[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiotodd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you. I was apparently wrong about the science but correct in thinking that a balanced input without an otherwise balanced system is pretty pointless. At the moment I think I am leaning towards the Heed or the Gilmore Lite, but I am by no means decided. Any other amps that are similar to these two in terms of sound but less expensive?

If you want to save money on a Gilmore Lite, build a Dynalo. You can find boards and parts at Dan Gardner's site. There's a complete build guide there and the Dynalo is a well known project. A few years back, I put one together for about $150.

 

[Luckyleo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiotodd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you. I was apparently wrong about the science but correct in thinking that a balanced input without an otherwise balanced system is pretty pointless. At the moment I think I am leaning towards the Heed or the Gilmore Lite, but I am by no means decided. Any other amps that are similar to these two in terms of sound but less expensive?

I had ordered the G-Lite with a stated 2 week turn around time from order to shipping after 8-10 weeks of waiting I cancelled the order and went with the Heed. Had it in 1 week and have been enjoying ever since with Grado SR-80's, K-701's, and yes even my UE-11's. The listening experrience for each of the cans is night and day compared to listening to them via a portable amp/dac combo. I'm sure the G-lite is a great Amp also, but never having heard it can't comment. All I can say is I have no complaints with the Heed.

 

[Audiotodd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luckyleo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had ordered the G-Lite with a stated 2 week turn around time from order to shipping after 8-10 weeks of waiting I cancelled the order and went with the Heed. Had it in 1 week and have been enjoying ever since with Grado SR-80's, K-701's, and yes even my UE-11's. The listening experrience for each of the cans is night and day compared to listening to them via a portable amp/dac combo. I'm sure the G-lite is a great Amp also, but never having heard it can't comment. All I can say is I have no complaints with the Heed.

Ah yes, a Canamp owner at last. Have you tried any other amps that you could compare the Heed to? Also, the canamp is the only amp I've seen (in a while anyway) that has an integrated power cord instead of an AC inlet. Is that a problem at all? As a general matter I like my electronics to be fairly modular because I live in a dorm where components and cords can get a little beat up.

Re Uncle Erik- I strongly considered DIY amps like the Dynalo and the M3 but I'm a little worried about dropping money on something that I can't guarantee will actually work when I'm done with it. You've been around the block a bit so could you compare the Gilmore to other SS amps?

 

[Audiotodd]

After some research, I think I've pretty much narrowed my choices down to the Heed Canamp, the Purity Audio KICAS, the Audio-GD C2C and the Gilmore Lite.

Unfortunately, I've heard excellent things about all of these amps but nothing that suggests that any one of them is particularly versatile. If someone has experience to suggest otherwise, however, I would really like to hear it.

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiotodd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you. I was apparently wrong about the science but correct in thinking that a balanced input without an otherwise balanced system is pretty pointless. At the moment I think I am leaning towards the Heed or the Gilmore Lite, but I am by no means decided. Any other amps that are similar to these two in terms of sound but less expensive?

I'm not sure if we're discussing the same issue, but a balanced amp can definitely improve input from an unbalanced source. In the balanced design used by HeadRoom in their Desktop line, two amps are built into the housing to eliminate the possible crosstalk that comes from a shared ground. The result is a completely black background with clean separation of sound elements. The clarity and definition are phenomenal.

 

[WesMiaw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feifan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure if we're discussing the same issue, but a balanced amp can definitely improve input from an unbalanced source. In the balanced design used by HeadRoom in their Desktop line, two amps are built into the housing to eliminate the possible crosstalk that comes from a shared ground. The result is a completely black background with clean separation of sound elements. The clarity and definition are phenomenal.

If the gear can take an unbalanced input and treat it as balanced internally, that's great. That's what the HeadRoom Balanced Desktop Amp will do. But you don't need to feed it a balanced input for it do to this.