[cat6man]

Same thing here. I just put down the deposit today. A 2011 delivery would be great if this latest batch of 45 is in the cards for me.
On the other hand, a later delivery (quiet, evil part of brain) would give me more time to sell off stuff to help pay for the bill to come.

 

[ManBeard]

Quote:

I could be hallucianting, but I thought the KGSS used to be listed on the order page, too.  Maybe Justin is cooking up a Headamp version of the KGSSHV to replace the KGSS?

Yes, it used to be listed but according to this post its been removed. Also, according to this, it looks like there are no plans for the KGSSHV.
 

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

Yes, it used to be listed but according to this post its been removed. Also, according to this, it looks like there are no plans for the KGSSHV.
 

Great find on the post.  Concentrating on the BHSE makes sense from a business perspective.  I'd imagine a good portion of Jack's WES sales comes from people who don't want to wait the 12mo+ for the BHSE, and just from looking at Stax serial #s alone, there are probably at least x10 more (likely much higher) O2 MK1, MK2, and SR009s out than HE90s (which makes the Aristaeus a nice gesture towards the community, but not a long-term revenue prospect, with only 300 HE90s out there).
 
The aim for the KGSSHV is to get an amp that sounds almost as good as the BHSE.  If the BOM and manufacturing costs aren't appreciably cheaper than the BHSE, and consequently if the KGSSHV can't even out with the BHSE's profit margin on volume, then it makes more sense just to focus on the BHSE, particularly as Justin gets even more effective at sourcing parts and managing his manufacturing contractor.
 
I'd imagine the demand is there, too.  From what I've seen, BHSEs FS go for at least 100% MSRP, and I've heard more than one person say that they could push a BHSE in the used market for even higher than the new cost due to how disincentivizing that waittime is for average buyers.  Just in the last month, this thread has prompted about half a dozen more BHSE orders based on the public comments, much less the people who read the thread and placed an order without a public declaration.
 
Anyway, I think it makes a lot of sense for Justin to strategically consolidate Headamp's product lines.  He's got the market locked on arguably the best commercial electrostat amp out there, and just needs to figure out how to get his manufacturing time comparable to Woo Audio's.  He's got a mid-level (GS-1) and high-end (GS-X) dynamic solid state amp that reviews favorably with the beta22, and a very solid portable headphone amp and entry-level USB DAC that goes reviews well against similarly priced DIY builds (giving it a x2 cost-to-performance ratio).  It seems like he's made very sound business decisions, and I hope to see Headamp BHSEs start flooding the meets

 

[visualguy]

 
I believe Justin terminated the GS-X as well as the KGSS.
 
It's a pity because those were my favorite HeadAmp products...
 
Killing the KGSS without a replacement (KGSSHV) is particularly unfortunate because there aren't really any comparable products out there.
 
I'm sure the BHSE sounds great, but it's really expensive, takes a lot of space, generates a lot of heat, and who wants to deal with tube biasing.
 

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Anyway, I think it makes a lot of sense for Justin to strategically consolidate Headamp's product lines.  He's got the market locked on arguably the best commercial electrostat amp out there, and just needs to figure out how to get his manufacturing time comparable to Woo Audio's.  He's got a mid-level (GS-1) and high-end (GS-X) dynamic solid state amp that reviews favorably with the beta22, and a very solid portable headphone amp and entry-level USB DAC that goes reviews well against similarly priced DIY builds (giving it a x2 cost-to-performance ratio).  It seems like he's made very sound business decisions, and I hope to see Headamp BHSEs start flooding the meets

This is what I have been doing.  When I started building amps on Head-Fi, there were about 5,000 members here.  You had to offer one of everything at every price point to reach enough customers.  Now things are different, and it's possible to focus on just a few really good products -- Apple is the best example of this, they only make one phone.
 
 
 
Quote:

I believe Justin terminated the GS-X as well as the KGSS.
 

It's a pity because those were my favorite HeadAmp products...

 

Killing the KGSS without a replacement (KGSSHV) is particularly unfortunate because there aren't really any comparable products out there.

 

I'm sure the BHSE sounds great, but it's really expensive, takes a lot of space, generates a lot of heat, and who wants to deal with tube biasing.

 
 

The GS-X has sold out faster than I expected - I thought I had about a year's supply, but when I announced I had parts in stock they went fast.  So I have re-ordered parts for that amp and will be able to continue to offer it for at least 2 more years.

 

The KGSS had been built for several years and sold at about 1/5th the rate of the BHSE.  It just became a nuisance to build one every couple months.  And I didn't feel it represented the kind of things I build today.  If you are looking for a smaller, less expensive amp then it's hard to beat Stax's own amps.

 

 

[visualguy]

Quote:

 

The GS-X has sold out faster than I expected - I thought I had about a year's supply, but when I announced I had parts in stock they went fast.  So I have re-ordered parts for that amp and will be able to continue to offer it for at least 2 more years.

