Elephas

It's good to see more BHSE owners appearing. It'll be great to talk more EL34 and other related things. I borrowed the demo Acoustic Revive RGC-24 grounding thing again, and hooked it up to one of the RCA inputs. Initially I put the puck under the power supply section, roughly beneath where you can see a round toroid-looking thing through the top plate. Then I moved the puck around some, placing it beneath the amp section. Result? Not much if any difference. So no grounding thingy for the BHSE. Instead I got one of the RD-3 demag things for discs. You don't really need a 4070, just simulate the same type of experience by plugging an AES/EBU cable or digital RCA coax into an ear.

Heh, I see Tung-Sol black glass round plates or Sylvania metal base in your future. They are RCA caps. Probably won't affect the sound, but looks cool.

The O2mk1 is my favorite so far. It has the most balanced tonality. Even and neutral with nothing standing out too much. Bass impact is very good, not lacking at all. I think it leans slightly to the dark side of neutral but it is very, very slight. Smoothness and level of refinement is very high, the best I've heard. The O2mk2 can be very good or not so good, depending on the music. Its stronger mid-bass can sometimes seem a bit too much and too dominating. The SR-Omega's larger headstage, more expansive soundstage and brighter sound can be a very nice change of pace from the O2's. I particularly like it's greater sense of air. With the O2's, the sound seems to come from a vacuum. The SR-Omega, and also the HE90, seem to have a greater sense of airyness, of making you think that sound is actually passing through air and distance before reaching your ears. I've never liked the 4070, I think it's bland and tasteless and sucks all the joy out of listening to music. The music sounds flat and lifeless somehow. The HE90 is no good so far. The excess treble energy gets irritating and listening fatigue sets in quickly. Driven by the BHSE, it doesn't have the smoothness and refinement that it has with the Aristaeus. It's not a bad sound, don't get me wrong, I even thought I liked it at one point, but it's obviously too bright. Top 3 would be: O2mk1, O2mk2, SR-Omega Second tier: HE60, Jade, Airbow SR-SC1 Not recommended by me: HE90 Not recommended by me unless you want to simulate how it feels like monitoring an audio feed: 4070

In case anyone is wondering, no, I haven't bought a 3rd party umbilical and don't intend to. I haven't even touched the fuses. So rest assured, my dirty hands haven't molested the BHSE, at least if you don't count some light fondling and drooling over it once in a while. A few weeks ago I got a little carried away with tube rolling and somehow neglected to bias the tubes. Well, now that that very slight error has been addressed, I'm back to report that nothing really has changed. I still prefer the Mullard xf1 and xf2. The SR-Omega sounds pretty good with the DD-getters. Both the Philips metal base and Telefunken 5-crimped plates are still disappointing. They're quite good, no doubt, but I don't think they live up to their market prices and 'legendary' reputations. The HE90 still sounds too bright. The GE 6CA7 which worked quite well in the ES-1 with the HE90, doesn't work well at all in the BHSE. Thin, really bright, excessive treble energy all over the place. Piercing. Even sibilance where there wasn't any before, in my experience with my other gear. Maybe the HE90 is revealing sibilance in the recording that other headphones are masking, you say? Well, maybe, but I don't think so, given the preponderance of evidence pointing to a bright sound. Even with the Mullard xf1, which I had thought matched with the HE90 the best, it is still bright. I'm beginning to think the BHSE is just not suitable for the HE90. If I can't find the right type of tubes, maybe a more drastic move such as changing the source could work. But it would take a very warm and full-bodied source with a lot of rolled-off treble, which in turn wouldn't work well with the O2mk1 or others. True, the SR-Omega, 4070, Jade and HE60 are also all brighter than the O2's. But I don't think they're as problematical as the HE90, since I'm using them quite happily. I'll keep at it, there are still more tubes to try. I've gotten my grubby hands on some GEC KT77, the old ones made in England. These will be one of the last types of Old Stock tubes I haven't tried yet (Telefunken metal-base are impossible to find!). And there are still some current-production I haven't tried, such as the JJ recommended before, current production KT77 Gold Lion, and a few more. But at this point, I'm not very optimistic. I think it's very likely I'll end up not using the HE90 with the BHSE. It's disappointing, based on my expectations and experience using the HE90 with the Aristaeus and ES-1.

