[Asr]

Quote:

It leaves a grey area as to what is an "upgrade" besides the fact that it has an optional DAC and unity gain for IEM's. It seems like it wants to fit in a small niche area of users who want a small/affordable/flexible unit but still leaves room for improvements in the grand scheme of this hobby.

An optional DAC that'll have asynchronous 24/96 USB input. The only <$1K DAC currently on the market with async 24/96 USB input is the Arcam rDac, and it's just a DAC. So a HeadAmp discrete AC-powered amp with async 24/96 USB input, for under $1K, and in a compact footprint, is actually really cool.
 
If anything, this product looks like it'll be a tweaked version of the GS-1 with a DAC (when you consider the dual inputs & pre-amp output) which seems pretty nice.

 

[padam]

Absolutely. It is infinitely simpler (and probably cheaper) than thinking about what transport, digital cable, interconnect cable to choose (if that matters in any way..) and you can't just carry all these to your friend if you want to.
Building a nice-sounding PC-based system from scratch might become a lot easier.

 

[M3NTAL]

 
Quote:

An optional DAC that'll have asynchronous 24/96 USB input. The only <$1K DAC currently on the market with async 24/96 USB input is the Arcam rDac, and it's just a DAC. So a HeadAmp discrete AC-powered amp with async 24/96 USB input, for under $1K, and in a compact footprint, is actually really cool.
 
If anything, this product looks like it'll be a tweaked version of the GS-1 with a DAC (when you consider the dual inputs & pre-amp output) which seems pretty nice.

 
 
Thank you ASR,
 
That makes it much clearer to me.  I thought more companies were doing USB that way these days, but I guess they are all still behind the curve.

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

 
 
I guess you are right in a way
 
"In some ways, this is a replacement for the discontinued Gilmore Lite.  In other ways, it's an upgrade over all the other desktop amps I currently offer." - Justin W.
 
It leaves a grey area as to what is an "upgrade" besides the fact that it has an optional DAC and unity gain for IEM's. It seems like it wants to fit in a small niche area of users who want a small/affordable/flexible unit but still leaves room for improvements in the grand scheme of this hobby.

better build quality, overall better engineering (such as the gain switch using relays located directly at the amplifier circuit so the feedback paths are not long by running to the actual gain switch on the front panel), on/off switch for the pre-amp output

 

[daveDerek]

Justin, can both outputs be used simultaneously? when will you post pix and when is it likely to come out ?

 

[dcpoor]

nice way to get the posts required to sell. ._.

 

[daveDerek]

Justin, how about bringing it to NY next week for the meet (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/516571/official-new-york-area-meet-nov-20-white-plains-ny#post_6980237). folks would love to see and hear it and the exposure (as NY gatherings always garner a lot of attention as they're some of the premier h-f meets) would be broader than just this thread - a win-win situation.

 

[Fickle-Friend]

How does your DAC compare with the Arcam rDAC's Wolfson 8741 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

How does your DAC compare with the Arcam rDAC's Wolfson 8741 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC

The forums rules wont let him compare his product vs the competition.  I'm sure he chose the DAC and parts that he did because they sound excellent to him, and fit the right price to performance ratio that he was looking for.

 

[nattonrice]

Edit: learnt to read.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Quote:

How does your DAC compare with the Arcam rDAC's Wolfson 8741 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC
The forums rules wont let him compare his product vs the competition.  I'm sure he chose the DAC and parts that he did because they sound excellent to him, and fit the right price to performance ratio that he was looking for.

i don't think that applies here as what's being asked isn't how his amp or dac stacks up against manufacturer x's amp/dac, but rather how would using different components internally affect his product. he may well have tried different parts during development.
Justin, could you please check back in and update us as to the questions that folks have asked since you last posted here (eg. post #80 above).

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

How does your DAC compare with the Arcam rDAC's Wolfson 8741 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC
The forums rules wont let him compare his product vs the competition.  I'm sure he chose the DAC and parts that he did because they sound excellent to him, and fit the right price to performance ratio that he was looking for.

i don't think that applies here as what's being asked isn't how his amp or dac stacks up against manufacturer x's amp/dac, but rather how would using different components internally affect his product. he may well have tried different parts during development.
Justin, could you please check back in and update us as to the questions that folks have asked since you last posted here (eg. post #80 above).

i can't answer that question because only about 1% of the information has been provided.  I use the Wolfson WM8740 in the Pico DAC.  Did you know that the WM8740 exhibits 10x the THD if its analog power supply is run at 4.5V instead of 5V, even though both are considered acceptable?  How could I possibly compare one DAC chip to another without having full details, including copies of the circuit board layout and the schematics for each implementation?

 

[daveDerek]

Justin, can both outputs be used simultaneously? when will you post pix and when is the amp likely to come out ?

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Justin, can both outputs be used simultaneously? when will you post pix and when is the amp likely to come out ?

 
yes.
 
no pictures yet but I've described it
 
next year

 

[matthewh133]

This should be interesting. Looking forward to some more info.