duke40 said:

 
jtwrace ,
 
 
Thank you for posting your impressions.  Your contribution is especially valuable as you actually have a Taurus/Vega combo to compare against the Gemini.
This is a comparison that I have wondered about , yet not had the chance to hear.
 
 
RE "A very cool feature was the ability to plug an iPhone into the Gemini 2000.  Talk about a simple setup!"
 
 
Yes, I have been using the Tidal app on my iPhone to the Gemini 2000, it is great... and simple.  
I continue to be amazed that something so simple can sound so great.
 
 
Though, I have been experimenting with improving the USB input to the Gemini (not that it has a problem ... I am just trying to lower the already low noise from the iPhone to the DAC).
Two things I have tried recently is using a Vaunix USB Hub between the iphone and the Gemini. Subtle but worthwhile improvement (lower noise floor, more detail, less fatiguing,
especially more PRAT).    Also using a HD-Plex R-Core Linear PSU to power the Vaunix, this was also an improvement.  Really hitting diminishing levels of returns here, but I am glad I got 
both products.
 
 
I noticed an iFi usb cable in your 2nd photo .... is that an iFi Mercury or iFi Gemini ?
Interested as I am currently thinking of getting them ... at the moment am just using a freebie usb printer cable from iphone to Vaunix USB hub, kimber cable silver ag usb from hub to Gemini.
 
Anyway, interested in your experience with the iFi USB cable (or other recommendation).  Thanks.

Click to expand...

Interesting about the USB input.  I haven't played around with it as it just sounds so good as is and serves a purpose.  Small, easy and great sounding!  
 
The iFi cable was a Mercury that someone had and I plugged it in as this was a headphone meet that I attended.  By the end of the night, we were swapping all kinds of stuff.  I usually always use DH Labs cables.  In fact, on my ARIES to Vega I use the DH Labs Mirage.  

Thanks for such a quick reply, I will check out the DH Labs.
 
 
By the way I really like the look of your red Gemini 2000 , I actually found choosing the colour one of the most difficult choices about getting the gemini, I really liked both the red and the black equally, deliberated about which one before going for black. That's not very audiophile of me 
 
 
"Small, easy and great sounding!"  ... yes, exactly.   I tend to think that people in this hobby get conditioned somehow into thinking that to get great sound you need to have a very complicated setup with all manor of tweaks and such until your rig ends up looking like a teenagers science experiment gone wrong.   I would also add that the Gemini is also quite elegant for an audio product, which I think unfortunately may count against it  (people would wrongly  just write it off as a lifestyle product without taking it seriously).   

duke40 said:

  Thanks for such a quick reply, I will check out the DH Labs.
 
 
By the way I really like the look of your red Gemini 2000 , I actually found choosing the colour one of the most difficult choices about getting the gemini, I really liked both the red and the black equally, deliberated about which one before going for black. That's not very audiophile of me 

 
 
"Small, easy and great sounding!"  ... yes, exactly.   I tend to think that people in this hobby get conditioned somehow into thinking that to get great sound you need to have a very complicated setup with all manor of tweaks and such until your rig ends up looking like a teenagers science experiment gone wrong.   I would also add that the Gemini is also quite elegant for an audio product, which I think unfortunately may count against it  (people would wrongly  just write it off as a lifestyle product without taking it seriously).   

Click to expand...

Yes, black would've been my first choice too but red isn't so bad either.  At the end of the day they both sound the same.  
 
One of my biggest complaints with this product is that it was pushed as a lifestyle product first.  However, anyone that hears it knows otherwise.  It's just stellar!  It's quite interesting to listen to both of my setups side by side...

Just bought one today as well after testing it a month back or so. It is replacing a Naim V1 which I found lacking in several respects.

I ended up with a dealer demo, as the black color versions are currently hard to get otherwise in Europe. I actually had one on order for about a month, but after they were not able to even give me an estimated delivery date after four weeks I went with the other option.

Seems like these are becoming quite popular now.

kuoppis said:

Just bought one today as well after testing it a month back or so. It is replacing a Naim V1 which I found lacking in several respects.

I ended up with a dealer demo, as the black color versions are currently hard to get otherwise in Europe. I actually had one on order for about a month, but after they were not able to even give me an estimated delivery date after four weeks I went with the other option.

Seems like these are becoming quite popular now.

Click to expand...

Congrats on your purchase!  What do you think?

I was a little surprised at first .

This is, as I was actually in the market for new cans. So I went to try out the latest version of the Audeze LCD-2 and the LCD-X. I then decided to take the LCD-2 for a home auditioning and the dealer talked me into testing this stand thing with an amp inbuilt as well. I was already aware of Auralic Vega and Taurus qualities and so I said yes.

