[Liu Junyuan]

Wow. That review seems really off imo. I switched from the Jot to the Gilmore Lite Mk2 and both transparency and dynamics improved a ton!

Thanks. What headphones are you driving?

 

[deutschemark]

I don't own them anymore but it was the Aeon Flow Open.

 

[DarKu]

Guys, I wanted you to know that after I published my review of the GLite MK2 I decided to part ways with my own balanced amplifier, the Audio GD Master 9, just because this little GLite MK2 sounded faster, kicked harder and sounded more transparent. I don't regret it a single bit. It certainly lacks a bit in the power department so I wouldn't recommend it for harder to drive headphones like Audeze LCD-4 / Abyss AB-266 for example, but apart from that I really love it and I can't wait to see that GS-1 MK2 that is cooking right now at Headamp HQ.
Cook it real good boys

 

[lentoviolento]

Guys, I wanted you to know that after I published my review of the GLite MK2 I decided to part ways with my own balanced amplifier, the Audio GD Master 9, just because this little GLite MK2 sounded faster, kicked harder and sounded more transparent. I don't regret it a single bit. It certainly lacks a bit in the power department so I wouldn't recommend it for harder to drive headphones like Audeze LCD-4 / Abyss AB-266 for example, but apart from that I really love it and I can't wait to see that GS-1 MK2 that is cooking right now at Headamp HQ.
Cook it real good boys

Gs1mk2?? What is his price range?

 

[justin w.]

Gs1mk2?? What is his price range?

this is more of a GS-X mini (name pending). Price will be somewhere between the Gilmore Lite mk2 and GS-X mk2

 

[USAFPharm86]

Guys, I wanted you to know that after I published my review of the GLite MK2 I decided to part ways with my own balanced amplifier, the Audio GD Master 9, just because this little GLite MK2 sounded faster, kicked harder and sounded more transparent. I don't regret it a single bit. It certainly lacks a bit in the power department so I wouldn't recommend it for harder to drive headphones like Audeze LCD-4 / Abyss AB-266 for example, but apart from that I really love it and I can't wait to see that GS-1 MK2 that is cooking right now at Headamp HQ.
Cook it real good boys

Great update. For a few weeks I was having a hard time trying to decide between the Audio GD C-2 amp or Glite M2. After this post and reading your review I’m glad I ordered the Glite M2.

Now just waiting on the shipping update/tracking information. Hopefully the Glite M2 will be here in the next week to test with my Audio GD R2R 11 DAC.

From your testing do you think the Glite M2 would pair well with a brighter sounding headphone? I plan to use my HD700 with the Glite M2, they have a slightly warm sound signature, but also the added treble spikes that can be bright at times.

Thanks again for the review.

 

[DarKu]

From your testing do you think the Glite M2 would pair well with a brighter sounding headphone? I plan to use my HD700 with the Glite M2, they have a slightly warm sound signature, but also the added treble spikes that can be bright at times.
Thanks again for the review.

My HD660S are also a bit brighter than say a HD600 or HD650, but not as bright as how HD700 are. I have no problem pairing HD660S with GLite, synergy is there for sure.
Do note that I am using a Matrix X-Sabre Pro DAC that has an ESS 9038 inside that many believe is quite bright, but not me. I love this paring, it gives me tons of speed, kick in the nuts and all the micro-details I want to hear.
Please keep us informed how it pairs with your R2R 11.
Glad you liked my review.

 

[JWahl]

I just ordered the Gilmore Lite mk. 2 to pair with my Chord Qutest. I've owned a fairly wide variety of equipment, but now I'm focusing on a relatively compact, reasonable value-for-money desktop setup. I'll be using it with a modded HD-650.

I had a Massdrop CTH but returned it due to scratchy volume control, and have been using an iFi iCan SE. The iFi is decent for it's price, but I'm hoping I can eek out a bit more performance with the GLite mk. 2.

 

[TSAVJason]

I just ordered the Gilmore Lite mk. 2 to pair with my Chord Qutest. I've owned a fairly wide variety of equipment, but now I'm focusing on a relatively compact, reasonable value-for-money desktop setup. I'll be using it with a modded HD-650.

I had a Massdrop CTH but returned it due to scratchy volume control, and have been using an iFi iCan SE. The iFi is decent for it's price, but I'm hoping I can eek out a bit more performance with the GLite mk. 2.

Congratulations! That’s actually a pretty good combo. I’ve always thought the GLmk2 is a great analog amp for the money and the Qutest is a great DAC

 

[JWahl]

Got it in today, earlier than I expected, and have been listening to it for awhile. I have to say, this thing is the real deal. It's been exceeding my expectations, so far. My thoughts so far really mirror DarKu's review.

