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Aune T1 USB Tube DAC+ SS Amp Discussion Thread ***See first post for FAQ--Updated on 02/14/15***

Jun 7, 2013 at 8:58 AM Post #2,026 of 8,309
Quote:
coil said:
With mike oldfield trubular bells - 6922EH is way better! 6N23P is very foward sounding tube with considerably less air and soundstage. 6N23P is good for jazz glam-rock etc. to create very close intimate feeling. But even then I personally find it to be too "muddy & through the blanket" sounding. I think for classical you should try Tesla PCC88 (32 coded yellow) / JAN Sylvania 6922 / Ultron PCC189.
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Hey CoiL, I've sent you a PM and was wondering if you could check it out.
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 9:44 AM Post #2,027 of 8,309
Quote:
mreleventy said:
I've used it this way before I upgraded to a darkvoice 336se amp and it works really well.

E: btw, using the Line In of the T1 will bypass the tube and you'll only be using the T1's SS amp. The only way to use the tube is via USB in. It's a usb tube dac + ss amp.
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Is it possible to describe the difference between T1's SS amp and the darkvoice? I recently got the T1 and HD600s and after hearing them, i decided that the HD600s will be my end game headphones and don't mind spending a little more to get the last bit of juice out of them. I was considering the BH crack, but the darkvoice looks so sexy 
cool.gif
. 
 
However, I am keeping my expectations down as to how much a better amp will change the sound. I will probably be auditioning the asgard 2 together with the T1 to hear for myself how much improvement a mid tier amp can give and make my decision from there. I absolutely don't mind just using the T1's built in amp if I don't hear a significant change, as the T1 already sounds so awesome!
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 11:35 AM Post #2,028 of 8,309
Just received this tube, Mazda Belvu PCC189:

 
On box it says Fabrication Francaise and PCC189 V - 9 . Tube itself doesn`t have any factory code. Seems rare tube bc could not get any info on it other than datasheet. First impressions - tight & punchy but smooth bass, mids feel great, highs are good. Soundstage seems to be foward sounding & intimate but in a good way. Will not say anything more because I`m tired and will let it burn. Anyway, it`s not same Mazda PCC189 that I already have ( coded B9I5 ). 
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 12:28 PM Post #2,029 of 8,309
ophiel said:
Is it possible to describe the difference between T1's SS amp and the darkvoice? I recently got the T1 and HD600s and after hearing them, i decided that the HD600s will be my end game headphones and don't mind spending a little more to get the last bit of juice out of them. I was considering the BH crack, but the darkvoice looks so sexy 
cool.gif

. 

However, I am keeping my expectations down as to how much a better amp will change the sound. I will probably be auditioning the asgard 2 together with the T1 to hear for myself how much improvement a mid tier amp can give and make my decision from there. I absolutely don't mind just using the T1's built in amp if I don't hear a significant change, as the T1 already sounds so awesome!
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It's kinda hard. I haven't pinned down the amp's signature prior to the tubed path. I want to say it's neutral and leaning on slightly warm. A lot of how it sounds depends on the tubes that you have in the darkvoice. The power tube that I'm using is fast, has tight bass, and is slightly bright (Tung-sol 5998/Chatham 2399) and the driver is warm and slightly bassy so they work well together. to give a detailed and slightly warm signature to pair with my dt880s. For the HD600s, you'll probably want a good 6as7 tube as it has a fatter tube-y bass sound. and probably a bright driver to give it more sparkle along the highs. It's all in how you roll it to be honest.
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 1:37 PM Post #2,030 of 8,309
What would be a good budget tube with similar sound to the Amperex 7308 PQ White Label and/or the Telefunken 7DJ8 ?
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 10:15 PM Post #2,035 of 8,309
Alright...
wow.
This is a really awesome piece of kit; I'm so glad I bought it.  Much thanks to Salvatore and many others for convincing me to buy this.  I'm just listening to the stock eh6922 tube right now, it sounds really good.  Amperex pq orange label coming very soon, and I'm excited!
I've got a question for you guys though: what setting do you use for the switches on the bottom?  The low end seems slightly distorted when both switches are on(even at the same volume level as I listen with both switches off), but I kind of like the analog distortion in small amounts so I may leave it.
 
