[Eurobeat]

I still think you'd like the gold lion, but that's another 40 bucks on top of the t1 plus an amp. Have you thought of the magni/modi stack?

Yeah... it's expensive.. M/M sounds okay, just seems like the "entry level go to..."


Peopel say it's great, and some people ONLY use them, but for me, I'm hoping to get some gear that will be useful for many years, with better HPs.


I'm the type of person who likes to spend a lot, to get something that will be great, and last for a long, long time.


Even though I could have spent more on HPs, I felt that the X2's were a great start .

 

[SirMarc]

Yeah man I feel you, I went the other way. I bought the better headphones first, then upgraded the gear lol

 

[Eurobeat]

Yeah man I feel you, I went the other way. I bought the better headphones first, then upgraded the gear lol

Well, I already got the X2's coming tomorrow, so I figured that getting good gear for it would be great.  The Aune seems to be a lower end product overall, but still a good one....

It's just the only Tube DAC I've seen...  I could go for a better one possibly, but I think 200$ around for each component is plenty...  It seems that you want to spend more on HPs than the equipment though....

 

[SirMarc]

What's good about the t1 is its a great place to start. Its solid as a dac/amp, but later when you upgrade the amp, you see that the dac section is quality. I'm content with the dac with the amperex 7308. I probably won't upgrade till it breaks. Kind of wish it did 24/196, but its hard to hear a difference from 24/96 anyway. I use mine with a Sansui 9090 and HD650's and I'm pretty satisfied.

 

[SirMarc]

The old school rule of thumb has always been to spend the same on speakers as all your other gear combined. I think it applies to headphones too...

 

[Eurobeat]

What's good about the t1 is its a great place to start. Its solid as a dac/amp, but later when you upgrade the amp, you see that the dac section is quality. I'm content with the dac with the amperex 7308. I probably won't upgrade till it breaks. Kind of wish it did 24/196, but its hard to hear a difference from 24/96 anyway. I use mine with a Sansui 9090 and HD650's and I'm pretty satisfied.

 
I heard that the 24/192 is exactly the same as the 96, according to multiple times I've asked it in here PPP....

Apparently the sound difference in general is very slight anyways...


It seems like a great dac, with a ****ty amp, so I dfefinitely want to upgrade the amp if it's high impedance...

The old school rule of thumb has always been to spend the same on speakers as all your other gear combined. I think it applies to headphones too...

Yeah, the HPs are 300$, even though I spent 200$, so if I got the Aune a tube, and a Magni 2, then I would make the 300$ or so amount

 

 

[SirMarc]

I think you'll be happy with it. And its fun to roll tubes. I've heard good things about those x2's, so you should be good. For a while, until upgraditis hits you again lol

 

[SirMarc]

I heard that the 24/192 is exactly the same as the 96, according to multiple times I've asked it in here PPP....


Apparently the sound difference in general is very slight anyways...



It seems like a great dac, with a ****ty amp, so I dfefinitely want to upgrade the amp if it's high impedance...


Yeah, the HPs are 300$, even though I spent 200$, so if I got the Aune a tube, and a Magni 2, then I would make the 300$ or so amount


 

I notice a pretty big difference from 16/44 to 24/48 and 24/96, but really not much from there to 192. Would be nice if it did it though, if you know what I mean

 

[Hansotek]

The old school rule of thumb has always been to spend the same on speakers as all your other gear combined. I think it applies to headphones too...

Having had a bunch of experience now with higher-end gear, I don't buy into that philosophy at all anymore. I'd rather listen to a $300 headphone on a $5000 amp than a $5000 headphone on a $300 amp.

 

[Eurobeat]

Having had a bunch of experience now with higher-end gear, I don't buy into that philosophy at all anymore. I'd rather listen to a $300 headphone on a $5000 amp than a $5000 headphone on a $300 amp.

It's hard to say really....  There's so many variables...  I think the issue is that a lot of people say that the headphones are the most important part, because it's what produces the sound, however the DAC is what converts the signal, so even if you have the best headphones in the world, if your DAC isn't good, you're SOL.

Granted, if your HPs suck there is only so much a great amp and DAC can do to make things go well...



The question is... What do I do...

