Listening to me LCD2Cs again, yep, they completely walk over and destroy the HE400SE, but one would expect that for almost 8 times the price lol, but I needed to EQ them a lot more than the HE400SE to make them sound good, tho the HE400SE are significantly less heavy and cumbersome than any of the Audeze's LCD line.
Aune S17 pro
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Khark
New Head-Fier
Thanks for liking the S17 ProFor your "next goal" you may consider the AR5000
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/971107
Can you please share the High/Low gain numbers?
Hi,
low gain: 8.9dB
High gain: 13.6dB
Thanks for your suggestion. We've updated the spec page
http://www.auneaudio.com/Desktop_en/127.html
Dimitry188
100+ Head-Fier
I have Aune s17 Pro and Singxer SA-1 at the same time.Once again I would like to emphasize that what I am describing is about comparing the Singxer SA1 amplifiers with Aune mainly on HE1000 Stealth headphones and for my ear, so in any other system the Aune amplifier may give different results, I think.
I think that the HE1000 Stealth headphones are exceptionally fast and clean-sounding plenaries, so they very easily show the differences in the audio path, in the amplifiers, in the DAC and what I still hear is clearly better synergy with the Singxer amplifier and I am already writing why:
sound stage:
- the sound stage is evenly distributed in Singxer, only some sounds (in my opinion only those that should be) are created directly in the listener's head, in my opinion it gives a listening feeling similar to listening from loudspeakers, it is very natural and puts the listener in a relaxed mode, while therefore, the space itself is not significantly smaller than Aune
- the sound stage in Aune is clearly divided left / right with a clear deficit in depth and this unfortunately results in the fact that I cannot relax while listening, a lot of sounds originate in my head or move between the left and right ears, which irritates my brain ( This is good news because it means I have a brain)
timbre:
And I can say with complete confidence that Aune sounds better, more accurate and more detailed in all respects than Singxer.
In 50mA mode, Aune approximately corresponds to Singxer in sound, and in 100mA mode Aune significantly surpasses Singxer in sound.
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For me, the topic of comparison is rather over. And if I feel relieved that I no longer have to stress about testing equipment, and I just enjoy the music, it means that I made the right choice for myself. Maybe my ears are different? I don't know, but every time I switched to Singxer I knew this was it.
Since the seller had to send me the Aune in black, he owes me an exchange for a silver one, so I have the opportunity to check out another copy, but I don't know if I have the energy or desire to do so.
To clarify, I just need to add that I do not accept any EQ correction, my equipment must play natively.
The second quite important thing is that the Singxer is connected at the input and output via a balanced connection and this is the only option for this amplifier to work to its full potential, if someone uses it as an SE, they are making a mistake, just as an aside.
So there are a lot of nuances that come into play in this game as you can see.
For me there is only one downside to this situation with Aune - now I know that to upgrade to something better than the Singxer SA-1 I will probably have to spend much more money than I thought.
Did you have the jumper mod on your singxer?
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SmartCheetah
100+ Head-Fier
From HiFiMan, I own the Arya Stealth and the Edition XS. I use them with the S17 Pro and the HiFiMan EF400. I primarily use the EF400 as a DAC only, but I compared it as a standalone vs. the stack with the Aune.
The EF400 was supposedly designed specifically for HiFiMan planar headphones. It's a very good combo unit, offering a "big" sound presentation with a slightly elevated bass and a huge soundstage. However, the Aune S17 Pro is on a different level. It sounds even fuller, richer, lusher. The EF400 shows a touch more aggression in the mids, especially noticeable with hard rock/metal. But it's also more "contoured", with a slight hollowness, and can sound flatter in some tracks. It does have a midbass bump, which some will like, some don't. The Aune S17 Pro is praised for its soundstage, but the EF400 actually competes quite well, at least in terms of width.
Comparing to the EF400, I wouldn't call the S17 Pro warm. It's easier on the ears when paired with bright headphones or shouty music, but without sacrificing clarity and treble spark where it should be. It's actually a similar case with the Arya Stealth and Edition XS. The Edition XS is a little darker in presentation than the brighter and more resolving Arya, but if you ramp up the volume to the levels you don't usually listen at, it will be the Arya the less fatiguing one. As it is better on a technical level.
The EF400 being a true R2R DAC in NOS mode actually pairs REALLY good with the S17 though. I'd say the EF400 is a good all-in-one, but a great DAC.
