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I assume the BHA 1 will need a good run / burn in to settle , I haven't read so far of other owners mentioning this.
Anyway for anyone interested the Audeze 2.2 have a balanced after market cable manufactured by Toxic Cables of the U.K. the Venom silver. The ModWright Sony has a excellent vibration drain by Symposium , ISO medium platform with Symposiums Roller Blocks 3s including Roller Blocks 2+ under the power supply , mind blowing science at its best,.and for now a pair of old Nordost Valhalla balanced interconnects from player to the BHA 1. Another important part of this little system is a power conditioner by APC, the model 15. I don't have too many CDs or a lot invested in the player itself however I can see some day in the distant future investing in a music server of some sort but for now the CD player works fine. The warts in the Audeze head phones I know well but I can live with them for now. Music , I was thrilled with FIMs XRCD24 of ALBENIZ Frubeck De Buros Suite Espanola. For anyone with an original DECCA or Dutch vinyl pressing will know how great this music and recording are. I think I like these JVC XRCDs much better then SACD,another thrilling XRCD is Harry Belafonte At Carnegie Hall, I know this one well since I think about 1960 as a child I would drive my mother nuts wanting to listen to it too frequently.I could picture in my little brain what he sang about. As good as this cd is and it is exceptional my vinyl surpasses this XRCD only with the vocals. The Bryston is doing a good job so far and I think once more hours are logged onto it I should like it even more. One I find low level resolution is excellent where on the main system little things like that get swallowed up in the room. Just to mention another disc which belongs in the same category for being exceptional recording and fantastic music is on the Chesky label oppps it's a SACD Paquito D'Rivera Portraits of Cuba, mind blowing good. Oh and for Rock fans I find Pink Floyd's original Pulse Cd very well recorded and very enjoyable including Rogers Waters Opera in Berlin. However the original vinyl of these two fantastic Live recordings trump the digital play back and is preferred listening. Last edited by LooseLeaf; 07-26-2014 at 09:28 AM. Reason: Spelling errors and wording |
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I have the same headphone amp (black though, it makes it sound better) Also driving
It's a wonderful piece of equipment. I will upgrade it one day though if Bryston makes a BHA-2 that has remote volume control. - Garrett |
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Hi Jim,
I have gotten into headphones in the last couple of years, as I ran out of suitable room to get the kind of sound I wanted for my Thiel 3.7s. I have them in storage, but hoping to put the big Bryston 14bsst2 on them one day. In the meantime, I am listening to headphones (Audeze LCD-3s) and I just added your bha-1 headphone amp on them and wow what a difference! I upgraded from a Schiit headphone amp which was good, but nothing like this. It seems to have plenty of power even on low-gain mode. I like the Byrston sound - straight ahead, no embellishment, very detailed and honest, which is what I like. Regards, David |
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Hi James,
I thought I'd take the time to tell you I received my BHA-1 and am blown away. The build quality is truly excellent, switches and volume pot feel fantastic. Turns out the balanced question was semi irrelevant because this thing has made my HD800 scale up hugely, plugged in single ended. It's like I'm hearing my music for the first time all over again (which of course is sacred). Please pass my compliments to the entire Bryston team, you folks are doing really fantastic work. Ian |
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James,
Those are some great impressions from happy customers. Thanks for sharing!
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Kevin |
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I've had my BHA-1 for over a year now. I enjoy the sound and its features. My only gripe is the output is too high. Even with the volume fully reduced (at 0) I can hear music coming through the hps, even on up to 600 Ohms models. IEMs and lower impedance phones are effected even more. The gain is so high, even at Low gain setting I don't have to go beyond 10 o'clock on the volume dial.
I contacted Bryston about this and they said they can mod my unit for $80 + shipping both ways. I feel that there is no reason for the output to be this high to begin with. Am I the only person who's bothered by this?
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**** Formerly Dj_AmTraX ***** Last edited by HiFiGuy528; 09-03-2015 at 11:57 AM. |
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I've enjoyed reading this thread as I am contemplating a headphone setup. I'm pretty sure I will use the BHA-1 as my amplifier and the Audeze headphones are high on the list.
Here is what I am curious about. How many people have maxed out their headphone rig utilizing the BHA-1. By that I mean, are you plugging everything into a line conditioner such as the BIT15? Isolation such as still points? Do cables make as much of a difference with headphones as they do with a regular speaker system? If so what kind of cables? For example WW Silver Electra 7 or better? At the moment I am just learning and am not sure if or when I will get into headphones. I could see a system that comprised of the BIT15, BHA-1, BDA-3, and some Audeze LCD-4 being a bullseye of a system. |
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MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston BHA-1 Headphone Amplifier April 2016 Hi James After my previous amp developed problems for the second time, I decided to obtain an amplifier that was my favorite at the last Portland meet, cost no object (and there were some very expensive amps there), and despite the large amount of desk real estate it takes, namely the Bryston BHA-1. This is a shockingly good amplifier. It does everything well. Completely neutral. Butter smooth up to ear bleed volumes. Amazing imaging. You rarely see it mentioned on Head-Fi, which is a big shame. The BHA-1 Headphone amplifier is a giant killer. S Bradly |
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Just concluded negotiations with my local Bryston dealer and am now a member of the BHA-1 balanced headphone amp family. Silver, to match my B100-SST.
This was their demo unit, so fully broken-in. It is a great match to the Audeze LCD-3. Like speakers, headphones are quite amplifier specific in what makes them sound good and the BHA-1 works very nicely with the LCD-3. Better than the Woo WA6.
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Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag Last edited by Formerly YB-2; 09-25-2018 at 03:56 PM. |
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Am using the pre-outs on the B100-SST to feed the BHA-1. Only problem is having to switch the two small switches on back of the B100 from internal to external each time I move back & forth between headphones & speakers. Hope they don't wear out. May have to exercise my 20yr warranty if they do (only 16yr left ).
The important part is just how good the BHA-1 sounds with all three of my headphones. It tightens up the LCD-3 romanticism a bit, which works for me as I prefer 'fast & clean' rather than 'romantic'. However, the BHA-1 is wonderful with the Focal Clear. Extends both ends of the spectrum and provides a glorious mid-range. Best I've heard in a headphone set-up. Cannot recommend the BHA-1 too highly with these headphones. My feeling with the HD-650s us that they they are pretty much taken to their limit with the BHA-1. The HD-650 is a stunning value in headphones, but they can't quite keep up with the LCD-3 and, especially to my ears, the Focal Clear. If you can audition a BHA-1 with your high-end headphones, do so. The only thing it lacks is a remote volume control (as do most all high-end headphone amps, for some reason). Would like to use as a 'stand alone' headphone amp in my reading space. A remote volume control would be handy for same.
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Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag |
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