[conquerator2]

@Hifiearspeakers have you tried the Verum One by chance? It's been one of my very finest purchases. It sounds a lot like how you're describing the Verite, though it's bass and treble is on the lean smooth rounded off side. The upper mid has a dip too. I love it for its smooth but detailed tonality, lovely midrange and generally very lifelike, natural timbre. For the money it's incredible IMO. Makes me curios how the GL would stack up

 

[MSA1133]

Thanks for the response. So you don't feel that those daps were able to push these planars to their full potential. Would you call it relatively close, or do they really benefit from a good amp?

Oh no, those DAPs and the GL2000s were toe-tapping head-nodding good! The GLs and most planars love clean power and will add more enjoyment to your listening sessions, but that's subjective.

All in all, these are a good set and I hope you'll enjoy them on your DAPs and on your desk setup!

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

@Hifiearspeakers have you tried the Verum One by chance? It's been one of my very finest purchases. It sounds a lot like how you're describing the Verite, though it's bass and treble is on the lean smooth rounded off side. The upper mid has a dip too. I love it for its smooth but detailed tonality, lovely midrange and generally very lifelike, natural timbre. For the money it's incredible IMO. Makes me curios how the GL would stack up ☺

I’ve never had the chance to hear it, but would love to demo it at some point. I’ve read good things about it but also some serious quality control issues on build and channel imbalance.

 

[conquerator2]

I’ve never had the chance to hear it, but would love to demo it at some point. I’ve read good things about it but also some serious quality control issues on build and channel imbalance.

I understand those were only limited to an early batch. But that was channel imbalance only I believe, build quality feels very solid. Mine has been fine since I bought it. Anyway, hope you get to try them, they're definitely worth a listen

 

[tkddans]

I understand those were only limited to an early batch. But that was channel imbalance only I believe, build quality feels very solid. Mine has been solid since I bought it. Anyway, hope you get to try them, they're definitely worth a listen

Interesting. I do hear an imbalance but I thought it was just certain recordings. Particularly, I heard a vocal in the left ear more than the right on a track, but on other tracks I didn’t notice.

Maybe the imaging is just so good that people didn’t realize their tracks had a greater stereo effect than they realized?

Or maybe I have a bad headphone!

 

[justanut]

Am I right to say yours are the dual magnetic circuit version? Has anyone compared single vs dual and if there're any noticeable differences to the SQ?

This isn't a comprehensive review but...here are my impressions throughout *some* comparison testing...

*Note*: running the GL2k's balanced via an after market XLR cable on a Monolith THX DAC/amp. I tried 1/4" but it just wasn't enough power. XLR seems to be sounding better, maybe.**

- **The GL2k's have a better bass response compared to HD 800's; not even fair**. Not too much to ever be overbearing. Bass has enough heft to feel perfectly right by my ears. Damn near perfect here in musical quality. Perhaps not the clearest ever, but very good to the point where the tuning of the low end is just so satisfying. For the expression the GL2k's have on the low end alone, I would own them alongside the HD 800's in a collection of two headphones.

- **Vocals are beautiful on the GL2k's**, but tough to say if they are "better" than HD800's outright. This may be subjective. The female vocals in particular have an exceedingly lovely sound. Listen to "Early Morning Light" by Sarah Jarosz. Where female vocals can be shrill on some headphones, the GL2k's are just vibrant enough to be clear and pleasing to hear, but not sibilant. Both the HD800S and GL2k do well with vocals. Both are pleasing to hear. Where the 800's are extra spacious around the singer and leave their voices pristine in the space left around them, the GL2k's have a more intimate instrumental and vocal appearance together. The GL2k's are closer in to the head, for better or for worse. Personally, I would prefer the HD800's for a singer/songwriter/acoustics track. Then again...going back and forth again...I'm more and more hearing the GL2k's as being relaxed relative to the 800's. The 800's can be stunning headphones when you're used to them, but this comparison has my brain hearing sibilance where I hadn't before. Weird! The GL2k's make me want to have them on my head for acoustics/vocals I would've preferred the 800's on. Very strange. I think you'll be happy hearing either one, depending on how you long you get used to either one and where your tastes are. Both will certainly have great fans.

- **Acoustics, plucking instruments, orchestral**....the GL2k's are doing very well here. As far as imaging, separation, the overall details heard...the GL2k's are no slouches.

I don't want to get carried away with too much meandering on. Maybe I just want to relax and get my whiskey right now and do a more thorough breakdown another time haha, but I'll just give you a summary for now....

HD800S is better in being airy, clear, spacious. In that clarity, it is a masterpiece. I adore them. The GL2k's do not beat it on that audacious level of clarity and separation.

GL2k's are better at having a more balanced tuning. While it sacrifices the great qualities the HD800S gains with its treble quirks and headphone/driver design, the GL2k makes up for it by having a low end that feels like it ought to be there and is missing from the 800's somewhat.

