[Glod]

The high-gain position is a very welcome feature of the GS-1 when I use the HD650. But I have always considered it a high-impedance-headphone compensation feature and consequently never really used it with the HD595 (50 Ohm). Another reason was that I thought a normal potentiometer is introducing less distortion the closer to 0 attenuation it is set to.

Then I listened to Grieg's In Der Halle Des Bergkonigs (Karajan/Berliner Philharmonics) with the HD595, and I am really under the impression the bass has got more body on high-gain, even when I compensate for the higher volume and try to dial in the same, subjective, SPL. I don't mean the bass impact here, the "slam", but the saturation, body and definition of the bass.

Is this something someone else has experienced? Is it really just a matter of a higher SPL that makes the bass fuller in the end? I have a SPL meter, but I don't trust it to be able to measure these, probably tiny differences, accurately.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glod /img/forum/go_quote.gif The high-gain position is a very welcome feature of the GS-1 when I use the HD650. But I have always considered it a high-impedance-headphone compensation feature and consequently never really used it with the HD595 (50 Ohm). Another reason was that I thought a normal potentiometer is introducing less distortion the closer to 0 attenuation it is set to. Then I listened to Grieg's In Der Halle Des Bergkonigs (Karajan/Berliner Philharmonics) with the HD595, and I am really under the impression the bass has got more body on high-gain, even when I compensate for the higher volume and try to dial in the same, subjective, SPL. I don't mean the bass impact here, the "slam", but the saturation, body and definition of the bass. Is this something someone else has experienced? Is it really just a matter of a higher SPL that makes the bass fuller in the end? I have a SPL meter, but I don't trust it to be able to measure these, probably tiny differences, accurately.

I think the 595/120 ohm has more kick and a fuller bass out of my tube amps when I use higher voltage gain tubes .... again measured with a SPL meter to match the levels with the lower gain tubes. I have never measured this with the GS-1 but I always preferred the high gain setting with the GS-1.

 

[TheSloth]

I know that gain settings have a subtle change to the FR with HeadRoom amps. These are absolutely tiny and only at the upper frequency extreme, but it also slightly effects the square wave performance, some giving a slightly more rounded shape, some giving a more square shape but with a little ringing. I suspect this may be the case with other designs as well. You can see the stereophile measurements of the Desktop with the old Max Modules for reference.

Though, you should also remember that technically if you are using a pot, with low gain you are passing the signal through a lot less plastic in the pot to get the same volume level. In my experience having a gain setting where the pot can be set to maximum or thereabouts results in a much 'cleaner' sound, however a cleaner and purer sound can often feel as if perhaps it has less bass and warmth - one of those examples where measurements would not reveal a great deal, but subjectively the experience would be subtly different.

 

[Glod]

I suspected that Earl. I have always wondered what the 120 Ohm version really was like. The higher the impedance, the better the tube amps are suited it seems - again.

Given, you use the medium-mu 12/6SN7GT tubes, or the like. Lower impedance phones are then better served by higher amplification factor tubes. Right?

AFAIK, I'll have the finger on the gain switch more often henceforth.