[GoKart]

I came across this thread by accident, but, as a THR-1 owner, I thought I should throw my two pence in.

It's bloody great. Pairs really well with a Gumby MultiBit and a HE-500.

I actually recently listed this for sale as I am soon moving and am now able to get into speakers; thus, I was getting out of the headphone game. However, I found myself unable to sell my HE-500. I am keeping all my DACs for my various speaker set-ups. Reading this thread through, it's made me reassess my THR-1 ownership. On one of desks, I run Fluid FX-80 monitors. This is the same desk I game at and will be using my one remaining can at. The idea was to keep my IHA-6, but that hasn't got pre-outs. I'm now thinking it'd be silly to get rid of the Kinki considering it sounds brilliant/exactly to my taste, and it has all the functionality I need. I need to sit down and give the THR-1 and IHA-6 a proper listen at the weekend and figure this out...

 

[haasaaroni]

I came across this thread by accident, but, as a THR-1 owner, I thought I should throw my two pence in.

It's bloody great. Pairs really well with a Gumby MultiBit and a HE-500.

I actually recently listed this for sale as I am soon moving and am now able to get into speakers; thus, I was getting out of the headphone game. However, I found myself unable to sell my HE-500. I am keeping all my DACs for my various speaker set-ups. Reading this thread through, it's made me reassess my THR-1 ownership. On one of desks, I run Fluid FX-80 monitors. This is the same desk I game at and will be using my one remaining can at. The idea was to keep my IHA-6, but that hasn't got pre-outs. I'm now thinking it'd be silly to get rid of the Kinki considering it sounds brilliant/exactly to my taste, and it has all the functionality I need. I need to sit down and give the THR-1 and IHA-6 a proper listen at the weekend and figure this out...

I’m curious to hear your comparison! I’ve always been curious about the IHA-6 given it’s flexibility with impedance matching, but that buttery smooth, spacious, and powerful sound of the THR-1 is just so unique.

 

[Pharmaboy]

buttery smooth, spacious, and powerful sound of the THR-1

bingo!

 

[GoKart]

It has begun.

 

[joseG86]

It has begun.

Beautiful, don't look for tubes inside the unit, there's none hahahaha

 

[Spyronight]

would this amp be an upgrade over an Audeze deckard? Im not very understanding of the world of amps but I thought maybe I can get this as an upgrade and possibly the Cayin HA-1 as my first tube amp.
If important my headphones are Focal clears, AKG K812, Grado RS-1, Audeze LCD-2 (May sell this and put money toward an endgame for classical music)

 

[ResidentAlien]

Would the THR-1 pair well with my Aune S8 Dac ?

 

[GoKart]

Would the THR-1 pair well with my Aune S8 Dac ?

Whilst I've never put them together, I have owned both and I'd say they would pair well. Although, the Kinki would be capable of delivering a lot more than the S8 can.

 

[GoKart]

It has begun.

So, this was an interesting bout! Resolution? The Kinki had it, obviously. It was most noticeable to me when listening to snare drums on tracks with which I was familiar. Sound stage, again, the Kinki won, obviously. The Kinki throws a big, realistic stage. The Cayin doesn't do badly in terms of staging compared to other amps, but the Kinki is just in another league. Dynamics and presentation was where is got really interesting. The Cayin was so punchy that I almost made up my mind when I first started listening that that was going to be the keeper! I'm a drummer and really macro dynamic presentations of drums gets me pretty excited. The drums felt really close, which, with the dynamics, I really liked, it's like you're sitting at the drum kit. However, realism/space of the sound stage, plus the extra resolution had me lean towards the Kinki.

This wasn't at all an easy decision but the Kinki got me. Better for more music genres. The Cayin hit harder, but that was the only thing I favoured after a few hours of ABing them. The Kinki is more powerful (not that the Cayin is under-powered!) and has pre-amp functionality; the latter of which is desirable to me.

For testing I was running FLAC/WAVs > Douk U2 Pro (temp clocks) >optical> Gumby MultiBit >balanced> LB MC3 > Kinki & Cayin >balanced> HE-500. Cardas OFC XLR cables, blah, blah, blah...

