Aune S17 pro

[Erick Muller]

I'm torn between the Aune S17 Pro and the SMSL SP400, any advice would be appreciated. The amp will be used with the HIFIMAN EF400 (R2R) in DAC mode, replacing my Earmen ST-AMP. I want a big, layered, 3D soundstage and a "cinematic", lush sound for both music and single-player games.

the S17 has great dynamics and huge soundstage, imaging is excellent and it's pretty holographic and that's in 50ma mode, in 100ma mode it loses a bit of clarity and the airiness, but it hits like a mule, so you have options.

 

[Erick Muller]

@Ichos Will the S17 pro be better for this then?

Is THX sound more clinical, sterile?

It depends on the implementation tbh and also on synergy, I have had two THX amps, the fiio k7 and BTR7, with the k7 almost everything sounded good with the exception of my LCD2C's which became unlistenable with them, really bad synergy, BTR7 in comparison was way smoother. Generally speaking, THX amps can have a wide soundstage but it often lacks depth, sounding a little bit 2D.

 

[SpiritualAbies2600]

the S17 has great dynamics and huge soundstage, imaging is excellent and it's pretty holographic and that's in 50ma mode, in 100ma mode it loses a bit of clarity and the airiness, but it hits like a mule, so you have options.

This exactly.... However, I fixed the lack of airiness by inserting an extra Lokius I had lying around. But EQing the highs a bit from the DAC to the AMP, I get some of the airiness along with the mule kicks

 

[Ichos]

The real question for me is can it actually properly drive Tungsten.

It seems that it can.

 

[Ichos]

Sorry, I'm new to the audio hobby.
I've got secondhand schiit bifrost uber with AKM4490 upgrade as a DAC. And currently looking to purchase aune s17 pro.
Unfortunately, my dac has rca output only and no balanced XLR. Will Aune S17 pro work well with such dac? Is the sound through RCA input as good as through XLR?

sorry if the questions are silly.

You will have no problem. The RCA input will work the same.

 

[Ichos]

One more question, as I see you had a chance to test and review the ST-AMP. How does the S17 Pro compare to its amp section? Will it be a significant upgrade, beside from the raw power capabilities?

Significant upgrade no but different sound signature yes. The St-Amp is a very good headphone amplifier but it lacks that Class-A magic of the S17 which has a thicker and warmer sound, tube-like character, more holographic soundstage and is also more impactful. The St-Amp has better transparency and clarity though so it depends on the application.

 

[Slackaveli]

This exactly.... However, I fixed the lack of airiness by inserting an extra Lokius I had lying around. But EQing the highs a bit from the DAC to the AMP, I get some of the airiness along with the mule kicks

I've been wanting one of those for awhile. If I can manage to pull of getting Tungsten, Yggy gs2, and whichever amp I end up going with for the Tungstens, I should try to add a Lokius to the chain.

 

[Slackaveli]

It seems that it can.

Cant wait for somebody in here to get their Tungstens to hear their reactions.

 

[AntonNZ]

Using RCA shall lower the volume BUT not by double automatically. It all depends on the gain stage of each input.

However, even with the lowest powered connection, which is RCA input and single ended, you still get like 2 watts into a headphone. Way more than you shall need.

For the Hifiman Edition, I only use about 100-200 milliwatts. So 2000 milliwatts would cause permanent defense and blow headphones.

For good RCA cables, I live by SKW and WBC. Both are available on Amazon. SKW great cables for a decent price. WBC makes great cables using either Canare or Mogami wires.

If budget is an issue, try KabelDireck (Notice spelling), GearIT, BlueJean, Monoprice. In that order of my happiness with them.

If you cannot find them, let me know and I shall get you some links.

Budget is an issue. it is difficult to justify to my wife how I've managed to live for 30 years with 1 dollar headphones and another 10 with bose qc35 and now I suddenly bought HD6xx, some strange dac with name Schiit on it, rented a Bravo Ocean from my colleague and now itching to spend another 1K for amplifier
As per RCA cables, I've got one from Aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003092337871.html? and another one from local PC shop for 12 dollars. I will work through upgrades in cables and other equipment in stages.

 

[Slackaveli]

Budget is an issue. it is difficult to justify to my wife how I've managed to live for 30 years with 1 dollar headphones and another 10 with bose qc35 and now I suddenly bought HD6xx, some strange dac with name Schiit on it, rented a Bravo Ocean from my colleague and now itching to spend another 1K for amplifier
As per RCA cables, I've got one from Aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003092337871.html? and another one from local PC shop for 12 dollars. I will work through upgrades in cables and other equipment in stages.

She'll get over it. I'm sure she spends money ... you may have to do her some, ummm, favors though

 

[SmartCheetah]

Significant upgrade no but different sound signature yes. The St-Amp is a very good headphone amplifier but it lacks that Class-A magic of the S17 which has a thicker and warmer sound, tube-like character, more holographic soundstage and is also more impactful.

