[FlySweep]

Maxvla.. at ~$1700.. is there another amp that you found to be better (or more to your liking) than the S7 ?  Speaker amps (with the HD800 driven off the taps or via a resistor box), included.

 

[Maxvla]

GSX w/ DACT is 3K. S7 was $1500 for initial runs-forgot it went up. Either way-clearly different price brackets...

-Daniel

Different brackets, sure, but lets not get away from reality. As far as the GS-X, I would prefer the pot over the DACT even if the prices were reversed. Quoting it with the highest options isn't being honest. Craig will supe up any amp he sells for more price. A 'totl' S7 could easily tally in the range of a GS-X.

 

[BournePerfect]

Quote:

Different brackets, sure, but lets not get away from reality. As far as the GS-X, I would prefer the pot over the DACT even if the prices were reversed. Quoting it with the highest options isn't being honest. Craig will supe up any amp he sells for more price. A 'totl' S7 could easily tally in the range of a GS-X.

 
But you said...2-way street here.
 
Craig hardly 'supes up' prices-far from it. Same with Justin. It's a wash, stop grasping at straws. EC is known for being a very good value per performance-I'd imagine Headamp is similar.
 
-Daniel

 

[Maxvla]

Maxvla.. at ~$1700.. is there another amp that you found to be better (or more to your liking) than the S7 ?  Speaker amps (with the HD800 driven off the taps or via a resistor box), included.

I found it to be good but not particularly noteworthy. There is then the issue of tube rolling, which I loathe, so who knows what its potential could be. It is a solid choice, nothing wrong with it.

As far as other amps, after deciding on the GS-X I've been out of the loop and not caring much about other gear. I'm set only pieces and am unlikely to change anything ever again. I preferred my BHA-1 to the S7 but it was only minor preferences, and most people would oppose me on that position.

 

[Maxvla]

But you said...2-way street here.

Craig hardly 'supes up' prices-far from it. Same with Justin. It's a wash, stop grasping at straws. EC is known for being a very good value per performance-I'd imagine Headamp is similar.

-Daniel

I was just showing you how quickly quoting highly optioned gear can distort pricing. And no I wasn't saying Craig boosts prices just because. I know he doesn't. He, however, is far more open to modifications and custom builds than almost all other amp builders out there. If you want high end parts in your S7 he will do it, but you'd be paying at least double the original price on the S7 page. Even with all this custom work he doesn't really charge any extra for the hassle. It is a great bargain.

Headamp by comparison, since you brought it up, has only one option available that costs money. Justin works with quantity that demands few variations. You choose your volume adjuster and color and that's it.

 

[BournePerfect]

Quote:

I was just showing you how quickly quoting highly optioned gear can distort pricing. And no I wasn't saying Craig boosts prices just because. I know he doesn't. He, however, is far more open to modifications and custom builds than almost all other amp builders out there. If you want high end parts in your S7 he will do it, but you'd be paying at least double the original price on the S7 page. Even with all this custom work he doesn't really charge any extra for the hassle. It is a great bargain.

Headamp by comparison, since you brought it up, has only one option available that costs money. Justin works with quantity that demands few variations. You choose your volume adjuster and color and that's it.

 
Well I'd still wager 95%+ of Craig's sales are stock. His 'options' are identical' to Justin's btw-volume pot and possibly a different top plate (ZDSE, 2A3). Justin now offers different anodized faceplates I hear.
 
Anyway, not trying to bicker here-I still plan on getting a GSX after my Leviathan...
 
-Daniel

 

[Maxvla]

Actually, Craig will let you customize any part of his amps if you ask. Justin doesn't and can't do that due to how his process works.

Anyhow I quoted the lowest price for both amps, you then quoted an out of date entry price for the S7 without tubes, and then the highest optioned GS-X. Biased just a little?

 

[skeptic]

 

[BournePerfect]

Quote:

Actually, Craig will let you customize any part of his amps if you ask. Justin doesn't and can't do that due to how his process works.

Anyhow I quoted the lowest price for both amps, you then quoted an out of date entry price for the S7 without tubes, and then the highest optioned GS-X. Biased just a little?

 
Again, 2 way street. Leave it alone.
 
-Daniel

 

[BournePerfect]

Quote:

x10

 

[Maxvla]

Again, 2 way street. Leave it alone.

