BLUE HAWAII SPECIAL EDITION - REVIEW
BLUE HAWAII SE
Once I had discovered the world of electrostatic headphones and headphone amplifiers there was a rather stark revelation made—this technology brings together that which I had not previously imagined possible. And that “that” was the incredible ability to hear deeply into the music, on the one hand to hear things never before experienced—owing to the incredible transparency—and, on the other, to hear things very well known but now understood like never before. Electrostatics gave me both while providing for incredible engagement and musicality in a ‘whole-cloth’ way that one experiences only at live events. Suffice to say that I was astounded at this revelation which had taken the greater part of my life to discover.
Moreover, the further I travelled into this world, the more I began to understand its nuances, its contours, its landscape and features, its cities and countries, as given voice by the various electrostatic brands—STAX, Viva, Dan Clark, HeadAmp, Trilogy, Linear Tube Audio, to name but a few.
There were the definite consistencies between the electrostatic domains—unparalleled transparency and resolution, whole-cloth musicality, and incredible transient speed (think a lightning fast drummer whose every move is captured in time). But as there are different regions and types and tastes of wine, there are differing design implementations and thus different voices of electrostatics. To discover those various voices please read my other reviews on the electrostatic headphones and headphone amplifiers.
This brings me to the review of the HeadAmp company’s Blue Hawaii Special Edition Headphone Amplifier or BHSE. It is yet another quite distinct implementation of an electrostatic headphone amplifier from both an industrial design perspective and its circuit design, which incorporates a quad of Mullard EL34 vacuum tubes (an old-school technology that remains as relevant today as the revival of turntables). And this implementation gives the BHSE its singular voice, different from all others, and yet it is electrostatic, in every respect. But how does it sound?
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the components actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
SOUND
The first thing one notices about the Blue Hawaii SE is its naturalness, its ease, and its gravitas—or its ability to put flesh on the bones of real performers/performances across the frequency spectrum—its palpability. There is no thinness, nor ghost-like apparitions wafting about the stage with hollow voices. There is instead the solidity of female and male vocalists, a strummed viola-de-gamba, a plucked upright bass, a raging Steinway, etc. And the picture would not be complete without the exceptional detail/micro-detail rendered by the BHSE which easily paints venue, dimensionality, performers in said venue, and the air around them all. The BHSE brings these collective ‘truths’ to recording after recording and it draws one in in a most exceptional way. Branford Marsalis’s Eternal, long known to me, became such an experience with the BHSE, as did Voces8’s Enchanted Isle and Omar Sosa’s Calma, and Peter Gregson’s Bach: The Cello Suites, and a good many others.
Dynamic headphone amplifiers are said to be more, well, “dynamic” and authoritative, and imbued with greater bass reach in general. In this way, the BHSE is like the synthesis of an exceptional electrostatic and dynamic headphone amplifier in all the many ways it renders the music across various genres.
The word ‘natural’ as mentioned above comes into my notes time and time again with regard to the BHSE. Natural in the sense that tone, timbre, texture, the breath and depth of a given venue, and the ambiance therein are so beautifully captured by the BHSE. In this alone, the BHSE easily finds a place in Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) territory.
In fact, its rendering is real enough for one to “suspend disbelief” and settle into one’s chair at the concert, jazz club, symphony of choice, and be taken away by the music. The BHSE is an exceptional talent in this respect and few will want for more. Right-brained or left there is ample musical nutrition—transparency, resolution, detail, musicality, engagement, beauty, etc.—as meted out by the BHSE on which to thrive.
The pairing of the Blue Hawaii SE with the Grimm Audio MU1 and the Mola Mola Tambaqui provided unparalleled dynamics, transparency, resolution, deep bass assaults, and daunting beauty. When the Bricasti Design M1SE DAC stepped in to dance, there was, perhaps, a wee wee bit less dynamics and transparency, at least with the filter that I selected (Minimum 2, but there are 14 other choices!), but what the M1SE brought was a wee bit more richness and warmth that captivated in the extreme.
The BHSE’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is truly vast in that it renders great depth and width and height when called for, while its separation and layering and placement of players upon any given stage has few peers. Yes, the musician at the rearmost part of the stage will be easily identified and that player’s contribution made relevant.
The BHSE’s was paired with the Accustic Arts Player II CDP, Grimm Audio MU1 streamer (review coming), the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, Bricasti Design M1SE DAC, STAX SR-009S, Dave Clark VOCE, Audience Front Row cables/wires, AntiCables cables/wires. The Audience AdeptResponse aRS-T4 and the TORUS RM20 provided service as power conditioners.
