Why would you choose that version and not the other two?

fearless1 said:

   
This. And throw the stock tubes away.

Click to expand...

 
I wasn't using the stock tubes. I was using the Amperex Orange Globe.

pumelman8 said:

Why would you choose that version and not the other two?

Click to expand...

 
Due to tonality. Certainly not due to the 384 cabability. Specs wise the chip is considered a little lower comparing to the other 2, but this is not a high end dac where the highest possible extention etc is very important.
I think we are talking personal preferences here. I guess you will be ok with any of the versions. The majority would go for sabre (most detailed of the 3).

pumelman8 said:

Hi there, I'm new to this forum and I was thinking about getting the hifiman he500. Amp/Dac combination wise I was thinking of getting the audio gd compass 2. There are three different versions of this amp so which one do you think I should get? Is this amp/dac a good combination for the hifiman he500 or are there better combinations in the same price range?
Lastly, I live in the UK and I found if I import the headphones from America I can save about £200! However, do you think the headphones would be well protected for transport overseas or would there be a good chance that they could get damaged?

Many thanks
Pumelman8

Click to expand...

I live in the UK and I have the HE500 and the sabre Compass 2. I imported both items to save a bunch of cash and Justin at headamp is great to deal with. Both items arrived in perfect condition. If I were you I would get the sabre, you won't have any regrets in the future that you didn't stretch yourself and its a bloody long way.

greq said:

  Project Ember has been mentioned many times on this thread, but very few impressions were given about it. 
Anyone using Ember + HE500? Others have said it's quite a bit better than the Sunrise 2.

Click to expand...

 
I think there was one member that confirmed having it and that it was a good pairing, but that was maybe a few weeks back if you search around.  I had previously recommended that someone look into it as an option for a hybrid design, and based on the specs it's probably a better pairing than the Sunrise II for planars.  
 
What I'm really curious about is how the Bottlehead S.E.X. pairs with the HE-500 - if you're looking into kits and the budget permits of course, I'd have to recommend looking into this SET amp.  It's is what I was about to get before working with a friend using one of his SET designs that was actually similar to the S.E.X., but now we're on to something beefier using 2A3/45 tubes.  On the site they recommend it's best with planars but say that it's good with most dynamics (and should be excellent with some sensitive bookshelf speakers as well).  One person on the site mentions it's very good with his HE-500 but that's about it, but there's alot of positive feedback using HD600s.
 
http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php/products/single-ended-experimenters-kit
 
Just a suggestion   Anyone else try this amp (or something similar) before?

SET fan checking in!
 
I've never heard the SEX though . I did remember someone here on head-fi have some high praises for the SEX + Hd800 combo.

danpluck said:

I live in the UK and I have the HE500 and the sabre Compass 2. I imported both items to save a bunch of cash and Justin at headamp is great to deal with. Both items arrived in perfect condition. If I were you I would get the sabre, you won't have any regrets in the future that you didn't stretch yourself and its a bloody long way.

Click to expand...

 
Hi there, 
Where did you buy the compass 2? head amp? Also what is the sabre? I only see the compass 384, compass 8741 and the compass 9018 and no sabre.
 
Many thanks
Pumelman8

pumelman8 said:

   
Hi there, 
Where did you buy the compass 2? head amp? Also what is the sabre? I only see the compass 384, compass 8741 and the compass 9018 and no sabre.
 
Many thanks
Pumelman8

Click to expand...

 
ESS Sabre 9018 is usually called 9018 or Sabre for short. The Compass 2 is designed for the Sabre chips (has the sabre dac by default), but has drop-in dac modules for WM8741 and PCM5102 too.
 
The other compass (Compass 384) can only accomodate WM8741 and PCM5102

khaine1711 said:

   
ESS Sabre 9018 is usually called 9018 or Sabre for short. The Compass 2 is designed for the Sabre chips (has the sabre dac by default), but has drop-in dac modules for WM8741 and PCM5102 too.
 
