šŸ”· Lake People G111

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories [Official] Headphone Amps
63

Nice, yeah I have the 1990 Proā€™s which should be similar. Definitely a lot more refined, wider, and more pleasing than before. Iā€™ve found that the 1990 Proā€™s sound a lot better on the G111 than my Asgard 3, but my 6xxā€™s actually sound better on the Asgard 3 than the G111 - on the A3 they just retain that trademark warmth and fuzziness. Super lush. They gain some detail and width on the G111 but donā€™t succeed as well as what their strongest at IMO.

The G111 is also great for my Thieaudio Monarchā€™s, though I really should get around to opening the amp to bring down the gain a little. Thought I wouldnā€™t have to after the first couple of days, but I think Iā€™m going to have to ultimatelyā€¦

Definitely interested in some higher tier headphones to pair with the G111. Eyeing Focal, ZMFā€¦

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Yea the 6xx will do better on the Asgard 3 with that extra bit of warmth. Which is also why folks tend to use them with tubes.

Yea it should be a good match. I mean the amp is really meant for higher impendence headphones.

Both the Focal Clear OG and MG sound pretty good with it as well. Most folks recommend though pairing them with the RNHP Rupert Neve amp. Personally I have never gotten to listen to that oneā€¦ and a little on the fence about trying it out due to itā€™s look alone. Feel like I might grow tired of that quickly lol.

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65

Yeah Iā€™m not interested in that amp frankly. Like you, I really donā€™t like its looks. Also have heard from some that its ergonomics are weird. I enjoy a somewhat wider sound also - particularly if Iā€™d get one of the Clear headphones, which Iā€™ve heard are somewhat narrow to start with.

The G111 is meant for higher impedance headphones, also, you say? So at least from that POV they could be a nice pairing with one of the ZMF phonesā€¦ hm.

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Maybeā€¦ but I donā€™t own a ZMF headphone to answer that. Maybe someone else can chime in on that question. (Althoughā€¦ againā€¦ most folks I think will sayā€¦ use a tube with a ZMF headphone?)

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Yeah I was just looking for a warmish headphone I guess, hence ZMF. Not particularly interested in tubes also right now, maybe in the future. I was eyeing the MLP but I heard its SE output was kind of ass, and I donā€™t have balanced cables and am not interested in retrofitting my lineup for said.

Focal Clear MG is another one Iā€™m looking at hard. Also heard it can lush, warm, nice and comfyā€¦

69

Audeze LCD2 prefazor does really well, hd6xx, ndh20 to name a few. G111 was my favorite SS amp for the sennheisers personally.

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70

Yepā€¦ you wouldnā€™t go wrong with this choice if this is what you are looking for. Great headphone.

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72

Have you tried them out with the G111?

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Wellā€¦ I meanā€¦ if you look at my avatarā€¦ lol.

Yea I have. They sound good to me on the G111. You are already aware of what the G111 can provide in terms of itā€™s technicalities. So they are a good match IMO. The only other headphone amp that I own that I can compare that is close in that price range is the Singxer, which is pretty similar, a tad warmer, but I think maybe the G111 might still resolve just a bit better? However the Singxer is solid as it has more features and if you decide to purchase a headphone with a balance connection or a 4.4mm connection, then it would be the better choice ( the one con here being that the Singxer hi/low gain switches are on the bottom)

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The 6xxā€™s definitely sound great on the G111 - I just think what the Asgard 3 bring out of them is really special - both better and worse (worse detail and imaging and width), but the thing it does better is what I think the 6xx was designed to excel at.

Iā€™ve heard the Asgard 3 can have similar quality to tubes, so maybe Iā€™m just experiencing, albeit not completely, the famous synergy between the 6xx and tubes.

Listening to the 6xx out of the G111 right now and itā€™s awesome.

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The thing is, the ā€œtubeyā€ sound that people describe is not what every tube amp sounds like. Not even close. Theres many examples of tube amps that can sound as clean as any solid state out there, the Tuba being a pretty good example of this, yet the 6xx still plays wonderfully with that amp. Thereā€™s a lot more to it than general warmth and the distortion characteristic thatā€™s often described as ā€œtubeyā€, granted I do not at all know enough about it to go into more detail than that.

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76

Welp, thatā€™s it; Iā€™m sold on G111+Bifrost for my next upgrade, as a single-ended IEM+headphone user. I want great spaciousness & imaging, nice detail, nothing overly smoothed, and nothing too cold/analytical. Any objections/suggestionsā€¦? ($699 is a lot, but there doesnā€™t seem to be a cheaper DAC worth getting below the Bifrost) I would go for Asgard 3 + Bifrost, or A3+Modius, for cheaper combinations.

