PS Audio BHK signature preamp

Terrific preamp at a terrific price. Some caveats…resale for PSA is always a little soft due to their trade-in policies and other components of the business model. Also, their generous trade-in policy will always gently nudge you in the direction of the PSA family. For me, this is no problem at all. YMMV. There is no tape out which matters to almost no one but is a deal breaker for me. Almost all of the recommendations here will make you deliriously happy. Spouse maybe not so much. But it is the holiday season; go for it.

@donavabdear 

I have both the BHK preamp and the BHK 300 mono blocks. I have NOS RCA clear tops in the preamp and some NOS Mullard 7308’s in the amps and yes there is a small amount of noise coming out of my 91db speakers. Here comes the but, I can’t hear the noise from 3’ away let alone the listening position.

What tubes do you have in yours?

All the best.

@signaforce I am familiar with McIntosh. Coda will be better. More articulate, clearer, more detailed, textured and extended without a hint of harshness. McIntosh will sound warmer and duller in comparison. 
PS Audio makes decent stuff which is easy to buy, hard to sell. I do not think it will beat Coda that has better components, is quieter with lower noise floor and if you want tubes in the chain you already have RP1 that will add tube magic. 
 

Just my $0.02. You decide.  

Wyred4Sound STP SE 

Op it applies to stereo it keeps you healthy and less stress. And happy and smiling.

OP keep on asking she will give in..😀

@signaforce the recommendation to look at an integrated amp of space is a constrain is a good one.  I’ve had the PrimaLuna Evo400, Krell 300i (latest XD version) and Coda CSiB.  The Coda and Krell were fantastic and can drive any speakers.  As noted, on the CSiB, start with the V1, will offer more Class A watts, you can always have it converted to V2 or V3.  You can find a used CSiB for what a Coda 8 would cost, might be fun to buy the integrated, try it out, compare, if you don’t like it, sell it and shouldn’t lose much or anything, likely selling it for what you bought it for.  The CSiB can be used as a Pre as well, worked well for me but I don’t like that the entire unit was in, the amp included when I was using it as a Pre only.  
 

on the BHK, PS Audio has said it’s discontinued, reason for the 50 % off sale.  They haven’t announced what’s replacing it yet, if you look at their BHK line, they already discontinued the 250 amp, I’m guessing (no actual knowledge) they are revamping or replacing the entire BHK line.  The line has been their reference line for I think over a decade.  There aren’t any crazy leaps forward in Preamp design, technology, parts will come out that might be quieter, measure better than previous offering incremental improvements.  If the BHK strikes your fancy, Inwouldnt hesitate to buy it.  Now, for $ 3500 you can also get some great used Pre’s.  LTA also makes unbelievable equipment, they also just came out with a DAC that is really well reviewed.  
 

Keep us posted.  Curious what you buy and how you like it.  

Sounds like a great preamp from the reading I did. 

If it barely fits, are you concerned about ventilation?  Looks like it has vents in the top. 

@jayctoy Absolutely! She just said yesterday, “We need to spend more money. Can’t take it with us & kids certainly don’t need it,” (the kids are killing it).
She went on to say this doesn’t apply to my stereo, but I see a definite opportunity. 😎

Thanks! It seems the LTA microZOTL is a very good pre and has been recommended by several of you. 3 issues: 1. It is .2” too tall for my rack. 2. It doesn’t use my current (excellent) tube sets. 3. No remote on/off (this one I could live with… but why?). The PSA satisfies these requirements & is my choice even if not quite as good. Thanks!

@signaforce I’m very happy with the LTA microZOTL Level 2 preamp/BHK 250 combo pushing my Tannoy DC8Ti speakers.  IMHO, depending on your system, I think you would be happy with either the PS Audio BHK or LTA microZOTL. I moved to the LTA preamp for two reasons (1) it does sound noticeably better, and (2) I took my Teac X-10R R2R out of mothballs and needed a preamp with a tape loop.

Tell your wife thiis will be your Christmas gift you want.And you want it early, 

I haven't heard the PS Audio amp, but I have a Coda No 8 V1.  I'm using it with a Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL preamp.  I'm very happy with it. 

Looks like the amp first people are winning. My contenders are:

Coda #8. Recommended by @audphile1 @mm1tt77 @zlone Great reviews, good price point and size. Talked to Doug today. He recommended starting with the V1 also.

