[ejong7]

Just to add some context to the previous comment, I plan to use the Geek Out mainly with the HD25 and VISO HP50 and also the JH Roxannes. I was contemplating the 100 but want to leave some options for potentially more power hungry headphones. 450 seems fine for me but if the 450 works the same as the 720 and 1000 for sensitive IEMs i might consider going higher power.

 

[atsq17]

  So can anybody summarize how does the 100,450,720 and 1000 compare to each other? Or is it just power. Getting mixed opinions about this.

 
To my knowledge, the 450, 720 and 1000 sound quite similar and it's just a power thing. 
 
The 100 is a completely different unit which is quieter and designed to work better with IEMs. 
 
I probably didn't say anything that you didn't already know but I don't think there's much more to it. 
 
I did compare a 720 to a 1000 once and I couldn't tell the difference. Could be just me though.

 

[atsq17]

  Just to add some context to the previous comment, I plan to use the Geek Out mainly with the HD25 and VISO HP50 and also the JH Roxannes. I was contemplating the 100 but want to leave some options for potentially more power hungry headphones. 450 seems fine for me but if the 450 works the same as the 720 and 1000 for sensitive IEMs i might consider going higher power.

 
Depends what you will be using it mostly with. 
 
My JH13PRO FP work just fine with my 720. Given the choice though, I'd want to try the 100. 

 

[AxelCloris]

As you go higher in the power the more sensitive volume control becomes and the higher the noise floor will be for more sensitive headphones. If you're trying to strike a balance the 450 could be what you want. If you're using the GO with efficient headphones and IEMs then you should look at the 100 and add an external amp later if you want to push more power hungry cans. The low noise floor of the 100 combined with a nice portable amp like the C5 or E12 will give power to the big cans without 
 
I found the 1000 to be very much overkill with my 1964-Q, the 100 IEM version is far better suited to them. It gives me more play in the volume which is great because I found that there were times when the steps of the 1000 were simply too big. And the blacker background of the 100 makes IEMs and sensitive headphones that much more enjoyable.
 
Source: I've owned all GO apart from the 450 at one point or another.

 

[miceblue]

So can anybody summarize how does the 100,450,720 and 1000 compare to each other? Or is it just power. Getting mixed opinions about this.

Between the 450 and 1000 that I have, the only differences are power output and the noise floor. Larry himself confirmed that the 450 is pretty much identical to the 1000 in terms of measurements.
http://lhlabs.com/force/geekout/898-geek-out-vs-the-others-3rd-installment#13852

 

[ejong7]

hmmm okay. Cause i personally don't really wanna buy an external amp after the GO. I want a no hassle single unit component. I might take the 450 then. Should be enough to power my TH900 as well. I don't really think I'm gonna buy power hungry headphones for use with my laptop on the go anyways, which is the key for me getting the GO.

 

[ejong7]

Thank you for all your quick replies. Sorry for making this a separate post I tend to submit posts and forget to really finish them up =P

 

[doctorjazz]

Did you get your Xfi yet? You have it listed in equipment. I had gone for the Xfi and LPS4, then wound up upgrading to the Soul Tube in a burst of enthusiasm, but not too much thought. Now I'm thinking the Xfi is actually more what I really wanted, it's not explicitly a rack unit (though it could be), but could also be used as a desktop, headphone amp/dac, computer audio player, which the Soul won't really be right for (it is exactly the same, but the form factor would make it odd in that application, though, I suppose, it's not that big a deal to use it that way...). How do you like it if you do have it

As I said earlier, and you said as well, the GO 1K is fine on its own, but the differences between it and the SE are not at all subtle, hits you over the head how much better it is, not sure I communicated that in the above description. When I changed between them on the same song, it was like going to a whole different recording.

Nope, none have shipped yet; shipping of the Pulse X line is supposed to begin this week. But I spent a fair amount of time with the Pulse Xfi/LPS combo at RMAF. I too thought about the Soul but decided that the Pulse was more what I was looking for. I'm also waiting for LHLabs to announce their tube amp so I passed on the tube buffer stage.

As for my impressions of the Xfi, I really liked what I heard. I heard it driving the Alpha Dog Prime and the HE-400i. I owned the Alpha Dogs when I heard the Prime and I have to say that was one nice combination but the 400i is what really surprised me. Even with open backed headphones in the noisy show environment I could tell that the sound was wonderful. I can't really compare it to the SE since I've had the SE only in controlled environments when using it with my own (modded) 400i. The Pulse that I heard definitely sounded like it was a member of the Geek family, no mistaking that. If you like the GO sound then you'll like the Pulse even more.

Can't wait to get my Pulse Xfi and compare it against the SE, running both off of the LPS.

Understand, I upgraded to the Soul Tube in a fit of enthusiasm/rushed, didn't think it through. Probably the Xfi would be more to my needs, Soul is more of a rack unit, wanted something to hook to my computer, use for headphones/casual listening (even Pulse Xfi is probably overkill for this, with the power supply will list for $4.000. They now give the opion of going back to xfi with tube buffer if you want, go back and forth on this. This was all much less expensive when they started, now Xfi and LPS is about $2000 for as long as Indiegogo campaign is alive, a few more weeks it looks like. I did buy the Massdrop Centrance M8, which may not be quite up to the Pulse Xfi (or, maybe it will be, really well reviewed), can always use the Soul out of the rack, but it will look a bit silly on my computer desk. More 1st world problems...

