bahamaman said:

  My decision to purchase the BHSE is based on reading hundreds, maybe thousands of posts, in addition to what was said here.  I have been struck by the universal praise it has garnered.  Most gear, even the highest of the high end stuff, seems to have its fanboys and nay-sayers.  On the other hand, the BHSE has very few detractors.
 
I am sorry that you feel this thread has been a waste of your time.  As for me, it hasn't.  This thread, with its multitude of suggestions, helped to remind me of my own quest for headphone nirvana eight years ago.  During that quest, I bought and sold a dizzying array of 'phones, amps, and sources, always convinced that the holy grail was just around the corner.  After four years, it landed me in 'stat land.  Climbing back on head-fi, hearing the various recommendations made on this and other threads, I merely decided that I didn't need to embark upon that same journey.

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defqon said:

.....Since the op has never had, or heard either.. them dots.

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en_r said:

.....the OP's original setup was a MK1+ES1.. dots again..
 

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Thank you for proving my point, obviously comprehension or english is not your primary skill and language. 
 
Unsubscribed.

defqon said:

   
Thank you for proving my point, obviously comprehension or english is not your primary skill and language. 
 
Unsubscribed.

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The OP has never heard a BHSE+007 combo. Quoting select text taken out of context doesn't make for great English when you can't understand what complement means.
 
It's quite obvious you've never owned the combo either while you continue to recommend it.. but I'm glad you avoided the question to make things look good.

As well as the 009 / BHSE, I also have the LCD-XC which I mostly use with my GS-Xmk2, and before I started using the Psvane EL34PH tubes with my BHSE, I spent more time listening to my LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2, than I did the 009 / BHSE.
However, since using the PH tubes, I only listen to my LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2 while I'm waiting for my BHSE to warm up.
The way I like to hear music is with as much detail and transparency as possible, and the LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2 combo does give me that, but to my hearing, not to the same degree as the 009 / BHSE.

P.S. I've also heard the SR-007mk1's with my BHSE. and to me the 007's weren't as detailed and transparent as the 009's, also, at the time I heard the 007's, I was using SED tubes with my BHSE, not the PH's.

jibzilla said:

 
I liked the thread. It was fun to see everybody come out and put in their 2 cents. I think a few of us "modern heads" were hoping to convince you to give the modern orthos and dynamics a shot but it's all good. After quite a few years I think I'm getting close to the end as well. Anyone who has the patience to wait 1.5 years for a B.H.S.E. is a true hardcore fan in my books and I don't think you came to that decision lightly. I know I had troubles just waiting 2 weeks for my lcd-x and now a couple more weeks for my amp and dac. I sure hope they sound good.

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Me too, I read through about the first two pages of it

david1961 said:

As well as the 009 / BHSE, I also have the LCD-XC which I mostly use with my GS-Xmk2, and before I started using the Psvane EL34PH tubes with my BHSE, I spent more time listening to my LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2, than I did the 009 / BHSE.
However, since using the PH tubes, I only listen to my LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2 while I'm waiting for my BHSE to warm up.
The way I like to hear music is with as much detail and transparency as possible, and the LCD-XC / GS-Xmk2 combo does give me that, but to my hearing, not to the same degree as the 009 / BHSE.

P.S. I've also heard the SR-007mk1's with my BHSE. and to me the 007's weren't as detailed and transparent as the 009's, also, at the time I heard the 007's, I was using SED tubes with my BHSE, not the PH's.

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I appreciate your mentioning tube rolling the BHSE.  I've already started looking into the Psvane's, and they appear an ideal choice.
 
One of the perverse benefits of the long wait is that it gives me ample time to pick up the other pieces, large and small, associated with the amp's arrival.  It's also helpful that these expenses get spread out over a sufficient period of time such that it is easier for some of them to escape spousal scrutiny  

bahamaman said:

 
I appreciate your mentioning tube rolling the BHSE.  I've already started looking into the Psvane's, and they appear an ideal choice.
 
One of the perverse benefits of the long wait is that it gives me ample time to pick up the other pieces, large and small, associated with the amp's arrival.  It's also helpful that these expenses get spread out over a sufficient period of time such that it is easier for some of them to escape spousal scrutiny

 

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Good point there, and if it makes you feel better, I waited about 5 months for my D2k Wood Backs lol, paid for them in November and I've had it for like... maybe 2 weeks now?

bahamaman said:

  My decision to purchase the BHSE is based on reading hundreds, maybe thousands of posts, in addition to what was said here.  I have been struck by the universal praise it has garnered.  Most gear, even the highest of the high end stuff, seems to have its fanboys and nay-sayers.  On the other hand, the BHSE has very few detractors.
 
I am sorry that you feel this thread has been a waste of your time.  As for me, it hasn't.  This thread, with its multitude of suggestions, helped to remind me of my own quest for headphone nirvana eight years ago.  During that quest, I bought and sold a dizzying array of 'phones, amps, and sources, always convinced that the holy grail was just around the corner.  After four years, it landed me in 'stat land.  Climbing back on head-fi, hearing the various recommendations made on this and other threads, I merely decided that I didn't need to embark upon that same journey.

