Sean H
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2001
- Posts
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I recently purchased the dedicated PSU which I received this past weekend and thought I might post some impressions. I know a lot of people are interested in this upgrade but are trying to figure out if it's worth it.
The unit is darn nice looking and solid just like the Lite amp unit, very nice indeed. I will say that I have been using a Bolder Cables Type 1 power cord with it since I got it, which if not familiar is Belden 19364 14 gauge shielded cord with Marinco connectors. A very nice cord that does bring benefit but not as dramatic as some cords I have heard. Thought I'd throw that out. A standard 18 guage cord does come with the PSU and surprisingly it is a shielded cord which IS rare to get with a piece like this. I have Grado SR-225's as my main cans and use either a Ack dAck! 2.0 as source or a heavily modified M-Audio Sonica (all caps - some Black Gate - throughout unit swapped out for higher quality - gives the dAck! a run for it's money!). I do have my unit plugged into a Monster PC-1000 line conditioner as well.
Most of the comments I have seen regarding the benefits of the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Dedicated PSU have circled around noted improvements in bass performance. Yes, indeed there is a quite noticeable improvement in bass performance in my rig. There is more bass quantity now and the quality of the bass is better as well. It sounds a bit deeper to me now, more detailed and more focused. A welcome improvement indeed in my rig.
The improvements definitely go beyond the bass region and without sounding over-enthusiastic I'd have to say the improvement is across the board. Now, that's not to say the sound has been transformed or I've seen the Lite completely change into somethng that will make heads spin. Rather I'm hearing improvements in several key areas that are meaningful and make the musical experience more enjoyable. There's the old "blacker background" happening which, yes, gives the sense of sounds emerging from blackness. With that I hear more layering in the music, instruments are better separated, the soundscape is bigger in all directions and there's more air/ambience. The midrange and treble is a bit more clean and clear. You get the sense of a more coherent, "tighter" musical landscape or a wholeness within the music.
Short and to the point that's basically the sum of what I am hearing without getting too convoluted. Total transformation? Again, of course not. Is it worth the money? That's a personal and subjective call. For me, yes, I think it's worth it. The Lite+dedicated PSU runs about $500 and I can say that this combo easily performs like a $500 amp and beyond. Of course you won't be doubling the performance of your Lite if you upgrade to the dedicated PSU, that's not how it works in the audio world, but in my experience the cost-to-benefit ratio is in line here with the types of improvements we pay for in this hobby. I do think that the improvements will be more apparent for people with high quality cans and higher quality source but that's with anything like this. Based on my experiences I can say that the improvements I hear and how it has improved the musical experience for me, it is worth it to me. The dedicated PSU is a great way to take an already great performing amplifier up another notch. It's a great addition and I'm quite pleased.
Hope this helps some!
The unit is darn nice looking and solid just like the Lite amp unit, very nice indeed. I will say that I have been using a Bolder Cables Type 1 power cord with it since I got it, which if not familiar is Belden 19364 14 gauge shielded cord with Marinco connectors. A very nice cord that does bring benefit but not as dramatic as some cords I have heard. Thought I'd throw that out. A standard 18 guage cord does come with the PSU and surprisingly it is a shielded cord which IS rare to get with a piece like this. I have Grado SR-225's as my main cans and use either a Ack dAck! 2.0 as source or a heavily modified M-Audio Sonica (all caps - some Black Gate - throughout unit swapped out for higher quality - gives the dAck! a run for it's money!). I do have my unit plugged into a Monster PC-1000 line conditioner as well.
Most of the comments I have seen regarding the benefits of the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Dedicated PSU have circled around noted improvements in bass performance. Yes, indeed there is a quite noticeable improvement in bass performance in my rig. There is more bass quantity now and the quality of the bass is better as well. It sounds a bit deeper to me now, more detailed and more focused. A welcome improvement indeed in my rig.
The improvements definitely go beyond the bass region and without sounding over-enthusiastic I'd have to say the improvement is across the board. Now, that's not to say the sound has been transformed or I've seen the Lite completely change into somethng that will make heads spin. Rather I'm hearing improvements in several key areas that are meaningful and make the musical experience more enjoyable. There's the old "blacker background" happening which, yes, gives the sense of sounds emerging from blackness. With that I hear more layering in the music, instruments are better separated, the soundscape is bigger in all directions and there's more air/ambience. The midrange and treble is a bit more clean and clear. You get the sense of a more coherent, "tighter" musical landscape or a wholeness within the music.
Short and to the point that's basically the sum of what I am hearing without getting too convoluted. Total transformation? Again, of course not. Is it worth the money? That's a personal and subjective call. For me, yes, I think it's worth it. The Lite+dedicated PSU runs about $500 and I can say that this combo easily performs like a $500 amp and beyond. Of course you won't be doubling the performance of your Lite if you upgrade to the dedicated PSU, that's not how it works in the audio world, but in my experience the cost-to-benefit ratio is in line here with the types of improvements we pay for in this hobby. I do think that the improvements will be more apparent for people with high quality cans and higher quality source but that's with anything like this. Based on my experiences I can say that the improvements I hear and how it has improved the musical experience for me, it is worth it to me. The dedicated PSU is a great way to take an already great performing amplifier up another notch. It's a great addition and I'm quite pleased.
Hope this helps some!