BASS
Taunt. Propulsive. Agile. Transparent. Yes, Eiji Oui’s “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording, CD) heads my bass analysis section again. I know it so well and it can reveal so many different aspects of overall bass performance—depth, dynamics, slam—as well as the volume of the stage, its depth, width, positioning of musicians, layering, etc. It is tremendously helpful in this respect. “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” is queued for play. It opens with a taunt, propulsive blow that reaches deeply into the sub-bass strata as the symphony orchestra rises to life in its wake. The BHSE ticks off all boxes—bass potency, depth, startling dynamics shifts, transparency, a voluminous stage, etc.—as I listen through this track and the next. Tone and timbre are also brought into focus, so natural and engaging, so richly musical.The BHSE delivers some tight, tuneful licks via Christian McBride’s “Fat Bach and Greens” (Conversations with Christian, Mack Avenue Records). Its slow classical start betrays the rollicking call and response to follow between Regina Carter’s violin and Christian’s in-the-room bass which the BHSE handles with aplomb. Everything is beautifully held together in this jazz meets classical duo, and PRaT—Pace Rhythm, and Timing—is exceptional. The BHSE renders deep, agile, well resolved, and ‘standup’ bass.
MIDRANGE
Mercedes Sosa’s Misa Criolla opens with “Kyrie [Vidala-Bagula]”. Its bass note, at low volume, rumbles with potency, deep within the soundstage, though deeper still in the staging are the massed and haunting voices of the choir. Mercedes enters centerstage, her voice clear, resonant, commanding, beautifully articulated. This portrayal via the BHSE brings atmosphere, richness, nuance, and the ephemeral decay of notes. Outstanding! Of course, it was impossible to stop listening to the entirety of this album via the BHSE at the heart of the system. I could not resist, so Emily D’Angelo’s enargeia was brought in to perform. Those for whom the voice or opera or the exceptionally talented are most precious, this is a must have album. Opens “O frondens virga” with a lone, somber violin. Emily’s voice follows, it too is somber, ethereal, haunting. Atmosphere, ambiance, air, the reverberation and decay of voice and violin are beautifully detailed by the BHSE from a black-quiet background that beckons anticipation. The synthesis of an Electrostatic and Dynamic headphone amp, as embodied by the BHSE, finds validation across the various songs of these albums and many, many others.
TREBLE+
Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy, CD) bops in and the cymbals sing and shimmer with an air-infused, crystal clarity that says live, time and time again. This is not the ‘scchhhchssss’ of frying food or a faucet at full blast, it is the lifelike fidelity of crash, hi-hats, and ride cymbals (there have been quite a few six-figure, high-end, stereo systems that could not pull this off!). This portrayal calls for a sibilant/cymbal-heavy Patricia Barber album, which without the proper component mix can get piping hot, sibilant, and shrill in half a flash. Or opacity and high-frequency rolloff can hide (bury) the treble heat tout de suite—in half a flash. Verse ought to do it. Patricia’s voice is finely articulated, the “S” is there but it is not at all sibilant. It is instead, well, natural. The cymbals across the various tracks are handled beautifully by the BHSE, though the Viva Egoista STX ($17,000) provided greater resolution, air, shimmer, and detail, as well it should at more than twice the cost.
The Wrappings and Accessories
The Blue Hawaii SE comes in a medium large, square, brown, nondescript box, with the HeadAmp logo on its sides.
Inside the sturdy brown box are layers of foam inserts. The first layer holds tubes, two styles of feet, discs for the pointed feet, decals, and an owners guide. On the second level, well ensconced, is the BHSE comfortably tucked into form-fitting foam. And on the third layer sits a rather robust power supply also nicely ensconced.
Overall the BHSE wrappings are utilitarian, functional, and, no doubt, incredibly protective of its inner contents.
Design—Look and Feel
Modern-Retro. Yes, this is how I would characterize the look of HeadAmp’s Blue Hawaii Special Edition HPA\E. And it will adorn dedicated shelf, table, desktop beautifully, its four Mullard EL34 tubes glowing as though covered candles illuminating a dark space any dark space.
The BHSE has a rather large power supply of matching color, in this case the elegant satin black, and while most place the two side by side, I sit the power supply on a lower shelf. Two reasons really—the first to diminish any possibility of transferable noise, the second to let the very stylish, Modern-Retro Blue Hawaii SE stand alone.
