[Rhamnetin]

For the amp, I’d definitely consider the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 over the Lyr 3. There’s not much price difference between the two and the Gilmore Lite is really a better piece of gear.

On a related note, there are also the Dynalo offerings from Mjolnir-Audio. Same basic amp circuit as the Gilmore Lite Mk2 but with a linear PSU built in rather than a proprietary wall wart like the Gilmore Lite Mk2, which should improve sound (costs a bit more though but also see his used offerings).

 

[kehorton]

Yes. Tried naked,1,2, and 3 ports closed. I prefer an in your face,aggressive presentation with metal and the Blackwoods are the exact opposite of that when I owned them.

+1 to this post verbatim. I really wanted to like them but after trying all combos, I just couldn't. I do prefer that same presentation as well, so I'll be checking out more of your recommendations .

Thanks guys!

 

[kehorton]

The Auteur doesn’t share the weird damping thing that the Atticus has. Auteur sounds great through pretty much anything and everything.

HE500s are great headphones. I have a heavily modded pair too, and I don’t think I will ever let them go. I think it definitely shares some spiritual connections with Auteur- they are both neutralish with a very natural and organic slight warmth and glow. They both make things sound naturally beautiful without messing with the frequency response. Both of them are also very layered, provided you have gear to support that kind of depth presentation - with a Yggy-level DAC the music is intense in its intricate stage depth - love it!

For the amp, I’d definitely consider the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 over the Lyr 3. There’s not much price difference between the two and the Gilmore Lite is really a better piece of gear.

Thanks, I'll be checking out that amp!

Glad to see I'm not the only one who can't part with the HE500s. I've come close a couple of times but never would .

I use a Bimby DAC today. I personally don't hear much difference between it and Mimby (also own that one). DACs get expensive fast.

Thanks again!

 

[emptymt]

Hi Guys,

What DAC do you guys use for your desktop setup? I'm currently looking to buy one.
currently interested in the Gumby, will possibly wait for the analog version first.

I like smooth treble that still has bites on the guitar, I don't want somthing that is too warm.

my current setup is Hiby R6 -> v281 -> Focal Utopia

 

[Rhamnetin]

Hi Guys,

What DAC do you guys use for your desktop setup? I'm currently looking to buy one.
currently interested in the Gumby, will possibly wait for the analog version first.

I like smooth treble that still has bites on the guitar, I don't want somthing that is too warm.

my current setup is Hiby R6 -> v281 -> Focal Utopia

I have a feeling the Denafrips Ares is the king of sub $1,000 DACs. Look at that power transformer and 20-bit R2R network. Even spritzer likes it.

 

[RCBinTN]

Hi Guys,

What DAC do you guys use for your desktop setup? I'm currently looking to buy one.
currently interested in the Gumby, will possibly wait for the analog version first.

I like smooth treble that still has bites on the guitar, I don't want somthing that is too warm.

my current setup is Hiby R6 -> v281 -> Focal Utopia

Hi @emptymt,
Good choice! I have a Gumby + Gen5 USB and love it.
Fully balanced design, upgradable (for A2), and excellent sound.

The sound is not warm - more "reference." You hear what's in the music. The sound stage is impressive - bass is great.
I think it would pair well with your v281 and Utopia!

It's $1,250 in the US plus shipping, but it is upgradable - a big plus in my book.
I've heard the Yggy several times and the Gumby is close.

Hope this helps -
RCB

 

[Johnny1982xyz]

Hi Guys,

What DAC do you guys use for your desktop setup? I'm currently looking to buy one.
currently interested in the Gumby, will possibly wait for the analog version first.

I like smooth treble that still has bites on the guitar, I don't want somthing that is too warm.

my current setup is Hiby R6 -> v281 -> Focal Utopia

I got auralic Vega dac
V281
Headphones he6 susvara aeon open, auteur, Denon7200

 

[emptymt]

Hi @emptymt,
Good choice! I have a Gumby + Gen5 USB and love it.
Fully balanced design, upgradable (for A2), and excellent sound.

The sound is not warm - more "reference." You hear what's in the music. The sound stage is impressive - bass is great.
I think it would pair well with your v281 and Utopia!

