Paul McGowan saidMG Audio. By far the best speaker cable I’ve ever used, bar none.
Which particular model and terminations do you prefer/use, Paul.
Thanks in advance.
Which particular model and terminations do you prefer/use, Paul.
Dirk said But then there is the downright ridiculous, cables packaged in boxes made from some rare wood like Dalbergia Sissoo and lined with Vicuna wool.....! WHY ??Rare is the enthusiast who truly appreciates only performance and does not enjoy thick CNC carved billet faceplates, silky volume controls, pretty displays, exquisite packaging. In terms of performance, the quality of a Ferrari's paint matters not. Yet, the smooth, orange-peel free external surface matters a great deal. The package matters.
I have had llamas an alpacas for many years. I would adore a bespoke vicuña wool sport coat from Kiton (a luxury Neapolitan tailor) but have yet been able to justify the $20,000+ price.
““I have had llamas an alpacas for many years. I would adore a bespoke vicuña wool sport coat from Kiton (a luxury Neapolitan tailor) but have yet been able to justify the $20,000+ price.””
They’re not special, I had vicuna lined saffron robe from my time at Mount Kailash but I itched like crazy 
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It would be wonderful to visit Mount Kailash. Were you on pilgrimage?
But while they there are lamas there, they do not have llamas or alpacas or vicuñas or guanacos (too cold, they are South American beasties). If any of the Mount Kailash Tibetan lamas have vicuña lined robes, they are exceedingly wealthy with great international connections.
I have quite a few alpaca and llama clothing articles, all of which are wonderfully soft, silly warm, and itch free. I am familiar with vicuña fleece (raw, spun and as fabric). It is incredibly light, and silly expensive ($3,000+ for a yard of fabric).
Elk saidIt would be wonderful to visit Mount Kailash. Were you on pilgrimage?
But while they there are lamas there, they do not have llamas or alpacas or vicuñas or guanacos (too cold, they are South American beasties). If any of the Mount Kailash Tibetan lamas have vicuña lined robes, they are exceedingly wealthy with great international connections.
I have quite a few alpaca and llama clothing articles, all of which are wonderfully soft, silly warm, and itch free. I am familiar with vicuña fleece (raw, spun and as fabric). It is incredibly light, and silly expensive ($3,000+ for a yard of fabric).
Elk, Just as a tourist 21 years ago … A wonderful experience … My late father was in Tibet in the early 60’s and he would regale me with fascinating stories and photos that I just had to make the trip … As for the rest, ‘just jesting’ ! I have never owned or worn clothes fashioned from llama wool…
scotte1 saidWhich particular model and terminations do you prefer/use, Paul.
Thanks in advance.
I have both the solid silver and the copper. When I travel and setup systems outside PS I use the copper because it’s always guaranteed to work perfectly on unknown speakers. At PS where I know the speakers, I use the silver. They are more revealing but they can be aggressive so I suppose my overall recommendation would be for the copper.
I use banana connectors.
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Dirk said Elk, Just as a tourist 21 years ago .. A wonderful experienceI can only imagine. Neat.
Thanks for the Iconclast and mg audio cable suggestion.
How about Audio Sensibility SC and IC… Has anyone tried it?
Their appearance and the material used looks great plus the price is quite reasonable too, but dont know the synergy with the equipment and the speakers.
den saidHi den, balanced or phono cables ? I'd use balanced if possible - that's my preferred choice interconnects on my system.. I find better gains to be made/heard when buying top quality phono - phono than with balanced interconnects.. I use MG balanced interconnects but I also use Mogami 2893 quad star balanced interconnects that I built myself and they are also very good.. So, if you are using balanced interconnects, Audio Sensibility should be good fit with your equipment ! I am sure Elk builds his own interconnects from Mogami cable.. Yes - the MG interconnects are excellent but I don't run screaming from the room when I connect up the balanced Mogami interconnects..Thanks for the Iconclast and mg audio cable suggestion.
How about Audio Sensibility SC and IC… Has anyone tried it?
Their appearance and the material used looks great plus the price is quite reasonable too, but dont know the synergy with the equipment and the speakers.
And they do look OK, but I haven’t heard them… Good name though - Audio Sensibility - is that the Jane Austen cable company
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den
I use the Audio Sensibility Testament SE XLR interconnects and Statement speaker cables along with Triode Wire Labs power cables with the BHK preamp and 250 amp.
@Dirk Yup… its for balanced IC. Actually its Canadian cable company. They used OCC Copper which can be found on most of the high end cable at a reasonable price. Think Iconoclast use OCC Copper too in their SC (correct me if i’m wrong on this)
@dawkinsj What do you think of Audio Sensibility Cable with PS Audio BHk? Any significant improvement compared to the other cable you’ve auditioned before?
