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Gustard H20 Balanced Headphone Amp
01 / 08
Gustard H20 Balanced Headphone Amp
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8 Sold
Product Description
A sequel to the popular H10, the Gustard H20 is a powerful class-A headphone amplifier with a variety of inputs and outputs. In fact, with an output of 12,000 mW at 32 ohms, it’s one of the most powerful we’ve ever sold Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downtessierpg
Dec 29, 2017
200 ohms output impedance?
A community member
Dec 31, 2017
I would assume so? But should we not have to assume?? I mean seriously it's just easier (and obviously less confusing to anyone partaking in the commentary) to state line out impedance, yes??
The_Jniac
322
Dec 13, 2018
Research by Olive and Toole shows that even wide band frequency response deviations have a minimum audible threshold of around 0.5dB. Pretty much any DAC can manage ±0.1dB 20Hz-20kHz, so nothing audible there.
From a cursory bit of digging, the lowest minimum audible threshold for distortion that I could find was 0.7%, which is more or less in line with the conventional wisdom of "distortion below 1% is not audible". Again, any decent product will be well below that, and since music is much more complicated than pure sine waves, audible levels will actually be higher due to being masked. Nothing there either.
Jitter is pretty much the same story: below audible levels. In fact, even basic gear can get the jitter products to be below -100dB, which is so low that many devices would actually mask that with their own noise, so nothing audible from jitter.
So that leaves noise from the devices themselves which are, again, well below being audible unless the amplifier is turned up ridiculously high, to the point where playing actual music through the system would blow something up.
Headphone resolution has nothing to do with it. It is human ears that lack the ability to detect these differences, and while some people claim otherwise, they inevitably fail controlled tests. Much of what people claim to hear actually comes from between their ears, not the world beyond them. The human brain actually has connections that feed back to sensory inputs, including hearing, which can alter their activity, thus altering what we think we perceive. Google the McGurck Effect. There is plenty of research online showing that placebo effects can do all kinds of wonderful things, like alleviating pain and treating depression so severe that the subjects were hospitalized.
totoloope
11
Dec 14, 2018
The_JniacIf you don't hear any differences between dac great for you, save money.
You read the numbers i listean to music
enjoy
Horseknight
179
Feb 6, 2019
I agree with you. H20 is a much more higher-end gear. My first impression of listening to both of them is similar to your comment. Check out the internal components of H20 and AAA 789, one is a pure Class A (H20) and one (789) is Class AB, you will see they are products on two different levels of audio design.
Horseknight
179
Feb 6, 2019
CKA2424THX 789 and H20 have very different internal designs. Both have very nice sound with their own characteristics. H20 is a much more higher-end gear. Check out the internal components of H20 and AAA 789, one is a pure Class A (H20) with 100% honest true balanced symmetric parts and one (789) is Class AB with patented processing, you will see they are products on two separate and very different levels of audio design. Also, if you are into balanced sound processing, H20 has various XLR input/output to provide connections for your various balanced sound gears.
HeadphonulusMaximus1
5
Feb 25, 2018
Sure would be a shame if they dropped this particular Mass again.......just sayin'......
HeadphonulusMaximus1
5
Jun 13, 2018
Re: Free gear...yeah, what YOU said, lol. I have an iFi iPhono. It's quite fine. Without being sent a next gen version free for evaluation, that's all I'm saying about it, lol...
DontDooDad
94
Jun 13, 2018
HeadphonulusMaximus1Speaking from experience, you'll have to put some effort into it ;) Like, file a bug or whatever their next campaign is. And actually there's an xDSD tour going on right now, apparently they will give the loaners to randomly drawn participants after.
RRM1
152
Feb 15, 2018
I received this amp 7 days ago and have already blown a fuse while powering it on for perhaps the 5 time. Upon closer inspection I cannot see any markings to indicate the type of fuse required. There is NO owners manual to consult included or available on-line . Also this amp comes with a VERY poorly fitting power cable.
Although the sonic performance of this unit seems promising I certainly have not had enough time to judge it fairly. But these issues I give to you that are considering this as part of your set up.
I should also qualify this by saying I am running this off of a Panamax M 5400-PM Voltage Regulator / power conditioner off the high current out.
UPDATE: Ava (Massdrop Community Support)Feb 14, 6:02 PM PST Hi , Thank you for contacting Massdrop, Ava here to assist you. I am really sorry that the amp you received caused you issues and am happy to help. I just reviewed your order and it looks like this product didn't come with a manufacturer's warranty, which would be noted on the product drop page. Since we do not have any inventory in stock, I am only able to offer a refund. Below is a link to the prepaid shipping label you will need to use to return your item to us: Return Label
Please include the RMA sheet inside the shipping box with your item. If the RMA sheet is not included, it may cause processing delays or refusal at our warehouse. If you're re-using another shipping box for the return shipment, please make sure to remove or cover old shipping labels or stickers. You must use the prepaid UPS label within 14 days, otherwise it will no longer be valid. Once our warehouse notifies us of your return, a refund will be issued to your original payment method. You should receive a confirmation email once this happens. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns and hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Best regards, Ava For a complete list of our policies and FAQ, please visit the Help Center!