The Blue Hawaii SE is of medium size and is easily able to be lifted and placed. And one has a choice of a multitude of finish options—polished silver, polished black, polished blue, satin red, polished purple, satin champagne, etc. And it comes with two choices of feet—spiked, aluminum cones and rubber, cone-like feet.
It is a clean, well executed, attractive, industrial design that will fit wonderfully in one’s home upon desk, shelf, table, end table, etc.
FUNCTIONALITY
The Blue Hawaii SE is a piece of cake to operate. Attach the umbilical cord to the outboard power supply, plug-in, flip the switch on said power supply, and blue lights will glow into existence (one immediately, one after a couple of minutes) on the face of the BHSE.
The front face of the BHSE from left to right features dual, five-prong, electrostatic headphone outputs, for listening with a friend, loved one, or for transporting a newbie to the world of electrostatics. Beside the headphone outputs at the center of its front face is the volume control and in this case it is the upgraded ALPS RK50 Step-less version, a $1k upgrade. The aforementioned dual blue lights are next. And at the far right a three-position toggle switch that selects ‘RCA 1’ at the very top, ‘XLR’ at the middle position, and ‘RCA 2’ at the bottommost position.
The back facade of the BHSE features, from left to right, the first or right XLR input, then RCA 1 and RCA 2 inputs, which are book-shelved by the left XLR input. Beside the inputs are XLR and RCA loop outputs. And to the far right is the input for the outboard power supply. Simple. Clean. Easy.
Beautifully constructed from both an industrial design perspective and the perspective of functionality. Indeed, Modern-Retro fits perfectly the Blue Hawaii Special Edition electrostatic headphone amplifier.
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of the Grimm Audio MU1, the Mola Mola Tambaqui, with the Blue Hawaii SE via either the STAX SR-009S or the Dan Clark VOCE was magnificent! To date, the only other combination that exceeded its abilities was the Viva Audio Egoista STX headphone amplifier, at more than double the cost! It is safe to say for those unable or unwilling to pay the additional costs, the Blue Hawaii SE will not, for a moment, disappoint.
Natural. Yes, again this word has found its way through my notes and into the Conclusion. Suffice to say that, in this respect, the ability of the BHSE to move beyond simulacra to instigate with ease one’s suspension of disbelief, stole away many hours spent listening to entire albums, when I had only planned to listen to a given, well known song, track, or movement. This, in and of itself, speaks to the compelling, immersive, and engaging way that the BHSE renders one’s music.
Our highest award—the DIAMOND AWARD—goes to the Blue Hawaii Special Edition electrostatic headphone amplifier. It is truly the synthesis of an exceptional electrostatic/dynamic headphone amplifier, and may well become an endgame component for many a headphone fan well-versed with the electrostatic world (or not) and who loves music to no end. Perhaps it should be no wonder why electrostatics in general come away with so many awards.
Pros: Natural musicality, tone and timbre, texture, with a frequency-spanning gravitas that fills out the spectrum and that brings a realness to performers and performances.
Cons: Well, two XLR inputs would be fantastic and, I imagine, a great deal more expensive.
The Specifications
Blue Hawaii Special Edition
Dimensions Amplifier/Power Supply: 15.5” x 13.5” x 8.5”/ 7.7” x 12.5” x4.5”
Weight Amplifier/Power Supply: 17lbs/ 14lbs
Inputs: 3 source inputs —2 RCA, 1 XLR
Outputs: 2 × Five Pin Stereo Electrostatic Headphone Jack connectors, 1 XLR and 1 RCA loop output
Tube complement: 4 × NOS Mullard EL34’s
Operation: Class A operation
The Company
HEADAMP
Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic Headphone Amp $7,995
(as outfitted w/ALPS RK50 step-less)
www.headamp.com
support@headamp.com
Call or Text : 434-981-2829
The SYSTEMS
Accustic Arts Player II CDP/DAC
Grimm Audio MU1
Mola Mola Tambaqui
Dan Clark VOCE
STAX SR-009S
Audience Front Row
AntiCable
Audience AdeptResponse Power Conditioner
2.
Roon Nucleus Plus
Bricasti Design M1SE DAC
DENAFRIPS Pontus II
Dan Clark VOCE
STAX SR-009S
Audience Front Row
AntiCable
Audience AdeptResponse Power Conditioner