Sorry for being vague. Really I only care if there’s reasonable synergy between: Ares II, ADI-2, Clear, 6XX, LCD-2, and probably the Auteur later.
I happy using the 800S exclusively on tubes.
Thanks for the comparison. What headphones did you use?
Lcd2.2 prefazor
Modhouse T60 argon with alpha pads (nicknamed alphagon)
Hd800s
Zmf verite closed
Hd600
I briefly had Arya but only tested it out on GSX mini. Wasn’t a fan.
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thank you for the quick follow up sir. some are self explanatory but could you elaborate briefly on those conclusions please? id love to hear more
Hi kcrack,
That’s a very interesting and somewhat surprising comparison. I had a GSX-mini for several months and never considered it to be bright sounding. The difference could be due to the DACs and headphones we use. In my case, I used a Chord Qutest DAC and Meze Empyrean headphone. I felt the Soloist might seem a bit brighter than the Mini, due to the outstanding detail & transparency of the Soloist. I also tried the Burson Classic op-amps, but preferred the Vivids. Anyway, I definitely preferred the Soloist to the Mini, perhaps due to my DAC & headphones. We all have different perceptions and preferences too. I’m glad that you are enjoying the GSX-mini. Regardless of one’s preferences, there is no doubt that it is an excellent amp.
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Yes I largely believe the both of these amplifiers are very revealing and it will mostly sound like what your chain will allow your headphones to sound like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a glarey type of brightness that I associated with the Topping A90 or THX amplifiers. In fact before I had the Soloist 3X I was under the impression it was neutral. It’s just when I compared to the Soloist 3X I realized that my DAC was heavily influencing how I perceived each amp.
I mean, in theory both DACs and amplifiers shouldn’t really affect frequency response at all but we all know that is not the case. I just report what I hear.
Oh, and @Tommy I dunno what else I could add from here. I also kind of want to hear tubes again after listening to nothing but solid state for the last few days. 
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oh yeah no problem sir! thanks for writing!
hello Robert, what amp are you using these days and what qualities do you look for?
I alternate between my Burson Soloist 3X and an Auris Audio Euterpe (tube) headphone amp. Technically the Burson is superior due to its clarity, detail & transparency. It also works well with my Qutest DAC and Meze Empyrean. Because it is my most recent purchase, I’m more often listening to the Euterpe, which I bought after seeing this review: Auris Audio Euterpe Review - The best sounding headphone stand ever! - YouTube
It is fun to try different tubes and see how the sound is changed. The Euterpe sounds great with my Empyrean, and is surprisingly detailed & neutral, with the right tubes. As one would expect, it is a bit warmer and less detailed than the Soloist. It also is a good match for my Focal Radiance.
thanks a lot for that sir! i always enjoy reading up on your thoughts on stuff. as already expressed you dont seem to share kcrack’s view on the soloist comparatively to the mini, could you please elaborate briefly on that and touch on what the soloist gave you that the mini did not?
sidenote, have you heard the singxer sa-1? looking to potentially upgrade from that
So I’m still on the look out for a GS-X mini. But GS-X MK2 shows up used pretty often as well. Does someone have an idea on what price does it make since to go straight to the MK2 if the mini isn’t available? Does it make sense to consider it at all if I never own any headphones costing more than $2k
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https://www.hifizero.com/index.php?q=GSX
Can help you on price/worth but the Mini typically goes for $1400 - $1500 depending on color and alps. MKII can be $1500-$1800 and I think I saw one go for $1400 last year and possibly a mini dip down to $1300 but I’d have to check.
Yep last October there was a seller in my dm willing to sell his black Mini for $1300 and I balked.
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Yeah I’m pretty sure I can get a mini for $1400 if I just keep waiting. The MKII rarely goes for under 2k now a days. A guy messaged me on headfi saying he’d be listing his MK2 for around 2100-2200 (hadn’t settled yet).
Not if I get it first lol. Been waiting on one to pop up for a couple of months now. Well, one did but got snatched quick. Anywho, good luck 
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Another option if your considering the MkII is this:
(edited as the same user posted it on headfi with a price drop… I bet you could get this for $1750 shipped if it suits your preferences per Mon’s description).
This is a pretty good price and my hunch is he’d be negotiable as it’s been listed for sometime (I think 2nd listing). There was one fire saled last year on headfi for 1750 but I seen them typically go for 2000-2200.
I’d personally wait for a mini but just wanted to give you another option.
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That would be like the opposite signature of the mk2, so just keep that in mind lol. Both solid amps for sure, but the mk2 is pretty neutral bright forward with a smaller but deep stage, the 430 is a warmer smoother relaxed and wide sounding amp. Both have great control, gsx has more macrodynamics, moon has more microdynamics, both fairly detailed with slight edge to the mk2. Moon is more tonally dense and rich, moon hits harder with more slam. MK2 has better treble extension while the moon feels like it reaches deeper into the bass. Gsx is quicker and more speedy, I’d say both of them have fairly decent timbre
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So would you say the moon is about is about the same tier as the MK2? I don’t have a strong preference on what amp signature I want next. It just needs to be reasonable neutral. Which would you say has a closer signature to the RNHP?
Also can you give a quick comparison on the mini vs MK2? Is it generally worth spending an extra 800 for the mk2?
Yeah I would, perhaps slightly higher in some regards but it depends on your priorities
Personally wouldn’t consider either reasonable neutral, but you could tilt either that way with the right dac
Admittedly neither lol, I guess gsx mk2 when it comes to presentation and transparency? But the moon is more organic and I’d consider the neve pretty organic. Really not similar enough to compare properly, I haven’t really found something I’d consider a direct upgrade from a neve
Mk2 is a technical step forward, but the mini is slightly warmer than the mk2 (but the mini is still something I’d consider neutral bright). Generally I’d still say go for the mk2 if the price is right, but you want to make sure to not have brighter headphones and also not a bright source (for either)
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That’s now looking like a great deal. The only reason I haven’t jumped on it yet is I suspect I might find it overly smooth like this guy.
Simaudio MOON Neo 430HA - Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
It’s an excellent review. The TL;DR is he found its smoothness to be over done to point of being detrimental to the amp’s detail. But his review is based on its $3500 msrp
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It can get that way, but can be semi mitigated with a more aggressive dac. To me the biggest flawed was slightly blunted macrodynamics, mainly done to make it sound more chill and smooth is my guess, but it’s not overdone with the right cans. But yes it can be too smooth with a dac that’s already smooth leaning, and if you aren’t looking for a smooth relaxed amp regardless then I wouldn’t consider it
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