[95Dyna]

I'm seeing the BHA-1 now being called the BHA-1F.  Anybody know what the F stands for and how it differs from the BHA-1?  For example that's what Audio Advisor is calling it.

[BrysTony]

As I recall the BHA-1 could be ordered with male or female connectors on the front face.  Audio Advisor is differentiating between the two with a letter. Female is most common. 

Tony

[James Tanner]

As I recall the BHA-1 could be ordered with male or female connectors on the front face.  Audio Advisor is differentiating between the two with a letter. Female is most common. 

Tony

Correct F is for Femaie XLR connectors on the front.

james

[95Dyna]

Thanks guys!  That makes way too much sense.  No wonder I couldn't figure it out 

[vlach]

Sorry if this has already been discussed...I didn't read through the 42 pages yet...has anyone compared the Soloist against the Bryston BHA-1?

I just finished reading the 100 pages of the Bryston thread and to my surprise not a single comparison between the two amps, which I find odd since they are not too far apart price wise and both seem to have excellent reviews.

Anyone had both at the same time for direct A\B comparisons?

Thanks.

[R. Daneel]

Hi folks!

I was just wondering what you guys think of pairing the BHA-1 with a headphone from Grado labs, be it GS1000 or PS1000.

I must say I spent some time with the PS1000 but it was with an OTL tube amp and I was not really satisfied. For some reason, the mid-range seemed rather recessed to me.

What I am looking for is a headphone for quiet listening. I have the Sennheiser HD800 and it's awesome but to get the best out of it, the volume level has to be moderate and sometimes this is a bit too loud for me when I am listening to music in the evening. So, I would like something that sounds excellent at low volumes.

Is there something you would recommend to me? How would the new AKG K812 fare in this game?

Best wishes,
Antun

[Grit]

I tried (and really wanted to love) Grado. I went through those, HifiMan, and ended with Audezee LCD-2's. I LOVE mine. But, as with flavors, what one person likes, another may not.

- Garrett

[steve in jersey]

Sorry if this has already been discussed...I didn't read through the 42 pages yet...has anyone compared the Soloist against the Bryston BHA-1?

I just finished reading the 100 pages of the Bryston thread and to my surprise not a single comparison between the two amps, which I find odd since they are not too far apart price wise and both seem to have excellent reviews.

Anyone had both at the same time for direct A\B comparisons?

Thanks.

Based on the my experience w/ the other 2 headphone amps that I have (both tubed) I would say that my Soloist "Errs" on the slightly
"cool" side (& I do mean slightly) of sounding "neutral".

I listen to various types (mostly Orchestral) of Acoustic music almost exclusively. While the Soloist will sound very detailed & gives you a
very good sense of 'dimensional sound' it could use just a touch of 'warmth' to bring you closer to the music rather then the "sound" of the "recording".

I met a retail Bryston dealer who will be bringing in the BHA-1 in the near future, I've been curious myself so I'll take my HiFiman HE-6 in to give it a listen

[R. Daneel]

I tried (and really wanted to love) Grado. I went through those, HifiMan, and ended with Audezee LCD-2's. I LOVE mine. But, as with flavors, what one person likes, another may not.

- Garrett

Hi Garret!

Thanks for your comment!

I have noticed that many people like Audez'e headphones due to their low-end extension and gentle high-end that seems not to discriminate lower quality recordings. Would you agree with this observation?

Would you consider the Audez'e a good headphone for low-volume listening?

Cheers!
Antun

[Grit]

With the BHA-1, I find it pleasant at all volume levels.

In comparison to the HiFiMan HE-500's, the Audezee's were just more musical. When listening to the HE500's, I always ended up focusing on some portion or instrument of the song, never the whole piece. By way of analogies, it was like watching a movie on an LCD television with the soap opera effect. It was very detailed, but it just never managed to capture me emotionally. The LCD-2's though... I instantly found myself tapping my toe and bobbing my head. Everything became cohesive and it just sounded more like music to me.

Perhaps consider The Cable Company, which (for a price) will allow you to borrow even headphones before you buy them.

- Garrett

[R. Daneel]

With the BHA-1, I find it pleasant at all volume levels.

In comparison to the HiFiMan HE-500's, the Audezee's were just more musical. When listening to the HE500's, I always ended up focusing on some portion or instrument of the song, never the whole piece. By way of analogies, it was like watching a movie on an LCD television with the soap opera effect. It was very detailed, but it just never managed to capture me emotionally. The LCD-2's though... I instantly found myself tapping my toe and bobbing my head. Everything became cohesive and it just sounded more like music to me.

