chumley
100+ Head-Fier
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- Jul 1, 2004
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I find the GL/PS combo with my SR225's and MS-2's (esp. w/Todd's Flats) to be amazing... lots of synergy... the Senn HD650's, w/either Cardas * or * Zu, sound a little better, to my ears, through the SR-71. The Grado/Alessandro/SR-71 combo is not too much, but about as close to sonic 'saturation' as I'd want to get with these cans; again, smooth, detailed, extended, accurate, and slightly 'warm'... the SR-71 seems to 'fix' the Senn soundstage a bit more than the GL, and manages to do a fantastic job with the Grado/Alessandro cans as well! I don't know what kinda mojo's in the RS amp, but, if you can live with the 9V * only *, it will NOT disappoint you! And, while the GL is fast, transparent, and greatly detailed, it is, to my mind, quite musical- others may find it somewhat 'technical' compared to the sound signature of the SR-71, and that's an apt comparison, more because of the warmer SR-71 'house sound', than any deficiency of the GL. The thing that really gets to me about the SR-71 is how it can simultaneously accomplish its dead-on accuracy, amazing detail, balance and extension throughout its sound range AND provide a notable, but not distortive (man, I don't think that's a word!) 'warmth' and smoothness to its presentation... truly a unique sounding amp.
Sorry if I digress a little here- my mind's wandering back to how great certain passages of music sound through each of these killer little amps...
Originally Posted by Imyourzero Thanks for the excellent reply! That helps me out. I agree that between the two, it would probably boil down to a preference of sound signatures. Which amp provides more detail and musicality? I tend to think of the SR-71 as being more musical and sweet sounding, yet many people say it simply does its job very well and gets out of the way of the music. My impression of the GL is that it's very fast and transparent but also perhaps a bit lifeless--not that it makes the music sound dull by any means, but rather it doesn't have the character that Ray's amps have. A lot of people talk about the Ray "house sound" and how they greatly enjoy it. I'm not sure that the Gilmore has a house sound...perhaps it does, but I never seem to see people raving about it. I mainly see people discussing the speed and energy that the GL has, but I wonder if those qualities combined with Grados would be too much. With Senns, it sounds like a perfect balance. Ah, what to do, what to do. Both seem like great amps. I really wish I could test both of them without having to front an initial $800 outlay of cash. I just don't want to pick the "wrong one" (for me) and end up regretting it. I'm on a college budget here, and the last thing I want to do is to drop $400 on an amp and wish I had gotten another one. The fact is, I'd probably be happy with either since I'm coming from no amp at all, but I always research big purchases so that I feel like I've done the best I can do for the money. I know they can be resold and the SR-71 especially is in pretty high demand, but I'd rather do it right the first time. Though...wouldn't we all? Well, I guess not--for some people, the journey to audio nirvana IS the experience and the fun of this hobby. |
I find the GL/PS combo with my SR225's and MS-2's (esp. w/Todd's Flats) to be amazing... lots of synergy... the Senn HD650's, w/either Cardas * or * Zu, sound a little better, to my ears, through the SR-71. The Grado/Alessandro/SR-71 combo is not too much, but about as close to sonic 'saturation' as I'd want to get with these cans; again, smooth, detailed, extended, accurate, and slightly 'warm'... the SR-71 seems to 'fix' the Senn soundstage a bit more than the GL, and manages to do a fantastic job with the Grado/Alessandro cans as well! I don't know what kinda mojo's in the RS amp, but, if you can live with the 9V * only *, it will NOT disappoint you! And, while the GL is fast, transparent, and greatly detailed, it is, to my mind, quite musical- others may find it somewhat 'technical' compared to the sound signature of the SR-71, and that's an apt comparison, more because of the warmer SR-71 'house sound', than any deficiency of the GL. The thing that really gets to me about the SR-71 is how it can simultaneously accomplish its dead-on accuracy, amazing detail, balance and extension throughout its sound range AND provide a notable, but not distortive (man, I don't think that's a word!) 'warmth' and smoothness to its presentation... truly a unique sounding amp.
Sorry if I digress a little here- my mind's wandering back to how great certain passages of music sound through each of these killer little amps...