[Kbman]

Okay so I just recently purchased some Q701's after a few months of deciding what to get and now I need an amp. I had been looking at the Schiit Vali for a while, but then found the Aune T1 for a very good price. My question is, what is the better quality amp? Don't even worry about the pricing, what would you rather have sitting next to you between the two?
Thanks!

 

[uncola]

Valhalla is better with high impedance headphones so I'd get something else

 

[MrEleventy]

Okay so I just recently purchased some Q701's after a few months of deciding what to get and now I need an amp. I had been looking at the Schiit Vali for a while, but then found the Aune T1 for a very good price. My question is, what is the better quality amp? Don't even worry about the pricing, what would you rather have sitting next to you between the two?
Thanks!

Depends. If you just need an amp, get the Vali. The Aune T1 is a tube dac/amp. The amp portion is ss, you'll have to use the USB portion to take advantage of the tube. If you want to just use the amp, the T1 is basically an expensive cMoy. If money is no concern though, I would get both. Use the T1 as your dac and output to the Vali. I tried that setup as an alternative for a short while and sounded great.

 

[Evshrug]

To directly answer the OP's question, the Vali is the better amp. The Aune T1 has it's place though, since it is both an amp AND a DAC (digital-to-analogue converter, like a sound card).
I don't think there's a wrong choice. I'd personally prefer a Vali so I could choose whatever DAC I wanted to pair with it. There have been many who have specifically used the Vali with Q701 in the forums, look for reviews. It is occasionally mentioned that the Vali slightly softens sibilance, which could increase your listening time with the Q701's.

Valhalla is better with high impedance headphones so I'd get something else

The Valhalla and Vali are two different amps, at different price points.

 

[buestad]

I have the T1 on my AKG K550 at work, and it sounds great!
 
The big hazard about the T1 is tube rolling. Most people will say it is an advantage but I say its a hazard.

 It can cost you a lot because it is addictive! just look at the T1 thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq
 
If you don't watch your self you will soon be sitting with a bunch of expensive vintage tubes which has a negligible sound variation.(my opinion). I have a few tubes which is not expensive, but from time to time i wander off into eBay looking for that mint condition Amerex ecc188 gold or a rare Siemens Ecc... 
 
If you buy a T1, buy a russinan Voshod 6n23p which is cheap, easy to get hold of and pair great with AKG sound signature (warms up a little), and then, NEVER LOOK AT TUBES AGAIN!!! (but most likely, you will fall...)
 
I actually wonder about changing my T1 with a Vali + Modi, becuase it has soldered tubes, which hopefully will cure me.

 

[EVOLVIST]

I have the T1 on my AKG K550 at work, and it sounds great!

The big hazard about the T1 is tube rolling. Most people will say it is an advantage but I say its a hazard.:wink_face:  It can cost you a lot because it is addictive! just look at the T1 thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq

If you don't watch your self you will soon be sitting with a bunch of expensive vintage tubes which has a negligible sound variation.(my opinion). I have a few tubes which is not expensive, but from time to time i wander off into eBay looking for that mint condition Amerex ecc188 gold or a rare Siemens Ecc... 

If you buy a T1, buy a russinan Voshod 6n23p which is cheap, easy to get hold of and pair great with AKG sound signature (warms up a little), and then, NEVER LOOK AT TUBES AGAIN!!! (but most likely, you will fall...)

I actually wonder about changing my T1 with a Vali + Modi, becuase it has soldered tubes, which hopefully will cure me.

After going through several tubes, like you - even that damn expensive 7308 Amperex - I have decided that nothing beats the stock 6922EH that comes with it.

I listen through HD800, and for the most part I don't want my music colored. That's why the 6922EH is so great in my book, because it doesn't really color: it just sounds very analog. I think Aune did a good job there with the right tube for their product. They could have went with several for the same price point.

As to the OP, I dont know schiit about Schiit, but I know my T1 is deathly quiet and really transparent to my ears. I just want to use leas gain in the signal, so I bought an SPL Auditor for my volume to really drive my ear goggles.

 

[benjitb]

Hi OP & anyone else, I've just got the AKG 612 pro's, hard to drive like the Q's i gather.
I'm new to Headphone amps I am just running it through my Yamaha rxv475 AV Reviever atm.
  Would the Aune T1 MK2 6922 be suitable for my setup,  as a Headphone amp for running through the reciever & also through a laptop should i choose.Or is something like this a better prospect:http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/headphone-amplifiers/ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier/

 

[nathandodo]

Should I benefit if combine Schiit Modi DAC with a Aune T1 or Modi with Vali combination. I'm looking for my first tube amp but I had Modi already.

 

[joeq70]

  Hi OP & anyone else, I've just got the AKG 612 pro's, hard to drive like the Q's i gather.
I'm new to Headphone amps I am just running it through my Yamaha rxv475 AV Reviever atm.
  Would the Aune T1 MK2 6922 be suitable for my setup,  as a Headphone amp for running through the reciever & also through a laptop should i choose.Or is something like this a better prospect:http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/headphone-amplifiers/ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier/

Hey there! The important thing to understand is that the Aune T1 is something you buy because you need a USB DAC (source) and NOT because you want an amp. The T1 has the convenience of having a built in amp, which is sufficient for many headphones but it is a pretty basic, average amp. The tube in the T1 has no effect whatsoever on the amp--it is there to impart its characteristics on the DAC. 

  Should I benefit if combine Schiit Modi DAC with a Aune T1 or Modi with Vali combination. I'm looking for my first tube amp but I had Modi already.

Combining the Schiit Modi DAC with the T1 makes no sense because the T1 is a tube DAC with a basic amp built into it. What you would want to do is use the T1 as your source and then connect it to the Vali because the Vali will undoubtedly be a better amp than the built-in T1 amp.

 

[rids57]

I'm currently using a T1 with a Mullard 6DJ8 tube (cost £6) feeding into a Schiit Vali and can honestly say the combination sounds very nice indeed. I normally use my HD650s but also have a pair of port modded AKG K702s and the tubes certainly help smooth some of the tizziness off the high frequencies which otherwise sound quite harsh.