[LoryWiv]

On the subject of looks, do we know if it will be available in silver as well?

 

[AuneAudio]

I don't understand this product's relationship to high performance cars and have never understood companies describing their audio products with words like "hot hatch." Are you only marketing this product to car enthusiasts? Does not compute.

They think we are stupid. Some of us are, most aren't. If they create super glossy photos with a bunch of silly ad copy they figure they sell more units.

The sad part --> Aune actually makes great gear.... if they would tone down the marketing BS and just clarify the component, functionality, and sound signatures... they'd likely sell many more units.

My first DAC was an AuneX8 (odd place to start and audiophile journey) but its a great unit. Swapable OpAmp, etc... However, even the X8 has muddy marketing messaging as to its DAC chip / FPGA mumbo jumbo, etc,

I really think Aune is great...just not convinced this is the best marketing approach for their business long term (but what do I know) I'm just a random dude with a sword.

That sure isn't why we do this. Actually in aune, we've got core members who are enthusiastic about cars, and we love how the car concept of "GT" stands for the spirit of pursuing perfection, high performance, and good quality. That's what we want to bring to the audiophiles. So we came up with this idea and set up the special project - the X1s GT, the high-performance edition X1s with the “GT” concept. We do it out of absolute love and passion and the desire to present a great product to the audiophiles. Make a product and describe it with some weird words merely to draw people eyes - that's just not us. We took it seriously and put our hearts in it. You will feel it when you have the unit in your hands.

If some find it a bit confusing, we are sorry that we didn't explain better in the beginning about how we started and why we wanted to do this. The thing is, even if you are not interested in car at all, you will enjoy the X1s GT as a beautifully made high-performance audio product as well.

And thanks for your support and your comments and advice. They are important reference for us.

The title on the main page is clickbait, it should really say "enter to win a small red Ferrari model car" which is what you are giving away and not the X1s GT.

If you go to the Facebook page, you'll find the X1s GT giveaway

What kind of Dac does it have and can you tell the output impedance?

ES9038Q2M; output impedance: 4.7Ω

Wow! Call me a shallow toad but this device is visually striking as seen here and via their link! Black and red are a gorgeous colour combination. Gad! As clicked on the link the sound of my absolute all time favourite Tony Bennett song reached my ears..."Baby, Dream Your Dream".

Next up is Mel Torme's bestest song ever, "Comin' Home, Baby". What, pray tell, is the connection? A beautiful and classy looking device such as this needs to be oogled over with equally classy music. I am trying to decide who amongst my family gets this for Christmas?!

Truly I say, it is very, very beautiful to behold. Now I just need to choose a family member to be holdin' it! For those that claim looks do not matter?

Wrong. They do. And yes, I am well aware that beauty is in they eye and soul of the beholder. Not everyone thinks, let alone feels, the same.

ORT

Wow aren't you a poet

On the subject of looks, do we know if it will be available in silver as well?

We don't have such a plan The GT concept goes with this color matching. It's a unique design specially for the GT edition.

 

[AuneAudio]

Does it have a gain switch, or how is it with sensitive IEMs?

It doesn't have a gain switch, but it sure is good with IEMs. We tested a lot of IEMs, such as IE800, IE80, and our own IEMs that we are very proud of - Jasper (http://en.auneaudio.com/index.php?s=Home/Article/detail/id/506.html)

 

[linknet]

@AuneAudio please can you share about the difference in sound profile you were looking for between Standard and Pure mode filters ?
Btw beautiful design and, for my use, plenty enough of power even in 6.35mm
A very new owner

 

[AuneAudio]

@AuneAudio please can you share about the difference in sound profile you were looking for between Standard and Pure mode filters ?
Btw beautiful design and, for my use, plenty enough of power even in 6.35mm
A very new owner

Thanks for liking the X1s GT Welcome to the aune world!

