[stuartmc]

I really should be asleep....Damn this hobby is right! I did a serious grill mod on the HE-400i..very open grid and the sheerest of sheer cloth. Then I played around with the pads and removed the inner cloth. The end result is a sound I really like. The jump factor with these cans is extraordinary. The dynamics scare me and the larger diaphragm seems to pressurize my ears like I'm right in the room with the bass and drums. The hd600 don't come close to doing this. The only thing I liked better with the Senns was the wider stage and a little more air around things. Now with the mods, the 400i caught up in those areas too. I think the 400i benefits more from the H 10 then the Senns do. I have an Ifi Ican and the H10 spanks the daylights out of it, but the beat down is far more brutal when I use the 400i. It just sounds an order of magnitude more impressive on the planar magnetic. I will be very interested to hear what you think about the 560 combination.

 

[lukeap69]

This thing is a chameleon! Just 12 hours burn-in and the sound is already very much improved. I already like it compared to Lyr 2 with Tesla gold or Amperex OG tubes! Don't tell me guys that this is still going to improve a lot... The Unplugged album of Eric Clapton is already more enjoyable and natural! 

 

[stuartmc]

This thing is a chameleon! Just 12 hours burn-in and the sound is already very much improved. I already like it compared to Lyr 2 with Tesla gold or Amperex OG tubes! Don't tell me guys that this is still going to improve a lot... The Unplugged album of Eric Clapton is already more enjoyable and natural! 

Ummm....in a word, yes! There is a point where the burn in makes what seems like a Jeckyl and Hyde transition...probably like 80% change. I'm not sure how early in the process that was for me, but probably after about 20 hours. Then the remaining goodness eases in noticeably but more slowly over the next three or four days. If you like your cake now, you are going to love it when the rest of the frosting gets added.

 

[lukeap69]

Exciting days ahead. 

 

[Kyno]

Two things:
 
1. I'm soon going to receive another Gustard H10. Kind of a confusion with the seller so I bought another one on Aliexpress on 11.11 cause it was cheaper that day only, total of $315 with shipping, with the thought I could always cancel it the next day once the payment has been confirmed, but the seller sent it right away upon confirmation 

Not really a bad thing though, I already have a few people interested here (French hifi forum) so I'm sure it will make someone happy. I will also be able to compare it OOTB with mine that'll have reached 100+ hours!
 
2. HD-800 + Cardas cable ($940!) coming in Friday or Saturday, I'll report back about the pairing with the H10, Polaris and O2.
 
I've been able to test the T1 just earlier: http://www.head-fi.org/t/197776/sennheiser-hd650-impressions-thread/20520#post_11070972
 
Pretty nice with the H10, not so much with the O2 or Polaris, but the treble is still a bit too fatiguing to me. I was running it at +6 (or +12) db. Although I had the pre-gain up, you could ear how well the H10 was doing power-wise.
I'm not sure how I will cope with the HD-800's treble, although there is the Cardas cable as well as the possibility to Anax mod it. We shall see! It was too good of a price to pass on it since it should be easy to resell in case I don't like it, I thought I might as well try it. Next step will probably be the HE-560 in this case.

 

[zilch0md]

  Exciting days ahead. 

 
 
Like waiting for a parachute to open - in slow motion!  

 

 

[Joong]

H10 has gravity to pull me down to headfier again with He-6.
it also decommissioned Conductor to a mere Dac.

Dos anybody compare it with Mojo or Violectric v200?

 

[erdawe]

I wish I saw the $315 shipped deal a few days ago, now a little more waiting.

 

[swannie007]

So, anyone used the H10 with the X10 dac yet, or plan to? Curious minds need to know.

