Thanks so much for the detailed reply @Pelontar! And thanks, @WaveTheory - I tend to listen anywhere from 8 and just shy of 12 on my Asgard 3, run out of my B2, so Iām perfectly fine with not pumping things too much. I know the Asgard sounds better - beefier, fuller, etc. - on high gain than low gain. Is this the case with the G111? Hoping itās not I guess, since it doesnāt sound like Iāll have too much room to wiggle for volume.
And if either of you have come directly from the Asgard 3 - is there really quite a noticeable difference between these two amps? In terms of detail, separation, etc.?
I think I have pretty sensitive ears - to a fault frankly; has made sleeping in certain conditions sort of difficult, distracted in open office spaces, etc. When I upgraded from the Modi 3 and Magni 3+ to the B2 and A3, I almost instantly felt the sound was far more 3D, immersive, heavy-hitting, fuller and realer. Chasing that same upgrade high again I guess, and I donāt think Iāll be replacing the B2 anytime soon. G111 has really caught my eye thoughā¦
I dunno. The gain control is inside the chassis. I never messed with it. But I also never felt the need to. On the Violectric HPA V200 (Violectric is like Lake Peopleās Buick/Mercury brand) the gain control didnāt change the sound just gave more gain, as far as I could tell.
Yes and yes. The A3 has a warmer and thicker than neutral sound - as youāve probably heard. Itās the best sounding $200 amp I know of, but isnāt neutral, strictly speaking. The G111 is closer to studio-neutral with just a hint of warmth and smoothness. And yes, you get a better sense of detail and space with the G111. I think the gap closes somewhat on timbre and dynamics, but youāll never forget the G111 is the higher performer.
Thanks again for the help. I almost wonder if I prefer/enjoy a thick/warm sound - feel like the THX/new Topping stacks arenāt for me. But then again, I think the B2 already to some extent provides this thickness or heft - I read I think that the B2 and the G111 are a particularly nice pairing. And from what you say, it doesnāt seem like the G111 is anything near clinical/overly analytical anyway.
That 3D soundstage - insofar as the G111 opens up in depth and heightwise stage - is pretty exciting to me. A lot of the music I listen to, particularly during work, is ambient/electronic. Being immersed from all direction by sound is a really enticing prospect.
No itās not. Itās more analytical than A3, but itās not like THX/Topping in that regard at all. IMO people who spend $500 on the A90 flat out missed the opportunity to get what they were looking for. The G111 was probably what they wanted and didnāt realize it - as in neutral, tell me whatās in my music kind of sound. And yes, the BF2 is gonna inject some of that warmth and holographic-ness into the sound as well.
Do you know if thereās any benefit to going balanced between my B2 and the G111, also, even though the G111 only runs unbalanced out? Iām currently unbalanced (obviously) between the B2 and A3.
Thereās a short answer and a long answer to this.
Short answer: nominal benefit to using balanced because the design of BF2 in particular is around itās balanced output (I think, this one is closer than many). The balanced connection will also eliminate any external ground noise sources.
Thanks, and yeah I donāt really think balanced or unbalanced/single-ended is qualitatively all that much better in my experience, all things being equal. Just I know a lot of manufacturers - and maybe Schiit is a particularly bad offender in this case, though I know the MLP also has this issue - make their SE and Bal outs such different tech that the sounds are just almost incomparable, with the Bal tending to sound better.
I prefer amps like the A3 and the G111 where Iām not given the choice to fret, because thereās only one kind of out. Also makes lining up my cables a more pain-free experience.
But good to know that the B2 might do better from sending Bal to whatever hunk of tech will sit on top of it, rather than RCA.
IME Schiit products tend to have one of the smaller technical performance differences between balanced and single ended. They talk regularly about how they pay extra attention to SE when they make a balanced device. But yeah, MLP is a quintessential example of how the balanced performance is better than SE.
Hope this isnāt veering off topic too far (and my last question - thanks!) but is there a brand of balanced cables you maybe recommend? Or is this kind of cable just not going to be noticed regardless of āqualityā. FWIW I do notice differences between some IEM and headphone cables.
For interconnect cables for gear in this price range the quality of build is more important than anything else. Any well-made cable should be fine. The difference youāll hear there between cables will be smaller than the difference you hear between headphone and IEM cables. If you were looking at a $5000 stack, then yeah, there would be more investigation to do on interconnect cables.
Wow, thank you for the detailed review @WaveTheory!
My current set-up is an Asgard 3 with a Modi 3+. My Bifrost 2 is on the way to upgrade my Modi 3+. I was looking to upgrade my amp in the near future and I was thinking about a Jot 2, but your review about the G111 is making me rethink my decision.
Just curious, will I have to do anything in particular to get this amp working in the US? I saw that it was natively 240V.
I would like to stay within $400 - $600 price range to pair with my Bifrost 2. Any suggestions?
I would suggest the Rupert Neve RNHP if you dont need a ton of power. It pairs extremely well with the Bifrost 2. If you have your heart set on the G111, a Soekris dac or Denafrips Ares II would pair well.
Ok, cool. The HD600 I havent heard on the RNHP, but I have heard my HD650 on there and it was pretty good sounding. Not as good as an HD600/660 on tubes, but still pretty good.
One more question if you donāt mind - and if any other G111 owners like @WaveTheory or @Pelontar could chime in Iād be super super appreciative.
Does the wider soundstage make the music sound recessed or further away? Sometimes soundstage, more than just sounding ānot-intimate,ā can make things sound a little far away or disengaged. Is that at all the care here? Thanks!
Hmmm, the distance away from my head is not something I comment on unless itās one of the highly noticeable aspects of a given piece. Itās been awhile since I meaningfully listened to G111 but I donāt recall any wonkiness like that in the staging/imaging.
My G111 came today. Instantly, very noticeably wider stage than my Asgard 3 (which was no slouch on that front). Running the G111 from a Bifrost 2. Itās definitely more neutral and less warm than my A3ā¦ will take some getting used to honestly. Not good or bad just different - I feel like itās one of those things where Iāll go back to the Asgard in a week and think itās way too warm and fuzzy.
Really nice on my 1990 Proās. A headphone that can annoy me or please me greatly depending on the sourceā¦ Amazing stage, great imaging. Mini HD-800s-like, but with more impact and spice.
6xx is crisper and faster and more expansive than itās ever sounded.
Happy with this purchase. Will probably check back in after I log some more hours.
Edit: listening to planet caravan off paranoid and man is this spacious and detailed, without sounding far away or anything, even on a 6xx.