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Beta 22 or BHSE, help me pick

post #1 of 23
Thread Starter 

I am looking at buying a new amp, but I don't know what to buy. My current gear is SX-950/LCD-2 and SRM-T1/SR-507. My ultimate goal is BHSE and 007/009. I also want a dynamic rig, but not a ton of amps. I will likely keep the SX because it also powers speakers, one other dynamic amp, and a stat amp.

 

The Stat amp will either be the BHSE or WES, but I am heavily leaning towards the BHSE. On the Dynamic side I was thinking Audio-gd Phoenix, but I starting to push that idea aside. Now I am thinking 4 board Beta 22. 

 

So, I have some money coming in from a business I ventured in a few years back. I start school in 2 months and will have no income past that point. If I add up what I have, what I expect to make before I quit, the investment profit, and take out bills for the next two years, I have maybe $7000. It wouldn't be a horrible idea if I just put it into my savings account in case my car breaks before I graduate, which is a possibility. 

 

The question is, what to do with the money. I can buy a BHSE, and maybe an O2. That would bust my budget, leaving very little in the way of a cushion. I will also have student loans, so I could use those if I needed, but I hate owing money, so I rather it just sit it in my savings account untouched. 

 

I could also buy a KGSS and 02, and put a little in the bank. My issue with that plan is that I will be buying the KGSS, knowing I will sell it in a few years.

 

I could buy a Beta 22, and maybe a second set of dynamics. K1K is an idea, and put the rest in the bank.

 

I could also buy the Beta 22 and KGSS. I don't know if the KGSS will provide a large improvement over the T1 with only the Lambdas. 

 

What would you do if you were in this position. If you have a different idea I didn't mention, I would also like to hear it.

post #2 of 23

Put all of that money into paying off (or better yet, eliminating from the start) your student loans.  If you bought that gear now, you would be in effect taking out a loan to buy hi-fi gear... quite a silly idea :P 

 

You're young, you'll have plenty of time to work on toys in the future.  A cushion for a car, on top of lowering your loan load, is the ONLY choice imho. 

 

 

 

 

Of course, if you HAVE to spend your money, you KNOW you want the BHSE/007 ;) 

post #3 of 23
Thread Starter 

lol. I don't have student loans exactly. I have my school expenses covered. I should also be offered $10,000 a year in subsidized loans. I plan to take the money and stick it in a savings account. It will earn one percent, plus be extra  money should something come up. I don't know what kind of interest rate I can expect to get for a car loan, but I am thinking it may be a good idea to take the $20,000 of loans I would have accumulated over two years to buy a new car after graduating. The reason I am taking the loans is because they are subsidized. I won't be paying interest until I graduate, so I figure it doesn't hurt to accept the money and sit it in a savings account. School is covered because I should also be getting $5,000 a year in grants. Since I am going to a state school, tuition is low. The schools website has tuition plus books totaling $3,500 for the first year.

 

I wouldn't take out a loan just so I could buy audio gear.


Edited by TruBrew - 6/19/11 at 9:01pm
post #4 of 23

I'd personally get a 2 or 3 channel B22 over a 4 channel version as I'm not really a balanced kinda guy.  I would love to recommend the BHSE/O2 as it is possibly the best headphone system out there, but I don't think it'd be wise in your situation.  I also wouldn't bother with a KGSS with only Lambdas.  I think the KGSS would make more sense if you get an O2.  A couple options:

 

B22 and another dynamic (HD800, K1k, etc)

Keep what you have and try to find a SR Omega which pairs nicely with the T1

Keep what you have and get one of the Stax Sigmas

KGSS/O2

 

post #5 of 23

or get the jh3a and use for college too. why not build something? are you open to diy?

post #6 of 23

Given all of the issues poppling up with the jh3a as well as the seemingly indefinite wait times it seems hard to recommend that...

 

If you can build it yourself you can do a really nice 2 or 3 channel B22 for around 1k. 4 channel for probably under 1.5k. I'm sure a BHSE + O2 is really tempting with 7k burning a hole in your pocket, but it is always nice to have some cash reserves in case something comes up. Also isn't the wait time on a BHSE something like 6 months or a year? If I were you and you think you can do it I would go the DIY route with the B22. You will save significant money over having someone build it for you and you will learn a lot in the process, plus leave yourself most of that cushion intact.

 

Good luck with your decision

post #7 of 23

Save up for the BHSE. 

post #8 of 23

you have to decide fast if you are more inclined to go with the BHSE

I think it may not be available after this year. 

post #9 of 23

Double the reason to buy one. 

post #10 of 23
Thread Starter 

Wait, they are cutting production on the BHSE? where did you hear that. I had kind of made up my mind. I was going to go with a Beta 22. I will likely pay someone. I know building it on my own would be the most cost saving, but I have never soldered anything in my life, and for some reason, I don't think this is the place to start experimenting.

 

If they really are discontinuing the BHSE I may have to buy one of those. It would just seem like such a waste with the lambdas, and I am not going to buy that and Omegas. I definitely want to have some extra money. The Lambdas are nice, but very bright. I don't think I can handle them being my main rig for the next few year. I am definitely leaning harder towards the Beta 22 side. IF the BHSE is discontinued by the time I have the money for it, I will buy a WES, or whatever else sounds the best at the time. RSA makes the A-10, I can always look into that as well. I have heard almost nothing about it, which seems to be a trademark of a a number of Ray Samuels amps.

post #11 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by TruBrew View Post

Wait, they are cutting production on the BHSE? where did you hear that. I had kind of made up my mind. I was going to go with a Beta 22. I will likely pay someone. I know building it on my own would be the most cost saving, but I have never soldered anything in my life, and for some reason, I don't think this is the place to start experimenting.

 

If they really are discontinuing the BHSE I may have to buy one of those. It would just seem like such a waste with the lambdas, and I am not going to buy that and Omegas. I definitely want to have some extra money. The Lambdas are nice, but very bright. I don't think I can handle them being my main rig for the next few year. I am definitely leaning harder towards the Beta 22 side. IF the BHSE is discontinued by the time I have the money for it, I will buy a WES, or whatever else sounds the best at the time. RSA makes the A-10, I can always look into that as well. I have heard almost nothing about it, which seems to be a trademark of a a number of Ray Samuels amps.


I made my first solder joints cooking up a balanced b22, soldering is the easy part of DIY =P (it's all easy, just takes some time).

 

There's a 45-unit production run on the BHSE coming up, we don't know if there will be anymore after the large production run.

 

I'd get some headphones and build an amp, as it sounds like you'd have some time on the side to dedicate to DIY while studying. I would certainly take the opportunity to learn how to DIY, you'd be able to make all sorts of wonderful things.

post #12 of 23

Why not just EQ the lambdas a little then?

 

A touch of tastefully applied EQ can make worlds of change for the better, especially when the problem with the headphone is so easy to isolate. 


Edited by nikongod - 6/20/11 at 8:28am
post #13 of 23
Thread Starter 

I have thought about EQ. What programs do a good job of EQ. I would like an analog one, but don't think I want to spend the money.

post #14 of 23

I use a standalone digital thingy (behringer DEQ2496) so Im not too familiar with computer software to do it, but this thread describes the method I like:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/413900/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial

post #15 of 23
Thread Starter 

Thanks. A stand alone eq would be nice, but I feel like I could get one for less without a built in DAC.

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