So I currently have a G111- sounds great with my T1.2s. Other primary can is Hemp, with an Edition XS on the way. The G111 isn’t ideal for lower impedance cans or planars IME. Is there an amp $1500 or less that will give me enough power to feed my T1s not just adequately for volume but for max SQ AND sound amazing for low impedance planars or am I asking too much and should get another $500 Amp dedicated for that? Prefer a warmer, smoother signature. Love my G111 to bits but something that was 5% warmer and could just smooth the Beyer highs by 5% would be ideal. Thanks
Hello,
Should it be only a solid state amplifier or also a hybrid amplifier?
What DAC are you using ?
Either- as long as it makes all 3 of those cans mentioned sound amazing
Ifi Zen- I’ve had an Ares II and preferred the Zen so ignore the value of my DAC. Open to upgrading in the future
Burson Soloist with a super charger. Best thing I’ve ever heard my t1.2s on and they measure at 1.3w@600ohm from the XLR out so plenty of power.
Not impossible to do but does add complexity
Not judging DAC by value - I asked only to get a sense for synergy
Might be interesting to see if you could locate a used Liquid Platinum (a tube hybrid) but they are optimized for balanced output and not best option if trying to get to just one amplifier… Generally found @ $350 - 400 US on the pre-owned market.
If you could find the G111s bigger brother, the Violectric V200 that might be something ($375-525 pre-owned). Or better, if you could find a used V281 - they can be found in the $1200-1500 range in the pre-owned market and then upgrade DAC later when ready.
Just some thoughts, good luck!
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Yeah I guess the comment on the DAC was more of a preemptive strike not against you but because that’s a fair question and I’ve had people tell me I didn’t appreciate the Ares II because my headphones weren’t good enough. I was looking at the V280 FE on Drop, but that’s a high voltage amp (as it seems most Vioelectrics are) which is what I’m trying to get away from
I know the G111 is a pain when comes to change the gain settings but have you tried it out? According to the manufacturer the amp was built to handle different loads, you just need to change the gain settings, but again with G111 changing the gain settings is a pain, also if you have a DAC that less you change the output volume that might help, that is what I do with mine, on my dac a change the volume depending of the headphone I use.
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Yeah that’s exactly what I do right now- it’s not a loudness thing, though I’m concerned about. I mean- if the output at 16 Ohms is 750mW it’s 750mW, and if the whole amp is designed around being high voltage for high impedance cans then that’s sort of the way it is and there’s no getting away from it. The G111 isn’t meant for planars, at least low impedance once, and that’s okay. It’s amazing at what it does for my dynamic drivers, but getting an all in one would be nice.
smoother warmer… T1 2nd gen… that would be the liquid platinum most likely… Hook that to a bifrost 2 as that will help smooth it out further. Plat over there has a massive amount of power to easily drive T1, be sure to use balanced though.
Can I keep 98% of my detail, imaging, and sound stage with that over the G111?
its a much warmer amp and dials in the treble … anything that does that to a beyer will cause some slight loss in detail as beyers “over detailed” nature comes from the raised treble… though its relatively marginal… Imaging is fine, I have had zero issues with those two granted it could be better but G111 isn’t like super clarity analytical anyway like some amps such as Topping, THX, etc. As for soundstage? Plat adds lots in terms of depth… it actually adds a bit more than the asgard or g111 to my ear depending on which tubes your using of course… damn good unit. The bifrost I recommended helps smooth out the rough edges of the plats natural signature though so I do encourage getting that at some point, no rush though. Plat should have a return policy naturally too… shouldn’t be hard to get your hands on one to test it out… but its the amp I used, and still own, for quite some time with my own T1 2nd gen that I use as my regular daily driver alot.
if you want a step above liquid plat & lake people… probably violectric(currently my main amp) or Burson soloist 3xp(haven’t tried this but many comments state this would definitely be a step up)
Yeah I’m considering the 280 FE and Burson right now. Figure if I’m gonna upgrade may as well get something that could be true end game. I was hoping the G111 could be that but if I want planars in my life may as well just bite the bullet.
I don’t understand what you mean here, the g111 does planars just fine to my knowledge just as the asgard 3 will
Maybe it will. All I know is that whatever the G111 did to the Sundaras I didn’t like it. Way preferred them with my SP200, and the G111 outclasses that amp in about every way. Maybe the Edition XS will be fine with the G111- we shall see
I’ll throw the Mjolnir 2 in as a possible. It’s a hybrid so you’ll definitely get warmth and soundstage and the gain settings make it suitable for a large range of cans. Everything I own seems happy on it and my planars (T60RP and HE6 V2) sound great as their bass is slightly boosted and the treble is calmed. You’ll gain some tuning options if you fancy a bit of tube rolling.