 

[doctorjazz]

Did you get your Xfi yet? You have it listed in equipment. I had gone for the Xfi and LPS4, then wound up upgrading to the Soul Tube in a burst of enthusiasm, but not too much thought. Now I'm thinking the Xfi is actually more what I really wanted, it's not explicitly a rack unit (though it could be), but could also be used as a desktop, headphone amp/dac, computer audio player, which the Soul won't really be right for (it is exactly the same, but the form factor would make it odd in that application, though, I suppose, it's not that big a deal to use it that way...). How do you like it if you do have it

As I said earlier, and you said as well, the GO 1K is fine on its own, but the differences between it and the SE are not at all subtle, hits you over the head how much better it is, not sure I communicated that in the above description. When I changed between them on the same song, it was like going to a whole different recording.

Nope, none have shipped yet; shipping of the Pulse X line is supposed to begin this week. But I spent a fair amount of time with the Pulse Xfi/LPS combo at RMAF. I too thought about the Soul but decided that the Pulse was more what I was looking for. I'm also waiting for LHLabs to announce their tube amp so I passed on the tube buffer stage.

As for my impressions of the Xfi, I really liked what I heard. I heard it driving the Alpha Dog Prime and the HE-400i. I owned the Alpha Dogs when I heard the Prime and I have to say that was one nice combination but the 400i is what really surprised me. Even with open backed headphones in the noisy show environment I could tell that the sound was wonderful. I can't really compare it to the SE since I've had the SE only in controlled environments when using it with my own (modded) 400i. The Pulse that I heard definitely sounded like it was a member of the Geek family, no mistaking that. If you like the GO sound then you'll like the Pulse even more.

Can't wait to get my Pulse Xfi and compare it against the SE, running both off of the LPS.

Understand, I upgraded to the Soul Tube in a fit of enthusiasm/rushed, didn't think it through. Probably the Xfi would be more to my needs, Soul is more of a rack unit, wanted something to hook to my computer, use for headphones/casual listening (even Pulse Xfi is probably overkill for this, with the power supply will list for $4.000. They now give the option of going back to xfi with tube buffer if you want, I go back and forth on this. This was all much less expensive when they started, now Xfi and LPS is about $2000 for as long as Indiegogo campaign is alive, a few more weeks it looks like. I did buy the Massdrop Centrance M8, which may not be quite up to the Pulse Xfi (or, maybe it will be, really well reviewed), can always use the Soul out of the rack, but it will look a bit silly on my computer desk. More 1st world problems...

 

[Kojaku]

So has anyone had time to try driving a 450 purely on OTG (no external battery) on a phone with lollipop?

Kojaku

 

[AxelCloris]

So has anyone had time to try driving a 450 purely on OTG (no external battery) on a phone with lollipop?

Kojaku

 
He lives!~
 
I have not, iPhone user.

 

[Kojaku]

He lives!~

I have not, iPhone user.

I am indeed alive. Having dropped out of the wave campaign due to financial issues, I am now trying to find a viable OTG solution. Need that portable DSD in my life. It's good to be back!

Kojaku

 

[bhazard]

So has anyone had time to try driving a 450 purely on OTG (no external battery) on a phone with lollipop?

Kojaku

It works (with battery on my 1000). Without battery it eventually dies out and has more distortion.

 

[AxelCloris]

I am indeed alive. Having dropped out of the wave campaign due to financial issues, I am now trying to find a viable OTG solution. Need that portable DSD in my life. It's good to be back!

Kojaku

 
@m-i-c-k-e-y has been doing a LOT of testing with Android devices both here and on LHLabs' forums. I'll see if I can pull up some of his awesome work. I know he's talked about it both here and there, and I remember that a Samsung device (Galaxy S4 maybe) was running a GO without the need for an external battery.
 
Glad to see you around these parts again, it's been a long time.

 

[miceblue]

Am I the only one that doesn't understand the point of all of this effort to connect the GO to a smartphone just to play DSD files? Seems like a waste of 1) time 2) physical space and 3) digital storage space to me.
1) obviously hooking up the GO to any smartphone is going to take a bunch of time to set up and get up and running
2) carrying around a thousand cables just to play DSD files seems silly to me and you can't really put it anywhere since the GO gets to like 40˚C
3) 1 DSD album takes up like 2.5 GB of storage space; why not convert DSD to regular PCM and save some space? Any audio benefit DSD would theoretically have over PCM is most likely going to be lost anyway if you're using it on a portable setup. Something like XLD on Mac can convert even DSD256 to 24/352.8, and you can convert that through normal PCM downsampling processes. For the 2.5 GB you use with 1 DSD album, you can probably have like 3 DSD to PCM albums on your portable device.

Would it not make sense just to get an external, battery powered DAC/amp instead, like the Geek Stream or upcoming OPPO HA-2?