Goldmund Telos Headphone Amplifier

wizard

Member
Oct 17, 2010
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wizard-highend.blogspot.com
View attachment 12870

A new Goldmund Amplifier is born and will be presented to you in Los Angeles in January. It is the Goldmund Telos Headphone Amplifier,

A usual for the Telos line, our R&D team has been excessively maniac about the way this Telos would control the headphones. As a result, it can drive any headphone even the least sensitive ones, and adapts to any impedance.

Being a Telos, it brings exceptional dynamics (80V rails). It comes with built-in gain adjustment and its volume control is similar to that developed for the Mimesis 22H, with unique linearity and perfect channel balance.

Last but not least, Goldmund innovates again with the first headphone amplifier integrating built-in DSP that allows unique signal treatments like Time correction (Leonardo) or Binaural decoding, for continuous and smooth head tracking in all angles.
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
3
0
View attachment 12870
Last but not least, Goldmund innovates again with the first headphone amplifier integrating built-in DSP that allows unique signal treatments like Time correction (Leonardo) or Binaural decoding, for continuous and smooth head tracking in all angles.
Hi wizard.

The built in DSP sounds interesting but I'm wondering how does this work with external DACs?

Could you tell me what would be the best way to connect an external DAC to this amp, seeing as how I've heard that even the analog inputs get converted to digital as well.

Does that mean that any additional external DAC would basically be limited to what the internal DAC can do? In other words, is the sound quality from external DACs limited by the internal DAC?
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
12,471
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Hi wizard.

The built in DSP sounds interesting but I'm wondering how does this work with external DACs?

Could you tell me what would be the best way to connect an external DAC to this amp, seeing as how I've heard that even the analog inputs get converted to digital as well.

Does that mean that any additional external DAC would basically be limited to what the internal DAC can do? In other words, is the sound quality from external DACs limited by the internal DAC?

I might point out that Wizard's post you are addressing is from 2013 and now almost 4 years old, and Wizard is long gone from WBF. so unlikely he will be responding. i'd answer you if I could.....maybe someone else will.....

i'd only say that a signal path's performance is limited to the performance and compromises of it's weakest link. once dumbed down, you are not recovering lost musical essence.

a dac on a dac is double the digital conversion process on the same source data. you can only hope that the dsp fixes enough room issues to get something back in the trade-offs. not an approach I would ever use. YMMV.
 
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Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
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I might point out that Wizard's post you are addressing is from 2013 and now almost 4 years old, and Wizard is long gone from WBF. so unlikely he will be responding. i'd answer you if I could.....maybe someone else will.....
Haha, thanks Mike.

I've been reading this forum for quite some time now but decided to post just now because I wasn't getting any info on this on head-fi, where I usually reside. :D

Anyway, let's see if anyone else comes by!
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
12,471
11,366
4,410
Haha, thanks Mike.

I've been reading this forum for quite some time now but decided to post just now because I wasn't getting any info on this on head-fi, where I usually reside. :D

Anyway, let's see if anyone else comes by!

welcome to What's Best Forum, and please join in the fun. I did add some more thoughts above to my post that I hope might help.

best regards,

Mike
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
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welcome to What's Best Forum, and please join in the fun. I did add some more thoughts above to my post that I hope might help.

best regards,

Mike
Thanks Mike.

Yes, what you said seems about right. No point in buying another DAC with this amp.
Truth be told, I've heard this amp on a couple of occasions and currently think it's the best I've heard yet, bar none.

But the fact is, certain other DACs are FPGA, thus upgradable over time and also, allow you to stream music from services like Tidal.
I'm actually specifically taking about PS Audio DirectStream DAC, which I would like to pair with a top of the line headphone amp.
 

Jambo

Well-Known Member
Apr 15, 2015
106
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Australia
I’ve had the Telos Headphone Amp Mk2 for around a year or so. As I had limited space I wanted an all in one unit. I also have quite an expensive hifi gear and the Telos extracts so much information in a very musical way that I’m really pleased with it. I was fortunate that i had the option to get a seconhand Mk1 but decided to get Mk2 with its DSP so that the sound is less in the middle of your head, I used this setting most of the time. I use the usb output from my computer, which goes via ISO Regen then into the Telos’s usb input. This extracts so much performance out of the Telos. Only a couple of weeks back I replaced the Audiophile fuse that was installed in the Goldmund with a SR Blue fuse, this upped the performance by quite a bit, so I was really pleased. In summary i think you cant go wrong with this unit, the built in dac and amp sections offers serious performance, that I don’t miss my
hifi. As i dont use the analog input, so I don’t know how the performance is affected being digitised. There are a few online reviews that i’m sure you have already checked out. Personally I’m very pleased with my unit.
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
3
0
I’ve had the Telos Headphone Amp Mk2 for around a year or so. As I had limited space I wanted an all in one unit. I also have quite an expensive hifi gear and the Telos extracts so much information in a very musical way that I’m really pleased with it. I was fortunate that i had the option to get a seconhand Mk1 but decided to get Mk2 with its DSP so that the sound is less in the middle of your head, I used this setting most of the time. I use the usb output from my computer, which goes via ISO Regen then into the Telos’s usb input. This extracts so much performance out of the Telos. Only a couple of weeks back I replaced the Audiophile fuse that was installed in the Goldmund with a SR Blue fuse, this upped the performance by quite a bit, so I was really pleased. In summary i think you cant go wrong with this unit, the built in dac and amp sections offers serious performance, that I don’t miss my
hifi. As i dont use the analog input, so I don’t know how the performance is affected being digitised. There are a few online reviews that i’m sure you have already checked out. Personally I’m very pleased with my unit.
Hi Jambo.

Thanks for letting me know. I'm sure you're pleased with your unit, is a great device but I'm still trying to figure out how it compares to Viva Egoista 2A3, the only other amp I think, based on the reviews, I would like better. Oh, and recently, I've heard Mass Kobo 406, which I currently consider the best amp I've heard yet.

Also, the DAC part of the Telos can't compare in softness of the representation of music with Chord Dave or Hugo 2. These were my latest findings. In other words, I believe it's time for Telos mk3.
 

Jambo

Well-Known Member
Apr 15, 2015
106
113
275
Australia
That is some serious equipment you have listed. You should be able to extract more performance if you go down the path of such high quality seprates. I on the other hand needed to fit it on my computer desk so space was limited, and I was offered a very good deal on the demo unit by my dealer, so it fit my needs and wallet perfectly. Don’t think my wallet could survive a MK3 so soon !
Good luck on your journey, lets know what you go for.
 

Hifi Boy

New Member
Sep 16, 2017
70
3
0
Thanks, I sure will.
I'm currently in the process of seeking of my heart and preparing to buy a completely new system.

Just so we're on the same page, my top 3 amps, that I've actually heard are:

1. Mass Kobo 406
2. Goldmund Telos HDA 2
3. Mass Kobo 394
 

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