In the end, while I found the LCD-2s to be kind of an overly expensive DrBeats type, I was on the other hand surprised how well the Gemini complemented the detail retrieval capability and bass depth of my Senns with some more meat around the mids and a fuller low end. In addition it added a nice sparkle to the highs. I should probably mention that the Senns have been altered with a Cardas cable to make them a tad smoother.

So I ended buying an amp instead of cans.


PS: I am not a Head-Fi person per se, my home set is Meitner/ Ayre/ Magico, so I prefer a rather neutral sound. But as I am travelling a lots and do have an office in another country I regularly resort to Head-Fi as well.

kuoppis said:

I was a little surprised at first

.

This is, as I was actually in the market for new cans. So I went to try out the latest version of the Audeze LCD-2 and the LCD-X. I then decided to take the LCD-2 for a home auditioning and the dealer talked me into testing this stand thing with an amp inbuilt as well. I was already aware of Auralic Vega and Taurus qualities and so I said yes.

In the end, while I found the LCD-2s to be kind of an overly expensive DrBeats type, I was on the other hand surprised how well the Gemini complemented the detail retrieval capability and bass depth of my Senns with some more meat around the mids and a fuller low end. In addition it added a nice sparkle to the highs. I should probably mention that the Senns have been altered with a Cardas cable to make them a tad smoother.

So I ended buying an amp instead of cans.


PS: I am not a Head-Fi person per se, my home set is Meitner/ Ayre/ Magico, so I prefer a rather neutral sound. But as I am travelling a lots and do have an office in another country I regularly resort to Head-Fi as well.

Click to expand...

Very cool!  I'm a 2ch first too.  However, after hearing the neutrality of the MrSpeakers Alpha Dog's I had to have a pair and the rest is history.  

Very nice - I've heard good things about the MrSpeakers. Unfortunately they are a little hard to get in Europe, so I have not been able to test. But they should be exceptionally good value for money. Being closed they might be an option for travel cans, being closed and everything. But then again the size might be a limiting factor.

But I tested the new version of the Hifiman 400s yesterday (400i). Quite liked them, especially the comfort. Nice overall sound, but I'm not yet sure whether they were a tad polite. But the real test would be to try them out with the Auralic to see how they compare, which I have not yet had a chance to do. That will come in the new year.

Another question, if I may: I saw you have a Teddy Pardo PS for sale. Have you by any chance tried it with the Gemini? I think there might be an opportunity for improvement. I'm not saying the Auralic has any issues or feels like getting out of breath like Naim gear tends to do, but in general the PS side might be an area with potential for experimentation.

In 2-ch I am a big fan of good power, have my set propped up with Shunyatas all the way.

Hi Kuoppis,  
 
 
RE "Have you by any chance tried it with the Gemini? I think there might be an opportunity for improvement."
 
I know you were directing the Linear PSU question to jtwrace,  though I have some experience running the Gemini 2000 using a Regulated Linear PSU (R-Core) by HD-Plex
http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-Fanless-Linear-Power-Supply-for-PC-Audio-and-CE-device.html
Costs $USD 358
 
To answer your question, yes their is.
 
I found a significant improvement to the Gemini 2000 by using a Linear PSU.
I listened for 10 minutes to the PSU and then the Auralic supplied laptop charger went straight into the cupboard.
 
The Gemini 2000 needs a 19V supply ( ... that is what the Auralic supplied Toshiba laptop charger provides,  19V with approximately 4 amp capacity I believe.
Also it is important that the DC lead supplied with the PSU has a 2.5mm DC plug,   that is what fits into the Gemini.  So if you decide on getting a Linear PSU
it is essential that the cable's plug can fit as well as it being essential that is 19V).
 
The HD-Plex has 4 independent rails , 5V, 9V, 12V, and 19V ... with total capacity of 100W.
 
I use the 12V for my Vaunix USB Hub, the 19V is being used for the Gemini 2000.  
100W is available from the HD-Plex ... I tested the power draw of the Gemini 2000, with kill-a-watt ... it only use's 12W.
I wanted a Linear PSU with plenty of "power headroom", with a capacity of at least 4 times what was being used.  
The Vaunix Hub only use 1W, so along with the 12W drawn by the Gemini 2000, I am only drawing 13W of the available 100W from the HD-Plex.
 
