[Shane D]

I just ordered one for 15% off ($594 USD) from HiFiGo. I tried the S9C and really liked the amp section, but didn't care for the DAC in it.

I haven't been on HiFiGo in a long time. In Canadian bucks they put the price at $817.00 with free shipping and taxes covered. That is pretty damn good. I wish there were more reviews.

I will be keeping an eye on this and the A70 Pro over the next little while.

 

[Marlowe]

I wish there were more reviews.

Your wish may be granted. In addition to upcoming reviews of the S17 that I noted above, in replies to several comments on his review of the Aune S9C DAC/amp, Sandu of Soundnews stated that his review is coming soon and he left little doubt about his overall opinion: "S17 Pro is By Far the best headamp I tried below ~1K. My review will be dropping in several days, I had more than a month with it. It always impresses with a clean, distortionless sound, that hits and pounds like cornered pugilist. It has the right tonality, it's fun sounding...there is very little to complain about that one."

 

[grumpy213]

Your wish may be granted. In addition to upcoming reviews of the S17 that I noted above, in replies to several comments on his review of the Aune S9C DAC/amp, Sandu of Soundnews stated that his review is coming soon and he left little doubt about his overall opinion: "S17 Pro is By Far the best headamp I tried below ~1K. My review will be dropping in several days, I had more than a month with it. It always impresses with a clean, distortionless sound, that hits and pounds like cornered pugilist. It has the right tonality, it's fun sounding...there is very little to complain about that one."

That's a pretty glowing review from a reviewer that is rather picky at times with his amps. I was tossing up between the Singxer SA-1 and the Aune S17 but I think I might go with the road less travelled and purchase the S17.

I will wait for reviews since it will be primarily be used with IEMs and only occasionally with a headphone so I will have to see how it handles more sensitive stuff.

 

[Shane D]

Your wish may be granted. In addition to upcoming reviews of the S17 that I noted above, in replies to several comments on his review of the Aune S9C DAC/amp, Sandu of Soundnews stated that his review is coming soon and he left little doubt about his overall opinion: "S17 Pro is By Far the best headamp I tried below ~1K. My review will be dropping in several days, I had more than a month with it. It always impresses with a clean, distortionless sound, that hits and pounds like cornered pugilist. It has the right tonality, it's fun sounding...there is very little to complain about that one."

I hope that he compares it to the Topping A70 Pro.

 

[Shane D]

That's a pretty glowing review from a reviewer that is rather picky at times with his amps. I was tossing up between the Singxer SA-1 and the Aune S17 but I think I might go with the road less travelled and purchase the S17.

I will wait for reviews since it will be primarily be used with IEMs and only occasionally with a headphone so I will have to see how it handles more sensitive stuff.

I have also been looking hard at the Singxer because I have several very efficient headphones and I am a quiet listener. I can never get past 9:00 on any of my amps, or if I can it is just barely.

Now I am looking at:
Topping A70 Pro
Singxer SA-1
Aune S17 Pro

Maybe by the time I sell my tube amp it will be Black Friday and I will grab one of the above.

Is anyone aware of any Aune problems out of the box? You don't have to look far to find Topping problems. And Singxer has the red light of death. What kind of track record does Aune have?

 

[Marlowe]

I hope that he compares it to the Topping A70 Pro.

Likely. He recently gave the A70 a glowing review but it appears he likes the S17 Pro more. TBH, the comparison that I'd really like to see is with the Burson Soloist 3X, a significantly more expensive Class A amp. And the price of the Burson escalates a lot when you consider that many people consider the purchase of Burson's overpriced $100 vertical stand (to dissipate the significant heat) and $300 supercharger (or upgraded power supply) to be near essential. (Another prime candidate for comparison is the slightly cheaper Class A Singxer SA-1. IIRC, he gave that one a good but not great review.)

 

[Shane D]

Likely. He recently gave the A70 a glowing review but it appears he likes the S17 Pro more. TBH, the comparison that I'd really like to see is with the Burson Soloist 3X, a significantly more expensive Class A amp. (Another prime candidate for comparison is the slightly cheaper Class A Singxer SA-1. IIRC, he gave that one a good but not great review.)

I would never buy another Burson product, but I would LOVE to see him compare it to the A70 and SA-1.

 

[grumpy213]

I haven't had experience with the A70 specifically but I would venture to say it would present the most "vanilla" of sound out of the three contenders. The SA-1 and the S17 would likely be "poorer" on measurements but have slightly more coloured sound.

This is all hearsay however.

 

[Marlowe]

I haven't had experience with the A70 specifically but I would venture to say it would present the most "vanilla" of sound out of the three contenders. The SA-1 and the S17 would likely be "poorer" on measurements but have slightly more coloured sound.

This is all hearsay however.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up Amir's review of the Singxer SA-1 on ASR. Actually, the Singxer measures quite well and Amir strongly recommended it. To be charitable, I'm not a fan of the ASR objectivist cult, so that's not particularly a positive mark in my book (it's not a negative either). Unsurprisingly, the A70 measured so well that Amir swooned. TBH, I'd be surprised if the S17 Pro doesn't measure well also, if probably not A70 territory. Aune includes a number of measurements of the S17 on its website. I didn't look at them (and to be candid, I really don't know how to interpret them that well, I'm much more interested in subjective impressions from people I trust), but take a look if interested.

 

[Shane D]

I haven't had experience with the A70 specifically but I would venture to say it would present the most "vanilla" of sound out of the three contenders. The SA-1 and the S17 would likely be "poorer" on measurements but have slightly more coloured sound.

This is all hearsay however.

Audiophile Heaven was saying that the A70 Pro has more "slam" than the A90D. Curious to hear some comparisons.

Not worried about A vs A/B since as a quiet listener, I will always be in Class A.

 

[LakeOfTheWyles]

seems like a similar internal layout to the Schiit Jotunheim 2, but on a bigger scale. Similar power output too. Would this be a step up from the jot 2?

 

[listen4joy]

Z Reviews

 

[Shane D]

Z Reviews

Sounds like it's hot like a tube amp. I am already trying to get one of my tube amps as it is way too hot to use in the summer.

 

[svmusa]

Z Reviews

So much talking that I could not figure anything in particular from the review, he likes it is my sense but he is all over the place and you kind of feel like you are with some one reviewing with too much energy distracted all the time...

 

[grumpy213]

I enjoy Zeo's from an entertainment perspective but he doesn't give that much in the way of expounded detail.

Basically it seems like it is a true class A sound that hits fairly hard and gives him much enjoyment from headphones that are usually too bright or just not that enjoyable.

The heat may be in an issue since I'm in Australia so it gets pretty hot during the summer but otherwise, he seemed to put it right next to the Rebel Amp which is a constant fixture in his videos so I suppose that's an endorsement of sorts.