GS-X mini is the second flagship of HeadAmp dynamic amp. My knowledge of HeadAmp comes from the blue Hawaii that made a sensation in martial arts. In the past, using STAX SR-009 machine, and then driven by Blue Hawaii, these two pieces are not cheap to look at separately, it can be said to be the holy mountain of the machine world. As long as it is serious about the use of the sound of the machineHome, you will definitely want to knowHow nice is the combination of SR-009 with HeadAmp Blue Hawaii?

But to be honest, I only knew that there was an electrostatic amp called Blue Hawaii, but I didn''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t pay much attention to which company''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s product. Not only did I know the name of the company until I was engaged in this industry, I also discovered that they are not only making electrostatic amps, but also making amps that drive general moving coil machines.

FromDynalo line

HeadAmp drives the headphone amplifier of the moving coil machine, The circuit design comes fromA pure class A fully balanced amp published by Kevin Gilmore on the Internet in 2001Line; a few years laterKevin Gilmore?? introduced an improved version with more output power, which he called "Dynahi", and the original version in 2001 was called "Dynalo". HeadAmpThe founding of??Justin Wilson uses this set of ampsThe circuit is used as the basis to design mass products.After optimizing the circuit in 2005, the best-selling model GS-1 was designed; the following year, the GS-X with separate power supply and balanced output and input was introduced.Since then, the product architecture of HeadAmp in the landline has been basically established: the flagship model with a separate power supply, and the sub-flagship with the box-style model. This is true whether it is moving coil or static electricity.

FromBeginning in 2012, GS-X has been revised to become the second-generation version GS-X MK2, which also usesSeparate power supply design, this evaluation is made byGS-X MK2 simplified andSuccessful, the sub-flagship with the power supply and the circuit installed in the same chassis:GS-X mini.

Fully balanced class A zoom

The GS-X mini is the same as other headphone amplifiers in this company, and it provides many kinds of board colors for users to choose. And the default color in Taiwan is the champagne version sent to this magazine. If you want to buy stock, it is this color; if the user wants to buy other colorsYou can, but you need to wait for the original factory to ship from the United States. In addition, Taiwan’s law equipment is more expensiveDACT?? Control knob.

GS-X mini?? provides a total of 6.3mm single-ended, and 4-pin XLR balanced machine output each?? In addition to RCA and XLR input, it also provides RCA and XLR output, which can be used as a pre-stage. Objects that can be manipulated except for volumeIn addition to the control, there are only four sets of levers on the board. These four groups correspond to the power switch,Gain?? Low,?? The machine/preamp output, RCA/XLR input. Popular todayofDAC/headphone amplifierCombined?? different,GS-X mini is an amp built with analog circuits. Even the operation and display use traditional analogdesign. According to the official statement,The lower two gears of Gain correspond to 3 times gain and 10 times gain respectively.

GS-X mini provides 6.3mm single-ended, and 4-pin XLR balanced machine output each type. The color palette is Taiwan’s default color, andAnd directly install the famousDACT?? Control.

Open the top panel, you can find that the internal structure is very neat and clear. CentrallyThe 4-link DACT?? control knob is the boundary, and on the left is the power supply area that uses linear power.Two4700uF Nippon electrolytic capacitor. On the right, there are obviously four groups of the same line, which is the modified Dynalo line. Fully balanced, pure Class A amplifier.

Four headsets serve

The original manufacturer stated in the official statementGS-X mini is the perfect partner for all low-to-medium sensitivity testers and impedance testers. Therefore, the author looked around and found four models that are generally recognized as not easy to push to thoroughly understand the details of the GS-X mini. These four models are: HIFIMAN HE1000, Sennheiser HD800, Sennheiser HD580, AKG K701. K701 is a low-resistance and low-sensitivity moving coil machine. HD800 and HD580 are both 300-ohm high-resistance machines. Although HE1000 is also low-resistance and low-sensitivity, it is a flat diaphragm machine. ?? For the source, use the Norma Audio Revo DS-1 CD turntable.

In the audition process of constant cross-comparison of the four machines, it can be concluded thatSeveral features of GS-X mini. Let''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s talk about driving the machine first. Generally speaking, as long as the machine is plugged into the machine hole, it can actually make a sound. It can be used.; Therefore, computer players often say "can push" and "can push well" are two different things. But having said that, what kind of situation can be called to push the machine well and perfect? Listen this timeAfter the GS-X mini, each person thinks that the difference lies in the "painting".

The horn-like amp drives the starter, and various sounds seem to line up and float around the center of the head; and with the GS-X mini driver, the sound and the shape of the instrument are extremely condensed, as if the head is inside the frame. After the projection screen, all kinds of sound and musical instruments are arranged, all unfolded "in front of the eyes", just like listening to two channels. That''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s right, the GS-X mini drives the starter, which really makes you think of a two-channel listening experience. In other words, it seems to shrink and project the picture that is unfolded in front of my eyes when listening to two channels.