I "keep bringing it up"? I don't have any further information regarding that particular SAA umbilical cable, other than what's on their website. So of course I'm making a qualified statement. Can anyone else say differently? As a BHSE owner, I'm concerned about anything to do with warranty issues. I can only guess what the fuss is all about for the rest of you.

Why are you and other people telling Justin what to do? If there's a legitimate, technical reason why using another umbilical cable can damage the amp, then a warning should be given to all owners and a notice given that the warranty would be void. Assuming that another umbilical cable, made to the same specs as the stock cable, wouldn't damage the amp or cause other problems, then I don't understand why the warranty would be void. Suppose I took my amp and stock umbilical cable to a shop and asked them to build me another cable with the same specs. Maybe I need a longer or a shorter umbilical. Maybe I'm an idiot and just want to waste money on a fancy looking umbilical. If the other cable meets the same specs as the original, what's the problem?

Hey, some of us don't know much about DIY electronics, we rely on you guys to tell us this stuff. I agree it's doubtful that SAA have actually tested their umbilical on a BHSE. But they know what the connectors are, maybe from checking out the amp at a meet.

C'mon, this is ridiculous, void the warranty for using another umbilical cable? Is the HeadAmp official umbilical cable some kind of magic cable that can't be replaced? What, use something else and the amp will crap out?

I don't like the marketing fluff, but it seems that's the way many companies choose to market their products. I can ignore it, as long as the product seems good. But those blurry photos annoy me. I wonder if SAA has actually tried their umbilical on a BHSE, I think it's doubtful. -- I'm not afraid of K1000 mega-systems anymore. Or super balanced HD650 systems, balanced R10 systems, etc. The only one I might still be apprehensive about is a balanced HD800. They are still a bit scary. Oh, and anything backed by an R-to-R source is definitely scary. Currently playing: atb - Don't Stop (X Cabs Remix) with SR-Omega I don't think the old Stax engineers ever intended the venerable SR-Omega to play trance music like this. But they should have, and also recommended their presumably mostly middle-aged clientele to try it. I feel 15 years younger. Actually younger than when the CD was released. Can anything else do this?

WANT genuine Stax socket! OK, it's all right, I guess it's too late. I can suffer and make do with the inferior stock socket. I'll just have to make up for it elsewhere. Hmm, there's this umbilical cable thingy thing? Stefan AudioArt Home I hate their artsy-fartsy photos, though. I refuse to buy anything from them until they show real photos.

Yeah, it would be nice to have a relatively small SS amp around. I think the 404LE + 717 combo is selling for around $1800. That could buy a few good EL34 instead. They have 717, 727 and 007tII demo units. I brought my Jade over to have them install heatshrink over the Y-split, and then plugged it into the 717 briefly to compare with an SR-404. I thought the Jade won quite easily.

Ah, erm, I cancelled my order for the SR-404LE. I thought it was just a 404 with leather pads and a different cable, how different could they be? Last week at a local shop I did see a 404LE box there. They're having a special sale of the 404LE + 717 combo. I thought the 717 was discontinued, but apparently they still have some.

I hate you. I received some Herbie's Audio Lab tube dampers today. I got a set of four Ultrasonic Rx in size 35, a set of four Ultrasonic in size 40 and a set of four metal rings only in size 30. I think these should cover most EL34 and 6CA7 sizes. Someone sent me a PM asking about them early last month, before I received the BHSE. I replied: "I have four Herbie's Audio Lab rings in the 12AX7 size. They do work to reduce microphonics. Supposedly, all tubes are microphonic and in some cases you can hear the effects through the headphones or speakers. I've experienced this with very few preamp tube types (2C51, 12AU7, 12AX7). It's an annoying low-level hum in the background. Putting the Herbie's tube rings over the tubes reduced the microphonics in almost all the (very few) cases. The results can depend on the amp and the tubes being used. I think that if good, non-microphonic tubes are used, the rings can be dispensed with. I also use larger tubes and haven't bothered to buy tube rings in those sizes. Other than reducing microphonics, I haven't found the rings to really improve the sound quality significantly. But overall, I think it is worthwhile to buy some and try them." Well, after getting the BHSE, I thought I had to try them for myself. I've never used any dampers on the Aristaeus (the 12AX7 are mostly blocked anyway), the Zana Deux or the ES1 (except for the first position pair of 2C51). I didn't have any larger sizes so I never tried any with EL34 tubes. Until now. Anyway, I think they're worth trying on the BHSE. I believe there's a small improvement in the sound, particularly in the bass which seems more solid, clearer and better defined; currently listening to SR-Omega with EL34 DD-getter and Ultrasonic Rx.

