[rovopio]

  I'm not sure if you'd like the DT880 with the Aune T1 since the amp portion is really bright. But my friend did message me this when I asked about his Amperex Orange Globe 6DJ88 tube.
 

 
im going to plug the aune t1 dac into schiit magni 2 uber..
 
dt880 midrange is a little dry to my liking. well, maybe because i'm used to headphone that is on the north side of bright like the grado prestige series or shure 940.
magni 2 uber paired with dt880 is a little too clinical and dry for me. of course after a while my brain adjust to the sound and it sounds normal and great.
 
i think that dt880 will be a good fit to pair with a tube amp. or in this case, a tube dac.
but other than that, i'd like to know how aune t1 will affect dt880 midrange when the aune t1 only uses the stock tube...
i really don't have budget to spend on amperex 7308, or to tube-roll
 
ebay is a no-go. No budget to spend and i don't want to deal with the hassle with customs...

 

[feanorean]

I really enjoy my DT880s with the Aune T1. I think they're a headphone that play well with tubes and benefit from the musical characteristics that tubes bring. A bit of a smoother and more emotive experience.
 
I'm another advocate for the Amperex 7308. A worthy upgrade over the stock tube. But you certainly don't need it straight away. Get the T1 and then after a while you can roll in a 7308, sit back and smile

 

[rovopio]

  I really enjoy my DT880s with the Aune T1. I think they're a headphone that play well with tubes and benefit from the musical characteristics that tubes bring. A bit of a smoother and more emotive experience.
 
I'm another advocate for the Amperex 7308. A worthy upgrade over the stock tube. But you certainly don't need it straight away. Get the T1 and then after a while you can roll in a 7308, sit back and smile

 
how's the midrange on stock tubes vs. on amperex 7308?
 
my first headphone was a grado sr60 and then sr80, shure 940, and also this relatively not popular headphone, ma-900. all of them are midrange-centric.
i actually like analytical and / or bright presentation. i feel that my dt880 premium midrange sounds too dry to my liking.
of course after a while my brain adjust to the sound... but there's a feeling that the dt880 midrange is too neutral for my taste.
 
i'm actually in between getting a used hd600 or getting an aune t1. sadly since im in asia, sennheiser price is grossly inflated, so the used price is also grossly inflated. the used hd600 will cost me ~$290, while the new aune t1 is at $240.
to be honest i don't really want to buy a 4 years old hd600 for $290, but i also know that headphone made 80-90% of the sound.
 
1) So, solely based on the midrange, does stock aune t1 makes the dt880 midrange less dry or more full-bodied or more euphonic or (anything that cure the dryness really...)?
 
2) now that you're using the amperex 7308... are you still on the look for sidegrade for dac/amp on the $300 level..?
or are you satisfied with your aune t1 performance?
 
i mean... upgrading to a higher priced and better amp (and dac) is one thing, but i'm looking for some sort of satisfaction level reference as in... if you're not looking for similarly-priced dac / amp, then that means the amperex 7308 is a good investment...
i can shell out the $240 aune t1 asking price, but the amperex 7308 is a steep investment, and customs in developing country are a pain in the back...

 

[joeq70]

how's the midrange on stock tubes vs. on amperex 7308?

my first headphone was a grado sr60 and then sr80, shure 940, and also this relatively not popular headphone, ma-900. all of them are midrange-centric.
i actually like analytical and / or bright presentation. i feel that my dt880 premium midrange sounds too dry to my liking.
of course after a while my brain adjust to the sound... but there's a feeling that the dt880 midrange is too neutral for my taste.

i'm actually in between getting a used hd600 or getting an aune t1. sadly since im in asia, sennheiser price is grossly inflated, so the used price is also grossly inflated. the used hd600 will cost me ~$290, while the new aune t1 is at $240.
to be honest i don't really want to buy a 4 years old hd600 for $290, but i also know that headphone made 80-90% of the sound.

1) So, solely based on the midrange, does stock aune t1 makes the dt880 midrange less dry or more full-bodied or more euphonic or (anything that cure the dryness really...)?

2) now that you're using the amperex 7308... are you still on the look for sidegrade for dac/amp on the $300 level..?
or are you satisfied with your aune t1 performance?

i mean... upgrading to a higher priced and better amp (and dac) is one thing, but i'm looking for some sort of satisfaction level reference as in... if you're not looking for similarly-priced dac / amp, then that means the amperex 7308 is a good investment...
i can shell out the $240 aune t1 asking price, but the amperex 7308 is a steep investment, and customs in developing country are a pain in the back...

Hey there!

1) $290 is a great price of the HD-600. Awesome headphone.

2) Don't get the T1 unless you plan to buy tubes to try. Amperex 7308 is a good choice.

3) The T1 is a very nice sounding DAC with the right tube. But you need a separate amp to get the most out of it. The internal amp is OK but not anything special.

 

[feanorean]

I haven't heard the HD600 so I can't comment. I can comment on inflated prices as I live in Australia and with our dollar being so weak to the US buying audio gear online is much less appealling than 6-12 months ago. I'd really like a decent second hand HD650 but not for 300+ USD
 
I don't think that the T1 is somehow going to transform the Beyer sound in the sound you might get from the HD600 (from what I read). But as it seems you do like bright headphones the T1 might be just the trick to tone down the DT880s a little. The differences between stock tube and NOS are real, however they are often overstated, really the sound signature remains very similar with slight tweaking in some areas when rolling tubes.
 
The choice between HD600 and T1 is a hard one I. Good luck.

 

[feanorean]

Agree with point

Hey there!

1) $290 is a great price of the HD-600. Awesome headphone.

2) Don't get the T1 unless you plan to buy tubes to try. Amperex 7308 is a good choice.

3) The T1 is a very nice sounding DAC with the right tube. But you need a separate amp to get the most out of it. The internal amp is OK but not anything special.

 
Agree with point 3. Certainly a nice DAC but could be improved by linking it up to a seperate amp with good bass response.

 

[mikoss]

I am extremely happy with the T1 as my DAC. The one caveat of using it is no native support for 88.2kHz files, or above 24/96kHz. Also no native support for DSD files. (This forces you to either play what it supports, or use some other means like a DSP to force a resample rate, which I've found to be a bit annoying. I also find the DSP's I've been using change the sound and also cause clipping on some songs).

I really enjoy the sound of the T1 as my DAC and for the cost of a premium tube, it is a worthy contender of similar priced DACs. Without premium tubes, it also sounds good, but I also recommend the HD600s. So, I would recommend buying the HD-600's used from someone else, or even the HD-650's, neither of which I would ever classify as "bright" sounding... the mids on both headphones are superb and I think they will scale according to your gear as you upgrade. Price wise, the HD-650s are now selling for less than $300 new in the USA from authorized vendors on sale, so maybe you can find some for cheap. (link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/692119/the-deals-discussion-thread-read-the-first-post/11715#post_11233581 )

You also don't need an Amperex 7308 to hear nice mids... there are cheaper tubes that have nice mids, such as a cheaper Amperex Orange Globe.

 

[rovopio]

  Agree with point
 
Agree with point 3. Certainly a nice DAC but could be improved by linking it up to a seperate amp with good bass response.

 
i saw from your signature that you use the dt880?
the only thing that i found lacking from the dt880 is the midrange is too neutral to my ear that it sounds too dry and clinical, does the warm tilt provided by aune t1 cured / alleviate / pair nicely with the dt880?
 
 

I am extremely happy with the T1 as my DAC. The one caveat of using it is no native support for 88.2kHz files, or above 24/96kHz. Also no native support for DSD files. (This forces you to either play what it supports, or use some other means like a DSP to force a resample rate, which I've found to be a bit annoying. I also find the DSP's I've been using change the sound and also cause clipping on some songs).

I really enjoy the sound of the T1 as my DAC and for the cost of a premium tube, it is a worthy contender of similar priced DACs. Without premium tubes, it also sounds good, but I also recommend the HD600s. So, I would recommend buying the HD-600's used from someone else, or even the HD-650's, neither of which I would ever classify as "bright" sounding... the mids on both headphones are superb and I think they will scale according to your gear as you upgrade. Price wise, the HD-650s are now selling for less than $300 new in the USA from authorized vendors on sale, so maybe you can find some for cheap. (link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/692119/the-deals-discussion-thread-read-the-first-post/11715#post_11233581 )

You also don't need an Amperex 7308 to hear nice mids... there are cheaper tubes that have nice mids, such as a cheaper Amperex Orange Globe.

 
the import tax to south east asia is 40%, that plus the shipping cost +/- $50 will get the hd650 to be around ~$530 to my door. so that's not an option unfortunately. though it's still better than the local price at $600.
 

