woot said @Timequest PSA has a trial period, no risk I believe.We do indeed, we make it simple. We even offer white glove delivery for free, anywhere in the United States and if someone doesn't like the amp, we'll pay to have it packed up and shipped back to us and then refund 100% of your money. That's a hard deal to beat IMHO
timequest said . If so, how loud can you crank it without distortion/clipping.....95dB.....100dB....100+?The room resonances wouldn't allow me to. The loudest I could play was somewhere between 70 and 80DS, but there us no drum kit in Mozart's Requiem
A good test is Omar Hakim’s drums, think of Dire Straits “Brothers in Arms” and Daft Punk “Random Access memories” albums. Depending on where you sit/stand in my room you can feel the “kick in your guts” (“e.g. Money for Nothing”).
But then we are back to the speakers and room acoustics. How sensitive are your speakers? How well are the resonances damped?
Generally speaking, if the BHK250 is “cleaner” than your current amp (in my case it definitely is) it will allow you to go “higher in the PWD/DS volume”. Not “louder”, because you do not feel it as “louder”, but rather more dynamic.
I can only imagine how good the monos are…
Paul McGowan said We even offer white glove delivery for free, anywhere in the United States and if someone doesn't like the amp, we'll pay to have it packed up and shipped back to us and then refund 100% of your money. That's a hard deal to beat IMHOPaul, that's a great deal and I want to commend you for offering the white glove shipping. Due to a knee issue my days of manhandling 85lb amps are over. While I would not let the weight of the amp stop me if I decide to buy one (rather than upgrading my speakers soon), the ability to have it delivered and put in place definitely helps. I didn't know it also worked in reverse -- very nice indeed, although I don't imagine you get many takers for the return trip.
Paul McGowan saidwoot said @Timequest PSA has a trial period, no risk I believe.We do indeed, we make it simple. We even offer white glove delivery for free, anywhere in the United States and if someone doesn’t like the amp, we’ll pay to have it packed up and shipped back to us and then refund 100% of your money. That’s a hard deal to beat IMHO
Oh my gosh…I just wouldn’t feel right about ‘taking advantage’ of my friends at PS-A. I am more comfortable doing my ‘legwork’ ahead of time (thus all the inquiries about the amp to my brethren forum members).
I want the monos too! I think I’m going to have to settle for the stereo amp…Hum…
Is the top of the BHK amp ‘wood’ (MDF) like the DS, or metal? I can’t tell from the photos?
Wood. HDF, painted and hand buffed to a piano finish like all PerfectWave Products.
I’ve always loved the elegant, stylish look of the piano black top on the Perfect Wave products…Classy indeed. I am curious though about the heat generated inside the amplifiers. Heat sinks considered, I still wonder about long term effects to the HDF…?
They’ve been working perfectly on P10’s that get hot for years without problems.
Paul McGowan said Unfortunately not all beta testers have received units. We finally got in and approved the next batch of binding posts we've been waiting for. We can now start shipping next week.Actually we're waiting for the unit to break in. Mine just got 210 hours on it and I hear we're supposed to get improvements between now and 400.
–SSW
Paul McGowan said They've been working perfectly on P10's that get hot for years without problems.I did notice my BHK was getting toastier than the Streets after a few hours.
Paul McGowan said They've been working perfectly on P10's that get hot for years without problems.Awesome.....HDF is a different animal than plain hardwood.
Duke Ellington, Issac Stern, Kid Rock, Boston Pops, Eagles, Tony Williamson, Lyn Stanley, Harry James and many others have just played in concert for me in my living room.
These performances were made possible by the BHK 300’s. Thank you Bascom, Arnie and Paul.
These BHK’s have the most perfect combined frequency balance and perfect timing from a quiet background with details and low level information that makes the music as real as I have ever heard. It is the real deal.
This comes from listening, when I can, around packing up to move to a new house. I feel lucky to have received these before I moved to be able to have a chance to get a measure of what the BHK would do for the music in a familiar space. My new larger room should be much better for the 20.7’s and the whole system. See pic.
The listening was done mostly by records but also with the DS DAC with new Yale beta software. Did not listen with PP.
As an aside, Yale with DS playing only CD's (I have no Hi-res anything) has made CD's approach the overall sound of records with non fatiguing listening to where I could listen to Digital and maybe not miss analog ( as soon I play another record - I still will not give up my records). Adding the BHK makes it more so.