It's a noticeable step up from both the iCan SE and the Massdrop CTH to me. Everything sounds super effortless, as if a certain listening tension has been relieved. Some might interpret that as being a bit laid back, but I don't find it overly so. I liken it to a similar authoritative effortlessness I heard with the HE-1000 loaner a while back, except that I'm using the HD-650. Like other's have alluded to, it manages to pull off the rare feat of being both very detailed, yet non-fatiguing, given the aforementioned effortless nature. It does seem to have a slight warmth to the sound. If I had to nitpick, this can be slightly strong with the HD-650's already strong midbass. However, the extension into the low bass helps keep the overall signature still well-balanced. Synergy seems excellent overall between the GLite mk2, Qutest, and HD-650. I'm feeling content with my front end for now, I think. Next upgrade, when finances permit, will be more/other headphones.

I haven't yet tried the Elear with it, though I intend to. I'm planning on selling the Elear to offset this purchase, but I want to see how it sounds in the new setup, in case I want to go for the Clear in the future.

And a special thanks to Justin for taking some time out of building GS-X's and BHSE's to throw a bone to us mere mortals I suspect this may end up a classic once out of production.

 

[USAFPharm86]

Hello Everyone.

Just received my Gilmore Lite Mk2 Saturday (7/14) and also the Topping D30 DAC for my living room setup. Paired it with my Audio GD R2R 11 DAC and A/B tested it with a Topping D30 DAC. Tested both using optical and USB with my PC/MAC and Spotify Premium. Headphones used -- Sennheiser HD700 and Audioquest Nighthawks.

After a few days of testing, I can't really tell a difference between the R2R 11 and D30 dacs added to the Gilmore Lite Mk2. The Topping D30 may be a little less dynamic sounding, a bit blurry compared to the R2R 11 DAC. Soundstage on both are the same. Sound is subjective, so it might just be my ears.

The big difference was the amp section of the Audio GD R2R 11 compared to the Gilmore Lite Mk2. The R2R 11 amp seems less resolving and has a more in your face sound, mids pushed forward. The Gilmore provided a more spacious presentation and a tad cleaner details. I also noticed a lower noise floor when using the Gilmore. Maybe after the Gilmore burns in over a 100 hours I’ll test again. The Audio GD has maybe 700 hours of burn in on it now.

My question is should I be looking at another DAC to add to the Gilmore for improved soundstage/detail/music separation, or will it be a waste of money since I already own the R2R 11 and Topping D30?

My budget is $600 or less for another DAC, the short list is a Modi Mutibit (maybe will sound the same as the R2R 11??) or Mojo for desktop and travel use. I would use the Mojo as the desktop DAC and also use it as an amp/dac for travel use. Any other recommendations on DACs to pair with the Gilmore Lite Mk2 for less that $600 would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards.

 

[episiarch]

the short list is a Modi Mutibit (maybe will sound the same as the R2R 11??) or Mojo for desktop and travel use. I would use the Mojo as the desktop DAC and also use it as an amp/dac for travel use. Any other recommendations on DACs to pair with the Gilmore Lite Mk2 for less that $600 would be greatly appreciated.

I have tried both Modi Multibit and Mojo as DACs feeding my previous version Gilmore Lite. (I'm sure the your Lite is better than the earlier model I have, but I imagine there's a substantial family resemblance.)

• Modi Multibit is really good! Especially considering its price. If I didn't have a Mojo I'd be very happy with it.
• But I like Mojo better, mostly because I can hear deeper into the detail of busy/complex pieces than I can with Mimby. Mojo's tonality is a bit warmer than Mimby's, and I don't really like that, but over time I've become used to it and it no longer bothers me.
• No experience with the other two DACs you mentioned, sorry.

Possibly importantly for your use case, though, is that I've ruined the battery on my Mojo by leaving it plugged in nearly all the time. This seems to have been a little bit of an issue early on (the enormous Mojo thread and the Mojo Issues and Solution thread show I'm certainly not the only one), and is very possibly fixed in more recent batches.

I won't try to dissuade you from getting a Mojo, but I would very much recommend you make sure yours has full warranty, and that you take advantage of that warranty if your battery starts to fade before the warranty runs out.

FWIW I now use a Shanling M3s as my travel DAP / DAC / amp, and for my travel use cases (mainly ER-4S, ER4-SR, and K550) I am completely satisfied with it. You can add M3s to the price of a Modi Multibit and I think you'd still be under the price of a Mojo, though as I said I do like the Mojo's sound somewhat more.

Anyway YMMV but I hope this is at least somewhat helpful.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

Does GLIte Mk2 work well with ciem like EE Phantom or SE 5 Ultimate or only work well with headphone

Does it work well with ER4SR and others similar iem

 

[lentoviolento]

Also consider a pro ject s2 as a dac... Probably the best in his price range. (owned the gilmore lite mk2 and used with audio gd r2r 11,chord mojo, pro ject, ifi idsd bl and denafrips ares!)

 

[quasimofo]

Does GLIte Mk2 work well with ciem like EE Phantom or SE 5 Ultimate or only work well with headphone

Does it work well with ER4SR and others similar iem

I use it with ER4S and ER4SR. Silent background with perfect channel balance.

It is probably the best I have heard these IEMs, especially the ER4S.