[iamxLn]

what's the sound signature from the polaris?

 

[vapman]

what's the sound signature from the polaris?

Tube-like, super detailed yet relaxed, super musical

 

[iamxLn]

More bass quantity than magni? Can someone chime in

 

[bixby]

More bass quantity than magni? Can someone chime in

lets just say the asgard 2 is not in the same league, does that help?
 
If you are looking for bass "enhanced"  pass on it, it is rather neutral not boomy

 

[vapman]

It handles EQing very well, I often run strong as +18dB on sub bass to it. But if you are looking for hardware EQ the G1217's are not what you wasnt.

 

[iamxLn]

Not looking for bass head levels or anything just want something that does my headphones justice. Vibro, mdp, and he400 are all known for their own flavor of tasteful powerful bass. I don't feel like I'm getting it with the magni due to power or just the fact that the magni has been called bright.

Would the ember be a better match for my style? Is strongly prefer the little dot to the magni if that helps.

 

[Tunkejazz]

Not looking for bass head levels or anything just want something that does my headphones justice. Vibro, mdp, and he400 are all known for their own flavor of tasteful powerful bass. I don't feel like I'm getting it with the magni due to power or just the fact that the magni has been called bright.

Would the ember be a better match for my style? Is strongly prefer the little dot to the magni if that helps.

I had the Vali-1 and the Polaris has a much better defined and articulated bass...I guess the word is authority in the lower end.
It is certainly not bass shy (on the neutral side I would say) but I never miss to have more bass with the Polaris.

 

[CobraTaco]

If anyone was looking for a system wide Equalizer for Windows(64bit) I found this:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/
 
And since that program is kind of daunting at first you can put this file into the install directory and run it for an easy GUI:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension/
 
Virtually endless capability with filters/EQ/profiles. And I can personally say that the Polaris handles software EQ amazingly

 

[iamxLn]

I had the Vali-1 and the Polaris has a much better defined and articulated bass...I guess the word is authority in the lower end.
It is certainly not bass shy (on the neutral side I would say) but I never miss to have more bass with the Polaris.

Vali is pretty underpowered by comparison too though, it's not any better than my little dot

 

[iamxLn]

Anyone using Polaris with any of the fostex mods? Wondering if it has enough power to maximize their potential.

 

[RiddleyWalker]

Anyone using Polaris with any of the fostex mods? Wondering if it has enough power to maximize their potential.

Drives my ZMF Blackwood fostex mod just fine with plenty of headroom on the volume knob. The Polaris has enough power for pretty much anything aside from running HE-6 / K1000 to their full potential.

 

[Luckbad]

Anyone using Polaris with any of the fostex mods? Wondering if it has enough power to maximize their potential.

I used the Polaris with the Fostex TH600. With EQ on the sub-bass and -20dB on the preamp EQ, it still had plenty of power and headroom.

 

[iamxLn]

I used the Polaris with the Fostex TH600. With EQ on the sub-bass and -20dB on the preamp EQ, it still had plenty of power and headroom.

How's the slam compared to the ember with Russian tubes?

 

[Luckbad]

How's the slam compared to the ember with Russian tubes?

 
Never got to try them head to head.

 

[Kevlar218]

I had never heard of Garage1217 or the Polaris until someone in the HD600 impression forum mentioned that it made their 600's sound euphoric, so I had to see what this amp was all about. I was going to get a Vali 2, but after reading through all the posts over the past couple of days I am now convinced that I really need to hear one of these for myself. I love the idea of so many options to tune your sound and fit a variety of headphones.
 
This will be a huge step up from my current setup (cheap SMSL 793II dac/amp), but I figure I might as well jump now instead of making small incremental purchases (Vali 2/Modi) and regretting the minimal upgrades I end up with. I am still undecided which headphones to pair it with. I have the HD598 and the SHP9500 currently, but want to upgrade to the HD600 or HD650. I will be able to use my current dac in the SMSL with the Polaris until I upgrade to something down the line right? Unless someone has a recommendation of a better stand alone dac that isn't going to break the bank but I was planning on saving up for something much better in a month or two around the $250 mark.