Wow! With the latest refurbished PSA components offerings, I’m really interested in getting the BHK Preamplifier ($3,000). But, before taking the plunge, I would like to ask our forum family audiophiles who own/owned the BHK Pre of their experience with it at low listening volume levels. Does it maintain an ok, enjoyable enough musicality?
My current setup is pretty much all PSA components except for the preamplifier (Vincent Audio) and the turntable, tuner, and cassette deck which PSA does not make. The PSA components consists of the Stellar Gold DAC, Airlens, SACD, Stellar Phono Pre, and the M1200 Monoblocks. I, sadly, had to return the Stellar Gold Pre, during the trial period, as I founded seriously lacking in musicality at low listening levels. It was amazingly magical at normal and high volume levels, but I do an appreciable amount of listening at lower levels, and the Gold Pre was not even close to being acceptable for me, unfortunately. So, I got the Vincent pre while I find one that suits my taste and, to some extent, my budget.
If you can save enough, you should go with PMG Pre. At low volume the most important factor would be low background noise. Based on my other PMG products I will say PMG pre will perform much better at low volume.
BHK pre, unfortunately, has been around for a long time and is not strong in the background noise area.
I am sure that the PMG is much better. But for the price I think the BHK is very very good. I listen at low volumes through my FR10’s often and find it very pleasing. Just because there are better, more expensive pre’s out there doesn’t make the BHK suddenly bad.
I think the answer lies more in the sensitivity of your speakers. My current speakers are 89db and the BHK Pre sounded better at mid to higher levels. But doesn’t every system sound better when it’s turned up? I’ve had the PMG Pre for 2-3 weeks now. Detail is a notch or two above the BHK at lower volumes to me.
Thanks tomhail. I can save for the PMG pre, but would take some time, and I’m too antsy to upgraded from my Vincent pre. But down the line, for sure an upgrade to a PMG or the like will be in order.
My speakers ar good ol’ Andrew Jones MoFi 888, sensitivity rated at 87 db. Wonder if it is too low for the BHK Pre to deliver satisfying details at lower volumes.
The beauty of the BHK is that you can play with the tubes for different harmonics. For low listening levels, Matsushida 7DJ8 sounded right in my system. They brought vocals forward and my speakers were revealing enough for the rest.
This is a very good point! By selecting tubes I have been able to refine the sound. I had Brimars first, then tried PSVAE Horizons - I was surprised how much more I liked the Horizons.
I owned BHK pre before. When I switched to MU2 which has an analog pre. I heard more details in lower volume. Later when I replaced M1200 with Gryphon D333, I used its preamp and I enjoyed lower volume even more because I could hear better bass than M1200.
Finally, I replaced BHK DSD MK2 and PST with PMGs. Yup, low volume is great. So, my previous comment is based on my personal experience, and lower noise floor is the main reason (among other things).
There is no doubt that your upgrades have generated a lower noise floor and much better sound, and I have been enjoying your reports as you upgrade your system. My comment was related to being pleased with the BHK sound at lower noise floor, not that it better sounding than PMG or MU2. Of course spending 3x the price of a BHK for a PMG is going to be better. But I think that if one only wants to spend $3k one could do a lot worse than the BHK.
I paired the BHK Pre with the MK2 dac for a few years and would say the pre sounds great at low volumes, however it depends a lot on your speakers. Some speakers need more power to sound good which means louder. For 3K I do not believe you will find a better Preamp and confident will sound better than your Vincent pre. I am with Donald, once you get up in level to a PMG Pre or MU2 it’s then you will realize how much noise can be removed. The BHK Pre is a great stepping stone. Go for it.
I purchased a used bhk pre last year and couldn’t be happier with it. That is, unless I upgraded again to something like a pmg pre haha. I’m enjoying listening at all volumes although my speakers aren’t too difficult to drive (Polk Lsim 707s). I’m only using a S300 to power them but have plans on upgrading to M1200s in the next year or two.
Hope you’re enjoying the tubes Nathan. Are you using a ps audio regenerator like a p12? If not clean power is a big deal, all your components will benefit from it. Also power cord from regenerator to wall makes a difference.
Be aware…The human auditory system is by no means linear. At low volume the ear’s sensitivity declines much more markedly at low and high frequencies than in the mid-frequency range. This means that the listener’s impression of the music
varies greatly according to the volume at which it is played. 80-83dB is where the human auditory system is frequency range flattest.
In strict terms then,faithful music reproduction is only possible if it is played back at exactly the same level as was experienced when the recording was made. This is often impossible or undesirable in the domestic living room. At reduced volume in the listening room bass and treble sounds are perceived subjectively as quieter,
while the mid-range appears to be emphasized. Reproduction tends to sound
“flat”, with excessive stress on the mid-range. At low volume, the aurally-compensated volume correction function (Loudness) adjusts playback to compensate for the decline in hearing sensitivity. For this to work accurately, Loudness must be adjusted to match the efficiency of your loudspeakers and the listener’s distance from them.
With no loudness control and the straight wire with gain philosophy, the low volume experience is far more relevant to the SPEAKER you are using and not the preamp. So strange we heavily manipulate BASS with nary a thought with DSP and such but to touch the treble balance? Man what a sacrilege to audio!
No one hears the same. I have bass, treble, loudness eight band parametric and balance on my preamp and two band parametric on the subs and yes, I use them ALL. I listen at 80-83 dB and tweak the treble in my slightly dead basement room +2dB and have the balance +2dB to the left as one speaker sits in the corner and is too LOUD to center the image. I set the loudness to -20 in a -30 to +10 setting range (a small tweak). This seems to produce a flatter bass response than the bass tone control or subs level controls as loudness seems to smooth ALL the bass more evenly. Since I listen at 80-83 dB nominal, just a dab is all I need on the loudness.
This is all great but if YOU listen to my system it will NOT be in YOUR best audible interest. However, the levers are there to ADJUST that aspect.
It is impossible to judge the low volume, or any volume, tonality of a preamplifier until you hear it with your speakers and if the preamp has actual tone controls you can adjust it to suit your physiology and taste.
Thanks, I am enjoying the tubes! Not yet on the regenerator, that’s also on the list of things to buy. I’m using an ultimate outlet for now until I can grab a used p12.
I share your sentiments, Galen, and lament the loss of the bass, treble, loudness and balance control features. It is slim pickings nowadays to find reputable audio manufacturers that still provide these features, without breaking the bank (McIntosh, Accuphase, Luxman, and others…), or going for the too-old vintage components route. My hybrid Vincent preamp has the bass and treble controls, which often come in handy. Unfortunately, it has no Balance or Loudness controls. Mind you, it is it was only meant to be a temporary filler, till I find the “suitable” preamp.
Now, I should think I’m ready to make the jump to the BHK Preamplifier, confident that I will enjoy it for many years to come, before the next upgrade-itch strikes :). I will follow up and report my experience with the BHK in due time.
Thanks to you and to the many of our audiophiles who shared their experiences and insights. Your help is very much appreciated.
Pairing the BHK with the M1200’s for me was a revelation of punch, detail, and control. I had M700’s before that. I’ve started to see M1200’s on the used market for $3k+ so I would think you could find some for a reasonable price in the near future. Fingers crossed.