[wakked1]

I'm skeptical about amps adding grain in general. Most of the time is already there from the source or jitter or RFI, and you're hoping the amp will smooth it out, at the expense of losing leading edge detail. The GL is a fine and transparent amp and (more than most amps) it will show every flaw in your power, source and interconnects. But its not perfect, and I doubt any amp is. The DT880 do mate with the the GL depending on your preference.. they provide a quick and airy sound vs a warm and syrupy smooth sound.. contrasting the GL to the wall-powered Porta Corda III is an interesting experience, largely on opposite extremes.

Regardless, huge sweeping generalizations from a brief listen with a crappy source isn't a particularly valuable contribution.

 

[00940]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia Notice the absence of the DT880s on the podium and the favorite, i.e. the GL & DT880s combo! This is because the DT880s, as some of us acknowledge, are inherently somehow bright, somehow shy on bass, ... perhaps some other time. And in the case of the GL & DT880s combo, GL was feeding the already somehow bright, shy on bass, ... DT880s with a 'contaminated milk' by adding more brightness, not adding bass, introducing or adding dry and metallic components (attributes) to the DT880s sound signature!

I'm puzzled about why would someone test an amplifier with headphones he dislikes ?

It seems obvious to me that the first thing you need is another pair of headphones.

The marantz' headphones output is most probably a 120ohms output (as in most players of the brand), which explains it warmer sound.

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Thanks for your replies. Can anyone give
an example of a system: Beyer's DT880s + Gilmore Lite + Source,
where the source is UNDER $400, of which the sound is NOT:
(1) bright
(2) thin
(3) dry
(4) metallic
Does anyone own such a system? I am allergic to the 'Transistor Radio'-like sound!

I also think that the combo Gilmore Lite and the DT880s is a tragic mismatch
regardless of any source, as the Voice From the Heaven told me!

Someone above reported in his reviews some sources.
How expensive are those sources? Over $1,000 - I'm not interested.
I am interested in sources, say, under $400, and headphone amps also
under $400 which wil not produce 'Transistor Radio'-like sound (1)-(4).
Am I asking too much? Or am I a dreamer?
I am not asking for any fabulous clarity, transparency, 3D, soundstage, air, subtleties, ...
this comes later, ... much later, because for those goodies you need to pay big bucks.
I am asking for the absolute essentials of the sound and not even all of them.

Someone told me on one of my threads
(perhaps in 'What Are the NEGATIVES Of Owning the Beyer's DT880s?') the following:

Naked Truth
"Adam, forget all those dedicated headphones amplifiers,
any vintage tube Fisher amp/tuner from the 1960s and
others from the 1970s and early 1980s would knock down all those toys!"

How does Gilmore Lite compare to those famous Fishers, $400-$600, and other vintage amps?
Can it be compared at all? Well, we're playing here a different ball game: tubes vs. solid state amps!

BTW, no one asked how is my faithful dog?

See you on the Fisher's

Side of the Moon

Adam

 

[Jahn]

Adam, in all seriousness, get a Sennheiser HD650 and an Earmax. You might end up being pleased.

 

[Oski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Adam, in all seriousness, get a Sennheiser HD650 and an Earmax. You might end up being pleased.

The DT880 and EarMax Pro is an excellent combination. I had previously owned the GL and it's not my cup of tea. But I can see how people who like detail and tranparency only could think this is the cat's meow. But maybe I'm part of Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy, but I like more life in the music.

 

[Rickio]

Adam, I hate to say it but it was just simply a roll of bad luck on your part. I am also fairly new to the audiophile ideas etc.

But synergy is really a important concept as I am learning. I have DT880's both the new and older one. I have a cheap iriver cd player that I bought off the iriver site when they liquidated that stock. It's i350 I believe but it got good reviews here and many said it sounds like a 200 dollar cd player. Well long story short.

iriver cd player, portaphile portable amp (which I recently upgraded but basic V2 2 was which I am commenting on) and DT 880 sounds absolutely gorgeous. Not a problem with highs. Yes amps can color that sound. Good ones are supposed to be transparent but I am learning to notice all amps will add some color. Tube amps are good noted for adding warmth and you want a warm amp for your DT880 I would think...

