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.
Awesome, thank you!
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The G111 still pairs fairly nicely with the B2, though, I imagine (owing to B2 being a pretty forgiving DAC, so I hear).
I think Iād rather have better staging than imaging - also I heard the G111 is just a bit more lush/enjoyable/vaguely warmer than the RNHP.
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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.
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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.
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How warm does the G111 get? Just curious, did you stack your G111 on top of your Bifrost?
For now. Might move the Asgard 3, might keep it, if I decide Iād like to sometimes use it for this or that pairing.
G111 is only vaguely warm. Barely warm. Asgard 3 got warm warm. Not hot, but warm warm. The bottom got hot. G111 is decidedly cooler.
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Couple things:
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For IEMs, thereās a slight bit of hum in the background even at normal volumes. Very slight. On low gain on the Asgard 3, it was silent. On high gain on the Asgard 3, it was probably twice as loud as it is by default on the G111. Totally tolerable, but some might care.
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I actually like the potentiometer. Instead of smooth scroll, it clicks into place for each step. I thought I wouldnāt love this, but I prefer it now. The click is very smooth and natural, not abrupt.
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I still have no idea why they put the gain inside of the damn amp lol. I guess they didnāt want people to accidentally trip it and incur hearing damage or something?
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I thought it would be way too loud by default for IEMs, but itās actually fine. I havenāt had to open it up and bring it down a notch. Iām currently somewhere between 8 and 9 oāclock, so still very low, but unlike the Asgard 3, there doesnāt seem to be any discernable relationship between volume and channel balance/sound quality (there is a bit of this on the A3 - channel imbalance namely - at very low volumes; was never a problem because Iād never listen to quietly, but still).
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Do amps benefit from āburn inā? Wondering what will change and how, over these next hours and days.
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If you find it getting to you, try grabbing an iematch as that should fix the problem. Also gives you more volume range to work with too
Yes and no, all depends on the amp, generally Iād just suggest listen to it as normal and donāt worry about any potential burn in
the G111 does not get even slightly warm. its cool to the touch at all times in my expereince.
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My guess is that in a studio setting, the G111 would be set for its application and then left as configured.
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So Iāve had these for a few more days.
There was this weird quality that Iāve only heard for the first time on this ampā¦ I couldnāt put it into words, until just a few moments ago. There are moments - Youtube videos, for example, or not particularly well-recorded music - where I can actually hear the room in which the audio was recorded. I can hear the space of the room, if itās not a carpeted room, that kind of thing. And if this might seem like an exaggeration - and maybe it is! - my point stands: I can hear aspects of recorded audio that are a little strange, but most definitely much more detailed, and true to the recording as it was recorded, than ever before.
I will be keeping my Asgard 3, though, because I personally donāt think I love the G111 with my 6xx. With the Asgard 3, music from the 6xx was lush - it felt like the music was wrapping itself around my head: a huge. With the G111 it sounds a little strangely sharp in places - Iāve even noticed a small bit of sibilance I think? This could just be that the amp gives a more truthful window into the recording than the A3.
Oddly, though, I prefer the G111 for my 1990 Pro. Itās probably my widest-sounding headphone, and the G111 really stretches that quality. For whatever reason, also, the 1990 Proās are even less sibilant on the G111 than the A3? Confuses me, but so far thatās what my ears tell me.
My Thieaudio Monarchs are a bit more of a toss up still. For almost all music, I prefer the G111 as its objectively way better in almost every way. But for relaxing and working - I often listen to this kind of music while I work, the G111 can be a little too much, and it can be harder to get in a zone working without becoming distracted from the music.
Initially, also, I think the amp sounded a bit sharper. Itās calming down, now though. Or else Iām just growing used to it.
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I really like your take on this. Iāve had similar experiences while upgrading amps and dacs. As you go further up the tiers, synergy really matters a lot. The experience and ājourneyā is awesome and well worth. If you liked the lushness the a3 brings the 6xx, def look into a tube amp , maybe the bottlehead crack,in the future 
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How would you describe what the Bottlehead Crack brings to the 6xx table, vs a SS amp? I was actually looking at some on Etsy last night. $400, so steep. And just got the G111, so I doubt Iāll be upgrading or investing into anything amp-related in quite some time. But curious.
The BHC has no output transformer which means the output of the tubes goes directly to the headphones. Tubes are good at amplifying voltage, which is what Hi-Z headphones need. Tubes also, in simple terms, are comfortable working against Hi-Z loads. To an extent, the harder a load is to drive, the better a tube responds by providing more voltage. The HD6xx (any dynamic driver, really, but the 6xx moreso than many others) has a U shaped impedance curve with higher impedance in the bass and treble than in the mids. This means the 6xx will draw more power out of the amp in those frequencies. Because tube amps naturally ramp up power output as impedance goes up, they exert more control on the drivers in the bass and treble. Sonically, thatās the difference. On a tube the bass and treble of the 6xx just spring to life way more than on most cheaper solid state amps. If youāve heard the 6xx on an Asgard 3 you get a taste. The A3 has a much beefier power supply than other solid state amps even twice as expensive, so it can do a little bit of that power delivery that tubes can. But the BHC will kick it up another few notches. IMO you really need a tube to see why the Senn 6?? series is so special.
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Thanks for the explanation. Helps better understand why Iām pretty sure I prefer the 6xx on the A3, despite preferring the Monarchs and 1990 Pros on the G111. If anything I was expecting the G111 to āopen upā the 6xx and provide some sonic qualities it doesnāt inherently possess (detail and width, I guess). But it was actually the reverse - it sort of made the 6xx a more confused, uncertain headphone. Granted, these are all early impressions - and Iāve already noticed some opening up (more and better bass, less sharp highs) so far, so who knows.
Okay wow. My Gotham GAC 4/1 XLR cables came in and I have to say this is better.
Simultaneously feels wider and ā¦ a little more lively or real? XLR it is for this setup.
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What are some headphones people really like with the G111? Or that people have found have really nice synergy with the G111?
They work really well with the Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm and the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 headphones
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