[astrostar59]

Can anyone share their listening experiences with the Birgir built BHSE?

That might be difficult, as I think Birgir only built a small number of them. Best bet might be search this forum and find a member who has or had a Birgir BHSE.
Or PM Birgir for the buyers The other place may be better for that.

 

[cucera]

My BHSE is Birgir made and it should even sound better than the headamp due to the PSU closer to the amp and better parts.

 

[paradoxper]

Sure.

 

[preproman]

 
Picture that..

 

[georgep]

My BHSE is Birgir made and it should even sound better than the headamp due to the PSU closer to the amp and better parts.

You can keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night.

 

[karlgerman]

....and i always thought a external PSU is the better choice!
The difference should not be to important -- like my High end Power conditioner witch is absolutely ineffectual, at least at my place.

 

[astrostar59]

My BHSE is Birgir made and it should even sound better than the headamp due to the PSU closer to the amp and better parts.

Interesting. Can you post some under the hood photos? I like Birgirs work.

 

[purk]

My BHSE is Birgir made and it should even sound better than the headamp due to the PSU closer to the amp and better parts.

If yours is truly Birgir then it isn't the BHSE.  BHSE is Justin's take of the BH circuit.  I'm sure that Birgir utilized pretty good parts but an Alpha pot won't quite measure up to the DAC-T or RK50 in most BHSE.

 

[mulveling]

My BHSE is Birgir made and it should even sound better than the headamp due to the PSU closer to the amp and better parts.

Which parts are better?

 

[astrostar59]

  The Carbon does not sound like a tube amp. It sounds like state-of-the-art solid state amp; it just does everything better than even the best KGSShv. If you've found magic with the metal base tubes in BHSE, you won't find that same brand of magic in the Carbon. The Carbon will still do at least a couple things better (e.g. the bass is so fast and clean and hard-hitting) -- but it will not be that kind of tube magic. By that I mean the truly holographic 3D imaging tricks (which might well be very lucky distortion products) and the absolutely liquid/organic mids, and perfectly sparkly treble (without sounding bright or strident). With the right bass to anchor it.
 
I actually find the Carbon to be better integrated than the BHSE i heard -- in relation to the bass/midrange/treble, how they relate/transition to each other, no one segment pulling undue attention to itself. 

Hi Mulveling our anyone who has had / heard the KGSShv and a Carbon. Can I ask an opinion on the Carbon?
I have a KGSShv  which is 450V off-board and running at 10Ma. I think it also has some Sanyo Fetts.
 
How different is a typical Carbon? Right now I have very good bass detail, depth and texture, nice warmish mids, and clean and clear highs with no edge to female vocals or saxophones for example. Having heard David1961's BHSE a few times now with latterly Mullard NOS tubes in, I would say the BHSE is more fluid and more realistic, with nicer (tubes?) midrange. And the soundstage is probably slightly wider / bigger. My KGSShv however possibly sounds better on dance / rock, but the BHSE is better on most other types of music IMO. BUT it is all very close, not night and day at all. 
 
So, what would I get more of with a Carbon?
If it is more detail I don't want or need it. If it is more bass (quantity) I don't need that either. If it is more realism in other areas, maybe vocals or maybe soundstage is wider, then I would be interested in the amp.
 
I am using a tubed Audio Note NOS DAC which 'may' be slightly warm already which I found helps with digital and particularly with the 009s.
 
Next question, how much hotter does the case / heatsinks get compared to your previous KGSShv.
 
I also read on this forum the bias level on the carbon affects the treble energy / emphasis as the bias can be up to 20Ma I think.
If that is true, an amp would need to be biased with the end headphone used as a target / tester I am thinking.
 
Any insight would help me a lot, thanks guys.
 
Off topic BUT:
I must say, my Audio Note DAC sounds incredible right now. I have done a few more mods / upgrades to it, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I can squeeze out of the AD1865 chip and tubed line stage / regulated power supply. I am coming to realise the parts quality in many products can be upgraded with big SQ gains. I guess all products are made to a price point and profit margins. Duelund caps and Blackgates are ok to me, but I won't go to Silver transformers at 3K a pair. However, careful upgrades in an existing product can reap rewards I feel. I can't say this over at the other place, as certain folk there (you know who I am talking about) will jump off their chairs and start spitting blood. I can say as surely as the sun rises each day, parts quality matters. I actually don't post there anymore, just read or ignore as I see fit.
Now back to my DAC, the digital board is next.

 

[purk]

  Hi Mulveling our anyone who has had / heard the KGSShv and a Carbon. Can I ask an opinion on the Carbon?
I have a KGSShv  which is 450V off-board and running at 10Ma. I think it also has some Sanyo Fetts.
 
