[Driftwood]

 
 
I think you (or rather Darth Nut) might have to eat those words after listening to the C32. To these ears, the C32 sounds brighter than the 007A (driven by 727A) with a wider soundstage while at the same loosing nothing in the imaging department (e.g. pin-point placement of instruments). I am not sure how Stax achieved this. Well, actually, I don't think that headphone voicing is the only parameter influencing perception of width and depth (but it is an important one hence the proponents of diffuse field vs. free field equalization curves?).
 
Oh and also: while I haven't heard the BHSE, it is so hard for me to imagine that my 727A sucks like is being implied by many on this board. It's bizarre: I am reading this thread while listening to my rig and it just sounds sublime, I don't even recall the 007A flaws that I noticed during A/Bing with C32. I guess you don't know what you're missing until you hear it . I mean, compared to all the dynamic gear I've owned, it's like a totally different ball game. The even stranger thing is that it took me close to 10 years to become a Stax addict, I used to diss the Omega 2 / 717 because I somehow was never impressed by its sounds when doing quick listenings in stores / at meets. I guess this is part of the education process and learning how to appreciate natural sounding gear over initially impressive but fatally flawed one-trick-pony headphones...

 


I certainly hope so -- I don't think that great imaging like that of the SR-007 necessitates a small "headstage," simply that this was the means by which Stax accomplished this end. I'm not sure why they changed their strategy following the SR-Omega, but I am hopeful that the C32 will blend the best attributes of both with their new three-layer manufacturing process.

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Quote:

 
 
I think you (or rather Darth Nut) might have to eat those words after listening to the C32. To these ears, the C32 sounds brighter than the 007A (driven by 727A) with a wider soundstage while at the same loosing nothing in the imaging department (e.g. pin-point placement of instruments). I am not sure how Stax achieved this. Well, actually, I don't think that headphone voicing is the only parameter influencing perception of width and depth (but it is an important one hence the proponents of diffuse field vs. free field equalization curves?).
 
Oh and also: while I haven't heard the BHSE, it is so hard for me to imagine that my 727A sucks like is being implied by many on this board. It's bizarre: I am reading this thread while listening to my rig and it just sounds sublime, I don't even recall the 007A flaws that I noticed during A/Bing with C32. I guess you don't know what you're missing until you hear it . I mean, compared to all the dynamic gear I've owned, it's like a totally different ball game. The even stranger thing is that it took me close to 10 years to become a Stax addict, I used to diss the Omega 2 / 717 because I somehow was never impressed by its sounds when doing quick listenings in stores / at meets. I guess this is part of the education process and learning how to appreciate natural sounding gear over initially impressive but fatally flawed one-trick-pony headphones...

 
Exactly, i was having the same feeling when i was hearing the O2s out of my SRM-1/Mk2 PP connected to the CEC cd player back in the headphone shop.
 
The question that begs to be answered: how does it get any better than this?
 
I guess, we'll only really know what we have been missing when we hear something better! 
 

You guys aren't crazy. I actually enjoy my Omega 2 mk1 even out of a Stax pro bias transformer box with a Chinese EL34 push pull amp driving it. It just that when I switched to the Blue Hawaii it elevates them to a higher level.

 

[David1961]

 Hi, i'm new to Head-fi, my first pair of headphones were not very expensive but then i decided to go for the Stax Omega system and ever since i've been hooked, i did have Justin's BHSE on order but had to cancel due to financial reason's, i'm going to be placing another order for one later this year but i'm only ordering because of the reviews i've read, i'm from the UK so i haven't had a chance to listen to my 007's via the BHSE, the amp i have is the SRM 007t and while it's OK it seem to me like there's a veil over the headphones stopping all of the music comming out, whether thats caused by the SRM 007t i don't know but i'm wondering if the BHSE will make the music more clear or transparent, my CD player is an Esoteric x-03se so i don't think thats to blame, i don't know anything about headphones or amps so any comments would be much appreciated.
 
                                                                                                  David.

 

[gomincha]

Hi,
Any impressions about how does the BHSE + SR-007 combo compares to K1000 + 300B amps?
Much appreciated, thanks!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

 
Quote:

 Hi, i'm new to Head-fi, my first pair of headphones were not very expensive but then i decided to go for the Stax Omega system and ever since i've been hooked, i did have Justin's BHSE on order but had to cancel due to financial reason's, i'm going to be placing another order for one later this year but i'm only ordering because of the reviews i've read, i'm from the UK so i haven't had a chance to listen to my 007's via the BHSE, the amp i have is the SRM 007t and while it's OK it seem to me like there's a veil over the headphones stopping all of the music comming out, whether thats caused by the SRM 007t i don't know but i'm wondering if the BHSE will make the music more clear or transparent, my CD player is an Esoteric x-03se so i don't think thats to blame, i don't know anything about headphones or amps so any comments would be much appreciated.
 
                                                                                                  David.

I haven't heard the SRM 007t but I can say that at RMAF 2010 I felt the BHSE was a little more clear and transparent than my Woo WES.  There seems to be a little more space, air, ambience and micro detail between notes with the BHSE.  The WES has a bassier, warmer and slightly darker tone, where the mids seem a little fuller than the BHSE.  That is not to say in any way that the BHSE doesn't have enough bass, warmth or mids.  It would be an issue of preferences, but I like both amps.  Of course I also liked the GES and SRM-717.
 
