Goldring NS1000 behaviour out of various amps and sources

Uriel · 16 Apr 2010 at 13:13

I posted this on another forum but as there are a few NS1000 owners here, I thought some of you might benefit from it:

ear8dmg (that's me - Uriel) said:
Yes they can be a little temperamental about sources. It's more the source's inbuilt amp really.

I guess they have two sonic signatures - like having two sets of headphones. The specs suggest so too

With ANR mode off they're warm and bassy. If adequately amped* they're rich sounding - full and warm with plenty of bass and smooth sounding.

With ANR on they give more prominence to the trebles and mids than with ANR off. The bass is still there - very tight, well controlled and punchy. It's so well controlled that if there's good soundstage information in a recording it will 'render' bass instruments and drums distantly from you - despite them having a small 'headstage' that's noticeable for close miked stuff. I've heard other headphones that do this convincingly - HD580s, HD600s ATH-A900s - but nothing in the Goldrings' price bracket (the Goldrings DR150s can approach it but aren't as well controlled at low frequncy as the NS1000s). The mids are really one of these headphones strong points. Vocals come across particularly well - presented with a realism that I would say is unrivalled in the price bracket. You'll notice a higher frequency extension shown in the specs. That comes across in harmonics and room acoustic cues that you don't normally hear so clearly in this price bracket.

There are drawbacks. That treble in ANR mode is pretty 'hot'. It's not kind to low bitrate mp3s, where cymbals can sound strident. Before using the NS1000s I was generally happy with 192kb/s mp3s. That bitrate (at least the ones I ripped) can be practically unlistenable for songs with cymbal prominence. 320kb and lossless are much kinder. The treble extension will be something that many aren't used to. It can be a bit in your face - kind of like Grados get criticised for sometemes. I've found using a tube amp, rather than solid state, can smooth the treble a little and I use the Goldrings with my Bravo (my only tube amp at the moment - cheap but very nice now I've sorted the noise problems with grounding) most of the time.

I've spoken to people that just prefer the NS1000s with ANR off. Everything's a little smoother and they're a little less revealing - a little less fatiguing for some.

So - sources and amps I've tried recently with the NS1000s with ANR off

FiiO e5 - surprisingly good - as in 'night and day' different. They make the previously flabby passive mode sound respectable - they don't acheive the kind of bass control that these phones are capable of though - and detail is reduced compared to more transparent amps. Bass boost gives more bass but loses treble detail.

Juice 2214 (I think - ebay seller) CMOY. The detail is there but they can sound a little thin. The fullness of bass that they are capable of seems reduced. I think dynamic range is reduced.

Bravo Audio v1 tube amp - A little like the FiiO but with more volume headroom but something's lacking. There's quite a bit of detail not there.

Sansa Clip - similar to the FiiO - maybe with a touch more detail and a little less bass control.

Victor SU-DH1 - another surprise. Very close to ANR mode with bass control better than any of the above (with Dolby Headphone off). With Dolby Headphone on the NS1000s really come to life. It's like listening to nearfield monitors rather than headphones. Dolby Headphone attenuates the treble slightly (have a look in computer audio for the many threads on using Dolby Headphone as an improved crossfeed - I prefer it with no upmixing plugin as I think it's closer to listening to stereo speakers and best preserves stereo recording soundstage information, as intended by the recording engineer. I tend to stick to DH1, as I find the 'reflections of DH2 and DH3 rather artificial sounding.

Auzentech X-Fi prelude - Flabby bloated bass and recessed mids and trebles. Needs an amp.

Asus Xonar D2 - Very similar to the prelude.

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music (retail and Dell OEM versions) - Similar to the other two soundcards. Amp required.

My usual music listening setup at the moment is either Dolby Headpohone from Foobar2000 and X-Fi Prelude or SU-DH1 into Bravo with the Goldrings (ANR on) or HD600s - I'm yet to decide which I prefer and the HD600s are still burning in. I never use prologic II for music by the way - it frequently sounds awful. Taking the NS1000s portable I use my Sansa Clip - either using active ANR or sometimes passive with one of the above portable amps. For Dolby Headphone on the go I use Foobar2000 / LAME to encode at 320mb/s mp3 with DH1 (PowerDVD 9 Ultra version of Dolby Headphone dll).

