Reddit mentions of Aune X1S 32Bit/384KHz DSD DAC Headphone Amplifier (Black)

All right guys, I just had to take a picture of the two speakers together because, as you can see, compared to the diminutive MK402 the Elacs are simply HUGE. I kept the mouse in the pic to give you an idea (sorry, I checked, I had no bananas!).

Their size is something you should be aware of, especially if you are going to keep em -like me- as monitors on a desk.

A little background on my system: I use mainly Tidal hi-res streaming as source. The PC is hooked via USB to an external dac, an AUNE X1S, line out of the DAC goes into a Dayton DTA-120 (the real hero of this story, spoilers!!!) that powers the speakers.

Right out of the box, I position the Elacs on the desk (on foam absorbers for studio monitors, you might notice em under the elacs in the pic), hook em up, and Im shocked. They sound exactly like the MK402... wtf?

Well the first lesson is, guys, believe in break-in. I had the same thing happening with the MK402. They sounded a bit crappy and harsh at first, but sloooooooooooowly the sound mellowed and became fuller. Fact is it happened so progressively I always had the doubt it was my ear/brain adjusting to their sound more than break-in.

This time around, though, it happened in a matter of just an hour and possibly less. Something definitely "loosened up" inside the ELACS, and oh boy... the poor daytons were blown out of the water.

First thing you will notice is the obvious one. The Elacs will go lower... and DEEPER. Please be aware that the MK402 go crazy low for their size. You can easily be shocked at the bass they can "magically" let out... but it definitely lacks that punch and that fullness that the ELACS will provide with an easiness that is honestly disarming. One of their strong points is that they sound (and they will go LOUD!) like they dont even care. You crank the volume and they just shrug and give you volume and power, never losing their composture, whereas the MK402 will totally break down and will start showing signs of ...suffering?

Second thing you'll notice is... despite their BIG size, they are muuuuuuuch easier to position. The Mk402 are extremely, extremely fussy. Push them one inch too close to the rear wall, the bass goes so muddy you wanna kill yourself, pull em one inch too far and the bass becomes anemic and the "magic" disappears. I guess Mr Andrew Jones did the right thing putting the reflex on the baffle instead of the more typical rear exhaust. But it doesnt end there. the biggest difference is the dispersion. The MK402 CAN sound awesome and "flat" but you must almost lock your head in a very precise and narrow position. Move sideways or a little back and forth and some frequencies will overwhelm others. with the Elacs... well, I'm flabbergasted. You can almost move around the room and you'll hear the frequencies pretty much the same way in every position.

Obviously the Elacs -I suspect for the same reason: dispersion- will give a much better holographic presentation, but Im still working on the placement and my room is really fussy so maybe I'll update you guys later when I finally manage to make the speakers "disappear", which was something simply impossible to achieve with the Daytons (believe me... I tried).

Third thing you'll notice (as they keep breaking in, becoming more and more transparent) is how comparatively analitic they are. Listening to Steely Dan's "I got the news" the infamous scratching/clicking around 2:17 made me jump on the seat, I litterally thought something was faulty and breaking!

After a while, though, the biggest and most shocking realization is how nonchalantly the little class-D amplifier from Dayton is driving the Elacs. The speakers are quite efficient, yes, but I was ALMOST sure I would need a better amplifier (my eyes are on the NAD326BEE, always been a big fan of NAD sound), but Im not so sure anymore. Volume knob is at hour ten/eleven (it will go as far as hour five) and the room is filled with a smooth, relaxed, full sound. Maybe the NAD can wait!

Okay, I'll shut up for now. I'll leave here a few links with all the aforementioned gear for reference, especially price-wise.

Aune DAC

Dayton D-Class Amp

Dayton MK402

Elac B6.2


*edited endless times for clarity and cause I do thousands of typos.

The only all in one dac+amp with RCA line in's I can think of is the Aune X1s. It is pricey but one of the cleanest dac/amps I have ever used.

Hey Zeoss! I wanted to say awesome reviews and you have been a huge help in stepping into the audiophile world.

I recently picked up the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones when they went on sale. Now I'm trying to prepare what amp/dac I should buy.

I use my headphones to game and listen to music, I also work in game development. I was leaning towards the Aune X1S.

https://www.amazon.com/Aune-X1S-384KHz-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B014FBZCCA

But I also was looking at the Mayflower.

https://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Electronics-Desktop-ODAC-Rev/dp/B00TQ2JDAG

There is also a massdrop right now for the Aune X7s and I could pick up the X1S Mini dac as an addon.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/aune-x7s-balanced-headphone-amp

I know the Sennheiser HD 6XX has open backs so I was wondering what you would recommend. Should I stay with the X1S for gaming and general music listening, or would another amp/dac combo be better? I'm not sure if it matters if it's a combo amp/dac or if they are separate like the X7S. Also I'm concerned about my mic, but I'll probably just go with a standalone that goes directly to my PC. My price range is 200-500$. Thanks for any help!

but take a look at this one
https://www.amazon.com/Aune-X1S-384KHz-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B014FBZCCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480026504&sr=8-1&keywords=aune+x1

for 80$ dollar more u get confirmed zrevieuw posetive :Xd
i mean if i compare that to the cheeesy usb thing lol i dunno like u said it looks like Realy cheesy u can fit 20 of them usb in 1 aune :P so i dunnno like if its 80+ more dollar for much more bang i would pay what do u think?

Aune X1S. Only amp that would drive my stupid 600 Ohm headphones. There are much, much cheaper options that work just fine.

hey, just noticed that the Aune X1S is down to 199$ on massdrop and remembered your post. Should easily compete with schiit smear and o2+odac.

The Z review for this product. (I'm pretty sure it's pronounced aw-nee)

Edit: words and link, thanks /u/massdropbot

well, that's great news :)

check out the Aune X1S with ~4,9VRMS you can comfortably drive the HD650 and get all the in/outputs you want.

Would it be better for me to use an external DAC at this price point? For example I have and am currently using the aune x1s as a DAC without the headphone amplifier. would I get a better sound if I paired it with the pioneer you linked earlier than the Onkyo? I guess what I'm trying to say, is the onkyo's internal DAC any good?

https://www.amazon.com/Aune-X1S-384KHz-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B014FBZCCA this is one of them.

Aune x1s has both optical and usb

Adding to the options you listed, I have three more which include DSD128 compatibility via USB:

• Aune X1S ($289 excl. shipping)
  
  
• Audio-gd NFB-11.28 ($330 excl. shipping)
  
  
• iFi Micro iDSD ($450 new, from $340 used)