latest update Linsoul is not able to replace damaged ribbons- I requested I needed another ribbon at my expense- they said they don't have any in stock and no sign of remedy- now I have a set of headphones that are not working since they claim the removable ribbons are no longer in stock- I should re-rate my expereince and review down to one star here on head-fi so buyers beware if they break you are most likely not able to get replacments - I will update if I hear good news but for now my headphones are not working and I feel like the service is zero at this point. https://www.linsoul.com/products/g
https://www.linsoul.com/products/gold-planar-gl1200

I understand your frustration. i am not defending them, but I am curious - did the ribbon break during normal use or when swapping out the ribbon to the other? Also, is their a way to get a ribbon through the GoldPlanar company, itself? I guess it would not be practical to send the unit for repair under warranty, but maybe they will eventually catch up with demand since the product is still relatively new.

updated

Hi John, did you managed to get the gold ribbon?

Gold Planar will not sell (SELL meaning you can not BUY WITH REAL MONEY) replacement ribbons if you break them according to Linsoul- contact Gold Planar and beg them to sell the Gold and Silver ribbons separately if you truly want the best choices and future proofing and protection for years to come

I am still emailing them trying to figure out how we can resolve this - again for one of the best headphones I ever heard to say you can not buy parts still leaves me perplexed and let down in a way no one should feel when spending money

Given Goldplanar provides ribbon options, gold and silver, and they give a way for the consumer to swap them, do they say anything about whether the warranty is voided when the consumer makes a change or do they indicate whether the ribbon itself is excluded from the warranty? it would be good to know. I don't recall seeing mention of this in the documentation but I may have missed it.

After much discussion by email Linsoul convinced Gold Planar to send a new set of ribbons finally (at the cost of shipping only) which is very fair. One set of replacement ribbons was too wide and buckled when inserting them- not user error but manufacture error since they look like they are cut and assembled by hand- they were uneven and slid in only partially into tracks. Part of the appealing feature of the GL1200 and what sets them apart from any other ribbon out there is you can change the ribbons without a big deal or retooling- and re-tune it - Gold Planar needs to make BOTH avaialble for purchase ASAP ans maintain high quality control to keep these legends LEGENDARY

BTW- again in my experience- The gold ribbon (enhanced) sounds the best if you can get them. The silver (standard) is more detailed but less full and will not handle complex passages loudly like the gold. They are both excellent. I have to say Linsoul has come through and I am retracting my 'lack of service' from my review and feedback. They came through- now if Gold Planar will sell the ribbons in both colors consumers will have the ultimate choice in what I consider the finest sounding headphone I ever heard up until this date.

Have you guys compared this with he Abyss 1266? Would love to hear the comparison.

When I heard the abyss at the trade show at the last show in ny I was impressed but not nearly as impressive as gl1200 - the gl1200 is as close to a pure ribbon speaker which was placed correctly in the room so to bring out seamless top to bottom performance from the bass blend - making it tight (when paired w gold ribbon) as anything I ever heard - the abyss was like a Martin Logan speaker and not as transparent or seamless in to the recording - the abyss was too shouty where the gl1200 more natural but ruthless honest never sharp or exaggerated

Thanks John! Hope they will improve further with the next version..

i really like the abyss. I respect it greatly. I did compare at one point, but not sufficiently to comment. I have access to the abyss, so certainly I could do a comparison in the future. of course, I only have the silver ribbon at this time.

Please do. Looking forward to it. Am thinking of susvara / abyss but not sure is it worth the money since GL1200 is already so amazing.

I added a section at the end of my review for an informal and premature comparison to the Abyss.

When I used the gold ribbon I felt it brought it to top tier none better the silver ribbon has some reservations but still i hope people can try both tunings

Does anyone try to power the gl1200 without the adapter box?

For example, hifiman used to provide a box for he6 but folks found that it sounds better by directly powering the hp from sterep amps.

Conversely, does the stereo amp + gl1200 adapter box sound any good for a general headphone amp?

i have not tried with the GL1200 so my response may not be helpful but I did want to mention.... In most cases, you would still need a device to attenuate/control the volume. i used to have a home-made box to do this (I used with other headphones in the distant past), and I recall the device sounded far superior to the Woo and similar devices because I had a good attenuator between the amp and headphone connector and absolutely no other circuity and no power (if I recall correctly). I might look for it, but to be honest, I'd be wary of performing any activity that would void the warranty.

the question you are really getting at is whether the adapter box hinders sound quality. The answer about amp+ box is, it depends. i consider the x150 a good amp, but i hear a little noise on sensitive headphones. the noise is not from the adapter and not present on the gl1200. i feel a purpose-built headphone amp with considerable power may achieve good or better results. but the answer will depend on the amp and the headphone. i do not think the susvara sounded great but I'm not sure I attribute that to the adapter because other headphones sounded good. i must also caution, you need a volume control that is perfectly matched unless you intend to run low volume from the source, otherwise you may experience channel imbalance due to the fact that most preamps are designed with the idea of speakers and so a little mismatch at the very beginning of the spectrum would not be noticeable, but if powering a headphone, you may be in the range where an imbalance does occur.