Author Topic: Aune T1 $119.99 @ Massdrop (Read 22039 times)

thegunner100 · « **on:** Thu, 23 May 2013, 16:02:31 »

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/aune-t1-amp-dac-combo

Really cheap deal for an all-in-one solution that compares very closely to the schiit magni + modi stack, as well as the O2 + Odac combo. See the head-fi thread for more info & impressions.

"Shockingly, my trusty Aune T1 sounds near identical to the Schiit Magni and Modi Combo. I mean it. Its 95% the same, right down to build quality and size. The only differences would be the T1′s tube rolling options and that it can be used as both a DAC or a powerful 1-watt amplifier and the ocassional track that seems to push the upper region more forward on the T1 than the Modi." -Headfonia

oTurtlez · « **Reply #1 on:** Sat, 25 May 2013, 22:25:45 »

Looked up a bunch of reviews for this thing and by god they're unbelievable. I ordered myself one today, can't wait another week for it to ship!

WRXChris · « **Reply #2 on:** Sat, 25 May 2013, 22:44:18 »

wow that IS a good deal. I've heard of this thing, and at that price I'm not sure I can pass it up!

daerid · « **Reply #3 on:** Sat, 25 May 2013, 22:45:51 »

Why couldn't it be a week? I can get one on the 1st, not before

litster · « **Reply #4 on:** Sat, 25 May 2013, 22:54:33 »

Hum, tempting. Anyone else getting one too? I have an ODAC and an O2 now. this one looks pretty cool. Not sure if I could tell the difference.

jabar · « **Reply #5 on:** Sat, 25 May 2013, 23:15:23 »

I have a HeadRoom TotalBithead amp from 2007. Is this a big upgrade to power my HD595s?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #6 on:** Sun, 26 May 2013, 18:36:03 »

Quote from: litster on Sat, 25 May 2013, 22:54:33

Hum, tempting. Anyone else getting one too? I have an ODAC and an O2 now. this one looks pretty cool. Not sure if I could tell the difference.

A friend of mine is getting one, so I'll give it a try when he gets his. The Aune T1 is probably more of a side-grade; if you don't like the aune t1, you can easily sell it.

Quote from: jabar on Sat, 25 May 2013, 23:15:23

I have a HeadRoom TotalBithead amp from 2007. Is this a big upgrade to power my HD595s?

I would have to say a definite yes. The Total Bithead is a portable amp and doesn't supply nearly as much power as the Aune T1. If you don't have a dedicated DAC as well, then it will be even more of an upgrade.

tsangan · « **Reply #7 on:** Sun, 26 May 2013, 22:30:15 »

Which power supply do you want?

dorkvader · « **Reply #8 on:** Sun, 26 May 2013, 23:05:55 »

Quote from: tsangan on Sun, 26 May 2013, 22:30:15

Which power supply do you want?

power it off an amb sigma22 for some overkill.

---

I currently have an audioengine D1 / optical (it wasn't wanting to work on USB: lots of issues / errors) and want to try this to get the "tube sound"

I'm not sure what it means that it's a tube DAC, other than the tube is in some sort of pre-amp out of the DAC and not part of the separate amplifier. (what this means in practical terms is that the tube is only available to the DAC, not the analog input)

I want to give this a shot; always wanted to try the tube sound, and this is a relatively cheap entry.

Of course to truly enjoy the tube sound, I'd want tubes in the power supply (maybe some 300B's) and mercury arc rectifiers.

Goodfella · « **Reply #9 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 00:12:48 »

New to the hifi world, what type of headphones are really going to benefit from something like this, does this improve all of them?

I currently use a harman kardon bt at home, thoughts?

thanks

n0rvig · « **Reply #10 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 00:26:21 »

Dammit, I'm a sucker for every group buy that I notice on here. Signed up.

This should be able to power high-impedance headphones nicely. I'd been thinking of diving into the DAC / AMP world by buying some Schiit, but this is cheaper and I think I'll be happy for awhile with it.

litster · « **Reply #11 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 01:10:36 »

Thanks thegunner. You just made my wallet $130 lighter.

ApocalypseMaow · « **Reply #12 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 01:17:43 »

Looks like my vacation fund will be $130 short! HA!

demik · « **Reply #13 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 01:36:20 »

man i really hate how massdrop makes u sign up just to view the damn product.

for that, i shall never support them.

tsangan · « **Reply #14 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 04:14:14 »

Quote from: dorkvader on Sun, 26 May 2013, 23:05:55

Quote from: tsangan on Sun, 26 May 2013, 22:30:15
Which power supply do you want?
power it off an amb sigma22 for some overkill.

