Comparing the PS Audio BHK Preamp to the Hegel P30 Preamp
I’ve hit a point with my system that I am so satisfied with the sound that I’ve stopped chasing the possibility of an even better sound. There’s just one small problem: my listening room/office is on the third floor, and while it is connected to the central air of my home, the sensor is on the first floor. These variables make running a tube preamp (PS Audio BHK Preamp) and a class A amp (Pass Labs XA-25) a sweltering experience in the summer months. To help navigate this, I acquired a class D amp (Mytek Brooklyn Amp+) and a solid-state preamp (Hegel P30) this year.
Because this will focus on the preamp comparison, let me quickly say that my criteria for the class D amp boiled down to one key thing: laziness. I didn’t want to have to package up my Pass Labs XA-25 and put it into storage. So I went with the Mytek Brooklyn Amp+. I’ve owned it before, so I knew what to expect, and it also sits nicely on top of my Pass Labs. I know there were better choices, but I got a great price on it, and laziness is what laziness is.
Ok, on to the comparison.
The TLDR is, would you rather have something that sounds otherworldly on some partnering equipment or something that sounds really nice on most partnering equipment?
I cannot overstate enough the synergy between the BHK preamp and the Pass Labs amp; they deliver a magical holographic listening experience in which I feel emotionally connected to the music, and my speakers disappear into the room. However, connected to my Mytek Brooklyn Amp+, the BHK is very noisy. All that magic may still be there, but it’s buried under noise, at least on my system. Pairing the Hegel with either of these amps is a more consistent, dead quiet listening experience. Whether the Hegel is connected to the Pass Labs or the Mytek, the listening experience is really good. But for my preference, it’s not nearly as good as the BHK connected to the Pass Labs.
A couple of stand-out differences.
Before we begin, these are not subtle differences; everything I will cover, I would file under night and day.
Bass
The one category in which Hegel walks all over the BHK is bass, specifically how articulate the bass is. When listening to the Boards of Canada remix of the song “Treat Em Right” by Neverman, there are some passages in which the bass is so well presented with a clarity and definition I’ve never heard before; it was like hearing a version of the song I didn’t know existed.
The Hegel premap may be the better of the two choices if you primarily listen to electronic music.
Voices
Male or female voices are another area where these two preamps could not be more different. With the Hegel, voices are a nicely served-up component of the music, but with the BHK, they are hauntingly intimate. When listening to Quarrel by Mosses Sumney or Red Room by Hiatus Kaiyote on the BHK, not only do the artists sound like they are there with you in the room, but the experience feels emotionally personal and connected. Ug, as audiophile cheesy as this may sound, hauntingly intimate is the best way I can describe how the BHK renders voices.
Disappearing speakers
The music sounds really nice with the Hegel, but I can tell where the music is coming from. It may be possible to overcome this shortcoming with some speaker placement adjustments, but my space offers almost no possibility of experimentation. The BHK, however, provides that audio nirvana that Paul often talks about in his videos, in which the speakers vanish and music fills the room.
Holographic sound
I almost didn’t include this topic due to the unfair tube advantage, but to cover my bases, yes, the BHK is significantly more holographic in its presentation when compared to the Hegel.
A few minor things
It’s challenging to see what the volume is set to on the Hegel; there is no screen, and the dot on the dial is minimal, to say the least. The knob feel on the Hegel is also a bit of a let down. I know there is a bunch of volume tech behind the scenes, but I wish the feel was better. Lastly, no headphone option.
Some final thoughts
I’ve only ever had a small handful of preamps, so going into this, I didn’t realize just how well the BHK performed in these different areas, and to be honest, the team at PS Audio has some huge shoes to fill with their next preamp. I’ll be holding onto mine.
I have months of listening ahead of me with this new configuration, and over time, some of my opinions may evolve, but at least for the moment, I’m already missing my BHK.
System
Preamp: Winter (PS Audio BHK w/ NOS-12AU7 RCA Clear Top tubes), Summer (Hegel P30)
Amp: Winter (Pass Labs XA 25), Summer (Mytek Brooklyn Amp+)
Streamer: Lumin U2 Mini (connected via Audioquest Carbon USB)
Roon: Roon Nucleus One
DAC: PS Audio Perfectwave Directstream DAC MKII (connected via Audioquest Water XLR)
CD/SACD: Cary Audio 306 (connected via Audioquest Carbon Coax for Redbook & DH Labs Silver Sonic XLR for SACD)
Speakers: Vivid Audio Kaya S12 (connected via DH Labs Q10-Signature)
Sub: KEF KC62
Headphones: Meze Empyrean I, HIFIMAN HE1000se