How is the Audio-GD C2 amp? - Page 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by BournePerfect 

Oqvist, thanks for chiming in! I was actually gonna pm you about this amp since you have also tried the V200 at one point. Can you give me some comparisons between the two? I was looking really hard at the V200, but I have a feeling that the C-2.1 would probably be on par with it based on the C2-SA I had. It's good to know that it works great with agressive headphones because I plan on pairing it with my Pro 2900s and AD2000, along with the Earth opamp. Does it smooth out the deadly Ultrasone treble in your opinion?

 

-Daniel

A bit to long since I owned the V200 so can´t help that much here.. I liked it but felt it was way overpriced for what it did at that time. C-2.1 is just as good to my ears if not better.  The Pro 900 has developed a channel imbalance so hasn´t got much head time but it reminds very much about my tube amp in the way it´s never harsh. Works great with the HD 800 and ED 8 even though neither are as aggressive as the 900. 

Awesome. I suspected the same. The C2-SA was never harsh in the slightest, but definitely wasn't as warm as people claimed. It had positively wonderful treble extension, and never had a moment of harshness with any of my headphones. Combined with my AD2000s, it made me actually appreciate treble for the first time, rather than being annoyed or 'pained' by it for that matter. Assuming the C-2.1 retains those similar characteristics, and adds a bit more bass impact, I think I'll be in for a real treat.

-Daniel

I am loking for an amp to drive my HD600s (musical tastes: classical, opera and jazz). Source will be an Opera Consonance CD 2.3 Ref. Mk. III (an upsampling player roughly equivalent to the CD 2.2 Mk. III available in Europe, minus the volume control on the single-ended outputs). The CD player has tube single ended and solid-state balanced outputs.

Ultimately, I would also like to be able to use the amp to drive HD800s (when funds allow!).

Currently, I am using a Little Dot Mk. III (CV4010 driver valves), and am enjoying the transparent, liquid midrange and excellent soundstaging. However, I find the treble slightly rolled off and "veiled", and the bass to be a little slow and ponderous (the extension is there, but the speed and control aren't). Generally, a little more detail and resolution wouldn't go amiss - my ideal is the "Stax sound" (I also occasionally use a Lambda Basic, for chamber and choral music but never for Wagner!), only with proper dynamics, much faster bass and greater treble extension.

I am investigating a number of alternatives to upgrade from the LD Mk. III (which will continue in my desktop system, hooked up to a PC and a LD DAC_1). I am only considering local Chinese-made amplifiers, as import duty is very high here:

- Matrix M-Stage: very cheap here in China, and apparently based on an excellent Lehmann amp. However, I've heard that the performance falls significantly short of the Lehmann's, and it would be a sideways move rather than a step up from the LD.

- Darkvoice 337SE: about GBP 550 here, with a good reputation for soundstaging and transparency. However, it seems to need quite a bit of exotic glassware (and DV have a reputation for installing fairly ropey stock Chinese tubes). Will it cost another GBP 500 in NOS tubes to get the best out of it? Also, will the bass be tight and fast enough with the HD600s, or should I really be looking at solid state amps?

- Audio-gd C-2.2: newly-launched, about GBP 240 here: seems to do what I want (good midrange and soundstage, extended treble, proper dynamics and impact), and offers the opportunity to fine-tune the sound using op-amp modules. Would this be a significant step up from the LD? Will it be capable of doing HD800s justice when the time comes? Finally, is it possible to connect the balanced outputs of the CD player to the ACSS sockets, or will I just have to use the RCAs?

At the moment, I am inclined to go for the Audio-gd.

I have the C-2.1 which is identical except for the PSU. I highly doubt the more wattage is of any advantage for the HD 800.

I do enjoy it a lot with the HD 800. You mentioned you like a liquid mid range and this give some of that but just as you asked for it improves in the area you mention over my tube amplifier. 

I do have the earth and sun. Differences are slim I currently use the Earth but will have to compare them more later on. Stock opamp are not that bad either.

Haven´t heard the HD 600 but yet to find a headphone that doesn´t work on this amplifier :)

Received My Audio-GD C2.2 today, hooked up to NFB3 (DIR9001) via ACSS and i couldnt be happier, great combo, drives my D2000's perfect. sounds awesome. Will not be changing this setup for a long time! Cant wait for my Digital Interface With PSU thats on the way to complete my setup! Definately a step up from my last amp (Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren700 

Received My Audio-GD C2.2 today, hooked up to NFB3 (DIR9001) via ACSS and i couldnt be happier, great combo, drives my D2000's perfect. sounds awesome. Will not be changing this setup for a long time! Cant wait for my Digital Interface With PSU thats on the way to complete my setup! Definately a step up from my last amp (Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S.)

Glad to hear it. I have an NFB3 (DIR9001) using with and M-Stage and K702's and I am about to pull the plug on a C2.2. I dont expect a massive jump in quality from the M-Stage but a noticeable improvement would be reassuring. Interested how a fully discreet system would compare after spending so many months rolling op amps in the Matrix.

Uh. Woah...

So I did get a massive jump in quality. An astounding leap up from the m-stage in fact, even after months of op amp rolling.

I cant wipe the grin off my head. 

Darren700 - did the interface arrive? I am not 100% convinced that a SPDIF converter will make an audible difference myself (from my audio engineer background) but i'd love to find out for myself one day.

Yes, i did receive the Digital Interface. I noticed a bit of difference but not much, a little bit more clarity mostly. its more of a "peice of mind" imo lol.

i havent bothered messing around with the up-sampleing, just left it off.   Also with my sound card outputting coax the max bits i could do was 16, the DI allowed me to crank it up to 24bits which im sure helped for  my high-rez stuff.
 

edit: noticed you also have the D10 lol. We have almost the exact same setup aside from the cans for both desktop and portable!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

How is the C-2.2 for high impedance headphones (600ohm mainly)? I was considering it for my DT990/600. I'm not set on DAC yet, but that comes later. Amping comes first. Also, I may get another Denon D7000 in the future, so I was wondering how it handled low impedance, high sensitivity headphones.

I had some DT990/600 For a bit while my Denons were getting recabled and it drove them fine. Got more than loud enough at 12-1 o'clock. With my Denons it usually around 9-10 o'clock