Anyway I also have a hornet and I actually prefer the portaphile as it seems to be mellower and a tad warmer. And the bottom line the equipment I am using is not expensive just synergistic with each other.

It is hit and miss when you begin but you have a good headphone and when I read all the wild talk about DT880's etc or amps I am learning to recognise its the combination of equipment and not simply the headphone or the amp. Your amp is held in high regard, I think it would be better different combinations of Can's and Source more then likely.

I think you have good equipment just you just need to geta few combinations put together.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pars Where do you find this? I hang out mainly in the DIY forum, and can't recall anyone questioning the architecture/design of the Gilmore Dynalo at its price point. Granted, the Lite with an Elpac wallwart powering it is not quite the same as a Gilmore with the dedicated Gilmore PSU, but still.

Perhaps not, but I've found the Elpac to be a surprisingly good sounding power source. I had my doubts in the past too, until I tried some swapping with a battery pack (same voltage) and ended up preferring the Elpac! It should be pretty good by any measure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia Naked Truth "Adam, forget all those dedicated headphones amplifiers, any vintage tube Fisher amp/tuner from the 1960s and others from the 1970s and early 1980s would knock down all those toys!" How does Gilmore Lite compare to those famous Fishers, $400-$600, and other vintage amps?

Not to be mean or anything, but I get the feeling you'd do better with those amp/tuners (particularly if they have a high output impedance), and leave the sonic realism and actual fidelity to others. You're so quick to 'jump the gun' on virtually all topics without any knowledge to back it up, I say just go with your ears and quit posting these threads.

P.S. for those who think I'm being hard on Adam, it's just a persistent theme he's demonstrated here on Head-Fi to start controversial threads slamming various products, with little/no solid information involved. It does in fact seem reasonable to "crucify" for this kind of thing, and it appears Adam is aware of this with his plea for people not to...

 

[recstar24]

Sources under $400 that won't give you a transistor type sound?

First bet is NAD - mid fi at best, but they are warm and musical, some edginess and grain but overall presenation is warm and smooth.

If you could stretch your budget a bit, a used Jolida 100a can be had for around 500-600. It uses a tubed output stage so you'll get some nice bloom and great soundstage, nothing special with extension but its a very musical performer at that price point.

 

[909]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia Cable: Standard RadioShack gold plated stereo L/R cable

Your review was a bit harsh no pun intended, yet I don’t question what your ears coupled with your gear heard.

Based on my experience, a system can be extremely limited by inferior cables. Imagine the 405 and 101 (or 10) interchange(s) at rush hour all those cars are at a stand still because there are too many cars and not enough lanes. But at 3AM without an accident or construction, of course, cars pass with ease. Cables have the same ability in one regard to impede the flow or open it up. In addition, cables can accentuate a harsh and thin source or minimize it as well among other things. Yet, there is not way to get around poor synergy between components.

In general, most CD players that I’ve heard have a slightly uncomfortable digital edge to my ears, sound kind of tinny, and lack bass. However, the Meridian G08 opened my eyes to the shortcomings of my E5, with the G08’s smooth, whole tone, overall balance and full bass. Even my VPI Scout provides more weight and dimension to the notes and IMO the truest musical representation and presentation at least to my ears that I’ve heard to date; biggest difference the Meridian is dead quiet and has better separation between instruments but still sounds somewhat artificial and lacks that something special compared to the Scout.

In my estimation amps in general provide noticeable improvement after about 30 minutes to an hour of continuous play (warm up time) before it reaches its optimum sound performance. Unplugging and going back and forth may diminish some of those unaccounted for returns.

When I heard the Gilmore Lite at the So Cal meet in January I thought it sounded good considering its size and price. Under meet conditions, connected to my E5 with DiMarzio M-Paths and after using an audio level meter to ensure that my EC2A3 and the Gilmore Lite were at equal volume and listening with my HD650s I thought the Lite put in a very good showing.