 

The KGSS had been built for several years and sold at about 1/5th the rate of the BHSE.  It just became a nuisance to build one every couple months.  And I didn't feel it represented the kind of things I build today.  If you are looking for a smaller, less expensive amp then it's hard to beat Stax's own amps.

 

It's good news that the GS-X will be back... The GS-X is more versatile than the Beta 22 because it supports a gain switch, while the Beta 22 doesn't.
 
The point about Stax amps is good, although the KGSS does sound somewhat better than anything offered by Stax currently. I'm surprised the KGSS was selling so little. I would have expected it to outsell the BHSE - shows how little I know about the business side of this...
 

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

This is what I have been doing.  When I started building amps on Head-Fi, there were about 5,000 members here.  You had to offer one of everything at every price point to reach enough customers.  Now things are different, and it's possible to focus on just a few really good products -- Apple is the best example of this, they only make one phone.
 
The GS-X has sold out faster than I expected - I thought I had about a year's supply, but when I announced I had parts in stock they went fast.  So I have re-ordered parts for that amp and will be able to continue to offer it for at least 2 more years.

 

The KGSS had been built for several years and sold at about 1/5th the rate of the BHSE.  It just became a nuisance to build one every couple months.  And I didn't feel it represented the kind of things I build today.  If you are looking for a smaller, less expensive amp then it's hard to beat Stax's own amps.

 

 

 
I would've thought the KGSS would be outselling the BHSE by two or three times as much, but I guess once you get to electrostats, people are either not particularly, or very, price conscious.  I noticed almost no one has a Headamp KGSS in their sig here (or even a Woo GES), whereas there are tons of T1s, 323Ss, 007Ts, 717s, etc., floating around.  It makes sense since you can get functional and slightly dinged up Stax amps as cheap as sub-$400 on eBay (or even cheaper as a bundle with used Lambdas).  It seems that the $1500-3000 price category for electrostat amps doesn't make a lot of sense, and when people start looking there, they give serious consideration to just ending their headphone journey at the BHSE.
 
I see far more DIY KGSS builds than Headamp KGSS go up on the market, and scarcely any Headamp KGSSs go up, so shutting down the KGSS and focusing exclusively on the BHSE makes a lot of sense.  Once the order time shortens, word gets out, and regional meets start having multiple BHSEs show up, it should logically improve consistent order traffic.

 

[CodeScripted]

Quote:

 
The GS-X has sold out faster than I expected - I thought I had about a year's supply, but when I announced I had parts in stock they went fast.  So I have re-ordered parts for that amp and will be able to continue to offer it for at least 2 more years.
 

 

Does that mean GS-X Silver will be available in the near future?
 

 

[ericohgb]

Dear friends,
Does anyone have any news regarding the 45 batch?
Regards,
Erico 

 

[verjuno]

I assume it is still on process.
 
I wonder when it will be assembled.
 
It's has been almost 8 months since placing order, but I am concerned if it will take 2~3 more months since there was no request for additional payment.
 
Also, I wonder how many can be produced per month when manufacturing begins.
 
 
Quote:

Dear friends,
Does anyone have any news regarding the 45 batch?
Regards,
Erico 

 

 

[David1961]

Quote:

Dear friends,
Does anyone have any news regarding the 45 batch?
Regards,
Erico 

l ordered mine in March but haven't heard anything, however l'm not bothered about hearing anything from Justin because even if my BHSE was ready now there'd be no point in shipping it because l'm in the process of part exchanging my audio equipment for  SR-009's and K-01, so even if Jack Lawson [ the audio dealer selling my equipment ] got a good price for it, l'd still have to wait probably March next year before l had the rest of the money needed.
                                                                   Dave. 
 
 

 

[silverlight]

I've been waiting since last July (ugh!) but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.  Have now got the SR-009's to use with it so hope it's coming soon.

 
Quote:

l ordered mine in March but haven't heard anything, however l'm not bothered about hearing anything from Justin because even if my BHSE was ready now there'd be no point in shipping it because l'm in the process of part exchanging my audio equipment for  SR-009's and K-01, so even if Jack Lawson [ the audio dealer selling my equipment ] got a good price for it, l'd still have to wait probably March next year before l had the rest of the money needed.
                                                                   Dave. 
 
 

 

 

[David1961]

Quote:

I've been waiting since last July (ugh!) but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.  Have now got the SR-009's to use with it so hope it's coming soon.

 


 

Hi silverlight,
When you say last July,  is that 2010 ?
 
 

 

[arnaud]

Quote:

I've been waiting since last July (ugh!) but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.  Have now got the SR-009's to use with it so hope it's coming soon.

You received your SR009 but without an amp to drive them? That sounds like torture to me . Hopefully you'll get your BHSE very soon!
 

 

[David1961]

Quote:

You received your SR009 but without an amp to drive them? That sounds like torture to me . Hopefully you'll get your BHSE very soon!
 

l feel for silverlight aswell, while l have the money to make the three remaining payments for the BHSE and SR-009's, l haven't for the K-01, but because l will not settle for any other player, l'm more than prepared to wait, but you know the saying, Patience is a virtue !