[Jd007]

   
What cables do they use? And do you guys think its worth upgrading the HE500 or just continue to tube roll? I love my HE500s but the lack of bass quantity is kind of a turn off especially listening to EDM and DNB. Can I pay that quarter deposit for all items? Or is it only the GSX? That's an awesome feature Headamp allows people to do... 
 
EDIT: What are the differences between the two types of GSX's they have at Headamp?

 
they use the special electrostatic cable which is usually hardwired to the headphones and uses a special plug/jack. if you want bass perhaps look into the denon d5000 or the th900. quarter deposit for headamp items are only available on the more expensive products, you can see which ones have the deposit feature on their order page
 
the difference is only in the volume pot used. the cheaper one uses a continuous one, while the slightly more expensive one uses a stepped one (so you can only change volume in 22 steps or levels). the stepped one has better channel volume matching and sound quality in theory (probably not noticeable for human ears), while the continuous one allows you to dial in the exact volume you want in finer detail (infinite levels effectively).

 

[koiloco]

+1

this is the best amp i've heard and amongst the best i've heard. it really doesn't have any flaws. its perfect and i would as far as to say its a game changer in the solid state world. its as good as people have said it is. and it drives everything perfectly. the HE-6 could use a little more headroom, but it gets as loud as anyone would ever want to listen, it definitely drives them perfectly. 

the HE-500 sound incredibly good on the GSX MK2, this is certainly the amp to get for planars. LCD-3 sounds amazing as well, the biggest difference in all my headphones was the bass. it seems a little lighter because its neutral and without colorations, but the detail transparency and texture, extension, depth, everything about the bass, is the best i've heard. the bass really comes out and you can hear all these small nuances in the bass u'd never hear.

i think this amp even sounds better or equal (more transparent but not as warm) to the $5500 Allnic HPA 5000, which has been the best i've heard the HE-500 on. and the wooly bass of the HE-500, not a problem anymore, its still kinda there, but the bass improved so much and the impact is definitely there. the amount of detail though and resolution of the HE-500 are insane though, you'll be surprised how much better they get. the amp has full control of the HE-500's drivers and brings the absolute best out of them, making them sound like they could easily cost twice the price.

also yes, i think as far as Solid state goes, this is THE amp to get. 

That's good to hear but again it's subjective and personal. I prefer what I heard from a liquid gold. Though prices are not the same.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i personally felt the Liquid Gold was overpriced and wasn't really all that impressive despite its popularity. I prefer the He-500/HE-6 and LCD-3 on the GSX MK2 or HPA5000 to the LCD-3 and Abyss on the liquid gold. but once again, like you said, everyone hears things differently

 

[koiloco]

i personally felt the Liquid Gold was overpriced and wasn't really all that impressive despite its popularity. I prefer the He-500/HE-6 and LCD-3 on the GSX MK2 or HPA5000 to the LCD-3 and Abyss on the liquid gold. but once again, like you said, everyone hears things differently

Here, we are in 100% agreement.
Based on reading ur posts, I think you are after a more neutral and smooth sound signature while I am used to a more aggressive one; probably from the years in the band.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Here, we are in 100% agreement.

Based on reading ur posts, I think you are after a more neutral and smooth sound signature while I am used to a more aggressive one; probably from the years in the band.

 
u are 100% correct here!!
 

 
thats why i love the beyerdynamic T1.
 
i want NEUTRAL, but maybe a tiny tiny bass boost while maintaining control and tightness, and enough smoothness and warmth/euphony to sound natural and organic, but without becoming colored or dark or lush or even warm. the treble has to have sparkle and detail, but remain smooth and natural sounding, the mids should have a tiny hint of warmth to sound natural and lifelike, just to add to the musicality, i really like that, thats the sound i look for. neutral, true and revealing, but with a tiny bit of warmth and timbre to add musicality and naturalness to the sound. a small bass boost doesn't hurt.

 

[highrolller]

   
they use the special electrostatic cable which is usually hardwired to the headphones and uses a special plug/jack. if you want bass perhaps look into the denon d5000 or the th900. quarter deposit for headamp items are only available on the more expensive products, you can see which ones have the deposit feature on their order page
 
the difference is only in the volume pot used. the cheaper one uses a continuous one, while the slightly more expensive one uses a stepped one (so you can only change volume in 22 steps or levels). the stepped one has better channel volume matching and sound quality in theory (probably not noticeable for human ears), while the continuous one allows you to dial in the exact volume you want in finer detail (infinite levels effectively).

Thanks for the help! So is there an audible difference between the two volume knobs? 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i doubt there is, i hate clicks anyways so i'm happy with alpha pot.

