sacd lover
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2002
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First, this review is for the original gilmore amp, now referred to as the gilmore v1, the current gilmore v2 version, and the gilmore v2 se. All of these amps were hooked up to exactly the same components during my comparisons. I am in no way connected to the company and my statements are my opinions only.
The equipment used is as follows:
SACDMODS 555ES
SACDMODS 222ES
MIT#2 INTERCONNECTS
SIGNALCABLE MAGIC POWER CORDS(on headamps and sacd players)
PS AUDIO ULTIMATE OUTLETS(for headamps and sacd players)
PS AUDIO LAB CABLES(on all ultimate outlets from the dedicated lines)
PS AUDIO HIGH CURRENT ULTIMATE OUTLET(for monarchy sm-70 pro amp)
GRADO SR-225
BEYER DT880
JVC HA-D990
SONIC HORIZINS HURRICANE 16' HEADPHONE EXTENSION
To start, I burned the new amps by listening to them as a preamp and by letting them continue run in with headphones when I wasnt listening. Both the v2 and v2 se sounded good right out of the box with the v2 se showing greater improvement as they burned in. Here is where the review gets tough because I have so many notes and impressions I dont know exactly how to blend them all together. I decided to give some basic characteristics they share and then go into more detail about whats different. I will also go off on some tangents to recount my impressions as compared to some of the other reviews, particularly with the v2.
To begin, all three amps are very transparent. They pass along the upsteam signal with little change. The v1, surprising to me, has the richest tonal balance and sounds the most powerful of the three. The v2 and v2 se have a lighter more neutral balance. The v1 was also the most forward of the three amps and mated best with my dt 880s, compensating for the somewhat recessed mids I heard on the other amps with the 880s. The v1 clearly adds a little warmth and when combined with the 555es has a little to much bass as a preamp. My speakers could sound a little boomy with that combo, although I didnt hear this used as a headamp with the v1/ 555es/ dt 880. The v1 clearly mated best with the 222es vs the 555es as a pre or headamp. I can see why I was more taken with the dt 880s than some of you; the v1 adds in the authority thats missing in the upper bass/ lower midrange of the 880s and the 222es less extended highs cut out some of the 880s treble brightness.
All the gilmore amps are very resolving of low level detail and dont sound in any way congested, blurred or slow. Little details are never glossed over and these nuances give these amps a sense of liveness or realness that makes the music seem lifelike. Here I want to comment on one reviewers(tuberoller) statement about the v2 being congested/ lacking resolution in the lower midrange/ midrange; I dont hear this. I just think the v2 is to lean in the frequency range he noted. When I used the v2 with the 222es and the dt 880s this pairing made the dt 880s to lightweight and the midrange was to recessed and distant. Consequently like tuberoller noted this made the midrange a problem. However change to the 555es or the sr-225s and the problem mostly, but not totally, disappeared. The v2's problem to me is a slight lack of upper bass / lower midrange bloom that robs the amp of a consistently rich powerful sound. Bottom line though the v2 made the dt 880 sound boring. Comments by Zanth and Sean H about the bass leaness come to mind and concur with my impressions, although I believe the problem to be in the area tuberoller mentioned, not really the bass regoin alone. I also somewhat experienced Zanths comments regarding the brighter treble with the 225; the v2 was the brightest of the three, maybe because of the leaness in comparison to the other two , but it was not bothersome to me. The v2 was clearly the hardest amp to get a handle on because it could sound very different depending what you had it connected to. The v1 and v2 se maintained their character no matter what I used them with.
While I am on the subject of the bass, as a headamp this is where the most obvious differences in the amps occured. The v1 is rich and powerful. The v2 seems slightly lean somewhere between the upper bass up into the lower midrange to me, in comparison to the other two. The v2 se is also somewhat lighter sounding like the v2 but doesnt have any leaness. The v2 and v2 se sound more like an acoustic suspension speakers bass vs a bass reflex design for the v1, to give you a more tangible comparison. Now here is what throws me, the v2 in no way sounds lean as a preamp, it sounds nicely full. In fact, it sounds as full or fuller than the v2 se. I have no explanation for this. But as a headamp the v2 is still very slightly lean even with the 555es and the sr-225s compared to the other two gilmores. Is the v2 more accurate and lays bare the dt 880s and 225s flaws? I dont believe so but this still has me stumped.
