[Lil' Knight]

Good to hear that I'll be on my own with the chassis

 

[warp08]

Quote:

I'm using the HE90 with a BHSE and think it sounds superb.  I'm waiting on an Aristaeus but I'd be pretty shocked if the difference is so great that the HE90/BHSE somehow becomes "crap".  I'm actually using the HE90 out of the low bias Stax socket though.  The HE90 on the BHSE sounds way better than I've heard it from the A10 previously...almost like a different headphone but then I'm going by memory which isn't always best.  I'm not sure how the HE90 would pair with the exstata...the HE90 is great because it is incredibly clear sounding; I'd hate for the loads of distortion from the exstata to come through and ruin that.

You need to swap out whatever 12ax7 input stage tubes you're using on that A-10 to a pair of NOS Mullards preferably from the late 50s and early 60s.  I previously used it with Telefunken 12ax7s and it simply sounded sterile although detailed with the HE90s.  I've found a pair of matched Mullard 10M Masters and that matched the HE90s quite well, sounds like a different amp altogether.  Still doesn't quite have the synergy of the rolled Aristaeus with the NOS Amperex BB quad-matched tubes, but it's a lot closer to that famous "euphoric" sound I was looking for.
 
Will see how things change with my source upgrade early next week.