 

[hifimanrookie]

u are 100% correct here!!



thats why i love the beyerdynamic T1.

i want NEUTRAL, but maybe a tiny tiny bass boost while maintaining control and tightness, and enough smoothness and warmth/euphony to sound natural and organic, but without becoming colored or dark or lush or even warm. the treble has to have sparkle and detail, but remain smooth and natural sounding, the mids should have a tiny hint of warmth to sound natural and lifelike, just to add to the musicality, i really like that, thats the sound i look for. neutral, true and revealing, but with a tiny bit of warmth and timbre to add musicality and naturalness to the sound. a small bass boost doesn't hurt.

If u like that..why didnt u try out a blue circle audio amp? Check their thread..almost all mention the same qualities as u just mentioned a amp has to have (skylab had one and said it was his reference headphone amp for a long time)..lolz..and their sbh (their standard headphone amp) starts at only 1200usd... Maybe a tip?

 

[highrolller]

  i doubt there is, i hate clicks anyways so i'm happy with alpha pot.

 
Oh right, yeah me too, I prefer a continuous wheel. BTW, what do you player electrostatic headphones with? Are there options for USB for use with your computer?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

   
Oh right, yeah me too, I prefer a continuous wheel. BTW, what do you player electrostatic headphones with? Are there options for USB for use with your computer?

 
i dont have electrostatics.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

If u like that..why didnt u try out a blue circle audio amp? Check their thread..almost all mention the same qualities as u just mentioned a amp has to have (skylab had one and said it was his reference headphone amp for a long time)..lolz..and their sbh (their standard headphone amp) starts at only 1200usd..

. Maybe a tip?

 
are they good?

   
Oh right, yeah me too, I prefer a continuous wheel. BTW, what do you player electrostatic headphones with? Are there options for USB for use with your computer?

 
i dont have electrostatics.

 

[Okamoto]

   
+1
 
this is the best amp i've heard and amongst the best i've heard. it really doesn't have any flaws. its perfect and i would as far as to say its a game changer in the solid state world. its as good as people have said it is. and it drives everything perfectly. the HE-6 could use a little more headroom, but it gets as loud as anyone would ever want to listen, it definitely drives them perfectly. 
 
the HE-500 sound incredibly good on the GSX MK2, this is certainly the amp to get for planars. LCD-3 sounds amazing as well, the biggest difference in all my headphones was the bass. it seems a little lighter because its neutral and without colorations, but the detail transparency and texture, extension, depth, everything about the bass, is the best i've heard. the bass really comes out and you can hear all these small nuances in the bass u'd never hear.
 
i think this amp even sounds better or equal (more transparent but not as warm) to the $5500 Allnic HPA 5000, which has been the best i've heard the HE-500 on. and the wooly bass of the HE-500, not a problem anymore, its still kinda there, but the bass improved so much and the impact is definitely there. the amount of detail though and resolution of the HE-500 are insane though, you'll be surprised how much better they get. the amp has full control of the HE-500's drivers and brings the absolute best out of them.
 
also yes, i think as far as Solid state goes, this is THE amp to get. 

Everyone who owns that amp say exactly the same thing. I have a friend here in Brazil who is a veteran in this hobby and has already tested really high-end stuff(HeadAmp Aristaeus, Cavalli ExStatA, Benchmark DAC1, Electrocompaniet ECD-1, Meier audio eartube, Melos SHA-1, Senn Orpheus, Stax SR-007 MK1, Grado HP1000, AKG K1000...) and he said the GS-X is the most transparent amp he has ever heard. Coincidentally, he has a HE-500 too, and he traded his AKG K1000 and ALO RX MKIII-B for the GS-X(mk1). I have a lot of reasons to believe on his opinions, he has a lot of credit. And I'll probably hear his GS-X and HP1000 sometime, since he doesn't live too far away from me and he loves to share his stuff with other hobbyists. Once I do, I'll make sure to post my impressions here.

 

[hifimanrookie]

are they good?

Let me tell u this..i never heard a blue circle amp...BUT after reading ALL (yes all!) the reviews concerning their amps and conditioners i got very interested...checking blue circle amp SBH headfi theads made me even more interested..as i only heard words u guys mention to show how high end the gs-x is..and after personally having contact with skylab about the sbh amp (he owned) and some blue circle amp owners (remember..bc prices start at around 2000 usd mark for their cheapest standard integrated speaker amp)..i contacted gilbert...trust me when i say he is fun to deal with..and he knows his stuff...even thinks WITH U...INCLUDING KEEPING THE COSTS AS AFFORDABLE AS POSSIBLE..he even advised me a cheaper conditioner to go with my amp then what i initially wanted..NOW THATS WHAT I CALL customer service..for him its not about making as much money as possible..noooo..its a honour for him to sell u best amp u can afford and which he would buy if HE HIMSELF had same budget..NOW TELL ME HOW MANY BRANDS U KNOW WHO DO THAT?

