[MuppetFace]

Just thought I'd leave this here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/742367/hfb-11-14-14-11-21-14-soused-twins-lit-only-by-fire#post_11047227
 
I'm really impressed by the way my special color request turned out in the end.
Thanks, Justin!

 

[Audio Jester]

Just thought I'd leave this here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/742367/hfb-11-14-14-11-21-14-soused-twins-lit-only-by-fire#post_11047227

I'm really impressed by the way my special color request turned out in the end.
Thanks, Justin!

It looks awesome MF! I hope you have that matching hat from the post above.

 

[NoPants]

I wanted the second green faceplate that Justin made, but I think he told me he didn't have matching rings so I ended up passing on it.

  Just thought I'd leave this here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/742367/hfb-11-14-14-11-21-14-soused-twins-lit-only-by-fire#post_11047227
 
I'm really impressed by the way my special color request turned out in the end.
Thanks, Justin!

 

[Bones13]

Just thought I'd leave this here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/742367/hfb-11-14-14-11-21-14-soused-twins-lit-only-by-fire#post_11047227

I'm really impressed by the way my special color request turned out in the end.
Thanks, Justin!

Spectacular! Congratulations.

I looked at the space for my BHSE today, power cord, and interconnects dangling over the empty space, so sad. Mine was supposed to be on the burn in bench a few weeks ago. Hope it's OK, and not needing structural rebuilding.

 

[icebear]

It looks awesome MF! I hope you have that matching hat from the post above.

But you can skip the lipstick

 

[madbull]

 

[madbull]

running wild
 

 

[Surge74]

I agree with these observations, but I think some amps prefer balanced inputs or are designed around it. I'm not sure if BHSE is one of them - though my (limited) experience suggests that tube amps generally like SE. 

The Woo WES is an example of an amp that is unusable with unbalanced inputs. I used to own one, and there was way too much noise and a kind of hum when using the RCA inputs. Jack Woo sent me new tubes but it wasn't that. The design just doesn't work with single ended inputs, it's mislieading to even have them.

Anyway, the BHSE sounds great with either input. What I have noticed is that there is zero noise with the balanced inputs (volume at max, no source playing), and there is some noise with the unbalanced. It's only when the volume is turned way beyond normal listening levels. Now that's with different components for each input, so it's by no means a scientific test.

I do believe the bhse is inherently a balanced design. Electrostatic headphones are also balanced.
It's always best to keep the entire signal path balanced, if that's the case.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  Not sure if you're pulling my leg about the fuses, but either direction won't explain the disappointing result. I'd put money on the likelihood that the result would have been broadly the same irrespective of tubes, fuses or other tweaks.
 
Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it any more. Sometimes things don't work out as expected, but somehow life goes on )

Hi TheAttorney,
 
Maybe an obvious question (brain storming question) but......did you check the bias setting on the BHSE for the tubes change ? 

 

[TheAttorney]

Yes, the bias adjustment (balance & offset) was very good (not much more than 1V on any reading). This was the case when I checked the week before the meet, then again the week after. And the tubes were marked so that they always go in the same location.

 

[Golfnutz]

  Hi TheAttorney,
 
Maybe an obvious question (brain storming question) but......did you check the bias setting on the BHSE for the tubes change ? 

Have you tested the wiring to make sure it was install correctly? You can buy cheap testers that plug right into the receptacle to verify this.

 

[cucera]

Come on guys, why is it impossible for some of us to accept that anybody could not like the BHSE? I love mine but if the attorney is not satisfied with his no big deal, you should probably sell it for nearly the same price as new.

 

[Golfnutz]

Come on guys, why is it impossible for some of us to accept that anybody could not like the BHSE? I love minebut the foot attorney is not satisfied with his no big deal, you should probably sell it for nearly the same prices new.

"Yes it did sound a bit flat and lifeless, which combined with a slightly forward tone is what I'd class as a "digital" sound that's not quite working correctly.
I don't have the same track at home, so can't compare as to how it should sound. Like I said before, that's not how my BHSE sounds back home. Too many variables for me to suggest a culprit. The trailing DIY-store sockets in your temporary location wouldn't have helped, but I wouldn't have expected that alone to make so much difference."
 
I don't think Attorney would have said this if it wasn't true. So something was obviously wrong....

 

[TheAttorney]

Exactly so Golfnutz. Just to be clear for cucera:
 
I love my BHSE as a total package and have no intention of ever selling it. In over 1 year of ownership, it has never sounded anything less than great (even on stock tubes) until on exactly 1 occasion about a week ago at Bonesy Jonesy's place. Even then it wasn't terrible, just way below what would be expected at this level - rather like me going back a couple of decades to a much cheaper system.
 
With the proviso that I didn't listen at the loud volumes that Jonesy did, the Wee wasn't any better than the BHSE on this occasion. The Wee was more shut in, with a relative tilt towards the bass, whereas the BHSE was more expansive, open and with a relative tilt towards the treble. But instead this causing the music to blossom, it merely exacerbated the rather flat "digital" presentation, such that the Wee was just as pleasant (possibly more so) in terms of musical enjoyment.
 
My visit was very time limited, so it got a bit rushed at the end and we couldn't try too much investigation as to the root cause.
However, back home my BHSE still sounds lovely to me, so apart from a certain dissatisfaction of an unexplained result, I have no need to worry.  It's Jonesy that has the dilemma. He has a deposit on a BHSE next batch, but on the single instance he's heard one, there's nothing SQ wise to justify the purchase. The BHSE should have walked all over the Wee, but it didn't. 

 

[Audio Jester]

I guess the easiest solution is for him to try it at your place Attorney.