**P.S. Where there is white noise in a recording, the GL2k's have more of it.** It's actually quite a negative for me on some tracks where I normally find myself relaxed and enjoying the music on the HD800's. I don't know why this hasn't come up with other reviews/posts. Maybe it's just my audio chain? My DAC/amp or wire? hmmm. Well...it's really quite bad when it's there on some tracks (see "The Xith Commandment" by Chuck Mangione for a particular example of Jazz I usually relax to and love on the 800's but have a harder time enjoying on the GL2k's by comparison.

Maybe there is a relative spike in the frequency response on the GL2k's in a region where noise would be heard, compared to it being less so on the HD800's? I don't know!

Final verdict:
I'm keeping both headphones. GL2K's may be the best all arounder I've heard. The HD800S is still the king of clarity and separation I've personally had the experience of trying.

 

[Empyah]

The Verite is even more forgiving of poorly mastered music. It has this uncanny ability to sound very detailed, and yet very smooth at the same time. That is a very difficult quality to achieve, and a difficult trait to find in TOTL headphones. I sold my first Verite to buy the Susvara, only to sell the Susvara and repurchase a Verite. The Susvara is more detailed, but that detail came at the cost of making most of my music collection sound harsh and unlistenable.

The Verite has more mid bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and a little less treble in the 10k region. It also sounds more lush and euphonic, but also slower. But for my preferences, I just love it. Both the Verite and GL2000 have an upper midrange dip, but I love that type of tuning because that’s where I’m sensitive. That’s the reason I ended up selling my Auteur. The upper mids were too much for me and it made a lot of my music sound shouty.

The Verite and GL2000 also stage differently. Both have a wide stage but the GL2000 has a taller stage as well. They really differ in the lower mids. The Verite is thicker there and the GL2000 is a little cleaner and faster there. It all comes down to sonic preference. I’m keeping them both.

May I ask what chain your heard those headphones with?

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

May I ask what chain your heard those headphones with?

Thx 789 and Jot -> Modius

iFI Micro BL -> iPhone 12

I prefer the 789 to the Jotunheim pretty much always. The BL is good but can’t touch the desktops. It does add more warm bass, but that wasn’t even needed to my ears.

 

[crowley]

Just got mine, and got a 2nd hand Thx 789. getting an adapter for the 4.4 to 4-pin XLR should be ok right?

 

[mcook1970]

I'm currently watching from afar and contemplating whether to jump on the hype train and purchase these headphones. My interest is more than peaked!

My main concern is whether my Astell and Kern Kann Alpha has sufficient power to drive these headphones because I haven't got any other means at the moment to drive these headphones and I certainly haven't got the budget to invest in a dedicated amp to drive them.

Are there any DAP owners out there who can share their experiences and advise whether a DAP such as mine will be sufficient?

 

[MSA1133]

I'm currently watching from afar and contemplating whether to jump on the hype train and purchase these headphones. My interest is more than peaked!

My main concern is whether my Astell and Kern Kann Alpha has sufficient power to drive these headphones because I haven't got any other means at the moment to drive these headphones and I certainly haven't got the budget to invest in a dedicated amp to drive them.

Are there any DAP owners out there who can share their experiences and advise whether a DAP such as mine will be sufficient?

I have the Kann Cube and it has the same power outputs, it'll be more than enough.

 

[Mhog55]

I'm currently watching from afar and contemplating whether to jump on the hype train and purchase these headphones. My interest is more than peaked!

My main concern is whether my Astell and Kern Kann Alpha has sufficient power to drive these headphones because I haven't got any other means at the moment to drive these headphones and I certainly haven't got the budget to invest in a dedicated amp to drive them.

Are there any DAP owners out there who can share their experiences and advise whether a DAP such as mine will be sufficient?

I'm in the same position. I've felt like most every planar I've owned wasn't fed sufficient power from my daps to reach full potential. Additionally I'll never know unless I invest in an amp.

 

[mcook1970]

I'm in the same position. I've felt like most every planar I've owned wasn't fed sufficient power from my daps to reach full potential. Additionally I'll never know unless I invest in an amp.

One of the main reasons I purchased the Kann Alpha was its ability to drive power hungry headphones, I'm just hoping this will be the case with these because I just don't have the budget to purchase an amp

 

[adityadubey]

One of the main reasons I purchased the Kann Alpha was its ability to drive power hungry headphones, I'm just hoping this will be the case with these because I just don't have the budget to purchase an amp

I have the Kann Alpha, and my GL2000s are currently en route to London (currently delayed in Leipzig due to weather DHL says). Hopefully I should have them in a couple of days, can then test and report back, but I don't expect any issues.

 

[mcook1970]

I have the Kann Alpha, and my GL2000s are currently en route to London (currently delayed in Leipzig due to weather DHL says). Hopefully I should have them in a couple of days, can then test and report back, but I don't expect any issues.

@adityadubey if you don’t mind me asking but where did you order them from and do you know what import charges (if any) you are expecting to incur?

I live just outside London so I will also be interested to know how long they take to ship in case I decide to purchase them if your report back is positive (which I expect it will be). I know the Kann Alpha has a high gain option which is meant to be enough to power headphones such as these but it would be useful to get some qualitative feedback first