[elton7033]

I owned a gen 1 WES for a few years and not a single issue with it at all. Have also owned several Woo amps, same thing. The WES is pretty good, and just a slight step below the BHSE overall to my ears. The WES had slightly stronger bass and came pretty close to the BHSE with everything else.. except spaciousness, BHSE was a clear favorite there. The WES is also quite a bit warmer and does not mesh well with the 007 and I would think the same with the CRBN.

For me it would be a third choice somewhat reasonably priced amp behind the BHSE and Carbon.. if you find a 2nd gen used. But they don't seem to hold their value as well as the BHSE, so I would try to make sure you get a fair price.

If it add too much bass on to the can then it might not be the best choice for X9000 like the T8000...however, have you ever compare the WES second gen with a KGST which will you prefer if they are similar price?

 

[number1sixerfan]

If it add too much bass on to the can then it might not be the best choice for X9000 like the T8000...however, have you ever compare the WES second gen with a KGST which will you prefer if they are similar price?

May not be too much bass. It's not overpowering, just really adequate. But it is too warm with the 007 for sure. Both the previous owner of the unit and the person I sold it to after me all agree. If the x9000's timbre/tone is very similar to the 007, then they may not be a good match.

Haven't heard the KGST, but I haven't heard anything by KG or that has his hands anywhere near from a design standpoint that doesn't sound good. There was a mini KGST on here a while back I believe that I would've snatched up in a heartbeat if needed.

 

[elton7033]

Re: volume control. IMHO the Alps RK50 is way overrated. For fine volume tracking it's one of the best, but there are better sounding options (especially in what concerns immediacy and bass details). I've had the RK50 and ended up replacing with a tailored solution. IME a switched resistor network is best (with your choice of resistors), when done well, or certain potentiometers, e.g. TKD and others. If you are not sure, or don't want to spend a lot, use e.g. Tocos, it won't disappoint. Both TKD and Tocos also have very expensive options. Good that there is competition . Anyway, today I would not use Alps, as there are better sounding options on all price levels, IMHO. Of course, other parts of the system, and component synergy also matters. Sometimes you have a bottlenecks in the system that mask or distort relevant differences between components that otherwise all have higher acoustic "bandwidth" than the bottleneck itself.

thats definatly a lot to learn with volume pod for amps. Just another simple question for noob like myself, if i invest and having a very nice volume pod about how many % sound quality will be better from my system? something like 3-5%?
I am very satisfyed with my current Luxman D08->Mjolnir Carbon->SR-X9000 setup but still want to improve (being greedy right there), I wonder if I change the volume pod of the amp...can make it sound better.
My older Mjolnir Carbon uses Alpha pods and i guess its not the best thing out there.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

thats definatly a lot to learn with volume pod for amps. Just another simple question for noob like myself, if i invest and having a very nice volume pod about how many % sound quality will be better from my system? something like 3-5%?
I am very satisfyed with my current Luxman D08->Mjolnir Carbon->SR-X9000 setup but still want to improve (being greedy right there), I wonder if I change the volume pod of the amp...can make it sound better.
My older Mjolnir Carbon uses Alpha pods and i guess its not the best thing out there.

Having tried a few pots with my carbon: no. If you don't have noise issues (that may or may not come from the pot) or channel imbalance at your listening volume.

 

[zolkis]

having a very nice volume pod about how many % sound quality will be better from my system? something like 3-5%?

Sound quality is not a single dimension thing (neither is musical enjoyment), so % is not a good measure, but I try to answer.
The effect will depend on whether was this the biggest bottleneck in the system? Unlikely. There are other things in the signal path, too.
Usually potmeters are chosen on technical and mechanical specs (how finely and consistently are they working).
In most cases, the effect on sound quality would be minor, but in a good case it can be subjectively big enough to make the changes worth. In some systems it makes a rather big difference in certain aspects like transparency, bass extension or delivery, clarity, details. Not unlike interconnects, for instance. I would not start with this, though .
Sorry for the off-topic. To answer the on-topic question, I don't know if and how much the Carbon would benefit from a different volume control - Spritzer is the guy to ask on that.

 

[Chefguru]

thats definatly a lot to learn with volume pod for amps. Just another simple question for noob like myself, if i invest and having a very nice volume pod about how many % sound quality will be better from my system? something like 3-5%?
I am very satisfyed with my current Luxman D08->Mjolnir Carbon->SR-X9000 setup but still want to improve (being greedy right there), I wonder if I change the volume pod of the amp...can make it sound better.
My older Mjolnir Carbon uses Alpha pods and i guess its not the best thing out there.

DIY T2 from George is the cure not a volume pot

 

[tumpux]

Pot, not pod..

 

[tumpux]

… and the t2 comes with an rk50 pot.

 

[Sonic77]

When I was deciding which electrostatic amp to buy, I narrowed it down to three: The Woo Audio WES, The BHSE, and The Stax T8000. I oscillated between all three for a while. I narrowed it down further between the T8000 and the BHSE before deciding on the BHSE. It came down to the many reviews, even reviews in this thread that helped me to decide, but I still think the T8000 would’ve been a great purchase as well, I don’t think I could’ve gone wrong either way.

The reason I eliminated the WES was kind of weird, in that I already own a Woo Audio WA33 and felt that maybe there would be too much overlap there, I really enjoy the WA33, but didn’t want another similar sounding amp, I wanted something different.

Anyway, that’s how I came to purchase the BHSE and X9000.

 

[elton7033]

When I was deciding which electrostatic amp to buy, I narrowed it down to three: The Woo Audio WES, The BHSE, and The Stax T8000. I oscillated between all three for a while. I narrowed it down further between the T8000 and the BHSE before deciding on the BHSE. It came down to the many reviews, even reviews in this thread that helped me to decide, but I still think the T8000 would’ve been a great purchase as well, I don’t think I could’ve gone wrong either way.

The reason I eliminated the WES was kind of weird, in that I already own a Woo Audio WA33 and felt that maybe there would be too much overlap there, I really enjoy the WA33, but didn’t want another similar sounding amp, I wanted something different.

Anyway, that’s how I came to purchase the BHSE and X9000.

The T8000 is not bad but overated for sure, I tried it a many time in showroom with the X9000 and its definatly 1.5-2 level behind the BHSE.

 

[elton7033]

DIY T2 from George is the cure not a volume pot

who is George and how can i contact him?

 

[buzzlulu]

George is in Canada
You may also want to contact Kerry (NY) who is on this forum

 

[jamesjames]

How do the X9000s sound out of the SRM-700S? Have you compared with other amps?

I don't have the X9000 (and haven't heard it), but I do have the SR-009S. I have owned the SRM-700S, which I preferred to the T8000. The SRM-700S is the most appealing of the conventional drivers (SS or valve) that I've used with the SR-009S (which is my preferred electrostatic headphone). But I now use the iFi Pro iESL in combination with my Moon 430HA amp, which to my ears sounds even better.

 

[roiosdona]

430HA amp,

Hi! Can't it be that it sounds better because of the Moon 430HA DAC? I think the SRM-700S is the more expensive one...

 

[kzs70]

Santa came early this year