[Salvatore]

Just a few words for you guys.
 
I like to think that all my tubes has this T1 sound. They differ in sound stage / imaging, some have exaggerated bass and others feel more natural. Some have more forward mids than the others etc. In the end it comes to fine tuning the T1 to match your headphones rather than finding the ultimately best tube.
 
Best tubes are naturally better in all aspects than the worst, but some might prefer Voshkod rockets over 7308 Amperexes, for example, because of the sweet lush intimate forward presentation of the rocket. The differences are not huge because this is a tube DAC with SS amp. I think people should purchase tubes in order to adjust the sound. So before buying any expensive tubes ask yourself what you want to improve / change in your current setup. If you are happy with your tubes there's no need to get into the rolling business. Critical comparison also means best quality source and good headphones.
 
We also tend to overemphasize and exaggerate in our reviews just to get the message to people. This of course creates hype. It's also hard to do extensive 1 vs 1 comparison if you have lots of tubes (think of Coil for example). When tired or sick everything can suddenly start sounding the same. Just do it for fun and the reward is greater. And remember to burn in the tubes (especially NOS). I've done my share of hasty impressions by judging tubes before burning them in (EH, Valvo etc.). I admit there is probably too much tube discussion here, especially considering the topic of the thread, but it's just us happy T1 owners having good time with our purchases. It's really fun and worth the money invested to challenge your senses and try finding differences between different tubes. Just remember that the T1 is the lead star here not the tubes! For people who are not sure whether some expensive tube is improvement enough or not, try getting tubes from well known manufacturer with good prints and visible factory codes. Such tubes can have tremendous resell value and you might even make a buck or two. I'm pretty sure ebay has these bargain tube hunters who buy big hauls, measure them and resell individually / in matched pairs. Lots of fakes too = selling used as NOS.

 

[buestad]

Interesting post Salvatore!
 
I was almost hooked on tube rolling, but I was able to pull my self out of it
 
I realized that the differences between the tubes was so subtle that I really had to concentrate 100% to enjoy these differences. As my setup (T1 + K550) is at work, concentrating 100% about sound is not possible. So I'm happy with my "Rocket" and use it 95% of the time. Sometimes I pop in my Phillips PCC189 for stripped down acostic music and the 6922EH for electronic, just for fun.

 

[Salvatore]

Quote:

I realized that the differences between the tubes was so subtle that I really had to concentrate 100% to enjoy these differences.

 
True. I just purchased standard spring foam ear pads to my K702 anniversaries and this mod really changes the sound significantly.

 

[Sorrodje]

Quote:

Just a few words for you guys.
 
I like to think that all my tubes has this T1 sound. They differ in sound stage / imaging, some have exaggerated bass and others feel more natural. Some have more forward mids than the others etc. In the end it comes to fine tuning the T1 to match your headphones rather than finding the ultimately best tube.
 
Best tubes are naturally better in all aspects than the worst, but some might prefer Voshkod rockets over 7308 Amperexes, for example, because of the sweet lush intimate forward presentation of the rocket. The differences are not huge because this is a tube DAC with SS amp. I think people should purchase tubes in order to adjust the sound. So before buying any expensive tubes ask yourself what you want to improve / change in your current setup. If you are happy with your tubes there's no need to get into the rolling business. Critical comparison also means best quality source and good headphones.
 
We also tend to overemphasize and exaggerate in our reviews just to get the message to people. This of course creates hype. It's also hard to do extensive 1 vs 1 comparison if you have lots of tubes (think of Coil for example). When tired or sick everything can suddenly start sounding the same. Just do it for fun and the reward is greater. And remember to burn in the tubes (especially NOS). I've done my share of hasty impressions by judging tubes before burning them in (EH, Valvo etc.). I admit there is probably too much tube discussion here, especially considering the topic of the thread, but it's just us happy T1 owners having good time with our purchases. It's really fun and worth the money invested to challenge your senses and try finding differences between different tubes. Just remember that the T1 is the lead star here not the tubes! For people who are not sure whether some expensive tube is improvement enough or not, try getting tubes from well known manufacturer with good prints and visible factory codes. Such tubes can have tremendous resell value and you might even make a buck or two. I'm pretty sure ebay has these bargain tube hunters who buy big hauls, measure them and resell individually / in matched pairs. Lots of fakes too = selling used as NOS.

 
 
One of the most sensible post I read in this thread
 
My Aune T1 is gone ( upgraditis touched me one more time) now but I still recommend this little dac/amp as a very very good piece of equipment.  I really wanted to try something different ( Jan Meier's corda jazz indeed ) to drive my K501 or my HD580 . The senn really benefits from my new amp but my AKG doesn't and sounded very well with the little added wamth of T1.  For my Ultrasone Sig pro , I still can say that Aune T1 is really a very good companion and I will have to spend much more money in my future dac to recover  Aune T1's Musicality although corda jazz offers better control and cleaner overall sound to my SP. 

 

[Paspie]

Well, remember this?
Quote:

Well guys, it appears I have a rather serious problem on my hands. This is on the fourth day of operation. My unit has started to sound extremely distorted, the audio is barely discernible. There's no clues as to why on the case, the tube appears to light up as it should, but I've tried unplugging it and vice versa, but to no avail. I haven't opened it up and have no desire to, because it may void a warranty, so I'll have to send it back and hopefully get a replacement. Bit of a pain in the bottom, because it was from Hong Kong, but it has to be done. I'll have to revert to my laptop's onboard audio for now.

