Ha, congrats! Iām leery about eBay - just donāt want a weird scenario where someone tries to scam me - canāt they lie about having received the item or what condition the item was in? I tried on Hifiguides, will try on Headfi too, hopefully itāll go there.
I think they can contest it, yes. Ebay holds the money until the buyer confirms receipt. If they challenge it youāll have to work with Ebay to get your money. My feeling is worst case you have to wait a week or two to get your money. Iām sure there are horror stories, but so far itās gone okay for me. The other place Iāve had very good luck is local sales through OfferUp. Depends on your area, but you save on shipping and can close the deal in person.
Getting slightly back on topic - the dt880 600ohm on the G111 is very impressive! My dt880ās are wired balanced, and I usually run them balanced on the Jot2. But thisā¦ this is betterā¦ more bass, more width, more detail, ā¦ this is a nice pairing! Sound is very natural. This is a big difference over the A3 performance.
(I feel like Iām just going to add a comment for every headphone I put on this thing.)
I probably got that black A3 for $225. ;p eBay - worldwide marketplace! My IEMs werenāt selling on reddit or head-fi.
Going from the A3 to the G111 has been a surprisingly large step up in overall listening experience: more neutral, more detailed, better tonality and tambour, wider sound stage, better depth to the sound stage, ā¦ (Not minimizing the awesomeness of the A3, just really surprised / impressed with what the G111 brings to the table.)
It has me wondering now, what is the next step up from the G111? Staying in the same general sonic signature. Is it a Violectric V280?
At what level of headphones will I get the benefit from going to the next level of amplifier? Maybe an easier question to answer, what headphone would expose the limitation of the G111? and benefit from the next step up? (Just thinking / dreaming of my headphone / amplifier roadmap lol)
It would actually be the new series of violectric like the V340 or 550. The 280 and 281 are also great, but they share a different voicing/focus (that leans more warmer smoother relaxed and spacious) where the new violectric maintains a signature more in line with the lake people being studio neutral with a bit of extra smoothness and body
Iād want to be at the level of things around the 1.5k mark, such as a clear, arya, ether 2, eikon/auteur, lcd2, hd800s, adx5k, th900 etc. And then up from there. I wouldnāt move up amps unless you are at that range for headphones
Thanks @M0N, this is really helpful! Helps me feel less anxious about an upgrade knowing how far away it is
With what you have right now I wouldnāt go higher than the g111 imo, the g111 is a good spot to be for now until you make the jump headphone wise
Yes yes - it took me a while to understand this, but I completely agree. It also took me a while to get my head wrapped around what I like / want in sound. Lots of flailing around with different equipment and headphonesā¦
One more question: will it be as noticeable / impactful of a jump from G111 to the V340/550 as going from the A3 to the G111? Is it diminishing returns? Or is ādiminishing returnsā just a lie people tell themselves so they donāt feel bad about the gear they currently have? lol
I feel like with the A3 to G111 jump I realized that itās not as diminishing of a return as I thought it would beā¦
Potentially larger jump than a3 ā g111 imo depending on the rest of the chain
No, given the rest of your chain is up to snuff. Could be diminishing returns with one headphone (letās say a sundara), or barely even touching diminishing returns with another (letās say a susvara)
I want to say yes, but thatās not always the case at times lol
It just keeps going up, I would say where diminishing returns actually lies is where seldom anyone spends anyways. But there is such a thing as a reasonable stopping point and that will depend on your experience as a listener, your overall enjoyment from the hobby coupled with your enjoyment of music, and how much you can really afford to continue (but some would argue that Iām just describing diminishing returns here so idk lol, basically will depend on the person)
well said. thanks for the wisdom!
Sorry, but this begs another question. What DACs would you recommend pairing with the G111? Maybe consider two categories: keeping the sound studio neutral, and shifting the sound more warm/fun.
Iāve read elsewhere on this thread that the Denifraps Ares II is a good pairing with the G111. But my impression is that moves the sound more warm / fun.
Iām currently using a Soncoz LA-QXD1 - which I canāt imagine being an ideal pairing - but sounds great so farā¦
Yes that moves it more warmer fun, solid pairing imo. Iād consider a soekris 2541 or wait for their new more affordable 1221 to come out it you wanted to lean it more studio neutral.
Very interesting - both recommendations are R2R DACs. Are sigma-delta based DACs not competitive at this price point?
I think some of the sigma delta dacs I like with those tend to end up being a bit above the 1k mark. If you had to have something sigma delta I think an allo revolution with a shanti lps is pretty great on the more budget side of things (but Iād assume you would want a larger upgrade), but going up you could try and find a used bryston bda-2 or ayre qb-9 (both around 1.1k used) keeping decently neutral, a mytek liberty would be nice if you wanted to lean a bit more analytical. I do really like something like a crane song solaris quantum with the g111 for something natural neutral but thatās getting up there in price (1.5k used).
Other good r2r exist in this price range for the lake people like a holo cyan, mhdt orchid, an exogal comet plus (although thatās fpga), and others but I wouldnāt really go higher for a g111
No need, I have plenty of sigma-delta DACs in my life (aka, everything that plays sound in my house ). Just a curiosity is the reason I asked. I considered going to the Allo Revolution DAC (Iām currently using a Soncoz LA-QXD1). But unless itās a meaningful improvement over what I have now, I think I would rather wait, save my money, and get an upgrade thatāll really move the needle (such as the Soekris or Denifraps).
Thanks again!
Would you say whilst Ares II / G111 is not neutral it is still not overly warm (at least more neutral than a pairing like Modius/Asgard)? The reason I like the pairing is the slightly wider stage, thicker / more body and slightly more engaging sound, in NOS mode, compared to 1321 (but also somewhat pretty smooth and laid back at the same time, possible due to the wider/deeper stage. I havenāt spent too much time but i have the impression that OS on Ares II can tilt the sound slightly more neutral than NOS, Altho still different from 1321.
Yeah itās not overwhelming but definitely noticable, I would say itās more neutral than something like a modius/asgard
Soooā¦ A) How to change this to 115V? o_ o My German isnāt the best. Do I have to unscrew the power cord receptacle with 2 star-tip bits(I donāt have these) to access a secret switchā¦? From what I understand, you lose 50% power by using a 115V cable with the unit set to 230V.
B) According to the manual, itās factory set to 230V. How can I tell what itās currently set to? (The US seller claims itās set to 115V, though how can I tell? - he could not tell or show me)
G111 manual:
V590 manual: