[DasKobold]

I bought myself a aune x7s today, it's hooked up to my modi 2. I need some help with the gain settings. These are not my photos, found them like that on the internet. When I unboxed it, it arrived like this:

first switch down, the second one up and then the same on the other side. Then I experienced a bit, by putting both down, then both up. I assume both up is high gain? When I have all of them down I hear almost nothing on my t1, I have to crank it up a lot but on high gain it's to loud.

 

[K1030]

I bought myself a aune x7s today, it's hooked up to my modi 2. I need some help with the gain settings. These are not my photos, found them like that on the internet. When I unboxed it, it arrived like this:

first switch down, the second one up and then the same on the other side. Then I experienced a bit, by putting both down, then both up. I assume both up is high gain? When I have all of them down I hear almost nothing on my t1, I have to crank it up a lot but on high gain it's to loud.

The T1 is a 600 ohm headphone so they require the high gain setting on the X7S; especially if you are using the single ended quarter inch output. Both gain switch pairs should be the same in the high gain setting. Whatever the manual says for the switch position for high gain is, use it. And if it's too loud...turn down the volume knob or use the mid gain settin; one down one up.

 

[DasKobold]

I currently put it back to the default settings. The thing is, when I put it to high gain the first 10% of the volume knob are glitched. When it's to quite I only have sound on the left (or) right side. I only have sound on both sides once I pass a certain point. And when I lower the gain I do have sound on both sides. Also I sometimes switch headphones, and when I go to my 250 ohm headphones it's way to loud on high gain.

 

[ACDOAN]

how can an amp with balanced out not have any balanced input? I was excited to see its balanced but now I am just confused

Is it a true balance ouput or just the XLR connection that converts to internally SE ?

how can an amp with balanced out not have any balanced input? I was excited to see its balanced but now I am just confused

 

[volly]

Any Aune X7s lovers in the house? Anyone using this amp with say a HE1000 or Edition X?

 

[Povell42]

Any Aune X7s lovers in the house? Anyone using this amp with say a HE1000 or Edition X?

I have been using my X7s for a year and a half. I use a Modi Multibit as the DAC. I drive my LCD3 with it. I like it, however I don't have a ton of experience with many other amps. From what I have heard... the X7s seems to hold its own.

 

[volly]

Thanks @Povell42, might be grabbing one as there's one up for sale down the road from me. Do you notice much differences between the single-ended output to it's balanced output with the LCD3's?

 

[Povell42]

Thanks @Povell42, might be grabbing one as there's one up for sale down the road from me. Do you notice much differences between the single-ended output to it's balanced output with the LCD3's?

Just a lot more power. I can't really tell a difference in audio quality. I have actually been using the SE plug with my LCD3 because I have the newer cable from Audeze and I like it better. I rarley get the Volume pot to 1 o'clock with softer songs. Modern songs 11 o'clock is getting to a loud listening level from the SE output. With balanced it's more like 9 o'clock for modern and 11 o'clock for softer songs.

 

[volly]

Beautiful set of cans mate, the cable does indeed looks amazing!

I love the setup, wish the Modi came in black!

Gonna think real hard tonight but I'm feeling it won't be a waste of space!

 

[Povell42]

Beautiful set of cans mate, the cable does indeed looks amazing!

I love the setup, wish the Modi came in black!

Gonna think real hard tonight but I'm feeling it won't be a waste of space!

FYI: Depending on how much power you need... the Aune X1S anniversary edition is on massdrop ($200) and you can add the X7s to it for an additional $180. It ships in 5 days.

 

[Vicca Tito]

Now somebody who use Aune LPS with 5-pin DIN cable.
That cable is notoriously short measuring 0,5 m which is terrible, indeed.
Any information if Naim 5-pin DIN leads can be used instead of supplied one?

 

[Alex Kitic]

Is it a true balance ouput or just the XLR connection that converts to internally SE ?

I see some confusion here, and would like to help you understanding some amplification concepts.
SE, just as the acronym says, is Single Ended. The cable would most often be RCA for two poles - signal and ground.
Balanced means that the signal is transferred by cable via 3 poles: signal in phase, signal in opposite phase, and ground.
I guess everyone by now knows what a SE amplifier is - single output device (tube, usually, but not necessarily): a balanced connection to this type of amp would be redundant or superfluous, either only one of the signal phases would be used, or a differential amplifier would be needed to sum the two signals.
Now if you know what an SE amplifier is, you probably know what a Push-Pull amplifier is: two devices working together to drive a load. A balanced connection would be beneficial for a PP amplifier, because it could do without a phase splitter. But, as a matter of fact, PP amps (particularly tube amps) with balanced inputs are quite rare.
Obviously, a Push-Pull amplifier is balanced by design, yet it usually does not have a balanced input: the signal passes through a phase splitter and the missing component - inverted phase (opposite phase) is created.

In the same fashion, most headphones amplifiers with balanced outputs do not have balanced inputs. The point of having a balanced output is having 4x the output power compared to the SE output stage, while actually having just 2 SE output stages working in opposite phase, with ground connections separated between channels (the ground connections to the headphones are omitted and the two connectors of each channel are directly connected to the amplified signal and the amplified opposite phase signal.

I would like to add that balanced cable connections between HiFi equipment components are more a marketing hype than a real advantage. Balanced connections have much improved Common Mode Rejection Ratio, but if the signal is large enough (line level), and the cables are shorter than 2 meters, the resulting improvement in CMRR is negligible in practice.

 

[Alex Kitic]

Is it a true balance ouput or just the XLR connection that converts to internally SE ?

I would also like to point out that the above adapter scheme is wrong and will most likely just introduce hum and noise.

What is necessary is either an active component creating the opposite phase of the signal (phase splitter with unity gains) - or the optimal solution: a line transformer with central taps where the input will be connected between the two ends of the primary leaving the central tap unconnected, and the secondary would have the two signal phases connected to each end, while the central tap would be connected to the ground.

Obviously the optimal solution is immensely more expensive than a piece of wire and the result is the depicted adapter which totally nullifies the purpose of balanced...

 

[Mr B1]

Great headphone amp this. I've ran it for a couple of hours now (only). So for a comparison:
RME ADI-2 > AFC
RME > Gilmore > AFC
RME > X7s > AFC

Listening to the X7s + Aeon Closed.. it combines highly resolving detail without harshness or being anywhere near analytical..it's very musical, transfers emotion. Very nice. It has space around everything, but the it pretty close..
I already prefer the sound by some distance to the Gilmore Lite Mk2, which is considerable more expensive but in comparison sounds muddled and less musical (yet still better than the RME's headphone amp).
In features.. well I do miss a switchable pre-out, to switch off my monitors.

Then there's the build. It's a very nice looking case. But the connectors seem to have very slight play, volume knob feels.. not as nice as the Gilmore. There's a bit of channel unevenness at low volume... I guess the price has forced some compromise in those components and construction, but - but - wow such awesome sound. Impressive.

 

[capnjack]