77

I mean, I guess it depends on what youā€™re coming from. If you donā€™t already have experience owning a DAC and you want to save some money, I imagine a Schiit Modius, Geshelli JNOG2, or SMSL SU-8/SU-9 would hold you over for a while. (I canā€™t speak to the G111.)

78

Iā€™d say if you are after a hold over dac Iā€™d go for an allo revolution dac over a schiit or geshelli, but the bf2 really is worth the cost for a setup like this imo

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Whatā€™s the advantage here? If I got that, then I could get the A3 as well to try out.

D50s+ATOM, and just got a Mojo(to see what the big-name Chord sounds like).

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Generally imo I think it offers a bit higher performance than other options in itā€™s price range, if you have letā€™s say a modius on the lower end of the spectrum and a bifrost on the upper, itā€™s a bit more in the middle for a solid middle ground (with the nirvana smps). Also tunable as well (via the ability to go from os to nos, and more importantly 2nd and 3rd order harmonics control), I wouldnā€™t tell you to get one over a bifrost as thatā€™s a different league and a step ahead, but itā€™s a great option if you canā€™t grab a bf2 and it also has pretty solid synergy with the g111

You could, although I might suggest going for the g111 for a more significant leap in performance if you can, from what you describe you might like the a3 but you would most likely like the g111 more (and itā€™s more of an upgrade). But the a3 + Allo rev combo is very nice for the price

So out of what you have, what have you enjoyed so far, and what would you change?

81

Ok, so the Allo would be competition for Modius, D90, Modi MB. I definitely donā€™t want to skimp or compromise on SQ, so thatā€™s why Iā€™m trying to hit Bifrost-level as my DAC target. (Iā€™ve heard the older Bifrosts before in a hifi store, and wasnā€™t wowā€™ed, but this current 4493/AD5781/Multibit/whatever ā€œBifrost 3ā€(or is it still considered a 2?) should be different). I have no idea about harmonics control, so thatā€™s neat.

Yeah, I was thinking G111+BF(main option), or G111+A3+Allo, to see how much I might like that warmer A3. Well, I can always buy A3 later(itā€™s cheap) to test; right now I want the best sound I can get, to go with my likely upcoming Clairvoyance/everything.

I really like the D50s. It just feels very uncolored and transparent/truthful to me, and the ATOM for the same exact reasons(all it does is add volume; thereā€™s not a single change in sound VS the DACā€™s sound, to my ears with any IEM or headphone yet). Now that Mojo is here, I can FINALLY say I actually hear a significant difference VS D50s+ATOM all those other DACs and amps under $400 Iā€™ve triedā€¦ Mojo sounds much more natural/realistic, with more depth and resolution to most areas. Probably better imaging & separation, with that depth & resolution. It sounds maybe ā€œorganicā€ and warm, but I canā€™t say if that sound is colored to any significant, negatively impactful degree. So far, I might say Mojo has less treble extension, otherwise everything is probably better about it. After hearing Mojo, D50s+ATOM sounds rather dry, rough/less smooth, and definitely lacking resolution, otherwise still perfectly uncolored and transparent at the core of its sound.

I am certainly NOT a fan of tube/hybrid amps(up to ~$300 amps, mind you), so itā€™s been the SS way for me so far. My amp & DAC doesnā€™t really have any nifty features, but stuff like bass boost and treble softening would be fun bonuses. I think I just want to stay on the warm side of neutral, while sacrificing as little space & detail as possible. I want to trust my IEM/headphone to deliver the bass flavor I want, and trust the DAC/amp to make sure the fidelity for the bass detail, texture & realism are all there. (same for mids & treble) Butā€¦extra bass never hurt. :slight_smile: Also nicer volume pots, and LED screens are cool. (ATOM has a pre-amp that I can use for my speakers, too, so that would be useful, but not necessary atm)

Going off the best Iā€™ve ever heard, I believe it was a McIntosh tube amp with some SACD player and maybe another hulking box(a streamer?) in the chain, on HE-6/LCD-3. There was a unique, vibrant, liquidy/watery smoothness/quality to everything, that made everything sound so alive and real. That was a $25K system, so I might be able to get close with todayā€™s ultra-advanced, sub-$1K tech. ^ ^

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Yes, and Iā€™d pretty easily take it over those three lol