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I was in a similar boat to you last year except rather than 8 years it was more like 18 years and the high end Stax back then was Lambda Signatures the SRM-T1S and my ML are the smaller Aerius. Based on your past experience, I think you will be delighted with the O2s + BHSE.  You certainly won't go wrong with them given your preferences.  I know it's heresy here, but it's completely reasonable not to chase the ultimate headphone experience but rather go with something you know would work invest time and mental energy into something that is more important to you.
 
Like you I couldn't image anything touching electrostatics and fully expected to settle on a pair of Stax.  If money was no object I would have ended up with 009, or with your budget, I would most likely would have ended up with 007s, though for me it would have been a KGSSHV rather than BHSE.
 
But that's not how it played out for me.  I was prepared to spend a bit more time than you, so I decided to give a few other options a try.  Thanks to some local head-fi-ers and the store Audio High I was able to give a quick listen to a number of flagship headphones in just a couple of weeks. As expected I loved Stax. The big surprise for me was the Sennheiser HD800. I never expected dynamic headphone that challenged Stax, yet I found I liked the HD800 more than my old beloved LNS, actually all Stax except the 007 and 009.  I found my ranking between the HD800 and the 007 would switch depending on what track I listened to.  As others have noted, the 007 and HD800 compliment each other. If sound quality was the only factor, I would have very slightly favored the 007 + KGSSHV. But there were two other factors.  I found the HD800 more comfortable than any other headphones I have used.  I never grew tired of them, even after a full day of use.  The second issue was the deciding issue for me: convenience / versatility.  I could use the HD800 away from my main rig. Yes, they sound best driven with great DAC + Headamp GS-Xmk2, but I could also enjoy them a great deal being driven with a much more modest DragonFly+PicoPower or HiFi-M8.
 
--Mark

verber said:

  .  I found the HD800 more comfortable than any other headphones I have used.  I never grew tired of them, even after a full day of use.  The second issue was the deciding issue for me: convenience / versatility.  I could use the HD800 away from my main rig. Yes, they sound best driven with great DAC + Headamp GS-Xmk2, but I could also enjoy them a great deal being driven with a much more modest DragonFly+PicoPower or HiFi-M8
 
--Mark

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That's a great point as well.

bahamaman said:

One of the perverse benefits of the long wait is that it gives me ample time to pick up the other pieces, large and small, associated with the amp's arrival.  It's also helpful that these expenses get spread out over a sufficient period of time such that it is easier for some of them to escape spousal scrutiny  

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Like what britneedadvice suggested, auditioning would be the very best thing to do, but if you were able to audition the BHSE driving the 009's, IMO the PH tubes would need to be used.
There are quite a few head-fiers that didn't like how the 009's sounded driven by the BHSE, and I was never completely happy while using the stock Mullard's and SED's, but the PH's have changed that.
I guess I'm also lucky to have ( IMO ) a very good source.

david1961 said:

Like what britneedadvice suggested, auditioning would be the very best thing to do, but if you were able to audition the BHSE driving the 009's, IMO the PH tubes would need to be used.
There are quite a few head-fiers that didn't like how the 009's sounded driven by the BHSE, and I was never completely happy while using the stock Mullard's and SED's, but the PH's have changed that.
I guess I'm also lucky to have ( IMO ) a very good source.

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I demo'ed that combo at a head-fi meet with the stock Mullard's and overall wasn't that impressed. It is extremely neutral and much different than my HD650's with my cheapo LittleDot amp that i enjoy very much.
 
I see the 009 more of an audio engineering tool than a headphone used for listening, but that's just my 2 cents.

mab1376 said:

I demo'ed that combo at a head-fi meet with the stock Mullard's and overall wasn't that impressed. It is extremely neutral and much different than my HD650's with my cheapo LittleDot amp that i enjoy very much.

I see the 009 more of an audio engineering tool than a headphone used for listening, but that's just my 2 cents.

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I've said that I was never completely happy from my 009 / BHSE while using the stock Mullard's and SED's.

david1961 said:

Like what britneedadvice suggested, auditioning would be the very best thing to do, but if you were able to audition the BHSE driving the 009's, IMO the PH tubes would need to be used.
There are quite a few head-fiers that didn't like how the 009's sounded driven by the BHSE, and I was never completely happy while using the stock Mullard's and SED's, but the PH's have changed that.
I guess I'm also lucky to have ( IMO ) a very good source.

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you should check out the NOS Mullard that PH is trying to replicate.  I experience excellent improvements on my BHSE with my NOS Mullard EL34s over the treasure tubes.

The NOS Mullard's are not only rare, but when available will be quite expensive, I'm also very happy with the Psvane PH's I'm using with my BHSE.

purk said:

  you should check out the NOS Mullard that PH is trying to replicate.  I experience excellent improvements on my BHSE with my NOS Mullard EL34s over the treasure tubes.

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They're trying to do a replicate NOS mullard now too? thats pretty good news, where'd you see that?