PS Audio BHK 250. Great reviews, very good price point. A monster. PS audio is selling refurbs at half price. @oldschool1948 you are using. Anyone else? Thoughts? 

Then either buy the BHK pre or keep my RP-1… OR

Macintosh MA352. For those who recommended integrated, I have coveted Macintosh for 50 years. 

Recommendations anyone?

I love my BHK Preamp driving BHK 300 mono blocks into Magico A5. It is beautiful sounding set up, but the tubes can be finicky. If you go for it be prepared to swap tubes to manage hiss and popping and get the sound you like. I've also found this set up exposes weakness in cabling and sources, but that might be my speakers. Good luck!

Another Amp first vote. DAC second. But please consider that they are now ah days many fine intergrateds. The Accuphase E-4000 180W/ch Integrated Stereo Amplifier Comes to mind. New/Used. The sterophile list has all sorts in every price range. 

What @zlone said. 
If you want more power yes go fir v2 or v3. It’s worth starting with V1 though…Doug can always upgrade your amp to V2 or V3. Give him a call get his take on it. 

Interesting you recommend the v1.  KEF recommends at least 60% of 300w for the R11’s… so at least 180w. In talking to their support, they wanted 200w.  Is there some advantage to the V1?

FWIW, I drive a pair of the KEF Reference One's with my Coda with no issue. The V1 is 150W at 8 ohms, 300 at 4 ohms, and the KEF's are a nominal 4 ohm speaker. The V1 just buys you more watts of Class A before it goes AB. 

@audphile1 

Interesting you recommend the v1.  KEF recommends at least 60% of 300w for the R11’s… so at least 180w. In talking to their support, they wanted 200w.  Is there some advantage to the V1?

@signaforce I had Coda CSiB integrated that I just sold to my friend. The CSiB is essentially Coda #8 with built in preamp. Amazing integrated…it replaced my Pass Labs separates. I had the V1 and it drove my Wilson Sabrina (notoriously difficult 87db speaker that dips into 2ohms) without a hint of strain. Your Kefs are much more efficient. 
I would go with Coda 8 V1 and pair it with RP1. 
@zlone confirmed it has a trigger. 

 It looks like it has no trigger, so must be manually powered on and off? 

My Coda #8 has a trigger on it and it works fine with my Pass Pre and its remote. 

@audphile1 

Thank you for your recommendation, but integrated doesn’t solve my space issue. I think I have a resolution… remove a section from my L shaped sectional & install another rack there. 
Question, I assume you have the Coda #8. It looks like it has no trigger, so must be manually powered on and off? 
if I were to buy the Coda, I would assume V2. Thanks 

@signaforce I know you’re constrained by space for each component. But here’s a thought…would you be under the same constraints if you replaced separates with integrated? Given you’re always going to be bottlenecked by that amplifier you have, I would think with the space limitations and to stay within reasonable price range, you can pick yourself up a very nice integrated that will get your speakers sounding closer to their full potential and will most likely beat the preamp/amp combo whether it’s Rogue or PS Audio. It will most likely have to be more or less a full sized component though but perhaps you can rearrange things to make it work…

@signaforce 

You’re welcome. I’m constantly debating which component to upgrade first myself, and what I can get away with under my wife’s radar:) This darn hobby!

@acguo 

Can’t argue with your assessment and recommendations. Thanks!

If I were in your shoes, I would upgrade the TT first. You can get some good open box deals on VPI Prime 21, Classic Signature, and Signature DS out there, especially if there’s an additional 10-15% off during a holiday sale. Your cartridge is already excellent. The phono preamp would be my next upgrade, then amp, then preamp. But since PS Audio has a good return policy, it doesn’t hurt to try it out.

I used a BHK pre for quite a few years in rotation with a Luxman C-700u, DeHavilland UltraVerve III, &  ModWright LS36.5. It was an excellent sounding preamp that held its own with respect to the others. Of course, each has its particular strong points relative to the others and which one preferred depended on the partnering speakers, amp, etc. No noise issues for me as my speakers are all medium sensitivity, around 87-88db. I had issues with reliability and after the second trip back to PS Audio for repair in five years I sold it as I have no patience for gear that isn't reliable. PS Audio's repair service and customer support was excellent. Repairs were rapid and they didn't even charge me for the second repair, so I give them kudos and thanks for the support process. No product line has a 100% fail safe record so I don't know one can draw any conclusions about the BHK's manufacturing quality from my experience. 