* Note: I'm really struggling to pin down what theoretically makes a good amp for NS1000 in passive (100 ohm, ANR off) mode. I think it might be current supply but I'm mystified why the SU-DH1 does such a better job than my other amps and sources - especially the Bravo.

The FiiO e5 is the real budget recommendation. For £15-20 the difference it makes to the NS1000s is incredible.

What about other amps and sources - I remember Guest 2 said they did well with the Xonar Esence cards in passive mode out of the headphone amp with the high gain setting. Any other recommendations?

Guest2 · 16 Apr 2010 at 14:18

I imagine the Xonar Xense also does well with them as thats similar (from what i have read) to the Essence

nutsnut · 16 Apr 2010 at 18:19

I use my NS1000 with a Cmoy amp kit obtained from JDS labs, Does a great job of driving the NS1000's plus has a bass boost option that I use for certain songs/genres.

Uriel · 2 Feb 2011 at 23:54

OK - you have to be careful about amp choice for NS1000s! I'M SERIOUS!

Just been testing them with a borrowed Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 with upgraded PSU, caps, tubes etc. This is a heck of an amp: a few hundred quid's worth of amp. With DT770 Pro or HD600s it sounds brilliant.

It does not drive the NS1000s in passive mode well at all though. My FiiO e5 and CMOY are both more suited to the NS1000s. This is, quite honestly, night and day improvement by using the small battery powered portables or turning on noise cancelling. Who'd have thunk it?

You have been warned! Audition or get direct recommendations before you buy an amp for the NS1000s.

Edit: Been testing HD600, DT770 Pro 250 ohm, NS1000s and DR150s out of different amps with Dolby Headphone both on and off. It's a effectively a 3 way race between the NS1000s the Senns and the Beyers. The DR150s are just not capable of keeping up with the other three. Also thrown in a Mackie 402-VLZ3 mixer, which is actually putting up a damn good fight with the X-Can for driving the HD600, DT770 Pro and NS1000s (ANR on) - mighty impressive given that it's not a dedicated headphone amp and only cost about £100. The Mackie is also rubbish with the NS1000s when ANR is off.

TheJediWookie · 3 Feb 2011 at 20:52

I was using an E5, for the brief period I owned a pair (well two faulty pairs really) of ns1000's and I tried a friends E1 with them. The E1 sounded tighter and cleaner than the E5 to me. It's a pity the E1 is iPod specific or I'd get one.
Does anyone know when the E11 is coming out? I've read a little about it and looks very promising and knowing FiiO the price will be sensible.

PhoenixSP · 3 Feb 2011 at 22:12

Has anyone tried to drive it with a mixamp, im not sure if it includes an amp or not.

-=Vect0r=- · 3 Feb 2011 at 22:25

Uriel, I have a pair of NS1000s having owned the HD555s which were also superb cans but the Goldrings do have far more detail and punch.

The only downside, if it is that, is the fact I cannot hear a darned thing *read wife* when I wear them, much to her annoyance!

My question really is are you recommending using the Fiio when ANR is off thereby avoiding having to use the battery or do you feel the sound quality is actually enhanced by the amp regardless of using ANR?

Uriel · 3 Feb 2011 at 22:31

I recommend the FiiO e5 as a cheap way of using them with ANR off. I personally prefer ANR on, although I feel a high quality CMOY type design might match it. The big advantage of something like the e5 or CMOY in passive mode is that you don't get the hiss that's present with ANR.

I would also advocate using an amp designed for high impedance headphones with ANR on. Some say that they don't need it but I find that the soundstage and detail both improve. I think voltage swing helps here - after all Goldring do claim 300-330 ohm with ANR on.

I haven't yet found an amp that I think works especially well for both ANR on and off though.

Lethagized · 5 Feb 2011 at 09:27

Uriel said:
I recommend the FiiO e5 as a cheap way of using them with ANR off.

I'm a little confused here Uriel. From what you say here, and going on the stats on the GR website, surely you need the E5 with ANR on because the impedance is 300-330ohm. (Website says 300, the box says 330).

With ANR off, the impedance is only 100ohm. :confused:

Uriel · 5 Feb 2011 at 09:55

Both high and low impedance headphones can be difficult to drive. For high impedance voltage is the deciding factor. For low impedance it's more current that's required.

With ANR on they only really benefit from high quality amps designed to drive high impedance headphones. The e5 does little for them with ANR on.

