[Elysian]

Thanks for the clarification.  The bias adjustments look troublesome.  Hopefully it's not required too frequently.  I'm a lot fussier about my tube amp (for safety reasons), whereas I'm much more laidback about my solid state gear.  We were lucky and had a light summer, but even though people say tube amps are fine in 100F+ temperatures, I still worry a bit about whether operating a tube amp for several hours in 95-110F temperatures would be detrimental.
 
Wallet definitely feels lighter!  The gf told me to go ahead and order the BHSE to get it off my shoulders.  At least I've got moral support.
 
Thanks for the great review Asr.  It was really interesting to read how the BSHE compares vs. what seems like the best bang-for-buck solid-state electrostat amp.  It seems like the conclusion is go BHSE or go home!

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Thanks for the great review Asr.  It was really interesting to read how the BSHE compares vs. what seems like the best bang-for-buck solid-state electrostat amp.  It seems like the conclusion is go BHSE or go home!

Now comes the waiting game, lol.
 

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

Now comes the waiting game, lol.
 

Lol, placed my order tonight

  Supposedly just 6 months until sensory bliss (in time for the Bay Area meetup!).  I think there may still be spots in the current batch of 45, so the waittime may be pretty reasonable this time around.  I didn't realize the HeadAmp BHSE came in four different colors, too.
 
I wonder how the SR009 compares vs the MK2 on the BHSE... hopefully the BHSE doesn't prompt another series of upgrades!

 

[TheAttorney]

Elysian, did you get a confirmation from Justin that you are one of the "45"s?
 
I put in my order more than 2 weeks ago, or at least I thought I did - because I haven't had any confirmation yet that the order is in place, other than the automatic one from paypal that a money transaction had taken place.
 
But I always knew that extreme patience is going to be a necessary requirement for a BHSE order

.

 

[Elysian]

I haven't received an explicit confirmation.  I'll explain my recent correspondence with Justin, which will hopefully give a bit more clarity into the process.
 
Like some of the other BHSE posts here indicated, Justin is in the process of building the new batch of 45 units, presumably using his new contractor.  In the next few weeks, he'll be reaching out to existing orders for their color choice, and will figure out the colors for the unsold units on his own.
 
The fact that he mentioned the unsold unit color selection makes me assume that there are unsold units for the 45 unit order, otherwise there'd be no reason for him to determine the remaining color choices.
 
He estimates the current waittime to be 4-6 months.  Speaking from my own experience, there are always unexpected issues that come up when working with executing on a new manufacturing process, but his waittime estimate was pretty spot-on when I ordered my GS-1.

 

[visualguy]

 
The wait-time estimate has been the same (4-6 months) for months now - I don't see how this estimate can mean much. I think the reality is that it will be done when it's done, and it will be well-made when it's done, but it will take a long long time.
 

 

[vvs_75]

I would say the new batch time will be more like 8 - 10 months, which is pretty good compare to 13.  

 

[Elysian]

Is there a HF office pool I can get in on, then?

 

[Mossback]

my order date was March 1st, 2011 and i was told 6 months.....so my 6 months date is next Thursday. when i placed my order i never got any response from Justin.....just the paypal notice and the scowl from the wife.
 
in late May i was asked about face plate color, otherwise no communications. 10 days ago i finally did e-mail Justin asking how things were looking and i was told 'it's close'. i'm guessing that 'close' means 2-8 weeks still to go. October 1st would be 7 months and that will be fine based on my expectations at point of order.
 
i'm expecting i'll get a request to pay the balance owed around mid-September.
 
delivery prior to Oct 1 will be a pleasant surprise; later will be a slight let-down.
 
my SR009's are due to arrive in a couple weeks.....so i'll be able to break them in on the 717 ahead of the BHSE delivery.
 
i'm not selling my O2 Mk1's and SRM-717 until i can compare them to the new gear head to head.....so i have a clear sense of the degree of upgrade i'm getting.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

 
 
Interesting.  I didn't hear ANY difference at all between an early Justin KGSS and a 717 when I had both right next to each other, using the same trick as I do know -- drive one balanced and the other s.e. from the same DAC.  What differences did you hear?  I bet in is in the high end, since I know my high end hearing is off (I got tested).
 
The 717 has that deep but not wide form factor, which is perfect for my set-up -- the KGSS had to go to make room for the Kerry BHSE ... it sat in the only space that is fully open on top, a concern with the heat.  Your old modded Mk II sounded SO GOOD with the 717 (not just my opinion -- everyone's) at the NJ meet that I am going to keep it.  I was going to sell it now that I have purchased Mk 1's, but the MK 1's will live with the BHSE and your Mk II's will stay with the 717 -- too good to let go.  The second pro bias jack of the 717 will be devoted to either 404s or Baby Orpheus ... haven't done a close test yet.  The "loser" goes to the SRM-1/Mk II Pro on the other side of the room (as a bunk mate to the Gammas that nikongod made me buy at the last NY meet that live on on the non-pro bias jack).
 
