The HeadAmp GS-X and GS-X MK2 Thread

[Justin_Time]

Joined the club of the owners of this beautiful beast. Bought the gorgeous champagne color unit that was demoed on CanJam NYC 2018. Thank you Peter very much for excellent discussion we had and of course for the opportunity to buy the amp. What can I say: WOW.... This is so far one of the best headphone amplifier I owned/own (WA-6, Vio V281, Cayin iHa6, ifi iCan Pro). Usually I listen to my rig 2-3 hours a day, but yesterday I spent almost 6 hours re-inventing my music collection. What a pleasure. This AMPLIFIER will stay in my house forever.
I have one small question to those who are using Sennheiser HD800s. I was running mk2 via RCA inputs feeded from my Ibasso’s DX200 line output. HD800s via balanced 4 pin. Ibasso’s volume was at max. At high gain setting my comfortable volume level was at about 85% of the max (probably 4-5 clicks from max). Is it a kinda normal? Actually at low level I was not able to get comfortable listening level at all and at medium gain Volume level was at it’s max. I am above 50 and my ears are not really young anymore but with iCan pro and V281 at their highest gains level settings I never go above 50-60% of the volume. Today I will be using my Edition X v2. What gain setting you guys recommend/use for them?

I do not have the ibasso but i have used various devices with the RCA inputs of the GS-X Mk2. I never had to use the H gain with the HD800s; the M gain is quite sufficient and I get plenty of volume with a good range for small adjustments. I had to use the high gain only with the HE-1000 v2. With the old HE-6, even with H setting and balanced output, the GS-X Mk2 runs out of juice. The V281 does have higher gain than the GS-X Mk2.

It appears that your ibasso may not have enough gain to work well with the GS-X Mk2 but that is just a guess on my part. You need someone with both the ibasso and the GS-X Mk2 to be sure. But personally, I never had any gain problem with any of the digital player or CD/SACD/Bluray player I have owned when used with the GS-X Mk2.

 

[TonyNewman]

Do you ever have one of those moments with your GS-X where it just sneaks up on you and find yourself saying out loud to no one in particular, "damn this thing sounds sweet!"
...or is that just me?

Not just you.

My previous amp (AGD M9) is still fresh in my mind, so I have quite a few moments of "Wow - this thing is transparent".

Doubly glad I have an R2R NOS DAC. I can't see too many DAC pairings ending well with this amp. An edgy or bright DAC might not be pleasant.

The Holo Spring gets my interest. Are you using the I2S feed from the SU-1?

 

[T Bone]

The Holo Spring gets my interest. Are you using the I2S feed from the SU-1?

Yes, I tested the USB, AES and I2S outputs of the Singxer. In my testing, I found I2S to have a slight edge over AES - it was close.
I think you'll find that the Holo will pair well with the rest of your gear.

 

[biosailor]

So, dear Headamp aficionados, as posted a long time ago, my new amp, that will be fed by the miraculous pre-amp of the GSX-MK2 is on its way to me. Here are a few pictures of the amp. Looking very much forward to embed it into my audio chain. Naturally, I'll post some impressions once the amp is in operation.

 

[biosailor]

Sorry, some picture files had been duplicated. My apologies!

 

[TonyNewman]

Yes, I tested the USB, AES and I2S outputs of the Singxer. In my testing, I found I2S to have a slight edge over AES - it was close.
I think you'll find that the Holo will pair well with the rest of your gear.

I'm in a bit of a jam there. The SU-1 outputs I2S (HDMI) while the Pavane support I2S (RJ45) input with a swap out of the USB card. To feed the Pavane I2S (RJ45) requires the purchase of the upcoming streaming unit Metrum Ambre. The cost of that is more than half the cost of a Holo L3 KTE, which support I2S (HDMI) input out of the box.

I have little interest in streaming music at this time and I don't want to replace my Pavane - quite happy with it.

So, if the SQ improvement of I2S over AES isn't all that spectacular, I'll stick with SU-1 feeding the Pavane AES and be happy.

 

[T Bone]

I think I'd make the same choice as you @TonyNewman. AES is a great choice. I can't see the I2S upgrade being worth the $$$ in this case.

 

[adamdos]

I do not have the ibasso but i have used various devices with the RCA inputs of the GS-X Mk2. I never had to use the H gain with the HD800s; the M gain is quite sufficient and I get plenty of volume with a good range for small adjustments. I had to use the high gain only with the HE-1000 v2. With the old HE-6, even with H setting and balanced output, the GS-X Mk2 runs out of juice. The V281 does have higher gain than the GS-X Mk2.

It appears that your ibasso may not have enough gain to work well with the GS-X Mk2 but that is just a guess on my part. You need someone with both the ibasso and the GS-X Mk2 to be sure. But personally, I never had any gain problem with any of the digital player or CD/SACD/Bluray player I have owned when used with the GS-X Mk2.

Thanks for sharing. Yesterday tried Edition Xv2 and got same result - Mk2 has notably less juice then V281 and ican Pro. I really don't want to buy a separate DAC (especially not cheep R2R) as I fully satisfied with Ibasso's one. It is a kinda pity that I cannot use low gain setting, but of course it is not a show stopper at all. I absolutely enjoy the sound I am getting from Mk2 even through RCA feed. Wish I bought it much earlier avoiding costly experiments.

