Did you come round to do all that testing?
Yeah, sort of!
I could not do one test in particular, or at least not in a way that would make me sure about the result. But let's go on.
First of all, i would like to do a very brief and simple comment on the G111 Mk 2:
it's pretty good. It has plenty of power (i had to set the gain to -18 dB to use the potentiometer properly), it's clean and well controlled, it has a nice spacial presentation, it's has a nice timbre.
In my limited (both from a time and gear perspective) experience i found that the differences are either palpable and bold, or more like a suggestion or a feeling.
One example is the differences i hear with my Arya Stealth if I use the EF400 AIO or the K9 Pro AKM AIO with Opeth's Heir Apparent.
The difference was so striking i just stopped using the Arya SE with the EF400 for many weeks, as the presentation of the EF400 AIO was not suitable for the wall-of-sound i was accustomed from the K9 presentation.
So, for the sake of this post let's say there are 2 categories of differences i would refer to: clear one and
it feels like one.
- The difference between the EF400 and the K9 AKM as a DAC into the G111.
I could test this one pretty extensively, since the G111 let you swap between the two imputs with zero lag. I found that there was a clear difference between them: the EF400 was smoother, softer and definitely more mid-centered (in the sense that with volume matching the top end was less present and forward). I do like the both of them. I was not able to spot major differences in the spacial presentation or other more technical aspects like timbre, transients, etc. They both sound good and works well with the G111: one is more aggressive and more detailed than the other.
- The difference between the EF400 as DAC into the G111 vs the EF400 as an AIO.
I could also test this one extensively, and i can say the difference is bold and easily detectable. My EF400, which may have something wrong, has a very mid-to-uppermid bump when used as AIO which makes the upper register of vocalists (like thom yorke or jeff buckley), guitars, violins, etc, shouty. It's not a problem with stuff like the R70X, but with the Arya it's just not good. I have to turn the volume down or i get instant fatigue. The problem is not present with the G111. Also, i do feel like the bass is tighter.
- The difference between the K9 AKM as DAC into the G111 vs the K9 AKM as an AIO.
Since the K9 can't output both from the HP out and the line out, i could not test this without some breaks. Honestly i can't say if i would be able to identify them one from the other in a double blind test with breaks. I could probably identify them A/B without breaks since i know the k9 pretty well but... what's the point?
I could pretty easily tell there was something different/off from the K9 to the EF400, and i don't think i can say the same for the G111. It's probably, in the I feel like territory, a bit more natural sounding and more organic. Probably the G111's beefier power delivery and design makes it more effortless and more stable with busy tracks. Probably.
- The difference between the K9 AKM and the G111 as an amp being feeded by the EF400 as a DAC.
Yeah, this one i could not test directly, and honestly it is pointless. The G111 and the K9 AMP sounds similarly in the sense they are clean, spacious, detailed and both have a nice, full and controlled bass.
One thing to notice is that the G111 Mk2 feels like it will last forever. It feels like a nice BMW from the golden era: robust, powerful, well made and well engineered.
P.S. The K9 was tested with mid gain in pre-out to have the volume matched with the output of the EF400 in OS (the gain settings has no impact on the fixed line out). The k9 was balanced, the EF400 was connected via an RCA cable. Both are from Cordial.