 
Quote:

Sounds like tube gone bad. Try another tube and you get the answer. If problem stays, ask for replacement unit.

I just put the supposedly broken tube back in and for some reason, it works just fine. I had already ordered another one as a would-be replacement, but I guess the existing valve simply needed a 'rest' of sorts (its probably got something to do with the pins being active for so long; I tend to have it on for most of the day).

 

[CoiL]

Quote:

Just a few words for you guys.
 
I like to think that all my tubes has this T1 sound. They differ in sound stage / imaging, some have exaggerated bass and others feel more natural. Some have more forward mids than the others etc. In the end it comes to fine tuning the T1 to match your headphones rather than finding the ultimately best tube.
 
Best tubes are naturally better in all aspects than the worst, but some might prefer Voshkod rockets over 7308 Amperexes, for example, because of the sweet lush intimate forward presentation of the rocket. The differences are not huge because this is a tube DAC with SS amp. I think people should purchase tubes in order to adjust the sound. So before buying any expensive tubes ask yourself what you want to improve / change in your current setup. If you are happy with your tubes there's no need to get into the rolling business. Critical comparison also means best quality source and good headphones.
 
We also tend to overemphasize and exaggerate in our reviews just to get the message to people. This of course creates hype. It's also hard to do extensive 1 vs 1 comparison if you have lots of tubes (think of Coil for example). When tired or sick everything can suddenly start sounding the same. Just do it for fun and the reward is greater. And remember to burn in the tubes (especially NOS). I've done my share of hasty impressions by judging tubes before burning them in (EH, Valvo etc.). I admit there is probably too much tube discussion here, especially considering the topic of the thread, but it's just us happy T1 owners having good time with our purchases. It's really fun and worth the money invested to challenge your senses and try finding differences between different tubes. Just remember that the T1 is the lead star here not the tubes! For people who are not sure whether some expensive tube is improvement enough or not, try getting tubes from well known manufacturer with good prints and visible factory codes. Such tubes can have tremendous resell value and you might even make a buck or two. I'm pretty sure ebay has these bargain tube hunters who buy big hauls, measure them and resell individually / in matched pairs. Lots of fakes too = selling used as NOS.

Great wise words! 
Atm I`m really happy with my modded HD-681 mkII + T1 but it`s good to have selection on different tubes when I get chance to try another cans. Since I`m rational-thinker, I won`t look @ high-end cans but there are some options that might make T1 sound even better with sensible price. One I can tell for sure and recommend to everyone who are on low budget - T1 + HD-681 mkII are like love from the first sight. Imho they pair very well and for the money you get that gear - just awsome deal!

 

[Sorrodje]

Quote:

 One I can tell for sure and recommend to everyone who are on low budget - T1 + HD-681 mkII are like love from the first sight. Imho they pair very well and for the money you get that gear - just awsome deal!

 
 
I heard recently to an Aune T1 + Takstar HI-2050 combo And I really can recommend it as a very very valuable combo too  

 

[MrEleventy]

I love the hi2050s. Baby dt880s. They're my portable phones.

 

[teb1013]

Interesting video about vacuum tubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDvF89Bh27Y (again from the Lyr tube rolling thread)

I remember the super serious voices of narrators like this one from my childhood days in the UK about the time this film was made. The film really shows how amazingly complex the assembly of the tubes we use was. No one in that factory could have known how rare and in demand those little tubes would be 1/2 century later!

 

[teb1013]

Salvatore your "few words" are a welcome dose of sanity!

 

[CoiL]

Quote:

I love the hi2050s. Baby dt880s. They're my portable phones.

 
 
Quote:

 
 
I heard recently to an Aune T1 + Takstar HI-2050 combo And I really can recommend it as a very very valuable combo too  

Offtopic: I did research about those before buying HD-681 and seems that HD-681 mkII is better choice in means of sound if you are willing to make mkII mod + change pads.
Also HD-681 is cheaper. As stock product Hi-2050 is good value.  

 

[hatefulsandwich]

I'm interested in the T1 to use as a dac/amp combo mainly for headphones but possibly IEMs occasionally as well. Will I experience a lot of hiss if I use something like the Westone UM3x with the T1? I still don't fully understad how sensitivity and impedance work between amps and earphones and what the matching thereof should be, so apologies if this has already been answered.

 

[White Lotus]

With very sensitive IEMs, such as the UM3X, you will experience hiss when using this device as a DAC/Amp combo. 

 

[Sorrodje]

I hadn't any hum or hiss with my musical fidelity eb50 plugged on my T1

 

[MrEleventy]

I'm interested in the T1 to use as a dac/amp combo mainly for headphones but possibly IEMs occasionally as well. Will I experience a lot of hiss if I use something like the Westone UM3x with the T1? I still don't fully understad how sensitivity and impedance work between amps and earphones and what the matching thereof should be, so apologies if this has already been answered.

I've paired the T1 with a few different pairs of IEMs. I didn't notice a hiss with them but I also wasn't looking for hiss either. On +0 db, I've used ATH-CKN70s, Sony MH1C, Ety HF5 & Ety Kids.