[Ali-Pacha]

SR-1 out of my BHSE are a treat. Wait, have I already told you ?

Ali

 

[arnaud]

Shameless plug, I am selling some quad EL34 sets that are waiting for a new BHSE equipped home

 

[Jimmy24]

Hi planning on getting Stax 009 and BHSE. Can I live happily ever after with this combo? What differences are there with HE 1000V2 with a top amp and Focal Utopia? Sorry if this is a newbish question, I don't have time to research this forum and look for answers and I tried searching those three to get a comparison but I did not find any. I just want the best listening experience possible and be done with it. Is this combo the one?

 

[paradoxper]

You can live happily ever after with this combo or you could easily sell it for something else.

 

[astrostar59]

If you want euphonic, magical, lush etc then you have to go vintage. Sorry, that's how it is.
A while back, I posted a league table of all the tubes I've tried. You can find it with the search function probably as quickly as I.

But we are talking incremental differences here. If you heard the bottom of the table (stock tubes) against top of the table (vintage metal base) at a headfi meet, of maybe even at home in a quick A/B session. it's unlikely you'll spot the difference, or even if you did, you may not think the differences are worth the price. Under those sorts of conditions, a BHSE with any tube sounds like a BHSE. The differences come to you (or me at least) when you get used to the sound of a particular tube over a period of time, then swapping the tube makes an incremental, but for me very worthwhile difference - because the lower performing tubes have a sort of upper-mid/treble haze (as well as loss of clarity and detail) that I can no longer put up with once a better tube has pointed that out. YMMV.

The Mesa Boogie has a very clear, clean and punchy sound compared to stock. I much prefer it and would simply not go back to stock, but the MB is not particularly lush, although it does lose much of that upper-mid haze of the lower placed tubes. As I've mentioned before, the MBs are graded for "strength". White is strongest, but I've never come across this grade. Blue is next (and what I have), so ensure your supplier has one of these colours. There are two other grades which are less strong. These tubes are aimed at the electric guitar market and the less strong tubes will distort earlier - which may be exactly the kind of sound that a rock god guitarist wants, so there is no good and bad grade in the guitar world. But in hifi, the strongest (which I understand to mean the highest plate current) is best.

Edit: Yes, that link is the model I'm talking about

Can I ask, are you leaving the Stax camp? I saw you were very into the Hifi-Man HE2.

When I was at Can-Jam London this year, I was surprised how good some of the other top HPs sounded, in particular the Focal Utopia and the LCD-4. If I had the available, it would be nice to run both system IMO. There are some things the non electrostatics do that maybe the 009 or 007 struggle with? It is a different presentation between the 2 I think, that is my take away from the demos anyway.

 

[astrostar59]

_

 

[astrostar59]

Hi planning on getting Stax 009 and BHSE. Can I live happily ever after with this combo? What differences are there with HE 1000V2 with a top amp and Focal Utopia? Sorry if this is a newbish question, I don't have time to research this forum and look for answers and I tried searching those three to get a comparison but I did not find any. I just want the best listening experience possible and be done with it. Is this combo the one?

I would ask TheAttorney about that subject. He has both and knows the BHSE - 009 combo as well as anyone I can think of.

 

[TheAttorney]

I would ask TheAttorney about that subject. He has both and knows the BHSE - 009 combo as well as anyone I can think of.

Yes, I made that very comparison a few weeks ago here. Which includes a link to my earlier comparison of other TOTL headphones

My retrospective thought having now sold the Stax combination is as follows:

I could happily have continued with the BHSE/009 combination forever as my end game package. And that had been my expectation since the day I got each of these two products. Good tubes help. It was only the downsizing aspect that made me even consider an alternative package - in order to find a simpler, lighter, smaller, more transportable main rig.

I've never quite understood why some people react strongly against the slightly (IMO) forward nature of the 009s. But if that does bother anyone, then I found it could be easily remedied by a good EQ system. As I'm a Roon user, I've got an easy to use and effective parametric EQ function for free.

 

[astrostar59]

Great info there, thinks TheAttorney.