 

[swannie007]

My H10 arrived about an hour ago. Got it powered up and running via a Breeze Audio DAC and it sounds quite decent right out of the box.
I look forward to the improved sound as it gets more hours on it. What pre-gain setting are those of you with the H10 running with full size headphones. Mostly HE 400i's but also T90's, HD650's and Q701's. I know these h/p's have varying impedances but I will mostly be using the 400i's with about 60ish Ohm impedance and just looking for some input from others as a guideline. Cheers. 

 

[swannie007]

Got about 17 hours of burn-in on the H10 so far and listening to it with the HE400i's I must say it sounds sublime. The sound reminds me of a good tube amp in that it is very fast without being too soft(dark?) up top. I look forward to the reported improvement in sound as I put more hours on both the H10 and the 400i's as I am quite happy with the sound so far and will be very happy if it improves. I am seriously considering the Gustard X10 dac to pair with the H10 but I need my savings to recover after the Xmas spending orgy. If anyone has any detailed info on the X10, please share. Cheers.

 

[lukeap69]

Good to hear Swannie. I find the highs to be extended but smooth. I wonder how it will pair with the HD800 which is coming within 3 to 4 days.

So far, both Oppo PM-2 and AKG Q701 are enjoyable with the H10. My Schiit Lyr 2 is now begging to get some playing time; that's how good the H10, for me, is. The H10 sounds analogue compared to the Lyr 2 (whatever that means ). The sound of the guitar is so natural and fast and effortless. I enjoy more listening to music than before. For the price, it is one killer amp! Hope others will also find this lesser know gem. It is jusy very good!

 

[stuartmc]

Swannie, it looks like we are headed down the same path. I am loving the synergy between the 400i and the H10.  I too am eyeing the Gustard X10, but I am also mulling an X9 purchase.  Either one is going to make a beautiful, compact stack.
 
 

 

 
I currently have the new Aune S16 and it's a suave sounding dac, but I really need something to compare it to. I'm very sensitive to hyper detailed, etched treble, so I'm concerned that the Sabre chips in the X10 might be a little much for me. The X9 uses the tried and true Wolfson chips, so It may be the more sure thing in this regard. However, (there always is an "however")  soundstaging is equally important to me and If the X10 throws a wider and deeper stage with better image specificity, I could live with a slightly more harsh top end. Adding to the conundrum is the fact that my favorite Gustard guy on ebay, Polychen0306, is selling the x9 for $342 delivered and apparently does not have the X10. Other sellers, like Kidult, have the X10 for as low as $519 and a nearly $200 difference is significant to me.  We already know that the x9 is basically a Rein x3 minus the upsampling feature, and the Rein is very favorably reviewed. That takes some of the risk out of snagging an X9 for such a great price.  I have not been able to find much in the way of reviews for X10 and though people say it looks like a Wyred for Sound Dac-2, I have not heard of any direct comparisons.  It sure would be great if someone with a well regarded ES9018 dac would give us a direct comparo with the X10.
 
Ahh...the frustrations of audiophilia nervosa! lol.  I might have to take one for the team.

 

[stuartmc]

  Update on the headphone plug thingy...
 
I tried to open the unit but failed miserably since the allen key I was using is probably metric and I suspect the unit's imperial. sigh! 
 
However, I am also a mechanical engineer so I've employed the tried and tested method of fixing things. Use a screw driver!
 
No - I didn't use the screw driver to open the unit. I've inserted it on the socket and did my old family computer Commando game cheat (left, right, left, right, etc.) and voila! Now, the plug is working when fully inserted!!! that took me less than 2 minutes. Now, I am off for another cafe latte while 'cooking' this amp (in the words of Flysweep). By the way, this is the pic of my rig this morning before receiving the H10...
 

 
This is really great news. Little things like that can bug the heck out of you and somewhat spoil the joy of the new toy. So glad it was an easy fix!

 

[lukeap69]

This is really great news. Little things like that can bug the heck out of you and somewhat spoil the joy of the new toy. So glad it was an easy fix!

Thanks Stu.

Yeah, I'm glad it was fixed easily because it will be costly to return it to China.