Aune N7

A Class A workhorse that complements Aune’s headphones — And many more

I first spotted the Aune N7 at Munich at the High-end show, and having already enjoyed both the AR5000 and SR7000 headphones for the past year, I was keen to try the N7 with both these headphones but also with many of my other headphones. Since this is a pure class A amplifier, it is a little different from some of the other amplifiers in my collection, this specific model has no digital inputs, digital filters or PEQ to change the purity of the sound, so this is very much a pure analog beast. And with 6.5W of power into 32Ohm, it is definitely a beast of an amplifier.

So, for this review I tested it with some harder to drive headphones in my collection. So, is the N7 the perfect companion for anyone wanting clean power, stability, and endless power?

So, after more than a month on my desk, fed primarily by both a WiiM Ultra streamer/DAC and my Macbook Pro, that setup has given me many happy hours of music Nirvana.

Here is the N7 happily re-united Aune family:

Though I do have a few quibbles with the N7, so read on to find out, but before I get into these, let’s look at the unboxing.

Unboxing and Build Quality

The N7 arrives in a nice clean packaging:

There are some specifications proudly shown on the front of the box with the headline specification being that 6.5 watts of power.

The back of the box:

Inside the box (protective foam and layout):

Packaging protects the unit well and everything is laid out cleanly.

Quick start guide on top:

Opening the box we finally see the N7:

Front panel view:

Back panel and I/O:

Power supply included:

Heat-sinks on the side are impressive:

Here is the view underneath with the feet:

Accessories box with the power and the remote:

Accessories out of the box:

The remove control has its own box:

Remote Control

The remote control is very impressive:

I love both the simplicity and style of the supplied remote:

Next let’s get into the sound impressions.

Sound Impressions

Overall take: extremely neutral with all the power you could want from a compact Class A desktop amp. The N7 does what a great amp should do: “get out of the way and let the music shine”.

But lets dive a little deeper:

Bass: Tight and linear rather than boosted. On Massive Attack’s Angel and on Daft Punk’s Giorgio by Moroder, the sub-bass control remains firm at higher volumes, with my Hifiman planars staying composed.

Midrange: Clear and uncolored. Vocals on Norah Jones’s Don’t Know Why and on Fleetwood Mac Dreams sit naturally in the mix without added warmth or edge. Both sound exceptional with this amplifier.

Treble: Extended and clean. Cymbals and strings on Miles Davis So What and Radiohead Everything In Its Right Place are crisp without glare. The N7 delivers an extremely clean and detailed sound.

Soundstage & Imaging: Precise separation with solid center image. On Pink Floyd’s Time and Dire Straits’s Money for Nothing, positional cues are easy to follow; staging is governed more by the headphone than the amp, as expected from a neutral design.

During these listening tests some of my headphone pairings really stood out, more because I know these headphones scale well with power and with the N7 you certainly get the power you need.

With my Sennheiser HD600 (300 Ω) I felt it benefited from the clean voltage swing and channel balance. And with the Hifiman Ananda Nano leveraged the current capability without the amp ever sounding strained.

I briefly tested this with the Mod House Tungsten (before I had to sadly return that headphone), and this was an excellent amplifier for pairing with a headphone as hard to drive as the Tungsten, it came alive with astonishingly good subbass power, and the treble felt clean, detailed and extended.

Day to Day Desktop Usage

Here’s a photo of my work-from-home setup where the N7 pulls double duty feeding my powered speakers and on this specific day I was listening to the ZMF Bokeh Closed-back while working:

So as a desktop amplifier, the N7 takes up minimal space (approx. 208 × 160 × 83 mm) and fits easily under or beside a monitor as you can see in the photo above.

The 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs cover most use cases though I would have loved an 4-pin XLR output as well. The IEMs I tested with remained quiet with no audible hiss in this setup.

It did get a bit hot (it is a Class A after all), but the heat-sinks kept the unit remained stable on an open desk with normal ventilation.

Overall, I only have a few quibbles from my daily usage for the past month:

1. As I mentioned, I would have loved to see XLR headphone output
2. Given it is a class A amplifier (and gets hot ~40–43°C), I would also have loved to see the on/off button on
   the front as I found myself forgetting to switch it off a few times.
3. The single button can be a bit confusing as it handles volume, input selection, and menu navigation, so you have to wait for the timeout to switch to the main menu.

This short video shows the menu system:

Comparisons

I tested the N7 against many other amplifiers:

I switched the Aune N7 into my evening listening setup and directly compared it to many other amplifiers:

Topping DX5 II (DAC/Amp): The DX5 II is a feature-dense DAC/amp. The N7 takes the opposite approach: a purist analog Class A amp with excellent preamp capability. If you already have DACs you like, the N7 is the simpler, quieter analog path with more drive flexibility via current modes.

FiiO K17: Much more feature-rich as a DAC/amp hub with very high output. The N7 sounds similarly neutral but offers a smoother Class A presentation and a tidier desktop footprint when used purely as an analog amp.

SMSL DO400: Strong DAC section and low distortion numbers with plenty of power. The N7 provides a more premium tactile experience and a purist all‑analog path if you already own a DAC you love.

JDS Labs Element IV: Clean, powerful, and with excellent UI on the big knob. N7 keeps up on neutrality while adding balanced topology, current modes, and a more substantial chassis.

Burson Playmate 3: Warmer tilt and tweakability via op‑amps. N7 is simpler and quieter with IEMs in my chain and, as an amp-only box, feels more premium day‑to‑day.

Specifications and Measurements

Headphone Output Performance:

Output Power:

Single-Ended 6.35mm Headphone Output Power

Balanced 4.4mm Headphone Output Power

Input/Output Impedance:

Measurement

I found these Audio Precision measurements of the N7:

Note: I believe this is the Single Ended headphone output and gets a very respectable SINAD score of 108. This matches the published THD+N @1kHz value of 0.0004%. I will update this review with more independent measurements once I have them.

Rating

The N7 gets a Pragmatic Rating of 4. The N7 sounds fantastic thanks to its powerful true Class A amplifier and thoughtful current/gain options.

Practical Use Case (who will like it):

• Ideal for desktop setups with limited space
• Good upgrade path for users of entry-level amps like Schiit or iFi Zen series and want a clean amplifier that supports all their headphones as well as working well with their IEM collection.

My main niggles with the N7:

• No XLR 4-pin headphone output
• Rear power switch (less convenient)
• Slightly unintuitive UI at first, especially with the single button control
• No digital inputs, though you can upgrade to the N7D, which is €100

Conclusion

The Aune N7 focuses on fundamentals: stable Class A power, clean volume control, and flexible I/O in a compact chassis. Paired with some great headphones e.g. Aune AR5000 and SR7000 (and many others I have tried in the past month), it delivered neutral, effortless drive that highlighted the headphones and source music rather than the amp itself.

If you already own a DAC or a Preamp and I used the WiiM Ultra extensively during my longer listening session; the N7 is a straightforward, high-quality, high-powered desktop amplifier that gets the job done with minimal fuss. For many people, it will be the right kind of “endgame”: the one that quietly disappears and lets the music take over.