Dreadhead
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2007
- Posts
- 529
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- 11
***** Original Post*******
Well after a great lunch with Se (SK138) and a little matter of payment I received my new GS-X! I then had to go to work for several hours and I only got to open it up about 40 min ago My new PS-Audio Duet power conditioner also arrived so now I'm home listening to my first run through of KID A using my full setup and it sounds amazing.
I would take a picture but I'm too glued to it to leave and get my camera and
my setup isn't the prettiest because I have to keep it in a media center or my cat eats stuff.
Previous to this I had been listening to the HD-650's using the balanced outputs of my Benchmark DAC1 USB but even after only 10 minutes listening I think that the GS-X cleans up and makes the highs and the lows more punchy. I guess I'll do some A/B testing over the weekend.
Anyway back to the music!
PS. The dac and amp are supposedly filtered from each other because I have one plugged into each gang of plugs. No proof it makes any difference at this point.
*******Review******************
Hello all,
Here is my review and assorted impressions of the GS-X driving balanced and single ended HD650s being sourced by a Bechmark DAC 1 USB.
First off let me state that the GS-X I got was used and had lots of hours on it so no burn in is expected (if there is even any for the GS-X). The phones have been burned in with pink and white noise for over 100 hours so they are ready too. I have been driving the HD650s balanced using the outputs of the DAC1 for the last month or so and I’m well acquainted with the sound.
Setup:
Intially I had the GS-X set to low gain but I find to get the gut ripping bass and highs out of the system with these phones that high gain is the way to go. As far as cables go I’m using a DiMarzio balanced interconnect that I got from headroom and the Headroom Stock Balanced cables (which have tiny conductors by the way not that I care). I mostly picked the HR cable for it’s attachment that lets you convert to SE quickly. I’m not a believer in cables (Physics Degree) and hence the wire gauge doesn’t worry me very much because our currents and voltages are pretty damn low. Also I have everything plugged into a PS-Audio Duet to make sure that there’s a nice clean supply coming in (two separately filtered power banks; DAC in one and amp in the other).
Music:
This is very hard for me to list. My big review pieces are Radiohead KidA and In Rainbows but a lot of the more musical effects are noticed more in classical and vocal performances. For vocals I listened to David Gray, James Blunt, Norah Jones, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli and many others. Classical Wise a lot of it was naxos collections and a lot of solo and acompanied viola pieces (I picked up the viola for the first time last year at the ripe old age of 27 with no previous string experience). I also listened to various rock band such as Korn and others but not for much of my critical listening.
Measurements:
Well I downloaded Rightmark Audio Analyzer (Rightmark) and using my M-Audio Transit had some fun comparing the frequency response and noise characteristics of the output of the headphone port of the DAC1 with the output of SE on the GS-X (I did both GS-X ports and they were vitrually identical). One thing that was interesting is that noise floor on the DAC1 appeared to be much higher than in the measurements that came with it and had multiple harmonics but after much playing around (using the toslink out of the transit to power the DAC1 etc) I came to the conclusion that it appeared to be a issue with having both the DAC1 and the Transit on the same USB power bus or something and I've now disregarded it. And it was over -86 db which is pretty small anyway. I actually found one combination on which the noise didn't show up (increased to -92 db noise floor)but I couldn't re-find it so maybe my memory is flawed.
Ok back to the measurements. The response is almost exactly identical. There is a absolutely minute amount of roll off above about 15000 kHz but at less than .5 db it's very unlikely it would be audible. This points to what I was aiming for with the GS-X: total transparency.
Listening (balanced):
OMG this setup rocks! Compared to driving the phones using the DAC1 it appears to clear up the highs and lows (especially the highs). When you listen to music you can now hear what size the room is. That is of course if it’s not a studio with those pesky sound absorbing walls which I now find sounds a bit “dead”. The die away on the cymbals and piano is just amazing and all around I’m really impressed and very satisfied. The speed of attacks sometimes is so good it catches me off guard but not in a bad way.
One thing to note is that I find that at least for the phones to be driven right the volume needs to be pretty high. It’s odd; the lows and highs all of a sudden pop out (to me) when you get the volume right. This volume is not loud by any stretch but it’s not low enough that you can really have a conversation with the phones on. I have had listening sessions on the order of several hours with no fatigue or headache.
Listening (SE):
Compared to balanced the uppers especially seem recessed and much less punchy. I went back and forth many times and I really notice it right away. I almost asked my wife to do a blind test for me on this but I figured the quizzical look wasn’t worth it.
Comparison with other systems:
Creative Zen Vision M -> Line out -> HR Total Bit Head -> Shure Attenuator -> SE530s.
This setup is what I listen to all day at work and for that purpose it really is quite excellent. (The attenuator kills off the buzz). The highs are really where it looses out and in the very low end of the range the GS-X just has more authority and control. In the mid range the race is closer but I’d still give the GS-X setup a fairly good edge. I have not yet tried the SE530s on the GS-X. Nor do I really plan to.
I will also be getting a pair of Denon AH-D5000s later on this week and if I find them comfortable I will balance them and probably do the markl mods to them. I don’t think my 650s will be going anywhere though.
I am also considering a Beta22 but nothing has been settled along those lines either. I will likely wait until I can hear one at a meet.
Overall:
The GS-X does exactly what an amp is supposed to do. Let the original recorded music shine through with no color or any noticeable affect other than giving the headphones all the power they need to respond with punch and control. It’s a Porsche (power and control) not a SRT-10 (POWER…). All in all an AMAZING experience!
