So I bought a DAC

ohbythebay

ohbythebay

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So I bought a DAC

I pulled the trigger and bought a DAC
though theory on need created quite a FLAC
I searched and looked for the very best price
And stumbled upon one really quite nice

It has the specs and the build is great
and adds a tube so it must have been fate
That I chose this DAC not common or bright
to suit my needs and fit just right

So I bought a DAC and it sounds so clear
I did gain soundstage, depth and sense of air
and now I play to burn it in
this DAC I bought was a clear win


Okay, so did I need a DAC? No. But does anyone really need a DAC? I mean, you need air. You need food and water. But did I need a DAC. Okay, I digress.

I bought the AUNE T1 Enhanced Tube DAC 24bit/96kh with 6922EH tube for $159 at Amazon. Why Amazon ? I trust Amazon and if it sounded like poo I could return it. See I am a thinking kinda guy,

Some good stuff on the unit
Aune T1 24bit Tube USB DAC ( new products) - News- HIFI AUDIO-HIFIDIY.NET-CHINA - HIFIDIY.NET
Aune T1 USB Tube DAC+Amp Discussion Thread ***See first post for FAQ*** - Page 135

Check out the tear down
AUNE T1 24 BIT Valve (Tube) DAC on it's way! | Rock Grotto


It had come very highly recommended by USERS on the web and especially HEADFI forum (no affiliation except I am now a member - you can laugh now at that joke). They knew every spec and detail and even took them apart. Very well built, fine piece of DAC (no offense to the ladies) and add to that the TUBE for flavor. A tube that can be easily replaced with NOS Vintage stuff. My kind of tube.

Amazon did one day delivery and I set it up last night. Took me all of 5 minutes. It uses a USB input which goes through the DAC and the TUBE with RCA out or headphone out (on board amp for that) . The RCA out is fixed line which I like. Gain can be set inside via a series of dip switches for this at 0db, 10db and 16db. If you use the headphone, it has a gain knob.

You can also RCA in and RCA out for a CD player but that only engages the DAC, no tube buffer. No Coax or optical in but that is NOT what I bought it for.

It sounds amazing. What did I gain ? A more holographic sound stage, wider and better position. By leaps and bounds ? No..but definitely a difference worth $159. The best difference was the vocalist presence, forward and I cannot put into words but you can tell how they are standing at the mic.

If there is any negative (and not really) is that it borders ever so slightly (tiny tiny bit) on the bright side which I think is easily remedied via tube and device burn in, reducing the factory set gain from 16db down to 0db (that line out is very strong) and some old fashioned tube rolling.

Guys, for a NON DAC guys who only uses it for XBOX music download/streaming, I got my money's worth easily. It looks cool and bottom line, hard to find a $159 DAC that comes so highly recommend universally by a user community.

Thanks
 
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Rob & to all your family! :)
christmastree.gif
 
You too Bob...I hope its the best !!

Jock, yes, you should. Its playing right now and I am impressed. I have been burning it in since last night...have about 19 hours on it so far.

I was skeptical because of my music format input but dang...that 3d image of the vocalist is nice. Was worth it !
 
Rob, good for you & great to hear you're not being closed minded about digital. If you really get the itch with this thing try a very good/recommended usb cable, it will surprise you to the point of you will literally have to close your mouth. It sure does have it in the looks department :coolyeah:
 
At first I was just thinking "fantastic poetry"! Then I realized that you really did get a DAC. I had me a looksie and that is a very interesting DAC! I can't think of a reason I personally would need one (especially since my CD player has a well executed dac already that is the best I've heard to date). However, for what that thing is, it is making me think about experimenting with it, perhaps hooking it to a PC or something. That will have to be someday later though as I am still saving up for a new A/V receiver (and maybe supplemental amp) and that $150 is a significant chunk of change to me even though it is a very good price for that dac in my opinion.
 
sharkmouth said:
Rob, good for you & great to hear you're not being closed minded about digital. If you really get the itch with this thing try a very good/recommended usb cable, it will surprise you to the point of you will literally have to close your mouth. It sure does have it in the looks department :coolyeah:
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly ! The RCA outs are a pair of NICE interconnects Doug gave me (been waiting to use that pair) and I thought - Hmm..maybe there is a better USB than the one they supplied - though it is a nice one...not the typical cheapy printer type.

I may look into get some HIGH GRADE audio files just to see what this thing can do ...where would I get them though ?
 
MusicDirector said:
At first I was just thinking "fantastic poetry"! Then I realized that you really did get a DAC. I had me a looksie and that is a very interesting DAC! I can't think of a reason I personally would need one (especially since my CD player has a well executed dac already that is the best I've heard to date). However, for what that thing is, it is making me think about experimenting with it, perhaps hooking it to a PC or something. That will have to be someday later though as I am still saving up for a new A/V receiver (and maybe supplemental amp) and that $150 is a significant chunk of change to me even though it is a very good price for that dac in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Makes a great PC headphone amp (so I am told). I don't know if mine will ever see a headphone - its a permanent fixture on my rig now...LOL

You have an awesome unit ...no need for a DAC with you Marantz kicking tail out there...
 
ohbythebay said:
My thoughts exactly ! The RCA outs are a pair of NICE interconnects Doug gave me (been waiting to use that pair) and I thought - Hmm..maybe there is a better USB than the one they supplied - though it is a nice one...not the typical cheapy printer type.

I may look into get some HIGH GRADE audio files just to see what this thing can do ...where would I get them though ?
Click to expand...

Just one of the many here, the WW Platinum usb cable is in the top tier http://audioshark.org/cables-160/wireworld-series-6-7-cables-sale-124.html#.UronBNaOWKo
 
6922 is ECC88,

so Tesla, Valvo, Siemens, GE and maybe Mullards would be the brands you should try.

I once had the Teslas in a Dac long time ago. It had ooomph.
 
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