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HD800 and GS-X/BUDA?


shellylh

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I am trying to decide between the Headroom BUDA+DPS and GS-X to use as a "backup" balanced solid state amp to use with HD800 and ECD-1 for those times that I don't want to fire up the tube amp (Woo Audio WA5 LE). There are advantages to both of them. For instance, BUDA+DPS is maybe slightly smaller, bit cheaper (can't members of the other site get some sort of 10% discount?), will convert SE to balanced from an unbalanced source like my SA8001 that I use to listen to the few SACDs that I own, has a shorter waiting period. However, the GS-X is fully discrete while the the BUDA is chip based, the GS-X has stepped attenuators, and Justin's work is absolutely amazing. Also, I am not sure what the specs are on the BUDA like output power, etc. I would go for the GS-X but I am worried that the BUDA has some special "synergy" with the HD800's which the GS-X does not have. Has anyone heard both with the HD800? I have a GS-1 and the Woo certainly trumps the GS-1 with the HD800 but of course the GS-X will be balanced so moar power....

Edit: I admit I made a thread on the "other" site asking the same question (mostly out of habit/comfort) and didn't get very good feedback. I hope you won't hold this against me. :(

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Early Friday morning at CanJam, I listened to balanced HD800s from HeadRoom's BUDA stack. At that point in time, I wasn't sure if I was going to keep my HD800 order or cancel it. I listened to it for about 1/2 hour while Tyll and the Sennheiser guys unpacked. I can say that a balanced HD800 and BUDA is a world-class combination. After that 1/2 hour, I knew I was going to keep my order (and did).

I haven't had the pleasure of doing the same listening with a GS-X. From every thing I've heard and read, that is also a world-class combination. In my mind, this is reverse Hobson's choice. You can't make a wrong decision.

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I can confirm the HD800 sounds great out of the GSX. I can't confirm but suspect the HD800 would sound just fine out of the BUDA+DPS, so it sounds like one of those non-lose choices (you know, like choosing between two different flavors of ice cream that you like).

I have a heck of a time deciding which ice cream to get, which bottle of wine to order, which album to listen to at the moment; my partner always gives me a hard time with this. :rolleyes:

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Everyone does -- it's a classic foible. If your partner doesn't, then he's the odd one out.

(I have a really hard time with ice cream -- if French vanilla is available, it's an easy preference, but it usually isn't. If it's just chocolate or vanilla, I let other people go first, and then I pick whatever there's more left of. Thank god for swirls.)

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Everyone does -- it's a classic foible. If your partner doesn't, then he's the odd one out.

(I have a really hard time with ice cream -- if French vanilla is available, it's an easy preference, but it usually isn't. If it's just chocolate or vanilla, I let other people go first, and then I pick whatever there's more left of. Thank god for swirls.)

nbc_the_more_you_know1-300x197.jpg

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Dreadhead: How much improvement did you see running it balanced vs single-ended (presumably, SE would sound the same as a GS-1 which I currently have)?

Well I finally got to hear my HD800s balanced out of my GS-X today and it sounds truly amazing much like it did single ended. That said I was really impressed by the BUDA amp + HD800s at CJ. I think everyone stating it's a no-lose is pretty much on the money.
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Early Friday morning at CanJam, I listened to balanced HD800s from HeadRoom's BUDA stack. At that point in time, I wasn't sure if I was going to keep my HD800 order or cancel it. I listened to it for about 1/2 hour while Tyll and the Sennheiser guys unpacked. I can say that a balanced HD800 and BUDA is a world-class combination. After that 1/2 hour, I knew I was going to keep my order (and did).

I haven't had the pleasure of doing the same listening with a GS-X. From every thing I've heard and read, that is also a world-class combination. In my mind, this is reverse Hobson's choice. You can't make a wrong decision.

How did you get away with using "world class" twice in one post without getting shovelled? You guys are becoming soft. ;D

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Ok, I have sort of a dumb question. I assume that the Headroom BUDA+DPS has a single power supply whereas the GS-X has separate power supplies. Is this true? Will this give some advantage to the GS-X? I'm not exactly sure what is going on with the DPS since my knowledge of electronics is pretty limited.

Also anyone know any specs on the BUDA and/or BUDA+DPS? I cannot find much online.

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Dreadhead: How much improvement did you see running it balanced vs single-ended (presumably, SE would sound the same as a GS-1 which I currently have)?

I'm not sure I can really comment one way or another on this as at least with the GS-X my experience in actual listening is that the balanced drive really didn't make a difference when properly volume matched. That said in doing some auditory tests I have proven to myself that there is less distortion with balanced drive and there certainly is a lower noise floor so I generally go that route (that and there is no reason to ever get rid of a GS-X :) ).

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Ok, I have sort of a dumb question. I assume that the Headroom BUDA+DPS has a single power supply whereas the GS-X has separate power supplies. Is this true? Will this give some advantage to the GS-X? I'm not exactly sure what is going on with the DPS since my knowledge of electronics is pretty limited.

Also anyone know any specs on the BUDA and/or BUDA+DPS? I cannot find much online.

The DPS is an upgrade external power supply for the BUDA. Someone else will have to respond about the GS-X.
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How did you get away with using "world class" twice in one post without getting shovelled? You guys are becoming soft. ;D

It's probably due to my boyish good looks.

IpodBj has hijacked guzziguy's computer

Sorry if I used a term he uses. He's on my ignore list and I don't read his posts.

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Oh, I guess I didn't phrase my statement/question correctly. I am pretty sure the GS-X has separate power supplies for each channel. I assume that the BUDA+DPS does not. Is this correct and is it going to give the GS-X an advantage over the BUDA+DPS, at least on paper?

The DPS is an upgrade external power supply for the BUDA. Someone else will have to respond about the GS-X.
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Oh, I guess I didn't phrase my statement/question correctly. I am pretty sure the GS-X has separate power supplies for each channel. I assume that the BUDA+DPS does not. Is this correct and is it going to give the GS-X an advantage over the BUDA+DPS, at least on paper?

Shelly,

Your assumption is correct, the BUDA shares a common power supply between the two channels. My understanding of the GS-X is the same as yours, that it is a true "dual mono" design and uses a separate power supply for each channel.

Now if you want to talk advantages I'm not sure that I would say that the "dual mono" approach is going to yield as much as some other differences. I don't think there's a bad choice to be made here, each offering some advantages over the other. The GS-X is probably the more brutally pure design, the BUDA offering crossfeed, both offering switchable gain.

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