[SmartCheetah]

I used to own a Fiio K7, excellent AiO, the only problem that I had with that unit it's that it made my LCD2Cs almost impossible to listen to.

Why is that? It was my first external DAC/AMP when I entered the hobby last year. It's good indeed. Good enough that switching to the ST-AMP wasn't a noticeable upgrade until I bought the EF400 to pair it with. The K7 is a perfect entry-level combo that can also be an endgame for many.

 

[Erick Muller]

Why is that? It was my first external DAC/AMP when I entered the hobby last year. It's good indeed. Good enough that switching to the ST-AMP wasn't a noticeable upgrade until I bought the EF400 to pair it with. The K7 is a perfect entry-level combo that can also be an endgame for many.

Yes indeed, unless you have really hard to drive headphones or you're a crazy person like us that it's looking to squeeze till the last once of performance and sound quality out of it's equipment, that should be enough 99% of people.

 

[nobela]

@AuneAudio:

Please help with the firmware update process.

My unit has the 2023.06.19. fw, and the 55-56 volume jump is a HUGE problem for me! Both my headphones work around this region, and the volume changes kill music.

I have bought my unit in Hungary from the web shop ALZA. I have contacted sales@auneaudio and I was directed to the Austrian department but I got quite a rude answer from them, they are not willing to help.

At the moment I am very upset with Aune customer support, I can tell.

So, how can I update my firmware in Hungary? Thanks.

 

[Majuto]

@AuneAudio:

Please help with the firmware update process.

My unit has the 2023.06.19. fw, and the 55-56 volume jump is a HUGE problem for me! Both my headphones work around this region, and the volume changes kill music.

I have bought my unit in Hungary from the web shop ALZA. I have contacted sales@auneaudio and I was directed to the Austrian department but I got quite a rude answer from them, they are not willing to help.

At the moment I am very upset with Aune customer support, I can tell.

So, how can I update my firmware in Hungary? Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experiences with Aune. I also have this older firmware Aune version with problematic vol adjustment. I like Aune's sound a lot and my simple solution is a separate DAC with decent vol adjustment. It works just fine. This is one possibility. If I understand right Aune's firmware is not self updateable. In Aune's homepage one can see, which models could be updated. These a bit older Aune versions may also be more difficult to sell forward, because of vol adjustment and possible temperature problems. Hopefully you find a good solution!

 

[SmartCheetah]

I was directed to the Austrian department but I got quite a rude answer from them, they are not willing to help.

What did they say exactly?

I knew that firmware isn't self updatable, but I thought that with Aune's support it's doable.

 

[nobela]

What did they say exactly?

I knew that firmware isn't self updatable, but I thought that with Aune's support it's doable.

"What did they say exactly?"

I don't quote it, they were not helpful at all and clearly rejected to help me. It wasn't a pleasent customer experience, I can say.

 

[sendler2112]

Will the Aune headquarters in China perform the update if you send it to them?

 

[nobela]

Will the Aune headquarters in China perform the update if you send it to them?

Their sales support directed me to the austrian distributor...

 

[ngohw]

I had the opportunity to try the Aune S17 Pro with a bunch of different R2R DACs:

Holo Audio Cyan 2
Chord Qutest
PowerDAC-RX

PowerDAC-RX, wasn't a massive fan of. Vocals didn't seem as forward anymore, lost a lot of oomph in bass. Great if you're someone who really likes a neutral, flat sound -- but if you're looking for a neutral and flat sound, you're probably not using an S17 Pro to begin with.

Holo Audio Cyan 2 a lot better, very good imaging, vocals back where they belong, right amount of oomph in bass.

Chord Qutest blew both of them out of the water completely in basically every single area with one underlying problem -- it caused a ridiculous amount of distortion in the upper mids.

Tried Qutest with other amps, completely fine, tried different sources, completely fine. Even when changing the Qutest to 2V, there was a lot of distortion and this was the only DAC that had this issue with the Aune S17 Pro. A real shame, as without this I would've undoubtedly went with the Qutest without a second thought.

The track most affectedly this, and the one that made me realise it was there, was 'Cool With You' by NewJeans. Other house/UK garage tracks, such as 'Silence Is Loud' by Mia Archives, also suffered this issue.

To clarify, this seems more of an issue with S17 Pro than the Qutest itself.

 

[AuneAudio]

@AuneAudio:

Please help with the firmware update process.

My unit has the 2023.06.19. fw, and the 55-56 volume jump is a HUGE problem for me! Both my headphones work around this region, and the volume changes kill music.

I have bought my unit in Hungary from the web shop ALZA. I have contacted sales@auneaudio and I was directed to the Austrian department but I got quite a rude answer from them, they are not willing to help.

At the moment I am very upset with Aune customer support, I can tell.

So, how can I update my firmware in Hungary? Thanks.

Hi, sorry about the experience... We made a mistake not talking to Austrian distributor about your case, so they were not aware.

From one of our earlier replies, hope you can understand that a distributor may not accept a product that is not bought from them. (In your case, maybe you bought this unit through an official channel. We will find out who your distributor is, and communicate with them and will definitely give you a satisfying result.)

Hi, thanks for your feedback. According to your description, if your device reaches 69℃ after 45 min of power up and can only work for 15 min in 100mA mode, there's definitely a problem.

The seller is not our authorized distributor. We don't know who that is. And as you already saw, we mentioned not to buy from Aliexpress:
"Please purchase aune products from our authorized distributors (http://www.auneaudio.com/p/Where_to_Buy.html) and our official Amazon (amazon.com/s?me=A2AP0JEHTRG6EO) where the aftersales service is guaranteed. Aliexpress is NOT recommended as the quality and aftersales service are not guaranteed."

