Well after a really anxious 7 weeks, its finally here. The beautifully crafted Gilmore Lite. I must say, I wasnt too happy that I had to wait this long for something that was listed as 3 weeks. But nevertheless, its here, and I am already tempted to say, it was worth the wait. What makes it even more special is that this is an anniversary gift from my fiance
UPDATE : Added some pics I took with my cell phone
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...lite-650-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...lite-650-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...lite-650-3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...lite-650-4.jpg
Let me start with packaging. It arrived in a big box with two smaller boxes, one with the ELPAC power supply (which is friggin huge btw, its the largest walwart I have seen yet, it can pull down a weak power point IMO). The Glite is ofcourse in the other box in bubble wrap. All tightly fit, no movement so no risk of getting beaten up during shipping. Great job Justin!
The amp itself looks extremely well put together. Its spotless, beautiful brushed aluminum. The volume knob sticks out enough for even larger fingers to hold onto and feels solid and well weighted. The line/level indicator on the volume knob looks like a transparent plastic line. Immediately I was thinking of how cool it would be if it glowed in blue like the power indicator...ah well..looks cool the way it is. Everything lines up perfectly, no odd shapes or misalignment like some of the Chinese amps I have seen.
My source is an EMU 0202 connected to a desktop running Foobar playing FLAC files via ASIO. I used a Mogami cable to connect the stereo out from the back of the EMU to the Audio Input of the Gilmore Lite.I will be using stock HD650's which are well burnt in.
The first song I listened to was Hatesong by Porcupine Tree from the album Lightbulb Sun. What immediately grabbed me was the fullness of the bass. I always felt the EMU's headphone out was a little lean in the bass and this proved it. The bass came out nice and clean, no bloat, just tight and punchy, with solid presence. The next thing that struck me was the instrument separation. The bass drum and bass guitar were completely isolated without messing up each others sound. The guitars and vox werent overlapping either. Everything came out clean. There is no hiss, and the background is dark. Infact I feel a slight warmth to the sound, maybe because the bass is coming out better than before.
The next song on the list was Three Minute Warning part 3 from Liquid Tension Experiment. I use this a lot for bass testing and stress testing during chaotic parts when all of them go crazy. Mike Portnoys bass drum has a lovely punch in this recording and Tony Levin is awesome on bass. The bass was amazing once again. The Glite really brought back the one thing I felt was a bit lacking from the EMU. Nice and full, awesome punch. Even when things got messy and chaotic in the song, the separation remained, everything was laid out properly, without overlapping. I did quick A/B's with the EMU headphone out, and it sounded lean, weak, and everything was focussed towards the mids, with treble tending to sparkle a bit.
Next up was Blackwater Park by Opeth. This song needs no introduction, you really need a good setup to appreciate the brilliance of the song IMO. I have heard quite a few setups that messes this up pretty bad. The bass will be tough to hear, bass drum would go "put put put" and not have distinct hits instead of "thud thud thud", and the guitars can be loud. This is the first time I am hearing a proper thud to Martin Lopez's kick drum. And to be honest, this is first time I could actually distinguish the bass guitar during the loud parts. Excellent.
There was a review I read here earlier that said that the Lite squashes the soundstage of the 650's a bit, and some ppl might not like it. For soundstage I used the song "Say Goodbye" by Dave Matthews Band on the album Crash. The intro is truly a reference for soundstage testing IMO. The dynamics of Carter Beauford's playing are simply beautiful and awe inspiring. Firstly I didnt find any lack of soundstage, maybe compared to a higher end amp maybe, but for me its an improvement. But that wasnt what made me smile. The resolution and accuracy of the hits were just stunning. This sounded much more like a proper reference recording now. The hits are accurate, the skins were tight and tuned to perfection. As a drummer I could feel the tightness of the skin and even tell the intensity of the hits. The decay on each hit was crisp and not drowned by the next hit. For percussion drums highs are every bit as important as lows and mids, and some setups tend to be a bit bright, losing the natural sound of the drums. This wasnt the case, the sound was balanced and accurate.
Next I wanted to see what it did to another favourite reference recording of mine with a different flavour compared to the songs above. The XRCD of Hell Freezes Over, Hotel California. The guitar intro was enough to convince me that this was it, I had made the right choice. The amp does tend the bring the guitar a bit more upfront than before, but in a good way. It seems more "live" now.
The only songs that I didnt really see much of a difference were songs by Enya. It sounded more or less the same.
I must say that the Glite does wonders for Rock and metal, brings more immediacy, punch and seperation and resolution. I cannot find a single fault in this amp for the price. I just can't. It makes my 650's sound fantastic especially for my taste in music. I thought it might make it bright, and bring out the mids to much. Instead it enhanced the overall sound of the 650's. The warmth that I love is still there, but the bass now is tight and punchy, the mids are still smooth, and the highs are just where they should be, not too bright, not sparkly, with proper extension.
I'm sorry I havent tested it with any Classical or Jazz music because really I havent gotten into that much yet, and I dont have any reference recordings in those genres. So I cant comment on what the Lite will do to those types of music, although if I had to guess, you are better off not getting the Lite for Classical music.
Its so obvious now that the 650's were lacking power coming out of the EMU 0202. The built in amp is good, but nowhere close to a proper dedicated amp. Now, it makes me wonder what a higher end source would do....sigh...this hobby never ends.
Overall I give it an enthusiastic Highly recommended!!!! especially if you are more into rock/metal or even pop for that matter. Just be patient till you get it though
Headamp Gilmore Lite Review/Impressions Updated w/pics
