LH Labs Geek Out GO2A, V2, V2+, Infinity and SE Impressions and Reviews

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by jexby, Sep 29, 2015.

  1. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    $599.00 for the SE offer via email.
     
  2. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    No $599 + the cost of your GO2A weirdness?
     
  3. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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  4. m.i.c.k.e.y

    m.i.c.k.e.y Facebook Friend

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    Or a LH Revive (plus you'll have battery for you portable setup). Got great results with it (Revive) with my Pulse Infinity.
     
  5. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    You mean like this?

    [​IMG]
     
  6. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    Is that about $3000 worth of gear in the picture? ;) (Not including phone)
     
  7. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    wow the first SBAF presence of a LH Labs Revive defuckifier and nary a mention in the USB nervosa thread yet?!
    :D
     
  8. m.i.c.k.e.y

    m.i.c.k.e.y Facebook Friend

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    What no 20G?? :D
     
  9. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I'll send it to Marv for the first review.

    What can I say? It's like a portable Wyrd. MBP USB out sucks. It makes it not suck so hard.

    Edit: I'd have to run it from my S7 edge for it to be a $3k stack. I might bring it as my rig to the November meet.
     
  10. hawaiiancerveza

    hawaiiancerveza Friend

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    How long is the wait for the GO 2A?

    Edit: I just read that it should ship out by the third week of November. Do they usually ship out on time or is it common for it to get pushed back?
     
  11. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    [​IMG]
     
  12. hawaiiancerveza

    hawaiiancerveza Friend

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    lol. I just ordered the 2a. Looking forward to it. Has anyone tried to run the GO 2a with the HD800/s? I haven't been on here for a while while moving. I'm situated now so I'm hoping to be on here more often. I'm assuming that there's not much difference on the GO2 vs the GO 2a?
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2016
  13. synthwavefan

    synthwavefan Cluelessly Misogynistic - MOT - LH Labs

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    Not a *drastic* difference. Noticeable though. Blacker background, more defintion of instruments, more of 3D sound, more space between instruments. If you can afford it, I think it's worth it.
     
  14. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    OK, ordered a GO2aSE as a contender for my Chord Mojo. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'm tired of devices with rechargeable batteries and I actually prefer the OS-integrated volume control over a separate dedicated control.
     
  15. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    @Marvey and @CEE TEE find the regular GO2A stomps the Mojo. I think you'll be impressed.
     
  16. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    Nice :). Do you know what the output impedance is by any chance?
     
  17. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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  18. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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  19. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    Anyone compare the Go v2+ infinity vs the chord mojo? By logic if @Marvey believes the go2a stomps the mojo, shouldnt the go v2+ as well because the internals are similarly updated in the latest revision? I trust marvey because it led me to buy a zx2. Lovely unit really. I like the spider charts
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2016
  20. SHAWN P. WATSON

    SHAWN P. WATSON Acquaintance

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    I want to share my experiences with the LH Labs standard GOV2 and GOV2 Infinity.......AND......the result of sending those units in for upgrading to the GO2A and GO2A Infinity.

    First, I was one of the original backers of the GOV2 for $199. This was a pretty significant upgrade from my GO450. After about a year or so, I got an itch to see if the GOV2 Infinity's sonics were superior. So I ordered a GOV2 INFINITY from Audio Advisor at $359 and when I got it I was astounded that it sounded significantly better than the standard GOV2 in a side-by-side comparison. I figured it was the upgraded resistors in the Infinity that made the difference. Everything was better! The sound was decidedly less "blurry" and refined in the Infinity model. There was more focus, clarity, nuance, decay, etc. The enjoyment factor as evidenced by my goosebumps was almost double that of my standard GOV2.

    I had had my GOV2 Infinity perhaps 3 days when I read about the $89 upgrade option for both my GOV2's (standard & Infinity). So for $178 dollars I sent BOTH my units in for upgrading with great anticipation. I'd heard many good things about the upgraded improvements. So 6 weeks later, I got my upgraded GO2A & GO2A INFINITY back. I plugged the new GO2A INFINITY into my laptop first and launched JRiver. Almost the moment the music started playing, I knew I'd made a mistake upgrading my units. I continued listening to figure out what it was that I was hearing. Within 5 minutes, listening fatigue set in and I realized the whole sound signature had changed. I was crushed. I pulled out the INFINITY and plugged in the standard GOV2 into my laptop. Same exact problem. Same exact sound. The GO2A INFINITY no longer had any advantage over the standard GO2A sonically....just the extra filter and power setting. I suppose this is good in a way but it nullified any real advantage to spending the extra money on any future INFINITY version release.

    So, you're wondering what my beef was with the GO2A sonic signature? Well, the sound was more dynamic. Clearly there was more voltage going on. There was seemingly more clarity on the leading edge of the music too. BUT, both my units had this chronic "glare" that I found very irritating. Turning the volume down did NOT solve the problem. Within 5 minutes, I told my wife, "I can't stand this sound." It was just so damn irritating. I tried all the different filter settings. I tried all the different power settings. I tried single-ended and balanced---but to no avail. I felt that my units had been ruined. The sound was glaring, bombastic, flashy, catchy, and all the delicacy, layering, nuance, timing, timber, decay, was gone. They turned my units into a hip-hop, pimped-out version sound that I couldn't stand.

    Regardless of what improvements the testing equipment shows, my ears tell me a different story. I immediately opened up a support ticket and LH Labs agreed to do a courtesy retro-fit while leaving the beautiful new red aluminum case in tact. I sure as heck hope my GOV2 INFINITY sound will return to its old glory once LH Labs reverts the units back to their previous state.

    I will say this. LH Labs was VERY responsive to my ticket. They really want me to be happy. Also, the red aluminum casework is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. The buttons and lights work perfectly. I was happy enough with the old black 3D printed case. I had no complaints at all about it. But, WOW, this red case is to die for. Bravo on that note.

    I'm delaying sending my standard GO2A back to LH Labs until I see how the INFINITY reversion process goes. Also, I will have an opportunity to compare.

    Has anyone else NOT liked the new GO2A sonic signature? Or is it just me? Maybe I'm full of shit--I don't know???? Could the new capacitors be too fast??? I know very little about components. I'd love to hear comments from anyone who has A/B'd the old and new units side-by-side.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2016

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