---

I currently have an audioengine D1 / optical (it wasn't wanting to work on USB: lots of issues / errors) and want to try this to get the "tube sound"

I'm not sure what it means that it's a tube DAC, other than the tube is in some sort of pre-amp out of the DAC and not part of the separate amplifier. (what this means in practical terms is that the tube is only available to the DAC, not the analog input)

I want to give this a shot; always wanted to try the tube sound, and this is a relatively cheap entry.

Of course to truly enjoy the tube sound, I'd want tubes in the power supply (maybe some 300B's) and mercury arc rectifiers.

Whoops I ment which power adapter do you want theres a 110v and a 220v option

WRXChris · « **Reply #15 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 04:16:56 »

Quote from: tsangan on Mon, 27 May 2013, 04:14:14

Quote from: dorkvader on Sun, 26 May 2013, 23:05:55
Quote from: tsangan on Sun, 26 May 2013, 22:30:15
Which power supply do you want?
power it off an amb sigma22 for some overkill.

---

I currently have an audioengine D1 / optical (it wasn't wanting to work on USB: lots of issues / errors) and want to try this to get the "tube sound"

I'm not sure what it means that it's a tube DAC, other than the tube is in some sort of pre-amp out of the DAC and not part of the separate amplifier. (what this means in practical terms is that the tube is only available to the DAC, not the analog input)

I want to give this a shot; always wanted to try the tube sound, and this is a relatively cheap entry.

Of course to truly enjoy the tube sound, I'd want tubes in the power supply (maybe some 300B's) and mercury arc rectifiers.

Whoops I ment which power adapter do you want theres a 110v and a 220v option

North America is 110V.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 07:43:40 »

Quote from: Goodfella on Mon, 27 May 2013, 00:12:48

New to the hifi world, what type of headphones are really going to benefit from something like this, does this improve all of them?

I currently use a harman kardon bt at home, thoughts?

thanks

Most headphones will improve from a amp and dac if you don't already have one, though low-end IEMs and headphones don't really scale well. I'm not too sure how an amp would work for a pair of wireless headphones though.

Batmann · « **Reply #17 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 09:18:57 »

I am wondering, if I red correctly the tube is only used when the source is passing through USB, is that correct?
If so, does that mean that the result won't be as good with other sources?

Turkishrambo · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 09:20:46 »

Would sennhesier HD-25 II headphones benefit from an amp?

I have no knowledge on amps and such.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #19 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 09:35:04 »

Quote from: Batmann on Mon, 27 May 2013, 09:18:57

I am wondering, if I red correctly the tube is only used when the source is passing through USB, is that correct?
If so, does that mean that the result won't be as good with other sources?

The Aune T1's dac only accepts USB source, otherwise if you use the line-in, you will only be using the amp section of the T1 (solid state, no tube).

Quote from: Turkishrambo on Mon, 27 May 2013, 09:20:46

Would sennhesier HD-25 II headphones benefit from an amp?

I have no knowledge on amps and such.

My experience with the Sennheiser amperiors (which are the upgraded version of the hd-25) is that it did not benefit very much from an amp. The amperiors are rated at 16ohm impedance while the hd-25 ii is rated at 70ohms, so it's possible that it will benefit a little from an amp, but I have no experience with it. At the very least, the hd-25 II will benefit from the dac section of the Aune T1.

ApocalypseMaow · « **Reply #20 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:11:28 »

will AD900s benefit form this? I plan to own more headphones in the future, but should I wait...

Aranair · « **Reply #21 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:15:18 »

same kinda question as ApocalypseMaow's:

Will a HD598 benefit from this? mmm. I'm actually listening to it unamped but I don' think its particularly hard to drive as is..

thegunner100 · « **Reply #22 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:24:03 »

Quote from: ApocalypseMaow on Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:11:28

will AD900s benefit form this? I plan to own more headphones in the future, but should I wait...

It will definitely benefit from an amp/dac. It will likely serve you well for your future headphone purchases as well, unless you decide to get something like the hd800s, CIEMs, or something along those lines.

