+1 +1 +1. Looking forward to those comparisons as well.
Great feedback guys, keep it coming.
Yes. I would like to see reports of direct comparisons of the amp against heavy hitters in the next price bracket up, and understand if the BHK has shifted the price performance point of amps, like they did with the DS. I refer to this as offering five figure performance for four figures.
Only 6 hours on mine so far, so my comments should be taken as such. I have no idea how long the unit was burned in at Boulder.
In my case I had run the Streets for the last 6 years with an XLR interconnect (A PS Transcendent, to be precise) in SE mode using an adapter. The Streets is an SE amp, but at the time I had wanted to buy a balanced amp. So it’s finally here! That’s the good news, the bad news is the one half of the cable hadn’t been broken in yet as there was no signal going through it, so I didn’t expect much at first power-up of the BHK.
Sure enough, the BHK sounded similar to the Streets at first power up. I listen to the percussion on the various soundtrack albums. Wood blocks and Taiko drums sounded very similar.
Keep in mind the Streets was very unique for its time. I bought it 31 years ago. While it had “conventional” bipolar transistor output stages and an op-amp for the input stage, the amp was one of the first to use regulated power supplies. So it sounded very musical. Albeit at only 95 wpch.
Fast forward to about 5 hours on the BHK with the Transcendent interconnect cable after my wife and I watched some TV with it and I was able to get back to listening. Whoa. What’s happening here? The best I can describe it is that the instruments are all there, just as they were with the Streets. Spatially you could reach out and touch them. Even with the Streets. But now with the BHK each instrument had added a crispness, a texture, a tangible addition to the dynamic as the attack of each note now came through with so much more clarity than it did in the Streets. It’s as if (and I’m only second guessing here, mind you) the Streets had taken that energy and smeared it into the mids, but the BHK delivered it to the speaker. So now each note came across with all this extra dynamic on it.
A great test of this is strings, so out came the 2Cellos album “Celloverse,” playing “Trooper Overture,” “Thunderstruck,” and “Mombasa.” Ohhhh yeah. I knew I had been missing something in the Streets with the dynamic response, but but the BHK is so much fun I couldn’t sit still in the chair. Finally.
More later.
–SSW
My unit arrived last Monday via FedEx. The tracking report indicated it had reached the local facility early Saturday morning but with no Saturday delivery it sat there until Monday.
I sent the following note to Paul and Steve yesterday since I didn’t realize this forum was already up and running so I’m posting a portion of it here just FYI. I will post again when I actually have some sound to report on!
I have not yet hooked up any cables but probably will in the next day or two. So what can I possibly already have comments about if it's not about the sound? Well, here goes:
1. Handles. Every power amp I've owned including my current Levinson has had handles on the back (or sometimes the front) in order to make it possible for a person to move the unit around with at least something to hang on to. When no handles have been present there were always instead some cut outs in the design of the case to allow for gripping. As beautiful as the unit is, I found it almost impossible to get it from point A to point B by picking it up. No handles. No cut outs.
2. Feet. Which leads me to the second issue. Those pasted on rubber feet on the bottom. Since I couldn't lift the unit easily I placed a cloth under it so I could push or pull it close to the amp stand I was placing it on. As I pushed it along I could see the cloth bunching up a little but I did manage to get it to the stand. However when I lifted one end there were two of the rubber feet attached to the cloth rather than the amp and a third one was hanging. I managed to get the unit unto the, fortunately, low stand but with 3 of the 4 rubber feet missing the unit didn't sit solidly. So I very carefully tipped the unit on its side (again cushioning it with a cloth) and managed to restore the rubber feet to their proper positions but I know that if I try to move it again without lifting it, they will peel off. While I'm sure I'm in the minority of people that will encounter this issue, I would suggest that future production units find some way to make those feet more permanent, whether it takes screws or some other way to secure them.
Please understand this in no way takes away from what I'm fully expecting to be a grand experience but I think a couple of practical issues got lost in the shuffle.
I would guess that this is very valuable information for PS Audio.
gary16 saidWhile I'm sure I'm in the minority of people that will encounter this issue, I would suggest that future production units find some way to make those feet more permanent, whether it takes screws or some other way to secure them.
Gary thanks for making these comments and jogging my memory-one thing i was going to suggest was that several folks may want to use stillpoints (or other vibration isolators) with these and the mono amps and my units aren't here yet to decipher what's going on underneath but if the feet are similar to the P10 chassis it might make that prospect a more difficult one without a way to easily remove the feet and screw in an adapter...
It’s a $7500.00 product with stick on feet? Really?? I’m sure some folks will use fancy footers, or even not so fancy, but still stick on little rubber feet? And there really ought to be handles on the back… I can see that the case work in front doesn’t lend itself to handles but at close to 100lbs there should be handles…
With the Classic 250 and/or the P600 (maybe both), PSA included I nice pair of non-slip gloves. I still have a pair and used those to pick the amp up, grabbing it in the middle by the heat sinks (which I do not recommend doing without gloves). It is a beast and my arms and back are still a little sore, and that’s from carrying it a few feet (and also carrying my Classic 250, whose weight is similar, down two flights of stairs and across the length of my basement).
