GPH Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 That's the best looking headphone amp I've ever seen. Industrial, yet refined look, great attention to detail, all black with blue leds. Just perfect.
Deadneddz Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 very nice looking, now i want to see an all silver one.
The Monkey Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 That's the best looking headphone amp I've ever seen. Industrial, yet refined look, great attention to detail, all black with blue leds. Just perfect. Exactly. It is a sophisticated looking (and sounding) piece of equipment. But there are those cool touches and details that still make it visually exciting. The heat sinks make the amp look so badass without making it look boxy.
spritzer Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 very nice looking, now i want to see an all silver one. Ditto. If that said amp would have two Stax sockets then that's just golden...
deepak Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 Ditto. If that said amp would have two Stax sockets then that's just golden... Who needs Stax...two HE90 sockets!!
luvdunhill Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 So, I don't have those impressions. But as Nate and I discussed, the differences between the phones may be obvious to Stax lovers, but they are much much closer than they are different. not trying to start anything, really.. but.. would you say these differences are relatively similar to how Senn lovers perceive differences between the HD-650 and HD-600, i.e. much much closer than they are different?
Dusty Chalk Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 I'm not the Monkey, but having heard both under similar circumstances (at a meet, being driven by a BHSE), I'd have to say -- yes, exactly. Very good analogy.
The Monkey Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 would you say these differences are relatively similar to how Senn lovers perceive differences between the HD-650 and HD-600, i.e. much much closer than they are different? I'm not the Monkey, but having heard both under similar circumstances (at a meet, being driven by a BHSE), I'd have to say -- yes, exactly. Very good analogy. It has been too long since I've done a head-to-head 600 to 650, so I'm not sure based on mine own ears. But from what I've read I would think the analogy apt.
spritzer Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 What sets them apart isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things but to my ears it's a big break for the character of a Omega headphone. For the first time they have "a sound" which is super imposed on everything (like the Jade, He90 etc.) and that is a deal breaker for me. As another example, lets compare the LNS and the SR-404. Both phones are nearly identical except for the diaphragm material yet sound completely different. Throw the SR-SC1 into the mix and there is the third type of sound, all from the same ingredients. All of the Lambda phones sound very similar to one another but a small change goes a long way.
Hopstretch Posted March 22, 2009 Report Posted March 22, 2009 I enjoyed the SR-404s at the meet and, to me, they didn't seem as lean as they are sometimes said to be.
The Monkey Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 I have to say that I thought vcoheda's Meridian-->KGSS-->O2 mk1 sounded very good to me at the NYC Meet. That extra power makes a difference I guess.
Carl Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 As another example, lets compare the LNS and the SR-404. Both phones are nearly identical except for the diaphragm material yet sound completely different. Throw the SR-SC1 into the mix and there is the third type of sound, all from the same ingredients. All of the Lambda phones sound very similar to one another but a small change goes a long way. I'd like to see someone put some fine powder on the various types of Lambda/Sigma drivers and map out their Chladni Patterns at various frequencies. Given the reasonably large sound differences given the same shape and mechanical operation I assume that the modest differences between the electrode/diaphram-coating capacitance and diaphram's molecular makeup have quite a marked affect on the modes or vibration.
spritzer Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 How the diaphragm is tensioned and the glue used to hold the drivers in place are probably factors as well. I have a vintage SR-404 on the way that I'm going to rebuild with different types of glue to test that theory (and have a new test headphone for amps as well). It is quite astounding how 11 phones which are almost identical can sound so different.
Elephas Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 I wonder who's amp is that all-black BHSE #1 in Nate's photos. Someone with excellent taste opted for the HE90 + Stax outputs instead of two Stax. Stop torturing me, I've been without a BH now for 9 months... :'( A-ha, so what did you use with the Jade? If not a BH, then it was obviously an inferior amp and therefore your evaluation is suspect and invalid. I officially submit a petition to the Stax Mafia to disqualify all Spritzer's comments about the Jade!
Elephas Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 very nice looking, now i want to see an all silver one. I would've gone for an all-silver one, like one Aristaeus unit I've seen photos of, but that wasn't available. Some panels are black only. I don't like the two-tone look very much so I went with all-black except for silver tube rings, like most Aristaeus were configured.
boomana Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 I wonder who's amp is that all-black BHSE #1 in Nate's photos. Someone with excellent taste opted for the HE90 + Stax outputs instead of two Stax. I'm pretty sure the one at the NY meet is Justin's amp.
spritzer Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 A-ha, so what did you use with the Jade? If not a BH, then it was obviously an inferior amp and therefore your evaluation is suspect and invalid. I officially submit a petition to the Stax Mafia to disqualify all Spritzer's comments about the Jade! The 717 and the Egmont w/a BH PSU aren't up to the BH level but more then good enough for that crap.
Torpedo Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 The 717 and the Egmont w/a BH PSU aren't up to the BH level but more then good enough for that crap.
pabbi1 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 A-ha, so what did you use with the Jade? If not a BH, then it was obviously an inferior amp and therefore your evaluation is suspect and invalid. I officially submit a petition to the Stax Mafia to disqualify all Spritzer's comments about the Jade! Well, I used the he1.2b with a BH, and liked it a LOT less than Spritzer, so... Nate, are you now, er, 'set' at psu?
n_maher Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 Nate, are you now, er, 'set' at psu? No, our conversation from last week still stands. My "loaner" BHSE departs tomorrow for Virginia.
Deadneddz Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 Were the tubes on the bhse at the meet the stock ones justin included? I would've gone for an all-silver one, like one Aristaeus unit I've seen photos of, but that wasn't available. Some panels are black only. I don't like the two-tone look very much so I went with all-black except for silver tube rings, like most Aristaeus were configured. Damn, no all silver bhse? I don't care much for two tone either.
spritzer Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 From the pics I've seen they were SED but it's the new production Mullards that will be included with the amp. The SED's were by far my favorite new production tubes when I tube rolled the old BH (2004/05) but they pale in comparison to the old XF2's. Just did some digging and there is a new version of the SED's out. Not cheap at 90$ a pair but could be very good...
deepak Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 I'm waiting for people to try the Groove Tube EL34s...those are pretty reasonable at ~ $100 a quad.
n_maher Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 The tubes used were the SED Winged "C" tubes.
spritzer Posted March 23, 2009 Report Posted March 23, 2009 Construction appears to be very similar to my old Svetlana branded set (Winged C Svetlana before they split up). Now if I could remeber what those cool black glass EL34's were called...
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