Aune S9c Pro - Impressions thread

[Toli]

PCs are not reliable sources.

True but not all dacs do this and If it was PC issue then I don't think the issue will go away by just waiting about 5-7 seconds through each source when switching back to USB source, maybe a driver update can fix this.

Im just worried that it will damage my speakers/headphones, If i knew it wont then It won't be annoying and I won't need to do all these steps so it doesn't do it.

Edit: according to Aune this will not cause any damage to the speakers

¯\_(ツ)_/¯​

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

Hey guys, just came to drop my impressions after a weeks use. I haven’t gotten this feeling in quite a while, hats off to Aune!! The S9c is very impressive for its price. This is the first time I’ve had something really wow me since monoprices thx dac/amp combo (which had quite a few bugs but sounded really good). I’m coming from using fiio’s k9 pro (akm) for about a year and while it didn’t really do anything wrong, i don’t see me getting rid of the S9c anytime soon.

To start off, this thing looks amazing and sounds super clean without much sibilance or glare, yea it can get a bit hot in the treble with some genres/recordings but it sounds really nice on well mixed records (I’m mean you wouldn’t notice any treble issues what so ever). Very nice holographic and out of your head experience. Keep in mind that it took about 3/4 days for my unit to sound the way I’m describing.

I like to believe that a dac’s job is to be as informative as possible without exaggeration, and for that the S9c is superb, and it’s not boring sounding at all, I’m speaking from strictly headphone amp usage. I haven’t tried the line out but I’d imagine it being clean as well and I’m perfectly fine with that because that’s where i like to start. I like to start clean and add whatever flavor from there with amps. This thing makes me want to invest largely into a tube amp and have the best of both worlds. Do yourselves a favor and don’t hesitate, grab one!!

Hey man! thanks for your comment. So I was wondering, seeing your arya organic, have you tried it with arya stealth or does the organic has a bit of that "grainy" characteristic of the stealth? Like the sound is not completely full, slightly vague in the presentation of sound? I am currently using an R28 NOS from audio gd and I will sell it, and probably buy the s9c pro but I hope sound is more full, also less veiledif you think of anything about that let me know! thanks

 

[quawn0418]

Hey man! thanks for your comment. So I was wondering, seeing your arya organic, have you tried it with arya stealth or does the organic has a bit of that "grainy" characteristic of the stealth? Like the sound is not completely full, slightly vague in the presentation of sound? I am currently using an R28 NOS from audio gd and I will sell it, and probably buy the s9c pro but I hope sound is more full, also less veiledif you think of anything about that let me know! thanks

I believe i only tried the organic with the S9c, and from what i remember the treble would get just a tad bit hot for me. Also, I’ve never tried the r28 but the S9c on its on could of been a bit more full in my opinion, it has decent weight, just could use a bit more.

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

I believe i only tried the organic with the S9c, and from what i remember the treble would get just a tad bit hot for me. Also, I’ve never tried the r28 but the S9c on its on could of been a bit more full in my opinion, it has decent weight, just could use a bit more.

Ok thanks!!! Well I am looking for a dac/ amp combo or separate units that would give me that weight as well as good separation and soundstage as i find that very important for me. Would you have anything to recomand under 1000? Also something not too hot on the treble would be great. I tried mojo 2, well it was very good about that weight in the mid too high frequencies, but bass wass muddy and unclear, also unpresent and without dynamics ( using both dac and amp section). Then mooved to aune X1S gt and for the price OMG this unit is awesome.... the only thing lacking again is ... weight. The bass was good, enough quantity, good dynamics, and the rest of the frequency was descent with descent separation and good soundstage size but sound in general wasnt as palpable as sound from the mojo 2, like everything is clearly there, not vague at all (anyway really not bad for a 280euros unit. But well I would like an upgrade now, bought the R28 NOS and to be honest its not a step up from the X1S gt, they sound pretty similar .... LOL ... only 1000 bocks more expensive. only thing I won is more outputs and power. I am sure I could do better. Thank you for your time!
(by the way I saw the S17pro second hand unit at 450 but Iam scared about the heat, I live in the south now and summers are long and freakin hot)

