[Ruahrc]

I must have missed it somewhere but I realized that the Gilmore Lite V2 + DPS is $599! Must have been a price raise since I have seen reviews refer to the combo as being $499.

$599 is awful close to $699, which gets you a Headroom Ultra Micro.

Between the two, is there a clear winner? Or is it just different flavors of sound. It would seem to me that the Headroom Ultra Micro, being touted as having the same circuitry as the Headroom Max, should be better? Especially when it's described as a luxury model with the highest end components, whereas the Glite is supposed to be a "stripped down" economy version of the GS-1. Not that I'm trying to badmouth any amp- but I'm just trying to get at the fact that one amp is designed with luxury and expense in mind and the other is designed to be a lower cost simpler version of a more expensive amp.

But I don't know jack about amps, which is why I am asking.

Potential headphone pairings are HD650 or AKG K701s. From what I read though, both amps pair very well with these headphones. Can anyone give a brief summary as to what these phones sound like with these amps? An example might be: "HD650+Glite= clear, detailed sound but maybe a bit reserved on the low end" or something short like that. How is the bass response on either phone? Right now I have Ety ER-4Ps and although I can hear the bass, I need to listen for it. I'd like something with a little more bas a'la my KSC35's. Not to say that I am a basshead- I really enjoy the sound of my ER4Ps, just wish there were a tad more bass, so I could hear it without having to listen for it, if you know what I mean.

Also, on a partially unrelated note- if I end up getting a headphone amp, would you recommend getting the ER4P->ER4S converter cable, so that my Etys may better benefit from an amp as well? Does the cable make the 4Ps a bona-fide 4S sound, or does it just get it close?

Ruahrc

 

[Asr]

The DPS for the Gilmore Lite has been completely discontinued. It's just the Gilmore Lite without DPS and GS-1 now.

Both the HD650 and K701 pair well with the Gilmore Lite - I owned the trio for several months. I wouldn't describe the HD650 as clear or detailed with the Gilmore Lite though - that's more like the K701. The GL does help tighten the bass flab of the HD650 though.

I have heard the HeadRoom Ultra Micro but it was far from a critical listening session so I can't compare the two amps. HeadRoom makes fine amps though and you can always take advantage of their 30-day return policy. HeadAmp's return policy is only 14 days.

 

[royewest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif The DPS for the Gilmore Lite has been completely discontinued. It's just the Gilmore Lite without DPS and GS-1 now.

Justin isn't exactly fastidious about keeping the headamp.com site current, but are you sure the dedicated PS isn't part of the GL product line any more? The site is pretty clear that it's an option.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by royewest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Justin isn't exactly fastidious about keeping the headamp.com site current, but are you sure the dedicated PS isn't part of the GL product line any more? The site is pretty clear that it's an option.

It's now been completely discontinued, Justin informed me himself very recently, I'd asked about it. I'm sure any order attempts on the Web site would be promptly canceled & refunded.

 

[penger]

Ah. Very interesting. Is the reason because the sonic benefits were found to be essentially negligible by many people?

 

[Drag0n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah. Very interesting. Is the reason because the sonic benefits were found to be essentially negligible by many people?

Good Stuff! Here we go....

 

[PFKMan23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah. Very interesting. Is the reason because the sonic benefits were found to be essentially negligible by many people?

Nope, I believe the reason was because it wasn't cost effective to produce them at their previous price point and the price increase would have yielded a much lower amount of sales to the point where it made little sense to continue producing it.

 

[Ruahrc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFKMan23 Nope, I believe the reason was because it wasn't cost effective to produce them at their previous price point and the price increase would have yielded a much lower amount of sales to the point where it made little sense to continue producing it.

Yeah, I sent an email to Justin asking about the DPS and he said that it was discontinued because it was not profitable (or profitable enough, I guess) to continue making it. He also said that there were still a few DPS units he had which he would sell if bundled with a GLite. So if you still want one then it's available, but once they're all gone he won't be making any more.

Back to the topic at hand, though, is the Headroom Ultra Micro better than the Glite? $100 better? Too good for my source or source material? My source right now is, well, nothing (only have a computer and a 2nd gen iPod, neither of which have a real line out), but I have been thinking of upgrading to a newer iPod with line-out (iPod touch probably), or some other source capable of playing digital audio. My source media are EAC ripped CDs encoded to MP3 using LAME set to "-alt preset extreme" (VBR). I left my original CDs behind when I moved across the country to go back to school so all I have right now are the digital files. Last time I tried, with my current headphones (ER-4Ps) I could not tell the difference between my MP3s and the original CDs. If I upgrade to an amp and a new set of phones though (see OT), should I be upgrading my source and/or source material? Will a new amp and cans be "wasted" on my crummy MP3 files?

Ruahrc

 

[penger]

Ahh, I see. That makes more sense. Trust me, I'm not trying to start anything... I used to have one with a DPS.

Edit: Sorry about the temp. thread jack.

 

[lmf22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's now been completely discontinued, Justin informed me himself very recently, I'd asked about it. I'm sure any order attempts on the Web site would be promptly canceled & refunded.

I ordered a DPS on March 3, when it was still available as a standalone option, but I'm still waiting for it. Will Justin still fulfill my order? I emailed him a month ago but did not get a reply.

 

[nauxolo]

Is the pick inevitable better than the decision?

It was then the curious bid met the debonair resolution.

 

[plonter]

i have the ultra micro amp. and i am more than satisfied with it.
its totally audiophilic and natural sounding! just plug it to your ipod through an lod cable and youre set.
headroom is fantastic in their service and they make some really amazing amp(before i got the ultra i had the portable total airhead),i am just admire them and totally hooked to their stuff(especially their amps!).
the ultra is also very small and comfortable. you will be very happy with it
thats for sure.
i cant recommend other stuff for you cause i havent listened to other equipment(yet..) but thats becuase i really dont need to...i guess.
good luck and enjoy your music.