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.

very nice looking, now i want to see an all silver one.

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.

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...

Ditto. If that said amp would have two Stax sockets then that's just golden...

Who needs Stax...two HE90 sockets!!

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?

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.

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.

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.

I enjoyed the SR-404s at the meet and, to me, they didn't seem as lean as they are sometimes said to be.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

The 717 and the Egmont w/a BH PSU aren't up to the BH level but more then good enough for that crap.

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?

Nate, are you now, er, 'set' at psu?

No, our conversation from last week still stands. My "loaner" BHSE departs tomorrow for Virginia.

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.

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...

I'm waiting for people to try the Groove Tube EL34s...those are pretty reasonable at ~ $100 a quad.

The tubes used were the SED Winged "C" tubes.

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...