I spent a lot of time investigating Linear PSU's and I narrowed it down to a Linear PSU with at least 2 rails, with both 12V and 19V available.
I ruled out Paul Hynes which is very well thought of, mainly due to cost and wait times (his is probably the Rolls Royce of PSU's), though I was looking at his best PSU which is nearing $1K I believe.
So with a budget of less than $1K .... the contenders were PPA (Paul Pang Audio) and HD-Plex.
Paul Pang products are also highly respected (like Paul Hynes and Teddy Pardo products), Paul Pangs PSU was about $599 shipped though I found it difficult to find much feedback on the web.
 
I liked the price of the HD-Plex ($358) ... though the HD-Plex also had one feature that really appealed to me, that is it used an R-Core transformer.
I read the information Solude wrote on his website
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/tutorials/power-supplies/
from my understanding of reading this, R-Core transformers appeared better than Toroid transformers (in a PSU).
The HD-Plex PSU had a R-Core transformer so that is what influenced me to purchase it.
The other thing with Regulated Linear PSU's to watch for is the amount of ripple (that is how good is the Regulators in the PSU).
The HD-Plex has very low ripple ... plus they got it measured (as well as getting it CE approved).
It was a extremely close call between the PPA (due to his very good reputation) and the HD-Plex, though for the reasons above is why I went with HD-Plex.
 
One thing to note with HD-Plex was before I ordered on the HD-Plex website, I was unsure if the supplied XLR-to-DC plug lead had a 2.5mm DC plug... so I asked for an extra lead.
Larry from HD-Plex answered my query in 2 minutes and promised to send one  (I just had to make a note of it in my order).
When the HD-Plex arrived, the standard XLR-to-DC cable only had a 2.1mm plug ... it would not fit into the back of the Gemini.
Though the next day, a separate package arrived from HD-Plex and that cable was a XLR-to-DC cable with a 2.5mm DC plug , so I was able to now power the Gemini.
As an aside, Larry did not charge me for the extra cable and kept his word (supplying me with an extra cable,  which had a 2.5mm DC plug), so I had a very good experience with his company.
 
 
To give some context on the degree this upgrade provided, I consider it significant.
My Audeze LCD3 got an overall improvement of about 30% better, when I upgraded from the DACmini CX (an affordable DAC/AMP which I highly respect) to the Auralic Gemini 2000.
Adding the Linear PSU improved the Gemini by another 30% IMO... it was just as important as doing the DAC/AMP upgrade.
The noise floor dropped further, wider soundstage, I heard more detail, more control, more clarity, better micro & macro dynamics and tone.
It pretty much just enhanced the improvements that I heard with upgrading to the Gemini.
It was a much more significant tweak than the Vaunix USB Hub powered by the Vaunix SMPS (though the Vaunix gave me better timing and PRAT, the Vaunix actually did scale up quite well once it was also powered by the HD-Plex, rather than using it's SMPS wall wart.   The Vaunix powered by the HD-Plex is now a definite keeper, a much better upgrade than say a HP cable upgrade.)
 
 
 
Anyway, that is the best I can articulate the improvements of providing a better power supply to the Gemini 2000.
It has been about a month now with using the HD-Plex .... though I wrote the following to a friend on Head-Fi a few days after getting the PSU.....
 
 
 
"Anyway , these are my chronicles of my "poor mans Vega/Taurus setup" (if I was to get a cost no object system, it would be that) ... though by paying attention to power & USB & source , I actually wonder how close I have come to narrowing the gap of my "Lifestyle" product ... I think I may actually be quite close,    could potentially exceed it with the remaining tweaks.  I wonder.
 
Going back to the HDPLEX, it was money very well spent.
The construction is superb, very solid.
 
Sound quality improvements ... the widest soundstage ever from my LCD3 ... surpass's the HD800.
LCD3 now has pin point imaging of the HD800.
More controlled tuneful bass.
Hearing low level detail that I have never heard before (even though some of my songs I have been listening to since a teenager).
No mid range grain or treble glare (my pet hates) ... unless it is in the recording.
Inflection (not sure of the audiophile term) ... I think the human voice is the most powerful musical instrument, and the tone or inflection a singer selects to use is important to convey the emotion ... anyway, the emotion is conveyed more effectively.   I actually "get" more of the feeling the singer was trying to convey.
Complex or very dynamic music like orchestral ... I use to notice that the LCD3 would lose control when on the DACmini on this type of music ... though this issue is no more.  
It is like the Auralic Gemini 2000/HDPLEX PSU combo has made the LCD3 it's bitch.
 
