Headamp Blue Hawaii Special Edition - Page 208

 

Nuff said

Ahhhh, stop this guys, it's making me rethink if silver is really really really what I wanted! The tough part is no matter the tint, the amp systematically looks fantastic, so it's basically impossible to make a decision :)

LOL! Beware of ruminative thinking patterns...they often lead to depression, insomnia, decreased sexual libido/impotence, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder...it also places you at risk for developing diabetes and having cerebrovascular accidents...you can get all of this if you ruminate too much about the silver faceplate. I'm a doctor in neuropsychology, so I must know what I am talking about!

Now, for more serious stuff.  I was thinking of using my Oppo bdp-95 universal player as the source for the Blue Hawaii/SR009 combo.  Do you guys think the source would be a weak link in the chain?  If I can do substantially better, I would like to get either a CD player or a CD Transport with a DAC. I was looking at the new CD transport and DAC from WOO Audio and it looks good.  I was also considering the Rega CD players.  I have a huge classical music collection in CDs, so a CD transport or CD player is imperative.  I am not planning on ripping all the music into computer files (would rather spend the time listening to music in my rig).   I don't want to use a computer as a CD transport.  I am willing to spend $5000 tops, but if the Oppo is more than adequate in your opinion, I wouldn't mind saving the dough.  What do you guys think?

You're skimping on the most important part, and the Oppo is pretty underwhelming, IMO.

 

With that budget I'd go with a used Resolution Cantata. 

 

Sounds yummy.  Any other suggestions?

Resonessence Invicta at 4k new. Haven't heard it but it's at the top of my list. 

 

X-Sabre (new Matrix DAC) is really nice. Heard it in my speaker system last night and enjoyed it. Built very well. Much cheaper, too.

 

Line Magnetic just put out a new Hybrid DAC that looks great @ $1800. Saw it at my dealer the other day.

 

There's tons of options.

PWDmk2

check this out : http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

 

i have bladelius embla basic. its all in one too. but not my cup of tea. only uses its transport section now

I'm sure it's somewhere in this mammoth thread, but what are the dimensions of the BHSE? Working on my setup currently.  How deep does the shelf need to be?

I have an Oppo 83SE, which was the predecessor of the Oppo BDP-95. I use it occasionally with my BHSE and 007MKII. I say occasionally because my main source for CD quality and downloads material is an Antelope Zodiac Gold DAC.  I only use the analog outs of the Oppo for SACDs.

 

Based on my experience with these two sources, I confirm the Oppo is not at the level as a BHSE/007 or BHSE/009 combo. I am happy with it for other purposes, e.g. for films (blu rays).

 

I am thinking about upgrading the Oppo as source for SACD but I am undecided on whether going for a dedicated SACD player or a DSD DAC. The world of DSD DACs is evolving very fast with some recent models already mentioned in this thread.

X3.  I also have the BDP-95 and used it for awhile with my 009/BHSE setup.  It's not bad value for the money, but a dedicated DAC with something like a used TEAC VRDS (ie. 10,20,25) transport is much, much better (since your not interested in ripping CD's). I also wanted to add, I'm not sure how much of a step up the Woo would be over the Oppo, but I have a feeling if it was, it wouldn't be much.

Edited by Golfnutz - 3/4/13 at 4:47am

 

The BHSE/SR009 really is a cheap way to achieve very high quality reproduction. This means a well matched source is likely to be many times the cost of the BHSE/SR009, or at least it was last time I looked around. Many people seem to reach out for the BHSE/SR009 but cannot match is to a source component that exploits the potential of the system. Save your dough until you can afford a similarly refined source.

 

 

I'm on my 4th OPPO unit, currently BDP 105.  I upgraded from the BDP 95 primarily for added features, like the ability to run other sources (DirecTV, etc) through the OPPO DAC and my thus headphones.  However, the nice surprise was how much better the sound quality was compared to the BDP 95.  There really isn't any question about the build, sound, and video quality of the OPPO.  Reviewers usually say the OPPO is good "for the money", but I'm thinking maybe they are just plain good.  I confess that I haven't directly compared them to other cd players / DACs but I'm guessing I'd have to spend around ten grand to get something as good or hopefully better.  Remember that since OPPO is sold direct, you are not paying a 100% markup to a dealer.  Some of my reasoning includes the fact that every time I upgrade another part of my system (cables, power supply, amps, headphones) the improvement in sound quality is apparent.  If the DAC were not putting out quality sound, I wouldn't hear it on the other end.   My recommendation would be to upgrade to the BDP105.  You would then have some extra dough to spend on something like Zitron single cables and the Triton Typhon combo from Shunyata  . . . (my current fantasy lol . . .)  Sorry this a little off topic but we're hear to help, right?

Edited by Rico613 - 3/4/13 at 5:24am