[rumatt]

I've read everything I could find on the topic, but I'd be interested in hearing more opinions regarding whether these amps really sound that different, or if the extra price of the GS-1 just goes to the added features (inputs, outputs, etc).

I've got the Lite now and I really like it. I'm running VDA-2 (w/ power supply) --> Gilmore Lite (with power supply) -> K701's. It's extremely revealing, but there's something about it that I really like. However, at times I wish it had a bit more bass and a touch more warmth, which I've seen some people claim the GS-1 has over the Lite. I'm thinking of upgrading if I can find one used, but I am not entirely convinced that there will be much of a difference. Maybe I should just go another direction, like trying another DAC.

I already tried a different set of phones: Senn HD650's, and they sure have more bass and warmth. But somehow they're just not doing it for me. The soundstage is so much smaller, and the emotion just isn't there compared to the 701's. I could listen to the 650's all day with no fatigue, but they don't convey the emotion in the vocals like the 701s.

 

[vcoheda]

i know a few people have owned both. maybe they will chime in. i know from my readings on the board, some have said they could not tell the difference between the two; others say the gs1 is a bit better. i suspect the latter is true, but whether it is worth upgrading from the lite to the gs1 is probably very debatable.

 

[kontai69]

I've owned both the Gilmore Lite (standard Elpac PSU) and the GS-1 (with standard Alps volume control (or pot)) at the same time. Here is a writeup from a while ago where I gave my impressions using it with Senn 650 with Zu cable...
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128688

The GS-1 is a little warmer sounding than the GL. The treble is also a little more rolled off with the GS-1.

Anyways, the GS-1 is a great amp. I liked it so much with my MS-Pro that I bought another, this time with the optional $175 DACT stepped attenuator, which gives it little warmer sound than with the standard Alps pot.

 

[Asr]

At one point in time I owned a Gilmore Lite v2, Gilmore Lite LE, and a GS-1 simultaneously. I take it some of the posts you read were mine?

I found the GS-1 to be a significant step up sonically from the Gilmore Lite, either with or without its DPS, most in the areas of soundstage (it's more 3D and peers into space more) and refinement (more relaxed but it recovers more detail). It's also more transparent in that it allows more of the sound from your source to flow through uncolored (I find the Gilmore Lite to have some colorations despite its basic transparency).

Right now the main advantage with the GS-1 would be the MOSFET modules that HeadAmp is going to release in the future. True the waiting for these modules has been a long time (with an unknown amount of even more time to come), but HeadAmp will release them eventually. And speaking of synergy, the GS-1 and K701 pair very well with each other.

 

[rumatt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kontai69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here is a writeup from a while ago where I gave my impressions using it with Senn 650 with Zu cable... http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128688

Oh wow, I missed that somehow. Thanks.


You guys are convincing me that it's at least worth trying. I think I'll go bump my GS-1 WTB ad.

 

[Citizen Kan]

Not sure how significant this is, but the pictures on the HeadAmp site of the amplifier modules in the GL and GS 1 look almost identical.

 

[rumatt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citizen Kan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure how significant this is, but the pictures on the HeadAmp site of the amplifier modules in the GL and GS 1 look almost identical.

Yeah, that's what initially made me start thinking they may actually sound the same...

Can anyone explained how they sound different if they're actually the same? It's all in the pot?

Or is it that the $200 gilmore power supply can't deliver adequate power?

Neither of these explanations make much sense.


EDIT: I may be able to compare myself soon.

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumatt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, that's what initially made me start thinking they may actually sound the same...

In my experience they really don't sound the same.

I own two Gilmore Lites (stock PSU on both). I am very accustomed to their sound, and like it a lot (that's why I own two, and have adios-ed some other respectable desktop amps). But when I had an extended audition of a GS-1 thanks to Asr's generosity, I was floored. It is on a whole different level of detail and punch.

With the GS-1 I felt a real and consistent upgrade in the realism of the musical experience, and I was stunned that not only did I hear things I'd never heard before, I heard them frequently.

Now here is what I mean by "a whole different level": normally when I'm listening through a new amp and hear something I've never heard before, I can go back to the old amp and find that detail once again now that I've trained myself to be aware of it. Going back and forth between the GS-1 and the GLite, though, I consistently heard details through the GS-1 -- a certain reverb after a kick drum hit for example -- that I simply could not find in the GLite's presentation even on careful listening. Heard on GS-1, looked for and couldn't find on GLite, period. That's what I mean by "a whole different level."

I can't particularly account for this given that they use the same underlying circuit design and have similar-ish looking circuitry (with the GS-1 having longer signal paths, yet). But my ears tell me the GS-1 is the clearly superior amp, by a margin that absolutely will justify its price difference next time I'm amp-shopping or upgrading.

I have not heard the GLite with the dedicated PSU. Asr says it's only an incremental sonic upgrade over the stock PSU. My experience is that Asr's opinions are pretty good predictors of what I will hear as well, so I'm quite willing to trust him on that one, but YMMV.

 

[rumatt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif In my experience they really don't sound the same.

Well, I guess it's possible that the power supply accounts for a lot of this.

I'm not arguing that the differences people hear aren't real. I'm just trying to figure out what could explain them if the amp boards are identical.

The only things left are power, and the pot/stepped attenuator.... right?

 

[JSTpt1022]

If I'm not mistaken there is at least a 5x price difference between the pot in the Glite and the DACT in the GS-1, just for the part. That might have something to do with it. I can't wait to hear one.

 

[khbaur330162]

One of the most expensive and sound altering components in an amplifier is the volume attenuator, and I'd say the power supply is almost as important. The added features are just a bonus.

Yes, the GS-1 and G-Lite use the same amplifier board, but I'm guessing you've heard some discussion concerning DIY projects? Some consider the sonic differences between various DIY projects to be so great they can't even justifiably be compared to one another! (This, of course, only refers to comparisons made between exactly similar amp projects, i.e. PPA to PPA, M^3 to M^3) Schematics aren't everything.

 

[GAD]

I have not compared both, but I Can tell you that with the list of amps in my sig (most of which are admittedly portables), the GS-1 is my clear favorite with my hd-650s. The detail is astounding. Female vocals frequently stop me cold when I hear them. I've posted elsewhere how the GS-1 brought out deficiencies in my source that I never noticed even with my RSA XP-7. I think I need to write a review...

GAD

 

[kontai69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSTpt1022 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I'm not mistaken there is at least a 5x price difference between the pot in the Glite and the DACT in the GS-1, just for the part. That might have something to do with it. I can't wait to hear one.

I think that the Glite uses a low cost Panasonic pot. The GS-1 comes standard with a higher quality Alps Blue Velvet pot. The GS-1 can be equipped with an optional $175 DACT stepped attenuator, which is not available for the Glite.

I've owned and compared the Alps GS-1 with the DACT GS-1 which gives an idea of the effects that a volume control can have on the sound...
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=215731

 

[JSTpt1022]

Ok then, I take that back. The DACT is MUCH more expensive. Not that that = better, but you know how it goes.

For some reason when I wrote that, (although I knew it wasn't the case) I was thinking there was an Alps unit in the Glite. Oops.

This thread is making me want a GS-1 again after I had finally settled on waiting to afford a GS-X...

 

[rumatt]

Thanks for the discussion guys. I guess it's all in the pot.

I already own a set of Scott endler stepped attenuators, so maybe I should just use these on input to the GLite, and rewire it to bypass the pot entirely.

My new (used) GS-1 w/DACT is in Fedex's hands as we speak, so I will certainly report back later whether I can hear a difference in my setup.