Quote:

Hi,
Any impressions about how does the BHSE + SR-007 combo compares to K1000 + 300B amps?
Much appreciated, thanks!

 
In a Feb 2009 meet compared Naamanf's SR-007 + original KGBH vs his K1000 + balanced B22, and the choice could go either way.  At that meet I liked the O2 slightly more, and Naamanf liked the K1000 more, so he sold his O2 Mk1.  (I ended up with his O2 a couple of weeks later to replace my Mk2).  I did also buy a K1000 at the same time, but I sold them last summer because I didn't like them as much.  The K1000 bass was like listening to a rock concert from the hall outside of the auditorium.  I also liked the K1000 with that B22 more than with a Woo WE5 LE that I tried 3 months later at Canjam (300B amp).
 
I thought the biggest difference was the O2 has sharper and deeper bass with better impact, and the K1000 had a bigger soundstage.  Mids and Treble were not terribly different, but the K1000 mids were maybe a little more forward and highs were a little bit less delicate and intricate than the O2.
 

 

[David1961]

 Hi  HeadphoneAddict,
Thanks for your message, on one of my posts i explain not only do i go for audio equipment that gives me the best possible sound quality [ to what i can afford ] but also it's looks, from the reviews i've read about the BHSE it's a class sounding amp but not only that it's [ IMO ] great looking, regarding Bass, i side more on the acoustic side of music as apposed to bass, having said that i do like bass but not the thumping kind.
                                                                                                  David.    

 

[gomincha]

Thanks HPA!

 

[Elephas]

the amp i have is the SRM 007t and while it's OK it seem to me like there's a veil over the headphones stopping all of the music comming out, whether thats caused by the SRM 007t i don't know but i'm wondering if the BHSE will make the music more clear or transparent, my CD player is an Esoteric x-03se so i don't think thats to blame, i don't know anything about headphones or amps so any comments would be much appreciated.

The SRM-007t II (that I've heard) isn't a bad amp, but it's nothing like the BHSE. The SR-007 and SR-007mk2 driven by the BHSE are the clearest and most detailed headphones I've heard. I also have other electrostats and some of the good dynamics, such as R10, Qualia, HD800 and K1000 driven by a balanced Beta 22. My source for the past couple of years is Esoteric P-05/D-05/G-03X. With the O2+BHSE combo, you definitely won't be missing any clarity, details or transparency. In fact, it might be your X-03SE source that will seem to need a boost. :evil:

Regarding the K1000, I've tried it with a Cary 300B and it sounded great. I think it's a good match for the K1000, I prefer it sounding warmer and fuller-bodied. I use my K1000 with a balanced Beta22 (it has a 4-pin XLR as well as dual 3-pins, yay!) and it's quite good as well, though not as good as the 300B based on memory.

Overall, I still prefer SR-007 or SR-007mk2 driven by BHSE.
 
 

 

[pachku]

I don't have so many headphones to compare with, but I do have the SRM-007t and switched from that to the BHSE. While the 007t is a very good amp, the BHSE is clearly and in every aspect better. I really can't imagine that anything sounds better than BHSE + O2MK1

  although the future may prove me wrong - we'll see.

 

[TheAttorney]

Quote:

I really can't imagine that anything sounds better than BHSE + O2MK1

  although the future may prove me wrong - we'll see.

Erm, have you not been following the C32 thread?

 

[blubliss]

Quote:

I don't have so many headphones to compare with, but I do have the SRM-007t and switched from that to the BHSE. While the 007t is a very good amp, the BHSE is clearly and in every aspect better. I really can't imagine that anything sounds better than BHSE + O2MK1

  although the future may prove me wrong - we'll see.

The DIY T2 + SR-007 may be better.

 

[pachku]

 
Quote:

The DIY T2 + SR-007 may be better.

 
Ehem - somebody around who'll let me borrow his T2? I'll return it someday, perhaps... 

 
Quote:

Erm, have you not been following the C32 thread?

 
Yep - that's what I mean by "future"

 

[immtbiker]

We had a shootout at my house and the BH clearly beat out a WES. The WES is a beautiful amp, but it's performance is lackluster at best, especially with it's price tag ($5K)
 
The 007t (owned 2 of them, including seriously upgraded tubes) is a hybrid amp (S/S with tube stage) and is really a let down for the O2's, especially for $2800 (I got both of mine directly from Japan, new for a grand, with the purchase of a O2 Mk)I. The headphones, new, were $1800 and the amp was $1000 for a total of $2800 from Koji or Audiocubes in 1997, when the only US importer (YamaSinc) charged almost double that. When comparing against most amps in the YamaSinc price range, (from Music Direct or Headroom or other resellers) you find the 0077 MkI to be really average at best.
Justin's BHSE is twice as much money as Stax's 007t, but 3 times better in output.
 
The 007t is a good starter amp, but not a prized possession in the stat world, by any means. YMMV. Even when you use the balanced mode when running SE you can hear the bleed and visa versa.

 

[Ridleyguy]

immtbiker, I assume you meant the Woo "WES" at $5k?

 

[pachku]

Has anyone ever run the SRM-007t with the Gilmore 6S4 - mod against the BHSE? I now have a spare 007t and nothing to do with it...