Crazy Value
"Got the polished blue B-Stock I couldn't tell what was wrong with it until my wife pointed it out. Got the stepped attenuator version for $700 off original price and it sounds amazing."
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In stock
HeadAmp GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp
$1,795.00
In stock and ready to ship! Some colors may take 2-3 days from time of order to ship.
GS-X Mini is our compact yet powerful desktop headphone amplifier. Capable of powering most high-end headphones, the GS-X Mini is perfect for an audiophile's home or office setup!
Factory B-Stock items undergo the same rigorous testing as all our premium HeadAmp amplifiers. B-Stock items may feature discontinued colors or minor cosmetic blemishes that do not compromise the exceptional quality and performance of the amps!
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Order before 5:00 PM ET and select 1-Day Shipping to receive it the next business day.
Ships Worldwide
30 Day Returns
Free 1 or 2 Day
The Craftsmanship
A desktop-friendly one-box configuration helps GS-X mini fit conveniently into your home or office. HeadAmp's fastidious dedication to quality, fit, and finish make it a piece that retains its beauty through its long life of service. The characteristic colored front panels well-known from our Blue Hawaii SE and GS-X mk2 are available on GS-X mini allowing your choice of custom flourish.
The Story
Built using a special variation on our well-reviewed class-A audio circuit from the GS-X mk2 - based on the famous dual-differential design by Kevin Gilmore - the new GS-X mini is the first HeadAmp product to deliver balanced headphone drive from all audio sources, single-ended, or balanced. This means no more compromising your headphone experience when using a single-ended source, your high-end headphones will always benefit from the speed and power of balanced drive when connected to the GS-X Mini.
Now paired with a custom discrete power supply based on the Golden Reference Low Voltage design, the Mini can out put up to 6W making the GS-X mini a great pairing with most medium-to-low sensitivity headphones, and high impedance headphones, whose sound comes alive when given balanced drive and higher power. Models like the Sennheiser HD800S, HIFIMAN HE-1000SE, Audeze LCD-5 all benefit from the clean, steady power delivery just as well as with easier to drive headphones like the Dan Clark Audio Ether series, Audeze LCD-X, and HIFIMAN Ananda. With balanced drive from any source, even single-ended ones, there's no excuse not to give your high-end headphones the power they crave, by connecting them to the new GS-X Mini.
Features
• Balanced 4-pin XLR Output
• SE 1/4" Phones Output
• Low & High Gain options
• 1 pair Single Ended RCA Input
• 1 pair 3-pin XLR Input
• 1x stereo pair RCA Outputs
• 1x stereo pair XLR Outputs
• Standalone Preamp Function
• Pre-Amp Switch: Enables Pre Outs & mutes headphones
3 Year Warranty on all Parts and Labor
Technical Specs
Headphone Output
6W @25Ω / 4W @50Ω / 2W @100Ω Balanced Output 1.5W @25Ω/ 1W @50Ω/ 500mW @100Ω SE Phones Out
Operating Voltage
100v, 110-120, or 220-240 Configurations Available
Power Consumption
25-30W
Input Impedance
10 kOhm
Volume Control
Alps RK27 Potentiometer or 24-step DACT Attenuator
Dimensions (including connectors)
(W)11" x (L)9" x (H)2"
Weight
6 lbs
Overall rating: 4.990196 / 5 from 102 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
The HeadAmp GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier is praised for its fantastic sound quality, top-notch build, and impressive customer service. Customers appreciate its natural, warm, and balanced sound, as well as its dynamic and powerful performance. The GS-X Mini is a great choice for audiophiles looking to enhance their headphone experience.
Summary topics
- GS-X Mini Performance (10%): It was noted by customers that the GS-X Mini is a fantastic Balanced Headphone Amplifier.
- Build Quality (14%): It was reported by customers that the build quality of this amp is top notch and impressive.
- Customer Service (14%): Customers appreciated the outstanding customer service provided by HeadAmp during the buying process and during delivery.
- Sound Quality (45%): Many customers loved the sound of the GS-X mini, describing it as natural, warm, and balanced.
Review topics: [].
Review highlights
- "great sound, great build and great customer service" —
- "The amp is silent, the build quality is excellent, and it has high and low gain, two analog inputs and preamp outputs." —
- "The overall presentation of sound is very impressive and detailed with great separation and wide soundstage." —
Reviews
The MM-500 Finally Has Room to Breathe
"I've been pairing the GS-X Mini with the Audeze MM-500 for about a week. The short version: it finally let the MM-500 be what it's supposed to be. Three things changed immediately. The low-frequency range opened up in a way that had nothing to do with EQ — not "more bass," but deeper, more authoritative bass with real weight behind it. The soundstage expanded in both width and depth. And everything had more substance. As a recording engineer, I'm wary of gear that flatters rather than reveals. The GS-X Mini doesn't add color — it removes the ceiling. The MM-500 is a demanding headphone. Give it what it needs, and it delivers accordingly."
My GS-X mini sounds fantastic!
"This is my first purchase of a stand-alone headphone amp, I have been using the built-in headphone amp on my preamp and SACD player. I am very happy I made this purchase - the sound I get now from my headphones is much more detailed, the bass is tighter and deeper, the mid-range and treble are more balanced sounding - everything I have played so far just sounds so much better. Thank you HeadAmp for this well-built great sounding product!"
Feels perfect.