 

[TonyNewman]

I think I'd make the same choice as you @TonyNewman. AES is a great choice. I can't see the I2S upgrade being worth the $$$ in this case.

It's another plus in favour of the Holo DAC that it comes with an I2S HDMI input as standard. An extremely impressive DAC for the price. Probably the best bang for buck DAC I can think of - knocking the Yggy off that perch, I think.

If I didn't already have the upgraded Pavane I would be looking very hard at the Holo KTE NOS DAC.

 

[biosailor]

It's another plus in favour of the Holo DAC that it comes with an I2S HDMI input as standard. An extremely impressive DAC for the price. Probably the best bang for buck DAC I can think of - knocking the Yggy off that perch, I think.

If I didn't already have the upgraded Pavane I would be looking very hard at the Holo KTE NOS DAC.

So, do you think the Kitsune Holo DAC could be a true competitor of the Pavane? I‘m under the impression, although I could be wrong, the Pavane is rated much higher?

Also, is I2S to be favored simply because a DAC chip works in I2S mode (again, I could be wrong here) and doesn‘t need to convert the data stream into a different format?

 

[yage]

Thanks for sharing. Yesterday tried Edition Xv2 and got same result - Mk2 has notably less juice then V281 and ican Pro. I really don't want to buy a separate DAC (especially not cheep R2R) as I fully satisfied with Ibasso's one. It is a kinda pity that I cannot use low gain setting, but of course it is not a show stopper at all. I absolutely enjoy the sound I am getting from Mk2 even through RCA feed. Wish I bought it much earlier avoiding costly experiments.

If you're using RCA input, then the GS-X basically becomes a single-ended amp (see "A Couple of Notes on Operation" in the InnerFidelity review). You really need a balanced source to get the full power output.

 

[TonyNewman]

So, do you think the Kitsune Holo DAC could be a true competitor of the Pavane? I‘m under the impression, although I could be wrong, the Pavane is rated much higher?

Also, is I2S to be favored simply because a DAC chip works in I2S mode (again, I could be wrong here) and doesn‘t need to convert the data stream into a different format?

I would have to hear them side by side to comment on that. The upgraded Pavane (to Adagio standard) is mighty impressive, but then so is the feedback on the Holo KTE DAC running on I2S feed in NOS mode. The price difference is substantial, so I would want the Pavane to outperform the Holo by a noticeable margin to justify the price. What little feedback I can find, and there isn't much around directly comparing the latest Pavane vs Holo KTE running I2S, says that the Holo at least holds its own. Meaning that the Holo is likely a much better value proposition.

This is getting somewhat OT for the GS-X Mk2 amp thread. I guess the key thing is that either of these DACs makes a great pairing for the ultra-transparent GS-X Mk2.

This amp is so fast and so transparent that a DAC with sharp leading edges to the sound is likely to become fatiguing. That's where NOS DACs seem to really shine - they tend to have softer/rounder leading edges - if that makes sense?

 

[biosailor]

I would have to hear them side by side to comment on that. The upgraded Pavane (to Adagio standard) is mighty impressive, but then so is the feedback on the Holo KTE DAC running on I2S feed in NOS mode. The price difference is substantial, so I would want the Pavane to outperform the Holo by a noticeable margin to justify the price. What little feedback I can find, and there isn't much around directly comparing the latest Pavane vs Holo KTE running I2S, says that the Holo at least holds its own. Meaning that the Holo is likely a much better value proposition.

This is getting somewhat OT for the GS-X Mk2 amp thread. I guess the key thing is that either of these DACs makes a great pairing for the ultra-transparent GS-X Mk2.

This amp is so fast and so transparent that a DAC with sharp leading edges to the sound is likely to become fatiguing. That's where NOS DACs seem to really shine - they tend to have softer/rounder leading edges - if that makes sense?

Thanks for pointing out to the Kitsune DAC! It keeps getting rave reviews, just like Schiit’s Yggdrasil. NOS mode seems to be the preferred mode of operation, I keep reading this throughout the various discussion threads. I myself absolutely favor R2R DACs, having experienced the smooth and forgiving sound signature of R2R DACs. I couldn‘t imagine listening to an edgy and grainy DAC in combination with the GSX MK2, that would be traumatic!

 

[joseph69]

I couldn‘t imagine listening to an edgy and grainy DAC in combination with the GSX MK2, that would be traumatic!

The GS-X paired with the KTE Holo Spring is a very nice match indeed!
The Spring was clearly the most influential addition to both my GS-X and BHSE systems.

 

[TonyNewman]

... I couldn‘t imagine listening to an edgy and grainy DAC in combination with the GSX MK2, that would be traumatic!

+1. If you read the Inner Fidelity review of the GS-X Mk2 it seems pretty obvious to me that the DAC pairing was not ideal. Likely an Auralic Vega. I used to own a Vega DAC and I would never, ever want to pair that DAC with a GS-X Mk2. Usual Sabre 9018 traits in the treble - tending to bright / shiny / glassy / nasty - at least in comparison to the NOS DACs I have heard.

The review ended up recommending careful paring of headphones to the darker / treble rolled side of the street. To me, that is completely backasswards. Pair this amp with the right DAC and you can use whatever headphone you like. Just my 2 cents, but it is backed up by my (limited) experience with the GS-X Mk2 and the experience of others. My favorite pairing right now is the HD800S, edging out the modded HEKv2. That headphone just wouldn't work with a Vega DAC in the chain, I'm sure.