Skylab
Reviewerus Prolificus
I don’t remember exactly how I heard of the SBH. I had heard of Blue Circle Audio, and since “mainstream” high-end audio manufacturers making headphone gear is kind of uncommon, I found it intriguing. I posted about it on head-fi, and lo and behold I got an email from another head-fier who is a big Blue Circle fan. He offered to have the designer Gilbert Yeung, drop by my house with one for me to listen to! Gilbert was a lot of fun to talk to, and I enjoyed my audition of the amp enough that I decided to buy one. It has since become my main headphone amp, and likely will be for some time.
Here is a short description of the SBH. More detail can be found on the Blue Circle Website, here: http://www.bluecircle.com/index.php?page_id=6938 The SBH has 2 inputs, and one headphone output. It has a separate power supply chassis and is linked to the amp itself with an umbilical cord. I know the SBH is op-amp based, but Gilbert declined to say WHAT op-amps are used. I also ordered mine with the remote control option, which is very cool. Also, one of the main reasons I was originally interested in this amp is that in addition to the master volume control, it has separate level controls for the left and right channels. I find this HUGELY useful, and I really wish more headphone amps had some sort of balance control. It’s nice to be able to center the singer when the recording didn’t quite do it.
Here is a pic in my rig:
I listened to the SBH with my DT880/600, DT990/600, Deep closed Darth Beyers, and Denon D5000’s. It drove all very, very well.
The SBH is a highly transparent amp. No grain, no noise, no haze – just a completely wide open window to the music. This is a VERY important factor of amplification for me, and the SBH has it, in spades. It gives you that feeling of having nothing between you and the music. In fact, only the RSA Apache of all the amps I have ever heard for any length of time is better in this regard. The SBH bettered the very good Meier Opera in this regard.
Also, like the Apache, the SBH has that magical ability to make instruments sound REAL. The great imaging and transparency are part of what makes this true, but there is more than that. Again like the Apache, the SBH has an almost tube-like warmth and lushness, but in a way that does not reduce transparency, obscure detail, or color the sound unacceptably, as some tube amps can. Midrange performance on the SBH was truly excellent all around – warm, lush, smooth, and detailed – such a great combination of traits!
Treble extension and air were also top-notch, as was the treble detail. Again, a level of smoothness was present, but still terrific detail. It was not quite the equal of the Apache in this regard, but was on par with the Opera, which I have held as a paragon of smooth-yet-detailed treble.
Soundstaging was likewise excellent. Soundstage width was very good – soundstage depth was outstanding. In fact again in this regard it was very close to the Apache, and better than the Opera. I could easily get lost in the musical image, which is again the hallmark of a world-class headphone amp, which the SBH certainly is.
Bass performance was very good, but in this regard the Opera was better. The SBH’s bass is just one notch less well defined than the Opera, which I think has fantastically defined and weighty bass. But this was really NEVER a “problem” in any way – the SBH’s bass is excellent and enjoyable. It’s deep, tight, and weighty. It’s just that in this regard I have heard slightly better in the similarly priced Opera.
The thing about the SBH that really continues to impress, over and over, is how incredibly musical the SBH is. It’s been so easy to get lost in the music with the SBH that it makes the perfect amp for me in my bedside rig. I would be too easily distracted having the SBH in my office. I’m not sure how much more praise I could give it.
The SBH is certainly very competitive with the similarly priced Opera, although since the Opera comes with a very fine DAC, it’s probably the better bargain, since the two amps are very close in overall performance. I find I slightly prefer the musical presentation of the SBH over the Opera, but both are excellent. The SBH’s slightly tube-like mids are what put it over the edge for me. That beguiling musicality is what we music-lovers pay a lot for, and while the SBH is far from cheap, it delivers the goods for a price much less than a lot of other world-class headphone amps.
The Blue Circle SBH doesn’t get much coverage here on head-fi. It should. It makes spending more than $1200 on a headphone amp VERY hard to justify. Highly, highly recommended.
Here is a short description of the SBH. More detail can be found on the Blue Circle Website, here: http://www.bluecircle.com/index.php?page_id=6938 The SBH has 2 inputs, and one headphone output. It has a separate power supply chassis and is linked to the amp itself with an umbilical cord. I know the SBH is op-amp based, but Gilbert declined to say WHAT op-amps are used. I also ordered mine with the remote control option, which is very cool. Also, one of the main reasons I was originally interested in this amp is that in addition to the master volume control, it has separate level controls for the left and right channels. I find this HUGELY useful, and I really wish more headphone amps had some sort of balance control. It’s nice to be able to center the singer when the recording didn’t quite do it.
Here is a pic in my rig:
I listened to the SBH with my DT880/600, DT990/600, Deep closed Darth Beyers, and Denon D5000’s. It drove all very, very well.
The SBH is a highly transparent amp. No grain, no noise, no haze – just a completely wide open window to the music. This is a VERY important factor of amplification for me, and the SBH has it, in spades. It gives you that feeling of having nothing between you and the music. In fact, only the RSA Apache of all the amps I have ever heard for any length of time is better in this regard. The SBH bettered the very good Meier Opera in this regard.
Also, like the Apache, the SBH has that magical ability to make instruments sound REAL. The great imaging and transparency are part of what makes this true, but there is more than that. Again like the Apache, the SBH has an almost tube-like warmth and lushness, but in a way that does not reduce transparency, obscure detail, or color the sound unacceptably, as some tube amps can. Midrange performance on the SBH was truly excellent all around – warm, lush, smooth, and detailed – such a great combination of traits!
Treble extension and air were also top-notch, as was the treble detail. Again, a level of smoothness was present, but still terrific detail. It was not quite the equal of the Apache in this regard, but was on par with the Opera, which I have held as a paragon of smooth-yet-detailed treble.
Soundstaging was likewise excellent. Soundstage width was very good – soundstage depth was outstanding. In fact again in this regard it was very close to the Apache, and better than the Opera. I could easily get lost in the musical image, which is again the hallmark of a world-class headphone amp, which the SBH certainly is.
Bass performance was very good, but in this regard the Opera was better. The SBH’s bass is just one notch less well defined than the Opera, which I think has fantastically defined and weighty bass. But this was really NEVER a “problem” in any way – the SBH’s bass is excellent and enjoyable. It’s deep, tight, and weighty. It’s just that in this regard I have heard slightly better in the similarly priced Opera.
The thing about the SBH that really continues to impress, over and over, is how incredibly musical the SBH is. It’s been so easy to get lost in the music with the SBH that it makes the perfect amp for me in my bedside rig. I would be too easily distracted having the SBH in my office. I’m not sure how much more praise I could give it.
The SBH is certainly very competitive with the similarly priced Opera, although since the Opera comes with a very fine DAC, it’s probably the better bargain, since the two amps are very close in overall performance. I find I slightly prefer the musical presentation of the SBH over the Opera, but both are excellent. The SBH’s slightly tube-like mids are what put it over the edge for me. That beguiling musicality is what we music-lovers pay a lot for, and while the SBH is far from cheap, it delivers the goods for a price much less than a lot of other world-class headphone amps.
The Blue Circle SBH doesn’t get much coverage here on head-fi. It should. It makes spending more than $1200 on a headphone amp VERY hard to justify. Highly, highly recommended.
