[CEE TEE]

please people post comparisons or reviews if possible, thanks.

I've been posting some experiences but over in the other GO 1000 thread.  It is taking me time to sneak in different combos to try and on Mac/PC with different things on the USB bus.  Found that running a USB hard drive while running the geek was probably taxing my little 11" MacBook Air too much.  It was causing clicks/pops and possibly starving the unit a bit.  Now I am using with PC and local files to try and stabilize the system for testing with phones for sound.  
 
Geek Out 1000 with HD600 on the PC is a rocking combo.  The 600s handle the mids well while the sabre DAC treble adds some top end air/detail and actually makes the 600s bassy too.  Smiley curve HD600?  Fun. Bordering on too much bass for me, LOL. The headstage is noticeably bigger than when I use iPhone 4S to Leckerton 6S Mk.II, especially with the 3D on.  Great transportable rig.   I'm also going to try the 450 with the HD600 and see if there are any differences...
 
So far, I really dig the GO 1000 with HD800 for classical music (I keep gravitating to that and exploring the collection when I have them on) but that was on my MacBook Air.  Need to try again on the bigger PC or with off-board power to see if the tonal tilt changes. On the Air, the balance with HD800 was too bright at times with rock/pop/bright recordings.
 
It's a slower process for me to run through combos these days.  Over time we'll be figuring out how these sound best. Posting these ongoing impressions to try and add some sound impressions to these threads.  
 
With UERM, I have had some varying experiences with 1000 and 450 sounding <just different> or <preferable> to each other or the <same>.  So I need to keep trying but will do so now on the bigger PC. 
 
I do appreciate the setup talk too though, because we are all going through it.  I have a port on the back of my PC that I like to run the geek out of, but if I try to turn the 3D off/on, the battery pack gets in the way and I end up messing with the physical volume controls and resetting the volume to ear-blasting level.  So we're all getting used to the implementation.  I prefer the system volume control if possible because the internal Geek control is slow to adjust in very small increments.  Any improvements for turning the 3D on/off or having the unit reset to zero instead of full may be welcome.  I feel the unit gets warm but that in no way has been a bother for me.  The heatsink setup looks very cool though (pun intended).

 

[eliwankenobi]

O

Since GEEK uses 32bit data transfer, you shouldn't experience data loss with 24 bit files when setting the volume up to -48dB (1 bit equals 6dB).
With 16 bit files, you can set the volume up to -96dB without any loss.

-40dB means 16 times quieter, so Geek certainly provides enough of volume range without quality loss.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-soundvalues.htm

Thanks dude!! That's exactly what I needed to confirm!! Will save the link to this post

 

[eliwankenobi]

I've been posting some experiences but over in the other GO 1000 thread.  It is taking me time to sneak in different combos to try and on Mac/PC with different things on the USB bus.  Found that running a USB hard drive while running the geek was probably taxing my little 11" MacBook Air too much.  It was causing clicks/pops and possibly starving the unit a bit.  Now I am using with PC and local files to try and stabilize the system for testing with phones for sound.  

Geek Out 1000 with HD600 on the PC is a rocking combo.  The 600s handle the mids well while the sabre DAC treble adds some top end air/detail and actually makes the 600s bassy too.  Smiley curve HD600?  Fun. Bordering on too much bass for me, LOL. The headstage is noticeably bigger than when I use iPhone 4S to Leckerton 6S Mk.II, especially with the 3D on.  Great transportable rig.   I'm also going to try the 450 with the HD600 and see if there are any differences...

So far, I really dig the GO 1000 with HD800 for classical music (I keep gravitating to that and exploring the collection when I have them on) but that was on my MacBook Air.  Need to try again on the bigger PC or with off-board power to see if the tonal tilt changes. On the Air, the balance with HD800 was too bright at times with rock/pop/bright recordings.

It's a slower process for me to run through combos these days.  Over time we'll be figuring out how these sound best. Posting these ongoing impressions to try and add some sound impressions to these threads.  