All the gilmores have a well extended treble thats free of any grain, grit or edginess. I am particularly bothered by sibilance and etching of detail. None of the gilmores display these flaws or I wouldnt own them. Whether I use them as an amp or preamp the treble is always excellent. The gilmores treble also results in a huge soundstage when used as a preamp. Sound rarely come from the speakers, it just seems to hang in the air.
Now with the v1 discontinued, and the v2 already having several reviews, I want to focus in on the v2 se. I will begin by saying this amp totally surprised me, it was nothing like I expected. I thought with those big caps and the dact the v2 se would be a powerful bonecrusher that made the sound leap out of my speakers or phones. No way, it is the most refined amp/preamp I have heard. I took extensive notes all through this process and when I read my v2 se comments I see the words soft, pure, delicate, smooth, silky etc etc...
The v2 se has no electronic signature I could detect. IT IS THE MOST NON-ELECTRONIC SOUNDING PREAMP I KNOW OF PERIOD. As a headamp the v2 se along with my 555es removes the sense that you are listening to recorded music. Again, the words delicate and especially pure come to mind. The v2 se has the most resolution of any of these amps; and more than I have ever heard with any preamp, even passives. As a result of the two traits mentioned above, the v2 se is totally non-fatiguing. Used as a headamp even the sr-225s lost their edginess. I am trying to figure out how to explain this, because the grados brightness was there it just wasnt bothersome, but I dont know what to say. I have never had a component do this. The result however was that I could listen to the grados much longer without my ears wearing out, in fact, my ears never did give out, I just had to do other things. Its funny with this amp because I actually have more to descibe because I list all of the thing I notice that it doesnt do wrong. But IT GETS EVEN BETTER.
The v2 se has the most dynamic range I again have ever heard. There is no compression. The v2 se is unbelieveably quick; it starts and stops on a dime and there is this wonderful quietness between notes. Despite the lighter tonal balance vs the v1, the v2 se explodes dynamically. Plucked strings, horns, drums jump out at you. I worried that I was going to clip my amp because the transients could be so forceful; and this is at modest volume since I am not a loud listener. Back to resolution, I could hear the faintest breathes, accidents with singers mouths to close to the mike I never knew were there, subtle inflections when a singer trailed off their last word and more.
The perspective of the v2 se is a nearly dead neutral with phones; it doesnt seem to close or to far away. I wouldnt call it forward or recessed. As a preamp the sound changes according to the recording, but there is always a sense of ease. I do find with both the v2 and v2 se that I get so much resolution as a pre that I am comfortable listening at very low volumes which can make the bass less present. But if I turn it up it fills out and I still get no fatigue, nor lose that wonderful sense of ease. I do wonder if thats why the v2 might not sound as full as a headamp. The bass does come up with more volume; but I dont like the volume up where this occurs. This isnt a problem with the v2 se as a pre or amp.
Now I am going to give some random impressions I consistently noted with the v2se. 1) more depth and the sound is even less attached to the speakers than the other gilmores, which are already excellent in this regard. 2) the bass is like an acoustic suspension speaker for those who have experienced the difference; its very tight and defined but it comes out of nowhere with amazing slam at times 3) the treble is the best I have heard; smooth, resolving, airy, lifelike and never fatiguing. 4) there is no electronic signature period, 5) the sound is somehow the most well resolved but the least fatiguing of any of the gilmores 6) dynamics and speed are deceptive and again comes out of nowhere which is thrilling to me. I could go on but you get the idea.
Finally, I will summarize. I think the v2 se is the best preamp I know of and an absolute steal at its price. It is the best solid state headamp I have heard or know of as well. This components value is off the scale as Sam Tellig would say, I think it is well worth the price difference over the v2. To get this good of a preamp and headamp in one package for the asking price is astounding; nothing on the market compares. I am sending my v2 back and getting another se. I do want to say the v2 is still excellent but you have to be careful what you match it with. I will also say the v2 seems to be a poor match for my favorite phones, the dt 880 but is excellent with the 225s. I know some have trouble with the grado brightness with the v2, but my sources mitigate the problem to the point its not an issue for me. I do prefer the v1 over the v2 in my system but I believe the v2 is actually more refined and probably more than anything a poor match for my equipment. The v2 was also a superb preamp with a smooth grainless character and surprising richness in that capacity, and here I preferred the v2 to the v1. I dont understand why it sounded slightly to lean as a headamp for me, and I emailed Justin my findings and he is looking in to it . IMO, the v1 should be one of the most highly sought after used headamp/preamps around. Its rich and powerful while still being very refined. I know the v2 came to be the odd man out but I prefer the other two, especially the v2 se. I have listened and compared for days now and I am very confident in my opinions. I do hope you enjoy this review and find my impressions useful.
