HemiSam

Interesting. Maybe a bored 343?? I'm no expert. I'll defer to swt61. I know my MOPAR's better. HS

I'm gonna take this back....you are correct. It's an AMX. Thanks for clarifying. HS

Those Javelins are under appreciated. Would love to do a restomod of one or the coke bottle shaped ones like Donohue raced in the Trans-Am series. Great pics. HS

That's a tough one and I don't think I could honestly say yes. What I can offer is mine dissipates heat very well and I have left in one for 12 hours at a time w/o issue. I've never let it run much longer than that at one go, but after 12 hours I could comfortably lay my hand on top of the case. I think heat management and tube longevity are the two variables in the equation. Different executions of the same basic design so I'd start by asking about how hot it gets. That's my simple two bits. Best of luck with your search. HS

If it's a nicely built one for a fair price, I believe it will do you a great job with the 007A's. HS

I have spent a lot of time with a 400v KGST and the 007A. Great combination. I think 350v would be fine, but if it's being built than see if you can do the upgrade. HS

The 007A is super enjoyable out of the KGST. Listening to Earnest Ranglin - Surfin' off of Below the Bassline at the moment....tasty. Sadly I had a channel imbalance incident with the first 007A, but FromJapan made it right with some shoving. HS

That's gonna leave a mark... HS

Thank you, mulveling. I would be lying if I said I was anything but pleased as punch with my KGST. It's a relatively small footprint for one of these beasts and the build quality is exceptional. Many hours on it with nothing but a smile on my face. I can get it plenty loud for me, although I'm not the head banger I once was. Still like to crank the rock and blues guitar tunes at times though... HS

That is helpful, purk. I tried to get my hands on a MkI from the UK but the deal fell through...dip. The KGST I am using was kindly made for me by Geoff. He afforded the option to swing 400v and I am glad I signed up for that. To my ears, although the KGST is a tube amp it's got a lot of hybrid/SS characteristics. Similar in that regard to the Woo WA7 I use for my TH900's. I've spent many an hour in the recliner with the 007A/KGST combo and it never seems to fatigue me. HS

Thank you for that, purk. HS

Anyone compare the KGST to the Carbon with 007's or 009's? Curious if there is much difference. Absolutely impressed with the KGST thus far listening with new run 007A's bought directly from Japan (streaming FLAC files to Ygg DAC balanced out to KGST with nothing special cables). HS

First I've seen that, purk. I have read nothing but good things about the BHSE, but there's been a lot of good about the KGST. In hindsight, no outright comparisons though. Personally, I think I'd be better off just trying the 009's with my current rig than ordering a BHSE. I really enjoy my relatively new KGST and I'm not up for the Bataan death march that is ordering and waiting for the BHSE. I may be a lot of things, but brutally patient isn't one of them...LOL. Very much appreciate your and Hopstretch's insights all the same. They give me context I did not have previously. Perhaps I'll be fortunate and get to listen to someone else's BHSE at a meet or the like one of these days. HS

This is useful info. Thanks, purk. s I've been deliberating about the 009s. Basically where I stand is that the Fostex TH900's out of the Woo WA7 (i.e. dynamic setup) sound as good as my SR007s out of my beloved KGST. The 900's are a bit more forward up top (some might call brighter), are undoubtedly V shaped in signature, and definitely pack a bass punch which I like (bass goes lower/deeper than the SR007's although the 007's are no slouches), but I'd argue that they stand up to the more costly 007/KGST rig. They're both fantastic, but to my surprise they're a lot closer than I'd ever have guessed. It took me a week to appreciate the 900's and after the second week I was gobsmacked at how good they are. This has me wondering about the 009's...damn. The current price point for the 009's out of Japan direct if you're paying in dollars is really good...I agree. HS

and to think, I might have missed out on all of this.... HS

LMAO! I saw that...the man has definitely drank the koolaid. I found when I rubbed two sticks over my KGST, the midrange improved and I started a fire If you keep taunting me like this, Laowei, I'm going to have to go and buy another pair of headphones. The 009's do look way sexy. It's a sickness... HS