Back to the BHK:
Having had a BHK 250 box for a short while earlier, I knew how to open the MONO’s - Cut the straps, remove the Angle corner guards and then you can lift the outer and inner tops off and your at the inside looking at a gorgeous amp wrapped in plastic. Use the hand-hole to tip the box on edge and pull the amp out standing on its front in the plastic bag. This is best done on carpet. No lifting required to this point. Mine are still on the floor facing backwards so I can see the tubes.
My recapped and other small fixes by Audio Research to my D-150 amplifier (break-in finished before BHK arrival) made for a good comparison. The D-150 has the terrific midrange and natural tone needed for it too make a passable simulation of music. As Good as the D-150 is, the BHK 300 makes REAL MUSIC as it has full a frequency response and a sense of ease. The D-150 is not as strong at the extremes. I have heard all the latest gear at AXPONA and RMAF and the D-150 holds up pretty good.
One thing that people have mentioned is the protective circuits cutting off too soon. This is NOT a problem now. I have turned it up to read 107 dBC on my PAA (Personal Audio Assistant) sound meter. It could go higher. At this level the sound is just as smooth as 80-90 dBc just louder. This is also the Maggie 20.7’s. They really let you hear everything with low distortion. The BHK 300’s and 20.7’s - a marriage made in heaven - at reasonable cost. Having owned Maggie 3.7’s, I am sure the BHK 250 or 300 will do well with them also.
The heat sinks are a reasonable temperature after running for hours. The BHK’s do great background music for packing your house up.
Hours: They sound great right out of the box. Between 75 -100 hours they gain an overall greater sense of more body to the sound. I am at 384 hours with a third of that with the tubes on (thanks to my wife having retired). Voices are so incredible to listen to.
The bass lines on the BHK are so detailed you hear every note.
The BHK will let you hear what everything in front of it sounds like.
Another aside: Because of this incredible attribute, Yale is waaaaaaay better than PP on the DS. No contest. Thanks Ted, Paul and Arnie.
I will be having the local audio society in for a listen in a couple of weeks. they will be coming with other amps. After they have been in, I plan to put BHK’s on shelves with stillpoint ultra SS’s, good interconnects, and good PSA 10 power cords. report to follow.
Next Thursday a couple of musicians from my office are coming to listen at a long lunch. I have CD’s of their music cut right off the soundboard during their performance. They will not believe how good they sound. Next report after.
Any questions?
Dang…I wish I didn’t know about the monos! From the reviews, they do everything I want in a new amp(s). I can cover the BHK250, but the monos don’t fit in my budget…Double dang
According to what’s been posted, the BHK 250 has a slight rise in distortion with frequency compared to the monos. Is this audible at higher listening volumes? Dave’s driven his new monos up to 107 dB with no audible distortion. I’d like to know if the 250 can be effectively driven at similar dBs (i.e.: without audible distortion)…?
Thanks for the clear statement of performance Dave.
Nice that you’ve been able to switch up to the Mono beta. Since you’re probably one of the few who can talk about both, would you ? (I recall you had an early problem with the bhk250, so perhaps you cannot).
Hi Dave, many thanks for the mini review of BHK 300s…Great insight and photo, you now have me salivating as I impatiently wait on my ordered pair to arrive at my side of the world…
Dave said Duke Ellington, Issac Stern, Kid Rock, Boston Pops, Eagles, Tony Williamson, Lyn Stanley, Harry James and many others have just played in concert for me in my living room.These performances were made possible by the BHK 300’s. Thank you Bascom, Arnie and Paul.
These BHK’s have the most perfect combined frequency balance and perfect timing from a quiet background with details and low level information that makes the music as real as I have ever heard. It is the real deal.
Hours: They sound great right out of the box. Between 75 -100 hours they gain an overall greater sense of more body to the sound. I am at 384 hours with a third of that with the tubes on (thanks to my wife having retired). Voices are so incredible to listen to.
The bass lines on the BHK are so detailed you hear every note.
The BHK will let you hear what everything in front of it sounds like.
Another aside: Because of this incredible attribute, Yale is waaaaaaay better than PP on the DS. No contest. Thanks Ted, Paul and Arnie.I will be having the local audio society in for a listen in a couple of weeks. they will be coming with other amps. After they have been in, I plan to put BHK’s on shelves with stillpoint ultra SS’s, good interconnects, and good PSA 10 power cords. report to follow.