It's $1,250 in the US plus shipping, but it is upgradable - a big plus in my book.
I've heard the Yggy several times and the Gumby is close.

Hope this helps -
RCB

Hello RCBinTN,

yeah, I heard a lot of people say that hence I'm not that interested with the yggy, I will probably wait for the A2 and buy it.
Do you mind telling me a bit about the warm up thing that is associated with R2R DAC? especially on the Gumby?

Thx

 

[RCBinTN]

Hi mate, greetings from Tennessee --

It's been a while since I warmed up a Gumby from stone-cold.
Seem to remember it took a couple hundred hours (8-10 days) just plugged in (no music playing) to fully stabilize.
It sounds OK out of the box, but as the analogue section reaches thermal equilibrium, the SQ improves in every way.
After that, just leave it turned on all the time.

I do think it's more an R2R thing, but I haven't had a D/S DAC in a long time.
I originally had the D/S Gungnir, then upgraded as soon as the MB upgrade launched.
That was the best $500 that I ever spent on this hobby - by a wide margin.

You realize there's no guarantee that Mike will launch the Analogue2 upgrade for the GMB.
Seems he was less than thrilled about how the Yggy A2 launch went...too bad.
In any case, the Gumby + Gen5 USB will not disappoint!

BTW, how do you like the Utopia for metal music?
I always thought the HE-6 listed in @Johnny1982xyz post above would be the ultimate metal cans?

Happy hunting and listening!
RCB

 

[Xin069]

iBasso IT04, Cleatune VS-4, FiiO FH5, you should look into those and see which is best for your tastes.

For symphonic metal alone you need a large soundstage, and a V-shaped or a bright sound, for violins and such. For Power, a warmer signature with strong sub-bass might be best to get tactile feeling from the drum hits and to enhance the sensation of speed, along with providing juicy guitars.

iBasso IT04, Cleatune VS-4, FiiO FH5, you should look into those and see which is best for your tastes.

Thanks for your advice. Would the best solution be to buy two different IEMs ????

 

[Dobrescu George]

I'd recommend going with something more univeral, like IMR R1 at first, since it is customizable, at least to get accomodated with the way tuning works, and to have a better definition for what you're looking for.

For symphonic alone you need soundstage, so something like ClearTune VS-4 or IT04 from iBasso would be great, but for power metal, something warmer like VS-4 or IMR R1 may be more fun.

Any of those three should do an excellent job, IT04 is probably the cheapest, VS-4 and IMR R1 both being a bit more expensive

 

[emptymt]

Hi mate, greetings from Tennessee --

It's been a while since I warmed up a Gumby from stone-cold.
Seem to remember it took a couple hundred hours (8-10 days) just plugged in (no music playing) to fully stabilize.
It sounds OK out of the box, but as the analogue section reaches thermal equilibrium, the SQ improves in every way.
After that, just leave it turned on all the time.

I do think it's more an R2R thing, but I haven't had a D/S DAC in a long time.
I originally had the D/S Gungnir, then upgraded as soon as the MB upgrade launched.
That was the best $500 that I ever spent on this hobby - by a wide margin.

You realize there's no guarantee that Mike will launch the Analogue2 upgrade for the GMB.
Seems he was less than thrilled about how the Yggy A2 launch went...too bad.
In any case, the Gumby + Gen5 USB will not disappoint!

BTW, how do you like the Utopia for metal music?
I always thought the HE-6 listed in @Johnny1982xyz post above would be the ultimate metal cans?

Happy hunting and listening!
RCB

Hi mate, Thx for the info, greatly appreciate it.

Its mostly excellent, I think The Utopia with metal only has 2 pitfalls, Lo-fi Black Metal and some Funeral Doom styles.

Other than that they all sound great!
Areas where it excels the most for me are the progressive and symphonic styles.
If you listen to Opeth (Extreme Prog types) or Porcupine Tree (Heavy Prog Rock/Metal) or other bands like it, Its just great stuff.

I even Tried Drone on it and it sounds OK too, albeit might not be the best and some of them can be harsh at times (bad).

