[stuartmc]

In my search for an all in one compact desktop solution, I came across what appears to be a new high-end product from Aune that is available through Shenzhenaudio.com for $700. The specs look promising and I was wondering if any head-fiers knew of this product, or had any opinions on it.

 

[hugoboss]

That dac is just release this october wait for 1month for any review. In my opinion this aunes16 dac withlatest akm will be a serious contender in 1000 dollars dac range

 

[stuartmc]

It sure looks lovely.  I use Senn HD600's for most of my listening and the Aune developers say that they use this can for optimum sound development.  The headphone output is 600mW into a 300 ohm load...yeah, that ought to drive the the HD600's  just fine!

 

[stuartmc]

I'm taking one for the team! I pulled the trigger and have an S16 on the way. I hope to have some stalwarts here to compare it to.

 

[hugoboss]

does shenzen audio have ready stock? there is already out of stock in china .
plz post a review when you receive your's. i am looking for this too and curious about the latest akm chipset sound
 

 

[stuartmc]

  does shenzen audio have ready stock? there is already out of stock in china .
plz post a review when you receive your's. i am looking for this too and curious about the latest akm chipset sound
 

Shenzhenaudio does claim to have the S16 in Stock and ready for shipment.  I will post some pictures and give some brief impressions when it arrives. I will be doing a full review as time permits.  I may try to have the Schiit Bifrost and Asgard on hand for comparison.  They are well known, about the same price and considered a good value.  Greetings to you in Jakarta!

 

[Zakin]

This seems like very interesting Audio-GD/Yulong competition when it comes to price/performance ratio. Very interested!

 

[stuartmc]

I was thinking the same thing. Certainly the hardware is very competitively priced by Aune. If there implementation is good, this could be game changer.

 

[hugoboss]

aune is famous in low end dac. their most famous line is aune t1 dac now upgraded to t1mk2 and the other one is aune x1 which got 4 revision all is selling under 250us dollar.
and both got many positive review and known for best value dac.
 
now s16 dac is their most expensive dac in their history!
they take a very serious bold and brave move in the 700-1000 usdollar range
i believe this first move is so serious project from aune.
 
lets just hope it's sound very good with the akm flagship chipset
 
there is three thing i excited about this dac
 
1. akm latest flagship chip with xmos latest 8 core chip for usb input for best jitter remover
2. usb isolator adum chipset onboard which support dsd ( all usb isolator using adum chipset only support 16bit 44khz) this is so good
3. fpga fifo processing like the famous chord hugo dac but not using the same xillink spartan fpga and coaxial, optical input support dsd ( as i know no dac have dsd support in coaxial and optical input except for hugo but hugo need special optical cable for dsd support)
 
 
all these three only 700us dollars unbelievable price.
only just need a true review of this dac is it really sound as good as the specs
 
 
aune have one weakness they never ever have driver support and firmware in their website
hope this s16 will get driver and firmware upgrade in the future

 

[stuartmc]

I would like to see Aune transition well to the next level. To do that, they will need better customer support, a much better website and a presence on enthusiasts sites like head-fi. I am in communication with them now and so far, I like their attitude.

 

[Greggo]

Can anyone tell if there is an option for remote control?  And also, are the RCA/XLR outputs fixed or potentially variable like the headphone output?  It appears to indicate digital volume control but looks like it only drives headphone amp with that feature....not sure.  The is the only thing that bugs me about my NAD D1050 is that I can't control the line out, only the headphone amp.  Even so, I am very interested to see how this would compare to the NAD and to the Matrix mini-i Pro.

 

[kablecorner]

A1Futureshop in Australia says stock arriving mi November.
 
Look forward in hearing it:
 
http://a1futureshop.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=708

 

[hugoboss]

  Can anyone tell if there is an option for remote control?  And also, are the RCA/XLR outputs fixed or potentially variable like the headphone output?  It appears to indicate digital volume control but looks like it only drives headphone amp with that feature....not sure.  The is the only thing that bugs me about my NAD D1050 is that I can't control the line out, only the headphone amp.  Even so, I am very interested to see how this would compare to the NAD and to the Matrix mini-i Pro.

looking to the specs this aune is beyond matrix mini pro and nad. maybe the same league in matrix x-sabre the most expensive matrix line maybe in my opinion sound better than sabre

 

[stuartmc]

looking to the specs this aune is beyond matrix mini pro and nad. maybe the same league in matrix x-sabre the most expensive matrix line maybe in my opinion sound better than sabre

I'm waiting for mine to arrive in north America, but Lord willing, it will only be a few more days. I am most anxious to see/hear if Aune has pulled this off. If past impressions are correct, the latest AKM chip may deliver the detail so highly regarded with the Sabre chip, while retaining the smooth treble and slight warmth that we hear in dacs using the last generation AKM, i.e., the Bifrost. Of course it's just as much about the implementation, power supply, analog stages, etc., so we shall see. I'm pretty excited about being the first north American to get my hands on one.

 

[hugoboss]

don't forget to post your early impression and before turning it on check the power supply is it 220 or 110 volt
 
most china amp and dac use 220-240 usually there is a switch to change to 110 or it use automatic voltage