Perhaps consider The Cable Company, which (for a price) will allow you to borrow even headphones before you buy them.

- Garrett

Hi Garret and thanks for the reply!

The LCD-2 seems rather nice I must admit. Do you run your headphones single-ended or balanced and which ear-pads are you using, leather or velour?

I have seen some FR graphs and am a bit concerned about the roll-off in the top-end because I listen to a lot of classical but then, I really don't know how those measurements translate to real-life performance and whether this roll-off is even noticeable.

Cheers!
Antun

[James Tanner]

Hi Garret and thanks for the reply!

The LCD-2 seems rather nice I must admit. Do you run your headphones single-ended or balanced and which ear-pads are you using, leather or velour?

I have seen some FR graphs and am a bit concerned about the roll-off in the top-end because I listen to a lot of classical but then, I really don't know how those measurements translate to real-life performance and whether this roll-off is even noticeable.

Cheers!
Antun

Hi Antun

It was one of the issue I was surprised at when I was developing the BHA-1 headphone amp as to how varied the frequency response of the different headphones were.  It may explain why there are so many different preferences and opinions about the listening experience.

james

[R. Daneel]

Hi Antun

It was one of the issue I was surprised at when I was developing the BHA-1 headphone amp as to how varied the frequency response of the different headphones were.  It may explain why there are so many different preferences and opinions about the listening experience.

james

Hi James!

I see your point!

The FR graph of the Sennheiser HD800 is very flat and to my ears, they are the flattest transducer I have heard to date and this includes loudspeakers. With the BHA-1, the tonality is virtually spot-on realistic, no matter the what kind of instrument is being reproduced. Obviously, Sennheiser did it with the HD800.

Every person will have his or her opinion on the sound. Still, that doesn't mean we should change the laws of physics just to accomodate one's opinion and make it the "right" one. Equipment can either sound realistic or not, there is no other basis on which one can evaluate it. I have to tell you I searched hard and it took me 2 years to finally set on a pair headphones and then another year to find the perfect amplification for it. I always go back to my sudio recordings and live memories from the various places I played at and then I know whether it sounds as good as the real thing or it doesn't. But many, many people don't have such experiences, no point of origin, so they might get impressed by something that is farther away from the truth and in some cases, the truth isn't at all what they consider good sound.

Some manufacturers try to imprint their signature on the sound of their headphones just to stand out a bit from the crowd. That is fine of course but ultimately, it doesn't get you anywhere because someone else might say his way of doing it is the right one. The peril of this approach is compatibility. There is just no way equipment can sound good with everything if it puts it's own imprint on the sound it reproduces. Genuine neutrality is the only way to achieve this compatibility.

The BHA-1 is an utterly flat, color-free and linear-sounding amplifier. It is linear in a way that FR domain is accurate but more importantly, it is accurate at all volume levels and this has proved to be it's trait that is impossible to find elsewhere.

So, I understand your troubles but you did well and "sanity" and engineer's approach are always a good thing if you ask me.

Best,
Antun

[James Tanner]

Hi James!

I see your point!

The FR graph of the Sennheiser HD800 is very flat and to my ears, they are the flattest transducer I have heard to date and this includes loudspeakers. With the BHA-1, the tonality is virtually spot-on realistic, no matter the what kind of instrument is being reproduced. Obviously, Sennheiser did it with the HD800.

Every person will have his or her opinion on the sound. Still, that doesn't mean we should change the laws of physics just to accomodate one's opinion and make it the "right" one. Equipment can either sound realistic or not, there is no other basis on which one can evaluate it. I have to tell you I searched hard and it took me 2 years to finally set on a pair headphones and then another year to find the perfect amplification for it. I always go back to my sudio recordings and live memories from the various places I played at and then I know whether it sounds as good as the real thing or it doesn't. But many, many people don't have such experiences, no point of origin, so they might get impressed by something that is farther away from the truth and in some cases, the truth isn't at all what they consider good sound.

Some manufacturers try to imprint their signature on the sound of their headphones just to stand out a bit from the crowd. That is fine of course but ultimately, it doesn't get you anywhere because someone else might say his way of doing it is the right one. The peril of this approach is compatibility. There is just no way equipment can sound good with everything if it puts it's own imprint on the sound it reproduces. Genuine neutrality is the only way to achieve this compatibility.

