I was first introduced to the Goldpoint Pro thanks to Kee's thread on the amp. He has a lot of quality amps, & his high praise got me interested, especially, when I'm driving distance to Goldpoint's place of business. I emailed Arn. (The Maker) He was very good at getting back to me, within 24 hrs. After exchanging a few emails I purchased his amp & it arrived nicely packaged & secure.
This is a SS amp, & as such you inheret the SS strength's. (Detail, speed ie) To sum up my intial reaction, This amp does a great job of grabbing a hold of the music to the point where you never lose focus. It was also brighter then I expected. The highs, at times, were a bit harsh.. Burn in (I'm slowly becoming a beliver) does help in this area. (30hrs) The brightness is toned down along with the harsh highs. Component selection was the real key. My Bel Canto DAC 2 compliments the Goldpoint Pro well. The overall sound is more neutral & the highs are now smoother & better extended. They took the 'edge' off the amp so to speak.
IMO, this amp compares very well to the stock GS1. I only auditioned the GS1 at a meet, but the Goldpoint Pro & the GS1 noth share some notable traits. Clarity. Detail. Neutrality. The GS1 has more drive, a gain switch, pre amp functions, so in versatlity, the GS1 offers you a buffet of choices that the Goldpoint doesn't. 2 RCA inputs only. I understand this thinking. This allows for a lower price point without having to gut elements of your design. I know for certain this amp betters the HR2 in most areas.. Some of it is prefernce based. The HR2 seemed to sugar/syrup the music, & lacked some sonic attributes that a 875.00 should have IMO. I did love the beefy external PS. That was the HR2's halmark. Sadly, the Goldpoint only comes with a wall wart. But, don't shoot it down for that. The SQ is marvelous.
Arn also upgraded his amp to V5 (V6 has just been introduced. Will edit my review when I get his V6 upgrade.) This upgrade adds clarity with a greater sense of resolve. Reduced noise floor. Pitching a more convincing black ground. Notes & harmonies seem to slowly fade into blackness with better refinement & in a more realistic fashion. Bass also got a boost. Sounds tighter with a bit more kick to it. Quanity seems to have stayed the same. The quality improves.
In the sea of good bang for the buck headphone amps, one can most certainly drown if not careful..But if you are able to stay above water & within budget, you will find your sunken treasure of audio bliss in the form of the Goldpoint Headphone Pro.
UPDATE 8/5/10
I received my amp yesterday. V12. V5 is a great bargain in itself. But V12 is serious audio muscle on nitro.. If you can get the V12 version for the retail price of 549.00, which I paid for my GP V5 amp, you would be a fool not to buy one. No offense. I just feel so strongly about the GP V12. It embarrasses the HR2 price to performance, unless you like your musicx sugar coated. I no longer long for the SPL auditor.
Arn made a small, effective, & effecient universal PS.. Very small foot print, but the difference is BIG compared to the wall wart, & less bulky. It's slick & cool looking.
Improvements:
Even greater control of the bass. Tighter & better textured.
Even better clarity, resolve, micro detail retrievel. A veil has been lifted compared to my V5 model.
Mid range supremecy
Overall coherency of the music
Most impressive improvement is instrument separation, & a blacker then black back ground...Noise floor has been reduced to nil.
Of course, I am using my oppo83se as my source, which DOES play up to the GP V12 strength, but even with a lesser source, you will notice a good improvement. I am very impressed with Arns latest version.. Truly breaks the over 1,000 SQ IMO..
This is a SS amp, & as such you inheret the SS strength's. (Detail, speed ie) To sum up my intial reaction, This amp does a great job of grabbing a hold of the music to the point where you never lose focus. It was also brighter then I expected. The highs, at times, were a bit harsh.. Burn in (I'm slowly becoming a beliver) does help in this area. (30hrs) The brightness is toned down along with the harsh highs. Component selection was the real key. My Bel Canto DAC 2 compliments the Goldpoint Pro well. The overall sound is more neutral & the highs are now smoother & better extended. They took the 'edge' off the amp so to speak.
IMO, this amp compares very well to the stock GS1. I only auditioned the GS1 at a meet, but the Goldpoint Pro & the GS1 noth share some notable traits. Clarity. Detail. Neutrality. The GS1 has more drive, a gain switch, pre amp functions, so in versatlity, the GS1 offers you a buffet of choices that the Goldpoint doesn't. 2 RCA inputs only. I understand this thinking. This allows for a lower price point without having to gut elements of your design. I know for certain this amp betters the HR2 in most areas.. Some of it is prefernce based. The HR2 seemed to sugar/syrup the music, & lacked some sonic attributes that a 875.00 should have IMO. I did love the beefy external PS. That was the HR2's halmark. Sadly, the Goldpoint only comes with a wall wart. But, don't shoot it down for that. The SQ is marvelous.
Arn also upgraded his amp to V5 (V6 has just been introduced. Will edit my review when I get his V6 upgrade.) This upgrade adds clarity with a greater sense of resolve. Reduced noise floor. Pitching a more convincing black ground. Notes & harmonies seem to slowly fade into blackness with better refinement & in a more realistic fashion. Bass also got a boost. Sounds tighter with a bit more kick to it. Quanity seems to have stayed the same. The quality improves.
In the sea of good bang for the buck headphone amps, one can most certainly drown if not careful..But if you are able to stay above water & within budget, you will find your sunken treasure of audio bliss in the form of the Goldpoint Headphone Pro.
UPDATE 8/5/10
I received my amp yesterday. V12. V5 is a great bargain in itself. But V12 is serious audio muscle on nitro.. If you can get the V12 version for the retail price of 549.00, which I paid for my GP V5 amp, you would be a fool not to buy one. No offense. I just feel so strongly about the GP V12. It embarrasses the HR2 price to performance, unless you like your musicx sugar coated. I no longer long for the SPL auditor.
Arn made a small, effective, & effecient universal PS.. Very small foot print, but the difference is BIG compared to the wall wart, & less bulky. It's slick & cool looking.
Improvements:
Even greater control of the bass. Tighter & better textured.
Even better clarity, resolve, micro detail retrievel. A veil has been lifted compared to my V5 model.
Mid range supremecy
Overall coherency of the music
Most impressive improvement is instrument separation, & a blacker then black back ground...Noise floor has been reduced to nil.
Of course, I am using my oppo83se as my source, which DOES play up to the GP V12 strength, but even with a lesser source, you will notice a good improvement. I am very impressed with Arns latest version.. Truly breaks the over 1,000 SQ IMO..
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