M^3 or GSLite?

[Tony]

Hi. I'm looking for a good value amp in the under 800$ price range. I have been adviced to get an HR-2, a Gillmore Lite and M^3. While I am not sure I want to spend 850$ for the HR-2 (plus I've read some constrasting opinions about it), I'm seriously considering the Lite with DPS and M^3. I like the fact that the former is only transistor based, but it has been described as hyperdetailed and somewhat piercing in the highs by more than a few people on Headfi. Considering that I can't stand sibilance/harshness, I am not sure if I should go on with it.

I read here that the M^3 is on the "warm" side. I am not sure if I am going to use Sennheiser HDxx or Denon D5000 with it. In the latter case, I'd need the amp to provide lots of current, and I don't want to risk to have a bright sound in the highs. Can you give an advice?

Thanks.

[jinp6301]

I really liked the Senns with both the m^3 and the GLite. I never had them side by side so I cant give you a comparison but they should both work well with Senns at least.

[Salt Peanuts]

What is your source? Gilmore Lite tend to be rather honest in regards to your source, so if your source is on harsh or sterile side, that's what you will hear. I've never found it to be harsh or piercing in the highs, but YMMV. If you don't like it, you shouldn't have too much trouble selling it for little loss, especially if you can find it used.

[Tony]

I talked with Earl. He's advicing me to get a Zap filtered Zhaolu and that's what I'm leaning towards. An Opus might be interesting too. I don't know if the Zhaolu has any brightness, though.

The main problem is that I listen to lots of '60s and '70s rock music. Many album from this period are harsh (Van Der Graaf Generator, a few albums from Neil Young, Punk Floyd and Beatles, John Cale, Captain Beefheart and the list goes really long). I can't stand when a singer stresses the "s" in many of those recordings. It's just too scratchy.

The ESW9 and RE1 (iems) are the only portable headphones that gave me enough forgiveness in this regard.

I tried an RnB silver-plated copper cable with my HD650, but there was a spike at 6 kHz which lead me to sell the cable. Upper midrange was very detailed (Charleston and other comparable sounds), but there was too much shrillness. While Jazz and Classical were very enjoyable, old rock wasn't. I'm going with copper if I decide to keep the Senns.

So, any advice should be tailored towards these needs.

[GPH]

Punk Floyd

Haha, funny typo.

I had a pair of HD600/Cardas with a M^3 and I thought it was an excellent match. It really tightened the bass of the Sennheiser and made the mids more forward/less veiled than directly out of the 0404USB output. I haven't heard the other amps you mentionned though.

[Tony]

Haha, funny typo.

Hahaha, I noticed it, but it was too late for editing the message. But this way it's more funny. Maybe there really is a band playing Pink Floyd covers which is called that way.

[Tony]

the Glite sounds great with my Capitole and Senn 650s, not bright at all. the M3 is quite nice as well, but, at least in the config i heard, i prefer the more neutral GLite. i wouldn't get an HR-2.

Is the HR-2 that bad, or is it partially related to the hatred towards Ray Samuels? Only Markl seemed to like it (good sound & no clipping using the R10)

[Salt Peanuts]

I will not comment on HR-2 since it's been ages since I've heard one. But at that price range (~$850), there are few other options, like GS-1 and HeadRoom Desktop (even possibly Desktop Balanced if you find one used). Also, the tube amp from Trafomatic is also in that range - here's the thread about it.

Also, if you were buying new, both HeadAmp and HeadRoom offers some period in which you can return the amp if you don't like it.

[Tony]

There's a nice GS-1 for sale on Head-fi. It's from a UK seller and is about 600$. I've made an offer, but it seems I'm the second in queue.

[Salt Peanuts]

Good luck on that one. GS-1 is a nice amp and $600 is a pretty good price.

[Tony]

The Trafomatic tube amp looks good too. Is it single ended only?

[Salt Peanuts]

I looked through their site and I didn't see anything about balanced headphone amp.

[Augsburger]

The Trafomatic tube amp looks good too. Is it single ended only?

Currently, the Trafomatic Head One is single ended only and since Sasa seems to have so many things on his plate I doubt a true balanced headphone amp would be along any time soon. Trafomatic seems to be more focused on home speaker audio more so than headphones, but that is just my observation based upon his product line mix. I think the GS and the G Lite would be excellent choices and great value but they will not compensate for a weak source. As others have posted here both of these amps tend towards transparent and if you have any weaknesses in your cdp output you will know soon enough.

[CelticPhrost]

How does the HA2-MK II SE compare to the GLite or GS-1?