The HeadAmp GS-X and GS-X MK2 Thread

[musicmaker]

Out with the old, in with the new...

Great looking setup. Congrats. What audio rack is that ?

 

[stevenator]

What audio rack is that ?

It's one of my own making. It's composed of 3/8" bronze-colored plexiglass, some 3/8" bronze threaded rods, bronze nuts, bronze washers, leather washers and some brownish acorn nuts. The sheets are about 16" x 23", pretty standard.

I built it originally for my work setup, but it's way too big for my desk.

 

[biosailor]

Finally, I think I found the culprit for the hum: I presume it‘s my new power amp. Just re-connected my previous LabGruppen class D poweramp, Same cables, same power distributor, same loudspeakers , same everything, and when switching on the GS-X Mk2, no hum, nothing! Clean as a whistle! Even at high gain setting! I am totally disappointed, having spent twice as much for a new amp and ending up with a humming thingy! Anyway, what I wanted to say is: my apologies if I discredited the GS-X Mk2! SORRY!

 

[Bubica05]

Finally, I think I found the culprit for the hum: I presume it‘s my new power amp. Just re-connected my previous LabGruppen class D poweramp, Same cables, same power distributor, same loudspeakers , same everything, and when switching on the GS-X Mk2, no hum, nothing! Clean as a whistle! Even at high gain setting! I am totally disappointed, having spent twice as much for a new amp and ending up with a humming thingy! Anyway, what I wanted to say is: my apologies if I discredited the GS-X Mk2! SORRY!

How unfortunate and annoying. The same thing happened to me the last time I updated my power amp. And I was saving up for a while, to treat myself with some cool gear. Not to mention it took me 4weeks to figure out what went wrong, probably cause I was in denial about the amp

 

[buzzlulu]

Out with the old, in with the new...

Any hum encountered when stacking the two?

 

[Justin_Time]

Finally, I think I found the culprit for the hum: I presume it‘s my new power amp. Just re-connected my previous LabGruppen class D poweramp, Same cables, same power distributor, same loudspeakers , same everything, and when switching on the GS-X Mk2, no hum, nothing! Clean as a whistle! Even at high gain setting! I am totally disappointed, having spent twice as much for a new amp and ending up with a humming thingy! Anyway, what I wanted to say is: my apologies if I discredited the GS-X Mk2! SORRY!

Well, it is good that it is not the GS-X mk2.

But humm(ground loop) problems are a little trickier than you may have thought.

So before you throw away the new amp or give it to charity you may want to do a small check.

Hook your new amp back in, but this time, use a cheater plug—no ground—and plug it back into the same ac slot. If the hum persists, reverse the polarity of the plug (plug it in the reverse way). If the hum is reduced or disappears, you know it is not the amp. Simply, ground loop may have been created by having multiple grounds with multiple equipments.

If the hum persists, you still have the last resort. Use cheater plugs on ALL your gear except the one—usually the preamp -where all other equipments are hook up too. That should the the only grounde piece. Most of the time, this will eliminate the ground loop. BTW, do not run you low-level signal (RCA etc.) next (especially parallel) to your AC power cords.

With any luck, you may find our that your new amp works just fine.

 

[stevenator]

Any hum encountered when stacking the two?

I haven't noticed any yet, but I've not had much time to listen yet. I also haven't been listening with especially sensitive headphones.

 

[biosailor]

How unfortunate and annoying. The same thing happened to me the last time I updated my power amp. And I was saving up for a while, to treat myself with some cool gear. Not to mention it took me 4weeks to figure out what went wrong, probably cause I was in denial about the amp

Yes, it's a nuisance! It does teach me, however, that I am thinking of buying equipment only through local dealers. That saves me from the hassle of re-shipping equipment on my own and paying for it. For the next round, I'll take my time and very carefully evaluate amps, preferably through local dealers.

 

[biosailor]

Well, it is good that it is not the GS-X mk2.

But humm(ground loop) problems are a little trickier than you may have thought.

So before you throw away the new amp or give it to charity you may want to do a small check.

Hook your new amp back in, but this time, use a cheater plug—no ground—and plug it back into the same ac slot. If the hum persists, reverse the polarity of the plug (plug it in the reverse way). If the hum is reduced or disappears, you know it is not the amp. Simply, ground loop may have been created by having multiple grounds with multiple equipments.

If the hum persists, you still have the last resort. Use cheater plugs on ALL your gear except the one—usually the preamp -where all other equipments are hook up too. That should the the only grounde piece. Most of the time, this will eliminate the ground loop. BTW, do not run you low-level signal (RCA etc.) next (especially parallel) to your AC power cords.

With any luck, you may find our that your new amp works just fine.

Thanks for the suggestions. BUT: doesn't that pose a safety problem? Particularly lifting the ground for several equipments? I was told to strictly not doing anything like this. But I am aware that people tend to do this. Last time when I travelled to the states, I needed 3 to 2 prong power cable converter for my MacBook Pro. So I went to the electronics department of our institute and the electronics guy just gave me one. He just shrugged and said wryly: try it. I wasn't electrocuted in the US . But this power amp is MASSIVE, it draws quite a bit of juice.

 

[Whazzzup]

I’m no expert but as I figured the problem was elsewhere. Logically it’s not gsx mk2 cause there is no hum via hp. The dac I doubt cause of how they are made and no pre existing hum. The amp for sure seems like the logical culprit, subbing in and out amp should be simple enough to find out. As for what to do from here, warranty?

 

[stevenator]

Any hum encountered when stacking the two?

I plugged in my Mr. Speakers Ether C Flows in and when using the high gain setting, I got an audible hum with the units stacked. This was yesterday.

Today, I placed the power supply and amplifier on separate shelves (see the earlier picture for an idea of how far apart they are) and I moved the DAC a few feet away. I now can't detect any hum at any gain level or volume level.

 

[Justin_Time]

I had a slight hum initially with the units stacked.

I elevated the power supply just 2 inches above head-amp/pre-amp with Navcom feet and the hum disappears. EM does decay as 1 over distance squared.

The GS-X Mk2 looks great stacked with just a little more space between the units. And the steel rings around the Navcom silencers match the amp perfectly.

 

[elan120]

I got my GS-X Mk2 today, and this make my Monday a very happy day. After getting the amp inserted, initial impression is already very good, I can only imaging how much better this is going to be once the burn-in period is over...

 

[biosailor]

Just tried another amplifier swap: went to my local ATC dealer and he lent me his ATC SPA2-150 power amp. A 30 kg monster, dual mono, fully balanced, 150W output. Hooked it up with the cables I used previously and everything else left untouched. No hum whatsoever! And very best: highly resolving, smooth and incredibly enjoyable sound! So, if someone's looking for a good two channel combo: GS-X Mk2/ATC SPA2-150 is a match made in heaven! Unfortunately, they don't make the SPA2-150 amp anymore, it's been replaced by the ATC P1 (150W) or the ATC P2 amp. In the next few weeks, I'll try the P1 or P2 and, I presume, the sound will be just as engaging as with the SPA2-150 amp. My hum problem is solved! Thanks for all the good input!

 

[Whitigir]

Good sitting position. Laying there would be best