[swt61]

Quote:

Well if you ask me $6800 sounds high for that used combo, and It would seem others think the same because so far its still for sale.
Justin is selling 45 new bhse whenever he gets around to completing them, and a promise of a new batch to follow this summer. And lets face it, chances are not everyone that gets the bhse in these upcoming batches will really like it, so they will want to bail.
 

Excuse me Capt. Speculation, but I think that combo price is very good. As for the BHSE, I've never known of anyone who has heard it that has not been very impressed at the least.

 

[Radio_head]

He's actually asking 8.6 and change for the combo.     
 
The 2nd point the Captain SillySally is making is valid - there will most likely be more supply on the used market in the (near?) future from the current batch driving down used prices.  And it might be hard to sell a used BHSE so close to retail price at this point - some of the same people that have the patience to wait over a year for Justin's batches will wait another couple months to save say 15%.

 

[sachu]

Its up to the eventual buyer to determine if the price is worth it or not. Weighing the price on a used combo against the alternative, which is waiting for a new unit for over a year.
 
The price tag for the amp however is more than retail for a new unit. 
 
 
 

 

[sillysally]

Quote:

Excuse me Capt. Speculation, but I think that combo price is very good. As for the BHSE, I've never known of anyone who has heard it that has not been very impressed at the least.

Your excused chief.
 
I am sure most are impressed with the bhse at first, and I am not saying anything bad about that amp.
However I am very impressed with my SRM-727 and SR-009's combo, that I got new with a full USA warranty from stax and was delivered to my door in 2 days from ordering this combo.
Also consider that I paid less than the asking price for that used bhse for my brand new combo that comes with a full USA stax warranty.
So lets think $6800 for a used bhse with tubes or $8700 (as reported) for used bhse/SRM-007 combo, or less than the price of that used bhse for a brand new SR-009/SRM-727 combo without a long agonizing wait.

 

 

[David1961]

Luckily for me, I'm happy with the combination of, K-01 + Pico Slim + Shure se535's until I receive the BHSE, however I am trying to imagine what the sound quality will be like from the BHSE + SR-009's + K-01, but like Mike Oldfield's song " Only Time Will Tell " 

 

[rgs9200m]

Yeah, I did hear some shout with the WES on a vocal in a quick test. But understand that I hear some shout-like emphasis on vocals with many dynamic headphones I have owned on many everyday CDs  ( on these phones T1s, PS1000s, D7000s bass light R10s, Audeze LCD2 Rev1s and Rev2s) and I am always on the lookout for it and I am very sensitive to it. And I did not feel that the shout I heard on the 009s was any more than I heard on the dynamics.
 
When there was no vocal in the music I heard no shout and in fact I just was stunned at how real and compelling everything sounded.
 
If I was a classical or jazz fan from my brief test this combo would be perfect to me. Again, this was like 5 minute test, so take it with a grain of salt please.
Quote:

One of the reviewers did mention one, very slight, negative characteristic of the SR009: That it had a slight upper mid emphasis, which sometimes gave female vocals a "shouty" quality.
I wonder if that coincides with the brightness that half of head-fiers attribute to this headphone? The other half saying that there is no problem at all in this area.
 
Again, it was interesting that it was the WES that most showed up this characteristic.
 
BTW, my nick name has nothing to do with the law, or at least not the law as understood by normal folk. The clue is in the avatar.
 

 

 

[obzilla]

Have any of the followup articles to this been posted yet?

 

[TheAttorney]

No follow ups that I can see. Which is a shame, as they've already published the next edition. I do hope they haven't backed off.

 

[justin w.]

i bet there will be something in future issues

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

i bet there will be something in future issues

 
Sure hope so.

 

[David1961]

Headfier IanG has the LL on order and I have the BHSE, we live around two miles away from each other and we both have the SR-009's. We've made plans to listen to both amps when delivered so it'll be interesting to hear the differences, Ian's source I believe is the Audio Synthesis Transcend and mine is the Esoteric K-01.

