Nectar Hive Electrostatic Headphones

@Vtory, nice write-up and I agree many points you have made.

Regarding the moment one realizes that how resolving upstream electronics such as DACs or amps can be, it was not until I had listened to a pair of Sony R10 driven by MCTH, I realized that the tons of details this modest amp can deliver but I simply could not appreciate that capability without lesser resolving transducers like those in the HD650.

About how to deal with stator stickiness without wearing out the cable connector prematurely, I speculate alternative ways. One could be not plugging in the connector entirely and use some metal wire/strip to discharge the headphones. This of course requires turn off the amp. Perhaps there is another way to do it though other contacts of the amp? Somebody with better knowledge may come up with something.

 

How do the Hive compare to something like the ES-1a, 007A, or ES-R10?

Thanks

 

I need help in making a decision. So I have a Nectar HiveX coming in and should be here with 1-2 weeks. I need an electrostatic amp or energizer and I have a budget of up to $2200 CAD (Canadian). The options are quite limited in Canada, so I have the following options:

USED:

-Lightly Used L500 and SRM-353X. Bought in 2021. $1380

-Very lightly used (Maybe 3 hours) Hifiman Jade II Electrostatic Amplifier $1000

-Audio Valve Solaris $3350 (Demo Model) The store that heavily discounted it is offering a 1 year warrantee (Audio Valve no longer in business) - I could stretch for it, but reluctant because I don't know if it's any better, plus getting this might require me to ship it off in the distant future to try and get it serviced.

-A well used SRM-006ts rated as 8/10 by the owner.

-Stax SRM-T1 - Over 10 years old but describe as in excellent condition for $999

-SRM-007tII Driver Unit c/w with NOS RCA clear top matched tubes and described by it's owner as in mint condition for $1800.

-iFi iESL new for $1999, but I don't have a speaker amp and to drive it with my headphone amp I would need to by a 4 pin headphone extension cable. There is one available on Amazon Canada for $130 CAD. Since this is new I would have to pay taxes so that brings it to $2200 before buying a cheap speaker amp, or headphone extension cable. Also I would be driving it off of a Jot2 or Fiio K9 Pro which is stated to be able to output 46 Vpp which using a online calculator suggests that it is capable for outputting 16 vrms. The iESL requires between 10-20 vrms at 64 Ohms. I have no idea if that changes the amount of vrms that the iESL would receive from the K9 Pro. As for the Jot 2, Not sure if this would work, couldn't find any useful information and frankly it's not the best amp. I love the sound coming out of the K9 Pro AKM version.

-Bottlehead Electrostatic Amp (new built to order) - $1499 USD so with conversion to CAD and duties, probably somewhere around $2200 CAD. Also the build time could be anywhere from 4-8 weeks. The problem with this choice is that I would have to wait 1-2 months (probably closer to 2 months) to finally get to listen to the HiveX.

-SRM-400S for around $1700 after taxes.


So which one do I get? Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed.

 

Forgot to put the Woo Wee new for about $1000 CAD new. I would need to get a speaker amp and would have around $1000 - $1200. Could get a Used Schiit Aegir and use the K9 Pro's preamp.

 

Typically I recommend to post questions like this to the general advice thread or so. But I'd rather answer because I don't read advice thread much these days..

I can only say what I've experienced. That being said

• SRM-T1: Quality-wise, this is the most recommendable (not for 999 tho. you may have to negotiate intensively). Downside is products in this age sometimes need overhauls (maybe on arrivals or maybe a couple of months later..). I've seen several defective Stax vintage amps (bought a couple myself too oh well). If you know how to fix, then no problem go for it. Otherwise, please do ask sellers thoroughly about the status and/or prior overhaul history.
• SRM-007t2 .. I generally like this amp but the price seems much higher than I'd be willing to pay.
• SRM-353X: I indeed own one (lightly modded) and it sounded pretty good for what I paid for. I've seen there were frequent 353x deals in the head-fi. So better wait. 1380 doesn't look super terrible. But that's not what I think a steal.
• SRM-400S: Avoid unless it gets super cheaper.

 

I appreciate the answer. That's what I thought about the those amp you mentioned and I'm reluctant to get a well used Stax amp. Just keep in mind that converting from CAD to USD would be around 30% less. So $1000 CAD would be around $700 USD. Not sure if that makes a difference.

 

If the Nectar Hive is as inefficient as they say it is, I'd lean towards the iESL. The SRM-T1 is kinda wimpy without the CCS mod.

 

I say go for the iESL then later on splurge on a used iCAN Pro and the iPower Elite, run everything off the single power supply and the special interconnect cable. Get the final matching iDSD in the distant future.

 

The iCan + iESL combo is bad though (granted, only one short listen, but I couldn't be bothered to waste more time). Pretty much any speaker amp should do better.

 

Nectar HiveX

Introduction:

After 3 weeks of use here are my thoughts. First, I want to emphasize that they are based on my sound preferences, and my ears. All my headphones and IEM’s where purchased and I have not received any discounts for any of them.

The HiveX is produced in the U.S. by Sajeev Ranasinghe and uses a design created and manufactured by him. You can find additional information from nectarsound.net.

The electrostatic amplifier that I used for the HiveX was my recently purchased demo model (60% discount off of original price) of the AudioValve Solaris. A universal amp that is capable of driving IEM’s, headphones, and Pro Bias electrostatics. I have not other experiences regarding other electrostatic amplifiers so I can’t really comment on how it compares to other amplifiers. I have also never listened to any of the Stax Earspeakers though I may eventually get the L300 but that will be in the distant future.

