[Bonesy Jonesy]

  Just recieved my Blue Hawaii SE/Stax 009's in the mail last week...well, it was worth the wait. This is pretty much perfect sound...great transparency and speed first of all, but sooo nice to have good bass extension and dynamics along with it. And the neutrality...what an incredible combination of strengths in one earspeaker/amp combination. Thanks Justin!!

Hi Elrondo,
 
Approx. what position is (from position of hands on a clock) your BHSE volume knob to get a respectable loudish sound from your 009's ?    
 
Are you using balanced or single ended connections from your source into the BHSE ?

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  lojay, you don't need to worry about using the SE input of the BHSE. My Nagra CDC source is fundamentally an SE design with a Balanced bolt-on which reputedly spoils the sound slightly. So I use SE connection to the BHSE and it sounds great.
 
Yesterday, we tried my BHSE with a fellow headfier's fully balanced (I think) Chord DAC, using SE and balanced cables from different manufacturers, both being audiophile-but-not-ridiculously-priced models. Although both ends of the chain were fully balanced designs, we both prefered the SE connection, implying that the model of the cable and synergy was more important than the connection type.

I prefer the balanced connection as it gives a louder volume and more body / fullness to the music 

 

[Phil95]

"...my question is whether the BHSE is designed to be fully balanced..."
 
This question has already been asked quite a few times, but it' s an important point indeed, so it deserves to be answered several times. Justin or Kevin are the best persons to be consulted. It should be remembered that balanced (XLR) jacks do not mean that the rig itself has a fully-balanced topology.

 

[preproman]

  Length of cables is a bonus if you go balanced !
 
If the amp is inherently balanced there is no "might be best" about it…..it will be the best way to get the best performance from the system.   I have a very hi-end ($50,000+) speaker system which can be used both as fully balanced or fully single yet the manufacturer (who has designed from scratch and hand built the components) recommends (for sonic reasons alone) balanced mode as opposed to the single mode !
 
Of course if it doesn't have balanced inputs or outputs throughout i..e one of the components favours the single mode then of course you won't get full benefits of balanced mode as the system should ideally be fully balanced throughout.    
 
Another thought here……. When "Focal" (one of the top speaker designers and manufacturers in the world) commissioned "Naim" (a very respected amplifier designer and manufacturer) to design and build the best "reference" system they could to feed Focals top of the range speakers (Grand Utopia's)….guess what….they used balanced throughout.    This was a £300,000 ($500,000 +) system which I had the privilege to hear at a UK HiFi show this year.   It sounded awesome……and to my surprise was only playing mp3 and redbook quality files !  When I asked Naim why they didn't use hi-res files….they said it was to make a point that if the system itself is right then everything should sound good !   
 
Sorry to stray off the subject…but just making my point about balanced v's single.   The cap it all off….assuming all the components match in every way as a whole….I have never heard a single mode system sound better than a balanced mode system. 

 
It really doesn't matter how much your system cost..  I wonder why people always bring price into a topology conversation?  Anyway.  
 
Balanced cables should not be in the same conversation as balanced amp topologies - IMO.
 
You said:
"The cap it all off….assuming all the components match in every way as a whole….I have never heard a single mode system sound better than a balanced mode system."
 
I guess you never heard most SET amps?  My EC 4-45 / AMR DP-777 would put up a good fight to any balanced system..  
 
My point is that both inherently SE and inherently balanced systems can sound as good as the other.  If the systems are level matched that is.  

 

[Asr]

Does the BHSE require or prefer balanced ins from a fully balanced DAC? I'm looking to buy the MSB Analog which is a single ended DAC with inferior balanced outs. Thanks....

 
Every amp that has balanced inputs will sound best from a source that's "fully balanced" with a dual-differential DAC configuration. Not for any volume reasons—setting up at least two physical DACs (chips) in the source (some sources need 4 DAC chips because they use mono-channel DACs like the PCM1704) allows for a variety of technical improvements, which usually result in sonic advantages that include lower noise, faster impulse response, wider dynamic range, and cleaner/more defined soundstaging.
 
The typical 4 VRMS output of most balanced sources is irrelevant, the technical and sonic benefit is derived from the dual-differential DAC configuration which is where the balanced signal is created. If you don't have that in your source, you should just use its single-ended outputs.

 

[Golfnutz]

Seems pretty simple to me. You purchase the DAC that you can afford that sounds the best. It doesn't mean any fully balanced DAC is going to sound better than the Analog DAC - just because it's fully balanced. If you want to spend more money to get a fully balanced DAC, I would demo both first.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Hi All,
 
Has anybody had any experience of low volume levels from their BHSE when connected to Stax 009's or 007's even when the volume knob is turned up to max with a DAC that can give up to 6 Volts output in balanced mode or 3 Volts non-balanced mode or similar DAC ?   
 
Does anybody know what could cause this issue ?  

 

[Golfnutz]

OK, I'll bite. Are you experiencing this from a BHSE?

 

[lojay]

Every amp that has balanced inputs will sound best from a source that's "fully balanced" with a dual-differential DAC configuration. Not for any volume reasons—setting up at least two physical DACs (chips) in the source (some sources need 4 DAC chips because they use mono-channel DACs like the PCM1704) allows for a variety of technical improvements, which usually result in sonic advantages that include lower noise, faster impulse response, wider dynamic range, and cleaner/more defined soundstaging.

The typical 4 VRMS output of most balanced sources is irrelevant, the technical and sonic benefit is derived from the dual-differential DAC configuration which is where the balanced signal is created. If you don't have that in your source, you should just use its single-ended outputs.

Thanks Asr I see what you mean. You are right as the MSB Analog is the entry level MSB and it precisely skimps on the number of DAC chips unlike the higher DAC IV line which MSB touts as fully balanced. I guess the short answer to my question is the BHSE can scale higher from the MSB Analog if I move up the MSB chain with a fully dual differential DAC system, but if I use the Analog I better use the RCA output.

The assumption here is that the BHSE does have a fully balanced topology.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  OK, I'll bite. Are you experiencing this from a BHSE?

Hi Golfnutz,
 
Yes I heard it from a BHSE (not mine….I have one on order)  

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  Hi Golfnutz,
 
Yes I heard it from a BHSE (not mine….I have one on order)  

Im guessing it might be because of the tubes (not the ones Justin provides) 

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  Im guessing it might be because of the tubes (not the ones Justin provides) 

I know it's not the Stax 009's (I own these) as I have them currently connected to a Woo Wee and this is plenty loud enough at 30% volume level.  

 

[Elrondo]

I am using balanced interconnects. On most recordings I have the volume control at about ten or eleven o'clock. Of course some recordings are done at higher or lower sound levels.

 

[statfi]

Is this a just a come-on?
http://www.cathedralstone.net/Pages/MullardEL34finalm.htm:
"A very high number of the Mullard EL34's made were sold to other companies in Europe/USA and re-labeled as something else. I'd guess that at least 75% of all Mullards ever made were sold in non-Mullard boxes and markings. Sure, to a lot of people it's sexy to have them with Mullard boxes/print. However, the tubes are exactly the same as the re-labeled Mullards....no difference at all."

 

[TheAttorney]

Not a come-on, the extract above is correct.
A while back, I was tempted with trying this supplier, but for some reason the copyright date of 2008 put me off and then forgot about it.