With UERM, I have had some varying experiences with 1000 and 450 sounding or to each other or the .  So I need to keep trying but will do so now on the bigger PC. 

I do appreciate the setup talk too though, because we are all going through it.  I have a port on the back of my PC that I like to run the geek out of, but if I try to turn the 3D off/on, the battery pack gets in the way and I end up messing with the physical volume controls and resetting the volume to ear-blasting level.  So we're all getting used to the implementation.  I prefer the system volume control if possible because the internal Geek control is slow to adjust in very small increments.  Any improvements for turning the 3D on/off or having the unit reset to zero instead of full may be welcome.  I feel the unit gets warm but that in no way has been a bother for me.  The heatsink setup looks very cool though (pun intended).

Very interested in hearing how the hd600 pairs with the GO450 as that is what I have as well and O am seriously considering the HD600 for them when going on long trips to use back at the hotel, or use them balanced with my PulseXfi !!!

 

[Zoo Animal]

y
Very interested in hearing how the hd600 pairs with the GO450 as that is what I have as well and O am seriously considering the HD600 for them when going on long trips to use back at the hotel, or use them balanced with my PulseXfi !!!

Me too, love the pairing with the GO1000..bliss, who would have thought HD600s could do some of those tricks. 
Wondering how a low you can go in the Geek line-up and get the same result.
 
If you're using JRiver or HQPlayer that can convert PCM to DSD, you may want to give it a shot on the 800s. IME it fills out the midrange and picks out additional detail there while slightly calming the highs with few trade-offs. Somewhat subtle but may put a smile on the 800s for you. The highs also calm on the GO with more run time or at least get buried with a more liquid mid to high mid presentation. I found them to go from articulate & not so liquid/a littlebit /creamy presention/open and liquid. This was about in about 1 month/6 weeks PT run time. 

If you need help on set-up for the DSD conversion let me know, but report back findings on the 800 if you can. 

 

[CEE TEE]

Very interested in hearing how the hd600 pairs with the GO450 as that is what I have as well and O am seriously considering the HD600 for them when going on long trips to use back at the hotel, or use them balanced with my PulseXfi !!!

Okay, I am using it due to popular demand.

  Yep, 450 can also get REALLY loud and also sounds really good. Will the 100 even drive these?
 
GO/HD600 is not the fastest combo on the planet and can be a little boomy with some recordings but is big, tonally great/fun, hits hard, pretty big stage. This combo pays for the GO by itself, IMO. I would need to spend more time to verify but 1000 might reach lower (which can even be a little distracting at times as it rrrreaches) but this might be tighter... Don't think that you will be disappointed in this combo unless speed metal/fast music is your thing. 
 
I keep using the 3D and probably will. First time I have liked a cross-feed implementation.
 
Will have to see if I have tinnitus after this week of hours with the combo.

 

[cat6man]

Since I'm still weeks away from getting my GO450, can anyone with a GO answer the following?
 
How sensitive is the GO to the source?  
 
I plan to use it with my car's media server which I built on an Odroid U3 (a tiny linux computer) running Ubuntu and Squeezeplug - it is a H/W upgrade from the Raspberry Pi version I've used for the past year.
 
I would assume that the clock and noise on the Odroid U3 are not up to audiophile standards but for less than $100 for a wifi equipped portable logitech media server, it can't be beat.
 
Also, any recommendations on a small USB interface that is effective in cleaning up dirty USB signals?

 

[BenF]

Thanks dude!! That's exactly what I needed to confirm!! Will save the link to this post

Actually, I think I made a mistake - that's not how they do it.
I think they just use the extra 8 bits to implement 256 values of volume control.

 

[jcwc]

Originally Posted by CEE TEE /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
GO/HD600 is not the fastest combo on the planet
 

 
Though not the fastest combo, how fast would you rate it? 7/10?

 

[eliwankenobi]

  Okay, I am using it due to popular demand.

  Yep, 450 can also get REALLY loud and also sounds really good. Will the 100 even drive these?
 
