[Pudu]

I don't often post pics ... But when I do...I use a crappy cell phone and bad angles...
-Daniel

Nice haul!

Double gratz.

 

[DarKen23]

 

hey DG: nice impressions im getting more excited lol. are your hd800s running in SE or balanced? also which gain setting did you use on the gsx and how much volume pot headroom you have?

something that i dont quite understand is how unity gain works. if there is 0 gain, isn't it just a signal pass through? if so isnt it better to just hook up your headphones directly to your dac (with a rca to 1/4" adapter or something). maybe somebody can explain it to me what the point of unity gain is?

edit: also did you say the bass of the hd800 on the gsx is the best you've ever heard? how does it compare to the wa2, both in quantity and quality?

 i am using balanced input, but SE cables for everything but the HE-6, so you can say HE-6 is balanced, everything else is SE.

i use high gain for basically everything except the TH-900, i have enough space to always adjust the volume, if i don't, i'll go to medium, but i haven't really had a problem yet. i'm guessing that if i was balanced, i'd be using medium instead of high gain on everything. 

and everything can go to speaker like volumes with the headphones away from your ears, without any distortion whatsoever, you have as much headroom as you want. and this includes LCD-3 and HE-500, unbalanced, i can only imagine how much headroom u must have balanced. 

the HE-6 is the exception, its just enough to be considered "well powered and fully driven", it gets as loud as you want, but i think its still 2-3 dB short of perfection, i feel comfortably having a tad bit more headroom, u can get loud enough though.

slightly less quantity than WA2, the bass is somewhat light at times, but its really not. the bass is neutral and never lacking. and all the good qualities of bass, extension, clarity texture, etc, is the best i've ever heard. the quality is simply UNPARALLELED BY ANYTHING IVE HEARD. and its like this on every single headphone.

the HD 800 have very very good bass, it comes out on the recordings when it needs it, it lays back when it needs to. depends on the recording. one thing is if you like bass boost, this amp doesn't have that, the WA2 has a bit more of a rounded fuller bass thats slightly boosted, especially with 5998 tubes, the GSX doesn't have this. the bass is the best quality on the GSX though, u hear EVERYTHING, every nuance texture and detail in the bass, its so full of soul and emotion, it really adds alot to the music. i really like it. so lifelike and accurate, its perfect!!!! 

DG, have you heard other amps from headamp? Would you say amps from headamp tend to swing the same way in terms of sonic character?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

DG, have you heard other amps from headamp? Would you say amps from headamp tend to swing the same way in terms of sonic character?

 
 
nope unfortunately i haven't.

 

[longbowbbs]

Daniel, you are going to end up with the ZDSE/DP-1 combo all over again....Not so bad (Right!, just getting by. 

)  Maybe throw in the HeadAmp just for variety.

 

[preproman]

DG, have you heard other amps from headamp? Would you say amps from headamp tend to swing the same way in terms of sonic character?

 
What other headamps are you talking about - GS-1??  The GS-X mk2 would be slightly different.  Balanced and a better power supply than the others.  I surely have different results from the GS-X mk2 when compared to the GS-1..

 

[perrew]

What other headamps are you talking about - GS-1??  The GS-X mk2 would be slightly different.  Balanced and a better power supply than the others.  I surely have different results from the GS-X mk2 when compared to the GS-1..

Could you please elaborate on the diiferences between the GS-1 and the GS-X with the HD800s? Tks P

 

[preproman]

The GS-1 is a really good amp.  Not many can beat it in direct comparisons.  However, back then I went to a balanced config.  The first that took the place of the GS-1 was the 4 channel Beta 22.  I had better control and a better bass response.  The treble on the Beta was rolled compared to the GS-1.  But everything else I liked better on the Beta.  Then came the GS-X mk2.  It kicked the Beta out the door.  Well extended treble as I experienced with the GS-1 but also had all the good things the Beta had plus better imaging and soundstage.  
 
If you want to stay in a SE config.  The GS-1 with upgraded modules would be a great choice.

