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

The infinity should have 3 colors but only 2 lights. The 450mW light seems to be both the blue and the green on at the same time. Looks very similar to the plain blue on mine and was easy to miss.

You can use either socket depending on going single ended or balanced out. The regular headphone jack would be single ended.

 

Now that the infinity version is in the wild, what are the odds that the only difference between the GOV2 and GOV2 Infinity is firmware?

 

i really hope for lhlabs sake that its not, but that would be pretty funny.

the only difference are an extra gain setting and an extra filter mode right? or is there more to it

 

As far as I know, those are the only difference. It seems pretty obvious that the filter mode is just firmware (or is it????), but I don't know enough about circuits to know if gain can be changed purely based on firmware, or if it would require a hardware change.

 

the way its implemented in the geek out v2 is not really "gain" its actually a different power setting 450mw in case of the infinity version which is controlled by the xmos chip. In theory this could just be firmware also.

 

AHAHAHA, yep it is just firmware... they don't say it explicitly but this is off their site:

https://support.lhlabs.com/support/solutions/articles/5000677980-geek-out-v2-firmware

*** IMPORTANT NOTE ***


Please note Geek Out V2 Infinity Firmware is not available for download. To obtain this firmware you must open a ticket and provide the serial number of your Geek Out V2 Infinity Unit.


There is also however a -3db thd difference between the two meaning that they likely hand matched some components or something in the infinity version, Still definitely not worth $200 extra. I am sure someone will leak the infinity version firmware so we can all just flash the normal ones

 

also here is a picture of the lhlabs charts showing the differences, apparently there is also a gold $999 version called the geek out v2 signature with dual femto clocks and enhanced psu circuitry... so much for lh labs changing their model :/

 

lol. Here's to a leak of the Infinity firmware!

 

Looks like a resistor difference, too. I don't mind if there is only marginal hardware/firmware differences for more money if the sound benefit is worth it. Not saying it is worth it or not in this particular instance, but this is, frankly, a ridiculous hobby chasing marginal returns with sometimes thousands of dollars. If a company asks for money, and customers want to pay and receive enough benefit (imagined or real), everyone wins.

 

Funk these cheap trrs connectors! The plastic separating the channels melts crazy fast. HD800 connectors are dream to work with compared to these!

 

I had the same problem - just about managed to solder with the plastic melting away. There are also cheap ones which have metal terminals. ..
But he increase in performance is worth the hassle …

 

In my frustration, I ordered a couple of the pigtails that Purrin got from Sparkfun - felt like failure. I have made 100's of cables before. This is the first time I wrecked two connectors in a row. Digging through my piles, I just realized I had bought a couple 3.5 trrs's a couple years ago. No idea why, but will keep fighting the good fight and try to get balanced this afternoon.

 

Success!. And Holy Ship! It does make a noticeable difference. The SE got plenty loud even on the 450mW setting, but going balanced helped put everything in place. Sounds more properly three dimensional. This little guy really is remarkable for size and price.

The connectors I got make it look like I am using an official Sennheiser TRRS cable for my HD650's

 

Now I can't listen to SE anymore - too flat and boring …
I need balanced cables for my IE - now where can I get them from??

 

I'm not really sure how to add attachments to these posts. I'll just post the link here though.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/765527/lh-labs-geek-out-v2-discussion-thread/630#post_12136644

I just got the GOv2+ the other day. The front [aluminum?] plate definitely looks and feels much better than the 3D-printed everything on the GOv2. The power switch is still all 3D-printed though so that feels terrible to use since it's plastic rubbing on plastic and there's no tactile feeling for when the unit is on or not.

Sound-wise, I'll let it burn in over night and let some people listen to it at a local meet. I'm curious to see what people think of it since the GOv2 was technically at the last meet but wasn't on anyone's rig.


Although I'm not a fan of the vents in the chassis in terms of dust getting into it, especially since the GOv2+ is meant to be inside of pockets and lint galore, I must say it's really neat being able to take a peek into the innards a bit.

 

Even with the metallic front plate - this thing still looks like the dog has chewed on it. Can't they get a better 3d printer??

 

Did they put the plug in the wrong slot, or are the balanced/single-ended outputs reversed?

 

Why is this important which slot the plug is in? The instructions only say that you should never use balanced and single ended at the same time.