It was fun to compared the two, and, although there ended being a clear winner, it was still really tough!

It was much trickier comparing the Gumby and my Mojo 2. Though, I'm not selling either of those! Just fun to experience the difference. Auditioning gear gives me a headache. I put a lot of stock in reviews from reviewers I trust, and community consensus. I really appreciate everyone reporting their experiences, so, every so often, I feel obliged to give back.

 

[Pharmaboy]

So, this was an interesting bout! Resolution? The Kinki had it, obviously. It was most noticeable to me when listening to snare drums on tracks with which I was familiar. Sound stage, again, the Kinki won, obviously. The Kinki throws a big, realistic stage. The Cayin doesn't do badly in terms of staging compared to other amps, but the Kinki is just in another league. Dynamics and presentation was where is got really interesting. The Cayin was so punchy that I almost made up my mind when I first started listening that that was going to be the keeper! I'm a drummer and really macro dynamic presentations of drums gets me pretty excited. The drums felt really close, which, with the dynamics, I really liked, it's like you're sitting at the drum kit. However, realism/space of the sound stage, plus the extra resolution had me lean towards the Kinki.

This wasn't at all an easy decision but the Kinki got me. Better for more music genres. The Cayin hit harder, but that was the only thing I favoured after a few hours of ABing them. The Kinki is more powerful (not that the Cayin is under-powered!) and has pre-amp functionality; the latter of which is desirable to me.

For testing I was running FLAC/WAVs > Douk U2 Pro (temp clocks) >optical> Gumby MultiBit >balanced> LB MC3 > Kinki & Cayin >balanced> HE-500. Cardas OFC XLR cables, blah, blah, blah...

It was fun to compared the two, and, although there ended being a clear winner, it was still really tough!

It was much trickier comparing the Gumby and my Mojo 2. Though, I'm not selling either of those! Just fun to experience the difference. Auditioning gear gives me a headache. I put a lot of stock in reviews from reviewers I trust, and community consensus. I really appreciate everyone reporting their experiences, so, every so often, I feel obliged to give back.

Excellent little head-to-head comparison there!

I no longer own my Kinki THR-1 (just sold it). But in my last listening session, I heard everything this very powerful, nuanced amp can deliver: tons of power (obviously), but also a lot of finesse top to bottom. It's not just a pile-driver amp for planars...there's a lot more to it. All told, it's one of more capable and interesting amps I've had (and I've had many).

 

[ezduzit2500]

I came across this thread by accident, but, as a THR-1 owner, I thought I should throw my two pence in.

It's bloody great. Pairs really well with a Gumby MultiBit and a HE-500.

I actually recently listed this for sale as I am soon moving and am now able to get into speakers; thus, I was getting out of the headphone game. However, I found myself unable to sell my HE-500. I am keeping all my DACs for my various speaker set-ups. Reading this thread through, it's made me reassess my THR-1 ownership. On one of desks, I run Fluid FX-80 monitors. This is the same desk I game at and will be using my one remaining can at. The idea was to keep my IHA-6, but that hasn't got pre-outs. I'm now thinking it'd be silly to get rid of the Kinki considering it sounds brilliant/exactly to my taste, and it has all the functionality I need. I need to sit down and give the THR-1 and IHA-6 a proper listen at the weekend and figure this out...

I won't really consider a headamp without preamp outs - at least not with how my headphone and speakers setup is organized. In fact, having a headamp with volume-controlled preamp outs is nearly one of my must-haves......

 

[ezduzit2500]

It has begun.

I have the exact same XLR switcher. It quietly gets the job done.....

 

[GiacomoLaita]

Good morning,

has someone compared the Kinki with the GS-X mini from Headamp?

I am looking for a SS amp that could be a very good / almost end-game unit.
Headphones, I have a pair of Siva SV023 (to be upgraded to some ZMF) and like the LCD-X 2021/ DAC Aeon 2 Noire.

I might be able to get a good price for a gs-x mini, but it would still be more expensive than a new THR, so I was wondering if the investment is worth or not.

