OK guys, here’s my first post about the BHK monos!
First, I should probably note a bit about the equipment, so here’s kind of the rundown:
2014 MacMini with Roon / OSX Yosemite; Uptone Audio power supply / fan controller and outboard linear power supply
Directstream DAC with Yale OS
Audio Research Ref 10 Preamp (1980s era Reflektor 6H30P-DR tubes)
BHK’s are filing in for Audio Research Ref 610T’s with KT150 tubes
PS Audio P5 for front end, two P10’s for amps
Cardas Clear Beyond speaker, power, Clear interconnects
Wilson Audio Alexia speakers
Revel Rhythm 2 subs
(Every component (including now BHK’s) employs use of some version of Stillpoints isolators, Ultra SS’s, Ultra 6’s under components, and Ultra 5’s under speakers and subs)
Ok, with that out of the way, here’s a brief timeline so far:
On Monday evening the BHK monoblocks arrived. Those of you who have P10 units would note that the amplifiers are boxed in similar condition, with cornering protectors and well cushioned and strapped. They are obviously heavy; perhaps my experience with the P10’s conditioned me however. They seemed relatively easy to unpack and set up in position. I took a page out of Dave’s book and oriented them backwards for access to the tubes (more about that in a moment). I do know that some beta stereo testers had reported issues with their binding posts. Paul might be able to weigh in about that further, but suffice it to say that the binding posts / terminals on my units were robust, easy to unscrew, and tightly and neatly seated the spade connectors on the Cardas Clear Beyond speaker cables I installed.
A little bit about myself:
I don’t know if I would call myself an audiophile as much as a “music enjoyer” lol, although I am clearly obsessive about it at times. I grew up playing classical piano, and would have perhaps pursued piano performance as a career were it not for the uncertainty of being able to feed myself 
I do feel somewhat qualified to opine about the quality of musical reproduction based on this background (I should know what a piano sounds like, right?) While I like classical music, I listen to just about everything in between, particularly if it is well recorded/sounds good.
I should also mention that I’m probably a little “tube” obsessed-well probably “very” tube obsessed. My obsession with trying to find the most accurate reproduction of music has led me down the road of a lot of tube rolling. My latest escapade being the NOS tubes I secured for my preamplifier. To me, (obviously YMMV) tube rolling can result in a very perceptible sonic improvement.
I say the foregoing because I fired up the BHK monos and the first words I would use to describe the sound would be “open.” Very open and transparent as a matter of fact. I was pleased with some of the initial music that I queued up, in particular the classical chamber music. I am particularly happy with the BHK’s ability to recreate the presence of musical instruments in some of the initial classical recordings that I have auditioned.
I have to be honest, however. It didn’t take me more than a couple of hours of initial listening before I became impatient enough to roll the gold lion tubes with some NOS Telefunken E88CC tubes that I’ve had here waiting for the amplifiers that I bought from Kevin at Upscale Audio (FYI at http://www.upscaleaudio.com/telefunken-e88cc-6922/). I had read several reviews about these tubes from a variety of sources, and thought that they’d be good to try.
For someone that is as addicted to tube rolling as I am, and probably will try a few different tubes, swapping the tubes was a very easy proposition. The design of the monoblocks makes their access very straightforward using just a phillips screwdriver to unlatch the small metal covering. I found that the tube sockets in the monoblocks appeared to be very well made. The tubes easily came out, and the E88CC tubes went in. To my ears, this was a very noticeable improvement in sound quality (I can not overemphasize this, but take my opinion for what it is worth). So pleased as I was with the improvement, I went back to some initial listening.
The BHK’s are very quiet. That is to say, the noise floor of these amplifiers is perceptibly lower than anything I have ever heard. Music appears to arrive out of the blackness of space, and envelopes and surrounds the listener. It is, so far, a very satisfying phenomenon in my listening room. I have noticed that it is very easy to mentally (virtually) set up the musical instruments and accompanying soundstage in this kind of a scenario. In other words, the musical information comes forward as if the musicians are performing the music for you, versus the listener hearing some kind of representation of the performance.
Suffice it to say for this initial post, the BHK’s are benefiting greatly from some additional break in time. I am going to post a follow up review once the units have had a chance to acclimate a bit more.
Verdict so far? I’m very pleased. The BHKs are very good amplifiers. Believe the hype that you are hearing about them. I’ll get into the music in a subsequent post
