[inthere]

I use mid but I'm getting bad synergy. Seems like the GS-X thins out the treble a LOT on the Utopia.sensational on everything else, but I don't like it on the Utopia.

 

[cooperpwc]

  Quick question: Does changing the gain settings on the GS-X have any impact on the level output of the pre-amp output?

 
Yes. Both the volume control and gain setting control output volume.
 
I leave it set to high gain with my Precision 1 + Kef LS50.

 

[inthere]

My mistake, it's the Utopia that's thin in the treble, not the GS-Xmk2

 

[Zoom25]

   
Yes. Both the volume control and gain setting control output volume.
 
I leave it set to high gain with my Precision 1 + Kef LS50.

Thanks. I was looking for a similar scenario. My Amphion One15 + Amp100 runs hot straight out of the Dangerous Source's pre-amp. It's good to know the GS-X can offer gain settings for the pre-amp option.
 
Have you come across any differences in sound between the gain settings? Thanks.

 

[kazsud]

Thanks. I was looking for a similar scenario. My Amphion One15 + Amp100 runs hot straight out of the Dangerous Source's pre-amp. It's good to know the GS-X can offer gain settings for the pre-amp option.

Have you come across any differences in sound between the gain settings? Thanks.

How do you like the One15s?

 

[Zoom25]

How do you like the One15s?

Outstanding nearfields. Neutral, high resolution, but at the same time very fun to listen to for hours on end without a hint of fatigue. Really good linearity at low levels, which negates the use of headphones. The HD 800s sit idly by most of the time nowadays. 
 
It seriously makes me question myself if I should invest in any high-end headphone or headphone accessory in the future. (Kind of like if HD 800 and Audeze's had a speaker baby. Imaging and lack of phase issues like HD 800. Lack of fatigue and sweet sounding mids like Audeze. Bass going deep like Audeze but still punchy like HD 800.)
 
Would love to add the BaseOne25 one day 

 

[HeadAmpTeam]

  Yeah, I heard about it as well. The Holo Audio Spring is so new  that very few experience has been acquired. The audio community is desperately waiting for comparisons with existing DACs. But it sure looks interesting!

 
For those interested in this DAC, we'll also be showing it with the GS-X MkII and BHSE at the New York Audio show in November.  Potentially at CanJams to come next year as well.

 

[Pale Rider]

   
For those interested in this DAC, we'll also be showing it with the GS-X MkII and BHSE at the New York Audio show in November.  Potentially at CanJams to come next year as well.

Interesting, bit hard to follow, review over at Computer AUdiphile. 

 

[cooperpwc]

  Thanks. I was looking for a similar scenario. My Amphion One15 + Amp100 runs hot straight out of the Dangerous Source's pre-amp. It's good to know the GS-X can offer gain settings for the pre-amp option.
 
Have you come across any differences in sound between the gain settings? Thanks.

 
My perception is that the dynamic range is greatest in high gain, both headphone and preamp outs.

 

[Zoom25]

   
My perception is that the dynamic range is greatest in high gain, both headphone and preamp outs.

 
Oh okay. That's good to know. I was looking at opinions of people with BHA-1 and most preferred the low gain as it was cleaner and apparently allowed for more subtlety to come through. So your opinion came as the quite opposite of what I was expecting.
 
I see you also have the HD 800, so I can assume that in addition to the better dynamics, there aren't any other tradeoffs in sound that are noticeable on the HD 800 in the lower gain settings?

 

[cooperpwc]

   
Oh okay. That's good to know. I was looking at opinions of people with BHA-1 and most preferred the low gain as it was cleaner and apparently allowed for more subtlety to come through. So your opinion came as the quite opposite of what I was expecting.
 
I see you also have the HD 800, so I can assume that in addition to the better dynamics, there aren't any other tradeoffs in sound that are noticeable on the HD 800 in the lower gain settings?

 
Low gain also sounds good but more compressed IMO. The sound is a bit flatter. No other tradeoffs. I think that the GS-X mk2 is at its most natural and best in high gain.
 
Edit: Keep it on topic.

 

[biosailor]

  Outstanding nearfields. Neutral, high resolution, but at the same time very fun to listen to for hours on end without a hint of fatigue. Really good linearity at low levels, which negates the use of headphones. The HD 800s sit idly by most of the time nowadays. 
 
It seriously makes me question myself if I should invest in any high-end headphone or headphone accessory in the future. (Kind of like if HD 800 and Audeze's had a speaker baby. Imaging and lack of phase issues like HD 800. Lack of fatigue and sweet sounding mids like Audeze. Bass going deep like Audeze but still punchy like HD 800.)
 