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia ..... Disclaimer Let me emphasize once again that the statements I have made here apply to my (under $300) sources, my DT880s and HD595s (50 Ohm). I don't know how GL would perform with better sources, say in the range $800-$1,000. Also I don't know how it would perform with other headphones: Beyer's DT770 (a lot of bass), DT990 Pro, Sennheiser's HD580-HD650, HD555. How about Sony's SA5000 and Grado's SR325? It would be very interesting to hear about any successful marriages of GL with other sources and headphones. This amplifier is very popular on this site! I don't know how other headphone amps in the range $200-$400 perform? Do they all sound like a 'Very Fine Transistor Radio'?

I am allergic to the Transistor Radio-like (euphemism) sound, even at its best!

See you,

Adam

 

[Meyvn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamCalifornia Thanks for your replies. Can anyone give an example of a system: Beyer's DT880s + Gilmore Lite + Source, where the source is UNDER $400, of which the sound is NOT: (1) bright (2) thin (3) dry (4) metallic Does anyone own such a system? I am allergic to the 'Transistor Radio'-like sound! I also think that the combo Gilmore Lite and the DT880s is a tragic mismatch regardless of any source, as the Voice From the Heaven told me! Someone above reported in his reviews some sources. How expensive are those sources? Over $1,000 - I'm not interested. I am interested in sources, say, under $400, and headphone amps also under $400 which wil not produce 'Transistor Radio'-like sound (1)-(4). Am I asking too much? Or am I a dreamer? I am not asking for any fabulous clarity, transparency, 3D, soundstage, air, subtleties, ... this comes later, ... much later, because for those goodies you need to pay big bucks. I am asking for the absolute essentials of the sound and not even all of them. Someone told me on one of my threads (perhaps in 'What Are the NEGATIVES Of Owning the Beyer's DT880s?') the following: Naked Truth "Adam, forget all those dedicated headphones amplifiers, any vintage tube Fisher amp/tuner from the 1960s and others from the 1970s and early 1980s would knock down all those toys!" How does Gilmore Lite compare to those famous Fishers, $400-$600, and other vintage amps? Can it be compared at all? Well, we're playing here a different ball game: tubes vs. solid state amps! BTW, no one asked how is my faithful dog? See you on the Fisher's Side of the Moon Adam

I have a Cmoy and K701s, and headphone out on my laptop, and it exhibits NONE of these bad qualities, and all of the good qualities you're asking for. I think you just have a bad combo of source + amp + phones, because no one has a problem with any of these things individually.

 

[slwiser]

For a source, how about one of those various editions of the Chinese USB DACs? But I now know how important the source is in the overall train of things; having now procurred a Lavry DA10.


....edited....

 

[nabwong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch You're so quick to 'jump the gun' on virtually all topics without any knowledge to back it up, I say just go with your ears and quit posting these threads.

There are millions of threads here with titles "Just got XXX headphone/amp/dac and it's pure audio bliss" or "Oh my god, Eargasm". They have no substance. However, i think we react negatively to criticism.

I'm not in adam's corner or anything but i just wanna put some perspective on this. I'm sure adam has a setup he likes, just that he only post the ones he feels (against) strongly about.

Also, is it just me or there are some "brands" that are considered taboo to speak ill of. I think it's double standards. Refer to Kant on objectivity.

 

[radrd]

Hey Adam, ever consider the possibility that your DT 880 headphones sound like a "transistor radio" and your Gilmore amp actually brought out their true character? Maybe something like an HD650 would be ideal? To find out on the cheap, you could pick up a used HD580 and see if you like the Senn house sound. You could probably afford to keep the DT 880 as well during your audition of the HD580 and then sell both and upgrade to an HD650 without taking a huge loss. Just a thought.

In my experience, the difference in sound between amps is smaller than most people describe and the differences between sources is debatable at best. Whether people agree with me or not, anyone who says headphones don't make the biggest difference in sound is an idiot.

 

[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong There are millions of threads here with titles "Just got XXX headphone/amp/dac and it's pure audio bliss" or "Oh my god, Eargasm". They have no substance. However, i think we react negatively to criticism.

I completely agree with that. In fact I just wanted to write something along the lines of this.