I ran the BHK pre with BHK 300s for several years and enjoyed them immensely.   Ran on Focal Kanta 3 and Rockport Atria ii.  Strong recommend.  

Hello @signaforce , Without commenting on the rest of your system, I can comment about my experiences with the BHK pre from PS Audio.  In my system, it was noisy. I really wanted to get a tube pre with SS amps, but I could not get past the noise. Any extra noise to me is a distraction.  I tried different tubes, cleaning tube ports, changing interconnects, changing outlets etc.  I replaced it with a used Audionet Pre 1 G3 and oh my what an improvement. Not only quieter but much better imaging and soundstage.  Much more clear and extended.  This was my first real taste of the sound I desired.  I have since moved well up the Audionet chain, but it was the Pre 1 G3 that started it.  Used, it is similar to what you are talking about for the BHK.

@signaforce I misread the nomenclature and thought you were looking at the Pre and didn’t realize the ABH2 was their amp.  They would likely be a nice combo, the BHK would bring a little something extra to the party. 
 

Thanks,

@mm1tt77 Thanks, will do. Do you think the BHK & AHB2 will not pair well if I go that route?

@signaforce keep us posted, if you get the BHK, does it deliver the differences you are hoping for? 
 

It’s a great Pre, very different than the AHB2 which is known for being very transparent and neutral. 
 

Good Luck. 

Thank you for your thoughts and recommendations. Unfortunately I am not certain what I am going to do. I do understand my weakest links are:

1. Amp

2. Turntable 

3. DAC 

4. Phono stage

However, I will more than likely buy the BHK pre, for all the reasons expressed by me and many of you. 
The Cobalt looks intriguing, but can’t find one used, and would have to figure out where to put it from a space standpoint. Otherwise, it will probably be the Benchmark AHB2. 
On the TT side, if I can figure out space, a higher end VPI, otherwise the Rega P8. 
Thanks again for all your thoughts and recommendations. I find these discussions to the very valuable. 

I've owned all the BHK line from PS Audio and love the sound the only thing is I have very efficient speakers 96db and the BHK equipment isn't the quietest so the noise was making me crazy. I replaced my BHK preamp with a Boulder preamp that was 4 times the price and the noise problem went away but I still missed the magic of the tube sound, I went through a time when I was changing preamps every week and ultimately I replaced all the BHK equipment and set up a stereo in another room with some new PS Audio speakers and that system works really well together. All that to say if you have very efficient speakers and hate noise the BHK equipment may not be the best choice but with inefficient speakers like the new PS Audio speakers the system is wonderful and buttery. 

I’m a BHK Pre owner as well.  I also have a Coda 07x Pre.  As others have suggested, use the generous return policy to see how the BHK sounds in your system.  If you have tubes to roll, BHK is a great Pre for that.  Upgrading your Amp is also a great suggestion, the Coda 8 is awesome, if you sent the BHK back you could buy a used Coda # 8.  Your streamer isn’t a weak link, one of the top brands in Hi-Fi.  That would be one of the last upgrades I’d tackle with the gear you have.  

@invalid

Now there’s a response I didn’t expect. Please provide your recommendations, that would include:

Better plus:

No more than 4” in height. (due to my rack requirements)
A good HP amp (otherwise another $1k)

12AU7 tubes compatible (I have almost $2k in tubes)

remote control-able with power/standby on/off & direct input selection ideally compatible with harmony remotes (because I’m old, and like convenience).

Must have home theater pass through (to work with additional HT components)

Unfortunately, I am forced to to consider both form & function.

Tall order…

I think you could do better than the BHK preamp even at 50% off. You can get a really good preamp for $3500.

Take the deal and get the preamp. Keep your  mogami 2549 interconnects it's as good as any and better than most.

PS Audio has one of the best return policies out there. Buy it, try it with a critical ear then decide to keep it or return it.  Easy Peasy Lemmon Squeezy. 