Who cares about SR-404 versus SR-404LE? We want SR-404LE versus Airbow SR-SC1!

Ah, I didn't know you have an Aristaeus. I don't think it's a good match with the O2mk1 or O2mk2. Sylvania 5751 in place of the ECC83 may help, I think they're crisper-sounding than the ECC83 I've tried. Mullard or TF ECC83 are great with the HE90, but I think their smoothness is too much of a good thing with the O2's. Can there be such a thing as too much smoothness? Well, no, but if it also comes with lack of dynamics, dark sound, lack of treble extension, lack of air, congestion, then it's not a good thing. Sure, the O2+Aristaeus might not be as horrible as I'm saying. I had a KGSS before I got the Aristaeus, and later I sold the KGSS. So if the O2+KGSS combo is supposed to be OK, then the O2+Aristaeus shouldn't be such a bad one. But after I got an ES1, I liked the O2's more and no longer used them with the Aristaeus. Now, with the BHSE, the O2's seem to be even better and I'm not sure how the ES1 is going to fare in a comparison. The ES1 has been sitting in a closet since I got the BHSE. I have to find room in order to compare them directly, these amps are big and generate a lot of heat! What ever happened to sensibly-sized amps like a Lehmann Black Cube Linear that you can put anywhere?!

It's not just the headphone, you *need* the amp too. Hehe, I own an R10 too. Actually I had two, as I believe you do, and I sold off the one with less bass. I thought it had a superb midrange but the lack of body and bass impact was not good. I also have a few other dynamics, which I use with a Zana Deux. To give you a sense of how good the BHSE is, I no longer feel like listening to any of the dynamics + Zana Deux. I still thought I did with the Aristaeus or ES-1. The ZD isn't the best dynamic amp, sure, but it probably shouldn't be too embarrassed in a battle with most other single-ended amps. If you have the budget for an R10, you should be able to do an SR-Omega easily. The SR-007, either Mk1 or Mk2, are more easily doable and should be a given. They are pretty good values at used prices. So is the SR-Omega actually, compared to R10, L3000, PS-1, HP-1, K1000, Qualia, etc. market prices. Oh, yeah, even when I was using unbiased (heh) Mullard EL34 xf2 00-getter tubes, I already thought they were great with the O2mk1. So the O2mk1 and the xf2 00-getter is the second official "Class A Super Cool Baby Elephant Recommended" headphone and tube type combination.

The BHSE would look more symmetrical if the power supply box was the same size as the amp section. Anyway, the SR-Omega with the Philips EL34 xf4 DD-getter brown base is now officially the first "Class A Super Cool Baby Elephant Recommended" headphone and tube type combination. Rest assured that the proper tube biasing procedure has been meticulously performed, and all impediments have been overcome, whether poor coordination, poor eyesight, clumsiness, heat-sensitive digits and outer limbs, a sore back due to excessive bending over the amp, or the poor interface between the low quality plastic pot trimmer tool and the infinitesimal bias adjustment screws. You may prefer other headphones, OK fine. You may not even like electrostatics, and prefer modded Denons or Ultrasone (yuck, can't argue with bad taste). You might primarily be a dinky JH13 IEM user. But I'm fairly confident that even you will concede the superior qualities of the SR-Omega + BHSE and EL34 DD-getter combination.

