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FEATURE<br />
PERSONAL FIDELITY<br />
AURALiC<br />
Gemini 2000<br />
An all-in-one headphone partner<br />
IBy Jerold O’Brien<br />
s the Gemini 2000 a headphone amplifier Is it a<br />
headphone dock Is it a DAC Well, yes. Through<br />
the Gemini, Hong Kong-headquartered AURALiC<br />
creates a design that manages to pack all that into<br />
an attractive and great-sounding component. For<br />
those seeking a headphone-based desktop system,<br />
this AURALiC offers a turnkey package.<br />
Headphone stand<br />
At first glance, the most eye-catching and unique<br />
feature of the Gemini is its headphone stand, licensed<br />
from Klutz design. Standing about a foot<br />
tall with graceful curves, the stand not only looks<br />
great, but it offers a secure way to display your<br />
favorite headphones and keep them at the ready.<br />
AURALiC offers a lot of color options including a<br />
glossy white, black, yellow, blue, and the bright<br />
red of our review sample. In addition, there’s a<br />
choice of a shiny gold or silver base finish. With so<br />
many choices each prospective owner is bound<br />
to find some color combination to his or her liking.<br />
Acting as a headphone stand, the Gemini certainly<br />
has stability and heft. The base of the unit is<br />
quite heavy, and lifting the unit makes me feel as<br />
if I’m accepting a hefty Oscar statue. The Gemini<br />
is not likely to tip over with your valuable headphones<br />
draped over it. Another really nice feature<br />
of the stand is the ability to wrap the headphone<br />
cord onto it, keeping the desktop tidy. Metal pegs<br />
at the top and bottom facilitate the process, acting<br />
in a similar fashion as the electrical cord holder<br />
on an upright vacuum cleaner.<br />
The business end…<br />
The stand element by itself may look impressive,<br />
but the real design feat is squeezing the DAC and<br />
amp into base of the unit, about an inch tall with<br />
5.5-inch diameter. Each Gemini comes equipped<br />
with a 4GB SDXC card which includes Windows<br />
computer drivers, a manual, and some sample<br />
music.<br />
The Gemini 2000 we reviewed also has a little<br />
brother, the 1000. The main difference between<br />
the two is the option of a balanced headphone<br />
output on the former, and the amount of power<br />
output. The Gemini 1000 offers 1000 milliWatts<br />
(a.k.a. one watt), and as you might guess, the<br />
2000 offers double that. We didn’t have the opportunity<br />
to compare both units side-by-side, but<br />
I expect the 1000 would have adequate power to<br />
meet the requirements of many headphones.<br />
144 TONE AUDIO NO.64<br />
July 2014 145
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