Next Thursday a couple of musicians from my office are coming to listen at a long lunch. I have CD’s of their music cut right off the soundboard during their performance. They will not believe how good they sound. Next report after.
Any questions?
Wow! Thanks and I am glad you had a chance to hear and report on the BHK Monos. I had to give mine up for a little while and I felt lost, bummed, without them. They really are something extraordinary and they have yet to not be appreciated by anyone lucky enough to have heard them. None.
timequest said Dang...I wish I didn't know about the monos! From the reviews, they do everything I want in a new amp(s). I can cover the BHK250, but the monos don't fit in my budget....Double dangAccording to what’s been posted, the BHK 250 has a slight rise in distortion with frequency compared to the monos. Is this audible at higher listening volumes? Dave’s driven his new monos up to 107 dB with no audible distortion. I’d like to know if the 250 can be effectively driven at similar dBs (i.e.: without audible distortion)…?
I doubt it, the performance between the two from a measured standpoint, and putting aside the extra current and lower impedance provided by the monos, they both play as loud without distortion. No worries there.
Hello All,
It’s been a throughly enjoyable experience listening to both the BHK 250 and the DS DAC with the Yale software update. Their synergy is amazing! They are both truly benchmark products along side the PSA PWT.
Paul and the Team sent a test CD with the BHK 250 amplifier so lets start here. This disc is stunning even despite the fact not all of the tracks are to my personal taste. Track 1, Shelby Lynne’s ‘Just a Little Lovin’ is fantastic. Her vocals are crystal clear, natural sounding and full of body. You can easily hear where the vocals bled through on the master tape twice. The accompanying instruments are layered front to back as well as right to left. Track 2,‘Agnus Del’ from John Rutter’s Requiem is sensational. The opening vocals are glorious and reach HIGH. The choir and its hundred of singers are on full display. The bass goes DEEP and radiates throughout the listening room when required. Track 3, "Within’ by Daft Punk is interesting. The vocals are melodic. The piano and accompany instruments sound really good, clear and precisely placed throughout the sound stage. Track 4, Alfie, as sung by Jane Monheit is a revelation! It’s a simple track comprised of a vocal and a piano. These two things are hard to get right though. The BHK and DS DAC nail them! I listened over and over, and got sucked deeper into the song each time. Track 5, Giant Japanese Drum. These people are crazy! The drum hits are taunt, go deep and loud at times, and are very realistic sounding.
Timequest, I listen to mostly acoustic music and jazz as well. I rock out sometimes too. The BHK 250 is the best amp I have ever had PERIOD! I owned a pair of Classe CA-M300s prior and a Krell Evolution 2250e before that. The BHK 250 is even better than my previous favorite amp which was a Gamut D-200 MKIII. In answer to some of your specific questions, the BHK 250 clips at about 95db in my room with my speakers listening to PF’s ‘Money’, DS 'Money for Nothing and Joe Walsh’s ‘Life’s Been Good’. This is with the DS DAC volume set to between 75 and 80. The clipping light on my RTA SPL meter flashes sporadically at about 95db. I will tell you since getting a BHK, I have throttled back on the volume lately to be as true as possible to the original intended level of each song. Lastly, the MDF top remains fairly cool despite how hot the amp gets. This is most likely due to the silver piece of sheet metal it is mounted to acting as a heat sink. I highly recommend buying this amp. Good luck!
In the final analysis, over the past 32 years I’ve owned over 20 CD and/or SACD players and over 20 amps and/or integrated amps. The PS Audio PWT, DS DAC and BHK 250 combination are the best sounding audio electronics I’ve owned bar none! They drive me to play more music than ever before and to explore more new music than ever before. At the end of the day that is what this hobby is all about!
Thank you Paul, Ted, Bascom, Arnie and the rest of the PS Audio Team. You guys are the real deal and my heroes!
Chao for now, Kevin
timequest saidAccording to what’s been posted, the BHK 250 has a slight rise in distortion with frequency compared to the monos.
Where did you read this?
On the issue of clipping and maximum dB, since the ams have input sensitivity is 1.2v and the DS puts out 1.5, wouldn’t the amp clip at DS volume setting that corresponds to 1.2v output (probably in the 90s). Then what sound level in dB is produced at this setting is entirely dependent on the sensitivity of the speakers and size of the room.