At $649 USD the HiveX is the best value for sound quality of any headphone on the market, especially if you already have an amplifier or energizer capable of driving them. The sound is on the neutral side but well balanced for me. It has excellent tonality with very good texture, fast bass quality, and it extends very well into the sub bass, has clear mids, and perfect treble for me.

Sound:

If you are new to electrostatics like myself, the best comparison I can make regarding them is imagine a very technical, and high quality planar with very good sound stage and imaging. When listening to music the sound feels very fluid and all of the instruments float is space with excellent width and depth. The clarity of the sound is amazing and to date I have not listened to any other headphone or IEM that can present sound the way the HiveX does. That isn’t to say that it is better than dynamic or planar headphones but that it has a unique sound that makes it stand out. It turns out that unique sound is exactly what I was looking for.

I have really enjoyed listening to EDM using them but the most revelatory thing I learned is how excellent they are for metal music. It’s a genre that I occasional listen to and part of the reason was that it always felt like a wall of sound. The HiveX just makes it very pleasurable. Classical, and accoustic/live performances are great on it too. The only downside is that poorly recorded music will have it’s flaws revealed but that doesn’t mean you can only listen to excellently produced music as it has no problems with allowing me to enjoy 70s and 80s rock music.


Focal Clear Mg vs Nectar HiveX:

-HiveX ++soundstage. The Mg’s presents a very intimate soundstage compared to the HiveX’s expansive one.

-HiveX +imaging. The Mg’s have excellent imaging when EQ’d but the HiveX is more refined.

-Tonality +++HiveX. The Mg’s, with no EQ, are a warm sounding headphone. If you are sensitive to treble, then the Mg’s are for you as the warm sound signature is not fatiguing but it will make hearing details difficult in the lower to mid treble region. EQ’d the Mg reveals it’s technical chops and for me, it was the only way that I could listen to them. Basically, the MG, with no EQ is not a headphone that I want to listen to.

-Timbre - Electrostats have their own timbre qualities much like planars and dynamics. This means that the only way to really know if you will like them is to try it as it is too difficult to try and convey that sound with words. That being said, I’m very sensitive to something sounding right and most of my headphones over the past two years have been disappointing in that I couldn’t enjoy some of them because they don’t sound right. The HiveX’s sound right to me. The Mg’s EQ’d were very good as well, but unEQ’d? No.

-Bass - If you value bass on an open back design that has slam, then the MG is a great choice. Slam isn’t something that I really put much emphasis on. I do enjoy base music with EDM being my most listened to music. I really enjoy the very technical and clear sounding bass on the HiveX. It is definitely not a type of bass a bass head would love, but it’s clear and very present with both of the sub-bass and mid-bass being clear and present. Please read the FAQ on the nectarsound.net to learn about the sticking phenomenon and how to address it. It’s not personally an issue for me and I rarely have the diaphragm sticking to the stators but when I do, it’s noticeable and easily addressed. The compromise made by Sajeev regarding the lower tensioning of the diaphragm for bass is an excellent choice for me.

-Build Quality/Design - +Clear Mg. The Mg is a beautiful headphone that is very aesthetically pleasing and beautiful to look at. That was what attracted me to it, but what I learned over the past year of owning it is that I care more about the sound than the appearance. The HiveX is well designed and very practical. It fits very comfortable on my moderately sized head and fits comfortably over my ears. It’s solid, and is not fatiguing due to clamping or weight.

-Intangibles +HiveX - Sajeev provides excellent customer service and is a pleasure to communicate with. His passion for his product is evident in not only his communication and he shares FR graphs of your HiveX, including graphs showing the driver matching. A negative for the HiveX is of course the cost of buying an amplifier to drive them. That is something that the purchaser will need to consider as part of the cost of owning a HiveX.


Conclusion:

Over the past two years, as a relative neophyte to the hifi headphone hobby, I have suffered from new purchase bias and often will really like something after some initial listening to justify the purchase to myself. Over time I have learned to try to wait a few weeks before providing feedback. Time helps to create a better perspective on sound. Over the past year I learned that I really didn’t like the Clear Mg’s and couldn’t understand why I initially thought they were great. My sound preferences have changed over the past two years from a more warm leaning, treble sensitive profile, to a more neutral to neutral bright presentation. These are my favourite headphones or IEM’s, with the Grado RS2X’s being a fairly close 2nd. The produce sound that feels effortless, clear, non fatiguing, pleasurable. I love them!


Ranking of Headphones/IEMs that I have owned:

Love
1. Nectar HiveX
2. Grado RS-2X (With the G pads they sound like dynamic driver version of the HiveX, with punchy bass)
3. Rikudoubuds Grand Rider 1 (DIY earbuds from RikudouGoku)

Good but not excellent
4. ThieAudio Oracle
5. Drop + Dan Clark Aeon Closed
6. Tripowin Olina
7. Focal Clear Mg
8. Sennheiser HD560S (my first headphone)
9. Hifiman HE400SE
10. Tripowin Mele

Dislike
11. LSA HP-2
12. Pioneer Monitor SEM-5 (Need to do some more pad rolling)
13. Final Audio Sonorous 3
14. Austrian Audio X-55
15. Campfire Satsuma (don't ask)