-Daniel

So far I've only seen it one way. Try to end the conversation with your desired spin if you want, but anyone reading will see for themselves.

 

[BournePerfect]

*yawns*

 

[zigy626]

Since this is an appreciation thread for the HD800 I would just like to put this in writing. Yesterday while listening to a particular big band jazz piece I experienced a sensation one could only feel at a live event. It was like I was there, it was very exhilarating, be it only lasted for a short moment. I promise I was sober 

. Having owned many many many speaker type setups even a 5.1 channel system over 20 years I never experienced that emotion. The only time I felt that kind of exciting/exhilarating moment was when I attended a live classical concert at my University. Maybe I should start going to some live concerts again to get my fix. Now this recording was not hi-def just a normal flac file 16/44. I wonder how much money I would have to spend on a speaker setup in order to get the same feeling of being there? My guess is around $15K-20K easily. My Cyrus and B&W provides a very nice 3D soundstage but it never gave me a feeling of being right at the centre of a concert. So guy's enjoy your HD800's as they are really special I guess I am preaching to the choir.   

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
You describe it as though the HD800 sounds like a bowl of mud with the Lyr. That is very far from the truth and misleading to anyone who might be considering the Lyr. Why not describe it for what it is instead of overstating its weaknesses because you don't personally like it? I've already agreed that it is not the last word in detail and resolution, but that doesn't mean it is as bad as you are making it seem and it certainly doesn't suck all the detail out of the HD800.
 
You describe your GS-X as a "window into the source material". As I said in a previous post, I'm not looking for a "window", I'm looking for something that will overlay a bit of its own character on the HD800. The Lyr does that wonderfully if you are looking for a more musical sound rather than a super crisp and clear sound. The HD800 is still a world ahead of my HE-500 in detail, transparency, soundstage and imaging, even with the Lyr.
 
Also your comment that "the HE-500s are most certainly not better headphones": Don't you think that's more a matter of opinion than of fact? I most certainly do think the HE-500 is a better headphone. It's not as detailed or resolving as the HD800, but not everybody thinks that is what makes a headphone better. The HE-500 has a far more rich and smooth sound than the HD800 and that, in my opinion, makes it a better headphone. I still love the HD800 very much, just not as much as the HE-500. I don't have to be exclusive to one headphone. My headphones and I have a polygamous relationship.
 
I've already said the GS-X is a very good amp, but only if you are looking for that crisp, clear, scientific sound that doesn't really color the music at all. I love the HD800 for its strengths: imaging, detail and layering... but only with an amp like the Lyr. To my ears, it makes the HD800 much more fun to listen to. You are going to say "yea but if you get a better dac..." I understand that the GS-X is a "clear window" into my DAC but why would I drop that much money on an amp I heard and don't like, and then drop even more on a DAC to try and maybe get the sound I already have and love with my Lyr? You love the detail and transparency of the GS-X, I love the rich and smooth sound of the Lyr. So like I said, we should agree to disagree. We'll both enjoy our HD800s, just in different ways.
 
I tried the GS-X at an audio store here in Portland. Not sure if it was new or used, but it looked new. I didn't drag my DAC there with me so I plugged my iPhone directly into the amp. 
 
I'd be interested to hear your rig with my HD800, but somehow I doubt I'd have any revelations or suddenly begin enjoying super ultra mega detail and relatively dry mids 

 
 
This is exactly why I'm so interested in the WA2. Now it's just a matter of saving up the funds. Any recommendations on which, if any, of the tube upgrades on the product page are worth it?

The issue with the GS-X MKII is if you don't like your source, you won't like the amp. That's what you get with a truly transparent amp. BTW, you never did mention what audio store in Portland or the DAC? Still waiting....

 
With the Lyr, all I hear is a smear across the entire spectrum that it was completely unacceptable. It is like using a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. Wrong tool for the job my friend. It's an ortho amp and really only does good job with headphones like the HE-500s, HE-6s, or LCD-2s. Funny, it was a horrible amp for the LCD-3s...talk about dry and boring.
 
Again, my impressions are after owning BOTH amps for more than a year with some really good DACs and source material (Cary XCiter DAC and W4S DAC-2).

 

[BournePerfect]

I've never seen so many poor, dead horses in one thread lol.
 
-Daniel