Its a higher end brand from the start..the sbh is very affordable at around 1200euro (but u can make it as expensive as ur wallet lets u)...And as i said before..the owners of those amps are extremely loyal to the brand! As far i understand it..once a BC u wont easily go back to other brands..check their thread and all the reviews about their speaker amps..u almost never find any blue circle amp on sale..

About the reviews: .EVERY reviewer sounds delirious about the amps they review from gilbert (owner of BC)..u only hear exctatic reviews..no matter the product that comes from BC...

That makes u think..how is it possible every one likes BC products..ARE THEY THAT GOOD? And another thing..most reviewers agree on another thing..all BC products are well recommended and play way above their pricepoint...even at the prices they go for! I read a review about the NSL (19000usd) and the reviewer compared it back to back to some ultra monoblocks worth of more then 100.000usd..and he said they played at same level of delivering music to the speakers..only thing was that the nsl (having only 28watts) needed speakers that dont need lots of power and the mono blocks were monsters of power..but he said the nsl delivered the lowest lows he ever heard from any amp he used.
So...

Dubstepgirl..i know ur very openminded concerning other brands whether its SS or tubeys..and dont have opinions before ur sure...and thats a thing i respect u deeply for my friend... But If u have the oportunity to hear a blue circle (speaker) amp..do it..

I understand in november there will be a big audio show in toronto...a blue circle dealer will be there to show some new products of the brand..maybe that interesting for u to attend?
.but one warning...the ones who did listen to one and had the budget bought one sooner or later!
Damn still 2 months to receive my amp..and then 2months to burn in the amp as its opamp based..did i tell u i dont have a on-off switch..gilbert told me best way was to keep it on nonstop..so that switch became abundant..lolz

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Let me tell u this..i never heard a blue circle amp...BUT after reading ALL (yes all!) the reviews concerning their amps and conditioners i got very interested...checking blue circle amp SBH headfi theads made me even more interested..as i only heard words u guys mention to show how high end the gs-x is..and after personally having contact with skylab about the sbh amp (he owned) and some blue circle amp owners (remember..bc prices start at around 2000 usd mark for their cheapest standard integrated speaker amp)..i contacted gilbert.

Its a higher end brand from the start..the sbh is very affordable at around 1200euro (but u can make it as expensive as ur wallet lets u)...And as i said before..the owners of those amps are extremely loyal to the brand! As far i understand it..once a BC u wont easily go back to other brands..check their thread and all the reviews about their speaker amps..u almost never find any blue circle amp on sale..

About the reviews: .EVERY reviewer sounds delirious about the amps they review from gilbert (owner of BC)..u only hear exctatic reviews..no matter the product that comes from BC...

That makes u think..how is it possible every one likes BC products..ARE THEY THAT GOOD? And another thing..most reviewers agree on another thing..all BC products are well recommended and play way above their pricepoint...even at the prices they go for! I read a review about the NSL (19000usd) and the reviewer compared it back to back to some ultra monoblocks worth of more then 100.000usd..and he said they played at same level of delivering music to the speakers..only thing was that the nsl (having only 28watts) needed speakers that dont need lots of power and the mono blocks were monsters of power..but he said the nsl delivered the lowest lows he ever heard from any amp he used.
So...

Dubstepgirl..i know ur very openminded concerning other brands whether its SS or tubeys..and dont have opinions before ur sure...and thats a thing i respect u deeply for my friend... But If u have the oportunity to hear a blue circle (speaker) amp..do it..

I understand in november there will be a big audio show in toronto...a blue circle dealer will be there to show some new products of the brand..maybe that interesting for u to attend?
.but one warning...the ones who did listen to one and had the budget bought one sooner or later!
Damn still 2 months to receive my amp..and then 2months to burn in the amp as its opamp based..did i tell u i dont have a on-off switch..gilbert told me best way was to keep it on nonstop..so that switch became abundant..lolz

 
 
lol not in toronto, but now ur getting me interested in blue circle...

 

[khaine1711]

Blue Circle makes fabulous speaker gears. No idea about headphone though. If you're in the States you should check out Ava hifi + Odyssey audio too. Although, buying good speaker amps just to power the He-6 and planars is a bit wasteful 

.
 
Since you love tube so much DG, why not to get a DHT amp (Stratus/EC/Manley... etc)?