Oh yeah, feet. When I put my P10 into my rack a few years back I sheared off the rubber pads from the bottom of the feet. This time when I put the BHK in I grabbed a 12" long 7/8" aluminum dowel and put it under the chassis at the rear of the unit with the dowel pointed toward the heatsinks. The BHK then rolled on the dowel nicely to the back of the rack with no struggle and no help from anyone else (as there was no room for anyone else to squeeze in.) With the dowel the rubber feet remained intact and I was then able to lift each corner of the BHK at a time to put in some Herbie’s feet at each corner, then remove the dowel.
Worked like a champ.
YMMV.
–SSW
Two of the rubber feet came off on my amp as well.
Whoa, whoa. Let’s not get too carried away here. The BHK Signature does NOT use stick on rubber feet. In fact, the foot is machined and cast metal and costs a pretty penny. It’s use is important enough (it is designed to keep the amp lifted off the ground for proper convection cooling) that it even has its own part number inscribed on its surface and where on the amp it goes. I have attached a picture of the heavy little beast.
The part that is ripping off is a custom die cut pad and that pad does stick on. We’ve used this pad to help protect furniture and racks for years. Every P10 has them. Perhaps the increased weight of the BHK is causing the problem and we’re appreciative of the feedback. We will figure out what’s happening and make sure it is fixed before production hits the street.
But it is not a cheap stick on foot. 
It’s an expensive footer with a problematic rubber sticky on it. 
Mine tried to come off too. Not the end of the world by any means however.
A lot of peeps on this thread have asked how the BHK compares to my EDGE 10.1NL and my Pass Lab 600 monos. I’ll answer that here as well as on the BHK Beta Tester thread which is here- http://www.psaudio.com/forum/bhk-power-and-pre-amp-forum/bhk-beta-tester-reports/#p42705 . I’ll try to post all or at least most of my BHK opinions there from here out.
I loved my X600’s, and would not have sold them except for the heat the put out. I live in the Phoenix AZ area (hot dessert for those who may not know) and it was to much for even my large 14’ X 33’ room. So I sold it and bought the EDGE. As much as I loved the X600’s, the EDGE was more musical, and it really is a special amp. It is my absolute favorite piece in my entire system, ever. The EDGE is dynamic, clean, involving, fast, and a joy to listen to. I’m still a HUGE pass fan, and have their XP-20 pre-amp amp XP-15 phono stage. Pass is also an excellent company to deal with for support or repairs. I do prefer the sound of the EDGE compared to the 600’s. Because of the heat issue I never tried the XA or .5 series of Pass amps.
So how does the EDGE compare to the BHK? It does not sound the same, but I am having a VERY tough time deciding which I prefer. That is pretty amazing seeing how well reviewed the EDGE was and that it had a $16,750 price tag, compared to $7500 for the BHK. The BHK has fuller sounding bass. I do not know if ii because there is more bloom or perhaps the bass is a little softer (NOT in volume) or perhaps the EDGE is a faster amp. I LOVE cymbals on the BHK. Actually I love everything having to do with the drum kit via the BHK. The soundstage height and width seem about the same to me as the EDGE, the EDGE having more depth.
The fact that I can not decide a preference to the EDGE or the BHK yet speaks volume to me!
Apparently I do not know how to make my above link work, could someone fix it or tell me how to?
Thanks to whom fixed my link!!! Elk, perhaps?
'Twas Paul! Thanks!
Unlike many forums you have to actually click the link in the menu and post it there. Simply placing the link in the text does not automatically make the link. I fixed it for you.
Thanks for great report and keep us informed as to your progress. Your Edge is long broken in and the BHK is not. Give it some time for the depth to increase, the sound to become more musical by noticeable degrees to what you’ve yet experienced. The Edge won’t benefit from greater on time, the BHK will.
No offense intended Paul! The adhesive which secures the foam rubber pads to the cast aluminum feet does not appear to be strong enough.
It looks like those aluminum feet (sans the pads) may be bolted to the chassis. I’ve never lifted my P10’s to find out for sure. Anyone out there ever tried to mount isolators to their P10’s? I’m thinking about doing it with at least the amps and power supplies-the speakers have made a dramatic improvement…
patentpending said It looks like those aluminum feet (sans the pads) may be bolted to the chassis. I've never lifted my P10's to find out for sure. Anyone out there ever tried to mount isolators to their P10's? I'm thinking about doing it with at least the amps and power supplies-the speakers have made a dramatic improvement...I have three Still Point Ultra 5s under my P10 and they had a huge imp[act on the sound, I have not been able to mount them and was thinking I would have to drill holles and tap the holes for an adapter to mount the still points.
It may be a huge deal but it would be great if PS had predrilled and tapped holes that could be used for such purposes. Ideally five holes (one each corner or using 4 feet and a fifth to allow setups that use three feet.
magicknow
magic, so you’re just having the feet sit on top of the ultras at the moment i suspect?