The EF400 was supposedly designed specifically for HiFiMan planar headphones. It's a very good combo unit, offering a "big" sound presentation with a slightly elevated bass and a huge soundstage. However, the Aune S17 Pro is on a different level. It sounds even fuller, richer, lusher. The EF400 shows a touch more aggression in the mids, especially noticeable with hard rock/metal. But it's also more "contoured", with a slight hollowness, and can sound flatter in some tracks. It does have a midbass bump, which some will like, some don't. The Aune S17 Pro is praised for its soundstage, but the EF400 actually competes quite well, at least in terms of width.
Comparing to the EF400, I wouldn't call the S17 Pro warm. It's easier on the ears when paired with bright headphones or shouty music, but without sacrificing clarity and treble spark where it should be. It's actually a similar case with the Arya Stealth and Edition XS. The Edition XS is a little darker in presentation than the brighter and more resolving Arya, but if you ramp up the volume to the levels you don't usually listen at, it will be the Arya the less fatiguing one. As it is better on a technical level.
The EF400 being a true R2R DAC in NOS mode actually pairs REALLY good with the S17 though. I'd say the EF400 is a good all-in-one, but a great DAC.
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I still sometimes find that with some headphones, even doing EQ, upsampling with HQPlayer, both higher res formats of PCM or DSD, and optimizing with different filters and modulators, I sometimes get shoutiness with some recordings, certainly not all, but I think this might be my DAC and also, the recording quality, mastering and the singer itself are going to play a significantly larger factor on this, even more so than headphones.
I would say that the S17 does lean on the warm side of things, coming from an SMSL amp, not overly so, but on 100ma it certainly leans that way, it does colored the sound a little bit, but I think Aune found a good balance in this regard.
I really want to upgrade my DAC to an R2R, looking at the Cyan 2, maybe that will help somewhat with some of the harsher recordings.
SmartCheetah
100+ Head-Fier
Agree. It does lean on the warm side of things, but I'd rather call it lush and rich than warm in the sense you call headphones warm where the tonality and timbre difference can be huge. I also had a chance to compare the S17 with the ST-AMP which is a neutral DAC/AMP combo. They sound quite different, but Aune still didn't strike me as overly warm even with that comparison. All my headphones are neutral or bright(ish) so maybe this is also why.
One thing is certain, Hifiman headphones (Arya Stealth, Ananda Nano, Edition XS) sound much better on the Aune S17 than on the EF400, ST-AMP or EF400+STAMP stack (which was also great btw).
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I reckon that, if you've nailed the right synergy with your set-up, then that will by far beat having a more resolving one. You'll probably have to go through a whole, expensive journey to get from a higher-end system.
A higher-end system is not my goal per se. I think that system synergy is a key issue to achieve a higher level of sound.
Resolution without proper timbre is just a collection of sounds, which is why Singxer has better resolution in my system,
I try not to judge Aune too harshly, but what if in the sample hi-res 192/24 recording - Sonny Rollins, Wagon Wheels
on Singxer, these quiet voices (like a whisper) in the background are so organic, so real, so completely natural, they make an obvious unity with the rest of the recording and the music, they enhance the entire atmosphere of the recording so much
on Aune, .... show this detail palely, almost artificially.... Unfortunately
I don’t have the s17 pro but I do have the SA-1. To me your review makes perfect sense. The other poster said in the 50 mode they are similar amps and in 100 mode they like the S17 pro better. Which to me means a more tube like sound is enjoyable in that setup or to that person. Where your setup / preferences are probably hearing the music with no coloration or minor in comparison. Which to me I look at being a great thing. People come to these forums a lot of the time (I’m guessing because I do it) or watch YouTube videos hoping they find the perfect no brainer product in a specific price range. A product so good nothing stands a chance against it. It seems like based on your review and the reviews by wavetheory YouTube channel thoughts on the Mjolinir 3 - that the simplicity people are looking for is just not there in audio. Its synergy and preferences that seems to keep winning out in the end. That’s why it’s a never ending interesting subject and there is no perfect product. That to me I guess could be annoying for some, but that keeps the hobby way more interesting imo.
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Try all combinations, 100ma/50ma/H/L, to find YOUR general preference. Your general preference is just general and not all the time. Sometimes you may prefer other combos for certain music/tracks. If you change headphones then that whole preference may change with it too.
S17 - Focal Clear - @ volume 48 seem too loud to me, unless your input side is low.
My S17 - Focal Clear - 50ma/L - always below volume 30.
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