The BHA-1 is an utterly flat, color-free and linear-sounding amplifier. It is linear in a way that FR domain is accurate but more importantly, it is accurate at all volume levels and this has proved to be it's trait that is impossible to find elsewhere.

So, I understand your troubles but you did well and "sanity" and engineer's approach are always a good thing if you ask me.

Best,
Antun

I agree and ultimately came to the same conclusion for the BHA -1 ... make it as neutral as possible otherwise we end up in this arbitrary circle.

james
 

[R. Daneel]

I agree and ultimately came to the same conclusion for the BHA -1 ... make it as neutral as possible otherwise we end up in this arbitrary circle.

james

And no one is happier than me

[Grit]

Hi Garret and thanks for the reply!

The LCD-2 seems rather nice I must admit. Do you run your headphones single-ended or balanced and which ear-pads are you using, leather or velour?

I have seen some FR graphs and am a bit concerned about the roll-off in the top-end because I listen to a lot of classical but then, I really don't know how those measurements translate to real-life performance and whether this roll-off is even noticeable.

Cheers!
Antun

You bring up a good point. Most of my listening when I bought the headphones was pop/rock with jazz thrown in here and there as well as movies/TV. Aside from some of the jazz, most of those recordings are probably not very true to the original sound, thanks to all the processing. So, I like the Audezze's for what I was listening to at the time.

I did try the Sennheiser HD700's, which have a similar flavor to the HD800's and found them to be dry. Prior to all of this, I have used Sennheiser for over a decade. I love their comfort and the sound of the old HD590's (if I have the model number right). I still have a few sets of much lower priced Sennheiser's and I always enjoy them. I also did get to listen to the HD800's when they came out. At the time, I thought they were the best headphones I had ever heard, but a tad lacking in bass. From what I've read and heard, they may be the better choice for classical.

I use the leather ear pads and a balanced connection.

[James Tanner]

Hi Jim,

I have gotten into headphones in the last couple of years, as I ran out of suitable room to get the kind of sound I wanted for my Thiel 3.7s. I have them in storage, but hoping to put the big Bryston 14bsst2 on them one day.

In the meantime, I am listening to headphones (Audeze LCD-3s) and I just added your bha-1 headphone amp on them and wow what a difference! I upgraded from a Schiit headphone amp which was good, but nothing like this. It seems to have plenty of power even on low-gain mode.

I like the Byrston sound - straight ahead, no embellishment, very detailed and honest, which is what I like.

Regards,
David

[schugh]

Hi folks!

I was just wondering what you guys think of pairing the BHA-1 with a headphone from Grado labs, be it GS1000 or PS1000.

I must say I spent some time with the PS1000 but it was with an OTL tube amp and I was not really satisfied. For some reason, the mid-range seemed rather recessed to me.

What I am looking for is a headphone for quiet listening. I have the Sennheiser HD800 and it's awesome but to get the best out of it, the volume level has to be moderate and sometimes this is a bit too loud for me when I am listening to music in the evening. So, I would like something that sounds excellent at low volumes.

Is there something you would recommend to me? How would the new AKG K812 fare in this game?

Best wishes,
Antun

I got the PS1000 on sale from a dealer that was waiting to get the new 'e' series models a few months ago.
I had the cable converted to balanced.
Sounds quite superb with the BHA-1.
I did have to lower the output level (via an internal jumper) on my Benchmark DAC2 otherwise it would get loud very quickly.

But then so do my HD800 and Audeze LCD3. They all sound great with the BHA-1.
I just have to decide which sound I'm in the mood for as they do sound different.

-- Sanjay

[R. Daneel]

Hi folks!

I finally connected the HD800 with it's CH800S balanced cable. I bought this cable months ago and never really used it till just a few days ago. The reason for that was to spend as much time with the stock cable and then be able to compare it to the balanced one. Replacing the cable is a bit of a problem because it isn't easy to disconnect.

I am now listening to some recordings and I must say the improvement is definitely there. The most notable one is increased resolution of the subtle nuances and detailes of the instruments and vocals. However, I must also say I am hearing improvements in dynamics. It seems more dramatic and the differences between quiet and loud passages are obvious. Fingersnaps are more detailed for instance.

I won't say this is due to the cable though. I am keen on believing the amplifier works to it's full potential this way.

Can you share your own experiences if you have any?

Also, is there anyone who uses the new AKG K812 with the BHA-1?

Cheers!
Antun

[R. Daneel]

Doesn't anyone have an AKG K812?

Cheers!
Antun