I listen to very diverse styles of Metal and Rock, except for Nu-metal, metalcore, grindcore, emo and rap-rock.
Will also occasionally throw in some brit-pop and shoegaze as well.

Regarding the Analogue 2 on The Gumby, yes there is no guarantee, but I think it will happen and I'm not rushing so I still have some patience to wait LOL.

 

[Johnny1982xyz]

Hi mate, greetings from Tennessee --

It's been a while since I warmed up a Gumby from stone-cold.
Seem to remember it took a couple hundred hours (8-10 days) just plugged in (no music playing) to fully stabilize.
It sounds OK out of the box, but as the analogue section reaches thermal equilibrium, the SQ improves in every way.
After that, just leave it turned on all the time.

I do think it's more an R2R thing, but I haven't had a D/S DAC in a long time.
I originally had the D/S Gungnir, then upgraded as soon as the MB upgrade launched.
That was the best $500 that I ever spent on this hobby - by a wide margin.

You realize there's no guarantee that Mike will launch the Analogue2 upgrade for the GMB.
Seems he was less than thrilled about how the Yggy A2 launch went...too bad.
In any case, the Gumby + Gen5 USB will not disappoint!

BTW, how do you like the Utopia for metal music?
I always thought the HE-6 listed in @Johnny1982xyz post above would be the ultimate metal cans?

Happy hunting and listening!
RCB

Hi brother, good morning from Italy

In my opinion he6 is the thrash metal queen, but in other several genere like power epic .... Where we need o more warm sound... The Auteur makes the job better, and at the end susvara makes it even better.

So at price point he6 is a real bargain but in absolute sound quality susvara is the real new queen... (note i haven't listened to utopia and abyss)

 

[RCBinTN]

Hi mate, Thx for the info, greatly appreciate it.

Its mostly excellent, I think The Utopia with metal only has 2 pitfalls, Lo-fi Black Metal and some Funeral Doom styles.

Other than that they all sound great!
Areas where it excels the most for me are the progressive and symphonic styles.
If you listen to Opeth (Extreme Prog types) or Porcupine Tree (Heavy Prog Rock/Metal) or other bands like it, Its just great stuff.

I even Tried Drone on it and it sounds OK too, albeit might not be the best and some of them can be harsh at times (bad).

I listen to very diverse styles of Metal and Rock, except for Nu-metal, metalcore, grindcore, emo and rap-rock.
Will also occasionally throw in some brit-pop and shoegaze as well.

Regarding the Analogue 2 on The Gumby, yes there is no guarantee, but I think it will happen and I'm not rushing so I still have some patience to wait LOL.

My pleasure. You have an informative profile, BTW. Helps people to understand what you've tried and like.

When the Utopia launched, I was very interested in them due to the Focal technology.
If I ever go 2-channel, I will check out their loudspeakers for sure.

I am a big fan of HD800, even for some metal music. They have a brighter sound, so my complement is the LCD-4. I love the Audez'e house sound for bass.
I've been able to "tune" the HD800 via upstream software changes to where they now have great bass and mids/treble for symphonic metal.

I had been through an introduction to metal music by Head-Fi expert @Zyklonius a few years ago...very helpful to understand all the metal genres.
And, recently "discovered" Opeth - a great band - and also Ministry industrial metal and the work of Al Jourgensen - fascinating stuff.
Those genres sound good on the HD800 but really great on the LCD-4.

Best -
RCB

 

[RCBinTN]

Hi brother, good morning from Italy

In my opinion he6 is the thrash metal queen, but in other several genere like power epic .... Where we need o more warm sound... The Auteur makes the job better, and at the end susvara makes it even better.

So at price point he6 is a real bargain but in absolute sound quality susvara is the real new queen... (note i haven't listened to utopia and abyss)

Susvara! Nice - interesting technology there, building on the HE-6 legacy. Cool you own both.
I have read about some build-issues with Susvara - did you have any trouble with that?
BTW, how do you like the Auralic Vega DAC?

I had a chance to borrow the abyss but decided to decline.
I was afraid I would really like them, you know what happens then...home equity loan.