The Headcase Stax thread

[deepak]

How did you make your KGSS wireless?

What do you mean, the wires are plugged in

[El_Doug]

Now all you need is to ditch the Omegas and purchase some 009s

The SR-Omega was my favorite set of headphones, until the 009s showed up - I honestly feel they made the Omega obsolete

[shellylh]

What do you mean, the wires are plugged in

Hmm, I must be working to hard and seeing things.

[HeadphoneAddict]

It Lives !! Just got the KGBH back Thursday after having the volume control replaced. None of the cosmetic damage has been fixed until the UPS claim is paid.

As for impressions, unfortunately I have a serious sinus infection that went into my chest, and then my ears which are all plugged up as well. But I got to listen for a couple of days before my ears got worse this weekend. Here's what I think, please be gentle with me.

I've got the KGBH hooked up to the balanced buffered output of the KGSS, so I can compare both amps running from the same source at the same time. So far my Hotrodded DIY KGSS is holding up very well vs the Supercharged DIY KGBH. If you recall from previous posts, neither of these amps are bone stock or standard in all areas. The KGSS is biased higher than normal and runs hotter than others, and the KGBH uses a higher voltage rail, custom Electra Print transformers, and a current source designed by luvdunhill. It's using Mullard XF2 EL34 tubes, and is designed to heat up quickly and runs very hot. Marc says this particular KGBH is designed to warm up in only 5 minutes, but I thought it still sounded better after it was fairly hot to the touch at 20-30 minutes.

One thing I was looking for in an upgraded amp was being able to drive the O2 Mk1 more authoritatively. This modified KGBH has maybe an extra 1-2 dB of headroom/volume over my KGSS, which itself has about 2-3 dB more headroom/volume than my WES. I was expecting a more significant increase in headroom/volume over the KGSS, but it does stand above the WES by a larger amount. Regardless, I would do most of my O2 listening with the volume at 12 o'clock and well below its max "clean" output, which is about 3 o'clock with the PWD as balanced source. It does play louder than I can stand, but the O2 Mk1 bass still doesn't hit as hard as the LCD-2 rev1 on my ZDT amp. On the other hand, any of these amps can drive the O2 Mk1 louder than my ZDT pushing the power hungry HE-6 in the photo.

I was also looking for an amp with stronger bass with any of my stats, and something that would very slightly tame the 009 or HE-60 mids and highs at higher volumes. The KGBH seems to do that. The differences are not huge, but they are noticeable. The KGSS has a similar warmth to the WES, but with a little better bass control and impact, highs, and imaging; while the KGBH adds to that even better bass impact and depth, along with slightly more laid back/smoother and more refined sounding upper mids and highs. The KGBH soundstage also seems a little bigger or more spacious, and I also think it sounds a little less colored and more transparent than the other amps.

For example, after listening to the KGBH for a while, switching to the KGSS makes things sound slightly splashy or etched in the lower treble. But if I listen to the KGSS for a while first, switching to the KGBH makes me notice the improved bass impact at the expense of slightly recessed mids when using the O2 Mk1, although that made it a perfect match for the 009. In contrast, switching from KGBH to the WES makes the O2 and 009 sound a little thinner and slightly darker in direct comparison. (I haven't tried the HE-60 or LNS with KGBH yet).

I think both KG/luvdunhill-built amps have excellent micro-detail, ambience and air, while retaining a sense of richness and presence. In comparison my WES is more forward and present in the mids (more lush?), with slightly blunted micro-detail, and slightly rolled off frequency response in the highs. My KGSS is slightly brighter than the KGBH, yet the O2 Mk1 really don't sound dark with the KGBH. Both amps work great with the O2 Mk1 and SR-009, and although I enjoy the SR-009 with all three amps I find that the KGSS and KGBH give everything better bass presence and impact. The extra bass impact and smoother highs make the KGBH a little better match for my SR-009, and I'm betting the HE-60 will be improved with it as well. I wasn't expecting it to sound great with both the O2 Mk1 and the SR-009, since these are very different sounding headphones, but it does.