Many thanks.
And how about the amplifier section of the EF400 compared to the Aune S17 Pro? Is the Aune even more impactful? How does their clarity and transparency compare?
While the EF400 is less transparent and precise than the ST-AMP, it definitely sounds "bigger" and more cinematic when I use its amplifier. In music, I prefer to leave the ST-AMP on in amplifier mode, but for PC gaming, the EF400 creates a more immersive "wall of sound" with a wider soundstage, even if it sacrifices some layering and precision. Would the Aune S17 Pro's sound presentation be more similar to the EF400 than the the ST-AMP?

the S17 has great dynamics and huge soundstage, imaging is excellent and it's pretty holographic and that's in 50ma mode, in 100ma mode it loses a bit of clarity and the airiness, but it hits like a mule, so you have options.

Sounds promising. To add to that, my daily DAC is the EF400 that has two modes - Oversampling and NOS which also sound quite different. Options multiply.

I have had two THX amps, the fiio k7 and BTR7, with the k7 almost everything sounded good

I had the K7 too and sold it after I bought the ST-AMP. Not by much, but it was an upgrade. ST-AMP is a touch more organic, aggressive in the mids, appreciated in the guitar music. But in the end they were surprisingly alike.

The St-AMP and the EF400 are two completely different animals though. This is why I kept then both and I'm using them in all possible configurations.

 

[aurallychallenged]

I'm torn between the Aune S17 Pro and the SMSL SP400, any advice would be appreciated. The amp will be used with the HIFIMAN EF400 (R2R) in DAC mode, replacing my Earmen ST-AMP. I want a big, layered, 3D soundstage and a "cinematic", lush sound for both music and single-player games.

Hi SmartCheetah. I have the SMSL SP400 headphone amp which I also use as a pre-amp and I auditioned an S17 Pro for 2 weeks. The S17 Pro has more power than the SP400 when used as a pre-amp and the sound was definitely more musical and lush but not overly warm, I'd say just on the warm side of neutral. The SP400 is more neutral and analytical and in isolation is a very good amp with great resolution and dynamics but I preferred the sound of the S17 when used as a pre-amp. I had some issues when using it as a headphone amplifier to power a HiFiman HE400SE which is not too difficult to power but for whatever reason when running a balanced output to it via 4.4mm pentacon I needed to increase to about 56 on high gain and 100ma to get sufficient SPL for my tastes and I try to aim for an average SPL of about 77dB which is not particularly loud. As a result the temperatures rose significantly. Having read some of the content on this thread there seems to be a consensus that maybe the quality of the cable may have an influence on increasing temperatures. My cable was cheap and bought on AliExpress so this may be to blame for the poor SPL levels and increased temperature. I should have spent more time using a higher quality 6.35mm SE cable I have, to see if that was causing the temperature levels to increase in the same way. I used IEMs on it also and can report that there was no hiss and no channel imbalance at low volume and temperatures were not an issue at all.

For that reason I didn't purchase the S17 Pro which was a shame as when used as a pre-amp I had absolutely no problems with temperatures which sat at about 57 degrees and the sound was definitely better than the SP400. So know what you might be getting into with the S17 Pro as most buyers are prepared to put up with the high temperatures because the sound is so good for the price. If you don't want to take the risk and are considering the SP400 then maybe you should take a look at the Topping A70 Pro as an alternative as that also has plenty of power and has some good reviews. I hope this helps.

 

[Simon Patten]

@AntonNZ the sound is exactly the same whether source is RCA or XLR. The only difference you shall see is that total headphone output shall be slightly less since RCA is normally 2vrm while XLR is usually between 4/5vrm.

I can confirm this. I recently upgraded from RCA to XLR and spent a while switching between them. They sounded very similar to me.

 

[Simon Patten]

Many thanks.
And how about the amplifier section of the EF400 compared to the Aune S17 Pro? Is the Aune even more impactful? How does their clarity and transparency compare?

The EF400 is a lovely device but the S17 is a huge upgrade in every way, as it should be, being almost double the price and just an amplifier compared to a combined unit. I didn't try using the two together but I would imagine they'd sound nice.

 

[Ichos]

Many thanks.
And how about the amplifier section of the EF400 compared to the Aune S17 Pro? Is the Aune even more impactful? How does their clarity and transparency compare?
While the EF400 is less transparent and precise than the ST-AMP, it definitely sounds "bigger" and more cinematic when I use its amplifier. In music, I prefer to leave the ST-AMP on in amplifier mode, but for PC gaming, the EF400 creates a more immersive "wall of sound" with a wider soundstage, even if it sacrifices some layering and precision. Would the Aune S17 Pro's sound presentation be more similar to the EF400 than the the ST-AMP?


Sounds promising. To add to that, my daily DAC is the EF400 that has two modes - Oversampling and NOS which also sound quite different. Options multiply.

I had the K7 too and sold it after I bought the ST-AMP. Not by much, but it was an upgrade. ST-AMP is a touch more organic, aggressive in the mids, appreciated in the guitar music. But in the end they were surprisingly alike.

The St-AMP and the EF400 are two completely different animals though. This is why I kept then both and I'm using them in all possible configurations.

I don't remember something special about the amplifier section of the EF400 and it is difficult now to offer a valid comparison.