The HeadAmp GS-X and GS-X MK2 Thread

[AppleheadMay]

  I have the DACT. We can always do a comparison if you're really interested. We're at least in the right country With the HD800 on low gain, it's around 9 to 12 o' clock. My DAC outputs a 6.2Vrms signal.

 
We sure can't compare it on paper: my dac puts out 2.3V unbalnced and 4.6V balanced and the impedance levels of our phones are as different as can be.
At the moment I'm in the wrong country driving on the wrong side of the road doing some headphone auditioning/shopping though.

 

[rgs9200m]

The more I think about this umbilical power cable thing, I think every GSX owner should have a spare one, since it seems impossible to get one at any price from anywhere besides Headamp. (The Stefan one is for the BHSE they say, not for the GSX).
So if anything happens to your cable, you are stuck.

 

[ogodei]

  The more I think about this umbilical power cable thing, I think every GSX owner should have a spare one, since it seems impossible to get one at any price from anywhere besides Headamp. (The Stefan one is for the BHSE they say, not for the GSX).
So if anything happens to your cable, you are stuck.

 
Couldn't the same logic apply to the amp itself?  Hmmm.

 

[icebear]

   
Couldn't the same logic apply to the amp itself?  Hmmm.

Always got to have back up, good idea !

 

[rgs9200m]

GS-X2: WOW WHAT AN AMP! Especially with LCD3F (with a touch of EQ from Jriver, ~ -2db in the highs > 6kHz to my tastes).
System: Windows PC==>Hugo==>GSX2.
Bass is nice and controlled. Somehow imaging nice and centralized, w/no pulling to left or right, so there is a spacious feeling.
Thanks Justin.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  GS-X2: WOW WHAT AN AMP! Especially with LCD3F (with a touch of EQ from Jriver, ~ -2db in the highs > 6kHz to my tastes).
System: Windows PC==>Hugo==>GSX2.
Bass is nice and controlled. Somehow imaging nice and centralized, w/no pulling to left or right, so there is a spacious feeling.
Thanks Justin.

 
 
You indeed have quite a setup: Hugo + GSX + LCD3 ... one I would personally like myself!
But having just heard the LCD3 alongside the LCDXC which I both liked very much and had a hard time choosing between, tuning down the highs is exactly what I wouldn't do. I got the XC just because it was a bit clearer than the 3. Wouldn't mind getting me an LCD3 as well later on though, as I said I liked both a lot. 
Could be just preferences of course, it's just that EQ-ing down the highs is about the opposite of what I would do with the 3.
I did compare both on a Bryston amp + Bryston Dac though, the amp was really good and nicely priced as well, but I can't imagine the GSX being too bright.
So maybe it's the Dac? Maybe the Hugo is a bit on the bright side as a dac, or brighter than Bryston at least?
The Marantz I use with the GSX sure isn't bright, it's nicely detailed although probably less than the Hugo but it adds a little warmth.
Just wondering about the Hugo dac actually.

 

[rgs9200m]

Thank you Appleheadmay.
Just to correct something I read way back in the thread, the loop-out works with the amp powered off. Someone said the amp needed to be on, but mine does not, so this is a nice convenience.
That said, OMG, with my Quad monitor speakers running from the pre-amp output, these speakers sound very engaging like I never heard before, really high end with lots of imaging and depth and staging.
The preamp sends a very powerful signal, like an amp. With GSX2 in high gain, I barely have to move the volume. I haven't tested it, but I wonder if it could power passive monitors.
 
And probably off-topic, but I find the LCD3F to be a very lively phone, with prominent treble, from upper mids to the upper highs, more so than the original LCD3 Classic. This is true with all amps I tried it with.
I do have Moon Silver Dragon cables though and run them balanced. Yep, the Hugo is very clear, so a more reticent DAC would probably make a difference. I should try it with my old Meridian director dac, but it's a big pain to reinstall.

 

[nepherte]

  Just to correct something I read way back in the thread, the loop-out works with the amp powered off. Someone said the amp needed to be on, but mine does not, so this is a nice convenience.

 
You're right. It doesn't have to be powered. According to the manual
 
Quote: GS0X mk2 user manual

 [...] If the amp is turned off, the RCA loop output will default to outputting the RCA 1 input signal. [...]

 
Which makes me wonder what the XLR loop output defaults to..I assume the XLR input? Can't test it myself though.

 

[rgs9200m]

This started in post 1716 of this thread. 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/632948/the-headamp-gs-x-and-gs-x-mk2-thread/1710#post_9767259
But it turned out this was a little problem in the first batch, and it has long ago been corrected. So we can put this issue to bed.

 

[BobG55]

Good to know.

 

[Failed Engineer]

A follow-up to the DACT vs. Alpha decision.  I bought a secondhand Alpha unit and I can definitely hear imbalance with my JH13s, but it's at levels no one would ever consider listening to.  I say that as a very low volume listener myself.  The ability to dial in volume precisely is valuable as I prefer low volume and I have it coupled to a 6V source.  Happy with my decision.  I haven't compared it to a DACT, but I don't think the Alpha is lacking in any respect, and it has different strengths.

 

[icebear]

   
6 days, 20 hours ago

Hold on tight, you are almost there ...
and when you get a tracking message, open up the link this time and make sure it's not another pair of sneakers

 

[BobG55]

icebear I did open the link the last time but all it said on the the page was "item" so I couldn't tell wether it was the GS-X MK2 or my wife's running shoes (sneakers.)   My anxiety got the best of me.   It's still good for a laugh though.  

 

[icebear]

 
icebear I did open the link the last time but all it said on the the page was "item" so I couldn't tell wether it was the GS-X MK2 or my wife's running shoes (sneakers.)   My anxiety got the best of me.   It's still good for a laugh though.  

I guess this will be a classic

 

[BobG55]

 

 
icebear I did open the link the last time but all it said on the the page was "item" so I couldn't tell wether it was the GS-X MK2 or my wife's running shoes (sneakers.)   My anxiety got the best of me.   It's still good for a laugh though.  

I guess this will be a classic

 
Probably, but you can appreciate the fact that I have mixed feelings about it.