:+1:

Neither was I tbh, I havenā€™t liked older schiit dacs in the past as well, but the bf2 definitely changed that for me

Gotcha yeah, I mean you could grab an a3 now, and the a g111 down the line, using your mojo as a dac (not ideal but still sounds pretty good) to test, or you could make the jump right away

Cool cool. Personally to me the mojo is cleaner leaning although with good density and a bit of added warmth. Reasonably neutral though

Imo if something is more rough, has a more flat stage, or is lacking some resolution, to me thatā€™s coloration and lacking transparency*. Idk, at this point Iā€™ve given up on trying to find something fully uncolored or transparent per SE, as I just havenā€™t found it to exist, imo the next best option is to try to put together a chain with great synergy that also aligns to ones preferences

*To me coloration is something that deviates from how you would hear something in life, but it could also be deviation from a specific type of neutral target. Transparency is how well something conveys whatā€™s being put into it (like a transparent amp would convey the differences of different dacs a lot and also would be fairly dependant on the dac for itā€™s performance, where is an amp that is lacking in transparency doesnā€™t convey dac differences well and doesnā€™t change much with different dacs)

Gotcha, I personally canā€™t say Iā€™ve enjoyed many in that range as well, I think you need to get more in the 500 buck rant to get to some of the good tube or hybrids imo

That can be done for sure, your already on a good path with the g111 and bf2 imo

Yep yep, if the source chain canā€™t convey it in the first place, the headphones/iems arenā€™t going to be able to either lol

Nice

Imo probably not, but that doesnā€™t mean you canā€™t get a damn nice setup for 1-2k these days. Itā€™s just that I donā€™t think things have trickled down that much

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I had no idea! Lol. That would help me figure out whether itā€™s the DAC or amp section that makes Mojo sound the way it does, if I can separate em! This thing is so weird and funky, I love it. TWO headphone jacks!!! Butā€¦WHY LOL. My one actual issue with it, is that I hear hum when I plug most of my IEMs in. I never hear any on my d50s+ATOM, unless the volume is up a lot. Maybe I need a better USB cable for it? I should try it through my phone instead of PC.

For budget products like D10s, I guess even D50s, Modi MB(yuck), I would assume the missing resolution is due to cheaper chips/hardware being used, so it just canā€™t make that resolution happen. But otherwise it could be essentially perfect at what it can do lol. Not colored, justā€¦incapable, IMO.

I can always return or Ebay these parts, so thereā€™s certainly no risk in trying G111+BF out. Heck, the G111 and BF2 even seem to be rare collectorā€™s items rarely seen for saleā€¦! Bonus! :star2:

Oh, another question - At this point, would you upgrade the DAC or amp next? (assuming you have G111+BF2)

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If you check the manual thereā€™s a mode that puts it into pseudo line out, itā€™s not true line out (as itā€™s not bypassing the headphone amp stage sort of), but it still sounds great that way

Personally I think itā€™s the dac in the mojo that is the more prominent preformer in this case, itā€™s just a pretty well done dac for the money

Yeah donā€™t know what they were doing there lol

Hum or hiss? Also if you have nothing connected like no USB or spdif cable and running off battery but just the iems, does it still have that issue? Could be a ground loop

Yeah, canā€™t expect it to have top tier resolution for that money so itā€™s not a fault or anything. Thereā€™s just better above pretty much

Yeah thereā€™s been quite a demand for bf2 recently since schiitā€™s been backed up lately (gross pun?), and the g111 is somewhat seldom found used as well, so I bet you would have no problems selling them if they were priced well enough

Amp, I would carry the bf2 forward. BUT thereā€™s a slight dilemma if you end up really liking the g111 and want to move to violectric (higher end brand of lake people so fairly direct upgrade). If you move to the new Vio like the v550 or v340 you are fine. But if you go for an older Vio like a v281/280 the bf2 does not pair well with those, so you would want to change dacs. But yes typically you upgrade the amp first, that would give you more audible benefit (the g111 will still convey some aspects of a nicer dac upgrade but it wonā€™t be as large of a difference as moving to the higher end amp)

Regarding upgrading from this though, you really get into the realm of synergy playing a significant role, so be careful there and make sure to plan accordingly, as when you move up from here the source gear you choose will really start to lock you into specific headphones/iems you should go for, as things get much more picky and less forgiving about poor pairings. But you shouldnā€™t have to worry about that all that soon unless you make drastic upgrades on the headphone/iem front