Cheers,
Chris
Well after a great lunch with Se (SK138) and a little matter of payment I received my new GS-X! I then had to go to work for several hours and I only got to open it up about 40 min ago My new PS-Audio Duet power conditioner also arrived so now I'm home listening to my first run through of KID A using my full setup and it sounds amazing.
I would take a picture but I'm too glued to it to leave and get my camera and
my setup isn't the prettiest because I have to keep it in a media center or my cat eats stuff.
Previous to this I had been listening to the HD-650's using the balanced outputs of my Benchmark DAC1 USB but even after only 10 minutes listening I think that the GS-X cleans up and makes the highs and the lows more punchy. I guess I'll do some A/B testing over the weekend.
Anyway back to the music!
PS. The dac and amp are supposedly filtered from each other because I have one plugged into each gang of plugs. No proof it makes any difference at this point.
*******Review******************
Hello all,
Here is my review and assorted impressions of the GS-X driving balanced and single ended HD650s being sourced by a Bechmark DAC 1 USB.
First off let me state that the GS-X I got was used and had lots of hours on it so no burn in is expected (if there is even any for the GS-X). The phones have been burned in with pink and white noise for over 100 hours so they are ready too. I have been driving the HD650s balanced using the outputs of the DAC1 for the last month or so and I’m well acquainted with the sound.
Setup:
Intially I had the GS-X set to low gain but I find to get the gut ripping bass and highs out of the system with these phones that high gain is the way to go. As far as cables go I’m using a DiMarzio balanced interconnect that I got from headroom and the Headroom Stock Balanced cables (which have tiny conductors by the way not that I care). I mostly picked the HR cable for it’s attachment that lets you convert to SE quickly. I’m not a believer in cables (Physics Degree) and hence the wire gauge doesn’t worry me very much because our currents and voltages are pretty damn low. Also I have everything plugged into a PS-Audio Duet to make sure that there’s a nice clean supply coming in (two separately filtered power banks; DAC in one and amp in the other).
Music:
This is very hard for me to list. My big review pieces are Radiohead KidA and In Rainbows but a lot of the more musical effects are noticed more in classical and vocal performances. For vocals I listened to David Gray, James Blunt, Norah Jones, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli and many others. Classical Wise a lot of it was naxos collections and a lot of solo and acompanied viola pieces (I picked up the viola for the first time last year at the ripe old age of 27 with no previous string experience). I also listened to various rock band such as Korn and others but not for much of my critical listening.
Measurements:
Well I downloaded Rightmark Audio Analyzer (Rightmark) and using my M-Audio Transit had some fun comparing the frequency response and noise characteristics of the output of the headphone port of the DAC1 with the output of SE on the GS-X (I did both GS-X ports and they were vitrually identical). One thing that was interesting is that noise floor on the DAC1 appeared to be much higher than in the measurements that came with it and had multiple harmonics but after much playing around (using the toslink out of the transit to power the DAC1 etc) I came to the conclusion that it appeared to be a issue with having both the DAC1 and the Transit on the same USB power bus or something and I've now disregarded it. And it was over -86 db which is pretty small anyway. I actually found one combination on which the noise didn't show up (increased to -92 db noise floor)but I couldn't re-find it so maybe my memory is flawed.
Ok back to the measurements. The response is almost exactly identical. There is a absolutely minute amount of roll off above about 15000 kHz but at less than .5 db it's very unlikely it would be audible. This points to what I was aiming for with the GS-X: total transparency.
Listening (balanced):
OMG this setup rocks! Compared to driving the phones using the DAC1 it appears to clear up the highs and lows (especially the highs). When you listen to music you can now hear what size the room is. That is of course if it’s not a studio with those pesky sound absorbing walls which I now find sounds a bit “dead”. The die away on the cymbals and piano is just amazing and all around I’m really impressed and very satisfied. The speed of attacks sometimes is so good it catches me off guard but not in a bad way.
One thing to note is that I find that at least for the phones to be driven right the volume needs to be pretty high. It’s odd; the lows and highs all of a sudden pop out (to me) when you get the volume right. This volume is not loud by any stretch but it’s not low enough that you can really have a conversation with the phones on. I have had listening sessions on the order of several hours with no fatigue or headache.
Listening (SE):
Compared to balanced the uppers especially seem recessed and much less punchy. I went back and forth many times and I really notice it right away. I almost asked my wife to do a blind test for me on this but I figured the quizzical look wasn’t worth it.
Comparison with other systems:
Creative Zen Vision M -> Line out -> HR Total Bit Head -> Shure Attenuator -> SE530s.
This setup is what I listen to all day at work and for that purpose it really is quite excellent. (The attenuator kills off the buzz). The highs are really where it looses out and in the very low end of the range the GS-X just has more authority and control. In the mid range the race is closer but I’d still give the GS-X setup a fairly good edge. I have not yet tried the SE530s on the GS-X. Nor do I really plan to.
I will also be getting a pair of Denon AH-D5000s later on this week and if I find them comfortable I will balance them and probably do the markl mods to them. I don’t think my 650s will be going anywhere though.
I am also considering a Beta22 but nothing has been settled along those lines either. I will likely wait until I can hear one at a meet.
Overall:
The GS-X does exactly what an amp is supposed to do. Let the original recorded music shine through with no color or any noticeable affect other than giving the headphones all the power they need to respond with punch and control. It’s a Porsche (power and control) not a SRT-10 (POWER…). All in all an AMAZING experience!
Cheers,
Chris