Den
I was using Wireworld Equinox 7 previously which is also OCC copper at a higher price. I prefer the AS cables with the BHK’s and I broke the WW’s back out and tried them again then went back to the AS cables. All the IC’s in the system are Audio Sensibility along with the speaker cables. At the moment the PC’s on the BHK pair are Triode Wire and the rest are Neotech.
A bit of a twist on the original question posted.
Limited budget, and without any expectation of upgrades in the future, I’m sorting out the right balance of equipment. Its all about getting lost in the soundstage.
I’ve already purchased a DirectStream and will be streaming. For speakers a pair of Elispa SE’s will be arriving in a bit over a week.
Current thoughts are that I want a BHK amp and most likely a preamp as everything I read talks about what a game changer it is
Would I better served with a 250 with preamp, or to go with the 300 without preamp? Finally I consider myself a music lover rather than an audiophile, for what its worth.
Although it would be an extreme stretch, is the 300 with pre going to be that monumental of a noticeable difference?
Listening for myself would be the best answer, but it looks like I’d have to travel 1000 miles to audition
Thanks in advance
Keith
“Although it would be an extreme stretch, is the 300 with pre going to be that monumental of a noticeable difference?”
In a word: “YES”…
I have two systems: - one with the DS DAC straight to a BHK250 driving Shahinian Obelisk Mk2 speakers - my other system DS DAC, BHK Preamp, BHK300s & 250 driving Shahinian Diapasons and Obelisk Mk2s.
I have tried installing the BHK Preamp, the second BHK250 & the BHK300s into my smaller system just to gauge what each could add to the system…“The BHK300s are on another level !!”
I’ve tried using both 250’s as a dedicated right channel and a left channel amplifier - hence there would be no crosstalk between channels, etc… The BHK300s just slayed them whether it was one 250 or both the BHK250 amplifiers! Then by adding the BHK Preamplifier it quite simply elevates the performance to a much higher level - much more musically engaging…
But like you said - you would need to hear for yourself to make up your own mind up… Personally, I would go for DS DAC straight to the BHK 300s rather than a BHK250 / Preamp: when funds allow you to then add the BHK Preamp / or if it’s possible go all out and buy the BHK Pre & 300s together…!
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a BHK250 because it is a wonderfully musical amplifier whether used direct from the DS DAC (and in my opinion ‘‘much better’’ with the BHK Preamp) sharing traits of the 300s, but when the 300s are connected up they are a waaaay better amplifier!! AND: If I had never heard the 300s I would still be on cloud nine with a BHK250…!
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While everything is system dependent, given your reference to getting lost in the music, I would go with the 250 and BHK pre. The pre typically adds additional emotional impact.
You stress budget limits. And you seem to always refer to the 300 in the singular. You do realize that you will need two of them, yes?
I can’t imagine the 250/pre combination leaving you feeling disappointed. That said, I would start with the 250 and DS Dac and use the DAC preamp. See how you like that combination. It’s much better than you would expect. And you can always add the pre later. And with whatever is left in the budget, spend on the best cables you can afford. Cables can have as profound effect on sound as any component.
If you don’t think of yourself as an “audiophile”, the benefits of dual mono might not give you best value for money.
In the for-what-it’s-worth department, having bought the 250 a week before the 300’s came out I was past the decision point. I had a “revision A” model of the 250 (serial number 9). But I did notice that changing the four rail fuses from the standard thin wire to HiFi Tuning Supreme did improve the sound noticeably. I have no idea if this is the sonic differences folks hear between the stock BHK 250 and 300, but it was sure cheaper than buying two new 300’s!
Note: I did change the two power input fuses to the Synergistic Research Black (on sale before they came out with the Blue) and that barely made any difference after I changed the rail fuses.
The big question is this: Am I the only one who noticed this improvement? I did have to get the 250 repaired after the early-model binding posts broke, and they said a few other improvements were made to bring it up to Revision “D,” so I don’t know if the fuse change is moot now.
Anybody with a 250 and 300 care to compare? Might be an interesting experiment.
–SSW
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May I ask if any bhk user experienced with other types of small triodes ？ the bhk power amp comes with 6922 ? Can I replaced them like 12au7 or 12at7 ?
The BHK amps only use 6Volt tubes. The 12 in 12AU7 indicates a 12Volt tube. There is a world of NOS 6 volt tubes available.The BHK Preamp can use 6 and 12 volt tubes with the appropriate adjustments to voltage and bias.
Prefer Option 2 by a wide margin.