Would love to add the BaseOne25 one day 

That's the other thing I'd like to ask the experts here: which power amps do you drive with the GSX's pre-amplifier? And what about speakers? So far, listening to the GSX-MK2/HD800 combo is really, really nice. But at times I do think that it would be nice to listening to my favourite music with speakers. I am keeping an eye on the LS50, or maybe some of the ELAC's? I just haven't come to a decision to go ahead and explore new territory. 

 

[Zoom25]

  That's the other thing I'd like to ask the experts here: which power amps do you drive with the GSX's pre-amplifier? And what about speakers? So far, listening to the GSX-MK2/HD800 combo is really, really nice. But at times I do think that it would be nice to listening to my favourite music with speakers. I am keeping an eye on the LS50, or maybe some of the ELAC's? I just haven't come to a decision to go ahead and explore new territory. 

Feel free to PM me as I don't want to derail this thread with speaker and speaker amp talk, but I figured I would it address it once since I've recently had a few people message me (on Head-fi and other forums) about Amphions and/or the LS50 in particular. I figured there might be more people in this thread that might be interested as they're typically maxed out with the GS-X and headphones and might be looking at speakers next.
 
To start off, I have zero experience with ELACs. However, the LS50 I've heard for extended period of time by myself in a decent room where I've heard other speakers and there is nothing wrong with the room. The rig consisted of PrimaLuna pre and power amps, Luxman power amps, PS Audio PerfectWave Mk2, NAD M51, M50, PS Audio Powerplant P10. I played around with different DACs, transport, all major music genres, and power amp combos to get a good baseline of how the speakers performed.
 
I went in looking to buy as I had heard only good things about them and they looked beautiful. They ended up sounding good, but it didn't feel natural and the sound was somewhat boxy. It just wouldn't gel with what I've come to expect in both headphones and speakers. Even the Q900 seemed better for pure casual purposes.
 
I thought it was the cabinet and driver size that resulted in my lack of preference with LS50's. I currently have the Amphion One15 with the Amphion amp and Amphion speaker cable. Unlike the LS50, the One15's are sealed and have a passive radiator at the back which moves in conjunction with the front driver. They're both the same size roughly. However, they sound worlds apart. In front of the Amphions, the LS50 sound broken. The LS50 simply doesn't make sense. The One15's are anything but boxy and these sound RIGHT. Far better resolution, better bass punch and extension, imaging is HD 800, no holes in the mids. My only other choice in nearfield is the ATC SCM20asl Pro Mk2. The One15's crossover is 1600 Hz which results in the mids being untouched.
 
Another benefit of the One15 is that they still sound really good in small and untreated rooms. Anssi, the designer of Amphion, really wanted these to be as little as room dependent as possible and it definitely shows. Hundreds of positive reviews from the pro community with nothing negative to say. (Same goes for the Dangerous Convert-2 I previously mentioned. 100% positive reviews about the Convert-2 from the mastering community and consistently coming at the top of its class from Apollo, Burl, Prism, Benchmark, Lavry.). It's definitely not hype at this point.
 
Here's a quick vid showing how the One15's in a studio sound relative to other monitors. Of course, it sounds different in real life listening to them, but even then you should be able to point out how the other monitors sound broken in the mids and top end compared to One15s. It definitely holds up with my experiences:
 

 
Another vid of Anssi talking about the Amphion systems and design philosophy. Worth the watch in general!
 

 
 
Regarding the LS50. A lot of people love them, some don't, some so so. I would audition it first hand to see where how they fit your expectations. Also, if you've heard other top systems from ATC, PSI, PMC, Focal, Barefoot, then your opinion will also vary. So your experience may vary based on your reference point. I've also had other friends tell me to whom I've suggested the One15 that currently or previously had the LS50 that they all prefer the One15 by a fair margin. You can google and will find a few comparison of LS50 and One15 and all way give the preference to the Amphion sound.
 
Alright, that's all from me on speakers. Back to the GS-X.

 

[Whazzzup]

how do you strap those puppies to your head?

 

[cooperpwc]

I heard the KEF LS50 at the HK showroom and I had to own them someday. I kept going back to the showroom when I visited HK and I still had to own them. They are expensive though. I was fortunate to visit said showroom when it and the entire computer/audio mall it was located in were being shut down. I got a good deal to walk a pair out the door. I have never looked back.
 
Living in China, I grabbed an Audio GD Precision 1 shipped up from Shenzhen for a song. 90 watts of clean power is plenty. My Precision 1 is wired with an input that bypasses the preamp section so that I can use it with the GS-X mk2. (That amp is no longer available; Audio GD has gone upmarket.) 
 
Just get a clean amp biased into Class A and go to the higher end of the 25-100 watt power range.
 
The LS50 are insanely popular with critics and consumers and there is the expected pushback. That is fair; they are not the only speakers out there and tastes vary. But they are popular for a reason. I like them.