Get the bhk preamp, also get rid of the aurender and get the ps audio airlens, this thing will sound better than the aurender and you will increase the sound quality of the dsd dac by using i2s from the airlens to the DS dac 

I have the BHK Signature preamp and it’s really good. The hook that made me buy it was the tube rolling aspect. I was able to find some RCA Cleartops from Brent Jesse that were perfect for my ears. 
When I saw the half price ad, at first I was kinda ticked, but I got over it pretty quickly.  I did email PS Audio and asked with them closing out the BHT preamp, what is going to replace it in their lineup and Caleb said he knew of nothing at this time.  That surprised me but maybe he’s not aloud to say.

All the best.

@signaforce I owned RP1 and it’s a great preamp. In your system upgrading the amplifier and the DAC would make a lot more sense. A better amp will make a ton more difference with the RP1 than the BHK pre will with your current amp. After you upgrade the amp you should look into a DAC upgrade. Qutest is good but you can do better. And leave the cables alone - components will make a more profound difference.

Look into Coda No.8 amplifier. Find a good used one. Your system will sing with this amp paired with RP1.

I am also a PS Audio BHK preamp owner, and may have been the one who alerted another member of the current bargain. I really think it is a strong piece that elevated my system, is responsive to tube rolling, and actually drives my Audeze LCD-2 headphones very well, which is not always the case. You can't lose getting that preamp and building around it.

But I am a source-first kind of guy, so spending your resources on a turntable and a phono section might be even more rewarding.  For example, the maker of my tonearm, Pete Riggle, swears that the Merrill Gem Dandy Signature Polytable is one of the best turntables he has ever heard, and he has been doing this a long time. And it is around $3000, which in this market is reasonable for what could be a "final" turntable.

And a good phono section, like that of PS Audio - the Stellar that Michael Fremer enthusiastically blessed, might also matter more. A nice alternative might be the new Zesto Andros Spirit. 

The other way of looking at it is that the Merrill and the phono stages I mentioned are at full price, and will likely stay around those prices for the foreseeable future. Right now you could have the the BHK Preamp at half price, and that might not  happen again for a new pre-amp of that quality for awhile.

Decisions, decisions... 

Scratch your itch and upgrade the Mogami interconnects. Try something with OCC copper. 

@ozzy62 

Thanks, I agree, my Rogue is not my weakest link, just attracted to the PS audio price / features. What component would you address first?
@audioman58 

44 years of marriage. Could work, but she is very practical. I even tried once to convince her to buy a Prada bag… she wouldn’t  

@oldschool1948 

@fertguy 

Thanks

Be happily married and still get it 

a understanding spouse will respect the things that make you happy 

and join in to listen to good music together.  If then f there is a  hobby she wishes to pursue  respect her hobbies.  I am  married almost 25 years 

and sometimes you have to sit down and explain ,to a non audiophile

they May never come to your logic. I have had to be creative  if you earn the money to pay for it ,then the end justifies the means , I recently spend $4k+ on digital cables ,I just kept the cost to in part to myself . I am 66  and life is to short .

you get your preamp and promise to take her on a nice get away ,it sounds fair to me .my wife spent $3500; on a Prada bag she hardly uses ,I thought that was not too well thought out but  men and women Donot think alike .a sit down may be in order !!

To the other responders. I haven’t heard the BHK preamp and I’m not saying it’s not great, probably is. I just don’t think it’s the first thing that should be addressed.

I have the BHK pre with M1200s. Stellar Gold DAC, Airlens streamer with Focal Kanta 3s speakers. Couldn't be happier. I run Telefunken 12AX7s. late 50 I think.  

For quite a few years, I enjoyed the PS Audio BHK pre amp, paired with the BHK250 power amp, Stellar phono pre, and PS Audio DSD DAC.  My sources are a Technics SL-1200G TT and an Innous Zenith MKII streamer.  Speakers Tannoy DC8Ti.

I auditioned the LTA microZTOL preamp in my system for a week. At the end of the week, I ordered the LTA preamp and soon after sold the BHK and haven’t looked back.

The BHK is an excellent piece, the LTA sounds much better in my system.  I used Tungsram NOS 7dj8 tubes in the BHK and stock tubes in the LTA.  Now I have 3 matched pairs of Tungsram NOS 7dj8 tubes gathering dust on a shelf .  I’ll sell them one of these days .

Sorry HP (headphone) Amp. 
I mentioned the amp & turntable in my post. Somewhat surprised at the phono stage. To?