Remember XLR it 4 volts, when you run RCA it 2 Volts normally Peak. Qutest will drive 3 volts.
Greg
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A newbie here, I am really interested in adding the GS-X Mini to my system. I currently own a Woo WA6SE, have HD600, HD650ās, LCD-3 phones and as DACS go, an Orchid, Metrum Octave II NOS, ExaSound e32 mk11. My amps, Pass xa30.5, pre-amp W4S STP Stage2, CDās OPPO 205, Bryston BCD-1 using these as a transport only. Looking to add a new DAC paring with the GS-X mini, and have been thinking about the Matrix X Sabre Pro MQA, the RME ADI-2 DAC FS and a Aqua Voce S3. Iāve read a lot of these comments and it seems the RME really works nice with the GS-X. Have any users had experience with the other two DACS paired with the GSX-Mini ? .
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Thatās an impressive list of gear!
Iām personally saving for an X-Sabre Pro myself. I really enjoy a well implemented ESS DAC (like the very capable little Dragonfly Cobalt).
Good luck with the search, and welcome to the forum. 
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The only DAC I have tested with the AMP are Chord Qutest, Bifrost 2, D90 and the RME. They all sound great with it.
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That is an impressive list. I have to agree with @ValentineLuke. The Matrix X Sabre Pro MQA is a top quality piece of kit as is the RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Though sadly I donāt own either. My money tree has blight at the moment. 
. But there are a few owners on the forum that have either heard them or own them. Iām sure someone will be able to assist you. Oh, and Welcome.
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Oh I know what you are talking about. The money tree has blight thing comes around every year at tax time in our house. And thank you for the welcome.
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Hey angstorms, in powering the Heddphone, would you know the difference between an SPL phonitor E and phonitor X, and any trade-offs in using any one over yhe other. Planning on coupling with an RME ADI-2 DAC
They have the same amp circuit. So they will sound the same, and offer the same output power.
The main differences between the E and the X is:
- The rear panel connectivity (no outputs on the E, only inputs)
- The E has only two fixed matrix (crossfeed) settings while the X allows you to dial in both the angle and the amount for roughly 25 combinations. However, the differences are subtle, so the ātwo most commonā offered by the E probably covers 99% of users.
- The X allows you to reduce output to mono and optionally adjust stereo channel balance.
- The E is physically smaller
- The E costs less
(I use a Pxe with internal DAC768 for my home office headphone rig.)
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Said perfectly on the deltas.
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thank you very much @cwichura for that. You mentioned the E does not have outputs, only inputs, so does that mean there is no means of connecting it to an RME-ADI-2 DAC.
The Phonitor E has single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs ā¦ so you connect the outputs of the RME DAC to those.
What you canāt do with the Phonitor E is drive an external amplifier or active speakers since it has no outputs.
Though since you would only use one of the outputs from the RME unit to feed the Phonitor E (ideally the XLRs) you could still use the RMEās RCA outputs to drive another amp or speakers If you wanted to.
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I have one of the first Headamp GSX-minis in Satin Grey. Mine has the DACT VC. Very sweet headphone amp. I needed something with a little more power since my tubed amps are a little underpowered to run my HE6se HiFiMans. I also own the W4S STP-SE2 preamp, Oppo UDP-203 and Bryston BDP-2-transport.
DACs used with the GSX-mini are W4S DAC2v2se 10th anniversary and Benchmark DAC3-HGC.
We donāt share the same headphones, but the gear I posted pairs nicely with the mini. Welcome to the forum.
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One thing I have found with both the W4S pre-amp and the Bryston gear ( DACS, Digital Players) and is that they both seem to be neutral.
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And very well built.
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Thank you, that was quite insightful
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RME ADI-2 DAC fs, I think people also underestimate its delivery ability. I have been running Susvara off it lately. 100 to 105 dB peak 80-85 dB average is as loud I need to drive a set of cans. If I want to hear music louder I will play Guitar on my Marshell JMP 100 and peel paint off the walls and feel my pant flap. But I will have 25 dB ear protection plugs in to protect my hearing.
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Possibly a dumb question but I was wondering if there is any risk with turning on the GSX Mini with a power strip āonā switch rather than the power switch on the front of the unit. I plugged my amp into my power strip and turned the strip on, not realizing that the ampās power switch was already in the āonā position. I know some amps are not supposed to be turned on this way because they have power sequencing with the ampās dedicated power switch. Is it possible that I damaged something?
The GSX-mini has sensitive electronic parts. Best to float that question to Justin at Headamp. The switch is of good quality. I wouldnāt be concerned about utilizing it. No trigger on the GSX mini, so I would check in with the manufacturer just to be safe.
After a year of eyeballing the mini, it arrived yesterday. Thanks to yāall for all the impressions and discussionā¦ Even if it diverted into tube land mini-adventure for a little while.
A day in and Iām very happy with it! It sounds fantastic with my A-GD R2R-1 and LCD-MX4/Clears. I also have the closed Ether 1.1 and Aeon 1 that Iāve yet to try with the mini.
I honestly donāt really hear the warmth, but it is very smooth and clean sounding. What I am hearing is noticeably more detail and dynamics when compared to the THX 789. More thoughts will come as I spend more time with it. But for now, I think Iām in love.
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Which volume control did you order? I like the black. Looks sharp.
I took a dimDot and administered it to the white power up light. Bright hit lights donāt do well for me during night listening sessions.
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