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

[nScott89]

Does anyone know if a EL84 / 6BQ5 would work with the T1? I'm kind of curious. Would you need any sort of adapter/mods to run it? 

 

[NCSUZoSo]

  Does anyone know if a EL84 / 6BQ5 would work with the T1? I'm kind of curious. Would you need any sort of adapter/mods to run it? 

 
No, there is no way it would work.  You are talking about a pentode power tube vs. all compatible tubes being dual triodes.

 

[milan616]

Finally got my replacement Mk2 and 24 bit shows up correctly now!

 

[NCSUZoSo]

And your ears can hear absolutely no difference in a blind test

 

 

[nScott89]

  And your ears can hear absolutely no difference in a blind test

 

Indeed.
 
[Please recognize that this tube has not been burned it yet, but my initial impressions we based on the idea the tube had been burned in by previous owner. It's almost NOS.] Alrighty. Been listening to my Philips Miniwatt E188CC SQ for a few hours now. I really enjoy this tube. First impression: "eh, this is alright". I was not initially terribly impressed with the tube for whatever reason. I decided to listen for a few hours to get a better feel of it. After that I put my Genalex back in to see if if there's a huge difference because I didn't really notice one initially. I have to say that as good as the Gold Lion is there is a pretty substantial midbass hump and even some muddiness that's hard to miss now that I've been using the Miniwatt. Also Gold Lion still has a bit of a sterile, digital sound. Too analytical for my tastes.
 
This Miniwatt SQ tube does so many things right. There's a little bit of tube-y harmonic excitement in the highs, a little more shimmer than the Gold Lion also sparkle is more present here. Nothing like the 6922EH though. The Miniwatt highs are so much more realistic sounding than either the Gold Lion or EH.
 
The Miniwatt's bass is substantial and very well extended and balanced (Listening to edIT - Battling Go-Go Yubari in Downtown L.A. at the moment and there's definitely punchy full bass here).
 
The mids are pretty much spot on. A little bit more forward than the Lion. The level of detail is very nice as well. I definitely find this tube to be more musical than either of the previous tubes. Very realistic sound.
 
Summary: At first I wasn't really terribly impressed with this tube but I'm definitely appreciating it a lot more now that I've done some more A/B and learned it. One of the things that the HD558 is known for is recessed low-low end. I find the subbass to be more present in this tube than the others. Midbass is very nicely done. Not overly loud. Tight and full. Mids are present and nicely up front. Highs are present, fast, shimmery, and very high frequencies tend to roll off a little bit but not excessively. Enough to say that they are not fatiguing at all.
 
TL;DR? I love this tube. Definitely going to be used more than the Gold Lion although I see times when the 6922EH will still see some use. Especially with electronic music and some classic rock. 
 
(OH MY GOD NP: Skrillex feat: Sirah - Kyoto is massaging my eardrums...... The bass is definitely tight, accurate, and very full. Roll call. Mr. Bass? Calling Mr. Bass. Oh... yes... There you are!)
 
Tomorrow my Amperex Gold Globes come in. So do my Soundmagic HP100's. Now back to work for me.....
 
Edit: I removed the inline resistor for this review, by the way, as I found the tube to be very muddy with it. On the other hand, it helped the other two tubes' signature significantly. I shall perform more listening to the tube tonight.
 
Edit 2: Apparently this tube only had 1 hour of burn on it when I bought it from the seller. That would explain why I wasn't exactly blown away by it initially. I was expecting a mature tube. Either way I am definitely enjoying listening to the tube and I'll be burning it in overnight as well. It's really turning into something quite special. I told my dad to listen to this and the Gold Lion and he said that this thing was much more realistic not knowing anything about the tubes. "That little piece of glass cost $50?" "Yeah it's normally around $150-$175. It's 40 years old." He gets this huge smirk on his face with his lips pursed and just says "Oh." I think he likes it.

 

[Bothand Nether]

Thank You For This !

 

[copajohn]

I looked... very tempting.

 

[copajohn]

I'm still waiting for someone to try out one of the new production telefunken black diamond tubes and report back. They're a bit too much $$$ to purchase blindly for me when I can get vintage tubes for less. Anyone want to take the plunge?

 

[nScott89]

Soundmagic HP100 should be here today along with Amperex Orange Globes.
 
I would also be interested to hear impressions on the telefunken black diamonds. 
 