I should also qualify this by saying I am running this off of a Panamax M 5400-PM Voltage Regulator / power conditioner off the high current out.
UPDATE: Ava (Massdrop Community Support)Feb 14, 6:02 PM PST Hi , Thank you for contacting Massdrop, Ava here to assist you. I am really sorry that the amp you received caused you issues and am happy to help. I just reviewed your order and it looks like this product didn't come with a manufacturer's warranty, which would be noted on the product drop page. Since we do not have any inventory in stock, I am only able to offer a refund. Below is a link to the prepaid shipping label you will need to use to return your item to us: Return Label
Please include the RMA sheet inside the shipping box with your item. If the RMA sheet is not included, it may cause processing delays or refusal at our warehouse. If you're re-using another shipping box for the return shipment, please make sure to remove or cover old shipping labels or stickers. You must use the prepaid UPS label within 14 days, otherwise it will no longer be valid. Once our warehouse notifies us of your return, a refund will be issued to your original payment method. You should receive a confirmation email once this happens. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns and hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Best regards, Ava For a complete list of our policies and FAQ, please visit the Help Center!
DontDooDad
94
Apr 15, 2018
From Head-Fi:
"no matter which dealer you are buying from, as long as the product is still under warranty, we will definitely provide product warranty service.
However, when you need a warranty, you must first contact the dealer at the time of purchase. Then they are responsible for shipping the product back to China for repairs.After that we will handle all the rest." (Source: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gustard-h20-headphone-amp.850661/page-9#post-14129285)
However, when you need a warranty, you must first contact the dealer at the time of purchase. Then they are responsible for shipping the product back to China for repairs.After that we will handle all the rest." (Source: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gustard-h20-headphone-amp.850661/page-9#post-14129285)
Dpbours
20
Feb 12, 2018
I have a Schiit Mjolnir 2 in backorder now for over 6 months and they keep on changing delivery date. Might jump ship and go for the H20. Seems very capable to drive the Ether C.
Gauss1777
1
Feb 21, 2019
BeyondMaxPowerHave you heard the H20 as to make a brief comparisson with the MZ2 please. I'm sure the MZ2 is going to be the better, but how much?
WESXF
40
May 2, 2018
I received this amp yesterday it makes enjoyable clicking noises when turned on and when you rotate the volume knob. Will they eventually go away? I hope not.
ShoobdaLoob
16
Jan 3, 2021
Tw_W1tThis amp is better, the audio gd nfb-1 amp is a non feeback design so there is a lot more distortion as the class a circuit isn't feedback system controlled. I currently own an nfb1amp rn and I would liket o upgrade to thsi amp but I'd rather upgrade my headphones first as transducers have the most noticeable improvement in sound.
WESXF
40
Apr 17, 2018
So I'm thinking about pouncing on this -- currently my main amp is a Darkvoice SE336, which I love. Also tried a CTH which I liked but did not love. Will be driving HD800 and Beyer T1.2. Any advice?
airjames
10
Jun 12, 2018
Thanks WESXF. I am contacting Sparkos. Do you need to do anything other than plop in the replacement using an chip removal tool? Is there soldering involved? Is there a specific model of the SS3602? Is the sound much improved?
Villy
68
Jun 12, 2018
airjamesI too vouch for Sparko's opamps wholeheartedly, best opamps I've tried, and I've tried Burson as well as NewClsssD (still have the latter). And yes, go with SS3602, the dual design - you'll need 2 of those, they are expensive but 100% worth it especially if you have really good set of cans. Soundstage is expanded, lows hit deeper with higher overall resolution.
There's no soldering involved, just get a pair of tweezers, pull the OEM ones and insert the new in their place. H20 is a beast, and with discrete opamps like those it delivers some serious sound, I dare say it beats just about anything within $2-2.5K,
P.S. Forgot to mention that you should exercise care when replacing the opamps and make sure the you position them exactly as the original ones were positioned - there's a half-circle notch on one side that should match the opamp's base, or simply note how the OEM were plugged in and plugged the Sparko's the same way.
There's no soldering involved, just get a pair of tweezers, pull the OEM ones and insert the new in their place. H20 is a beast, and with discrete opamps like those it delivers some serious sound, I dare say it beats just about anything within $2-2.5K,
P.S. Forgot to mention that you should exercise care when replacing the opamps and make sure the you position them exactly as the original ones were positioned - there's a half-circle notch on one side that should match the opamp's base, or simply note how the OEM were plugged in and plugged the Sparko's the same way.
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