justin

Sloth, Are you planning to take this design into your Gilmore Lite (which I assume would no longer be a 'Gilmore' anything)? The Gilmore Lite will still be for sale, as is. However, when the time comes, I will design a new home amp at that price point to replace the Gilmore Lite. I don't know at this time whether that amp would be based on the new module design, or another new circuit. But it would absolutely be based on one of my own designs. What do you plan to charge for these new modules, and are they user changeable? I will likely charge something like $199 for the GS-1 and $299 for the GS-X (which requires twice as many modules), but this is not definite. They will become standard on the new amps. They can be changed easily. The module boards are socketed and also secured by 2 small phillips-head screws. Are they your personal design, or do you have a design team, or are they based on previous designs, such as your Gilmore Dynamic implimentation? This is my personal design and HeadAmp is a one-man shop. The design is based on previous experiences and knowledge, other designs through research, and what I have learned during the design process. Work on the new module design began last November.

To answer Akwok's questions... What's in these modules? Any specifics? This is an all-new module designed in-house. It will be the first non-Gilmore amplification circuitry I have offered in a home amp. It is a 100% discrete design, real Class A circuit. The output consists of a pair of Hitachi MOSFETs designed for audio -- good for a substantial couple of watts in this circuit. How will it sound compared to the current Gilmore modules in the GS-1? If I had a marketing guy, he'd probably be telling me to say that there is "no comparison" between my new modules and the Gilmore circuit or to throw out some juicy words that audiophiles will eat up. I'm not going to do that. I've done plenty of comparisons between my module design and other designs to know that I have created a very solid product. Out of respect for Kevin's work, that's about as far as I will go here. The reality is, if you've ever tried an A/B switch test between two amplifiers and you couldn't tell the difference, the same will probably hold true with my new design. An exception is with the AKG K1000, where there is a very noticeable difference in the A/B test especially in bass response - the power output of the new module is definitely needed here. I am far from owning every headphone in the world, so there are likely other similar differences waiting to be heard. It's important to me to continue offering discrete designs, which I feel separate my products from most of the others on the market. It also gives me the peace of mind to know I've done all I can to create the best sounding amp within my abilities.

New amplification modules from HeadAmp are coming soon. What I expect will be the final prototypes should be ready in a few weeks. At that time, I'd like to have a limited beta program to allow current GS-1 owners to try the new modules in their own system. If you own a GS-1 and are interested, post here or email me at [email protected]. I will update this post later with a detailed FAQ about the modules. Thanks, Justin

Jahn, You can unbolt the transformer from the chassis and see if the noise level or frequency changes. If it does, chances are the transformer is of poor quality, or you need more padding between the transformer and chassis. It's unlikely that any power conditioning device is going to help.

They have some interesting smileys over on one of the Asian boards. I wish I understood them. and probably the strangest one..

The new modules are not yet complete and were in prototype form at the So-Cal Meet. I have Ed's K1000 here for some additional testing (the same K1000 in the photo). When they are complete, either the new module will be used, or both modules will be available. -Justin