Headamp Blue Hawaii Special Edition - Page 178

 

I totally agree with this strategy. As long as the protection stays out of the way and protects my gear, I'm a happy camper.

The BHSE sounds amazing even from cold, but it sounds a lot better when warmed up. Because of that I prefer to do my listening after it's been on for above an hour.

 

To give me a change and if l want to listen to music without warming up, I've ordered the GS-X. [ I don't know if that amp will sound better after it's warmed up like the BHSE does ] I've also just ordered both the Sennheiser HD600 + 650, I'll listen to both with my Pico Slim and keep the one l like best. I've ordered them both from the same place and have told them I'll be sending one back. 

 

I've no doubt the HD600 or 650 / GS-X combo won't be at the same level as the 009/BHSE, but variety is the spice of life.

 

 

P.S. The HD600 + 650 probably don't sound as good as the HD800, but l think the 800's are ugly, whereas the best looking headphone I've ever seen is the HE-90 and the 600 + 650 have a similar shape to the HE-90.

 

I find the BHSE sounds better when warmed up, but when completely cold like today (we have not had power or heat in the house for a week now due to hurricane Sandy) it doesn't quite do it for me.

On the other hand, the noise floor is really really low 

In saying the BHSE still sounds amazing even when cold, the headphone being used is my 009. It's at least two months since l last heard my BHSE from cold because over that time I always warm it up before l listen to anything, I do this because the SQ is unbelievable

 

When l first heard IanG's 007mk1's with my BHSE it was cold, at the same time l listened to my 009's and the 009's sounded a lot better than the 007's.

 

The second time using both headphones, the BHSE was warm and the 007's were completely different sounding headphones. That second time we both found that some songs sounded better from the 009's, while others were better with the 007's.

 

If time was short and l wanted to hear the BHSE straight away, I'd be happy to hear it cold using the 009's, but with the 007's IMO, the BHSE has to be warmed up.

Hello Cat6man

 

If you suffered from Sandy, you're more "west from NYC" than "east from SF"...

 

You say "noise floor is really low", followed by a 'disagree' picture... Isn't low noise a quality? (maybe I misanderstand  your text)

 

Best regards

 

Philippe

I think he means that he has no power and therefore no sound at all.

Hi, cat6man

Hope the damage was the kept to a minimum where you live.

Here in Brazil we rarely suffer from these storms (and if we did, they would be called cyclones). But our congressmem do far worse, unfortunately.

Glad to know everything seems to be ok now.

 

Hurricanes...destructive like women...

Thanks folks. We had no electricity for 7 days, hence no stax or bhse functional (and the extraordinary low noise floor is due to not only the absence of AC power and 'tube noise' but also the lack of crud/interference on the AC line,. since there are also no fluorescent lights, fridge, computers generating nasties---weird sense of humor i guess).

We got power back about 36 hours ago and now we have heat and light. We were very fortunate in that the only damage was to my TV/FM antenna, which is now pointed 30 degrees downward and 180 degrees away from NYC (the wind was coming from the east, so now it points directly west).


Cheers and good listening.

Bonjour Phillipe,

Yes, I live quite close to NYC and my noise comment was in jest.
I travel occasionally to visit colleagues of mine in Villarceaux and Velizy and I try to stay in Paris when I can
(or at least spend my evenings and free time there). Can you recommend any interesting high end audio stores where I can sample
French audio equipment?

 

You should join us in the HE-6 thread and try to properly amp an HE6 :)  The HE6 gets about even time as my BHSE/007 combo.  It's the only headphone that's taken my interest from stats, and that includes the HD800, K1000 and LCD3.

 

Will probably be receiving an MK1 in the mail to compare against my MK2 on the BHSE.  Will be fun seeing which comes out on top.  Would love to try an MK2.5 someday, too.

The only problem with the HE-6 thread is that none of them have any clue what it takes to drive the HE-6.  They are at the same place Stax users were in 2003, thinking volume has anything to do with it, even using severely current limited amps and claiming it's the bees-knees...

Edited by spritzer - 11/11/12 at 12:44am

 

I did try the HE-6 at the UK head-fi meeting and was very impressed with it, but I decided I wanted an headphone I could not only use with the GS-X, but with my Pico Slim / iPod when wanted. After a suggestion Birgir gave me I decided to get the Senn HD600 and at £269, it's the best money I've ever spent on headphones, or any audio equipment for that matter. Until I receive the GS-X I'm driving the 600's with my Pico Slim with the source being my K-01 and I'm over the moon about the SQ. [ My usual headphone setup is 009 / BHSE / K-01 ] I've even tried the 600's with my Pico Slim + iPod and the SQ was still great. To try and take the SQ to another level, I'm in the process of ordering a custom 4 pin balanced silver cable for the 600's. 

 

In 1997 I had a Sennheiser headphone but can't remember the model, all I can remember was how tight it was, the HD600 has no such problem, in fact it's the most comfortable headphone I've ever had. I'm keeping an eye open on the new electro headphones senn are working on and if they're similar in looks to the HE-90 or HD-600, I'm definitely auditioning them.

 

 

P.S. Every time I use the BHSE, I leave it on power for at least an hour before listening to music, the good thing about the HD600 / Pico Slim with the K-01 is I listen to music straight away. Although the SQ for the HD600 / Pico Slim / K-01 isn't at the same level as 009 / BHSE / K-01, the SQ is still very impressive.

Edited by David1961 - 11/11/12 at 5:56am

 

My best amps to drive the HE-6 are my EF6, Marantz 2240 watt speaker amp, or Emotiva BDP-1 75 watt speaker amp.  Even my ZDT or EF5 driving them makes them sound a little soft and less punchy, and most everything else makes them sound thin and/or bright.  I'm still left thinking that they could sound even better with a different amp, but it's good enough for now.

 

My KGBH makes my SR-009 hit like dynamic headphones, so I'm spending more time with those.

It's all in your head, though, due to the higher wattage value (which really means nothing)! 

 

I crunched the numbers for the HE-6 a year ago, and to utilize even 5 watts for a "transient" to be "perfect," that transient would be hitting 150db.  Even if your recordings have the world's most abundant dynamic range, that would still put your average listening volume at 100db (at which point you'd STILL be using less than 1 watt). 

 

Any BHSE owners Peter Gabriel fans? Listening to 'So' for the first time today on the 009s and my mind is blown.

Edited by MorbidToaster - 11/11/12 at 12:28pm