Miniwatt update: Only getting better. Bass is very transparent. Mids are very forward if only mildly recessed. This varies significantly between tracks. The Gaslight Anthem - '59 Sound mids are very forward while "45" is mildly recessed. Treble is extremely pleasant yet realistic. Somewhat rolled off but certainly present. Still shimmering more than sparkling but I think that adds to the sense of 'thereness' the tube has. Instrument separation is really nice. Detailing is great. Snare drums are particularly sharp and fast. This tube is getting more and more musical. This tube 'seems' to adapt to whatever music I listen to. Metal/Alt/Rock/Jazz/Classical/Electronic. It does them all very well.
 

Welcome to our fortress tall. Take some time to show you around.

 
What a warm welcome indeed.

 

[NCSUZoSo]

The SoundMAGIC HP100s need at least 50-100 hours on them before you are really able to judge them, but for the money will be hard pressed to find something that is as good at Gaming/Movies/Music.  The sound stage is very impressive for a closed headphone and they are not extremely bass heavy like a lot of closed sets, although this may be because I am exclusively running my Siemens 6922 with them.  My Western Germany Amperex 6922 doesn't change that much though.  Most people are very happy with them (including me) and they are extremely comfortable.  I think you will like them a lot, what other phones do you have?

 

[nScott89]

As far as closed cans go, I have HD280s that I never use because they are so horribly overblown on the bass side. I gave them to my brother for him to use. I used to own Alessandro MS1. Grado sound signature wasn't for me. Highs were a bit too crashy. I've had lots of different earphones but presently I have Hifiman RE262 and VSonic GR07. I prefer the RE262 to the GR07 due to their comfort level. I don't really like the pivoting drivers. They always seemed to hurt my ears. I also had the HD555 in the past as well.
 
The HP100 I bought has around 75 hours on it from what the seller said. I definitely plan on taking my time with them. Expect my initial impressons soon.

 

[eobet]

   
Hey,
 
Just saw the notification of that my name's mentioned. I no longer have the Aune but bought it from Audiophonics.fr My first experience with them for another item was quite bad but with the Aune everything went smooth.

 
Well, Audiophonics.fr doesn't seem to sell the MK2 in silver, and Amazon.uk doesn't ship to Sweden.
 
Anyone else found silver MK2 in Europe from reliable sellers who don't require Paypal?

 

[Bothand Nether]

A couple of nice tubes on eBay that I thought some of You might be interested in:
 
2 pcs NOS E188CC CV5354 7308 Siemens Halske 1960´s gold pins 
 
The Swedish Military (Försvarsmakten) has always tested & "Rejuvenated" there tubes about every 6 years or so.
 
Be careful with the much-vaunted "Bugle Boy" amperex tubes, the chinese have appropriated some
of the non-essential equipment from matsu****a & are calling these original Bugle Boy tubes.
 
another tube type to look for is simply labelled as CCa......Here is a link to a Valvo version on ebay.
 
The ink on the fakes will not wipe off, the real ones have a chalky ink on them that wipes off rater easily, I know  
 
I have a connection in the Försvarsmakten that I get my tubes from,
- they often come in metal tube containers with screw top lids & with an outermost label showing 1979,
but the bottom most label underneath was dated 1959....

 

[Levaix]

  As far as closed cans go, I have HD280s that I never use because they are so horribly overblown on the bass side.

Slightly off-topic, but I've heard this from a few people, and I have to wonder if the pair I've heard was just broken or something. But then at the same time you see lots of user reviews complaining that the bass is anemic.

 

[nScott89]

I'm still waiting for someone to try out one of the new production telefunken black diamond tubes and report back. They're a bit too much $$$ to purchase blindly for me when I can get vintage tubes for less. Anyone want to take the plunge?

 
You might be interested to read this. You can probably save your money (for once?). 
 
Quote:

  Hi TD,
 
OK, the TF Black Diamond tubes have gold plated pins, but still made by JJ tubes.
 
"TELEFUNKEN vacuum tubes have been the benchmark of excellence in all audio applications, both production and reproduction, for many decades. Today, this rich history continues with the introduction of new production tubes from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, in partnership with JJ Tubes from the Carpathian Mountains of Cadca in Slovakia."
 
http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/products/tubes/

 
Listening to the HP100 on my T1. Right now I don't want to make any comments other than that these cans don't really like my head although they sound great....