[Gandah]

Wow I have my doubts... what he said is the polar opposite to my experience with the GSX.  Your right Solude, must of been some good weed....

 

[Frank I]

This is not the first controversy he started. Last year he solicited people to review a tube amp and I was pretty up on his list and told us that Canada reviewers had the amp and in reality there were no amps and they never materialized.  He then he changed his user name here on headfi. I just take what he tells me as fiction.  But lately its not even making a decent  novel.

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

The guy is an idiot, no doubt about that.  I guess he thought the Xicon resistors were the similarly looking crap you'll find in Chinese gear.  People who have been paying attention might notice they are on the official BOM for the KGSSHV project and the T2DIY.  We aren't exactly known to scrimp on parts or use anything but the best... 
 
The parts you see in that picture are polypropylene caps for local PSU bypass and for the servo, Panasonic FC power caps and Bourns trimmers.  This is all the same stuff you would find in a 40k$ MSB dac. 

 
the final version of the Gilmore Lite doesn't even have the Bourns trimmer pots, i just matched the parts even closer and excluded them.  so they weren't needed.
 
other than that, i'm going to assume its because the resistors aren't some boutique audiophile brand that would add 50-60% to the cost of the amplifier.  many of those resistors would just result in a noisier amplifier, have obscene pricing, have limited availability in the resistance values offered, and don't even provide a full specification sheet.  
 
the new modules in the GS-X mk2 are all surface mount, and use MELF resistors which are leadless metal film so they are better than the previous version.  and the specs sheet proves it.  they do cost about 10x as much per resistor but that's better than 1,000x as much.

 

[Rico613]

Quote:

 
I’m not sure you understood my comment.

apologies, I was just trying to be cute  . . .

 

[johnwmclean]

Quote:

apologies, I was just trying to be cute  . . .

 
No apologies necessary, I wasn’t sure you understood that’s all.
 

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

 
the final version of the Gilmore Lite doesn't even have the Bourns trimmer pots, i just matched the parts even closer and excluded them.  so they weren't needed.
 
other than that, i'm going to assume its because the resistors aren't some boutique audiophile brand that would add 50-60% to the cost of the amplifier.  many of those resistors would just result in a noisier amplifier, have obscene pricing, have limited availability in the resistance values offered, and don't even provide a full specification sheet.  
 
the new modules in the GS-X mk2 are all surface mount, and use MELF resistors which are leadless metal film so they are better than the previous version.  and the specs sheet proves it.  they do cost about 10x as much per resistor but that's better than 1,000x as much.

 
I've never used trimmers in my Dynalo amps so they aren't needed.  I even built one with no matching and I could correct it easily with a couple of fixed resistors. 
 
As for the resistors, it's just the age old "moar expensive, moar bettah" argument made by people who haven't got a clue.  The only boutique manufacturer that springs to mind with a full E96 lineup and reasonable pricing is PRP but the build quality of the resistors is just awful.  Take Vishay, Koa and Xicon, every component is perfect and will easily meet its insulation specs.  With PRP they are mislabeled, the coating is uneven at best (sometimes missing is spots) and they are very fragile.   Caddock has some very nice resistors but they are priced accordingly.  I personally took a cue from Krell and moved to Vishay CCF's. 

 

[R Giskard]

Quote:

This is not the first controversy he started. Last year he solicited people to review a tube amp and I was pretty up on his list and told us that Canada reviewers had the amp and in reality there were no amps and they never materialized.  He then he changed his user name here on headfi. I just take what he tells me as fiction.  But lately its not even making a decent  novel.

Frank, you are completely wrong. The amplifiers were, in fact,  materialized as you put it. The manufacturer just wasn't interested in selling them elsewhere so having an international review campaign didn't make sense. I explained all of this in the thread which was consequently and rightly so, deleted, for I was not a forum sponsor. As for my avatar, I requested a change from the moderators because I am no longer involved in the company due to the same reasons you and others never received their review example. I was used just like you were so please don't draw conclusions when you are not familiar with all the facts. 
 
