[Supperconductor]

I can't believe there isn't a thread already about this one:
 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gavn8r/geek-a-new-usb-awesomifier-for-headphones
 
If there is, I just suck at searching...

 

[TIMITS]

This project has only been up for 5 days and already the cheaper pledges have gone.  I managed to get in for $159 so not so bad.  The rrp for when it is released in January 2014 is $299.  It looks like a great option as it supports higher definition formats like DXD and DSD.

 

[Supperconductor]

I got in at $139 and was surprised there isn't a huge buzz about it here already. I was about to purchase and upgrade for my iBasso D10 when I stumbled upon the kickstarter project. I'm hoping it has enough current to drive my HD-600's or I'll have to consider getting another more suitable pair of headphones for pairing with the GEEK. I'm going to be using it at the office. Also, direct/integer support with Audirvana Plus is a must have feature for me. Audirvana elevated the performance of my iBasso D10 quite a bit.

 

[Larry Ho]

Hi, superconductor
 
Thanks for starting this thread. And I would love to know what type of headphone amp you think that will fit your headphone?
 
Thanks,
 
Larry Ho/ Light Harmonic

 

[fuzzyash]

just found it today
 
here's their blog also
http://mustgeekout.blogspot.nl/2013/08/geek-vs-others.html
 
edit: the one thing thats noticeable is their 4 ohm impedence
not quite low enough for some iems
vs the microstreamer which has 0.5 ohm impedence

 

[TIMITS]

Hi Larry,
 
Thanks for dropping in.  I'd also like to know what headphone / earphone impedance range the Geek will handle.
 
Also you might want to check out the http://www.head-fi.org/a/terms-of-service as there are fairly strict Member of Trade rules and I wouldn't want to cause trouble by asking you a question that may be inappropriate.
 

 

[Larry Ho]

Yes. I will answer the technical related questions here... 
 
For output impedance, we have several design thoughts:
 
First of all, we need to make GEEK sound nice when pairing with low-Z headphones, e.g. 30ohm around.
Second, we need to take care of high-Z headphone as well... e.g. 300Ohm Sennheiser HD series.
Third, we hope to follow the gold ratio rule of thumb, I know not everyone agree on this, the output Z of GEEK and input Z of Headphone 
ratio should be around 1:7 ~ 1:8...
 
So 4 ohm is the value we came out. But we will continue to experience more with more headphones to see what is the best value.
 
IMHO, output Z is not always the lower the better...
 
Larry

 

[cstory]

I signed up yesterday so I am looking forward to this product. If it can sound better than the Meridian and decode DSD, it would definitely be a winner. Although the GEEK is cheap, it will be quite expensive for me because I will want to get a dedicated computer as my music server and a good A-D to archive some of my LP's in DSD. Good luck in getting the GEEK to production. Chuck

 

[TIMITS]

Some more specifications listed here: http://mustgeekout.blogspot.nl/2013/08/geek-vs-others.html compared to the DragonFly and Meridian Explorer.

 

[bhazard]

Backed it. Would have loved to have gotten in at $99, but $159 is still a decent deal.
 
If it works well on my android devices.... well then that's just awesome. Not awesome enough to power an HE-500, or have pre-outs to a separate amp it seems, but still awesome.

 

[Supperconductor]

Quote:

Hi, superconductor
 
Thanks for starting this thread. And I would love to know what type of headphone amp you think that will fit your headphone?
 
Thanks,
 
Larry Ho/ Light Harmonic

Something with lots of current 

 should do nicely. I'm using an HD-600 now but seriously considering a planar magnetic type, HIFIMAN HE-500 or the new Mr. Speakers Mad Dog Alpha. Yeah, I realize I'm probably asking too much from a portable amp, but this is going to primarily for office use.

 

[yungyaw]

Hi, it's good to know that Larry is in the house!
 
Supperconductor, I have searched for post about GEEK a few days ago and I got nothing. But suddenly today I see people start talking about it in head-fi. I just came from another thread (http://www.head-fi.org/t/677972/new-dac-amp-on-kickstarter-the-geek). I'm one of the backers too. So lucky that I manage to slot into the $139 category, but because I'm living outside of US, I need to top up $20 and take makes my pledge to $159, but I'm still very happy for it.

 

[David Chavez]

Does it supports 300ohm headphones?  And if its possible to bypass the amp to make one of the 3.5mm inputs a lineout?

 

[rdsu]

Does it supports 300ohm headphones?  And if its possible to bypass the amp to make one of the 3.5mm inputs a lineout?

Yes to both...

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Quote:

Yes to both...

 
This will be interesting....