Any of the three amps drive the O2 Mk1 well enough to beat my dynamic headphones, but I don't need all three of these amps. I think the WES is the best looking or most impressive looking of the amps, but I'm afraid that it's probably the one that will have to go. I absolutely love the aesthetics of the WES, but in the end the sound has to take a higher priority. My WES is the pre-production demo without the single ended inputs and phase splitters, and has the RCA jacks wired as excellent sounding SE loop-outs; and I often wonder if it sounds better than some production models because it's not nearly as bad sounding as Spritzer describes from his experience. I'm slightly OCD in thinking that I need a pretty looking amp, and that's why this is a harder decision for me. I'll deal with it.

Still, I only got in about 4-5 hours of listening before my ears became plugged up, and I really want to spend more time listening to the amps and comparing them after my antibiotics have cleared things up. I'm not sure if my impressions will change or not, but I have to make sure. In the end, if I must have a fancy looking amp to satisfy my OCD tendencies, I can sell a couple of amps for enough dough to buy one BHSE if I can wait 9-12 months. But with these two KG amps I can have one in my main basement rig and one in my bedroom rig - and the KGSS pairs very well with my Stello DA100 DAC in the bedroom.

[HeadphoneAddict]

I know, tl;dr

[n3rdling]

Glad you got it in one piece.

This modified KGBH has maybe an extra 1-2 dB of headroom/volume over my KGSS, which itself has about 2-3 dB more headroom/volume than my WES. I was expecting a more significant increase in headroom/volume over the KGSS, but it does stand above the WES by a larger amount.

I don't get this, can you explain?

[swt61]

Glad you got it in one piece.

I don't get this, can you explain?

You just had to ask that huh?

[deepak]

Now all you need is to ditch the Omegas and purchase some 009s

The SR-Omega was my favorite set of headphones, until the 009s showed up - I honestly feel they made the Omega obsolete

I'm going to wait till I have a chance to hear them myself for a couple of hours with a range of music. From communicating with some people I trust I'm told they're even brighter than the SR-Omega, and in that case I wouldn't be able to tolerate them as the SR-Omega still push those boundaries fairly close to my limit. Also there are some HE90-esque colorations in the SR-Omega that I like (blown out soundstage, nice midbass, etc). But if I like the 009 more then sure they'll be something I consider.

I still think the O2 mk1 are my reference for neutral on a good amp.

HPA- would you mind writing up a detailed thought on the BH vs the Zana Deux? Maybe throw in those speakers in the mix as well (they look really sweet)?

[morphsci]

I'm going to wait till I have a chance to hear them myself for a couple of hours with a range of music. From communicating with some people I trust I'm told they're even brighter than the SR-Omega, and in that case I wouldn't be able to tolerate them as the SR-Omega still push those boundaries fairly close to my limit. Also there are some HE90-esque colorations in the SR-Omega that I like (blown out soundstage, nice midbass, etc). But if I like the 009 more then sure they'll be something I consider.

I still think the O2 mk1 are my reference for neutral on a good amp.

^^^ This. With the BHSE the SR-Omega is about as bright as I want to go.

HPA- would you mind writing up a detailed thought on the BH vs the Zana Deux? Maybe throw in those speakers in the mix as well (they look really sweet)?

It's all in the micro-details.

[n_maher]

I don't get this, can you explain?

I think he's describing gain, but I'm not really sure. I also question most people's ability to hear a 1dB difference but I'm going to be gentle and leave that alone.

Larry, glad you got the amp up and running and are able to enjoy it. That's quite the setup you have there.

[n3rdling]

Heh, I ask because I've seen other people say similar things in the past. It should be easily measurable right? I'm just imagining somebody playing pink noise with each amp at max volume and guessing which one goes louder before their eyes bleed.

[spritzer]

I don't get that either. The BH has enough power on tap to burn up the headphones if they were introduced to it's full fury and the KGSS is damn close to that. WES isn't even close and DC offset and balance issues make it even worse. I've said it time and time again, gain means nothing and less of it is usually better.

[Duggeh]

If less is better I want a Stax amp with minus 1000 gains. It'll be awesome with my Metallica CDs.

