A Headphone Amplifier thread

Hi James
So far the GSX Mini is EXTREMELY impressive. Early comments on HeadFi show most everyone else in agreement.
I currently own the Moon 430HA (for the past two years) and had the current totl Luxman headphone amp in for an extended home demo.

So far the GSX Mini handily beats both with ease - inky black background, plenty of PRAT, plenty of power, and it simply gets out of the way and allows my Klimax DS to do its thing.

Extremely impressive and an absolute steal for the price when compared to the other two I mentioned

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Hi Gregg - That’s really good news - i had a good look at the HeadAmp site the other day and it’s an impressive piece of kit. Very nicely made both inside and out. From your impressions and others, it sounds as good as it looks. If i’m ever in the market for an amp then i’ll certainly check this option out. I hope it’s settling in nicely :sunglasses:

James

On another note, i finally got my Chord Shawcan headphone cable through earlier this week. It took longer than expected - the first delivery was missed as i was on holiday and when i did receive it, it was terminated incorrectly, requiring a further wait. Was it worth the wait…

Thankfully yes. My previous experience with aftermarket headphone cables had been the Kimber Axios. In some ways the Axios bettered the supplied Sony cable but not to a degree where it was a clear winner. Beautifully made (as it should be for nearly £800) i found it extremely microphonic, carrying mechanical noise into the headphone capsules. With my Sony 1Z portable, you could hear the click of the tiny relays clearly in the headphones with the Axios. A useful practical lesson in how mechanical noise couples between components via cables. They went back under the 60 day audition period.

On to the Shawcan - i’d seen it mentioned here by @BruceW and thought it was worth a try. It’s not as jewel like as the Axios and looks a bit more ‘home made’ but for £300 i’m not complaining. It’s also a bit more microphonic than the standard cable and a tad less flexible, but not problematic in either area.
SQ wise, for me it’s a clear step up on the standard cable - less bloom in the bass and a sweeter, yet more detailed top end but without sounding bright. Switching back to the standard Sony cable brings a warmer, more closed in sound. Enjoyable still, but missing the extra detail and pace the Shawcan brings to the party.

I’m impressed with what the Chord cables bring to my system with this cable and it certainly works well in my setup. It’s well worth an audition if you’re thinking of a cable upgrade.

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