Thanks

 

[trollchu]

Good morning,

has someone compared the Kinki with the GS-X mini from Headamp?

I am looking for a SS amp that could be a very good / almost end-game unit.
Headphones, I have a pair of Siva SV023 (to be upgraded to some ZMF) and like the LCD-X 2021/ DAC Aeon 2 Noire.

I might be able to get a good price for a gs-x mini, but it would still be more expensive than a new THR, so I was wondering if the investment is worth or not.

Thanks

While I currently only own the THR-1, in the time since buying it in 2020, I've actually come to know both amps very well and they're both stellar amps. In 2020, I was seeking a powerful headphone amp with balanced preamp functionality, but back then, there were actually very few headphone amps with that capacity and I was considering buying the GS-X Mini. When I was ready to purchase it, I came across Sandu Vitali's review of the THR-1 and decided to give it a chance. I think there were only three reviews of the unit online at the time and this thread did not exist, in the end, the thing that made me pick the THR-1 over the GS-x Mini was that the THR-1 operates significantly cooler than the GS-X Mini. If I had to compare them though, I would say the devil is in the details, or more so, how they portray detail. The GS-X Mini gives you everything beyond a doubt, it's probably the perfect take on what a baseline for reference should be, whereas the THR-1 is a more colored take on reference neutral. It smears over the farthest edges of sound for a very liquid delivery, it is detailed, but not detail first. Between the two, it's like having two of the finest red wines on the table. It'd be easy to question which is better, but whichever you choose, you'd still be getting the finest of red wines. Unless you intend to use the preamp out, in which case, I feel the Kinki amp is the better choice, my advice would be to buy the GS-X Mini. It is not the case that either is a finer amp than the other, but rather, when considering you may be able to get the GS-X Mini at good price, depending on that price, you may later come across a secondhand THR-1 and be in a situation where you can have both and only be out the full price of one new GS-X Mini. I personally feel that would be the winning choice, as both amps are different enough in how they deliver sound that some one can happily own both. Another thing to consider is that the Kinki amp has an unusually long burn in period among amps, and in finding one used, you don't have to wait it through. Either way, both amps would be entirely worth your time.

 

[GiacomoLaita]

While I currently only own the THR-1, in the time since buying it in 2020, I've actually come to know both amps very well and they're both stellar amps. In 2020, I was seeking a powerful headphone amp with balanced preamp functionality, but back then, there were actually very few headphone amps with that capacity and I was considering buying the GS-X Mini. When I was ready to purchase it, I came across Sandu Vitali's review of the THR-1 and decided to give it a chance. I think there were only three reviews of the unit online at the time and this thread did not exist, in the end, the thing that made me pick the THR-1 over the GS-x Mini was that the THR-1 operates significantly cooler than the GS-X Mini. If I had to compare them though, I would say the devil is in the details, or more so, how they portray detail. The GS-X Mini gives you everything beyond a doubt, it's probably the perfect take on what a baseline for reference should be, whereas the THR-1 is a more colored take on reference neutral. It smears over the farthest edges of sound for a very liquid delivery, it is detailed, but not detail first. Between the two, it's like having two of the finest red wines on the table. It'd be easy to question which is better, but whichever you choose, you'd still be getting the finest of red wines. Unless you intend to use the preamp out, in which case, I feel the Kinki amp is the better choice, my advice would be to buy the GS-X Mini. It is not the case that either is a finer amp than the other, but rather, when considering you may be able to get the GS-X Mini at good price, depending on that price, you may later come across a secondhand THR-1 and be in a situation where you can have both and only be out the full price of one new GS-X Mini. I personally feel that would be the winning choice, as both amps are different enough in how they deliver sound that some one can happily own both. Another thing to consider is that the Kinki amp has an unusually long burn in period among amps, and in finding one used, you don't have to wait it through. Either way, both amps would be entirely worth your time.

Thank you very much for the time you took to write this comment. You have actually answered my question beautifully.
Yes, that would be a very good thing to own both amps. As I am not planning to use the pre-out, I must say at the moment I am more on the GS-X Mini.

Let's see how it goes. Thanks!