[vaibhavp]

 
I've actually been thinking about those (especially the O2 and ODAC combo) - but the reason I hesitate is because I'm not sure how much better they would sound compared to my Aune T1. I mean, the O2 amp section is probably better than the amp on my T1, but is the ODAC really that much better than the Aune T1's DAC? If I'm going to upgrade, I'd rather spend a bit more to get something that's a good deal better than what I have.
 
The reason I focus on the DAC is because of my own experiences. Before I got the T1, I used to mainly use the FiiO E17. When I listened to both the E17's DAC and the T1's DAC using the E17's headphone amp, there was no comparison - the T1's DAC was clearly better in pretty much every aspect. Hence why I'm so fixated on getting a good DAC.

 
after aune t1, you should jump to $500 territory for any tangible upgrade imo.

 

[chowmein83]

  I don't know what the T1 cost, but usually audio products in the 100 - 200$ (and up to 300$) have the most significant improvements over wherever people come from with soundquality, you start spending a lot more as you get further up there. I wouldn't spend money on something that cost 2x as much, if you want significant improvement you should wait and save up for awhile and spend money on something you know will be a significant jump, otherwise you'll be dissappointed. Or maybe that's just me, that's my best advice. If the T1's DAC is about as good as Modi, you should be fine. (until you managed to save up for something really good, I mean)

 
Thanks for the advice, it sounds solid. I was debating whether I should buy something like in the $300-$400 range or save up for something even better, but I think I'll follow this advice.
 
Btw the T1 cost about $140 after getting a good deal on it. And then I spent about $30 on some tubes for it.

 

[LaPierre]

   
Thanks for the advice, it sounds solid. I was debating whether I should buy something like in the $300-$400 range or save up for something even better, but I think I'll follow this advice.
 
Btw the T1 cost about $140 after getting a good deal on it. And then I spent about $30 on some tubes for it.

Attaboy (or girl, it's never safe to assume). That's what I plan to do. I think I'm gonna wait until I can afford the Gungnir 

 I'm not sure if they make balanced to RCA adaptors (I hope they do) but I don't think I could afford both the Mjolnir and Gungnir at the same time.

 

[chowmein83]

  Yeah, I'll have to wait to see when I get the IE800 and how I feel about it vs full size.

That's great!

Hey, can you fill any of the gaps on the 560 vs 400i? Treble and overall detail as well as airiness gain on the 560 vs 400i. Quantify and splain it for me how the difference is?

 
Sorry for taking so long to reply this (was busy for several days and then I actually wanted to think out my thoughts on this before I typed something out).
 
But anyways:
 
For treble, I believe the biggest difference between the 400i and the 560 is its presentation. I still think the 560 extends higher than the 400i in the treble, but I'm not so sure that there is a big difference here mainly because the 400i and 560 overall sound signatures are noticeably different, which would make comparisons somewhat difficult (even more so for me because of the show environment that I listened to both in). I originally wanted to put ratings on the treble here, but I realized that it's been somewhat of a long time since I last heard these headphones and the treble was something (for some reason) that I didn't really focus that much on, and so I don't want to mislead somebody.
 
As for overall detail level, I would definitely say that the 560 outclasses the 400i. I don't think the 560 is as detailed as something like the HD800 (which was crazy in how much detail it presents) or the Stax SR-009 (I'm not even sure how to describe the detail from this thing in words - it really is that good), but it definitely is up there among the best of the rest. The 400i is still very detailed though - for example, I think it had more detail than the Oppo PM-1 (though the PM-1 was very enjoyable to listen to in its own right), was as detailed as the Audeze LCD-2, better than the Mad Dogs Pro, maybe a bit better or about the same as an extremely well-amped HD650 (I'm not so sure about this since I only got to hear this HD650 setup for an extremely limited amount of time) and similar to the HE-500.
 
For detail ratings, on a scale out of 10, these are the ratings I would (tentatively) provide:
SR-009 - 10
HD800 - 9.75 (I listened to this on an amazing setup, so yes I really think it's that good)
HE-560 - 9.25
LCD-2/HE-400i/HE-500 - 8.5
PM-1 - 8
Mad Dogs Pro - 7.5
HD598 - 7.25 (yes, I really do think that my current headphones are really that good)
 
For overall airiness gain - the HE-560 is noticeably airier than the 400i. But I attribute that more to its different sound presentation rather than a lack of detail from the 400i. I'm also thinking that the reason I initially thought that the 400i was a lot worse in this aspect compared to the 560 is because I listened to them side-by-side. If you didn't have the 560 (or a bunch of other extremely high-end headphones that were present at the THE Show) to compare to, the 400i would actually be decently airy - for example, I thought it was airier than the PM-1 (though the PM-1 has that really great lush sound that makes it great to listen to - but I'm getting off topic).
 
But if I had to give ratings for airiness:
560 - 9
400i - 8.25
 
(same out of 10 scale, but I think you should only look at these numbers in comparison to each other rather than looking at them compared to all headphones)
 
Hopefully this answers your questions, as I wasn't sure exactly what you wanted me to hone in on about those parts of the sound. If not, let me know and I'll try to see if I can dig up more stuff from my memory.
 
EDIT: Minor edit on why I didn't include treble ratings. And added ratings for airiness.

 

[chowmein83]

   
after aune t1, you should jump to $500 territory for any tangible upgrade imo.

Thanks for the advice, I was wondering where the Aune T1 stacked up amongst other amps and DACs.

