[vapman]

The sticky tac is actually a great idea. Bob and I were laughing because we both had our G1217 amps stuck to our DACs the same way.
 
Clearly great minds think alike and have similar gear too. I hope to re-join club Polaris soon, really miss mine.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

I truly believe this amp is woefully underappreciated. It offers tremedous flexibility with a remarkable SQ that provides a great deal of the best of both tube and solid state characteristics.  
 
I had considered numerous possible upgrades, both tube and SS,  from my Vali, which being redundant I've said and felt was no slouch paired with my HD580 / HD600s.  I don't regret my choice of the Polaris at all.  It has indeed brought my headphone experience to the next level.
 
I read a comment someone posted somewhere that opined that were Garage 1217 to have an aggressive marketing posture they'd trump many more well known manufacturerers in the marketplace.  I tend to agree. 

   As it is you're talking a one man US based operation aided by his wife along with one man acting as a designer based in Europe.  For such a very small "footprint" they offer some outstanding products and CS.
 
Most highly recommended!

 

[k4rstar]

Well the Polaris just got here after an 11 day journey from Arizona. It's really easy to say it was worth the wait. Setup took me quite a bit as my desk situation just wasn't ready for the number of cables required by both the Modi and Polaris 

 so I was dying to just plug in my phones and hit play.
 
Needless to say I got a big ol' smile on my face as soon as I queued up some Christy Baron on my HD650s. I was doing a goodbye listening session with the O2/ODAC this morning to prepare myself, and I was expecting to require A/B testing to discern the differences between the setups. No need, the differences are quite night and day. 
 
What I noticed after about 30 minutes:
-a blacker background
-expanded sound stage with some actual LAYERING
-removal of any sort of "veil" or "grain" over vocals
-improved timbre and tonality of instruments; trumpets actually sound like horns and are easily picked out in the mix
-tighter bass, it feels like the amp has a real grip over the driver
-less splashy treble
 
I couldn't be happier with my purchase and I have yet to even play with any of the settings or test the HD600s. Can easily recommend the Polaris to anyone looking to step up from entry level source equipment without breaking the bank. May write a full review but I don't know if I have enough amplifier experience to do so.
 
EDIT: Pried headphones off my head long enough to snap a picture.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

For giggles I ordered a pair of inexpensive ($2.90 each) Hosa YRA-104 RCA to Dual RCAF Y-Cables (http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-YRA-104-Dual-RCAF-Y-Cable/dp/B000068O4Y) to hook my Modi 2 DAC to both the Polaris and Vali 1.  Don't need the volume control of something like a Schiit Sys.   Wanted to see if this would work without any noise.  It does very nicely!  Can operate both headphone amps at the same time without any issues at all.  No change to volume settings either as the Modi 2 has enough "umph" to drive both amps simultaneously effortlessly.  So now If I want to share things with a guest or A-B things I can. 

 
 

 

[rez11]

Hello! I'm a new owner of HE-400i's and am looking into the Project Polaris amp for them, teamed with a Modi2. Anyone with experiance can give opinions? I was told 400i's partner well with warmer amps and Polaris was recommended alot over the Magni 2.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

  Hello! I'm a new owner of HE-400i's and am looking into the Project Polaris amp for them, teamed with a Modi2. Anyone with experiance can give opinions? I was told 400i's partner well with warmer amps and Polaris was recommended alot over the Magni 2.

Might want to try asking in the HE-400i thread since no one has responded here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698974/hifiman-he-400i-impressions-and-discussion

 

[HOWIE13]

 
Might want to try asking in the HE-400i thread since no one has responded here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698974/hifiman-he-400i-impressions-and-discussion

@ rez11
 
FWIW I have an HE400 and it pairs very well with Polaris. Tightly articulate deep bass and controlled, non grainy, sweet treble. Mids perfect-wonderful with vocals. Ample reserves of power too.

 

[senorx12562]

@ rez11

FWIW I have an HE400 and it pairs very well with Polaris. Tightly articulate deep bass and controlled, non grainy, sweet treble. Mids perfect-wonderful with vocals. Ample reserves of power too.

Ditto with the he500s.

 

[rez11]

alright i think im pulling the trigger on the Polaris to pair with my HE-400i. Will be using Modi2uber as dac. Any recommendations on which of these settings to order Aggressive or Mellow with 400i's? i have no idea what they mean im new to this scene hehe XD

 

[TraceStar]

Aggressive is the default option right now. Basically the difference is in the top frequency. They're both the same on high bandwidth. Med and low on aggressive cuts off the high frequency faster so it'd help if your headphones have piercing highs. I find that I leave it at high all the time since my phones are rather balanced.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[HOWIE13]

  alright i think im pulling the trigger on the Polaris to pair with my HE-400i. Will be using Modi2uber as dac. Any recommendations on which of these settings to order Aggressive or Mellow with 400i's? i have no idea what they mean im new to this scene hehe XD

Aggressive will allow you to reduce  the high frequencies a little more than mellow-but it's far from being an actual aggressive reduction-not like an equaliser.
 
Jeremy will discuss what's best for you if you contact him.
 
I leave on High setting almost all the time which means there is no reduction of the high frequencies, what you hear is the native sound.

 

[rez11]

so when do people get the Mellow version?

 

[vapman]

  so when do people get the Mellow version?

you mention it in the order comments, there is a menu you have to pick when order it...
 
the pros and cons of both are heavily discussed in this thread but may require some digging

 

[HOWIE13]

  so when do people get the Mellow version?

Some people find the aggressive settings affect the high frequencies a bit too much. It's a very personal thing because, to me even the aggressive settings are fairly subtle.
 
If you chat with Jeremy I think you will have a better idea which would suit you and as far as I remember if you are not happy with the version you choose Jeremy will change it for you.
 
I also recall a table which Frans, the developer, produced explaining the differences, but I can't remember which site it's on. Jeremy will know and maybe someone reading this post will provide the link.

 

[mowgli-kun]

  alright i think im pulling the trigger on the Polaris to pair with my HE-400i. Will be using Modi2uber as dac. Any recommendations on which of these settings to order Aggressive or Mellow with 400i's? i have no idea what they mean im new to this scene hehe XD
 

 
 
I would only order Aggressive, unless you own/use any NOS DACs.
 
The Mellow version is designed to shave of inaudible high-frequency noise when used with NOS DACs (the lowest two Bandwidth settings make no audible difference to my ears).