GO/HD600 is not the fastest combo on the planet and can be a little boomy with some recordings but is big, tonally great/fun, hits hard, pretty big stage. This combo pays for the GO by itself, IMO. I would need to spend more time to verify but 1000 might reach lower (which can even be a little distracting at times as it rrrreaches) but this might be tighter... Don't think that you will be disappointed in this combo unless speed metal/fast music is your thing. 
 
I keep using the 3D and probably will. First time I have liked a cross-feed implementation.
 
Will have to see if I have tinnitus after this week of hours with the combo.

Thank you!
 
I just filled the return info for the HP50s and should be getting the HD600s to use at home.
 
And maybe some cheaper closed/travel HP for use with GO.... Any recommendations for cheap closed back good to carry around. I like what I see in the VModa XS but its $200  yikes!!

 

[jexby]

   
I just filled the return info for the HP50s and should be getting the HD600s to use at home.
 
And maybe some cheaper closed/travel HP for use with GO.... Any recommendations for cheap closed back good to carry around. I like what I see in the VModa XS but its $200  yikes!!

 
wow, in my case I'm keeping both HP50 (office) and HD600 at home.  with a variety of devices (M8, Vali, iDSD) and GO450 (eventually).
 
IMHO you should have bucked up and kept the HP50 at that price, because other closed cans $100+ cheaper are really a step down (sound quality) wise.
caveat emptor.

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[eliwankenobi]

wow, in my case I'm keeping both HP50 (office) and HD600 at home.  with a variety of devices (M8, Vali, iDSD) and GO450 (eventually).

IMHO you should have bucked up and kept the HP50 at that price, because other closed cans $100+ cheaper are really a step down (sound quality) wise.
caveat emptor.

Yeah I know, they do sound awesome and I like them a lot. There are some problems though, mainly the headband. It kills it for me. I feel like I'm walking with a weird antenna or something. I know it's something I should not care about and for the most part I don't, but for some reason I can't deal with the headband. It is more like a thick padded round tube than a comfortable flat headband (like the majority of HPs) to better follow the contour of the head.

The ear pads for some reason, don't make a good seal in the lower back portion of the cup over my right ear. Maybe something is off place or something. I've tried moving it around to try to find a better spot but no success. They do cover over my ear, and feel very comfortable overall. But I don't feel a good seal.

I originally planned to buy both. Use the hp50 and hd600 with the GO until the pulse arrives and use the hd600 with the pulse in balanced. I just bought the hp50 first and was very excited with it, so yes, I feel sort of torn with them. If the headband wasn't so ridiculous I would have been writing this post.

 

[jexby]

Completely understand the physical elements of the HP50.  they aren't the best fit in some cases, others don't like the looks.
luckily they fit my head/ears ok, and I don't care how they look.   

at least they aren't bright neon colored!  ha!

 

[CEE TEE]

Though not the fastest combo, how fast would you rate it? 7/10?

Hmmm, 6-7 in the bass, faster in the mids/treble so clarity with bass floor/warmth/impact.  The bass is a bit greater/lower/more diffuse with 1000, bit tighter with 450 and less low bass, tonally shifts with 100 to brighter with HD600 and not as good a pairing there. Low hours on the 100 though.  

 

[superachromat]

  Yes, the GEEKs themselves were manufactured in a certain order and that was irritating enough in its own right, but I only got my notification for my 450's shipping long after 720s had already started shipping. With the $20 international shipping charge for a small thing like the GEEK, it's not cool being thrown to the back of the line. That said, I'm completely unsurprised that it was worked out that way. 
 
I'm glad you're not dissatisfied with how LH has handled things, Exesteils. Alas, I feel quite differently.

 
I think you are not alone...I am in the last batch too. The worse thing is my green chasis options run out and I could only either select blue or black...or have my refund. It looks like international early birds are lower priority.
 
Future Geek products?...well...Thanks.
 
Hopefully, their pulse x that i backed wont have that kind of problem again.