Quote from: Aranair on Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:15:18

same kinda question as ApocalypseMaow's:

Will a HD598 benefit from this? mmm. I'm actually listening to it unamped but I don' think its particularly hard to drive as is..

Yes, it will benefit from an amp/dac. The first purpose of an amp is to provide enough voltage and current to your headphones so that it will output enough volume. The second purpose is to improve the sound quality of your headphones, which is really the main reason why people buy more expensive amps.

Aranair · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 10:50:18 »

thanks.. and dang. its so tempting, and expensive D:

litster · « **Reply #24 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 11:29:54 »

interesting. The tube is just for USB input, and not used when using line in. I thought the tube is for the amp so it would be used with USB or line in. So the tube is actually for the USB DAC and not the amp?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #25 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 11:40:23 »

Quote from: litster on Mon, 27 May 2013, 11:29:54

interesting. The tube is just for USB input, and not used when using line in. I thought the tube is for the amp so it would be used with USB or line in. So the tube is actually for the USB DAC and not the amp?

Correct, the tube is only used as part of the DAC. Not a problem unless you plan on using the T1 only as an amp.

jabar · « **Reply #26 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 11:47:22 »

I really hate t00b hype by audiophiles but this amp looks real nice and I have been passively looking for an upgrade from the TotalBithead. Next would be a new set of cans.

TheFlyingRaccoon · « **Reply #27 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:00:53 »

How much of an upgrade would this be from a Yamaha HTR-5730? I have DT 770s 250Ω and I am seriously considering this.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #28 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:07:02 »

Quote from: TheFlyingRaccoon on Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:00:53

How much of an upgrade would this be from a Yamaha HTR-5730? I have DT 770s 250Ω and I am seriously considering this.

No idea, I don't have much experience with using headphones through speaker receivers but generally receivers do provide lots of voltage for high impedance headphones.

REVENGE · « **Reply #29 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:10:44 »

Tube DAC? Any reason to get this for use with bookshelf speakers? I've been considering purchasing the HiFimeDIY Sabre DAC, would this be worth the extra $50 or so?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #30 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:53:01 »

Quote from: REVENGE on Mon, 27 May 2013, 12:10:44

Tube DAC? Any reason to get this for use with bookshelf speakers? I've been considering purchasing the HiFimeDIY Sabre DAC, would this be worth the extra $50 or so?

For bookshelf speakers, the only thing the Aune T1 would do is act as a dac for it since it doesn't have a pre-amp out. The HiFimeDIY Sabre dac would be a fine choice as well; I'm thinking of getting one to use as a secondary dac for home-use while im away at school.

esoomenona · « **Reply #31 on:** Mon, 27 May 2013, 13:59:11 »

Quote from: demik on Mon, 27 May 2013, 01:36:20

man i really hate how massdrop makes u sign up just to view the damn product.

for that, i shall never support them.

I think that's dumb as well. They didn't use to be like that. Then they switched to that style. After much complaint, they allowed you to view the items, but not the prices without signing up. Then they went back. Crappy.

Batmann · « **Reply #32 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 13:47:33 »

So from what I understood, top of the line Iems/Ciems won't really benefit from the amp part, but will the tube DAC make a significant difference?
I don't plan on buying a headset so I'm trying to figure if this beautiful thing would be useful appart from shining on my desk (which is already something!)?

esoomenona · « **Reply #33 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 13:57:34 »

I've really been eyeballing this deal. Would my AD700s benefit? I know they're not top of the line phones, but they're all I have. And if I could get at least some minor positive experience out of the setup, it might convince me to buy some new ones.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #34 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 14:25:10 »

Quote from: Batmann on Tue, 28 May 2013, 13:47:33

So from what I understood, top of the line Iems/Ciems won't really benefit from the amp part, but will the tube DAC make a significant difference?
I don't plan on buying a headset so I'm trying to figure if this beautiful thing would be useful appart from shining on my desk (which is already something!)?

No, no, that's not what I meant. What I mean is that you'll want a better amp section, ideally with <1 ohm output impedance and low gain for totl iems/ciems. Those usually make use of multiple balanced armature drivers, which utilize complex crossovers to put together the sound. Because of how BA drivers work, they have varying impedances over different frequencies, so ideally you'll want an amp with <1 output impedance so that it won't affect the iem's sound signature. The general guideline is that you'll want the output impedance of your amp to be less than 1/8 of the headphone's impedance load.

