So the OII's arrived, which makes the question of an appropriate amp more urgent all of a sudden. With Stax SRD-7 MkII powered by my heavily modded Bottlehead 3 watt 2A3 SET and 5 watt Almarro single-ended pentode, I can get sound that satisfies me enough with HE60 and HE Audio through various tube/capacitor/cable rolling.

OII's give me that magical single-ended intimacy through this setup, but the bass suffers a lot, both in quantity and impact, much more than the other 'stats I have.

So what 'stat amp would power all these 'stats convincingly without breaking the bank? Woo GES/WES, eXStatA, or get a better transformer box with bigger amp?

I have never quite liked the KGSS sound, even with OII. BHSE would be great for OII, but the price and availability is a problem along with the fact it didn't sound all that magical with HE60 and HE Audio in past to me. RSA A-10 sounds pretty good with HE60 and HE Audio but not so magical with OII, and there's that price thing.

Can I just point out that you might want to better define "breaking the bank" because the WES is $5k while the eXStatA is supposed to be considerably less?

Given your preference for things non Gilmore... Woo WES. Personally I love my KGSS but if you don't then the WES is probably more for you.

I think you'll find it impossible to find 1 amp that'd be suitable for all three headphones.

Exstata for value and don't worry about the sound is my suggestion.

DIY or a commercial unit?

I would try a KGSS on your source to see if you like it more. I don't hear any particular KGSS sound. Well I didn't hear a Blue Hawaii sound either so YMMV. Both amps sound like the source with a touch more bandwidth on the BH.

BH + HE60 was damn good. So much better than any Stax transformer box.

Edited August 2, 201015 yr by deepak

I second that, these amps are as close to wire's with gain as you can come so either the listener likes more color or the source isn't up to snuff.

The SR-007 and HE60 both like power, lots of it so GES, WES, Exstata (Cavalli's version but the KG one would work) and A-10 certainly aren't up to the job.

The ESX would be an obvious solution, can be built quite cheaply and sounds very nice indeed. KGSSHV is one and so is something like the modifed Exstata. You could also build one of Frank Cooters designs for something totally different...

I'd suggest the KGSS and admitting that your source might be a larger player in the overall puzzle.

ASGARD!!!.....uhhh, shit, doesn't really work here, does it.

My choice would be a KGBH by a small bit over the WES. I find the KGBH a little more dynamic, whereas the WES is a little mellower.

I only have the Jades so I can get by with a loaded GES, but the GES doesn't cut it for the OII. Nice to have such a difficult decision

Asgard + transformer box!!!! What can't it do?!

If you thought the HE-60 did not sound good With a BHSE I would look to the source or a problem with the phones.

problem with the phones.

wait, not Larry!

I have heard some HE-60 that have not been treated kindly over the years.

If you thought the HE-60 did not sound good With a BHSE I would look to the source or a problem with the phones.

I didn't say it didn't sound "good." In fact, HE-60 sounded pretty good to great out of BHSE, but it didn't have that "magical" quality I love.

I'm typing as I'm listening to some well-recorded chick-with-guitar-music via OII/SRD7 II/EML 2A3 SET, and that voice is Soooo sexy, clear, intimate, detailed, dense yet sparkling, and yes "magical." I did not used to be a SET die-hard, but how do I argue against what's coming through my ears right now? Now, if could just find a little more bass and impact...

^^^ I stand by my statement.

What are the mods to your Bottlehead? IMO their products are some of the most midrange centric I've heard even amongst SET. Give me DC coupled wide bandwidth over that any day. A good recording/mastering will retain the midrange realism on a transparent system.

I have heard some HE-60 that have not been treated kindly over the years.

Even the good units I've had here were far from perfect. I shudder to think how Larry butchered that particular set as the all important o-ring is at the back of the drivers...

Who is Larry and what did he do to his HE-60?

Edit: Oh, that Larry.

Edited August 2, 201015 yr by mypasswordis

Do the kgss and kgbh really sound that much different?

The BHSE sounds pretty different, but IMHO, the KGSS and BH sound pretty close.

When I spoke to Kevin about it years ago that was pretty much his thoughts too. KGTT to KGSS, good improvement in sound. KGSS to KGBH, technical advantage, similar sound.

The KGSS and KGBH are very similar in terms of design and their lack of sound signature is very similar. With the BHSE vs. older BH comparisons you have factor in that the old Headamp units weren't running at full power...

The KGSS and KGBH are very similar in terms of design and their lack of sound signature is very similar. With the BHSE vs. older BH comparisons you have factor in that the old Headamp units weren't running at full power...

Have you tried the eXtrata and what did you think, esp for OII?

After going through a bunch of electronica, dance music, hip hop, etc, my current bass issue via SRD7 MkII/2A3 SET seems to be actually a little too much bass (actually more like lack of drum-tight definition) centered around 60-80Hz and lack of true extension in deep bass below that, confirmed by playing around with EQ a little bit. Cutting by 1-2 dB in 60-80 Hz and boosting by 1-2 dB in 20-40 Hz range sounds more balanced but a little more authority and impact across the range would be useful.

Lack of bass control can be two things with the SR-007, lack of amplifier power (which you no doubt have with that setup) or the fit is not good enough. Probably a comination of both but I wouldn't mess with the fit unless you sort out the amp first.

Have you tried the eXtrata and what did you think, esp for OII?

I have and I wouldn't recommend it over any of the Stax amps.

Anyone think the SR-717 might be a good compromise without breaking the bank? I realize it is a little more colored, but convincing enough to consider maybe?