Blue Hawaii Special Edition

[deepak]

...

[kevin gilmore]

Big SS amp for electrostatics.

One really big problem. The age of CRT's is OVER!

Why does that matter? No one making really great high voltage

parts anymore. 2sc3675's and 2sa1968's are all that is still available.

In 5 years, they won't be available either.

Then you have to go to a stacked amp to get the voltages and currents

you need.

Tubes are going to be around for quite a while. Besides which, they are

ultra simple.

[luvdunhill]

Kevin, have you ever considered trying to use IGBTs? I don't think they're going away anytime soon, question would be how to use them ... high voltage certainly isn't a problem, neither is dissipation. They have decent transconductance, and easier to drive than a MOSFET...

Edited October 1, 2009 by luvdunhill

[pabbi1]

I'm going to get offed by the mafia for this one, but I'd say:

no with the Blue Hawaii + SR-007

no with the KGSS + ESP-950

maybe with my KGSS + ESP-950

I'm working on it though, plenty of projects in various stages...

True dat.

[Guest sachu]

if ^^^ indeed is true then I will give up on the KGSS idea...my main stat will always be the ESP950 and I need something that will sound amazing with it at a reasonable price.

I do want to listen to the KGSS before writing it off..you know personal opinions and what not.

[HeadphoneAddict]

C'mon, be serious, if the BH needs anything it is more tubes, like eight EL34!

--

AD2000 > SR-404LE > O2?!

This is crazy stuff.

I like the AD2000 too, I use it with a Zana Deux, AT-HA5000 or CEC HD53N (balanced). Maybe, on a good day, the AD2000 can beat the SR-SC1. I'm not a big fan of plastic Lambdas. But against the Jade or HE60 the AD2000 is outclassed, it is slower, less detailed and has less precise imaging, among other things. I wouldn't want to put the AD2000 up against the O2mk1 or SR-Omega.

I liked the AD2000 that I had, which were re-cabled by Moon Audio with Cardas cable. But after a few weeks I sold them because among my dynamic cans at the time I still liked the HD600, RS-1 and ESW10JPN better. So, I personally would not rank the AD2000 above my Jade, O2, HE60 or HD800.

But I respect Asr's choice because they suit his tastes and preferences well. On the other hand, a KGBH SE like Asr's might have lead me to part with all my other stats but the O2 Mk1, although I really doubt it would make me want to sell the ZDT/HD800.

I do think the GES/Jade make a good combination, but when I did my Jade mini-review I still ranked the O2 Mk1 and Mk2 ahead of the Jade. I felt the Jade were very good with nice detail, speed, impact and tone. My gripe about the Jade is the wide but not deep soundstage, and the loose fit. And imaging was precise but somewhat forward sounding like the O2 Mk2. My gripe about the O2 is the deeper but not as wide soundstage (vs Jade or HD800), and its unreasonable demand for moar power.

Anyway, the majority of my full size can listening these days has been with my HD800/LA7000, and the Jade/O2 which also I rotate through. The rest of the time I'm using my JH13Pro. So, I think I can live without the KGBH SE and enjoy what I have. I think I'll probably give up thinking about a more powerful amp for the K1000 as well...

[spritzer]

I think it is time to stock up on those HV parts... \

[Elephas]

Which Lambdas aren't plastic? Except for the 4070, which you really aren't a fan of.

Headphile woodied Lambda Pro? I believe that both Asr and Headphone Addict were intimately acquinted with its massive superiority over plastics.

I'm just joking, actually I don't think it sounds very good, I think the SR-SC1 is better.

And I almost never hear of the Jade anymore, what's up with that? In fact, I think you're the only one I know with one.

The Jade is doing very well. It reminds me of the HE60 in some ways. I really enjoy its spacious presentation and large headstage, it is a nice change of pace from the O2's "black hole" presentation, that seemingly squeezes all the music down into one tiny point inside your head.

In fact, it's time for another award! Yeah, I know, I'm throwing around these awards like they were free. Anyway, I can't not give an award to the Jade + Philips DD-getter combination when I gave one to the SR-Omega with the same tubes.

But instead of a "Class A" award this time make it a "Class B." There are some small nitpicks, such as some lack of bass impact and a tipped up treble. Overall the sound is very good but with these nitpicks it can't be a Class A.