Additionally, if someone can link me to the part of this thread where wasapi+asio are discussed that would be great.  Can't seem to find it with search.
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 10:23 PM Post #2,036 of 8,309
those are gain switches. they're meant for higher ohm hps. I find that for really efficient hps or iems, 0 gain works best. (all off). +10 for everything around 300 and all up for 600 ohms hps. rule of thumb is you want the lowest gain with the best dial range. if you can run 0 and it gets loud enough, leave it.
 
Jun 7, 2013 at 10:52 PM Post #2,037 of 8,309
Yeah, I know what the switches are.  Just wondering if anyone sort of had the same preference that I did about leaving the gain switches up.  I've settled for +10 gain, which is clear but still gives a bit of analog distortion.
 
Edit: Found this on foobar's component list:
 
Please note that this component is meant for systems where ASIO is the only available output method. It is highly recommended to use the default output modes instead of ASIO. Contrary to popular "audiophile" claims, there are NO benefits from using ASIO as far as music playback quality is concerned, while bugs in ASIO drivers may severely degrade the performance.
 
So why is it better again?  I notice that foobar has a Wasapi option in the playback tab, should I use that?
 
Jun 8, 2013 at 3:34 AM Post #2,038 of 8,309
Quote:
magirush said:
Additionally, if someone can link me to the part of this thread where wasapi+asio are discussed that would be great.  Can't seem to find it with search.
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I don't remember too much plugin conversation here, but here's some JRiverWiki links and guides. You can try different plugins and choose the one that works for you. I think there were some additional benefits when using wasapi (event), but can't really remember anymore? If any of you guys have good informative links, please post them here and I'll add them to the info post.
 
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Output_Modes
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/WASAPI
 
http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/media/windows_7_wasapi_setup-1353494368.pdf
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/computer-based-music/how-tosetup-foobar2000-to-use-wasapi
 
Jun 8, 2013 at 4:46 AM Post #2,039 of 8,309
Quote:
magirush said:
Yeah, I know what the switches are.  Just wondering if anyone sort of had the same preference that I did about leaving the gain switches up.  I've settled for +10 gain, which is clear but still gives a bit of analog distortion.
 
Edit: Found this on foobar's component list:
 
Please note that this component is meant for systems where ASIO is the only available output method. It is highly recommended to use the default output modes instead of ASIO. Contrary to popular "audiophile" claims, there are NO benefits from using ASIO as far as music playback quality is concerned, while bugs in ASIO drivers may severely degrade the performance.
 
So why is it better again?  I notice that foobar has a Wasapi option in the playback tab, should I use that?
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Use WASAPI, ASIO or KSP... the one that fits best for you but certainly don`t leave it to default output. All those 3 options stream audio through RAM and don`t use internal OS filtering.
That foobar text is crap.
 
Jun 8, 2013 at 5:45 AM Post #2,040 of 8,309
Quote:
salvatore said:
 
Glad you like your new toy. EH is good tube but there are better tubes out there (sometimes I feel like being too hard on the EH). I happily use 0 gain with volume knob around 50%. AKG K702 anniversaries are a bit louder that the regular K702 due to the memory foam pad design (drivers are closer to ear and pads are not tilted). No distortion whatsoever. Is it possible that the distortion comes from the tube? Well you can easily check this after receiving your new tubes. I don't remember too much plugin conversation here, but here's some JRiverWiki links + guides + my own settings (I use wasapi event for who knows what reason... probably read some threads etc before downloading the plugin). You can try different plugins and choose the one that works for you. I think there were some additional benefits when using wasapi event, but can't really remember anymore? If any of you guys have good informative links, please post them here and I'll add them to the info post.
 
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The distortion was caused, I think ,because the gain settings were at +16 db.  Even at the same volume levels it would distort more with those switches enabled.  I guess it must have been too much for the headphones.  I'm using it at 0 now, but the distortion didn't sound very bad or obvious.
Anyway, about the output, my settings actually are exactly the same as yours are.  I guess my version of foobar comes with wasapi installed.
 
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