[The Monkey]

 
Everybody has understood that "rushing the job" isn't what Justin does. I just consider that when the final payment request is sent, this means that the goods ordered are ready -or almost ready- for shipping. At least, this is the usual commercial practice.

 
This hobby might not be for you.

 

[Bones13]

This thread is now 2 weeks more than 5 years old. Anyone who is squeamish about another week or so is just SOL.

Out of town myself for most of next week, so burn in for a week at this point works for me. It is about time to clean the intended space for the BHSE, and start consideration of power and IC connection.

1) balanced XLR IC from the preamp
2) RCA cable straight from the DAC
3) 1/8 jack to RCA for connecting the non audio computer to the amp

Vinyl, CD\DVD and cable box will have to come through the pre-amp. My phono pre amp and DAC go to the pre-amp balanced. The pre-amp also has 2 sets of XLR outputs. One set to speaker amp, the other will go to the BHSE.

Question for the experts here. My amp has true balanced input to the circuit, and sounds much better using the balanced vs RCA inputs. Does the BHSE have true balanced input, or does it just have XLR inputs to allowed use of those cables, but is unbalanced inside the amp?

 

[IceClass]

This thread is five years old and it's still full of people whining about delivery times!!?
 
It should be clear as day that a top flight handbuilt amp like a BHSE takes considerable time to assemble and deliver.
 
Don't like that fact? Buy a different amp or look for a (rare) used one to come up in the forums.

 

[dude_500]

Question for the experts here. My amp has true balanced input to the circuit, and sounds much better using the balanced vs RCA inputs. Does the BHSE have true balanced input, or does it just have XLR inputs to allowed use of those cables, but is unbalanced inside the amp?

 
Yes, the BHSE has true differential input into a topology that remains fully differential throughout. But, the single ended input is just as good according to most people. It immediately converts the single ended to differential at the input stage. If you hear a difference, it's probably in your head.

 

[Phil95]

Phil95, I'm in the next run of current batch thus haven't received the payment notice yet. Happy to swap you out of you need some liquidity

Unfortunately, I don't need money (which doesn't mean I'm rich).

 

[Rico613]

  Yes, the BHSE has true differential input into a topology that remains fully differential throughout. But, the single ended input is just as good according to most people. It immediately converts the single ended to differential at the input stage. If you hear a difference, it's probably in your head.

 Here we go again . . . 

 

[Point489VAC]

I think in general, balanced studio connectors are superior because they offer several advantages. You get common-mode-rejection which means no ground loops (no 60 Hz hum) and no RFI. If it's 600 ohm terminated you can also have long signal runs without any issues at all. You can also use stock studio cables without much difference in sound although they have a huge difference in price. Mogami Studio Gold is my interconnect in my main listening room and I've found it to be neutral, transparent, and of course, remarkably inexpensive by audiophile standards. I run approximately 150 feet of cable in the walls of the house from the Weiss DAC1 mkIII in the machine room direct into an Atma-Sphere MA-2 MkIII in the studio with no ill effects. I think that's around $200 or so when purchased from a spool. You also get an extra 6 dB of headroom. All good things in my opinion.

Internally changing an unbalanced signal to a balanced signal is common in studios and radio stations. Sometimes they have a piece of unbalanced equipment in the chain that they want to use. There's no real issue with that although the advantages of a balanced signal are of course lost up to the point of conversion.

One of the reasons I purchased a BHSE was the fact that it was balanced. This will allow me to patch into the Weiss and run about 25 feet of Mogami from a wall plate connector to my workstation which is just outside of the studio. If it was unbalanced, I would need to consider a second DAC from my workstation to the BHSE because of the need for short cable runs alone. For the price of a second DAC I can buy a BHSE and a pair of Stax ear speakers with money left over - but that's not entirely why I bought one.

 

 

[icebear]

   
... If you hear a difference, it's probably in your head.

Of course it is, where else and besides this is Head-Fi

 

  I think in general, balanced studio connectors are superior because they offer several advantages. You get common-mode-rejection which means no ground loops (no 60 Hz hum) and no RFI. If it's 600 ohm terminated you can also have long signal runs without any issues at all. You can also use stock studio cables without much difference in sound although they have a huge difference in price. Mogami Studio Gold is my interconnect in my main listening room and I've found it to be neutral, transparent, and of course, remarkably inexpensive by audiophile standards. I run approximately 150 feet of cable in the walls of the house from the Weiss DAC1 mkIII in the machine room direct into an Atma-Sphere MA-2 MkIII in the studio with no ill effects. I think that's around $200 or so when purchased from a spool. You also get an extra 6 dB of headroom. All good things in my opinion.