"For context, I have previously owned a TA-26, Asgard 3, and an RNHP. My experience with this amp thus far is that it is the most transparent, revealing, and dynamic amp I’ve ever had. It highlights bad recordings and absolutely celebrates the good ones. Totally is feels perfectly balanced/neutral: nothing is exaggerated. And gobs of power :) Would absolutely recommend. (Using with HD650 and DT 770)."
Superb. . Full Stop.
"Awesome reference quality."
Effortless power
"This is one of the best value-for-dollar solid state amps out there, especially if you buy the B-stock item, which is basically indistinguishable from factory new. You get loads of power and smooth delivery that can drive pretty much any headphone out there. The chassis, switches, and knobs are of outstanding quality. Very happy with this purchase. Thanks to Justin and the team for such a great product."
GSX-Mini - What a great product!
"Purchased my GSX-Mini in May with early June. Great customer service, good communication and quick delivery. This unit sounds just right. I love my audio system's sound, over $100k invested to get what I like, and this amp with my current headphones matches beautifully, not a completely different sound but almost a replica of what I listen to without headphones. I am very impressed and based on my experience highly recommend Headamp and their GSX-Mini for anyone needing this type of product."
Perfect endgame
"Picked this up to pair with my LCD-4 and love it! Build quality is superb, volume knob is buttery smooth, and sound quality and power delivery are top notch."
Breathes new life into your equipment and looks great while doing it!
"To provide some context, this is my first legitimate headphone amplifier. I started listening to higher resolution music roughly 3 or 4 years ago, and at first used basic equipment. Since that time, I’ve collected a number of headphones and IEMs of various type and at various price ranges. I was looking for something that is relatively “future proof” and would be able to drive nearly anything I have and could potentially obtain in the future. I was also looking for something that would be small enough to find a space at my work desk because I typically listen to music while working and in the evenings when things quiet down. This fulfills both of those needs and then some. If I had to choose a word that would describe the difference between this amplifier and the iFi Zen I was previously using, I would choose “alive. ” My headphones sound better than they ever have. I am discovering new joy with older headphones I acquired at the beginning of my entry into this hobby. It’s dead quiet and though much of the sound an album possesses is dependent on its mastering, music of all resolutions, in my estimation, sounds more energetic and I am hearing elements of albums I’ve listened to for decades that I never heard previously. I think I’ll be satisfied with this amplifier for a long time. There is not much one can really say that’s negative about it, unless you’re really cramped for space and cannot afford to give it breathing room. It gets hot and needs some space to breathe; I’m more than happy to oblige because it has brought me a lot of joy and has me combing through my music library like never before. Lastly, excellent quality of sound aside, it’s a really pleasant-looking box. There are no unnecessary bells and whistles here; knobs and switches are the rule of the day and as someone who enjoys that tactile feel to my equipment, it suits my needs just fine. Well done. Thanks to HeadAmp for a solid addition to my hobby."
Great and compact class A amp
"I've had a lot of headphone amps before the GS-X mini. While one of them was as good as the GS-X in matters of sound, it was bulky, hard to interact with, and ran really, REALLY hot. The GS-X mini delivered a close to endgame sound in a compact package, with a great set of options, a nice potentiometer, and more than enough power to drive anything I threw at it. The one thing I missed was having a remote controller, which is 100% understandable for the use case; but nice to keep in mind if you're thinking about buying it."
Q&A
- Hi Will go mini work with focal clear mg headphones With apple air iPad. for Apple Music Thanks David Salisbury uk
- The GS-X mini works great with Focal Clear MG headphones, and you will also need a USB or streaming DAC to use it with your iPad.
- Can you please tell me what “Factory B Stock” means? Thanks!
- There may be small cosmetic flaws that didn't pass our inspection and we are offering those as Factory B-Stock
- Where I can buy HeadAmp GS-X Mini in EU ?
- We ship orders placed on our website worldwide. We currently do not have any dealers in the EU as it would add considerable cost to the amp for EU customers.
- What is the recommend / max input voltage through the RCA or XLR inputs ? My player can be set to output up to 4.89Vrms, is this safe for the RCA inputs or might this high voltage cause any damage somehow?
- The volume control will attenuate high input signals, so you don't have to worry about that, but a source level that is too high will not give you much adjustment range on the volume control. If your player's output is adjustable, we would recommend first trying a max level between 1V and 3V for the RCA outputs.
- What is the rated output at 300 ohms for balanced and single ended?
- A little less than 1Wpc balanced, 1/4W single ended
- Hello！ What's the pin assignment of XLR input?
- 2+, 3-, 1-Chassis/Ground
- Hi! I love this amp and I have a question. Do I always have to turn it on and off, say once a day? Or is it better just leave it to be on for all the time? (Probably turn off once or twice a week or month)
- We would suggest turning it off when it will not be in use for several hours or more.
- How much power @ 50ohm? I am buying HE6 and i need a amp to pair with them.
- The power is ~4W/50 ohm
- Hi guys, re GS-X Mini Balanced. Which would come soonest colour wise? Also which volume pot is the quicker to ship with? Finally, are they world voltage - im UK 230v - do I need to specify this? Cheers Lee
- Please email/chat us for answers to the color and volume control availability questions as the answers will become dated very quickly. We configure the amp for 100V, 115V, or 230V depending on your shipping location.
- Will if be possible to change the voltage input of the gsx-mini? I need to move to US and come back to my home country after few years and would like use it in both countries. (110v and 220v)
- The GS-X mini uses a linear regulated power supply, and the voltage is set to 100, 115, or 230v with a few jumpers soldered on the circuit board, so it is possible to change it, but it requires a little soldering or returning it to us for the work.
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