[Zennheiser]

Hi @Zennheiser thanks for responding. Date I ask if you have listened to both?

I was pretty pleased with what I heard from iha-6! Reckon from your response, I would be thrilled with Gustard H20? In think with almost double the price, H20 better do

When you say "as robust" could you please elaborate more if possible?

Do you think I can connect Sony WM1A balanced to XLR-3-pin input? So I don't need to buy DAC?

@soumya.banerjee you said Cayin iHA-6 left you wanting. Is this this in comparison with Gustard H20? Was this direct A/B with same source, DAC and headphone? Was that using SE or balanced? Thanks

Thanks

I've heard numerous Cayin's and none of them knocked me out. But that doesn't mean I heard your "heartthrob" or even if there's enough consistency between one production run and another to say it has a consistently reproducible sound, and that's before all the tweakers get hold of them.
You should visit a can fest/headphone meet somewhere before you make a final choice. You aren't committed to having a D/A with this amp. You can run it from any High-Level analog source. You can run it from the output of a Turntable IF you buy a phono preamp (or use a 'table with one automatically built into it, even though I don't think very many of those are held in high regard). Good luck!

 

[Zennheiser]

I went through the (not small) number of amps in the last local meet and saw and heard most of the names at the top of this group's recommendations. I still suggest that the OP does the same thing. There might be an H20 there, but it's even more likely an H10 would be there. (That was what I heard at the last meet.)
My choices were the Schiit Lyr 2 and the H20. But I didn't just pull the trigger without trying to get some first-hand experience with most of the name brands currently being discussed. The Gustard is a sleeper and I'm perfectly happy for it to remain one. I don't see anything wrong with recommending being picky with one's choices. I hope the OP seeks out the "lesser" advertised alternatives because that's where "sleeper" products will reside. It was always thus, btw... : - )

 

[Alcophone]

Is anyone here into speakers AND headphones?

 

[Zennheiser]

One of the attractive things about both the Lyr 2 and the H20 is they can (but it's not encouraged, at least from what I read) drive reasonably efficient speakers. But I haven't tried it. I've got a BUNCH of self-restored Pioneer '70's receivers and Integrated amplifiers and they pretty much fill the bill for a "dual purpose" system. They are famously real-estate "hogs" though. Folks used to compact Headphone amps might find it hard to integrate them into their desk system. But I've seen it done, obviously, those setups used passive speakers.

As for the speaker end of the equation: My first speakers were a smaller version of the famous Bart Locanthi designed "upgraded version" of his L-series studio monitors. Pioneer made them and the "anchor" speaker was the HPM (equivalent to the JBL-L)100. I started out with a set of 40's because it was all I could afford at the time. They're very efficient and good with a broad variety of Musical Idioms. They're not as accurate as a planar magnetic or electrostats, but they leave more "meat on the bones" of the Music and sometimes that can be preferable. Just like Cans and Amps, each person's ears are the big variable. No two ears (let alone people) hear the same thing the same way.

 

[AxelCloris]

We've removed some posts that were getting too personal from the thread. Please keep the discussion within the Posting Guidelines. Thanks everyone.

 

[Zennheiser]

Thank you.

 

[Icekuma]

Hi @Zennheiser Not sure if who your OP is referring to. I thought since you had both product and seems knowledgeable.

However, I have not prior experience with Gustard, never seen it in real, let alone listen to it. therefore I thought i'd relies on the forum to get some impression.

Not that I am aware there's opportunity to do audition in the audio meet up or similar where I live (Singapore).

Anyway, appreciate your response so far.

I went through the (not small) number of amps in the last local meet and saw and heard most of the names at the top of this group's recommendations. I still suggest that the OP does the same thing. There might be an H20 there, but it's even more likely an H10 would be there. (That was what I heard at the last meet.)
My choices were the Schiit Lyr 2 and the H20. But I didn't just pull the trigger without trying to get some first-hand experience with most of the name brands currently being discussed. The Gustard is a sleeper and I'm perfectly happy for it to remain one. I don't see anything wrong with recommending being picky with one's choices. I hope the OP seeks out the "lesser" advertised alternatives because that's where "sleeper" products will reside. It was always thus, btw... : - )

 

[Zennheiser]

If one's discretionary income comes as hard as mine did/does, being in this hobby makes you picky if even you didn't start out that way.

I unhesitatingly recommend the Gustard. I went through what you might be going through with one of my favorite (now) vintage brands back in the mid-to-late '80's.

Where I live you couldn't lay hands on anything, ANYWHERE with respect to hearing any of that company's gear "in person" before buying it. (If it was their TOTL stuff.)

