Paul McGowan said Beta Tester Eric has yet to set up his handle for the forums and asked me to post his first reactions for him. He just installed a new set of IRS Betas and they still needed setup.Glad to hear that the BHK is working so effectively in Eric's system, but it would be helpful to know what amp he was previously using. TIAPaul,
As you've professed, so many things factor into that just right sound.
While I've been trying to place the speakers, the sound continued to be muffled. Things sounded like they were recorded with a wet rag over the mic. Piano and violin sounded flat and lifeless.
I hooked up the new amp and it was an OMG moment. Everything came alive. The clarity of the instruments was amazing. It was if I was having a live performance in my living room.
To give you a visual analogy, it was like going from a 2D to a 3D movie. The 2D transfers the flat image to your eyes, but the mind has to work to form the perspective; whereas, with 3D what you see is much closer to the original or live performance. Far less interpretation is required.
As further testament, my wife, who has very little interest in sitting and listening to music, joined me for the initial test run (in part, because I needed her help in lifting the amp into place). She had listen to a couple of songs on the old amp (not impressed, it didn't hold her attention). But, when we played the new amp she was amazed. The word she spoke was "Wow!!!!." This is like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time kind of wow. We listened to ThePianoGuys "The Mission / How Great Thou Art" - off their Wonders album and it literally brought her to tears. Now if that isn't impactual, I don't know what is.
I missed the first delivery attempt yesterday but stayed home this morning until it came. I unpacked it but have not installed it yet. That will have to wait until I get home from work tonight. Darn work–if they would only send me the money and not expect me to do anything I could devote more of my time to the important things.
My amp went live today, replacing a Levinson 335. My first thoughts are the BHK is brighter and much more responsive. I can’t wait to hear this amp once it is broken in…
P-5/moded Mac Mini/Directstream/BHK/transparent cable/Sonus Faber Amati Homage…
Carter had emailed me earlier to tell me ‘no A/B necessary, the 335 is now retired’. I bring that up only because some might misinterpret ‘bright’ as being a negative.
Welcome, Carter!
Be sure to tell us more when you get a chance.
Got mine set up after work today. A couple minor glitches. First, it took me a couple minutes to realize that I needed to loosen the binding posts to insert my banana plugs and that they then lock down on the plugs when tightened. Very nice. A manual that explains these things for idiots like me would also be nice. When the unit first started, the logo on front blinked for a while and then sound came out. Again, it would be good to have a manual to tell me that’s normal. The unit then tripped off after about 30 seconds of play, with the logo light flashing rapidly. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen. I restarted and two hours later no problems.
The sound is certainly a big step up from the Classic 250, itself still a great sounding amp after 13 years or so. On paper they are very similar and have the same power ratings. But the BHK is cleaner, displays more details, effortlessly controls the speakers, and basically just sounds right. Top to bottom I just don’t hear anything to complain about and that is not damning with faint praise. Quite the contrary. This is a great amp and worth the (considerable) wait. Kudos and congrats to Bascom, Paul, Arnie and the whole team. More to come, eventually. Now I’m just going to listen.
Paul,
Tubes are seated. Checked that since it is shipped with tubes in place. Getting new tubes from PSA tomorrow to put in as next thing to try. I am sure we will get there.
Thanks,
Dave
stevem2 said Got mine set up after work today. A couple minor glitches. First, it took me a couple minutes to realize that I needed to loosen the binding posts to insert my banana plugs and that they then lock down on the plugs when tightened. Very nice. A manual that explains these things for idiots like me would also be nice. When the unit first started, the logo on front blinked for a while and then sound came out. Again, it would be good to have a manual to tell me that's normal. The unit then tripped off after about 30 seconds of play, with the logo light flashing rapidly. I don't think that's supposed to happen. I restarted and two hours later no problems.The sound is certainly a big step up from the Classic 250, itself still a great sounding amp after 13 years or so. On paper they are very similar and have the same power ratings. But the BHK is cleaner, displays more details, effortlessly controls the speakers, and basically just sounds right. Top to bottom I just don’t hear anything to complain about and that is not damning with faint praise. Quite the contrary. This is a great amp and worth the (considerable) wait. Kudos and congrats to Bascom, Paul, Arnie and the whole team. More to come, eventually. Now I’m just going to listen.
Thanks Steve!