How different is a typical Carbon? Right now I have very good bass detail, depth and texture, nice warmish mids, and clean and clear highs with no edge to female vocals or saxophones for example. Having heard David1961's BHSE a few times now with latterly Mullard NOS tubes in, I would say the BHSE is more fluid and more realistic, with nicer (tubes?) midrange. And the soundstage is probably slightly wider / bigger. My KGSShv however possibly sounds better on dance / rock, but the BHSE is better on most other types of music IMO. BUT it is all very close, not night and day at all. 
 
So, what would I get more of with a Carbon?
If it is more detail I don't want or need it. If it is more bass (quantity) I don't need that either. If it is more realism in other areas, maybe vocals or maybe soundstage is wider, then I would be interested in the amp.
 
What I underlined above as well as more resolving ability.  Sound stage is very wide and more layered than the full-size KGSSHV.  Bass surprisingly is less in output than your version of the KGSSHV but better integrated into the music.  I personally find the Carbon to work equally well on both the SR007 & SR009.  Still the BHSE is more liquid and fluid to my ears.  I wrote a little impression of my Carbon a few page back if you can find it.
 
I am using a tubed Audio Note NOS DAC which 'may' be slightly warm already which I found helps with digital and particularly with the 009s.
 
Next question, how much hotter does the case / heatsinks get compared to your previous KGSShv.
 
It runs slightly warmer than the off-board version that I used to have.  I believe Birgir's unit will be warmer given its smaller size.
 
I also read on this forum the bias level on the carbon affects the treble energy / emphasis as the bias can be up to 20Ma I think.
If that is true, an amp would need to be biased with the end headphone used as a target / tester I am thinking.
 
More bias will result in brighter sound according to my builder.  He also used his friend DIY T2  while dialing the sound by adjusting the bias current.
Any insight would help me a lot, thanks guys.
 
Off topic BUT:
I must say, my Audio Note DAC sounds incredible right now. I have done a few more mods / upgrades to it, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I can squeeze out of the AD1865 chip and tubed line stage / regulated power supply. I am coming to realise the parts quality in many products can be upgraded with big SQ gains. I guess all products are made to a price point and profit margins. Duelund caps and Blackgates are ok to me, but I won't go to Silver transformers at 3K a pair. However, careful upgrades in an existing product can reap rewards I feel. I can't say this over at the other place, as certain folk there (you know who I am talking about) will jump off their chairs and start spitting blood. I can say as surely as the sun rises each day, parts quality matters. I actually don't post there anymore, just read or ignore as I see fit.
Now back to my DAC, the digital board is next.

 

[astrostar59]

Hi Purk
Many thanks for your insight. Have you a Carbon now? I can't see one listed in your profile.
 
Who built your KGSShv which would be closer to my headinclouds 450v unit? 
 
Sorry, more questions. I am fascinated by the Carbon.

 

[mulveling]

  Hi Purk
Many thanks for your insight. Have you a Carbon now? I can't see one listed in your profile.
 
Who built your KGSShv which would be closer to my headinclouds 450v unit? 
 
Sorry, more questions. I am fascinated by the Carbon.

Both Purk and me have the same Carbon builder, and we basically agree on our impressions. Ours is set at 17mA, which supposedly gives it a slightly more mellow/laid back sound, but we don't have first-hand experience with other bias settings. This Carbon is slightly laid back, which makes for a very good match with the 009 and Yggdrasil (which I also find to be slightly forward) -- on the other hand it could sound slightly dull/dead with a warm or laid-back DAC (e.g. my Eximus DP1). I also have a 450V off-board KGSShv that is slightly warmer this Carbon, but the former is definitely the warmest of all the Stax amps I've heard (clearly warmer than 400V mini and 500V on-board full-size KGSShv builds) -- this 450V amp might be similar to yours.
 
That said, nothing does a liquid, sweet mid-range like a great tube amp. The Carbon does a bit better here than any of the KGSShv builds -- but it's still not a tube midrange. Even the KGST gives a taste of that midrange magic, but it's pretty far behind the Carbon in other respects.

 

[astrostar59]

  Both Purk and me have the same Carbon builder, and we basically agree on our impressions. Ours is set at 17mA, which supposedly gives it a slightly more mellow/laid back sound, but we don't have first-hand experience with other bias settings. This Carbon is slightly laid back, which makes for a very good match with the 009 and Yggdrasil (which I also find to be slightly forward) -- on the other hand it could sound slightly dull/dead with a warm or laid-back DAC (e.g. my Eximus DP1). I also have a 450V off-board KGSShv that is slightly warmer this Carbon, but the former is definitely the warmest of all the Stax amps I've heard (clearly warmer than 400V mini and 500V on-board full-size KGSShv builds) -- this 450V amp might be similar to yours.
 
