Gold Note IS - 1000 integrated amp

@iasi, in contrast what you said re image depth and bass tightness, @transience mentioned that image depth is not a strong point of GN IS1000 and he also said that bass is "rounded"

@transience, during the past year, a GN IS100 unit exchanged hands two times, usually not a good sign. Could it be due to the fact an improved version with the better DAC hit the market?

hi @fiza, i generally don't take audiogon market activity as a particular sign of quality or lack thereof; far too often have I sold gear I've ultimately missed terribly, and that's a commonplace.
I believe a spate of super integrateds with more us press (as opposed to eu press) is a factor here, as people invariably buy these instead of the gold note out of novelty and validated curiosity. 
for my part, I also acquired an Ayre EX-8, which is an altogether wonderful unit but very different. Silver vs copper cables (or MC vs world-class MM) would be the apt sonic comparison, the ex-8 being cooler, even more pure and grainless than the already excellent is-1000, and more insightful. the Gold Note IS-1000 is fuller, richer, warmer with deeper bass particularly with the DF setting. They are both extremely compelling and expertly engineered audio solutions.

@transience - do you still have the goldnote integrated . how does it compare it to the ayre ex-8
can you share some comparisons and your observations
anyone else knows if primare i35 is in this league?
also if someone can chime in on simaudio moon 340ix

@transience  - in john darko's review it is stated that goldnote has a fan which turns on higher volumes. is that true?can you let us know if ithat is bothersome or ok?

@harry26 apologies, as I just saw your query. per above, whereas the Ayre specialized in a kind of cooler, grainless perspective (which I enjoyed), with an emphasis on the upper octaves, and is dead silent; the gold note is not as quicksilver pure, but counters with a more tactile, insistent, and physical presence: midband saturation, natural warmth, speed, and emphatic bass (which can be tuned by adjusting the damping factor settings). also, the Ayre's volume pot has a slight channel imbalance at lower volumes; whereas the gold note does not and has a balance function. it is altogether the more versatile amp (especially considering the very refined phono stage). I'm impressed.
as for the fans: I could only tell they were on when I was within a foot or so of the unit to change a record (after playing at the highest preamp gain) and now that I no longer have a turntable and gold note has emended the firmware, the fans are at variable speed rather than on/off so should be dead silent in even the quietest room in the near field. I have heard properly functioning class d smps units make significantly more noise than the fans of the gold note.