Our authorized distributors pay customs duties, shipping, and other related costs when purchasing products from us to sell in their regions. If one doesn't buy the product through official channels and there's a problem with the unit, even if we as the manufacturer would like to assist him in contacting local distributors for aftersales support, it might be difficult for them to accept products that are not bought from them.

Therefore, products purchased through unofficial channels such as AliExpress have difficulties in obtaining aftersales support. If the seller is unable to provide aftersales service, returning the product to us in China would incur high shipping costs.

That is why we strongly recommend purchasing from authorized distributors or our official Amazon.

In your case, we suggest you to contact the seller for a return.
If the communication doesn't go well, you can directly contact us sales@auneaudio.com

 

[radqb]

Tried S17 with Gustard R26 (r2r dac). Paired with ZMF Bokeh.
Midrange sounds phenomenal. It is full bodied, big, also very detailed at the same time.

Unfortunately, it is not for me. Mostly my songs are rock or metal songs, the midrange too aggresive (too forward); I'll get a D400EX or SU-9 ultra (AK4499EX + AK4191) that sounds more laidback, in my opinion.

 

[Marlowe]

Tried S17 with Gustard R26 (r2r dac). Paired with ZMF Bokeh.
Midrange sounds phenomenal. It is full bodied, big, also very detailed at the same time.

Unfortunately, it is not for me. Mostly my songs are rock or metal songs, the midrange too aggresive (too forward); I'll get a D400EX or SU-9 ultra (AK4499EX + AK4191) that sounds more laidback, in my opinion.

I don't know much about the Bokeh, but I suspect that's not a good pairing for ZMFs in general. Right now I'm using the S17 with the R2R Denafrips Ares 12th-1 and it does no favors for the ZMF Aeolus, which sounds overly warm and muddy. (The Aeolus sounded much better on my previous setup of Liquid Platinum and Topping D90 MQA (OG AKM 4499 version.) OTOH, it's a terrific pairing with the Hifiman HEK Stealth, adding some welcome warmth to a headphone some find too bright.

TBH, I may be a bit biased since I think the upper tier Hifiman egg shaped headphones just beat the Aeolus all to hell in almost every way. Although the Aeolus did sound quite a bit better with the LP/Topping, the Arya Stealth sounded better in every way except bass quantity. (I never heard the similar but technically better HEK Stealth on the LP/Topping.) The Arya Stealth is just technically far superior to the Aeolus, at roughly 60% of the price ATM. I like premium wood, leather, and aluminum on my headphones about as much as the next guy. But not that much.

 

[D1N0]

Did anybody try fixing a heatsink or heatsinks to the bottom (since that seems to get hottest) I am guessing the bolt on the bottom holds the transformer so I'll leave that alone. But can de feet be removed for more flexibility in attaching the heat sinks?

 

[sygnus21]

Did anybody try fixing a heatsink or heatsinks to the bottom (since that seems to get hottest) I am guessing the bolt on the bottom holds the transformer so I'll leave that alone. But can de feet be removed for more flexibility in attaching the heat sinks?

You know, based on what I am hearing about heating problems, and needing heatsinks and all that to keep the unit cooled, I'm glad I didn't get one of these. If I have to resort to all types of tricks and add-ons just to keep a unit cool so I can play it, I don't need it.

I think Aune should consider the way of Burson audio in incorporating a fan in their units, or perhaps a better design to combat the heating issue.

On warranty service, I completely agree with Aune, and many others when they warn not buying from official channels, you risk voiding the warranty right off the bat. I don't buy any electronics for "unauthorized" distributors. In fact, if I'm not buying direct from the manufacture, I research the vender selling the unit is on an authorized list.

The seller is not our authorized distributor. We don't know who that is. And as you already saw, we mentioned not to buy from Aliexpress:
"Please purchase aune products from our authorized distributors (http://www.auneaudio.com/p/Where_to_Buy.html) and our official Amazon (amazon.com/s?me=A2AP0JEHTRG6EO) where the aftersales service is guaranteed. Aliexpress is NOT recommended as the quality and aftersales service are not guaranteed."

Our authorized distributors pay customs duties, shipping, and other related costs when purchasing products from us to sell in their regions. If one doesn't buy the product through official channels and there's a problem with the unit, even if we as the manufacturer would like to assist him in contacting local distributors for aftersales support, it might be difficult for them to accept products that are not bought from them.

Therefore, products purchased through unofficial channels such as AliExpress have difficulties in obtaining aftersales support. If the seller is unable to provide aftersales service, returning the product to us in China would incur high shipping costs.

That is why we strongly recommend purchasing from authorized distributors or our official Amazon.

In your case, we suggest you to contact the seller for a return.
If the communication doesn't go well, you can directly contact us sales@auneaudio.com

Yeah, the lower some places like AliExpress offer may be better than official channels, but here you get what you pay for... no warranty from the manufacturer. Additionally, there are many knockoffs, or perhaps faulty units that some of these companies get hold of, clean them up and push them off as new to unsuspecting customers... and when an issue arises that's when the realization hit this was an unauthorized sale, and thus no warranty service.

Buyer beware.

 

[D1N0]

ou know, based on what I am hearing about heating problems, and needing heatsinks and all that to keep the unit cooled, I'm glad I didn't get one of these. If I have to resort to all types of tricks and add-ons just to keep a unit cool so I can play it, I don't need it.

I think Aune should consider the way of Burson audio in incorporating a fan in their units, or perhaps a better design to combat the heating issue.

I knew about the heat protection beforehand. During winter it wasn't much of a problem. I've now lifted the unit a bit. We'll see how that goes. Don't want any active cooling solution but if it keeps stepping down to 50ma I may try some sort of heatsink. Hence my question. People who are angry about the heating protection kicking in just didn't do their research.