The output impedance of the Aune T1 is 10ohms, so I would not get the Aune T1 for any IEM utilizing BA drivers (in your case, the UM3X-RC) unless you hook up the T1 to a seperate amp. The Schiit magni would be the best desktop amp out of the aune, o2, and magni for IEMs.

As for the tube part of the Aune T1, I don't know how much of a difference it will make in reality. You should probably read up on some tube-rolling impressions with the T1 to get an idea. The dac itself does make a difference if you're using the onboard dac of your motherboard or laptop though.

Quote from: esoomenona on Tue, 28 May 2013, 13:57:34

I've really been eyeballing this deal. Would my AD700s benefit? I know they're not top of the line phones, but they're all I have. And if I could get at least some minor positive experience out of the setup, it might convince me to buy some new ones.

Even though the AD700 is rated at 32ohms impedance, which is less than ideal for the Aune T1, it will be fine because the T1 is rated for driving 30-600ohm loads and the impedance phase of the AD700 is fairly linear, so its sound signature will not be impacted much by the Aune T1's 10 ohm output impedance. It will be a good entry level amp/dac that will introduce you to better sound quality.

esoomenona · « **Reply #35 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 14:26:31 »

Thanks for that response. That's really what I'm looking for, more than anything.

Batmann · « **Reply #36 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 14:54:10 »

Thanks for the calrification thegunner, you really are on top of things

I'm completely set on the UM3X-RC, now the wait game begin (looking for a good deal on ebay)
I'll pass on this tube beauty and see later if I need a DAC/AMP

thegunner100 · « **Reply #37 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 14:55:49 »

Taken from innerfidelity.com. As you can see, the UM3X's impedance phase is NOT linear.

Whereas the AD700's is quite linear.

Batmann · « **Reply #38 on:** Tue, 28 May 2013, 15:13:23 »

I still need to read and learn before I can understand this graphics to be honest
I understand the non linear aspect of the impedance but It's not easy to put all the pieces together!
I have been spending quite some time on head-fi lately and the level of knowledge there is rather amazing

EDIT: I TRIED NOT BUT I DID IT, I ALSO JOINED HEAD-FI......wish me luck with my bank

esoomenona · « **Reply #39 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 08:53:38 »

I just realized I might be confused. Is this a DAC and amp in one unit? Or two separate units? Do you just get to choose black or silver?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #40 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:01:17 »

Quote from: esoomenona on Thu, 30 May 2013, 08:53:38

I just realized I might be confused. Is this a DAC and amp in one unit? Or two separate units? Do you just get to choose black or silver?

Dac and Amp in one unit. You get to choose your color when you sign up for the group buy.

esoomenona · « **Reply #41 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:06:56 »

Ah, okay. The more I looked at it, the more that's what I thought. How do you use the USB DAC? I notice a USB B connection.

thegunner100 · « **Reply #42 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:12:37 »

Quote from: esoomenona on Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:06:56

Ah, okay. The more I looked at it, the more that's what I thought. How do you use the USB DAC? I notice a USB B connection.

You would just connect your computer to the USB input of the aune and then set your computer's default playback device to the aune t1.

esoomenona · « **Reply #43 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:16:57 »

If I had a 30pin connector to USB B for my iPod, would that work as well?

thegunner100 · « **Reply #44 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:46:59 »

Quote from: esoomenona on Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:16:57

If I had a 30pin connector to USB B for my iPod, would that work as well?

Not sure about that. I don't use apple products anymore =/.

esoomenona · « **Reply #45 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 09:51:29 »

Hmm, some searching on Head-fi tells me no. Oh well. How do people usually connect to a portable media player? 3.5mm to RC adapter?

alaricljs · « **Reply #46 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 10:06:08 »

usually analog, so no DAC, just an amp

thegunner100 · « **Reply #47 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 10:07:32 »

Usually for apple products, a line-out dock such as this would work. Then you would get a 3.5mm female to stereo RCA cable to connect your ipod to the amp. For other players, you would just get a 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable and connect the headphone out or line-out to the amp.

Ans yes, it's an analog signal so you'll just be using the amp section.

grips · « **Reply #48 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 10:17:33 »

I would like one, but I rarely use my headphones

litster · « **Reply #49 on:** Thu, 30 May 2013, 11:06:43 »

I ended up canceling my order. I want a tube amp, not a tube DAC.

News:

Author Topic: Aune T1 $119.99 @ Massdrop (Read 22039 times)