I have taken this off-topic from the OP, sorry.  But its fun to engage Da Man Spritzer!

To me the 717 has always had a "sound" of its own, a bit too warm and rounded compared to the leaner and meaner (more neutral KGSS).  I do find the high end a bit softer but mostly this is in the midrange, adding some bloom to voices and the like which "shouldn't" be there.  In the context of coloration's this is by no means an unpleasant one and one I'd happily live with.  Looking at the schematic for the amp it is quite clear that Stax engineered this sound by mucking with the output stage. 
 
I do think the KGSS amps are a bit too big but since Justin used an off the shelf chassis there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.  Still there is quite a bit of empty space in there.  The DX units were a nice idea where he moved things around to build something similar to my KGSS without needing the expense of two boxes for it.  Now that I have some KGSSHV boards incoming it will be fun to see what I can come up with in terms of chassis design for my personal unit (i.e. non test build).  I certainly have a lot of very nice PRP resistors sitting on my desk for that amp...

 

 

[Elysian]

Question about the care and feeding of the BHSE...
 
I've read that the HeadAmp BHSE runs hot.  Really, really hot, even with all the ventilation and heatsinks Justin's designed in.  It kind of reminds me of the heat dissipation issues with the Dodge Viper.
 
I keep my Woo GES next to two windows, and even at night with the windows open, cool air, and good air circulation, the GES gets uncomfortably hot to the touch.  I'm assuming the BHSE will get even hotter.
 
Is it a good idea to get a fan to blow air at the BHSE whenever it's turned on?  I'm not sure if this would be detrimental to the tubes, but I'd imagine this would help to cool the BHSE, similar to keeping the side of a computer case off and having a standing (or desk) fan blow air directly into the case, aimed at the video cards and CPU, to keep temperatures down while running SLI or CrossFire.

 

[El_Doug]

sure, a fan would cool it off... but do you really want a fan making all that noise when youre trying to listen to music? 
 
Quote:

Question about the care and feeding of the BHSE...
 
I've read that the HeadAmp BHSE runs hot.  Really, really hot, even with all the ventilation and heatsinks Justin's designed in.  It kind of reminds me of the heat dissipation issues with the Dodge Viper.
 
I keep my Woo GES next to two windows, and even at night with the windows open, cool air, and good air circulation, the GES gets uncomfortably hot to the touch.  I'm assuming the BHSE will get even hotter.
 
Is it a good idea to get a fan to blow air at the BHSE whenever it's turned on?  I'm not sure if this would be detrimental to the tubes, but I'd imagine this would help to cool the BHSE, similar to keeping the side of a computer case off and having a standing (or desk) fan blow air directly into the case, aimed at the video cards and CPU, to keep temperatures down while running SLI or CrossFire.

 

 

[Elysian]

Fair enough
 
I'd probably turn the fan off if I was doing serious listening, but I'm used to mentally blocking out distractions while multitasking.  The thing I like most about the Staxes is how they aren't fatiguing to listen to while using the computer.
 
My biggest concern was whether continuously blowing air at hot tubes would shorten their lifespan, but if it wouldn't make a difference, I think I think a fan might be a good idea to lengthen the amp's lifespan.

 

[audiosceptic]

I run a fan when listening to headphones in my small audio room. I don't hear it except at low volume levels and can block it out most of the time. The BHSE can get uncomfortably hot in summer but with the fan blowing on me and the air conditioning duct 3 feet in front of me it is more than bearable. 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Is it a good idea to get a fan to blow air at the BHSE whenever it's turned on?  I'm not sure if this would be detrimental to the tubes, but I'd imagine this would help to cool the BHSE, similar to keeping the side of a computer case off and having a standing (or desk) fan blow air directly into the case, aimed at the video cards and CPU, to keep temperatures down while running SLI or CrossFire.

That's WAY overkill, lol. Even a moderately well designed case should provide more than adequate ventilation using its own cooling fans. Speaking of which, you could rig up some kind of BHSE cooler using multiple 120 or 140mm case fans if you're concerned about heat. I've never found a remotely quiet desk fan, but Noctuas, Nexus's, Noiseblockers, Thermalright X-silents etc, are all basically inaudible at stock or with a bit of undervolting. My computer has Noiseblocker multi-frames and is essentially silent from about 1 foot.