The O2 driver housings are fixed so it is potentially less likely to fit people with "non-average" head sizes and shapes. The location of your ears also matters; for example, my left ear is further back than the right, it is a bit closer to the back of my head. So I guess I'm a non-symmetrical ugly. Supposedly, human standards for physical beauty are for a large part based on symmetry. The earpads can compress some, but I think that means the clamping force is too tight. I like having enough clamping force such that I can lift the headband off my head and everything still stays put. But not too much clamping force that it's uncomfortable or such that any part of the earpads are compressed. Also, I think that the pressure should be evenly spread over the entire surface area of the earpads that come into contact with your skin. If there's more pressure at the bottom, for example, it probably means that the driver housings aren't fitting over your ears in a parallel way, or maybe the bottom part of the driver is closer to your ear than the top part. Smaller heads might experience this. The solution is to the bend the headbands to a more oval shape, so that the driver housings (and drivers) are parallel to each other at your head width. There's also the bend close to where the headbands attach to the housings. You can experiment a bit adjusting the angle of the bend, just a little bit a time. The earpads are asymmetrical and are thicker along the long straight of the D-shape and thinner at the outermost curve. Although the earpads spin around 360 degrees, I think it's best to keep the thick part behind the ears, where the shape of the head curves away.

Ugh, the SR-Omega is sounding not so good with SRM-T1W and 6SN7GTB tubes. Hmm. Well, I am listening to Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, after all. It isn't easy to make them sound good, you know. -- Driven by the BHSE, the Jade, SR-Omega, HE90 and HE60 are all brighter and have more treble energy than the O2mk1 or O2mk2. Any of them would be a nice complement to an O2. Currently, still without much listening time with any of the headphones, my picks would be either the Jade or SR-Omega. I haven't even tried the 4070, though. It isn't one of my favorites.

Is it a good idea to use 6SN7 tubes in an SRM-T1W using adapters? Well, I'm using a pair of Sylvania 6SN7GTB tubes in an SRM-T1W right now, so let me know quickly if this will blow up the amp. The cover can't be closed due to the height of the adapters plus tubes. The Jade is sounding quite good with this configuration.

You are welcome to think what you will. Go ahead and make more rolleyes.

Hey, no being mean to fellow four-legged mammals! Yay! Yes, I have it! So that's what it was. I thought it was some piece of junk that got accidentally left there. I should've known better, given HeadAmp's excellent reputation for attention to detail. But it's beige-colored and says Vishay Spectrol on it. I want a black or silver one that says HeadAmp on it. Or maybe printed "Kevin Gilmore Loves You." Given Justin's probable obsessiveness, and the fact that the stock tube boxes are individually labeled for the tube's position, I assume that the original biasing settings were set for the stock tubes. When I put in the stock tubes they were already correctly biased, and I thought they weren't bad! So all the other tubes are actually better than I thought!

Heh, there's a tool for adjusting trimmer pots. Now I know they're called trimmer pots. I hate these tiny things. Now I'm absolutely sure that the BHSE and Aristaeus were designed by a young person, probably around 25 or less. Hey, I can recall how I used to have keen eyesight and good coordination too. Pars, I'm afraid you don't yet realize the extent of the ignorance and incompetence that you're dealing with. "Clip onto the shell of a crappy RCA plug?" I don't have a spare RCA plug lying around. "Test lead sets?" How about an "audiophile-grade" holder for one of the multimeter probes, to act as ground? Maybe something shiny, chrome-plated, with a weighted base and perfectly shaped to cradle that probe and ensure excellent contact? Currently playing: Boccherini - La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid from Tacet SACD "Die Rohre - The Tube." Wow, the smoothness! The excellent passacalle movement is played at the end of the movie Master and Commander. I admit to enjoying some violins and other stringed instruments once in a while.

Yes, it's fine, I was able to perform the procedure. I waited until the amp was warmed up, but did require re-biasing about an hour later when the amp was even warmer. I would've preferred larger biasing adjustment screws, the tiny flat-blade screwdriver can slip. And the locations are not really ideal, the tubes are in the way and add some clumsiness and ouch! Justin recommended the outside of an RCA jack at the back to use as ground to touch one of the probes to. The probe tends to slip off the RCA jack, is there anything else I can use?

I want a cake shaped like a T2!