Yes the slightly forward mid-upper treble I think bothers some. I have got around this aspect by running a top DAC that is smooth, not a detail freak as sadly many of the current crop are IMO. This is a huge generalisation, but it is the 'trend' to impress in a lot of hifi gear. And a bass boost is addictive and certainly convinces many in short demo's. I haven't heard the HE1000V2 yet, so I can't have an opinion on where it is at.

I would have to live with a top planar I guess to know if it was for me long term. Maybe we can't have speed and micro detail PLUS big bass dynamics? The 009 has extension and great bass for sure, but it sounds different, and wether that is convincing enough is the root of the problem I think for many who get to this level. I am convinced, but you know how we like steak and fish, both are nice right?

 

[TheAttorney]

Since doing my TOTL comparisons, there are two new dynamics models that should get my attention, but I'm in no rush to try:

The Abyss Phi, which some reports say is a big improvement over the original, which automatcally puts it into top dynamics contender category, But this just gives me an opportunity to repeat one of my favourite quips: I refuse to put anything on my head that looks like a medieval instrument of torture. I mean c'mon JPS Labs, why should I consider something which is that heavy, that ugly and that fiddly to adjust? I may be a dedicated audiophool, but I'm not a masochist.

And the Hifiman Susvara, which at least looks more attractive then my HEK's. But I mean c'mon Fang, you surely are having a laugh with that cynical pricing? I may be a dedicated audiophool, but I don't like being taken for a fool.

In the end, we can forever go round in circles as to what is best, which I know is part of the fun, but I've recently made my "diffcult decision" and that's what I'll be sticking with forever..... or for as long as i can hold out

 

[stersa]

Waiting my new black BSHE and Dave.

I ll can compare with my others amps and cans...

I have Sr009-007 MK1 70xxx -HEkV2...etc....Moon Neo 430 HAD-Woo WA6 SE upgraded.....

Regards

Sisco

 

[astrostar59]

Since doing my TOTL comparisons, there are two new dynamics models that should get my attention, but I'm in no rush to try:

The Abyss Phi, which some reports say is a big improvement over the original, which automatcally puts it into top dynamics contender category, But this just gives me an opportunity to repeat one of my favourite quips: I refuse to put anything on my head that looks like a medeival instrument of torture. I mean c'mon JPS Labs, why should I consider something which is that heavy, that ugly and that fiddly to adjust? I may be a dedicated audiophool, but I'm not a masochist.

And the Hifiman Susvara, which at least looks more attractive then my HEK's. But I mean c'mon Fang, you surely are having a laugh with that cynical pricing? I may be a dedicated audiophool, but I don't like being taken for a fool.

In the end, we can forever go round in circles as to what is best, which I know is part of the fun, but I've recently made my "diffcult decision" and that's what I'll be sticking with forever..... or for as long as i can hold out

Ha Ha, yes the Abyss is a monster. Seriously though, if I wear my 009s all day while working on my websites, I get some neck pain, party as I am looking down slightly. So ANY extra weight is not a good thing in my book. Susvara, I think Fang is on the 'grab the money' train of current high end HPs. Wether the sound is there I am not sure. I heard the Susvara at Can-Jam without realising what it was. It didn't hit me as a 4K+ HP TBH. So if the top HPs wether Susvara or HEV2 or Focal Utopia plus a decent Woo amp is the same cost as a BHSEor Carbon and the 009, I would probably stay on Stax. A 2K HP would be of interest driven by the Felix tube amp I heard which cost less than £800. That was a good sound and bang on for the money.

 

[Mystel]

I sold my Utopias recently, and frankly speaking i only owned it because i was stupid enough to join the hype, and for awhile it was a very convenient headphone for me, I could just drive it with a Hugo or something and walk around the house with it. But thats just about it
If you have the space and time for a desktop setup, id say the estats are a better buy
With a amp like BHSE/Carbon, i dont see a reason why id reach out to the Utopias over the 009s.

 

[bmichels]

Has anyone here some infos about the next HeadAmp "all tubes" electrostatic Amp that is supposed to top the BHSE ?

 

[paulpaul]

I want to know too.