HeadAmp Gilmore Lite mk2 Headphone Amp (on Massdrop)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Peter78, Oct 8, 2017.

  1. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    The GS-1 with Dynalo+ boards was pretty much that amp, although it’s out of print...
     
  2. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    You should buy it and report back.
     
  4. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    I caved and joined the drop. Should be here in a month, maybe a little longer. @Marvey you are more than welcome to borrow it for a review. Any other LA people who want a demo, PM me.
     
  5. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I don't have my dynalo anymore but I do have a Gilmore lite + the linear supply "DPS". If I can find them I'll send them to you for a comparison.
     
  6. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Sweet, I'd be happy to do a test. Should be fun. The only headphone in my stable at the moment is the Eikon but I should have my HP-3 by the time the Gilmore ships.
     
  7. Justin

    Justin MOT: HeadAmp

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    Did you get it yet? I can't see when stuff leaves Massdrop's warehouse but i assume they're pretty quick.
     
  8. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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    Sounds like it's time for a mini LA meet again.
     
  9. JeremiahS

    JeremiahS Almost "Made"

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    I am not 100% sure but a friend has a clone amplifier from China with the same design. It have balanced XLR for input and output. It has been modified with genuine transistors just in case the default ones are fake.

    The sound is quite nice, very well balanced. Compared to my dual-mono Beta 22, it sounds thinner and has less impact and meat in the midrange but is maybe more aggressive. Compared to Schiit amps I think it's more well balanced than Jotunheim.

    If the Massdrop amp is the same design as the China clone then it should be a good performer.

    Regards,
    Jeremiah
     
  10. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    @JeremiahS, need linky to said clone amplifier from China.
     
  11. starence

    starence Facebook Friend

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    Did you get the amp yet? I'd be curious to hear your impressions.
     
  12. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Sorry everyone, some unexpected school expenses forced me to cancel my order. I apologize if people were waiting for impressions.

    @Justin ... any chance you could send a review unit to Marvey?
     
  13. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I'm going to, hopefully, resurrect this thread. Like most here I passed on this amp when it was announced and subsequently released. But then it resurfaced on my radar when guys like Zach at ZMF and Dan at MrSpeakers started making strong recommendations about just how nice the Glimore Lite mkii paired with their headphones. That's a pretty strong incentive for me to get interested in this amp. The more I thought about it, the more interested I was.

    Then there was an announcement that Justin would be sending several things to the Atlanta meet including the Gilmore lite mkii. So there was my opportunity. But even better yet, the amp ended up coming home with me for an audition.

    You'll have to get past a few things to appreciate the Gilmore Lite mkii. First is that it sounds nothing like the GS-X mkii. I never owned the big brother, but did get to hear it on several occasions. And yes, it's bright. The GM Lite mkii is not bright, but actually quite musical.

    Secondly, the amp is smallish in it's footprint. Don't be fooled by it's diminutive stature. This amp has ample power for the hd650 and harder to drive planars.

    Lastly, the price would suggest mid-fi. If this is in fact a mid-fi amp, it's one of the better that I've heard and easily worth it's price.

    Niggles and nit-picks:

    1. There's nothing really sexy or attractive about the chassis. Just a somewhat utilitarian plain black box. The orange power indicator is a little annoying and somewhat overdone. I may have to put on of these dimming stickers on it. The volume knob looks cool but it's plastic and the level indention is very hard to see. Leaving you often wondering if the amp is turned up too loud when you're about to cue up the music.

    2. I'm not a fan of wal worts. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the Vali 2 one bit. I had the benefit of an LPS loaned to me from a friend. And it does improve the sonics with this amp. I also confirmed that a stackable LPS is in the works. But it will likely be end of the year if this comes to production.

    3. While the Gilmore is more musical than it's predecessors, it's still not what I'd call a good fit for the stock hd800. Possibly mods and or good EQ can circumvent this.


    What I like about this amp:

    1. Some of the best treble I've heard at this price. The extension at the top end is impressive. And, its not one bit harsh or strident. It just resolves treble effortlessly. I'm absolutely not a treble head...far from it. But I still appreciate what good treble can bring to the table when done right. This makes me think of the first time that I heard the hd800 and classical music.

    The ability to offer this kind of treble extension is a huge benefit for the hd650. And also to a lesser degree benefited the Aeon open (also a smooth signature), but not so much with the ETHER.

    2. Mids sound natural and pleasing. I listen to a lot of vocal centered recordings. Mids are do or die for me. There is a little more air coming from the Gilmore. Subtle cues from voices come across more easily. The mids here are very engaging.

    3. Big boy bass. The bottom end here is not shy, but extended and punchy. I would draw comparisons to the bass from the Jot. Yes, it hits that hard.

    4. Options. There are two sets of inputs which is nice for feeding multiple sources. The pre-amp is quite good and better than expected.

    Because of the lack of interest in the Gilmore Lite mkii and it's real world performance, I'm calling this somewhat of a sleeper product. I like it enough that I'd be willing to possibly offer a small tour for those that are interested.

    I will post again in the next day or so with direct comparisons to the lyr3.
     
  14. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    @Ice-man, your description sounds a lot like the Dynalo I recently acquired. I mean, spot on. Although I would not call my Dynalo bright as it is warmer sounding than the MCTH for sure. Although each Dyanlo build is different. On mine at least the top end is quite natural sounding and quite smooth. It sure puts out mucho power for sure.

    I am not sure how much from the original Dynalo design circuit, but it certainly can be "tuned" or tailored a bit to taste with different components. Mostly the benefits from a production model like this is that you get WAY better matched amplifier transistors. When you have an amp with shared transistors as this, matched transistors can work more equal together. When slightly unmatched, they don't all share an equal load and a few can be doing most of the heavy lifting and drawing much current and thus why good heat sinks are needed on DIY models, but you don't notice them at all pretty much on the production models. I am also guessing that since that the drive is more equally divided, that this probably also helps out with slightly better SQ.

    All and all it seems to be the same model amp as the Dynalo, just as an SMD build and a +/- 15V SMPS, meaning I agree that it is a quite worthy amp for the price. I would be interested in a tour just to compare to my Dynalo.
     
  15. Ice-man

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  16. AllanMarcus

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    Sorry, I somehow missed this thread.

    When I heard the amp at RMAF 2017, it was at the ZMF booth. His headphones tend to sound warm to me, and seemed to pair well with Gilmore stuff. I tried the Lite2 with my Utopia and and it seemed to drive it OK, but nothing special. It was floor at a show conditions, and not my music. I'm not sure how the amp is worth $500 when the Magni is $99.

    I realize I haven't added any value here, but just responding.
     
  17. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I would respond by saying that the Gilmore is leagues better than the Magni 3 (which I do appreciate at the price point). It's not a fair fight really. Apples and Oranges.
     
  18. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    @Ice-man I am keen on seeing a comparison between the Gilmore and the Lyr 3. Any updated thoughts?
     
  19. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    I believe he listed his lyr3 for sale on HF.
     
  20. Justin

    Justin MOT: HeadAmp

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    Hi Ice-man, just wanted to comment that the knob is aluminum, then hand polished and anodized. We could start laser engraving the indicator to be more noticeable, or dropping a small amount of ink inside of it.

    The Gilmore Lite mk2 is based on our "Dynalo+" version which has had some changes to the original circuit. Also, the power supply is linear not switch mode. We will be doing a higher voltage, seprate high-end linear supply later this year.

    Also in case anyone is wondering -- the Massdrop listing for the GLMK2 was a one time event
     

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