[rgs9200m]

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Slightly off topic but have you heard the CSN 2012 live album? 2.5 hours of fantastic music. 
 

Hey there, thanks for the tip, didn't know about this.

 

[MorbidToaster]

No problem. I picked it up from HD Tracks as soon as I saw it and my favorite point is Teach Your Children at the end. I love songs when the crowd gets way into it.
 
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Hey there, thanks for the tip, didn't know about this.

 

[Elysian]

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The KGSSHV at full bias should come very close to the BHSE/T2 as the 2SC4686A is essentially the perfect transistor for this job. 

 
Hey spritzer, I'm working on a 450V KGSSHV build with a friend.  Just from your experience, what's the SQ difference between the 450V and 500V versions?  I heard that KG said the 450V sounds a little sweeter, though I'm assuming the difference between the two are marginal?
 
I'll be pairing either an SR007 or HE60 with the KGSSHV.

 

[spritzer]

The difference isn't all that great and it's mostly due to the 2SA1968 being a superior part to anything IXYS makes.  Far more stable and just perfect for this role so the sound is a bit sweeter.  The extra voltage swing of the 500V version isn't needed so I'd personally go for 450V and increase the standing current of the output stage with the offboard heatsinks.  I'm going to try something like this but in the smallest chassis I can find.  I guess I just can't do a standard build...

 

[madbull]

.
 

 

[Elysian]

Awesome!  Thanks for the quick reply spritzer.  That's exactly what we're going to do with the build.  Going to try increasing the current per johnwmclean's mod, as well as going with the 450V offboard build and a shielded transformer.  I still need to finish designing the front panel, but all the parts should be en route, and it seems like a quick and painless assembly process.  I'm really looking forward to hearing how it sounds.  I've gotten really partial to solid state equipment again due to the convenience and safety factor.

 

[sridhar3]

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The difference isn't all that great and it's mostly due to the 2SA1968 being a superior part to anything IXYS makes.  Far more stable and just perfect for this role so the sound is a bit sweeter.  The extra voltage swing of the 500V version isn't needed so I'd personally go for 450V and increase the standing current of the output stage with the offboard heatsinks.  I'm going to try something like this but in the smallest chassis I can find.  I guess I just can't do a standard build...

 
Any chance you'd sell the smallest KGSSHV evar made?  

 

[spritzer]

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Any chance you'd sell the smallest KGSSHV evar made?  

 
Not very likely, most of these oddball amps I'll never sell.  Another one I'll try is the smallest GES possible, fully balanced naturally. 

 

[statfi]

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...Both the BHSE and LL are exceptional amps that do what they do exceptionally, however they both go about doing it in a different way. The BHSE is a powerhouse and has better control over the drivers of what you've got plugged into it, it's the more detailed of the two, but compared to the LL it sounds a bit flat to my ears. The LL on the other hand is less transparent and smears a little bit of detail here and there, but I find it more involving and spatially convincing...
 
However you may feel differently, and whenever possible it's best for people to listen for themselves while trying to bracket off expectations as much as possible, to listen with a pair of "fresh ears." 

 
[size=13.0pt]Thanks for the direct answer to my question about 009s with BHSE and LL.  I was (and am) in line for a BHSE.  I took MuppetFace’s sound advice and went to CanJam to hear for myself, and was quite pleased that I did.  I am satisfied with the choice I had made.  Reversing that decision would cost me nothing, thanks to Justin's policies, but I now have no inclination to do so.[/size]
 
[size=13.0pt]I walked around RMAF with a selection of CDs I had chosen at home and heard multiple times through my Denon player and SRM-T1 with pleasure[/size], e.g., Wilkinson’s recording of Mahler’s 8^th and Layton’s of Liszt’s Totentanz[size=13pt].  Nothing at the show was up to my analog setup, but I made my A/B comparisons with fair confidence[/size][size=13pt].  However, when, I got back home after a few days (spent in the digital desert) I played some LP’s, including the Mahler, (but, alas, not the Liszt, which I do not own on vinyl).  I was refreshingly astounded at how much better things sounded than anything I heard at the show.  I know this is off-topic, but not that far: which DACs have y’all heard that give analog the most competition?  Stax headphones let us hear more than the typical audiophile gets to hear, so, who better to ask than fellow Stax owners?[/size]
 
[size=13.0pt]I used to build speaker systems as a hobby.  I spent half a day at RMAF listening to some pretty fancy setups with loudspeakers (way, way better than anything I ever made).  A couple impressed me, but, by and large, I could not help hearing drivers of various sorts in enclosures of various sorts set in rooms with their own acoustic signatures.  Even when there was a decent image (and some were quite decent), suspension of disbelief, as in believing you are at the actual venue, was not nearly possible.  A half day was well spent justifying my (or our) choice.[/size]
 
[size=13.0pt]In any case, I live in San Jose.  If anyone wants to set up controlled comparisons between the BHSE and other contenders after mine arrives, let me know.[/size]

 

[rgs9200m]

I went through a bunch of digital sources and kept going back to EMM, Even the early EMMs back in 2004 had something special and analog that is unique (the latter ones, starting with the SE versions, are add a welcome bit of warmth).
I have used EMMs with a series of Staxes starting in 1999 (lambdas, omegas).

 

[dj nellie]

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[size=13.0pt]Thanks for the direct answer to my question about 009s with BHSE and LL.  I was (and am) in line for a BHSE.  I took MuppetFace’s sound advice and went to CanJam to hear for myself, and was quite pleased that I did.  I am satisfied with the choice I had made.  Reversing that decision would cost me nothing, thanks to Justin's policies, but I now have no inclination to do so.[/size]

 
Does this mean that you heard the LL at Can Jam and preferred the BHSE?  If so, can you describe why?

 

[rgs9200m]

'just thought I would mention the Rudistor "Coriolan2" stat amp. I have not seen it mentioned anywhere.

 

[n3rdling]

For good reason...

 

[johnwmclean]

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For good reason...

 
I believe their amplifiers are as good as their spelling and grammar.
Probably best heard together with Coconut Audio accessories.

 

[livewire]

witch iz rally not dat gud..