Same with the HE90 + GEC KT77 award I gave out earlier, it should be a Class B instead of A. It's too bright.

BTW, I think this "Class B" Jade + Philips DD-getter EL34 in the BHSE absolutely kills the AD2000 + Zana Deux. Details, speed, tonal balance, notes separation, soundstaging, it's not much of a contest. Replace the AD2000 with the HD800, and it's more of a fight.

[Elephas]

Is the BHSE a bright amp?

Almost all my headphones sound bright with it. Actually, every one except the O2mk1 and O2mk2. The O2's are known to be relatively dark-sounding, I think this is undisputed? So if the BHSE matches the O2's best and is designed for them, does it necessarily follow that it is a bright amp and sounds bright with other headphones?

I plugged in the Headphile-woodied Lambda Pro into the BHSE for the first time. I don't like it, so I rarely use it. Might as well sell it actually. Driven by the BHSE with DD-getter EL34, it is bright and piercing. It isn't as bad when driven by the Aristaeus, ES1 or SRM-T1W. The problem is similar to the brightness problems I'm having with the HE90 and to a lesser extent the HE60 and Jade. It is even sibilant, with the Ingrid Michaelson - "Everybody" CD. I know it's not exactly audiophile material but it isn't as badly recorded as most pop music. The disc sounds very good with the O2mk1 or O2mk2. But this Headphile-woodied Lambda Pro is basically unlistenable when driven by the BHSE. Sharp, rough and quite unpleasant treble energy.

One reason I've been interested in tube rolling and tweaks such as the Black Diamond Racing cones and fuses is because of these brightness problems with all the headphones except the O2's. I think, if I can only tame the brightness down just a little bit, the sound would be close to perfect. Better, even, than the O2's in some cases due to my preference for larger sound images and a large headstage. I even prefer a slightly bright sound over a slightly dark one. But I haven't been able to tame the brightness down enough.

Is it my Esoteric source? I would be somewhat surprised if it is. I don't have these brightness problems with other amps and headphones.

[morphsci]

Actually I think it is your source(s). IMO esoterics sound bright and a little "brittle". It could also be the recordings. It may not just be the popular stuff either, many "audiophile" recordings sound a bit strident to me. YMMV.

[n_maher]

Is it my Esoteric source? I would be somewhat surprised if it is. I don't have these brightness problems with other amps and headphones.

Do you not have another source you could try the amp with? If not I suppose you're somewhat SOL unless you feel up to buying another DAC.

[Elephas]

Current source is Esoteric P-05/D-05/G-03x. Crystal Cable Reference XLR interconnects, Isotek Sigmas power conditioner, all components use Neotech NEP-1001 power cords.

Yes, I have other sources. Accuphase DP-500 and Lavry DA10. I had a Chord DAC64 MkII but sold it a few months ago due to lack of use.

I'm open to the possibility that another source will work better with the BHSE, but I'm afraid it might cost a lot. It will have to be a lot better than the DP-500 (used in bedroom) to replace the Esoteric stack. I use the DA10 on my desk with a pair of Dynaudio active monitors.

One thing I could do is bring the BHSE and headphones to a few local audio shops and try it with some of their sources. At least it is reasonably portable, I'll start doing some pushups to get ready.

[aerius]

same with the Audio Aero Prestige (well, i haven't heard the Prestige, but the Capitole is certainly not bright and is also a lot better than the DP-500, in my opinion). The BHSE sounded tremendously good with the Reimyo, but it doesn't do SACD or digital inputs.

The Capitole & Prestige are close enough that it doesn't matter, at least with CDs. I'd be shocked if I could tell them apart in a blind test.

[spritzer]

I never found the old BH to be bright but most electrostatics are on the bright side of normal. I also agree about the Esoteric sound. Great build quality but I couldn't own a stock unit... \

[HeadphoneAddict]

The Jade is doing very well. It reminds me of the HE60 in some ways. I really enjoy its spacious presentation and large headstage, it is a nice change of pace from the O2's "black hole" presentation, that seemingly squeezes all the music down into one tiny point inside your head.

That's "the deeper but not as wide soundstage" that I was talking about in my previous post. I always assumed that would get better with a better amp and source for my O2, so it's kinda disappointing to read that from you.

[Elephas]

Driven by the BHSE, I do think the O2's have a nice soundstage. Sense of distance is good, and it has pinpoint imaging and superb separation. No problems in these areas.