That said, nothing does a liquid, sweet mid-range like a great tube amp. The Carbon does a bit better here than any of the KGSShv builds -- but it's still not a tube midrange. Even the KGST gives a taste of that midrange magic, but it's pretty far behind the Carbon in other respects.

I see, interesting indeed. I am wondering if I need to cling onto warm? I have a tubed NOS DAC which could be termed slightly warm but is also (now) very transparent as well.
The thing I have found personally with Stax headphones from the LNS to the 007A and 009s is they are very fast, detailed and amazing, but can at times sound less than convincing. By that I mean everything is there, but dare IO say it - it just can sound a bit synthetic. I am talking about the last bit of realism here, not the whole image and sound aspect. Anyone who has both a detailed DAC, BHSE and the 009s IMO will struggle to be convinced they are listening to a real venue after around 30 minutes for example. It is a combination I rethink of the fast transient response of the stats and the over emphasised micro details in DDD mastering. At a real venue the depth of the stage and environment won't allow this illusion to exist. Rather we have in some mastering a microphone stuck in front of every instrument, and recorded with unreal detail, a bit like a photograph with no depth of field going on. Nobody has 30 ears.
 
Anyway, bit off topic, sorry. But you can see where I am coming from. The 009s are so good, maybe too good, IMO they need grounding a bit to make it sound as realistic as possible, not an impressive hifi blow off.
 
So, IMO I need to cling to a warm aspect if possible, that seems to mate with my DAC and the 009s using digital as a source. If I had a turntable it would probably be the other way around.
 
Anyway, thanks for that insight, it is fascinating. I will try at some point try and listen to a Carbon to get a face-to-face idea of where it is at.

 

[lojay]

  You memory is nearly spot on Mike.  I commend you!  I personally will rate the T2 as the best amp among the T2, KGSSHV Carbon, and BHSE.  The BHSE and KGSSHV Carbon are equally excellent in my book with the Carbon having considerably grander musical presentation with noticeably wider and slightly deeper soundstage than the BHSE.  Spatial imaging are about on par but the wider soundstage does allow the Carbon to produce a more enveloping musical experience.  Musical details just floats from the background with better layering compared to the BHSE.  On the other hand, the BHSE does offer a more intimate presentation with smoother and more liquid tones from top to bottom especially in the midrange region.  Bass doesn't quite hit as hard and authoritative as the Carbon but nonetheless is still very much satisfying to my ears.  The SR009 out of the Carbon is actually quite a bass monster surpassing the Hifiman HE1000+Susy Dynahi setup on both texture & details and matching its output.  The DIY T2 loose out to the Carbon very slightly on the width of soundstage but does make up in the depth department.  It is able to render sweeter musical presentation (yes, even more than the BHSE) and about on par at resolving musical details.  Bass output is slightly less than that of the Carbon but the T2's bass has more bloom while the Carbon's bass is tighter and come at you at greater speed.  This is my take on three amps with the SR-009 so your mileage may vary. 
 
Anyway, I now have the KGSSHV carbon for several days now.  Mike and I are quite blessed to have the same builder who executed the build to perfection.  Both of our units come with the "Golden Reference " power supply.  My unit uses a custom build Khozmos 48 steps attenuator while he goes with the Goldpoint stepped attenuator with exotic resistors.  So far my amp has been nothing but pure audio bliss to listen to.  It runs cooler to the touch compared to the T2 but definitely warmer than my 500V KGSSHV.  Listening to Carbon really make me appreciate how much KG, Birgir and the team continue to push the design envelope.  I sure wish the Carbon was there at Tyll's Big Sound Event.  I don't see how the HE1000 and HD800 can even come close to the SR009 if the BHSE and KGSSHV Carbon were there at the event.  IMO, of course.  

 
Interested in more T2 vs. Carbon comparisons. The thing I love the most about the T2 with the SR009 is how closely it approximates to live performances. Nothing really comes close. Is there anything that the T2 does noticeably better than the Carbon?
 
I would actually say that the T2 and SR009 combo has better bass than the HE1000 and 445, though the HE1000 may benefit from a solid state amp. Just compared the HE1000 to the SR009 yesterday and my god, the transparency, realism and musical enjoyment that the T2/SR009 brings far exceeds the HE1000. It is not even close. I completely agree that the Big Sound Event missed out on this one.