PS Audio BHK 250 Stereo amp
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Kuoppis
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The BHK Signature 250 seems to be quite well reviewed, but it appears that people always compared it against the claimed target to produce one of the top 5 power amps in the world. So in a sense, it looks like the guys shot themselves in the foot, because every single review first praises it and then adds that it is uncertain whether it is in the top five. Hmmm...
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/ps-audio-bhk-250-hybrid-power-amplifier/
Then again, there was a 2-page thread started by Joe only focusing on the looks. And the discussion died down with some meh comments because ‘it would not win a beauty contest’. I for my part am a bit tired of the same-old same-old aluminum faceplate yada yada looks everyone nowadays has.
But so, any experiences with the sound guys?
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http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/ps-audio-bhk-250-hybrid-power-amplifier/
Then again, there was a 2-page thread started by Joe only focusing on the looks. And the discussion died down with some meh comments because ‘it would not win a beauty contest’. I for my part am a bit tired of the same-old same-old aluminum faceplate yada yada looks everyone nowadays has.
But so, any experiences with the sound guys?
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sharkmouth
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JOE!!!!
Ha!
There is in fact one or more members with BHK amps. They are outstanding. Like modern say CJ Premier 350 amps. Powerful, sweet, ballsy, dimensional and with the best of solid state and tubes. I loved my monos but they were very early in the production run. There have been running changes along the way to make them better. Only thing I think is important to stress, I do not believe they do well with low impedance loads. If your speakers drop below about 2-3 ohms for any length of time, could be something to be careful with these amps.
There is in fact one or more members with BHK amps. They are outstanding. Like modern say CJ Premier 350 amps. Powerful, sweet, ballsy, dimensional and with the best of solid state and tubes. I loved my monos but they were very early in the production run. There have been running changes along the way to make them better. Only thing I think is important to stress, I do not believe they do well with low impedance loads. If your speakers drop below about 2-3 ohms for any length of time, could be something to be careful with these amps.
Both amps were designed by the same guy.
I did not know that at first, but described what I heard on the PS Audio forum. Paul sent the messages to Bascom and he was so happy to read my comments. I still stand by them.
Absolutely great amps.
Absolutely great amps.
Kuoppis
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Interestingly enough I heard them today with Maggies, the 3.7i to be exact. But it might be worthwhile to note that the 3.7i’s do not drop below 4 Ohms (according to the dealer). Hence there were no problems at all.
And I concur with your statement, that the BHK had good SS grip and added some liquidity as well. Very interesting, quite liked it. Need to digest a bit more what I heard and will add further comments later.
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Kuoppis
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Sleeping one night over yesterday’s impression I must say I was quite impressed. As I am not used to the planar quasi ribbon speakers I am not entirely sure which observations should be attributed to the amplifier and which ones to the Maggies. What I heard though, was a very engaging sound.
Starting with the bass, I felt there was plenty of it and it was of quite well defined. Coming from Magicos, bass was not quite as articulated though and lacked a bit of the visceral punch of the double 9-inchers in my own system. This is probably due to the wider dispersion area in the Maggies. The amp nevertheless was fast to respond and I actually liked the Maggies sound as well.
The amp’s response was solid and immediate and it made me wonder whether the tubes actually operate as a cathode followers. Jeff Beck’s guitar on Psycho Sam had quite a good attack and rock actually rocked.
Typical to planar panels cohesion was very good and bass, mids and highs acted in unison. The amp had a slight warmth to it in the midrange and displayed a sufficient amount of details nevertheless, quite a pleasing presentation.
Highs were superb with the Maggies and never sharp. Hence the amp was obviously able to provide them with a great sparkle and here the tube liquidity sounded through. In addition to details the amp also provided great sound colors allowing for nice differentiation of the variance in sound dimensions. As a matter of fact the effect can be attributed to the amp (along with the smooth ribbons), as it was connected directly to a PS Audio DAC without a preamp in between.
In a summary, I liked it quite a bit and am likely to want more. It is surprising that the amp does not have a bigger following as it is really good. I would attribute that to three facts: one the one hand the self-inflicted wound of aiming to create “one of the five best amps in the world” (for sub 10K Euros) and the resulting reviewer problem, on the other hand the lack of an expensive aluminum casing most audiophiles would expect and finally this not being the thinned-out maximum detail amp à la Audionet which some reviewers prefer. Personally I do not, as that is not what you hear in real life either. From me a thumbs up.
