[theboch]

You can buy it from Birgir/spritzer for example, or build it by yourself. 
 
http://www.mjolnir-audio.com/products/
 
There is a picture on his site.
 
I already bought several things from him (KGST, BHSE, a old used SRM-Xh), very satisfied with everything.

 

[bmichels]

Thanks very very much for the link .
 
I was about to order a BHSE when I read about this KGSShv Carbon !  
 
--> Is this KGSShv Carbon supposed to be better (With the SR009) than the BHSE ?  Does it bring more bass ?
 
And what is the difference between the KGSShv Carbon and the KGSShv Carbon mini ? why going for the mini ? 
 
( and regarding the T2, has someone already bought one here ? is it so much better than the KGSShv Carbon)

 

[theboch]

I personally did not hear the Carbon (yet). But from what I have read it is supposed to be on the same level as the BHSE. Especially bass control seems to be very good as Birgir himself says. I think it has a few advantages over the BHSE (completely build with in-production parts, less hassle with tubes, warmup, bias adjustements, etc.).
 
Also as far as I understand there is NO difference in sound between the Carbon mini and the former big chassis edition. I think Birgir only builds the mini now. Mini really mans just mini for the case. Not the sound

 

[astrostar59]

  I personally did not hear the Carbon (yet). But from what I have read it is supposed to be on the same level as the BHSE. Especially bass control seems to be very good as Birgir himself says. I think it has a few advantages over the BHSE (completely build with in-production parts, less hassle with tubes, warmup, bias adjustements, etc.).
 
Also as far as I understand there is NO difference in sound between the Carbon mini and the former big chassis edition. I think Birgir only builds the mini now. Mini really mans just mini for the case. Not the sound

I thought I remember reading a post from Kevin I think, saying the mini was putting out less amps / volts than the bog chassis version?
Might be wrong, need to find the post where I read it.

 

[theboch]

See Birgirs website:

Well not quite mini as in the KGSSHV mini but it is certainly smaller. The Carbon design requires heatsinks which are at least three times the size of the KGSSHV mini so this is about as small as one can go at full power.

In every other aspect this is the same as the larger Carbon. Same parts used through out and same basic design principle. It did require a new power supply design so I tweaked the KGSSHV mini design a bit to fit the Carbon better.

 

[mulveling]

 
I thought I remember reading a post from Kevin I think, saying the mini was putting out less amps / volts than the bog chassis version?
Might be wrong, need to find the post where I read it.

At least with the various KGSShv models there IS a sonic difference between the mini and full-sized models. I think the claim there too was to zero or minimal difference between them, but that was not my experience. I would go for the full-sized if you have the space. Also with KGSShv models all the minis are 400V I believe -- not sure if that makes the difference or the simpler PSU. The minis can also crank up the mA bias, given adequate heat-sinking, so that's not it.

 

[Rhamnetin]

See Birgirs website:

Well not quite mini as in the KGSSHV mini but it is certainly smaller. The Carbon design requires heatsinks which are at least three times the size of the KGSSHV mini so this is about as small as one can go at full power.

In every other aspect this is the same as the larger Carbon. Same parts used through out and same basic design principle. It did require a new power supply design so I tweaked the KGSSHV mini design a bit to fit the Carbon better.

 
I wonder how hot it gets?

 

[kevin gilmore]

so here are the numbers
 
kgsshv-carbon
 
400 volt power supplies, 20 ma output stage current 32 watts per channel plus 8 watts per hv power supply
80 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
450 volt power supplies, 20 ma output stage current 36 watts per channel plus 10 watts per hv power supply
92 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
kgsshv-carbon-circlotron
 
900 v power supplies 25ma output stage current plus 10ma driver stage current plus all the power supplies
186 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
800v version 
172 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
i know of new parts available to do a 500V version of the carbon, but its going to be a whole bunch bigger
due to required series capacitors in the power supply.
 
so yes i'm in competition with krell 
cats will love them.

 

[DougD]

  <snip snip>
 
( and regarding the T2, has someone already bought one here ? is it so much better than the KGSShv Carbon)

 
I don't own any of this kind of gear, but I lurk around periodically because I'd like to.
 
T2s aren't strictly speaking unobtainium, but they're close. Birgit (aka Spritzer) posted somewhere a long time ago that Stax had probably made about 250 of the SRM-T2 model, and who knows how many of those are still around. There aren't a lot of "Success!!! I'm listening to my finally completed DIY T2!" stories either, so I'm guessing that at best perhaps very low double-digit numbers of those are up & running. 
 
Without making much of an effort to keep an eye out, I've seen Stax SRM-T2 sold twice this year, one in Japan and one in Germany, both for over $20,000 USD. There was some commentary that the later unit was sold at a premium. But somebody thought it was a fair enough price to buy it. 
 
The DIY T2 community is so small that any of those that change hands probably never get listed in normal audiophile channels. (Just a guess.)
 
HTH

 

[Rhamnetin]

  so here are the numbers
 
kgsshv-carbon
 
400 volt power supplies, 20 ma output stage current 32 watts per channel plus 8 watts per hv power supply
80 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
450 volt power supplies, 20 ma output stage current 36 watts per channel plus 10 watts per hv power supply
92 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
kgsshv-carbon-circlotron
 
900 v power supplies 25ma output stage current plus 10ma driver stage current plus all the power supplies
186 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
800v version 
172 watts total power dissipated into the heatsinks
 
i know of new parts available to do a 500V version of the carbon, but its going to be a whole bunch bigger
due to required series capacitors in the power supply.
 
so yes i'm in competition with krell 
cats will love them.

 
All I can say is, I'm personally OK with the bigger full-sized amps.  Basically unlimited space here. 

 

[bmichels]

   
Well, the KGSSHV Carbon is $4,600, and I don't want a lesser KGSSHV if I'm going to bother spending four figures on an amp. I'd prefer to buy new as well. And if I'm going to spend $4,600 on an amp, I might as well go all-out with a BHSE or something even better. ...

 
what make you think that the BHSE is better than the KGSSHV Carbon ?   

 

[theboch]

The Carbon ist the "best" "technical" KGSShv. It should be on level with the BHSE (technical). Your sonic preferencs might of course differ.

I also do not see why the Carbon from Birgir is not "new"?...

 

[Rhamnetin]

   
what make you think that the BHSE is better than the KGSSHV Carbon ?   

 
This, without having auditioned both that's not really a fair assumption, unless of course the KGSSHV Carbon had a bad reputation which it doesn't.  I'll be the first to say that I feel safer buying a KGSSHV Carbon from Mjolnir Audio than I do buying a HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE.

 

[preproman]

   
 I'll be the first to say that I feel safer buying a KGSSHV Carbon from Mjolnir Audio than I do buying a HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE.

And why is that?

 

[Rhamnetin]

 
And why is that?

 
For starters, if you see a KGSSHV Carbon on spritzer's site, you know that you won't have to wait a while for it to ship.  I know the delays aren't really HeadAmp's fault though, as they build amps in batches.  Also, spritzer's reputation as an amp builder is glowing.