The other compass (Compass 384) can only accomodate WM8741 and PCM5102

Click to expand...

 
The compass 2 on the web page is really confusing.
Which one here is the best for me as I can't understand the website at all. It just makes no sense!
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Compass%202/Compass2EN.htm

pumelman8 said:

   
The compass 2 on the web page is really confusing.
Which one here is the best for me as I can't understand the website at all. It just makes no sense!
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Compass%202/Compass2EN.htm

Click to expand...

You could perhaps ask at the Compass 2 thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/631659/audio-gd-compass-2-amp-dac-impressions-thread

pumelman8 said:

   
The compass 2 on the web page is really confusing.
Which one here is the best for me as I can't understand the website at all. It just makes no sense!
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Compass%202/Compass2EN.htm

Click to expand...

Currently there's two compass - the Compass 2, and the Compass 384.
 
The Compass 2 can use ESS 9018, WM8741 and PCM5102 while the Compass 384 can only use WM8741 and PCM5102.
 
The page you linked is the Compass 2. The price listed there is for different Dac chips that the Compass 2 will be shipped with. The most expensive is the 9018 and the cheapest is 5102. Basically there's only one Compass 2, but with different components that you can swap in and out for different flavours. You can of course get them later on if you wish to "roll" components so to speak.

pumelman8 said:

   
The compass 2 on the web page is really confusing.
Which one here is the best for me as I can't understand the website at all. It just makes no sense!
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Compass%202/Compass2EN.htm

Click to expand...

 
I went for the 
Compass 9018 + 2 TXCO Upgrades at and extra $40.  I figured that if I didn't "max" my purchase id regret it regardless of any audible difference.

modulor said:

  I think there was one member that confirmed having it and that it was a good pairing, but that was maybe a few weeks back if you search around.  I had previously recommended that someone look into it as an option for a hybrid design, and based on the specs it's probably a better pairing than the Sunrise II for planars.  
 
What I'm really curious about is how the Bottlehead S.E.X. pairs with the HE-500 - if you're looking into kits and the budget permits of course, I'd have to recommend looking into this SET amp.  It's is what I was about to get before working with a friend using one of his SET designs that was actually similar to the S.E.X., but now we're on to something beefier using 2A3/45 tubes.  On the site they recommend it's best with planars but say that it's good with most dynamics (and should be excellent with some sensitive bookshelf speakers as well).  One person on the site mentions it's very good with his HE-500 but that's about it, but there's alot of positive feedback using HD600s.
 
http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php/products/single-ended-experimenters-kit
 
Just a suggestion 

 Anyone else try this amp (or something similar) before?

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for the response - was getting tired of trawling through all the references in the entire thread. I was actually looking at the S.E.X. a few days ago rather lustfully. Something like that would easily be end-game for me if the pairing was sublime.
The Ember looks tempting because of the price and easy tube-rolling; just not sure if that's more of a 'fun' thing than actual nirvana. Not that I'm adverse to the idea of fun/tube-rolling. 
Plus I've got tax to consider on top of those prices, which isn't pretty.

khaine1711 said:

  Currently there's two compass - the Compass 2, and the Compass 384.
 
The Compass 2 can use ESS 9018, WM8741 and PCM5102 while the Compass 384 can only use WM8741 and PCM5102.
 
The page you linked is the Compass 2. The price listed there is for different Dac chips that the Compass 2 will be shipped with. The most expensive is the 9018 and the cheapest is 5102. Basically there's only one Compass 2, but with different components that you can swap in and out for different flavours. You can of course get them later on if you wish to "roll" components so to speak.

Click to expand...

 
Would you say that for the money the compass 2 9018 is the best pairing for the hifiman he-500? I can't spend too much so would this combination of amp and DAC be best? btw it doesn't have to be just one unit i could purchase them separately.

Like lyr bifrost uber