Hey there!

1) $290 is a great price of the HD-600. Awesome headphone.

2) Don't get the T1 unless you plan to buy tubes to try. Amperex 7308 is a good choice.

3) The T1 is a very nice sounding DAC with the right tube. But you need a separate amp to get the most out of it. The internal amp is OK but not anything special.

Hi!
The $290 is for a 4-years-old hd600. i think it's a little steep...

 

[joeq70]

   
i saw from your signature that you use the dt880?
the only thing that i found lacking from the dt880 is the midrange is too neutral to my ear that it sounds too dry and clinical, does the warm tilt provided by aune t1 cured / alleviate / pair nicely with the dt880?
 
 
 
the import tax to south east asia is 40%, that plus the shipping cost +/- $50 will get the hd650 to be around ~$530 to my door. so that's not an option unfortunately. though it's still better than the local price at $600.
 

Hi!
The $290 is for a 4-years-old hd600. i think it's a little steep...

Ohh you are saying it is used? Yeah...you should be able to snag it for like $220, that is steep.

 

[feanorean]

It really depends on how much of a problem you have with the DT880's mids. They are very linear and compared to my Grados (very mid forward) and ESW9A (very lush midrange) they certainly do sound dry. I found they lacked emotion through my ODAC/O2 but this improved with the T1. I'm not comfortable slinging too much audiophile jargon around so sorry if I seem to be dodging your questions.
 
 
Yes it does seem to help and the DT880 do pair very well with the Aune T1.

 

[penmarker]

  It really depends on how much of a problem you have with the DT880's mids. They are very linear and compared to my Grados (very mid forward) and ESW9A (very lush midrange) they certainly do sound dry. I found they lacked emotion through my ODAC/O2 but this improved with the T1. I'm not comfortable slinging too much audiophile jargon around so sorry if I seem to be dodging your questions.
 
 
Yes it does seem to help and the DT880 do pair very well with the Aune T1.

Ha, turns out its quite the opposite of what I thought it would be. I stand corrected.

 

[mikoss]

Oh god. I'm beginning to obsess over old 7308/e188cc's... Does anyone have any Amperex/Valvo/Philips tubes with d-style getters? I would be very interested in knowing the etched codes and your impressions of these tubes. Looking for impressions on VR0, VR1, 7L3, 7L4 tubes...

 

[Chs177]

  Oh god. I'm beginning to obsess over old 7308/e188cc's... Does anyone have any Amperex/Valvo/Philips tubes with d-style getters? I would be very interested in knowing the etched codes and your impressions of these tubes. Looking for impressions on VR0, VR1, 7L3, 7L4 tubes...

You should go throw Schiit Lyr 2 tube rolling thread. There are a lot of impressions about old tubes in that thread.
I don't like Philips tubes at all (I have a pair of e88cc). Mullards are pretty good overall.
Valvo are best for me - I have 7L1, 7L3. 7L1 is brilliant. Telefunken tubes are brilliant for classical music/jazz they have a holographic sound but if they faced with rock/metal its not so good in bass area. Valvo tubes are brilliant with rock/metal because of its bass.
I don't have any tube with D-getter.
I strongly suggest go to the separate headphone amplifier if you will go over old tubes with Aune T1.
PM me if you will have any further questions.

 

[WaiseCoo]

Has anyone ever replaced the soldered op-amp inside to a discrete one? I think Burson and Dexa are the biggest discrete op-amp manufactures, I once changed my Zero Dac op-amps to discrete one's and it made a huge difference. Any doubt's, is the op-amp soldered for a reason?
 
Demonstrative picture:

 

[zaxdad]

Hi all.
I just purchased a used t1 from a seller on Amazon. Is there any way to distinguish an original from a mk2?
Thanks for any info,
 
Howard