 

[dpump]

Anyone looking for a great fairly inexpensive DAC should consider the Musical Fidelity V90-DAC. See the latest Stereophile. To my ears it really is as good as Stereophile says.

 

[richard51]

 
Thanks for the advice, I was wondering where the Aune T1 stacked up amongst other amps and DACs.

I had the Aune T1 with the He 400.... For me it was not ideal pairing ..... I bought a used Bushmaster dac amp and it was really better an upgrade....the cost new  is  less than 400 dollars.... I bought  a used Ember Hybrid Amp and it was  more better.... I try the AKG 701 with the hifimediy dac (50 dollars) and i prefer this pairing to the aune T1, the sound was less analytical by comparison.... With the He 400 the sound of the hifimediy was better than the Aune for me and  it was more fluid more organic....If you had not enough money the pairing of the Ember + the hifimedy dac will be an upgrade to the Aune with the He 400... The ember is the most versatile Amp for his price  on the market....
 
Best regards

 

[Garraty]

I think for my tastes the HE-400i needs a more neutral amp that is slightly bright and has more midrange presence so it'll take off the edge on some of the bass, make vocals more pleasant and make the treble a bit airier. Of course I do know that an amp won't necessarily change the sound drastically but it'd be nice. Anybody know an amp like I described? 
 
I just noticed that I pretty much described the HE-500/HE-560. Dang- too bad the HE-500 are too uncomfortable and the HE-560 are a bit too expensive.

 

[ThePianoMan]

I think for my tastes the HE-400i needs a more neutral amp that is slightly bright and has more midrange presence so it'll take off the edge on some of the bass, make vocals more pleasant and make the treble a bit airier. Of course I do know that an amp won't necessarily change the sound drastically but it'd be nice. Anybody know an amp like I described? 

I just noticed that I pretty much described the HE-500/HE-560. Dang- too bad the HE-500 are too uncomfortable and the HE-560 are a bit too expensive.

Magni/Modi. Or a Burson/Bakoon if you want to spend more.

Or O2/ODAC, though I prefer the Schiit to the O2.

I find it interesting that brighter solid states are a little bit of a black sheep in the head-fi world. The 400i still have gorgeous Mids. As always, trust your ears first.

Happy Listening

 

[Garraty]

Magni/Modi. Or a Burson/Bakoon if you want to spend more.

Or O2/ODAC, though I prefer the Schiit to the O2.

I find it interesting that brighter solid states are a little bit of a black sheep in the head-fi world. The 400i still have gorgeous Mids. As always, trust your ears first.

Happy Listening

 
I think the HE-400i deserves a little more than the Schiit Stack (nothing against Schiit, of course) but I can't afford an actual Soloist or I would just get the HE-560. I think I'll get either the iFi Micro iDSD (if it's good) or the Bifrost Uber and an amp that costs around $400-$500 if I even decide to get the 400i.
 
Thanks for the ideas though. Maybe I should wait until HifiMAN releases the HE-500i, a hybrid of the HE-400i and the HE-560. (basically a more comfortable, slightly improved HE-500) 

 

[ThePianoMan]

Ah sorry, wasn't sure what price range you were looking in. The iFi should be good, I would think. And the Biifrost should do swell as well. I might recommend an Asgard also, it seemed to work well when I tried it.

YMMV

Happy Listening

 

[maricius]

I think the HE-400i deserves a little more than the Schiit Stack (nothing against Schiit, of course) but I can't afford an actual Soloist or I would just get the HE-560. I think I'll get either the iFi Micro iDSD (if it's good) or the Bifrost Uber and an amp that costs around $400-$500 if I even decide to get the 400i.

Thanks for the ideas though. Maybe I should wait until HifiMAN releases the HE-500i, a hybrid of the HE-400i and the HE-560. (basically a more comfortable, slightly improved HE-500) 

If you're after neutral and bright, the iDSD shouldn't be for you!! Check the reviews of the rest of their product line. They're more towards accurate but musical like vinyl instead of dead-on analytical. Why don't you check out the Resonessence Labs gear? Maybe something like the Concero HP would appeal to you

 

[daerron]

  I think for my tastes the HE-400i needs a more neutral amp that is slightly bright and has more midrange presence so it'll take off the edge on some of the bass, make vocals more pleasant and make the treble a bit airier. Of course I do know that an amp won't necessarily change the sound drastically but it'd be nice. Anybody know an amp like I described? 
 
I just noticed that I pretty much described the HE-500/HE-560. Dang- too bad the HE-500 are too uncomfortable and the HE-560 are a bit too expensive.

 
The Concero DAC sounds right on the money as far as your description goes. I'd suggest pairing it with a solid state amp such as the Lake People G109/S.

 

[Acknown3]

   
after aune t1, you should jump to $500 territory for any tangible upgrade imo.

I wouldn't entirely agree with this. I went from an Aune T1 and Amperex tube to an Asgard 2 Modi combo, and there's a pretty tangible difference. My headphones went from being extremely lush to somewhat neutral with a lot more detail, but there was an obvious tangible difference. Whether or not it was better though, I have yet to say.

 

[vaibhavp]

  I wouldn't entirely agree with this. I went from an Aune T1 and Amperex tube to an Asgard 2 Modi combo, and there's a pretty tangible difference. My headphones went from being extremely lush to somewhat neutral with a lot more detail, but there was an obvious tangible difference. Whether or not it was better though, I have yet to say.

 
if its technically an upgrade then I call it an upgrade. if it is not to your personal preference then perhaps you should look for what suits you better.
 
after aune, maybe pan am will be a good choice if you want tube sound. or maybe crack + modi.