REVIEW: HeadAmp.com Gilmore v2
Disclaimer: The views below are purely my own and subjective. They are my opinions and should be taken as such.
HeadAmp.com Gilmore Dynamic Headphone Amplifier v2 Review
Introduction
Kevin Gilmore is famous throughout the headphone audio world for his amplifier designs. His circuits are known for being wildly overbuilt and compromising little in the pursuit of performance. Unfortunately, many of Gilmore’s design are of too great complexity for the beginner do-it-yourselfer, and may require specialized parts like matched transistors. This is where Justin, aka Antness, of HeadAmp.com comes in.
HeadAmp.com’s primary amplifier is the Gilmore v2. The original schematic and Kevin Gilmore’s original write-up can be found on Headwize. Justin first started selling the amplifier in September of 2002 as the Gilmore v1. The current incarnation was first sold in February, 2003. Antness offers two choices. First, one can buy a kit containing all of the parts ready for simple soldering. Secondly, Antness sells ready-made amplifiers. This is a review of one such amplifier.
Headphones Used
Sennheiser HD580s, with aftermarket Clou Blues
Build Quality
When I first opened the box containing the amplifier, I was immediately impressed by the quality of the enclosure. The amplifier resides in a heavy black casing. There are two RCA inputs on the rear of the amplifier, and a switch occupies the space in between, offering the listener the option to switch in between two sources. The switch is on the back of the amplifier, so it may be a bit inconvenient to access depending on the positioning of your equipment. Nevertheless, I can understand Justin’s design choice as it minimizes the length of wire required to connect the input to the amp board itself. Subsequently, the rear has a pre-amp output. Unfortunately, I was not able to test the Gilmore v2 in this fashion as I do not have a suitable speaker system. I am told, however, that the Gilmore performs this duty quite admirably. Finally, a small flat black power switch and IEC socket reside here as well. The non-captive power cord allows the user to try different cords in their system. Moving to the front along the sides, vents allow fresh air to cool the amplifier. The front face of the amplifier contains two Neutrik ¼ inch headphone outputs, a large volume knob and a blue LED. All parts of the faces are neatly silk-screened. The enclosure is simple and neat, which appeals to the fashion-conscious audiophile in me. Before critical listening, I let the amplifier burn in for over 100 hours. It hasn’t been turned off since being received, so it has close to 400 hours on it now.
Sound
Fast and punchy. These were the first two words that came to mind when I saw plugged my headphones into the amplifier. Not since hearing Headroom’s Blockhead have I heard bass this punchy. The amplifier was extremely detailed, and for the first time, I was hearing true texture to my music. Dave Brubeck’s Time Out is one of my reference albums. One of the stunning features in this album is the accuracy of the cymbals. With the Gilmore, I heard the cymbals simmer and decay into oblivion. I could hear the cymbals vibrate in the air. The highs are silky smooth and extended, and offer an amazing amount of detail and clarity. The midrange, often the hardest to get right, was spot on. To admit, after spending some time with an RKV and tube-rolled MG Head, I thought that I would forever prefer the completely luxurious and lush midrange that only tube gear could offer. In contrast, the Gilmore’s midrange strikes me as exceedingly neutral in its presentation. It’s presentation of the piano especially stuck with me. To me, the piano is one of the toughest instruments to get exactly right. When I auditioned Headroom’s Maxed Out Home, I wrote down that the high registers of the piano decay in an odd way. I’m happy to say that the Gilmore does not exhibit this problem, and the piano sounds quite right in this regard. It’s tough to put into words, but the Gilmore let me hear the pianist’s fingers hitting the keys, almost as if I could hear the moment before the actual note came through the air.
The bass on the Gilmore is quite stunning. The second track on Monster Jazz, The Thinker by George Benson, is my most oft used reference in this respect. I heard extremely deep, detailed and textured bass, which was incredible to hear. The impact that was present made it evident that the Gilmore had taken control of the headphones and just wouldn’t let go.
Although the Gilmore lets one peer deep into the music and uncover low-lying detail, it never detracts from the overall enjoyment of the music. The most stunning event occurred a week ago. I was listening to some classic Miles Davis, just relaxing in my chair. I looked down at my foot, and noticed that I was tapping my toe to the music. Only once before has this occurred to me: while I was listening to my sister practice on her viola. Take that for whatever value you will, but that fact alone made me appreciate the amplifier.
I echo just one minor complaint. The gain of the amplifier is just a bit much. To be honest, the output of my DI/O was quite hot, at 7V. This gave me practically no room for fine level adjustment. I modded my DAC to output a far more reasonable 1.5V, and things improved greatly. Be forewarned however.
I plan on making some more comments on this sound when I have the chance to listen to this amplifier with some Grado headphones (which, I understand, this amplifier was originally built to drive) and Etymotic earplugs.
Conclusions
The HeadAmp.com Gilmore v2 raises the bar for DIY designs. For the price, this little amplifier can’t be beat. I think perhaps some forget that a DIYer such as Antness can offer a product of high quality and caliber at an extremely competitive price. To be honest, after hearing many amplifiers, I can honestly say that the Gilmore is not longer the limiting part of my system, and that I can look forward to keeping it though-out system upgrades.
Associated Equipment
NEC CDR-602
Zucable Firemine
Modded Art DI/O DAC w/ Bolder PSU
Outlaw PCA
Gilmore v2
Clou Blue Sennheiser replacement cable
Sennheiser HD580
-Andrzej
Comments are welcome
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