In the comparison of the four machines,The fluctuation and magnificence of HE1000 in the low frequency range are the closest to the low frequency performance when listening to two channels. However, the degree of cohesion of the body is not as good as the other three, and the sense of painting is not so strong. If you use HE1000, you may still need to consider HeadAmpFlagshipGS-X MK2.

GS-X mini is a pure analog amp,Apart fromIn addition to RCA and XLR inputs, RCA and XLR outputs are also provided as preamplifiers. The front-end output amplifier circuit is the same as the headphone amplifier, and the sound quality is excellent.

Highly transparent and extremely pure sound quality

Have plenty of driving forceOutside,The quality of the GS-X mini is also very impressive. With its pure texture without any impurities, it is no wonder that many people are obsessed with pure Class A products. If this kind of quality is to appear on two channels, it may cost more than 50 times the price. In addition, when listening, the author has also compared the gain with low gain. Some amps have a gain design in order to promote more difficult-to-drive machines, but they will also sacrifice for this.Point sound quality;The GS-X mini''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s low two-band gain will not have any deterioration in the sound and texture, and even the difference in volume between the two, such as the difference in cohesion, is extremely slight. As the official said, the low-gain design just increases the range of volume changes.

?? Color heightTransparent tooThe strengths of GS-X mini. It sounds like the GS-X mini did not carry out any color beautification, but directly decided the winner by performance. Driven by a high degree of transparency, the characteristics of each of the four machinesThey are all under the sun, clearly and clearly identified. pictureK701 has a special temperament, it is very beautiful when playing the violin, but the low frequency volume is obviously less.

The sound characteristics of HD580 and HD800 can make people feel good"Sure enough, it’s the same brand’s machine", butAfter all, the HD800 is a late-coming machine, which is obviously faster in response, super-sounding, and better overall sound performance. Some computer players will use"Sheng Hai Sha" to describe the imageHD580 and other early Sennheiser’s characteristics, but when driven by GS-X mini, both HD580 and HD800 are extremely transparent, with clear lines, and it has long been invisible to any yarn.

The HE1000, as mentioned in the previous chapter, handles the low frequency band closer to the fluctuation and layering of the two channels. If you want to compare the acoustic characteristics of the flagship phones today,The GS-X mini is definitely the best weapon after the flagship GS-X MK2.

Level sound control is really different

GS-X mini useofDACT this progressive volumeThe controller is particularly worth mentioning. existThe GS-X MK2 is a standard configuration, and it can also be used on the GS-X mini, but the price is higher; in Taiwan, the DACT version is adopted. In particular, comparing the differences between the different numbers of segments, when DACT is turned, the only change is the volume is low, the transparency, the field, and the details are almost unchanged. When the volumeTurning to the penultimate frame, the transparency and details are still very good, and the sound is impeccable. The only regret isThere are too few 24 segments, and it often produces too many frames and too small back frames.

Listen"Ella and Louis", what attracted the author''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s attention most was the piano accompaniment in the background. The sound played is a very condensed form, which is a rare performance that can be heard. Ella''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s level of detail is also very clear when it is racing, and the texture is as detailed as melted cream. In addition to the clear and clear color of the trumpet, the empty inspiration is the most memorable.

The current level is also very suitable

In addition to using the camera, the GS-X mini is also used as the front stage to simply experience the effect of the GS-X mini as the front stage. The author once saw some fans and lamented that the previous stage has declined. However, after listening to the performance of the GS-X mini as a preamp, I can’t help thinking that today’s affordable preamp is actually there, but it has gradually become the image of an amp. GS-X mini does not have two sets of lines for the front stage and amp like some equipment, but it uses Dynalo fully balanced pure class A line drive, so when used as a front stage, you can also adjust the low gain.

After using the GS-X mini as the front stage, you will feel that the field is more open, the sound is more solid and fuller, and the more attractive is that the subtle volume changes of the instrument performance are more abundant, which makes it sound as if there are more details. . This is actually the shortcoming of the digital control, because the general digital control relies on the attenuation bit to achieve volume control, that is to say, the more the volume attenuation, the narrower the bit range, which will limit the sound dynamics. If there is no comparison, there is actually no problem, but if it is compared with the analog control of DACT, the difference is obvious. After listening to it, I think that even if you buy a GS-X mini to use it as a pre-amp, it has that value. It is one of the very few high-quality pre-amps in Wannei today.

Comment on the magic weapon of the headset

In fact, the characteristics of GS-X mini can be summarized in just three sentences, that is, strong driving force, good quality, and transparency. However, these three are quite rare and valuable characteristics, let alone possess them at the same time. And these three items, especially the most important is the color transparency, which has the ability to distinguish different characteristics of the machine, which are the characteristics that the reference amp should have when reviewing the machine. If you want to know what kind of world your beloved machine is fully capable of, GS-X mini is definitely one of the most trustworthy amps.

Specification:

Product type: pure analog amp and preamp.

Input??: RCA×1. XLR×1.

Output terminal??: RCA×1. XLR×1. 4-Pin XLR×1.6.3mm×1.