Thank you for sharing Laowei. I am very curious indeed about the 009's in the ygg > KGST chain and your early reflections are most helpful. I may just have to break down and purchase a pair so I can see for myself. Your description as "distant" is likely what I am hearing as well. HS

I fear posting in here after that entertaining head-on collision and the fact that this will be boring as hell after that comedy, but...I've had my South American coffee so here goes. Please be gentle... I've been listening to the Schitt ygg DAC into a KGST into 007A's purchased not long ago directly from Japan. Zero mod's on the headphones. Listening to the chain for weeks now. Previously I was using a Beresford Caiman MkII DAC which I thought was pretty darn good for the price point and definitely better than the DAC in my Woo WA7 DAC/amp. There is gobs of detail, the highs are definitely there and if the source file is peaky then the sound is that as well. The bass, holy crap is it there in spades. It is all good, very good. The one thing I can't help but feel/hear is a bit of veil that resulted from the ygg (I'd likely get hung for suggesting this on the other site so I figured I'd brave this post). I'm wondering if perhaps the Beresford was "bright" or is it perhaps that the ygg that's supposedly more like "analogue" that is resulting in the veil? I have the same experience with the ygg into my dynamic rig (Woo WA7 to Fostex TH900's) which is V shaped but a hell of a lot of fun. It's an extremely enjoyable chain, but it's not altogether what I was expecting. Thinking about trying 009's with this chain as it might be a nice combination. I listen to guitar blues / jazz, classic rock, and I like trip hop stuff like Nightmares on Wax and Gramatik, Zero 7, etc... Thoughts? Soz for the rambling post... HS

I must say, my KGST built by Geoff runs surprisingly cool. He made it to swing 400v's and added some smart heat management. I can lay my hand directly on the cover, over the tubes, after it's been running for several hours without discomfort. It's warm but not at all hot. I've been super pleased with his execution of the KGST design. My living room stays between 75 and 80 degrees F. HS

My replacement SR-007A finally showed up from Japan (landed in Chicago at about midnight and showed up at my door in TX midday...pretty impressive considering the EMS is USPS domestic). I get to use the KGST with a Stax again....woot! Love this damn amp...really I do. If it turned into a pizza and beer at 2am, I might marry it. HS

That looks fantastic...and that small footprint. Gobsmacked. I have to say, my KGST is that cat's arse. Only wish my damn SR-007A's didn't present a channel imbalance within a week of receiving them new. Oh well. The Koss ESP's and a closed set of dynamics I bought recently are holding me over. Can't say enough good things about the KGST design. I'm no expert, but paired with the 007A's.....oh my. HS

xianghao, It would be great if you posted your thoughts on A/B'g different tubes. Best of luck and I hope you have some fun with it. HS

That's a fair point as the single connector does have R+/R1 and L+/L-...thanks for enlightening this electrical dummy. I'm feeding the KGST the analog signal from a single ended DAC although it's via R/L RCA's to Neutrik connectors. I do not possess the golden ears some seem to on another forum, but the rig sounds very nice, especially with streaming FLAC files. The KGST has clearly taken the Koss to another level. Their limits at right there with this amp. I'm pleased as punch. HS

So far all my cans and my DACs are single ended so I've not gone balanced (personally or with my audio ). Sounds so darn good to me single ended I haven't felt the need, but I'm no expert on balanced vs single ended. HS

The heat sink is extremely effective. I live in Houston, TX so having something that runs cooler especially during the summer is a big bonus. I've run the amp for several hours at a time. My DAC is sitting back on the KGST as can be seen in the pics above. The DAC is relatively small and I lay a thin magazine under it away from the cooling vents on the amp. DAC stays comfortably cool...no problem. HS