[esimms86]

I don't know anything more about it other than what's in the descriptions on the Auralic website and the Auralic Facebook page but as a headphone amp/DAC in a Klutz headphone rack enclosure based on the Auralic flagship DAC and headphone amp, well, it's got my attention!

Esau

 

[CanDude]

I didn't know about this! I just got a mail from Michael at Klutz Design. It's basically a Klutz headphone stand with a built-in Auralic USB DAC (DXD, DSD, double-rate DSD, 384k) with a SDXC card reader and a 2W class-A balanced amp (for GEMINI 2000)! I'll get to listen to them when Klutz Design get the first units. Hm, listening to headphone stands...

Now I have to spend some time googling on Auralic...
 

 
http://www.klutzdesign.com/pages/auralic-gemini

 

[ScuderiaHeadFi]

  Now I have to spend some time googling on Auralic...

 
As I'm sure you've already found, the Auralic headphone amps and DACs have been making great waves here on Head-Fi, over at 6moons, and among other top audiophile opinion sources...
 
I'm personally SUPER pumped... a beautiful headphone stand (normally $600 US and up) PLUS a double-DSD capable DAC from an accomplished high-end DAC manufacturer PLUS up to 2-watt headphone amplifier from SAME company which also has similar credibility for its headphone amps?  All for $1K or $2K?  Should be a screaming value (I expect)...

 

[goldendarko]

any word on the release date? website's still showing november 2013 but have still not seen any reviews on it yet.

 

[warrenpchi]

I can't remember the exact date but I know it's coming soon.  They've been making additional improvements, above and beyond the one I heard at CanJam 2013, which was already pretty stellar in terms to detail, separation and overall clarity.
 
We're going to be among the first to review it at Audio360.org.  I can't wait to hear the final product! 

 

[goldendarko]

Awesome. I'm thinking maybe this would make the perfect bedside solution in the fact that it would look aesthetically pleasing (for my wife's sake) and still, hopefully, provide great sound quality. I'll be looking forward to the review.

 

[goldendarko]

Looks like a review on the Gemini is up on 6moons. Srajan compares it pretty favorably to the Burson Conductor, which is currently in my desktop rig and is a great headphone amp in it's own right. Just thought I'd post this here if anyone else is interested:
 
 
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic7/1.html

 

[warrenpchi]

Interesting... I'll have a chance to make similar comparisons on this end as I just happen to have a Burson Conductor here for review as well.  No AK100 though, an AK120 will have to do.  FWIW, here were my early impressions from our CanJam 2013 report:
 
"To say that this unit surprised me would be an understatement. Yes, there is a headphone stand component. And yes, it is an amplifier (solid state) as well. But when you factor in the built-in media player, up to 2TB of music storage via an SDXC card, and a DAC that handles everything from lossy media all the way up to Double DSD - that's when it becomes apparent that Auralic has essentially built an all-in-one headphone rig.
 
I auditioned it with the HD800 that Auralic supplied, and found it surprisingly capable and supremely detailed. LF response was nicely and cleanly weighted, with a good sense of mass and density to low notes. Mids were exactly what I expected of a well-amplified HD800 in terms of clean and effortless detail retrieval. The highs were - perhaps a tad bright when paired with the HD800 - though this was very likely due to the HD800's inherent tendency towards brightness. The noise floor - under show conditions - was below detectable threshold.
 
Overall, I found the Gemini 2000 to be both refined and engaging, and I long to try it out with some other headphones in my arsenal (HD 650, LCD-X, etc.)."

 

[goldendarko]

Yeah when you think about all that is crammed in that little base that is that small, it really is quite an achievement in pure terms of engineering. I also don't think it needs to compete with other more complete setups as it offers something most setups don't, beauty and style.

 

[CanDude]

Klutz Design will show Auralic Gemini 2000 at the High End Show in Stockholm this weekend.
They will also show the new Bakoon HPA-01, little brother/sister to HPA-21, and also HPA-21 of course, in room Ferlin at Lundqvist & Lindqvist.
 

 

[Clemmaster]

Any news?

 

[kugino]

anyone here have one of these? the 2000 interests me...need more reviews.

 

[goldendarko]

Yeah no kidding, I am still interested in this thing but there's literally no reviews online except for srajan's at 6moons.

 

[gotoma8]

Anyone own one of these like to comment?
 
Thanks!

 

[fzman]

Mine arrived today.  It is burning in now.  I got the 2000 in black with chrome base.  It fired right up and is sitting on my bedside table, fed by a Bluesound Node via toslink and playing through JVC DX1000s.  Sounds promising, but waay too soon to tell for sure.