 

[Erick Muller]

Ok thanks!!! Well I am looking for a dac/ amp combo or separate units that would give me that weight as well as good separation and soundstage as i find that very important for me. Would you have anything to recomand under 1000? Also something not too hot on the treble would be great. I tried mojo 2, well it was very good about that weight in the mid too high frequencies, but bass wass muddy and unclear, also unpresent and without dynamics ( using both dac and amp section). Then mooved to aune X1S gt and for the price OMG this unit is awesome.... the only thing lacking again is ... weight. The bass was good, enough quantity, good dynamics, and the rest of the frequency was descent with descent separation and good soundstage size but sound in general wasnt as palpable as sound from the mojo 2, like everything is clearly there, not vague at all (anyway really not bad for a 280euros unit. But well I would like an upgrade now, bought the R28 NOS and to be honest its not a step up from the X1S gt, they sound pretty similar .... LOL ... only 1000 bocks more expensive. only thing I won is more outputs and power. I am sure I could do better. Thank you for your time!
(by the way I saw the S17pro second hand unit at 450 but Iam scared about the heat, I live in the south now and summers are long and freakin hot)

Aune's S17 amp is a good option bellow the $1000 usd mark, from reports it has good synergy with HFM headphones, specially the egg shaped ones.

The heat can be issue, specially if you live in hotter/more tropical climates like myself, I've found in this summer months that my little rig with a pair of usb powered fans is a must if you do mind the S17 going back of 50ma mode once it reaches 69 degrees. The sound quality with this amp I think fits the bill for what you're looking for, specially with the weight to the sound that you want, the problem is that you definitively need to place this amp on an area with good ventilation and at least elevate it from any surface a couple of inches, for me personally it hasn't been much of a issue but I've to made some changes and even get a new desk in order to accommodate and make space for my audio rig and that's something that I'm aware a lot of people won't be able to do given budget and space constrains

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

Aune's S17 amp is a good option bellow the $1000 usd mark, from reports it has good synergy with HFM headphones, specially the egg shaped ones.

The heat can be issue, specially if you live in hotter/more tropical climates like myself, I've found in this summer months that my little rig with a pair of usb powered fans is a must if you do mind the S17 going back of 50ma mode once it reaches 69 degrees. The sound quality with this amp I think fits the bill for what you're looking for, specially with the weight to the sound that you want, the problem is that you definitively need to place this amp on an area with good ventilation and at least elevate it from any surface a couple of inches, for me personally it hasn't been much of a issue but I've to made some changes and even get a new desk in order to accommodate and make space for my audio rig and that's something that I'm aware a lot of people won't be able to do given budget and space constrains

Right I understood that that thing was getting hot. But is there a big difference changing from mode 1 to 2? Would you describe it for me with your feeling of it? Also, can you play mode one for long periods of time without the unit getting too hot? about the ventilation i already thought about getting it on a special furniture high above the dac but still considering the average temperature it gets to I am still concerned, not only for the temperature of the room but also for longevity.

 

[Erick Muller]

Right I understood that that thing was getting hot. But is there a big difference changing from mode 1 to 2? Would you describe it for me with your feeling of it? Also, can you play mode one for long periods of time without the unit getting too hot? about the ventilation i already thought about getting it on a special furniture high above the dac but still considering the average temperature it gets to I am still concerned, not only for the temperature of the room but also for longevity.

I almost exclusively run my S17 on high gain, 100ma mode because the sound is fuller, with more bass and the mids are really good, it brings them a little bit forward, so depending on your headphone and rest of the chain that might be a little bit too much of a good thing, but I will say that it's and amp that has meat to the bones, I can see why some people compare it to tube amps because now that I have one, I do see where they're coming from when they make that comparison, don't get me wrong, it's still an SS amp in it's character, but it has some of those tube qualities, good holography, great sound stage a a little bit more alive in the sound.

