antness

That amp is a Gilmore V1 (amp box only) powered by the Elpac wall-wart used in the Gilmore Lite. It was used as the first prototype for the Lite. He has the only one

I have heard them but not in my system

I'll volunteer to have them shipped to me and I'll put down 10% of the cost of the headphones, of course I get a quick audition as well. I suggest before you consider such an action you call up Amazon again, and ask to talk to a supervisor about that refund policy. If that supervisor gives you the OK, get his or her name. Also, print out dated copies of the Amazon return policy....in case things get ugly.

Not really interested. If it is a limited edition, then I'll likely just hold onto my HD600 (which I own only because it's necessary for those who build amps, since so many people have them)....However....I doubt the HD650 will touch these..

Pete Millett designed an amp for the AKG K1000. You can find building information here: http://www.pmillett.addr.com/ecc99_srpp_he...adphone_amp.htm

The R10 certainly isn't a headphone for everything. I have a lot more experience with the HP-1000 but I can say with confidence that the HP-1000 is a much better candidate for a phone that works seamlessly with any genre or type of music. lengcm, no reason to have both HP-1000 and HP-1. HP-1 and HP-2 sound the same but the HP-1 has polarity switches. If there were any sonic differences, I am sure Grado would have mentioned them (why wouldn't they want to sell more of the flagship?) From what I have heard, HP-3 isn't as good as it doesn't have as closely matched drivers. And the Emmeline HR-2 is an amp not a headphone.

It isn't actually a "Gilmore V1" - only the circuit boards were provided to the builder of the amp. Also, the "upgraded caps" in that amplifier are neither in the amplifier circuit or the power supply. They are part of the servo loop that nulls DC voltage on the output of the amp -- absolutely nothing that affects sounds. Whoever buys the amp might want to put in some film caps in the power supply where currently none are present - these are important for high frequency response.

Yes, the enclosure is included

Hi, The Gilmore Lite kit consists of all parts to build the amp with the exception of solder. To build the kit you will need these tools: - Soldering iron - Digital volt meter Of course wire cutters, pliers, etc.

I second what Rameish said. Also, IMO the Etys are better (ER-6 similar price to Shure E2) but you can't go wrong either way.

I agree that any of the Grados are superior over the HD600 for rock. Some rock songs especially fast ones just fall apart with the HD600.

Thanks for the info. Right now I have an Arcam CD23, but will be getting a new source. This isn't because I don't like the sound out of the Arcam CD23, but I actually need something good with balanced outputs for use with building my balanced Gilmores. Good excuse for an upgrade too. I can probably get about $1000 for the arcam. A used Cary 303 would run about $1500, a 306 $2500. Also will consider the Sony SCD-1 for around the same. However, I have heard the SCD-1 is fantastic for SACDs but not so good on Redbook. I don't own any SACDs and most titles don't interest me so I don't think this is the best choice. Then I saw this and I'm quite interested in trying it out: http://www.audiomeca-usa.com/cdstats.htm

Wortel, From what I have heard, the largest internet-based headphone amp manufacturer in the U.S. takes the cost of the amp (parts and labor) and sells it for 3x that much. If I followed those same guidelines, the Gilmore V2 would sell for $1290. It is likely that even with the Gilmore V2 at $550 I have one of the lowest margins of any headphone amp manufacturer. Considering in many reviews the Gilmore V2 has been compared favorably to amps costing around or more than $1290, I think this is an extremely good deal! -Justin

razerx, How do you like your V2-SE out of the Cary 303? Any comparisons to other sources?

Hey, The price is for real. I can't say I'm not embarrassed to sell Gilmore's design at this price (I still feel the same about $549) For those of you that are interested - yes, 230V version is available, and shipping is $35 to Singapore. Also, please send emails to antness@aol.com not justin@headamp.com (mail server problems...again) And/Or just send a PM here Thanks, Justin

1) Cardas RCAs? Nope. The Gilmore Lite uses the same RCA jacks as the V1 and V2, they aren't made by Cardas but are just as nice and not insanely priced. 2) Volume pot - ?? Volume pot is the Panasonic often used in META42 3) Neutrik non-locking circuit mount headphone jack? Non-locking chassis mount jack, same as in Gilmore V2 4) Vishay-Dale resistors. Yes, just like the V1 and V2

I have a step up / down transformer to simulate this the best that I can, and I havent found using a step down transformer to increase noise at all. I think that may just be speculation, have you had a problem with that in the past?

I've checked all the Elpac PSUs and there aren't any for 230V that will work.

The V2 has the same voltage gain as the V1. However it has more current gain so I think this is the difference williamgoody is hearing. I read his brief comparison of the V1 and V2 a while ago and his impressions exactly follow the technical differences between the V1 and the V2. I also talked to Elpac briefly today and found out I can have the unit custom made for 230V however with a minimum order of around $15,000....so..if you can round up enough pre-orders... I will keep looking into options.

ablaze, Yes, it is the same amplifier circuit and components. Take a look at the schematics of the amplifier circuit on headamp.com or headwize.com, the volume control isn't shown there. Also, I remember mentioning at some point that the Lite doesn't have the alps blue pot because it can't fit in a small enclosure...correct me if that was something I had said to someone else. No other components are different than whats in the V2.

Hey, One thing Ive decided to do is to lower the default gain on the Lite to 5, unless asked otherwise. This is because, as Rameish pointed out, the imbalance in the pot. The Alps blue is a good pot, and doesnt have much imbalance, however the smaller cheaper pot in the Gilmore Lite does have more imbalance in the lower range as would be expected. Since most people even with high-impedance headphones don't venture far past 11 o'clock, lowering the gain should allow you to turn the volume up into the balanced range of the pot on the Lite. I'm sending out several Lites to Singapore; perhaps ablaze would like me to send a few with low gains and a few with high gains. -Justin

can you get the 10K?

ablaze, August 15 is the definite date. -Justin

I do plan to offer an external Gilmore power supply at some point. This will be intended for use with the Gilmore Lite (as an upgrade) or for use with any other equipment that needs an excellent power supply (most likely DIY amps such as METAs, PPA, etc). It will be offered in either 115V or 230V. Unfortunately, the only wall-wart I have found with the specs the Gilmore Lite needs are 115V. Tomorrow I will talk to Elpac and find out if it's possible they could build one for 230V (not likely unless I want to order thousands of them, I assume) or find out if it's possible to disassemble the wall-wart and wire it for 230V.

Yep, power is through 5pin DIN sockets. I'll provide a pin-out when the amp is available for those using their own supplies.