HeadAmp GS-X mini Impressions

Difference is small, if any. Much, much smaller than the difference between BHA-1 SE and BAL out, for example.

 

Does anyone know the power specs of this amp and its big brother?

 

If I remember correctly, it's 4 watts balanced for mini.

 

Have anyone compared the GS-X Mini with its bigger brother the MK2?

 

The MK2 was less harsh - super crispy clear, but not harsh. However, that is far from the end story. The issues I had with MK2 started from having a frequency response that was far from natural. Too little energy in the bass, combined with too much energy in the highs - this was, in my listening experience, with every headphone and every source. It was not a "works well with planars" or "works well with dynamics" that can occur, particularly with some transistor (solid-state) amplifiers.

Flat, lifeless, boring...lots of power, clean. That's how I would summarize MK2.

Contrast that with the GS-X mini, which I thought had only a slightly elevated bass, which I enjoyed, and a very slightly raspy treble, which I did not enjoy - particularly with the planar headphone I was planning to use (LFF Code-X, which in my opinion already has the right volume of air/treble). Again, this is taking a very close inspection, and only relative to my current sources, such as McIntosh MHA150.

I thought GS-X mini was very good - MK2, I could not figure out how to use without some kind of equalization.

 

Thank you @sheldaze , that was very helpful. I currently have a MK2 loaner and it's very nice, a lot nicer than what I remembered the last time I tested it. I'm still evaluating it but it's definitely not as bad as the negative impressions I read here. In a brief comparison with the Jot 2 and BHA-1 it seems to be in a different level, at least in details and dynamics.

I think I can agree with you about the brightness of this amp.

 

There didn't seem to be any measurements available of this. I've posted some here: https://goldensound.audio/2021/09/30/headamp-gs-x-mini-headphone-amplifier-measurements/

 

Quite many comparisons with GSX MK2. Anyone compared it with Gilmore Lite Mk2, single ended output? How much is it of an upgrade/different. Thanks

 

The Mini is quite a bit better, less warm too. Seems the tuning of Gilmore series amps from HeadAmp becomes less warm as you go up their lineup.

 

Anyone happen to have head comparisons between a Jot 2 and a GS-X Mini? I was considering upgrading to the GS-X, but it's my desktop amp and sits close to me. I love how cool the Jot 2 runs with the Schiit circuit.

 

It's quite a bit better.

 

Is long story time really needed when one item is much better in every category than the other? I apologize if I was not clear.

 

No need for long story time my friend, 3-4 sentences will be way more useful for us than "quite a bit better".

 

I'll try to add more details... It seems that I couldn't edit my previous post because time has run out.

GS-X Mini is improved in several areas, it's a bit more neutral, less warm, more resolving than the Jot 2. It also carries what I think is your typical Gilmore sound, highly dynamic and clean sound especially in the midrange but I think the Mini is more forgiving than my own MK2. Mini is a bit more laid back sounding than the the Jot 2 also. Jot 2 I think sounds a bit fuller but it's bit 2-dimensional sounding like the THX789 amp. Mini has more depth (although not wide) soundstaging.

Also perhaps another interesting point, both the single ended and balanced outputs sound almost the same to me with GS-X Mini whereas the single ended output of Jot 2 is a bit worse than the balanced one. Could be useful if your DAC is single ended only.

 

Got one of these on the second hand market (230V). First impression, I'm loving it with the 2017 Utopia, Holo Audio Spring and D30pro, as sources. Plays right into Utopia's strengths, while not exacerbating the closed in and metallic sound some chains can bring up.

Playing it out of the single ended output with gain and source level adjusted to play the pot between 2 and 6'o'clock... yup 6'o'clock as in maxed out... sounds refined yet it can scream when the music calls for it, without being harsh. Nice balance in width and depth portrayal.

To my ears it is very transparent, it lets the headphone and also the source come through down the chain. About the raspy / grainy / excess treble reported, to my ears the treble doesn't sound like any of that, mostly because it has, to my ears, a lot of finesse that lets a lot of texture detail be painted and the recording dictate the timbre.

First impressions mostly based on Inside the Moment by Camille Thurman and Empire of the Undead by Gamma Ray. Btw, really good sound on that Gamma Ray album.

[EDIT1] ... also Natural History by Blu Mar Ten and Incunabula (LP) by Autechre.

 

Where did you buy it? I’m trying sell mine but I’m having a devil of a time doing so. Maybe I’ll have better luck where you bought yours.

 

In the EU. It's quite rare to find a second hand deal on these here over the pond. It's the 230V, ALPS version, I got it for $1350USD shipped.

 

Received my GS-X mini earlier this week, getting to know it. Build quality is excellent! Mainly driving my LCD-XC, along with DCA Ether C Flow and Denon AH-D5200.

Still forming impressions, and waiting on a couple of upstream components for comparisons, which is where I feel one really gets to know equipment.

I've been messing around with different gain staging, and noticing something unexpected - there seems to be a slight tonal shift between low gain and high gain. Low gain is a smidge lighter in the mids and bass. Switching to high gain seems to add a little bit of weight to the low mid, but the upper mids get a tiny bit of forwardness, or even... glare? stridency? Given the very low distortion in LCD-XC, I'm surprised to hear this and not entirely sure how to describe other than that. The change is not enormous, but is consistently audible to me. Has anyone heard this? I do wonder if this is really a dynamic shift due to gain staging that I'm hearing as a tonal shift.