The S17 doesn't get dangerously hot, it does run hot but it's not something that it's going to harm you if you touch it, tho I wouldn't stack things both on top or directly on the bottom of this amp because if you have a DAC that runs also somewhat hot, like my Cyan 2, then it's not a good idea to add to the heat, it could potentially cause problems. If you get this amp and you live in a place that gets hot in the summer, then heat and temperature management with this amp is going to be something that your going to have to plan around this amp and the rest of your audio setup.

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

I almost exclusively run my S17 on high gain, 100ma mode because the sound is fuller, with more bass and the mids are really good, it brings them a little bit forward, so depending on your headphone and rest of the chain that might be a little bit too much of a good thing, but I will say that it's and amp that has meat to the bones, I can see why some people compare it to tube amps because now that I have one, I do see where they're coming from when they make that comparison, don't get me wrong, it's still an SS amp in it's character, but it has some of those tube qualities, good holography, great sound stage a a little bit more alive in the sound.

The S17 doesn't get dangerously hot, it does run hot but it's not something that it's going to harm you if you touch it, tho I wouldn't stack things both on top or directly on the bottom of this amp because if you have a DAC that runs also somewhat hot, like my Cyan 2, then it's not a good idea to add to the heat, it could potentially cause problems. If you get this amp and you live in a place that gets hot in the summer, then heat and temperature management with this amp is going to be something that your going to have to plan around this amp and the rest of your audio setup.

Ok thanks but is there a big temperature difference in between mode one and two? Like on mode one can you let it play all day?

 

[Erick Muller]

Ok thanks but is there a big temperature difference in between mode one and two? Like on mode one can you let it play all day?

50ma mode on low gain it runs at mid to high 50 degrees all day without a problem when we have really hot days here where I live, that's internal temps of course, the outside chassis it feels like high 30s, low 40s in temp max if you touch the amp, warm but not hot I would say. 100ma mode on high gain, I can get a couple of hours of listening at nigh with the AC on, then I have to turn on my usb fans to cool down the amp in order that it doesn't change back to 50ma mode. Outside chassis temps, it feels hot, like not burning your hands kind of hot, but it's getting into uncomfortable levels of warmth if your tried to hold the amp on your hands.

 

[Syan25]

I'm going to get one in Silver.

 

[Colif]

So I ordered one of these a few days ago, hope to get it this week.

Was curious, what does the button between Volume up & Volume down do on remote? Is it mute?

I wouldn't ask if I could find it anywhere on web.
Its not in the manual, and no reviews I noticed mention what buttons Do.

I can guess most of them

1. Changes input
2. Changes Filter
3. Vol Up
4. mystery
5. volume down.

I have watched all the videos I can find... many times now. I didn't wonder about it until tonight.

Since no one replied and I have unit now:
1, Changes input
2, Changes Mode
3. Changes Output
4. Volume up
5. Volume down

 

[Syan25]

Mines on the way...

 

[TiborM]

Is it just me having a placebo or using USB to PC is actually adding some flavour to the music versus using optical cable, like maybe more soundstage or more musical sounding.

And if true do you think buying more expensive USB cable will improve the sound.

Since you played around with it, any tip to improve the sound of it is welcome

Thanks

Hi. Optical is usually very clean, but thin sounding, usb should be denser. But for me, after years of PC music playback, a streamer rpi+pi2aes with volumio soft, made a very nice and solid change. Everything seems just more palpable, instruments are better defined and separated, and music flows so seamlessly. I could not ever replicate this on PC.

Mind, I do not own Aune, but it should be working that way here aswell, and you can use aes/ebu balanced in. Check it out !

 

[ty5142]

Just ordered one from Amazon and will have it paired up with my trusty HD800 next week.

For current owners what do you prefer for PC input, usb or optical?

 

[Syan25]

Amazon UK doesn't offer any Aune products.