HeadAmp Blue Hawaii HP amp

And let me add that a buying brand new BHSE is a stellar deal (especially in the context of high-end audio), and you’d also be supporting a great American small business in these trying times. The used prices aren’t discounted very much anyways.

No, not under any circumstances, not even close. This is an extremely precision engineered piece of equipment, designed for driving Stax Pro-bias electrostatic headphones to their maximum potential. It can swing almost 1600 volts of output signal, peak to peak. So many things can go wrong at those voltages -- and not many designers/builders have the skills and attention to detail to get everything right, but Headamp does.

If you want to focus your efforts on one top-class headphone system with the lowest distortion, least fatiguing, most pure sound, then it's worth going into Stax headphones and plunking down for this amp. The 007/BHSE and 009/BHSE combinations are both classic sounds that have endured at the top of the headphone heap for years, and will continue on for much longer yet, while other flavors of the month come and go. 

If you want bass cannons that can bruise your head, or if you like changing gear and sonic signatures like underwear, or if you like headphone companies that release a Mk IV version a few months after you bought the Mk III -- then this is not the direction for you!

A BHSE with 007 or 009 will give you much more satisfying bass than the HD800 for sure. I never liked the Sennheisers, and lack of bass was one of the big reasons why. I’m still scratching my head as to why the HD800 has had such a stellar reputation all these years. Again Stax isn’t for bass heads, but they can deliver enough bass impact for many audiophiles, including myself. The balance of the 009/BHSE is sort of roughly comparable to the Focal Utopia.

If you’re still worried about bass, the 007 can give a more overall energy down low than the 009. Though the 009 is more fast and precise and can still slam - I prefer them. The KGSShv Carbon will also give a bit more bass impact and extension than the BHSE, but I prefer the sweeter midrange and overall sound of the BHSE. A Carbon paired with 007 will give you the most bass this side of a DIY T2 (which is an absurdly wonderful amp).