But I think that the illusion of the soundstage, where you are deceived and you think that sounds are coming from a distance (when they are obviously not, they are coming from the headphone drivers inches away from your ears), is less convincing due to the O2's small sound images and small headstage even though that soundstage is completely coherent. It's just that the sounds seem to be coming from miniature-sized instruments.

Sure, calling it a black hole is an exaggeration. It's more like an orange sized ball of sound inside your head, or maybe a melon for people with large heads; Spritzer probably needs a watermelon.

[Elephas]

Here's the BHSE taking the Zana Deux's usual spot, with the DP500.

OK, there's less treble energy than the Esoteric, and there's good smoothness and liquidity. But practically everything else is worse, especially details, soundstage, imaging, separation, refinement, etc. It's no good. Might as well not use the BHSE at all, I could use another amp and get somewhat similar results.

Notice that the front right tube is tilted to the right? The tube socket there is not exactly flat and therefore tubes in that position tilt to the right.

[HeadphoneAddict]

While I like Asr's KGBH SE more than my GES and the eXStata with the O2 Mk1 here at RMAF, I think I might like the Woo WES in it's latest configuration a little better. The prototype at RMAF has been upgraded to current specs, except for no phase splitter for SE>Balanced. The WES is much better than it sounded at CanJam (when it had half the power).

[Elephas]

Hmm, Woo WES...

This might sound crazy, and it does to me, but I'm much more inclined to buy another amp such as a WES than changing out the Esoteric source.

The results are basically the same with either the DP-500 or the Esoteric stack. The O2mk1 and O2mk2 are the only ones that are not bright, and sound closest to neutral to me (very slightly dark).

The others (SR-Omega, HE90, HE60, Jade, 4070, SR-SC1) are all brighter, at varying levels. Of these, I've had the most problems with brightness with the HE90.

I assume other BHSE owners are using either the O2mk1 or O2mk2? Is anyone using the SR-Omega, Jade or either of the Senns? I would be interested in how you think they compare with the O2's, and which tubes you are using with each headphone.

[spritzer]

You know my take on these phones and that was with the old BH which is more or less the same. It is hard to blame the amp for making the phones bright though when it is essentially dead neutral. The ES-1 as Mikhail built it is duller then a stack of wet towels and I'm sure Justin went a similar way with the Aristaeus as Senn did with the HEV90, tone it down a bit to make it sound beautiful but not true. When I moved from the SR-007 to the SR-404LE on the T2 it was clearly too bright but that's because the phones are on the brighter side of neutral. This is with the APL as a source which has a transformer coupled tube output, nothing like the slightly sterile and bright Esoteric sound.

I loved the SR-Omega from my old BH but the upper midrange/treble issues were still there. The amp didn't try to hide them in any way but other parts of spectrum were good enough for me to ignore it. That said you could be happier with an AC coupled amp. I would also look into different cables, ones that aren't trying to sound impressive.

[Hopstretch]

This might sound crazy, and it does to me, but I'm much more inclined to buy another amp such as a WES than changing out the Esoteric source.

It's just that a lot of your prodigious tube-, amp- and headphone-rolling efforts seem to be driven by a nagging perception of a slightly bright/dry/brittle sonic characteristic in your system -- which is pretty much the stereotypical fingerprint of your brand of source. Seems like it would make sense to try some comparable front ends that might give you a slightly different basic flavor to work into your recipe. Maybe an Ayre C-5xe?

And just to emphasize, I'm not trying to be a Smart Alec or to ignore the fact there are legitimate differences of opinion about the primacy of sources/amps/phones in building a system. I'm probably source-biased myself, if anything, which may be why it strikes me as strange in the first place.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Hopstretch

[The Monkey]

Sources...pshaw.

[mypasswordis]

Sources...pshaw.

So, how's DAC rolling going for you?

Elephas, what's wrong with the Headphile Lambda Pro when it isn't driven by the BHSE?

[Asr]

You know what could be a potentially great source for the BHSE? Audio Aero. I was reminded of them when I saw a Prestige at RMAF today. Who else has an AA besides Greg and Reks?

[screaming oranges]

You know what could be a potentially great source for the BHSE? Audio Aero. I was reminded of them when I saw a Prestige at RMAF today. Who else has an AA besides Greg and Reks?

(whistling)