As for the GS-X amplifier, people can call me what they want but it isn't worth anywhere near 2.000 $ and if that is offensive to some, they should probably find a place where all the people think the same.

 

[johnwmclean]

Quote:

As for the GS-X amplifier, people can call me what they want but it isn't worth anywhere near 2.000 $ and if that is offensive to some, they should probably find a place where all the people think the same.

 
Thats ok you have a right to an opinion, but it’s worthless without an explanation of why.

 

[Solude]

He said why, he just happened to be wrong about his reasoning.  He thinks through hole is bad and that the parts used in HeadAmp gear is cheap /facepalm
 
He is partially right that the Dynalo is available in the Lite, which is unbeatable at its asking price, and that the GS-1 and GS-X are scaled up versions that don't scale the performance up 1:1 with price.  But then what does and is that the Lite is so awesome for what it costs that the 'real' versions should also be given away?
 
Let's wait and see how the Senn amp turns out.  Haven't seen any inside shots, not that I'm looking terribly hard.  And the Bryston?  Really the Bryston?  Going by your own criteria, ok it's SMD, but the part quality is low and the design is decades old.

 

[purk]

Quote:

As for the GS-X amplifier, people can call me what they want but it isn't worth anywhere near 2.000 $ and if that is offensive to some, they should probably find a place where all the people think the same.

 
For a commercial amp, I rather think Justin's GS-X MKII is relatively a good value compared to other amps at the same pricepoint.  It sports the best build quality, functionality, and is a class-leading in term of sonic performance at this price category.  I currently have the RSA Apache and used to audition the Woo Audio 5 & Eddie Current Zana Deux in house...and I personally prefer my original Gilmore Reference Balanced (GS-X MKI) & GS-X MKII over those amps.  Of course, we all hear differently.  

 

[spritzer]

The Bryston is garbage, it's not even fully balanced and a cap coupled output in a SS amp made in 2012?  This is Rudistor level of engineering but that was to be expected from Bryston.  Have they ever made anything that's good? 
 
9 times out of 10 thought hole components are superior to SMD parts.  SMD is just much cheaper, not better in any conceivable way. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Frank, you are completely wrong. The amplifiers were, in fact,  materialized as you put it. The manufacturer just wasn't interested in selling them elsewhere so having an international review campaign didn't make sense. I explained all of this in the thread which was consequently and rightly so, deleted, for I was not a forum sponsor. As for my avatar, I requested a change from the moderators because I am no longer involved in the company due to the same reasons you and others never received their review example. I was used just like you were so please don't draw conclusions when you are not familiar with all the facts. 
 
As for the GS-X amplifier, people can call me what they want but it isn't worth anywhere near 2.000 $ and if that is offensive to some, they should probably find a place where all the people think the same.

 
 
This thread is that place.  

 

[wild4sound]

The GSX MKII is my first Head Amp product. I use it every day. For the amount of pleasure it helps provide, this is a dirt cheap product. It is the least  expensive part in my component chain yet contributes more than any of the other parts costing at least double each . It drives all my phones better than any amp I have had. It has not missed a beat. There is nothing flash about it , understated elegance.  Needless to say I enjoy the music .
 
Very supporting to see much more experienced Headfier's standing up for the product and brand. I suspect all the owners would be quietly chuckling at some sideline comments .
Solidarity aids enjoyment .

 

[wink]

R. Discard sorry, Giscard is allowed his opinion, even if it is wrong.
 
If he has problems with the price of the Headamp GSX, where does he stand with 99% of all the really overpriced summit audio equipment on sale?
 
Manufacturers have businesses to run and hence are not DIY where your time is your own.
 
When I build an amp I consider the parts cost only.
 
When a manufacturer builds an amp there is R+D costs, wages if he employs people, parts shipment costs, time organising the build, etc.
 
If he wants to start up a HiFi charity that he's willing to underwrite - go for it.
 
Just don't expect all the other manufacturers, whether giant corporations or boutique builders to follow suit.

 

[BournePerfect]

I didn't realize Giscard was referring to the MKII necessarily...?
 
-Daniel