The equipment used is as follows:
SACDMODS 555ES
SACDMODS 222ES
MIT#2 INTERCONNECTS
SIGNALCABLE MAGIC POWER CORDS(on headamps and sacd players)
PS AUDIO ULTIMATE OUTLETS(for headamps and sacd players)
PS AUDIO LAB CABLES(on all ultimate outlets from the dedicated lines)
PS AUDIO HIGH CURRENT ULTIMATE OUTLET(for monarchy sm-70 pro amp)
GRADO SR-225
BEYER DT880
JVC HA-D990
SONIC HORIZINS HURRICANE 16' HEADPHONE EXTENSION
To start, I burned the new amps by listening to them as a preamp and by letting them continue run in with headphones when I wasnt listening. Both the v2 and v2 se sounded good right out of the box with the v2 se showing greater improvement as they burned in. Here is where the review gets tough because I have so many notes and impressions I dont know exactly how to blend them all together. I decided to give some basic characteristics they share and then go into more detail about whats different. I will also go off on some tangents to recount my impressions as compared to some of the other reviews, particularly with the v2.
To begin, all three amps are very transparent. They pass along the upsteam signal with little change. The v1, surprising to me, has the richest tonal balance and sounds the most powerful of the three. The v2 and v2 se have a lighter more neutral balance. The v1 was also the most forward of the three amps and mated best with my dt 880s, compensating for the somewhat recessed mids I heard on the other amps with the 880s. The v1 clearly adds a little warmth and when combined with the 555es has a little to much bass as a preamp. My speakers could sound a little boomy with that combo, although I didnt hear this used as a headamp with the v1/ 555es/ dt 880. The v1 clearly mated best with the 222es vs the 555es as a pre or headamp. I can see why I was more taken with the dt 880s than some of you; the v1 adds in the authority thats missing in the upper bass/ lower midrange of the 880s and the 222es less extended highs cut out some of the 880s treble brightness.
All the gilmore amps are very resolving of low level detail and dont sound in any way congested, blurred or slow. Little details are never glossed over and these nuances give these amps a sense of liveness or realness that makes the music seem lifelike. Here I want to comment on one reviewers(tuberoller) statement about the v2 being congested/ lacking resolution in the lower midrange/ midrange; I dont hear this. I just think the v2 is to lean in the frequency range he noted. When I used the v2 with the 222es and the dt 880s this pairing made the dt 880s to lightweight and the midrange was to recessed and distant. Consequently like tuberoller noted this made the midrange a problem. However change to the 555es or the sr-225s and the problem mostly, but not totally, disappeared. The v2's problem to me is a slight lack of upper bass / lower midrange bloom that robs the amp of a consistently rich powerful sound. Bottom line though the v2 made the dt 880 sound boring. Comments by Zanth and Sean H about the bass leaness come to mind and concur with my impressions, although I believe the problem to be in the area tuberoller mentioned, not really the bass regoin alone. I also somewhat experienced Zanths comments regarding the brighter treble with the 225; the v2 was the brightest of the three, maybe because of the leaness in comparison to the other two , but it was not bothersome to me. The v2 was clearly the hardest amp to get a handle on because it could sound very different depending what you had it connected to. The v1 and v2 se maintained their character no matter what I used them with.
While I am on the subject of the bass, as a headamp this is where the most obvious differences in the amps occured. The v1 is rich and powerful. The v2 seems slightly lean somewhere between the upper bass up into the lower midrange to me, in comparison to the other two. The v2 se is also somewhat lighter sounding like the v2 but doesnt have any leaness. The v2 and v2 se sound more like an acoustic suspension speakers bass vs a bass reflex design for the v1, to give you a more tangible comparison. Now here is what throws me, the v2 in no way sounds lean as a preamp, it sounds nicely full. In fact, it sounds as full or fuller than the v2 se. I have no explanation for this. But as a headamp the v2 is still very slightly lean even with the 555es and the sr-225s compared to the other two gilmores. Is the v2 more accurate and lays bare the dt 880s and 225s flaws? I dont believe so but this still has me stumped.
All the gilmores have a well extended treble thats free of any grain, grit or edginess. I am particularly bothered by sibilance and etching of detail. None of the gilmores display these flaws or I wouldnt own them. Whether I use them as an amp or preamp the treble is always excellent. The gilmores treble also results in a huge soundstage when used as a preamp. Sound rarely come from the speakers, it just seems to hang in the air.
