HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 Class-A Headphone Amplifier

Soundnews calls its transparency "mind blowing," praising superior resolution, easy micro-detail extraction and a presentation that lets the source come through unmasked. Enjoy The Music similarly finds notes cleanly defined, with excellent separation, layering and localization.

The prevailing character is neutral and uncolored: reviewers hear a flat, unaltered response, dead-on-neutral midrange, controlled bass and treble without grain or sibilance. Z Reviews heard a touch more warmth and width in its comparison, but still praised the sound enthusiastically.

Enjoy The Music praises top-notch attack and decay, lightning-fast response and convincing microdynamic rhythm, with no sense of sag. Soundnews also reports tremendous impact, speed and authority, including serious control of the LCD-4 until very high volume.

Both main reviews describe an inky or extremely black background, and Soundnews was able to use balanced-armature IEMs without background noise. Enjoy The Music did hear very faint hiss with Campfire earphones when no music was playing, so it is not completely silent with every highly sensitive in-ear monitor.

Its sub-1-ohm output impedance, quiet operation and reported success with IEMs, dynamics and several planar designs make it broadly accommodating. It drove the LCD-4 with authority, but Soundnews found clipping and reduced control above roughly 90% volume, while Enjoy The Music notes that LCD-4 and Abyss-level planars gain more heft from larger amplifiers.

Soundnews calls the construction impeccable and highlights the high-quality ALPS Blue potentiometer, while Audiophilepure describes polished, professional execution with no apparent weak point. Enjoy The Music likewise praises the thorough attention to detail, and Z Reviews characterizes the chassis as notably heavy-duty.

The compact amplifier provides two switchable analog inputs, a simultaneous active RCA preamp output, a 6.35 mm headphone socket and a well-regarded ALPS volume control with good low-level balance. It remains a focused analog design, without a built-in DAC, balanced headphone connection, remote control or selectable gain.

At its commonly reviewed $499 price, reviewers repeatedly regard it as unusually capable: Enjoy The Music calls it reasonably priced and highly recommends it, while Soundnews calls the price extraordinary relative to performance. Audiophilepure considers it a very reasonable route to a polished amplifier that lets listeners hear what their headphones can do.