 

[Hansotek]

What's good about the t1 is its a great place to start. Its solid as a dac/amp, but later when you upgrade the amp, you see that the dac section is quality. I'm content with the dac with the amperex 7308. I probably won't upgrade till it breaks. Kind of wish it did 24/196, but its hard to hear a difference from 24/96 anyway. I use mine with a Sansui 9090 and HD650's and I'm pretty satisfied.

I heard that the 24/192 is exactly the same as the 96, according to multiple times I've asked it in here PPP....

Apparently the sound difference in general is very slight anyways...

It seems like a great dac, with a ****ty amp, so I dfefinitely want to upgrade the amp if it's high impedance...

I'm going to be honest with you guys, I'll always have a soft spot for the T1, as it was my first true amp/DAC combo, but at some point somebody has to call a spade a spade. It's not a great DAC or amp. Jump on me if you want, but it's low resolution with poor extension on both ends and it has a microscopic soundstage. It is pretty euphonic and musical - it's definitely good at that, but it gets smashed by any half decent DAC. Seriously, plug this thing and listen to it next to the Geek Out V2 - the T1 will not show well in any measurable way... That's not to say that you won't like the T1 better, subjectively speaking. That is absolutely your right, but I think I just heard this thing being called a "great DAC" one too many times.

Joe's OP is very impassioned and in turn, very convincing. Most of us are here in this thread because of the epic and emotional journey he took us on in that post. But, while his writing connected with most of us on a deep, human experience level, it's a touch hyperbolic relative to the fundamental objective reality of the sound quality of the T1.

I see Eurobeat here hanging on every word of the OP, and it's really hard to sit here and not say anything. Really, he's probably going to buy it, no matter what I say, but it obviously isn't a match with his headphone, so I have to question how much we are helping at some point here.

Again, I'm not knocking anybody for liking this product, I just feel there needs to be some balance at some point, because this is such a lopsided thread in terms of impressions. Know that I mean no disrespect to Joe (who has been nothing but great in every interaction we've had) or anyone else here, but a dissenting counterpoint was long overdue in this thread. End rant.

 

[SirMarc]

Run! Lol.

 

[SirMarc]

What's a substantially better dac for under 200? Curious, not starting trouble

 

[Eurobeat]

I'm going to be honest with you guys, I'll always have a soft spot for the T1, as it was my first true amp/DAC combo, but at some point somebody has to call a spade a spade. It's not a great DAC or amp. Jump on me if you want, but it's low resolution with poor extension on both ends and it has a microscopic soundstage. It is pretty euphonic and musical - it's definitely good at that, but it gets smashed by any half decent DAC. Seriously, plug this thing and listen to it next to the Geek Out V2 - the T1 will not show well in any measurable way... That's not to say that you won't like the T1 better, subjectively speaking. That is absolutely your right, but I think I just heard this thing being called a "great DAC" one too many times.

Joe's OP is very impassioned and in turn, very convincing. Most of us are here in this thread because of the epic and emotional journey he took us on in that post. But, while his writing connected with most of us on a deep, human experience level, it's a touch hyperbolic relative to the fundamental objective reality of the sound quality of the T1.

I see Eurobeat here hanging on every word of the OP, and it's really hard to sit here and not say anything. Really, he's probably going to buy it, no matter what I say, but it obviously isn't a match with his headphone, so I have to question how much we are helping at some point here.

Again, I'm not knocking anybody for liking this product, I just feel there needs to be some balance at some point, because this is such a lopsided thread in terms of impressions. Know that I mean no disrespect to Joe (who has been nothing but great in every interaction we've had) or anyone else here, but a dissenting counterpoint was long overdue in this thread. End rant.

Thanks for your opinion on the matter.


I take every opinion into consideration when considering what to buy.  I spend many months researching the products I buy.  Your opinion's value isn't any different from the OP's, or any other member of this thread, so not sure why you only think I've read the OP's opinions, when I've been posting here for months.  If I was going to buy the Aune on the spot, I would have already.


I've heard the issue with my headphone is that the amp is high output impedance, so if I got another amp, it should work with this DAC from what I hear.

Have you heard the X2 with the Aune?  Do you know the exact reason why people "Dislike it?"  I heard a review saying someone likes the Aune with the X2.

If you have heard the X2, what would you recommend then?

 

[Hansotek]

What's a substantially better dac for under 200? Curious, not starting trouble

ODAC (with good USB or Wyrd), Modi 2 Uber, and for $250 Geek Out V2 is much, much better as a combo amp/DAC.

I know you're not.