Internally changing an unbalanced signal to a balanced signal is common in studios and radio stations. Sometimes they have a piece of unbalanced equipment in the chain that they want to use. There's no real issue with that although the advantages of a balanced signal are of course lost up to the point of conversion.

One of the reasons I purchased a BHSE was the fact that it was balanced. This will allow me to patch into the Weiss and run about 25 feet of Mogami from a wall plate connector to my workstation which is just outside of the studio. If it was unbalanced, I would need to consider a second DAC from my workstation to the BHSE because of the need for short cable runs alone. For the price of a second DAC I can buy a BHSE and a pair of Stax ear speakers with money left over - but that's not entirely why I bought one.

 

Good points !  And welcome to Head-Fi

.

 

[Bones13]

I have a pair of Blue Jeans Cable XLRs (20 feet) running from my pre-amp to my amp at the other end of the room.  I expect I will get another set for running to the BHSE.

 

[Rico613]

  I have a pair of Blue Jeans Cable XLRs (20 feet) running from my pre-amp to my amp at the other end of the room.  I expect I will get another set for running to the BHSE.

All but one of my cables have solid rather than stranded wires . . . I can hear a difference.
 
Since you are into DIY amps & such I thought you might be making up your own cables.  I've found some great DIY cable resources on the web, but here is the thread on Head-Fi.  http://www.head-fi.org/t/676402/diy-cable-questions-and-comments-thread
 
I think I'll try DIY for my next cable.

 

[Point489VAC]

Solid vs strand actually does have a sonic signature. There is a Swiss brand of cables - Vovox sonorus direct S and I've used their pro mic cable before. A little less transparent but a little more weight and body particularly in the midrange. It's a non-shielded cable so you need to be a bit more careful because it can pick up stray signals. I've used a 25' run in room and I also had a 3' patch cable but it's not the kind of cable I'd run in the walls.

I remember reading somewhere that "Eddie" Van Halen prefers solid core, unshielded guitar cables of a similar build in his studio but he kept picking up nearby radio station broadcasts with them. He solved the problem by building a Faraday cage around the studio.

 

[jcx]

mics and guitars can have high Z, require flexibility, motion in use means microphonics..., studios can have long distances, lots interference, power distributed across multiple mains branch circuits...
 
examples from these application "proving" cable types can make differences doesn't mean you should spend more on IC than on Amps and Headphones in the home
 
home audio consumer line level interconnect really doesn't need much to be audibly "perfect" - decent shield coverage and low resistance pretty much exhausts the list of requirements

 

[Point489VAC]

I had a chance to tour The Site Recording Environment in Marin County, CA. as it was for sale recently. Of course at one time, it had lots of great "old school" studio gear from the glory days of recording including an extremely rare Neve 8078 console and Ocean Way Monitors along with many, many other pieces of equipment. Connecting all of this equipment together required miles of cable, XLR jacks in the wall and patch bays to direct the signal to the right place. The amount of electricity flowing back and forth in both AC mains and small signal cables was impressive!
 
http://www.mixonline.com/photogallery/stephen_hart/
 
This is one of few articles on-line about the place. Many performers enjoyed recording there and it was obviously lovingly built and cared for by Richard Mithun.

​All of this to say that I believe balanced connectors have distinct advantages regardless of the environment it is used in. I don't think it's overkill in the case of the Blue Hawaii Special Edition because even if one doesn't require the noise rejection there is still the issue of additional headroom. You* can use RCA inputs of course and I know many people prefer using them for a variety of reasons but if you* haven't tried a fully balanced system and you have the BHSE you should try it with a balanced source and some XLR cables.
 
*(I'm using you here in the general sense of anyone who might be reading this
 

 

[The Monkey]

Let's have the cable discussion elsewhere.

 

[Rico613]

Since they directly connect to the BHSE I don't think a brief, intelligent, and informed discussion on cables is too out of line.   IMO it is important to at least know about the effects of quality cables when used with higher end products like the BHSE.