With ANR off the e5 makes a huge difference. It stops them sounding like mud.

Edit: they're actually quite easy to drive in ANR mode because the noise cancelling circuitry acts as an amp itself, meaning they don't act quite like a normal set of headphones with regard to amplification.

-=Vect0r=- · 7 Feb 2011 at 20:08

So are you saying:

a) NS1000 with ANR off & e5 > ANR on (no e5)

or

b) NS1000 with ANR off & e5 = ANR on (no e5)

If its b) then is it still worthwhile getting the e5 just to avoid changing the battery?

Razor-BladE · 7 Feb 2011 at 20:28

I found with ANR on and no E5 it sounded better. However I think my E5 was faulty so my statement is a bit void. And I bought rechargeable batteries so I have no problem changing batteries every now and again.

Uriel · 7 Feb 2011 at 23:34

-=Vect0r=- said:
So are you saying:

a) NS1000 with ANR off & e5 > ANR on (no e5)

or

b) NS1000 with ANR off & e5 = ANR on (no e5)

If its b) then is it still worthwhile getting the e5 just to avoid changing the battery?

c) NS1000 ANR on (no e5) > NS1000 ANR off & e5.

It's down to personal preference really. Bassheads might prefer the other way round. The benefit of the E5 is they still sound good but you don't need ANR on, which means no hiss. I'd say it's worth having the e5 for that option.

The real summary is:
d) ANR on with high end amp > all of the above.

I have yet to hear an amp that brings as much detail with ANR off as with it on, but I believe that it's possible. Still looking for that amp though.

Greebo · 13 Feb 2011 at 20:16

Uriel said:
c) NS1000 ANR on (no e5) > NS1000 ANR off & e5.

It's down to personal preference really. Bassheads might prefer the other way round. The benefit of the E5 is they still sound good but you don't need ANR on, which means no hiss. I'd say it's worth having the e5 for that option.

The real summary is:
d) ANR on with high end amp > all of the above.

I have yet to hear an amp that brings as much detail with ANR off as with it on, but I believe that it's possible. Still looking for that amp though.

Uriel, have you tried a PA2V2 with them please? If so what was the result.

alex24 · 13 Feb 2011 at 20:19

Uriel said:
c) NS1000 ANR on (no e5) > NS1000 ANR off & e5.

It's down to personal preference really. Bassheads might prefer the other way round. The benefit of the E5 is they still sound good but you don't need ANR on, which means no hiss. I'd say it's worth having the e5 for that option.

The real summary is:
d) ANR on with high end amp > all of the above.

I have yet to hear an amp that brings as much detail with ANR off as with it on, but I believe that it's possible. Still looking for that amp though.

I agree with that - the ANR on is still better than ANR off + E5, but there's not a lot in it. Where I really notice is the bass. With the ANR on, it's just tighter and more well-defined.

Anything stopping me from doing ANR on + E5? Might defeat the object in some cases, but I mainly use mine at my desk and like the noise cancelling.

EDIT: I also totally agree with what Uriel has said in the OP about the NS1000s and their characteristics. His thoughts echo mine almost exactly, even with the E5 in the mix. I think anyone with NS1000s should be able to relate. The tight bass and slightly harsh treble, but beautiful vocals with ANR on, the more loose bass and rounded characteristics with ANR off.

Uriel · 13 Feb 2011 at 21:27

Greebo (predictive text on my phone wants to call you Reebok

)- I've not tried a PA2V2.

Greebo · 13 Feb 2011 at 21:38

Uriel said:
Greebo (predictive text on my phone wants to call you Reebok )- I've not tried a PA2V2.

Lol. I hate predictive text. Always wants to change "mum" to "nun" on my phone.

What do you reckon it would sound like? A good match? Do you think it has a chance of driving them well? Only reason is that I have chance of buying one cheap and since my E5 died (so as much as I loved it, I don;t fancy another one) I am itching to get something else.

Greebo · 22 Feb 2011 at 09:45

Well I am totally fed up with my busted e5 so this week I have gone mad and bought the following from Ebay as I was fuming I missed the PA2V2 which finally sold for £21

:

Headroom Total BitHead portable headphone amp £62

Fiio E7 + E9 combo. £119

Not sure which I will keep. Obviously the headroom cost me half the money of the Fiio but will be testing both thoroughly later this week with my NS1000 and I will report back.