[HeadphoneAddict]

I know what gain is - I'm talking about maximum perceived volume levels before the music starts to sound distorted. I'm just saying that the KGBH can play slightly louder before the music sounds distorted than the KGSS can, which itself plays a bit louder than the WES before the sound starts to break up.

I was simply trying to use terms other than "slightly louder" and "a bit louder". If the difference in perceived volume was barely noticeable then I estimated there was about a 1dB difference. And if the volume felt twice as loud to me then I estimated the difference to be about 3dB.

All of these stat amps have plenty of gain, and I can only use about 70-75% of their volume knob's full range before the music starts to break up and become unlistenable. It's not all about max listening levels, since I don't normally listen to music while pushing my amps to the max. But when listening to a live recording I will occasionally turn it up closer to nightclub levels for brief periods, and I don't like hearing the bass drum fall apart when it's struck.

The Sony speakers are crap, but the kids use them to listen to the radio while they use the pool table. I bought PSB Imagine Mini speakers for the basement rig, but liked them so much that I'm using them in my bedroom instead.

[swt61]

Sorry, but why is that important Larry? That's way too loud for listening sessions, so what is this supposed to tell you? Isn't it about how the amp sounds at listening levels?

My NAD amp has massive headroom, but it doesn't sound as good as my F5.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Sorry, but why is that important Larry? That's way too loud for listening sessions, so what is this supposed to tell you? Isn't it about how the amp sounds at listening levels?

My NAD amp has massive headroom, but it doesn't sound as good as my F5.

I didn't think it was that important, but it's the part that I had to answer the most questions about. Did people not read my whole post, or just the parts they didn't like? I also wrote about the sound.

[shellylh]

Did people not read my whole post,

It was kinda long.

[HeadphoneAddict]

It was kinda long.

I know, sorry. I only wrote one paragraph about the volume comparisons, but I put it up near the top. I think people stopped reading at that point.

PS: Marc agreed with my basic impressions comparing the two amps, saying he'd like an amp with the increased highs of the KGSS and the increased bass of the KGBH.

Edited April 17, 2012 by HeadphoneAddict

[TMoney]

As for impressions, unfortunately I have a serious sinus infection that went into my chest, and then my ears which are all plugged up as well.

Please take all of the following with a grain of salt. It's just one man's opinion.

Having just gotten over something similar a few weeks ago, get healthy, then give us your impressions. I put zero stock into my own impressions even when I'm just starting to get stuffed up. It just isn't a great time to be evaluating audio gear.

Also, there is no need for your impressions to be as long as they were. You aren't exactly dealing in unknown commodities here. While the KGSS and BH you currently have might be biased higher, many of us have heard some incarnation of both of the amps so there isn't much of a need to reinvent the wheel with your impressions. I think the Head-Case crowd generally prefers it to kept briefer and more to the point. Head-Fi is obviously a different story. I think if you tried to limit yourself to about 10-15 sentences, tops, you'd get down to the real nitty-gritty in the comparison.

Again, just my opinion, take it or leave it.

[n3rdling]

TMoney should be a High Rollah

HPA, I enjoyed reading your impressions and I usually don't even comment, but that small snippet is something I've always wondered about as I've seen you/IpodPJ/some others mention it about amps in the past.

[deepak]

Any suggestions for the foam/wool like material that goes on the back of Lambdas?

[HeadphoneAddict]

Any suggestions for the foam/wool like material that goes on the back of Lambdas?

Loofa sponge?

[wink]

Glass wool insulation.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OO-HO-Gauge-Rolls-Foil-Backed-Glass-Wool-Insulation-x-10-/180825204817?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item2a1a05a851

[spritzer]

It's actually mineral wool and not glass wool. No idea what type they used though as the stuff made up here is much, much coarser.

[deepak]

It's actually mineral wool and not glass wool. No idea what type they used though as the stuff made up here is much, much coarser.

Any suggestions for a source with similar porosity to the original? Did a shootout yesterday and they did not fair as well as my HD600/Equinox

Though I think I am just spoiled by O2/SR-Omega and my fondness for them the last time I owned them was when I didn't have any Omega.