMs or earbuds breath more, as in opening up with larger stage and also one some sets improving the nuance (often IEMs with DD).

The Cadenza 12 is a resolving high end IEM, it has 1 DD and 11 BA. The sound is what I consider neutral with some warmth there is already some smoothness to the sound.
Low gain and around 15-25 volume is where I find the sweet spot with the Cadenza 12 for volume, using it in the high gain or 200mW mode is not very noticeable.

I used the Topping A90 Discrete and iBasso DX180 checking how the Cadenza 12 performed on the S17 Pro EVO. Bass seems more deep with more sub bass rumble and has a stronger impactful slam. Midrange is butter smooth, even smoother than on the other two. Highs having that little extra shimmer here on EVO, change is not day and night but it sound more open due to his.

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Music

Click here for Audio with Leo playlist

I used this playlist when evaluating the S17 Pro EVO and also when comparing it to my other amps, I also used more music.

I will also provide some albums I have enjoyed lately:

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https://tidal.com/browse/album/233422594?u

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https://tidal.com/browse/album/368529995?u

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https://tidal.com/browse/album/251633397?u

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https://tidal.com/browse/album/370239857?u

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https://tidal.com/browse/album/184855747?u

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Summary

The AUNE S17 Pro EVO is a powerful and very good sounding headphone amplifier, this is an amp that should handle almost any headphone on the market. Even more sensitive IEMs work and sound great, with the down side on IEMs having less volume control as the amp is very powerful. The sound is natural and smooth with some warmth, the JFET and Class A power work well together in making the sound so dynamic while never being tiresome.

The unit is put together well and feels very sturdy with its metal chassis and heavy weight, the design is sleek and looks different due to the curved top. Only negative about the design is the power switch in the back, and would be nice with a better volume knob.
There are no heat problems like the previous model, also with a few other improvements this seems like a good evolution hence the name EVO.

I have really enjoyed the last month I have been using the S17 Pro EVO, it especially sparked some life back into my Verite that I have lacked a good amp for the last months. The impactful fast bass slam is awesome, as a metal enthusiast I really dig this quality.

It's not perfect, but if I look at it from a sound perspective this is highly recommended. Most likely one of the best sub $1000 headphone amplifiers on the market if you need power and good sound.
Last edited:
SGarfinkle
SGarfinkle
It's an interesting amp. I don't care for the aesthetics at all: neither the rounded top nor the bright white around the volume next to the Orange logo. For me, at least, it's a bad combination of making the top impractical for stacking along with a color scheme that, again just for me, strikes me as kind of tacky. I am sure many others will disagree.
TransientXY
TransientXY
Thank you for your review. I have one doubt about the comparison with the A90D, specifically this fragment:
"The A90 Discrete sound is both smaller and less dynamic, the music is more busy and cramped with less difference between the more silent and intense parts. The stage has more depth, height and width, this makes it sound both more open and spacious."

Does the entire paragraph apply to the A90D? Which amp's stage has more depth, height and width ...?
Leonarfd
Leonarfd
@TransientXY I will change some of it soon, got a little confusing there.
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