 

[perrew]

@preproman, thank you very much for your impressions!
Im not a great believer in the balanced design being necessary for driving headphones but I do got the upgraded modules coming for my GS-1
Although the GS-XMk2 is said to have improved PSU so that might also do something though Im slightly doubtful of it being necessary for the HD800s

 

[Jd007]

   
i use high gain for basically everything except the TH-900, i have enough space to always adjust the volume, if i don't, i'll go to medium, but i haven't really had a problem yet. i'm guessing that if i was balanced, i'd be using medium instead of high gain on everything. 
 
and everything can go to speaker like volumes with the headphones away from your ears, without any distortion whatsoever, you have as much headroom as you want. and this includes LCD-3 and HE-500, unbalanced, i can only imagine how much headroom u must have balanced. 

forgot to ask: where does the volume knob sit then, at high gain, normal listening volume, for the hd800 and he500? 10'o clock?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

unbalanced, probably a little less, 9 or 10, haven't paid much attention.
 
it has quite alot of headroom though obviously. 
 
it drives all headphones no problem and gets loud not too quickly and not too late. 
 
with balanced, you would have double the power.

 

[Jd007]

  unbalanced, probably a little less, 9 or 10, haven't paid much attention.
 
it has quite alot of headroom though obviously. 
 
it drives all headphones no problem and gets loud not too quickly and not too late. 
 
with balanced, you would have double the power.

 
thanks for letting me know! is this with the default xlr output vol on the mytek (which is a bit higher than normal i think)? or did you use volume trim or the gain pad jumpers?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

   
thanks for letting me know! is this with the default xlr output vol on the mytek (which is a bit higher than normal i think)? or did you use volume trim or the gain pad jumpers?

 
i used the jumper. i do not use volume trim, sounds like it would decrease sound quality, i use the bypass on the pre-amp as well, to have a clean signal.
 
without the jumper, seems to get louder, but also i think it might be too much voltage and might mess with the distortion or amplification, i'll keep it with the jumpers to have a normal XLR voltage level.

 

[preproman]

@preproman, thank you very much for your impressions!
Im not a great believer in the balanced design being necessary for driving headphones but I do got the upgraded modules coming for my GS-1
Although the GS-XMk2 is said to have improved PSU so that might also do something though Im slightly doubtful of it being necessary for the HD800s

 
Well, you won't know until you give it a try..

 

[BournePerfect]

Nice haul!

Double gratz.

 
Thanks! And to think I actually prefer black gear...lol.
 

  Daniel, you are going to end up with the ZDSE/DP-1 combo all over again....Not so bad (Right!, just getting by. 

)  Maybe throw in the HeadAmp just for variety.

 
I know...I'm getting that vibe more and more lol. If the Levi is excruciatingly transparent (it's supposed to be)-I think I may just hit up another ZDSE and use it as a pre.
 
-Daniel

 

[kazsud]

a little light on the bass, but perhaps true to the recording, nothing ever sounds boosted, nothing ever sounds anemic, its just how the recording is. the bass comes out when u least expect it. extension is the best i've heard. u hear all the bass details, textures, nuances, with every headphone. 

the midrange is just slightly laidback, but not recessed, i would say, relaxed, mellowed, but it doesn't lose any speed, dynamics, clarity, or forwardness.

the decay is perfect, very natural, not SS and digital, but not colored either, and music just is so transparent, the music is very ethereal sounding at times, the way it just plays through, its really interesting. theres no grain, no hardness, anywhere to be found, the background is certainly very black, this is a dynamic amp, but it doesn't sound dynamic, it doesn't sound forced or aggressive in any way, its the perfect balance of being relaxed and dynamic at the same time, it finds that magic middle.

the treble is just enough to extract all the details. but not be fatiguing, with HD 800, it seems to sometimes border on that level, like u feel like its bright and its gonna fatigue, but in the end it doesn't, its quite like the hd 800s sound. other headphones don't seem to be bright. not warm either, theres no roll off, my DAC seems to have a little brightness at times, but its not artificial or digital, just very revealing and doesn't hold anything back in the treble, if your recording has treble it will be there, but it will only be what the recording has, it won't be unnatural sounding or adding any brightness to fake detail.

the details really are there and its the amps incredible resolution, not treble colorations like some SS amps give.

this is what i hear, and comes close to what people say the Mytek 192 sounds like as well.

Do you have the audiophile or studio mytek 192?