 

[TheAttorney]

The next installment is in. This time, it's the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier (Playback 56)
 
Which gets a great review. But again, it's not what you'd expect compared to the majority of head-fiers previous comparisons of BHSE v WES.
 
It's a fairly complex review this time, compared to the earlier WES review - I'll have to read it again. The bottom line is that BHSE (and SR009) is  "the most musical headphone/amp combination we’ve yet heard."
 
There's no losers in this extended comparison review. I'm sure that the LL will come out pretty good too in the next installment. But with my BHSE hopefully" in the post" soon, this review has been very encouraging.

 

[statfi]

My first post.  I've listened seriously mostly through my modified Stax Lambda Novas for the last decade or two.  I went to T.H.E. Show in NYC to hear the 009s that Jack Woo was displaying with his electronics, and walked away with a pair.  Now I've got them home, and am way impressed with how good they really are, esp. with my analog front end and even through my SRM-T1.  At T.H.E. Show I was impressed by how low they were in coloration compared to virtually all the systems with loudspeakers.  At home, with the a familiar system and recordings, I am continuously amazed at the level of detail that just pour out of them.  With Solti's Beethoven's 6th recorded by Wilkie I feel like the maestro has given me his position, consistent with the likely positioning of the Decca tree.  I hear players playing together, not sections.  Inner lines are just there, I do not have to go digging for them.  Just wonderful.
 
At T.H.E. Show I had some favorite CDs, but they are not the same as my LPs.  Also, the gap in time between hearing the 009s there and at home was too long to allow comparisons.  I believe in my heart that Woo's electronics would be a huge step up.  He had two models of the WES on display, and the the upgrades that stood between them were manifestly effective.  So now, I need to decide, between a WES, BHSE, or LL.  Its great that Tom Martin has reviewd the first two, as referenced above.  I know I am in the "camp [that] will value the SR-009 for its amazing clarity and ability to retrieve low-level details, and we predict members of that camp might gravitate toward the Woo WES precisely because it, too, maximizes these same sonic attributes."  However, it would appeal to me "to step beyond the transparency and detail of the SR-009 with an amp that offers analog-like qualities of musical integrity and dynamism. In other word, they will seek out an amp that lets them enjoy both 'the forest and the trees' musically speaking. The Blue Hawaii SE could be the ideal amp for those listeners", sort of.  I like hearing what is recorded as it is without trying to make it something that it is not.  If the "musical integrity and dynamism" that are on the recording are just more apparent, I would like that.  However, that these apparently trade off for "transparency and detail" has me worried.
 
So I would like to hear perspectives from other discerning listeners who have had opportunities to hear the 009s with two of the wonderful amps available to drive them.  And, I would love to have an opportunity to hear such a comparison, myself.

 

[rgs9200m]

Try a Stax 007t/ii amp for $2400. I love it with my 009s. I also used to own the SRM-T1 amp. Well, the T1W.

 

[El_Doug]

The strangest thing, that review... because the BHSE is by far the more detailed and neutral of the two amps.  This is simply not a matter of opinion.  Treat the article with extreme skepticism. 
 
I owned WES #1, and while it is an interesting and unique experience, it is not suited to the 009s for the simple reason that blurring the world's most detailed headphones is counter productive (read: stupid).  I actually enjoyed the rolled off highs, slightly boomy midbass, and smoothness of the WES with the SR-Omega, and if you enjoy the more mellow hi-fi experience, the WES delivers.  However the 009s offer such incredible detail that it would be a shame to ruin that strength with the WES.  The BHSE delivers the neutral and detailed power these cans crave. 
 
 
Oh, and welcome to Head-Fi! 
 
Quote:

So I would like to hear perspectives from other discerning listeners who have had opportunities to hear the 009s with two of the wonderful amps available to drive them.  And, I would love to have an opportunity to hear such a comparison, myself.