Now with the v1 discontinued, and the v2 already having several reviews, I want to focus in on the v2 se. I will begin by saying this amp totally surprised me, it was nothing like I expected. I thought with those big caps and the dact the v2 se would be a powerful bonecrusher that made the sound leap out of my speakers or phones. No way, it is the most refined amp/preamp I have heard. I took extensive notes all through this process and when I read my v2 se comments I see the words soft, pure, delicate, smooth, silky etc etc...
The v2 se has no electronic signature I could detect. IT IS THE MOST NON-ELECTRONIC SOUNDING PREAMP I KNOW OF PERIOD. As a headamp the v2 se along with my 555es removes the sense that you are listening to recorded music. Again, the words delicate and especially pure come to mind. The v2 se has the most resolution of any of these amps; and more than I have ever heard with any preamp, even passives. As a result of the two traits mentioned above, the v2 se is totally non-fatiguing. Used as a headamp even the sr-225s lost their edginess. I am trying to figure out how to explain this, because the grados brightness was there it just wasnt bothersome, but I dont know what to say. I have never had a component do this. The result however was that I could listen to the grados much longer without my ears wearing out, in fact, my ears never did give out, I just had to do other things. Its funny with this amp because I actually have more to descibe because I list all of the thing I notice that it doesnt do wrong. But IT GETS EVEN BETTER.
The v2 se has the most dynamic range I again have ever heard. There is no compression. The v2 se is unbelieveably quick; it starts and stops on a dime and there is this wonderful quietness between notes. Despite the lighter tonal balance vs the v1, the v2 se explodes dynamically. Plucked strings, horns, drums jump out at you. I worried that I was going to clip my amp because the transients could be so forceful; and this is at modest volume since I am not a loud listener. Back to resolution, I could hear the faintest breathes, accidents with singers mouths to close to the mike I never knew were there, subtle inflections when a singer trailed off their last word and more.
The perspective of the v2 se is a nearly dead neutral with phones; it doesnt seem to close or to far away. I wouldnt call it forward or recessed. As a preamp the sound changes according to the recording, but there is always a sense of ease. I do find with both the v2 and v2 se that I get so much resolution as a pre that I am comfortable listening at very low volumes which can make the bass less present. But if I turn it up it fills out and I still get no fatigue, nor lose that wonderful sense of ease. I do wonder if thats why the v2 might not sound as full as a headamp. The bass does come up with more volume; but I dont like the volume up where this occurs. This isnt a problem with the v2 se as a pre or amp.
Now I am going to give some random impressions I consistently noted with the v2se. 1) more depth and the sound is even less attached to the speakers than the other gilmores, which are already excellent in this regard. 2) the bass is like an acoustic suspension speaker for those who have experienced the difference; its very tight and defined but it comes out of nowhere with amazing slam at times 3) the treble is the best I have heard; smooth, resolving, airy, lifelike and never fatiguing. 4) there is no electronic signature period, 5) the sound is somehow the most well resolved but the least fatiguing of any of the gilmores 6) dynamics and speed are deceptive and again comes out of nowhere which is thrilling to me. I could go on but you get the idea.
Finally, I will summarize. I think the v2 se is the best preamp I know of and an absolute steal at its price. It is the best solid state headamp I have heard or know of as well. This components value is off the scale as Sam Tellig would say, I think it is well worth the price difference over the v2. To get this good of a preamp and headamp in one package for the asking price is astounding; nothing on the market compares. I am sending my v2 back and getting another se. I do want to say the v2 is still excellent but you have to be careful what you match it with. I will also say the v2 seems to be a poor match for my favorite phones, the dt 880 but is excellent with the 225s. I know some have trouble with the grado brightness with the v2, but my sources mitigate the problem to the point its not an issue for me. I do prefer the v1 over the v2 in my system but I believe the v2 is actually more refined and probably more than anything a poor match for my equipment. The v2 was also a superb preamp with a smooth grainless character and surprising richness in that capacity, and here I preferred the v2 to the v1. I dont understand why it sounded slightly to lean as a headamp for me, and I emailed Justin my findings and he is looking in to it . IMO, the v1 should be one of the most highly sought after used headamp/preamps around. Its rich and powerful while still being very refined. I know the v2 came to be the odd man out but I prefer the other two, especially the v2 se. I have listened and compared for days now and I am very confident in my opinions. I do hope you enjoy this review and find my impressions useful.