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Starting with the bass, I felt there was plenty of it and it was of quite well defined. Coming from Magicos, bass was not quite as articulated though and lacked a bit of the visceral punch of the double 9-inchers in my own system. This is probably due to the wider dispersion area in the Maggies. The amp nevertheless was fast to respond and I actually liked the Maggies sound as well.
The amp’s response was solid and immediate and it made me wonder whether the tubes actually operate as a cathode followers. Jeff Beck’s guitar on Psycho Sam had quite a good attack and rock actually rocked.
Typical to planar panels cohesion was very good and bass, mids and highs acted in unison. The amp had a slight warmth to it in the midrange and displayed a sufficient amount of details nevertheless, quite a pleasing presentation.
Highs were superb with the Maggies and never sharp. Hence the amp was obviously able to provide them with a great sparkle and here the tube liquidity sounded through. In addition to details the amp also provided great sound colors allowing for nice differentiation of the variance in sound dimensions. As a matter of fact the effect can be attributed to the amp (along with the smooth ribbons), as it was connected directly to a PS Audio DAC without a preamp in between.
In a summary, I liked it quite a bit and am likely to want more. It is surprising that the amp does not have a bigger following as it is really good. I would attribute that to three facts: one the one hand the self-inflicted wound of aiming to create “one of the five best amps in the world” (for sub 10K Euros) and the resulting reviewer problem, on the other hand the lack of an expensive aluminum casing most audiophiles would expect and finally this not being the thinned-out maximum detail amp à la Audionet which some reviewers prefer. Personally I do not, as that is not what you hear in real life either. From me a thumbs up.
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Kuoppis
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Post scriptum:
Listening to the same tracks in my own system I have to add that there was quite a bit missing in the bass in yesterday’s presentation. Soundstaging also is different, I think that is a typical strength of the planars, but with the Magicos it is wider and more precise - maybe a result of speaker setup.
Overall I think the differences are more a result of the different speaker systems than the amps. But it must also be noted that the Magicos do play in an acoustically treated room and do cost more than double of what you pay for the Magnepans in Europe. As to the amps, the Ayre definitely plays a tad drier.
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Listening to the same tracks in my own system I have to add that there was quite a bit missing in the bass in yesterday’s presentation. Soundstaging also is different, I think that is a typical strength of the planars, but with the Magicos it is wider and more precise - maybe a result of speaker setup.
Overall I think the differences are more a result of the different speaker systems than the amps. But it must also be noted that the Magicos do play in an acoustically treated room and do cost more than double of what you pay for the Magnepans in Europe. As to the amps, the Ayre definitely plays a tad drier.
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Wow, what a write-up. Thank you so much for your thoughts. PS Audio BHK gear does not get as much respect as they deserve. Bascom King knows a thing or two about audio design and hit another one out of the park.
Having a straight 4 ohm load from the Maggies is a huge advantage for any amp, and definitely for the BHKs. The amps that I had were very early in the production run and had many improvements along the way. I love the sound and I’m glad you did too. The BHK amps have meat on bone, balls and sweetness all at the same time. They are Stereophile class A rated for all the right reasons and well deserved.
I have the Directstream dac and love it too. It’s an absolutely wonderful dac and never offends. Current firmware sounds amazing and they are not shy about releasing improvements along the way. I am happy that you loved the dac as well.
Having a straight 4 ohm load from the Maggies is a huge advantage for any amp, and definitely for the BHKs. The amps that I had were very early in the production run and had many improvements along the way. I love the sound and I’m glad you did too. The BHK amps have meat on bone, balls and sweetness all at the same time. They are Stereophile class A rated for all the right reasons and well deserved.
I have the Directstream dac and love it too. It’s an absolutely wonderful dac and never offends. Current firmware sounds amazing and they are not shy about releasing improvements along the way. I am happy that you loved the dac as well.
dimfer
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dimfer
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S Audio sound good with Magico
Mr Peabody
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I heard the BHK with the matching preamp driving the Sceaniz line array speakers, I was impressed with what I heard. I preferred the BHK set up to the prior year's demo using ARC gear. The ARC sounded good as well, the BHK was just better to my ears.