 
At this stage I feel that all of the strengths of the HD800 have now been added to the LCD3 (sometimes superior to the HD800 as far as soundstaging / equal for imaging / equal for dynamics) ... though the LCD3 strengths are even better due to the HDPLEX, as the LCD3 is now operating at it's peak ... with optimal power being provided to the Auralic Gemini 2000.   I often only listen at 15 to 25 % volume, so really unsure of what the Auralic Taurus would offer as an upgrade even though it has more than double the power.   So, out of all the tweaks I am extremely pleased with going for the HDPLEX (especially as I dithered between getting the Paul Pang Audio PSU and the HDPLEX for over a month ... even though the HDPLEX is half the cost of the PPA PSU,  I actually much more prefer the design of the HDPLEX from a sound quality perspective ... that R-Core transformer type which more knowledgeable people than me seem to go crazy for. It's built like a tank, released on November 15th in Hong Kong and arrived on November 18th in OZ).
"

sorry guys ... I forgot to put my usual disclaimers of YMMV, IMO, take my opinion with a grain of salt,   and all the rest.
 
 
In summary, I was chuffed with the improvement that I got (spending $358 on a Linear PSU).
 
 
RE "In 2-ch I am a big fan of good power, have my set propped up with Shunyatas all the way."
 
 
Me too.  I have a 3000W Balanced power supply (similar in design to BPT or Equi-Tech) for the speaker rig.
I use a 1500W Balanced power supply for the headphone rig.
I have a dedicated line as well ...  I do have some IT gear plugged into that line, but I use a 300W Isolation Transformer to isolate those SMPS wall warts.
My power cables are DIY, though with good quality parts (Oyaide & Furutech) ... and can even hear the difference/improvement of HiFi Tuning SilverStar fuse.
 
 
All of the above power tweaks have been a worthwhile improvement  (much more so than cable upgrades like interconnect, HP or USB cables).   So I too am a fan of good power.

kuoppis said:

Very nice - I've heard good things about the MrSpeakers. Unfortunately they are a little hard to get in Europe, so I have not been able to test. But they should be exceptionally good value for money. Being closed they might be an option for travel cans, being closed and everything. But then again the size might be a limiting factor.

But I tested the new version of the Hifiman 400s yesterday (400i). Quite liked them, especially the comfort. Nice overall sound, but I'm not yet sure whether they were a tad polite. But the real test would be to try them out with the Auralic to see how they compare, which I have not yet had a chance to do. That will come in the new year.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Dan @ MrSpeakers ships worldwide.  If not and you're interested let me know and I'll get you a pair.  Easy.  

kuoppis said:

Another question, if I may: I saw you have a Teddy Pardo PS for sale. Have you by any chance tried it with the Gemini? I think there might be an opportunity for improvement. I'm not saying the Auralic has any issues or feels like getting out of breath like Naim gear tends to do, but in general the PS side might be an area with potential for experimentation.

In 2-ch I am a big fan of good power, have my set propped up with Shunyatas all the way.

Click to expand...

I haven't tried it due to the 19Vdc on the stock SMPS and I really don't want to get into that.  I have a Taurus MKII.  
 
On my 2ch rig there are no cheesy switchers though.  Well, except my amps that are Hypex NC1200 based which are most certainly not cheesy.    Sadly my whole 2 ch rig gets cut off due to the character limit.  

Hello Duke,

I really appreciate the sharing of your really insightful and very detailed experiences with external PSUs. There is also a point that a 1000,- PSU to support a sub 2000,- product might be a bit out of proportion.

As I am also rather sceptical about the use of a laptop charger for powering an amp and your story really made sense to me, I ordered one of these HDPLEX PSUs as well. I am pretty certain it will make a difference.

Appreciate you jumping in to help out.

Regards,
Kuoppis

duke40 said:

sorry guys ... I forgot to put my usual disclaimers of YMMV, IMO, take my opinion with a grain of salt,   and all the rest.


In summary, I was chuffed with the improvement that I got (spending $358 on a Linear PSU).


RE "In 2-ch I am a big fan of good power, have my set propped up with Shunyatas all the way."


Me too.  I have a 3000W Balanced power supply (similar in design to BPT or Equi-Tech) for the speaker rig.
I use a 1500W Balanced power supply for the headphone rig.
I have a dedicated line as well ...  I do have some IT gear plugged into that line, but I use a 300W Isolation Transformer to isolate those SMPS wall warts.
My power cables are DIY, though with good quality parts (Oyaide & Furutech) ... and can even hear the difference/improvement of HiFi Tuning SilverStar fuse.


All of the above power tweaks have been a worthwhile improvement  (much more so than cable upgrades like interconnect, HP or USB cables).   So I too am a fan of good power.

Click to expand...

I see you are going a step further, I do not have a dedicated line, as there are no big factories in the immediate vicinity. But I am sometimes wondering how some of the hi- end gear is supposed to sound, as they are typically supplied with an inferior power setup while so much can be achieved when optimizing it a bit.