Which Upgrade? GCD->DSD DAC as a Pre vs. m700->BHK 250

What wonderfully pretty tube amps do you have Elk? I like purdy tube amps. :slight_smile:

So let’s hear your early impressions of the bhk!! :slight_smile: what kind of delta are you hearing vs your 700s?

Woo Audio WA5, Cary CAD-280SA V12, SinglePower headphone amp

Gorgeous, for sure. Does Cary still make those amps?

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That’s interesting, I have a WOO WA5-LE and I love it. 8 watts 300B SET headphone overkill. Works beautifully with my Utopia HP’s.

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I do not think Cary makes the V12 any more.

The WA5 is a magnificent headphone amp, with the ability to drive efficient speakers as well. It also pretty and wonderfully tidy inside.

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So, this BHK is an absolute beast. It sounds absolutely huge…my entire soundstage has gone from Village Vanguard to MSG! Yet, the music I’m listening to sounds so much more relaxed and has this beautiful bloom to it.

Still burning in (hardly 24 hours now), but I’ll post some observations once I get a solid 7 days of burn in.

I have kept the GCD and P3 for now.

One thing I was wondering about is that I was fully expecting the P3 to trip out, or at least have the indicator light change to yellow/red on Regen mode. So far, it has remained green. Does this mean I’m good to go by using the P3 for BHK250?

Thanks,
Andrew

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Looking beautiful Andrew! Glad it’s settling in nicely with the rest of the system!
This fact that you’re not getting the status light to change to yellow is a good sign. Only indicates you’re not driving the 250 very hard. Unless it regularly sits in the yellow, I would absolutely continue using the 250 on a regen zone.

nice upgrade, keep us informed as it gets better with burn in. i always consider that same upgrade

This amp is incredible. It seems to have relaxed quite a bit after listening for a week. But the power and dynamics are still there and super quick. Very happy with it.

Out of curiosity, since I don’t ride the BHK250 very hard through the P3, would a P12 deliver any sonic benefits? My P3 is almost always in the green light zone…

Thanks!

PS, I’m playing around with different DACs now and this Mytek Brooklyn DAC sounds mighty sweet in my setup!

Andrew

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Many report significant improvements when moving up to the larger PowerPlants.

After you get settled in, perhaps have PS Audio send you a P12 to try it. :slight_smile:

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Glad to hear the 250 has found a happy home! Also, I love the aesthetic of the setup! The silver chassis with the black shelf works really well. Also, the plants help tie it all together. Even if you’re not pushing the P3 hard enough to enter the orange zone, your system would still benefit from a larger PowerPlant. Due to hardware upgrades, as you go up the line, the quality of output gets better. More stable voltage regulation and headroom are two of the major factors for this.

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Thanks for the explanation and nice comments James!

I guess my question is, if I punch the limits of headroom and voltage, is it audible? From your experience, what qualities take a hit?

Cheers, Andrew

Oh certainly. Just like an amplifier, you can hear when you’re pushing the limits of a PowerPlant. The read out on the display for what’s happening (voltage and THD in/out) will actually show you this. If someone is pushing the load of a P15 near 90%, they’ll notice the THD out will be higher and the voltage out will fluctuate more from where they have it set.

Hey James,

I was wondering with the BHK250, if I’m constantly getting a yellow LED when plugged into the P3, would I be better off plugging the BHK straight into the wall? Am I limiting anything or hurting the sound when the LED is yellow?

I’d normally audition this myself, but it could get messy rewiring things!

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

@Elk : Have you used the WA5 as a speaker amplifier?

I am looking to upgrade the amplification in my office system and thinking about adding the WA5 to my short/audition list.

My speakers are not super efficient (87 dB/W/M), but I will be running twin REL zero subs in the system directly from the integrated’s speaker terminals.

Any thoughts you care to share on its performance/fitness for duty as a speaker amplifier would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Eh, not a great thing to be constantly running it in the yellow. Kind of like going through a yellow light when driving. Mostly safe to do, you’re bound to hit a red light one of these days. If I were you, I’d still power the 250 through the the P3. You’re not harming the P3 nor downstream gear, but I think you should definitely consider getting a bigger PowerPlant. The sound will also improve because you’ll have a lot more headroom for all of your gear. If you dip into the red, you should definitely back off a bit.

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I’ll need to wait a few months for the bigger power plant. I just got a BHK Pre to go with the BHK250. Going from the GCD to the BHK Preamp is putting the P3 in the yellow zone more often.

Unfortunately I am unable to help. I have not used the WA5 to power speakers, only headphones.

Noted; thanks.

SEE