[DDDamian]

   
I used to rub a popsicle along my cables -- it's better than cryo.
Gave my recordings better clarity in the highs.
 

Heh - I use frozen maple syrup - it gives that <self-snips>.....

 

[CanadianMaestro]

At least cryogenics isn't on this list (not yet anyways....)
 
http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/11/believe-in-better.cfm

 

[DDDamian]

  At least cryogenics isn't on this list (not yet anyways....)
 
http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/11/believe-in-better.cfm

Nice read. I especially like #8 on the list:
 
8. CD demagnetiser – As room-acoustics consultant Ethan Winer said at his Audio Myths seminar at the Audio Engineering Society conference a couple of years ago: 'Think about this one for a moment.'

 

[Rdrcr]

   
I used to rub a popsicle along my cables -- it's better than cryo.
Gave my recordings better clarity in the highs.
 

 
Yeah, and I had batteries in my old Audioquest cables! 

 
Mike

 

[DDDamian]

Did you prefer alkaline or NiCad?
 

Ohhhhhhh....we are so O/T lol.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

^^^  LOL x 10. I have a colleague (professor!) down the hall, who's a hard-core 'phile, and had used magic pebbles ("Shakti stones"?) taped to his cables. Until I ridiculed him for it.....he took them off a long time ago, but still relishes rubbing it in.
 
*sigh* just gotta chill sometimes.....

 

[CanadianMaestro]

He still paints the edges of his CDs with marker, and bevels the edges of the discs himself. Claims they improve soundstage! I tried ripping one of his bevelled CDs (he does have good music, though!), and it got jammed -- my laptop wouldn't spit it out after ripping was done! Had to get the damn unit to a store where they extracted the bevelled disc gratis. Laptop CD drive was fine t.g. Live and learn, eh?
 
I felt like a mouse that stepped on a third rail...and survived.

 

[DDDamian]

Heh - okay, I'll give this a go: the BHA-1 is a pretty good amp, eh?

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Unanimous. 

 
with or without pebbles.....

 

[HiFiGuy528]

 
No, not a specific model. A dealer can arrange to have it sent to Bryston, or better, have a tech do the adjustment in-store. It involves switching some resistors inside the existing unit. I had mine adjusted in-store, to allow me to use the fuller volume range -- it was too loud for me at just 10 o'clock, on L gain. Now, I can use it at a comfy volume at around 1-130 o'clock, and ear-damaging levels at 4 o'clock.

 
Do you know which resistors and what values to replace with? Bryston wants me to send in my unit + $80 for the work. I prefer to do it myself if possible. 
 
With mine, even on T1 and HD800 I can hear music coming through with the volume set at the lowest (0). I like the amp and its features, this is my only gripe.
 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

   
Do you know which resistors and what values to replace with? Bryston wants me to send in my unit + $80 for the work. I prefer to do it myself if possible. 
 
With mine, even on T1 and HD800 I can hear music coming through with the volume set at the lowest (0). I like the amp and its features, this is my only gripe.
 
 

I'm sorry, I don't.
 
Try e-mailing Mike Pickett at Bryston. (PM me for his email).

 

[DDDamian]

  I'm sorry, I don't.
 
Try e-mailing Mike Pickett at Bryston. (PM me for his email).

+1. The other DIY would be to make a cable adaptor with a 120ohm 1/2W resistor on the positive leg(s).

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  +1. The other DIY would be to make a cable adaptor with a 120ohm 1/2W resistor on the positive leg(s).

 
 
Longer signal path......maybe better to do the internal adjust.  

 

[Armaegis]

   
Do you know which resistors and what values to replace with? Bryston wants me to send in my unit + $80 for the work. I prefer to do it myself if possible. 
 
With mine, even on T1 and HD800 I can hear music coming through with the volume set at the lowest (0). I like the amp and its features, this is my only gripe.
 
 

 
My fuzzy educated guess... but assuming that it's a feedback controlled gain, then I suspect it's the resistors by RL3A (and B below). The switch bypasses a resistor/capacitor pair which would double (or half if you're looking at it the other way) the feedback loop and give you doubling of gain, which equates to 6dB as the manual states. Lower the feedback values, and you lower the gain. But those parallel cap values may need to be changed (by the inverse ratio of the new resistors) to maintain high frequency cutoff. Maybe.
 
Don't take my word for it.

 
 
edit: chop 4RF and 4RH in half (or simply parallel the same value on top, so you can easily remove to undo changes) to drop gain by 6db. Alternatively double 4RA

 

[Rob80b]

   
Do you know which resistors and what values to replace with? Bryston wants me to send in my unit + $80 for the work. I prefer to do it myself if possible. 
 
With mine, even on T1 and HD800 I can hear music coming through with the volume set at the lowest (0). I like the amp and its features, this is my only gripe.
 
 

Before chopping up your BHA-1 to reduce the gain, why not try adding a pair of in line attenuators between the source and the amp, I was using them in my system at one point without adverse effects.
 
As for the volume not completely cutting off the output when at zero, not too sure why but a guess…. it’s the potentiometer Bryston used, do not see it as a problem with headphones but maybe when used as a pre-amp, although I just switch the input toggle when muting.