Headamp Blue Hawaii Special Edition - Page 187

Justin,

Do you have to paint this?  It's so beautiful as is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin w. 

Parts for the BHSE Batch #3 and #4 are still coming in every week.  the power supply enclosures will be here in 1-2 weeks, and then I'll have all the raw enclosure parts minus the front panels which are made last.  About the power supply enclosure...the supplier wanted to raise the price significantly.  So I said "for that price, I can get it machined from solid aluminum."  I didnt get a reply.  So here is the BHSE power supply enclosure machined from solid aluminum.  The machining is incredibly perfect, too bad it will have to get finished!

 

Hello Justin

Thanks for the news. Will this "power supply enclosure machined from solid aluminum" be significantly better than the previous version? (I don't know much about metallurgy). And will my BHSE benefit from this new feature, when I get it?

Best regards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil95 

Hello Justin

 

Thanks for the news. Will this "power supply enclosure machined from solid aluminum" be significantly better than the previous version? (I don't know much about metallurgy). And will my BHSE benefit from this new feature, when I get it?

 

Best regards.

You're kidding, right? Its a freaking box.

Classic!  Too Funny.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beefy 

 

You're kidding, right? Its a freaking box.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beefy 

 

You're kidding, right? Its a freaking box.

Some high end companies make a lot of fuss (and money) about their box being hewn out of a solid billet of aluminum. Done to reduce vibration and maybe to make it look more attractive. From memory, Ayre's top pre-amp is like this. I have no idea if matters, but the question is already out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beefy 

 

You're kidding, right? Its a freaking box.

You're right! I think the box has a weightier, more solid sound to it (when tapped with a knuckle...) :p

A key part of speaker testing is the knuckle rap. Joke; no reason the same method shouldn't apply to DACs, cables, tonearms.

There's nothing moving in the amp that vibration would effect.  Blindfold yourself and listen to your favorite headphone/song and have somebody shake your amp at random.  Then guess when the amp is being shaken.  If audiofools were our engineers I think they'd be afraid to get a plane off the ground because "the electrons might stop flowing due to vibrations".

That being said, milling from a single large chunk of metal is certifiably badass.

A major source of vibration is the power transformer, high pulse current in Class A power supplies cause mechanical vibrations at mains frequency.

Although more of an issue with one box designs than Justin’s wonderful BHSE, there are ways of decoupling the transformer from the enclosure rather opting for an overall hefty chassis.

So you don't need tube dampers?

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin w. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu 

Justin,

 

Do you have to paint this?  It's so beautiful as is.

 

 

yes.  the powdercoated parts are made of recycled aluminum.  they look pretty now but will not anodize well.  the front panels are made of virgin USA aluminum with material certification.  the shop that does the polishing/anodizing on my parts says this is the best machining he's seen in 25 years.

If I had seen the photo and guessed, I would have thought it was polished steel, not aluminium.

I really wonder in my area of low humidity, whether leaving the material as is be an option.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong 

 

If I had seen the photo and guessed, I would have thought it was polished steel, not aluminium.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu 

I really wonder in my area of low humidity, whether leaving the material as is be an option.

 

Sure if you dont mind it turning a nasty shade of grey over time. In the presence of air it will oxidize.

One could polish it every month, but I wouldn't recommend it. Too much work.