There are big differences between the standard mode and the pure mode. The differences are much more effective in listening than ESS original filters. The reason that we use Slow Roll-off is because the sound will be more natural.
Let’s first compare ESS IMD Hump in filter 2 and filter 4:

Filter 2

Filter 4


X1s GT, with the high-performance clock processing and filter coefficient optimized and solved the ESS DAC inherent IMD problem. You can see the big difference. And that will be reflected in listening. We reserve ESS DAC original features in the standard mode because for some music IMD will bring different listening experiences.
Let’s continue and compare filter mode 2 and 3. The difference shows in high frequencies harmonic:

Filter 2

Filter 3


The power distribution of high frequencies harmonic changed the performance of details at high frequencies. It’ll be more adaptive to different kinds of music. The pure mode is more complicated in clock and data processing, but it improves the situation of vacuous timbre and lack of emotion of high-performance DACs.

 

[ishmaelk]

I recently downsized drastically my gear, but I have been in need of something like this. I'm specially interested in the 4.4 mm output for my HD6XX.
I will be leaving my impressions in the next few days.

 

[AuneAudio]

I recently downsized drastically my gear, but I have been in need of something like this. I'm specially interested in the 4.4 mm output for my HD6XX.
I will be leaving my impressions in the next few days.

Looking forward to it

 

[ishmaelk]

@AuneAudio One quick question: is the X1S GT fully balanced? I mean, is the DAC section connected to the amp section balanced?
Thanks.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

@AuneAudio One quick question: is the X1S GT fully balanced? I mean, is the DAC section connected to the amp section balanced?
Thanks.

Obviously it cannot be fully balanced as it is limited by the ES9038Q2M DAC which has only 2 channels. To be fully balanced it would have to nount 2 of them or a chip with at least 4 channels.

 

[ishmaelk]

Obviously it cannot be fully balanced as it is limited by the ES9038Q2M DAC which has only 2 channels. To be fully balanced it would have to nount 2 of them or a chip with at least 4 channels.

I don't think that's really a problem.
The Burson Composer or the Soncoz LA QXD1, to mention just a couple of DACs I know that use the same chip, do it in a fully balanced configuration.
Same happens with another similar chip, the ES9028Q2M, same number of channels and Schiit uses it in in current-out mode with differential I/V conversion for fully balanced connection to amps like the Jot2.

 

[Baten]

Obviously it cannot be fully balanced as it is limited by the ES9038Q2M DAC which has only 2 channels. To be fully balanced it would have to nount 2 of them or a chip with at least 4 channels.

That is just wrong. Most stereo chips offer a differential output which you is perfectly suitable to create a balanced output. Using dual mono chips can up the SNR a bit.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I don't think that's really a problem.
The Burson Composer or the Soncoz LA QXD1, to mention just a couple of DACs I know that use the same chip, do it in a fully balanced configuration.
Same happens with another similar chip, the ES9028Q2M, same number of channels and Schiit uses it in in current-out mode with differential I/V conversion for fully balanced connection to amps like the Jot2.

That is not correct to my knowledge, it is possible to get a differential output from a stereo DAC (2 channels) but it will never be fully balanced.

.

 

[Ichos]

That is not correct to my knowledge, it is possible to get a differential output from a stereo DAC (2 channels) but it will never be fully balanced.

.

You are confusing balanced with differential.
They are two different things.
The X1s GT headphone amplifier is balanced.

 

[ishmaelk]

You are confusing balanced with differential.
They are two different things.
The X1s GT headphone amplifier is balanced.

Is it possible that the DAC wasn't connected balanced to the amp section, but the discrete amp section was balanced?

 

[lantian]

Obviously it cannot be fully balanced as it is limited by the ES9038Q2M DAC which has only 2 channels. To be fully balanced it would have to nount 2 of them or a chip with at least 4 channels.

Everything you stated is wrong. Pretty sure any Ess modern dac, and the same goes for akm and cirrus logic, has differential output by default. Here's the data sheet for es9038q2m, as you can see pins 2 and 3, 8 and 9 are the differential output of the dac. Ech stereo dac channel has its own differential outputs.