One of the problems I have describing the character of the BHK (stereo only, dammit) is that, to my old and untrained ears, it just doesn’t have much character to speak of. It’s just that neutral. It’s not warm and (just a bit) fuzzy like my old all-tube VTL ST85. I’ve recently revived a late '60s vintage Fisher 400 all-tube (20 tubes in total) receiver that, at a claimed 30 watts, has shockingly more bass than my other amps (and undoubtedly a corresponding bump in its frequency spectrum). The BHK doesn’t sound transistory like some of my solid state amps (my Classic 250 doesn’t really either but nor would it be confused with a tube amp and it doesn’t sound the same as the BHK). The BHK is the closest thing I’ve heard in my system to the proverbial “straight wire with gain.” And isn’t that what the ideal amp is supposed to be? (And now Paul says the monos kill the stereo–I can only imagine (with great difficulty), and really don’t want to.)
Paul McGowan said Carter had emailed me earlier to tell me 'no A/B necessary, the 335 is now retired'. I bring that up only because some might misinterpret 'bright' as being a negative.Let me replace "bright" with the phrase "more alive", verses my 335, which I bought in 05 (guessing!).. Bass guitars sound so much tighter, in general my system has a much better sound. More responsive with cleaner detail would be my current description..... I'll ping back next week when I have more hours played.
P-5/moded Mac Mini/Directstream/BHK/transparent cable/Sonus Faber Amati Homage…
Multiple folks have had possession of their amps for some time now, and there have been no posting on this thread for three days. Very puzzling - what is going on? Doesn’t anyone have anything to report?
edorr said Multiple folks have had possession of their amps for some time now, and there have been no posting on this thread for three days. Very puzzling - what is going on? Doesn't anyone have anything to report?Hey you guys, I seriously want to know how it is going regarding the sound and more importantly, if your amp is going into protect mode and under what conditions.
Thanks,
BHK
Was just about to ask the same. I’m very curious what you guys think about the amp. Mine should appear in a week or something.
They’re probably still listening and just can’t bear to pull themselves away from the music 
That’s certainly part of it SF. I posted my initial impressions above at 47 & 50. I still feel much the same. The BHK250 is extremely detailed but not etched or harsh in any way. Soundstage (which is somewhat limited in my small room) is relatively deep and wide. Inspired by Paul’s interview of Bascom (pt. 4), I’m now listening to Crosby & Nash’s Another Stoney Evening. I wouldn’t mistake it for the sound of David and Graham being in the room but it’s impressively close. Another mutual favorite, Bear’s Choice (I’m particularly fond of the acoustic cuts), has never sounded so crisp and lifelike. Vocals sound wonderful.
As noted above, the unit went into protection 20-30 seconds after I first took it off standby. No idea why. I turned it off and back on (just standby–I haven’t used the rear on/off since I first turned it on) and it has been fine ever since.
Another Stoney Evening is one of my three reference multi channel recordings (i have the DVD-A rip). Fantastic album, and phenomenal recording. It is particularly useful to test the integration of the center channel, because of the layering of the voices. I presume you are listening to the stereo.
Yep. I don’t have the space (or the budget) for a proper multichannel system. And only one BHK.
Hello,
I have approximately 30 hours on my BHK Signature 250 and it sounds fantastic! After spending time with many different amplifiers over the past 30 years, I characterize the BHK’s sound simply as musical.
I am using it to power my Bowers and Wilkins 804 Diamond speakers which are specified as an 8 ohm nominal and 3 ohm minimum load. My BHK Signature has performed flawlessly. It does run a little warm in its tight quarters.
Bravo BHK and the PS Audio Team, Kevin
I have been running my BHK 24/7 since Monday at 3:30 PM, so for almost a solid week. It sounds great out of the box and sounded better after about 5 hours. I was pretty busy all week so most of the time the music was background. I did listen hard the first 5 hours, then again Friday afternoon, and Saturday for hours with audio buddies. I played from a few sources- DS DAC, VPI SSM TT, and the OPPO 105.This amp does a lot really well. There is no noticeable harshness, no listener fatigue. It seems the sound stage depth is not as deep as what I had, though the height and width are really great. Vocals seem life-like in size, not overly wide sounding, or sounding as if coming from just slightly above the floor. I’m enjoying the bass, which seems very detailed. There seems to be bloom, and I’m trying to discern if it’s more natural or not. I have noticed a lot of details I’d missed before. I can’t be sure if it’s because I’m listening closer and/or the different sound of a new amp. I do hear new details whenever I change a component or listen to a different stereo, as they all have their own presentation. It will be interesting to listen to this amp for a couple weeks and put my EDGE back in place. This amp seems to run hotter than my EDGE. It does not seem to run as hot as my Pass X-600 monos.
I will post more on my observations.
woot said This amp seems to run hotter than my EDGE. It does not seem to run as hot as my Pass X-600 monosThat would be interesting to compare BHK vs Edge vs x600