They had dominated the marketplace in the late '70's and early '80's and was retailed everywhere, but their dealer network collapsed.

If you even took the chance to order it over the mail or phone, you'd hear that it was back ordered and there was no way to know when it would be back in stock.

That straightened itself out by the '90's and they ran a "premium quality" high-end subsidiary-brand that pulled them back out of obscurity. That ran successfully until their having been gobbled up by a corporate shark a few years ago.

If you lived in an urban center you might not have noticed it, but if you (in my case, grew up) were from a suburban area, a lot of that gear was never available even if there was a dealer sign in a local store's window. That was a very bad time for Electronics dealers where I live. Particularly with respect to that brand.

(I sold Electronics as a day-gig and realized that that job was just a shadow of its former self, at least when compared to the heyday of Home Audio gear of just a few years before.)

Hang in there and keep looking. I feel fairly certain it's available where you live, even if it's not "commonplace" yet. Good luck!

 

[soumya.banerjee]

@soumya.banerjee you said Cayin iHA-6 left you wanting. Is this this in comparison with Gustard H20? Was this direct A/B with same source, DAC and headphone? Was that using SE or balanced? Thanks

Thanks

Hi,

Yes I have listened to Cayin iHA 6 numerous times now, most recently at What HiFi show in Bangalore.
I will not talk about its limitations in SE output department as it's a known case - that it has a high OI.

My bigger gripe is its tonality. It has a cold tonality and unless you feed it with some tube preamp it sounds very very sterile. There is a reason Cayin is selling iDAC 6 and iHA 6 as a stack concept. Because iDAC 6 has a tube stage which kind of compensates for this. Still no where near the H20 tonality (specially with Sparkos) and its speed, airiness etc.
Its SE output is probably ok for high impedance dynamic drivers but absolutely crap for planars which need low OI and high current.

One more thing, there is a substantial noise floor as heard from sensitive IEMs like Kaiser Encore. One of my friends who has this amp posed this question to Andy Kong and his response was to check for nearby running ACs, or other heavy electrical equipment. I respect Andy and his team, but honestly at this price point I expect much better PSU regulation and noise suppression.

 

[alphanumerix1]

So the h20 is significantly more capable. Interesting.

 

[Icekuma]

Hi,

Yes I have listened to Cayin iHA 6 numerous times now, most recently at What HiFi show in Bangalore.
I will not talk about its limitations in SE output department as it's a known case - that it has a high OI.

My bigger gripe is its tonality. It has a cold tonality and unless you feed it with some tube preamp it sounds very very sterile. There is a reason Cayin is selling iDAC 6 and iHA 6 as a stack concept. Because iDAC 6 has a tube stage which kind of compensates for this. Still no where near the H20 tonality (specially with Sparkos) and its speed, airiness etc.
Its SE output is probably ok for high impedance dynamic drivers but absolutely crap for planars which need low OI and high current.

One more thing, there is a substantial noise floor as heard from sensitive IEMs like Kaiser Encore. One of my friends who has this amp posed this question to Andy Kong and his response was to check for nearby running ACs, or other heavy electrical equipment. I respect Andy and his team, but honestly at this price point I expect much better PSU regulation and noise suppression.

Thanks for responding Soumnya. Interesting input. so there's Gustard agent in India? How long have you have it? I am in similar situation here in Singapore that anything goes wrong, need to ship it back to China on my own expense.

Cheers.

 

[soumya.banerjee]

Thanks for responding Soumnya. Interesting input. so there's Gustard agent in India? How long have you have it? I am in similar situation here in Singapore that anything goes wrong, need to ship it back to China on my own expense.

Cheers.

Unfortunately no. I just ordered from Shenzhen. I have had it since Feb this year.

 

[soumya.banerjee]

So the h20 is significantly more capable. Interesting.

Indeed, I was listening to Ananda with SE output of iHA6 and that high OI was holding it back in terms of speed and resolution those planars are capable of. Unless you are severely limited by budget and have headphones with XLR termination or you are going to use it with iDAC 6 and some high impedance dynamic driver, I will strongly advise to spend a bit more and get an H20.

 

[wadi]

Indeed, I was listening to Ananda with SE output of iHA6 and that high OI was holding it back in terms of speed and resolution those planars are capable of. Unless you are severely limited by budget and have headphones with XLR termination or you are going to use it with iDAC 6 and some high impedance dynamic driver, I will strongly advise to spend a bit more and get an H20.

Planars don't care about output impedance.

 

[Icekuma]

Unfortunately no. I just ordered from Shenzhen. I have had it since Feb this year.

Thanks. Great input.